8/30/2023: Let Sleeping Ships Lie đ˘
PLUS: Maui Update; Bob Barkerâs Estate Plans; and the Palace Trims Up
Today is Wednesday, August 30, 2023.
It is the 242nd day of the year.
123 days remain.
PROGRAMMING NOTE
There will be no newsletter on Monday, September 4, in observance of Labor Day.
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WHATâS ON TAP
Some good news amid concerns about a winter Covid wave and a New Hampshire woman finds a closet treasure. More in HIT LIST.
A former âBacheloretteâ contestant is the latest victim of a social media death hoax and DOLLY PARTON turns down tea with PRINCESS KATE. More in SHOWBIZ.Â
Princess Leiaâs gold bikini has hit the auction block and âThe Idolâ has been canceled. More in CASTING CALL.Â
TRAVIS BARKER hates famous people, KRIS JENNER has a new look and YE bares it all. More in KARDASH.Â
KING CHARLES is downsizing the staff to go along with a slimmer working royal family. More in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
PEACE OF MIND: As some hospitals bring back mask mandates and schools close due to an influx of covid cases, things may not actually be as bad as they appear.Â
According to new data from the CDC, 99% of COVID-19 deaths reported last week were not primarily caused by the virus. This means another âcondition, injury, disease, situation or eventâ caused the death. While those causes have not been reported, the CDC notes that cancer and heart disease continue to be the leading causes of death nationwide. [via NY Post]
NUMBERS DONâT LIE: There were 324 deaths due to covid the week ending August 19. In August 2020, there were an average of 6,000 deaths a week. [via CDC]
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A new study published in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine looked into hospitalizations due to foreign objects being stuck in patientsâ butts.Â
Researchers from the University of Rochester in New York found that between 2012 and 2021 there were 39,948 emergency department visits involving patients with foreign objects stuck in their rectums. Of those patients, nearly 78% were male and 40% required hospitalization. Over half of the objects removed were sex toys, while others included balls, marbles and drugs.Â
There was also an increase in cases over the span of years studied, rising from 1.2 per 100,000 cases in 2012 to 1.9 in 2021. [via ScienceDirect]
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A New Hampshire woman could see an enormous windfall for a painting sheâs had gathering dust for a few years, after it was authenticated as an original by 20th century artist NC Wyeth.
She bought it in 2017 for $4 at a thrift store while shopping for frames. She liked how it looked, displayed it for a while, then put it in a closet. Recently, the owner posted it to a Facebook group showing off odds and ends, when one member of the group thought it looked awfully familiar.
Itâs since been verified as legitimate, and is expected to sell for between $150,000 and $250,000 at auction. [via Boston Globe]
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More than 100 people have come forward to indicate they are alive and well after officials in Maui released the names of 388 people who had been unaccounted for.
More than one thousand people in total have been displaced and missing at some point as officials continue to tally the cost of the carnage wreaked by fires earlier this month. So far 45 of the dead have been identified. [via CBS News]
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The US government is trying to block an American company from entering the remains of the Titanic on the ocean floor â but the case has nothing to do with the imploded exploration vessel from earlier this summer.
A treaty between the United States and Great Britain identifies the resting place of the doomed ship as a gravesite, prohibiting any other vessels from entering inside.
In particular, a Georgia-based firm wants to try to recover artifacts from the Marconi room â the name for the shipâs radio office that could wirelessly receive and transmit radio signals. That company argues that by only taking freestanding items â and not anything attached to the ship itself â theyâre staying within the rules of the treaty.Â
Lawyers for the US are demanding the company get a permit to move forward; the company intends to pursue the expedition anyway. So far, theyâll be able to do so unless a judge instructs them otherwise. [via AP News]
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BY THE NUMBERS
đ The DOW was up 292 points (0.85%) to close at 34,852 on Tuesday. The S&P was up 64 points (1.45%) to close at 4,497 and the NASDAQ was up 238 points (1.74%) to close at 13,943.
đ˘ WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $81; BRENT CRUDE at $84.
â˝ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.82 on Tuesday.
âż BITCOIN surged over 6.5% on Tuesday, trading over $27,800.
đŠ There were more than 2,090 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 520 such cancellations.
đ°Tonight's POWERBALL drawing will be for a $386 million jackpot or a $185.8 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
âBacheloretteâ contestant JOSH SEITER is the latest death hoax victim.Â
After reports of his passing surfaced late Monday, he released a statement on Tuesday saying his Instagram had been hacked and he is very much alive and well.Â
As for why it took Seiter a day to respond to set the record straight, he says he was locked out of his Instagram account for 24 hours. [via HuffPost]
WORTH ASKING: No one else could have addressed the hoax on his behalf?
