Extra, Extra
Five Ring Circus: “For a nation that had become enraptured in Lindsey Vonn’s comeback story and the norm-defying attempt to win an Olympic medal without an ACL in her left knee, the helpless cries of pain as she lay on her back and as the mountain fell silent will be hard to erase from memory.” The event everyone was waiting for lasted 13 seconds and ended with Vonn being airlifted to the hospital. The injury to her teammate made the victory more muted, but no less impressive for Breezy Johnson, who called gold medal run ‘surreal’ after 2022 crash. Ilia Malinin did Ilia things to help win US figure skating team gold. (He’s known as the Quad God, but with that amazing hair, I think of him as the Mane Man.) The medals are having some technical difficulties. (“Don’t jump in them. I was jumping in excitement, and it broke.”) And yes, sadly, our dear leader is getting involved by calling some US athletes losers on social media. The crowds at the Games may have different ideas about who fits that description. NBC appears to cut crowd’s booing of JD Vance from Winter Olympics broadcast.
+ Train Dreams: Brain train game may help protect against dementia for up to 20 years. (It’s probably not quite that simple, but a lot of researchers are excited about this study). Meanwhile, a couple of teas or coffees a day could lower risk of dementia.
+ Deleting History: “The State Department is removing all posts on its public accounts on the social media platform X made before President Trump returned to office on Jan. 20, 2025.”
+ Bannon Fodder: Justice Department moves to dismiss Steve Bannon’s criminal case. (The worse you are, the better it is with this Justice Dept.)
+ Um, That’s Not My Finger: “Proponents predict the new technology will help find cures for rare diseases, discover new drugs, enhance surgeons’ skill and empower patients.” But in the meantime, according to Reuters: As AI enters the operating room, reports arise of botched surgeries and misidentified body parts.
+ Crypto Night: “In the depths of Donald Trump’s interregnum, his eldest two sons huddled in a Mar-a-Lago conference room with boyhood pal Zach Witkoff to conjure up a new money machine. Two other would-be cryptocurrency entrepreneurs showed up, one in sweatpants.” WSJ (Gift Article): One Generation Runs the Country. The Next Cashed In on Crypto. (Remind me again. What’s the good part of crypto?)
+ Lobster Lady: “Her death, in a hospital not far from her home in Rockland, was confirmed by her sternman, Max Oliver Jr., who was also her son. On the frigid and crustacean-filled waters of Penobscot Bay, Mrs. Oliver was known as the Lobster Lady. She was a folk hero to Mainers — an enduring, if fading, emblem of the state’s hardy, matter-of-fact work ethic.” Virginia Oliver, Maine’s ‘Lobster Lady’ and Folk Hero, Dies at 105.
+ On the Job Training: Ultrarunners in secondhand trainers: the rickshaw drivers taking on the world’s toughest races – photo essay. This is awesome.