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A majority of BOB BARKERâs estate will go to a number of causes he was passionate about, especially animals and veterans.Â
Roger Neal, Barkerâs longtime rep, said a bulk of the assets will go to 40 different animal rights organizations and military nonprofits. The rest will go to the United Activists for Animal Rights charity, at which Barkerâs girlfriend Nancy serves as President. [via TMZ]
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DOLLY PARTON turned down tea with PRINCESS KATE during a recent trip to the UK due to her tight schedule of appearances for her upcoming album, âRockstar.âÂ
Beyond her busy schedule, Parton joked on BBC Radio 2 that she had to say ânoâ because Kate likely âwasnât going to promote [the] album.âÂ
âRockstarâ is due out November 17. [via People]
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Police were once again called to the home of KIM ZOLCIAK and KROY BIERMANN for another domestic disturbance.Â
According to a police report obtained by Radar Online, Kim called 911 when she returned home last Friday to find the doors locked and a pillow left out for her on the front porch.
With officers at the scene, Kim called a locksmith who was able to get her back in the house, where she and Kroy both stayed for the night. Their kids were at home at the time of the incident, but the police report states they were asleep.Â
Remember, it was just a day earlier that Kroy re-filed for divorce, seeking full custody of the coupleâs four kids and exclusive rights to their marital home. [via Radar Online]
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According to a recent survey from the LEGO Group, MICHELLE OBAMA is the most inspirational female of all time. Of the 2,000 parents of girls between the ages of six and 10 surveyed, 34% deemed the former First Lady as the most inspirational.Â
Next was âHarry Potterâ actress EMMA WATSON and Nobel Prize winning physicist MARIE CURIE, both at 29%.
Rounding out the Top 10 were:Â
4. Serena Williams - 27%
5. Florence Nightingale - 25%
6. Taylor Swift - 24%
7. Rosa Parks - 23%
8. Beyonce - 21%
9. Mother Theresa - 21%
10. Dame Judi Dench - 20%
As for what makes a woman inspirational, 65% of parents said determination, 62% said passion, and 54% said resilience and compassion. [via Daily Mail]
WORTH NOTING: The first female Vice President KAMALA HARRIS did not make the list of 30 women.Â
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EMINEM doesnât like GOP presidential candidate VIVEK RAMASWAMY using his music on the campaign trail.Â
The rapper issued a letter to music licenser BMI, asking them to pull his songs from their agreement in an effort to stop Vivek from using them. The issue arose after Vivek rapped some of Emâs songs at the Iowa State Fair earlier this month.Â
In response, BMI fired off a cease and desist letter to Vivekâs campaign lawyer, saying Emâs songs are off limits. [via TMZ]
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50 CENT postponed this weekâs show in Phoenix due to the extreme heat.Â
The rapper was set to take the stage at the outdoor stage at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre alongside TONY YAYO, BUSTA RHYMES and JEREMIH, when he noticed the temperature was expected to reach around 116 degrees.Â
âIâll be back in Arizona soon!â 50 posted on Instagram along with the cancellation announcement. [via Instagram]
BY THE WAY: Phoenix has had over 90 days with 100-degree temps.Â
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ELVIS PRESLEYâs Smith & Wesson Model 53 double-action revolver has sold for nearly $200,000 -- more than double what it was expected to go for.Â
As previously reported, the gun, which Elvis received as a gift just months before he died, was up for sale through Rock Island Auction Company.Â
No word on who bought the piece. [via TMZ]
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CASTING CALL
The gold bikini worn by Princess Leia (CARRIE FISHER) in âStar Wars Return of the Jedi,â is hitting the auction block.
The iconic piece of movie memorabilia is one of more than 1,400 props and objects from âStar Wars,â âStar Trek,â âAlien,â âHarry Potterâ and Marvel films. They will be listed at Julienâs Auctions as part of their Hollywood and Royalty event.Â
Some items from PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLEâs 2008 nuptials will also be included in the auction. [via Daily Mail]
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âThe Idolâ has been canceled at HBO.
Season 1 of the series, starring THE WEEKND and LILY-ROSE DEPP, started out strong with more than 3.6 million viewers in the first week. By the end of the season, reactions turned negative, with many feeling the show was too sexualized. This likely impacted viewership, leading to the cancellation. [via Deadline]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
Despite being married to one of the most famous women in the world, TRAVIS BARKER was spotted wearing a shirt that read, âFamous People Suck.â Barker is famous in his own right as a drummer for BLINK-182. [via Page Six]
In other Kardashian-related newsâŚ.
- A new Instagram clip of KRIS JENNER showing off some glam has many wondering if there was some sort of A.I. magic in play because she is almost unrecognizable. [via Page Six]
- YE flashed fellow tourists while taking a water taxi in Venice this week. As the rapper went to sit down on the boat his entire butt was exposed. Not seeming to care, Ye let it all hang out for the entire ride. His scantily clad wife, BIANCA CENSORI, was also spotted on the vessel. [via TMZ]
- KENDALL JENNER is getting into the clothing business. The 26-year-old has joined forces with Jens and Emma Grede, who are also behind KIM KARDASHIANâs Skims and KHLOE KARDASHIANâs Good American brands. [via Page Six]
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WEâLL NEVER BE ROYALS
In addition to trimming the number of working royals, KING CHARLES intends to trim the size of the staff employed to take care of him and his family.
The King is overseeing a 20% reduction in staff for those working at Buckingham Palace, Windsor, and Sandringham. Insiders say that when he points out the absurdity of simple tasks taking multiple people to manage, heâs told, âThatâs how the Queen did it.â
The move is both to find efficiency in a modern monarchy and put his own stamp on the way things will be done. As part of the downsizing, the King will pay fewer staff better wages as well.Â
The annual Sovereign Grant report, which publicly lists spending on the royal family, showed the Firm spent more than half-a-million dollars on severance packages for 16 members of the Queenâs staff who lost their jobs.Â
The royal family currently employs just under 500 permanent staff.Â
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Holistic Pet Day
National Toasted Marshmallow Day
International Whale Shark Day
Frankenstein Day
National Grief Awareness Day
National Slinky Day
National Beach Day
Amagwinya Day
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ON THIS DATE
1682 - William Penn leaves England to sail to the New World.Â
He would later find Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Â
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1890 - President Harrison signs the first law requiring regulated inspection of meat in the U.S.
The US Department of Agriculture would inspect all exports of salted pork and bacon, as well as imported cattle.Â
The following year, the act would include beef exports.
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1918 - Vladimir Lenin survives an assassination attack in Moscow.
The attacker was Fanya Kaplan, a member of the Social Revolutionary movement, fighting against the Bolshevik takeover.
Lenin recovered at his home in the Kremlin. Kaplan would be shot in the back of the head three days later.
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1945 - Douglas MacArthur arrives in Japan.
The General would oversee the formal end of fighting in the Pacific.
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1963 - The "Red Phone" connecting the United States and Moscow is established, but not as depicted in the movies.
It was a precursor to fax messages, sending strings of text across 10,000 miles of cable with encryption points to keep out snoopers. The first sentence sent from the States to Moscow: "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog's back 1234567890." (It uses all letters and numbers).
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1967 - Thurgood Marshall is confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice.Â
He is the first African American to sit on the bench.
Marshall would serve for 24 years.
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1981 - Bill Shoemaker becomes the first jockey to win a $1 million thoroughbred horse race when John Henry takes the inaugural Arlington Million by a nose over The Bart.Â
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1993 - The 150,000,000th person visits the Eiffel Tower.Â
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2017 - Hurricane Irma forms in the Atlantic.Â
It would eventually make landfall in Florida after demolishing the Caribbean.Â
The Category 3 storm caused more than $50 billion in damage.Â
More than 100 people were killed.Â
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2020 - Global cases of COVID-19 pass 25 million with over 843,000 deaths.Â
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BIRTHDAYS
Sean Ryan Fox - actor, âHenry Dangerâ - 22
Trevor Jackson - actor, âEurekaâ - 27
Boogie - rapper - 34
Bebe Rexha - pop singer - 34
Jordan Rodgers - reality star, sports commentator & brother of Aaron - 35
Ryan Ross - guitarist, Panic! at the Disco - 37
Michael Grant Terry - actor, âBonesâ - 39
Andy Roddick - tennis player - 41
Cameron Diaz - actress, âThe Maskâ & âCharlieâs Angelsâ - 51
Michael Michele - actress, âHow to Lose a Guy in 10 Daysâ - 57
Robert Parish - HOF basketball player - 70
Warren Buffett - investor, stock market - 93
Born On This Date
Ted Williams - baseball player - 1918 (d. 2002)
Mary Shelley - author, âFrankensteinâ - 1797 (d. 1851)
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