After last week"s laughable RNC, we had a strong feeling the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia this week would be much more enjoyable… and we were right!
The corpse flower is one of the largest flowers in the world and only blooms about once every decade. While the sight of the massive and strange looking plant is a spectacle in and of itself (its leaves can stretch up to 12 feet tall in its natural environment), the visual aftermath of the bloom isn’t the most noteworthy part. It’s actually the stench.
UPDATE: It’s blooming! Check it out in the live cam above.
As its name suggests, the corpse flower smells like rotting meat when its petal-like leaves fold back to reveal dark burgundy insides. This week, a specimen at the New York Botanical Garden is expected to flower, releasing what’s been politely described as a “strong, distinctive odor.” Its peak bloom will last for about 24 to 36 hours, all of which will be captured on a live cam.
Sadly, YouTube technology is unable to transmit the reek. Thankfully, a floriculturist outlined the component parts of the corpse fetor, including notes of Limburger cheese, decaying fish, sweaty socks, mothballs, Chloraseptic throat spray, and ... jasmine. So there’s that.
“When it blooms, the corpse flower will release a scent that’s been compared to the odor of rotting flesh,” Marc Hachadourian, manager of the NYBG’s Nolen Greenhouses, explained to The Huffington Post. “It’s foul and nasty, but the plant does this to attract pollinators that are attracted to dead animals.”
NYBG
During its bloom, the corpse flowerself-heats to approximately the temperature of the human body, which helps disseminate odor particles.A young corpse flower can take up to 10 years to store enough energy for that.
The NYBG accessioned its corpse flower in 2007 and has been nurturing it ever since. Hachadourian says his team is patiently waiting for the plant to flower “like expectant parents,” working hard, in this particularly hot summer weather, to provide it with the best conditions possible. “It’s unpredictable, but we have it on display in our Enid A. Haupt Conservatory so visitors can witness this horticultural curiosity for themselves when it happens.”
It has been almost 80 years since a corpse flower bloomed at the NYBG, which is currently celebrating its 125th anniversary. On June 8, 1937, a specimen bloomed at the Bronx location for the first time in the Western Hemisphere. Because of that event, the corpse flower was the official flower of the Bronx from 1939 until 2000, when the city replaced it with the day lily.
Good call, Bronx. Good call.
After the current corpse bloom is complete, it will be several more years before this plant is ready to spew miasma again. So, get thee to the garden if you’re into that kind of thing.
For more on the NYBG’s 125th anniversary, head here.
Violence, tyranny, incest, betrayal and corruption ... and we’re talking all before the primaries.
With the divisiveness plaguing the upcoming presidential election, “Game of Thrones” fans have been quick to point out the remarkable similarities between the fictional show and the race for one of the most important positions in the world. According to Tumblr, the presidential candidates could easily be stand-ins for “GoT” characters, and vice versa.
People are comparing Donald Trump to King Joffrey ...
This article, Why I’m a College Student Voting for Donald Trump, was published to the Odyssey Online and has received 53,000 shares since July 13th. Before you continue reading, please take a moment to click the hyper linked title above and read Ms. DeWitt’s article.
The above article disturbs me, and not because I disagree with Ms. DeWitt’s point of view (though I do), it upsets me because Ms. DeWitt is so woefully misinformed and so very young.
It upsets me because Ms. DeWitt, and the portion of the 53,000 other people who took this article as fact, have power. They have the power to cast a vote that will help determine the future of our country and our world. So, since you have said your piece, Ms. DeWitt, allow me now to say mine. Here are 10 reason’s (in direct response to your 10 reasons, I have a lot more reason’s than 10) Why I’m a College Student and I’m not Voting for Donald Trump.
Before I go any further, I would like to express that in writing this article I by no means want to discourage young people from sharing their voices and opinions. But the beautiful thing about the internet is that it is an open forum for lively political debate, isn’t it?
So, Ms. DeWitt, let’s debate.
1. “Free college will never work.”
First off, the fact that you disagree with one of the platform points of Bernie Sanders’ (who is no longer in the race) is by no means grounds to vote for Donald Trump. Of all the platform points you could discuss, why choose this one?
Also, while we are pointing out plans that will never work, take a look at Donald Trump’s completely unviable economic plan, as analyzed by the non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Furthermore, I agree with you (at least partially) that free college, though ideal in concept, is a far off dream. But to make college more affordable? That is a necessary goal. Students in this country are forced to choose careers not based on their dreams, but on salary, because otherwise they will spend their foreseeable after college future drowning in debt.
You say, the harder you work, the more affordable your college becomes. But, my misguided friend, this is not a question of hard work. Say you worked full time as a waiter, while still somehow making time for school (a virtually impossible task) you would make, on average, about $20,000 a year, which isn’t quite enough to pay for college, which requires about $23,410 a year in tuition at a state school, not to mention vital necessities like food and shelter.
For many, paying for school is not a matter of hard work, it is a matter of impossibility. Based on the fact that you had the time to write this article, my guess is your parents are, at least partially, paying for your school, as mine are. And that is fine.
But making college more affordable is not for you or me. It is for over half of American’s who cannot get a college degree, and therefore can never dream of moving up in the world. I would guess that you were born middle class, so obviously you don’t care about student loans, because you don’t have to.
While half of people from high-income families will get a college degree by age 25, just one in 10 people from low-income families do.
Student debt in the U.S. topped an absurd $1.29 trillion this year.
Check your privilege. Maybe watch this video.
2. “The American Dream will stay Alive.”
This one is almost too ridiculous to respond to, but I admit I just can’t help myself!!!! In this point, you use a James Truslow Adams quote: “Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement, regardless of social class or race.” Then you go on to say, “The American Dream is achievable according to a person’s ability and achievement, Donald Trump has accomplished this himself and will keep it alive if he’s elected president.”
If you read the full quote, it actually begins, “The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone...” Key word: “should.” This quote is referring to an ideal, one of a post racial, post class, society. A society that does not exist in America today. There are massive achievement gaps that exist between races, genders and social stations in our country. I see that quote as a goal for the U.S., not a reality.
According to NeaToday, “The reason we’re either rich or poor is simple: We’re born that way. In fact, a Pew Charitable Trust report shows that a mere 4 percent of people born into low-income U.S. households will ever become high earners.”
Do you think every person born poor simply has less ability than those born rich? Do you think that, perhaps, opportunity doesn’t have something to do with it?
Additionally, you say “Donald Trump has accomplished this already,” This, I assume, meaning the American dream.
But let’s reflect on some facts shall we? Donald Trump’s father gave him ONE MILLION dollars to help him achieve the American dream. Trump is not exactly a rags to riches story. To say he actually worked for even a fraction of his “success” would be generous. In your next point, let’s consider what that “success” actually looks like.
3. “He’s very accomplished.”
Trump is, in truth, more of a reality TV show character than a business man. Let’s take a quick look at his “success”, as examined in Fortune magazine.
Trump always comes first-In a 1996 deal to help save the failing Trump Hotels, The Rank group offered to purchase a 50% interest in the Trump Castle in Atlantic City. Trump rejected this deal entirely on the basis that the Rank group refused to allow the Trump name to remain on the hotel. Consequently, the stock price of Trump Hotels continued to fall. Trump told Fortune that he remembers nothing about any negotiations with Rank.”
He’s not actually as rich as he likes to say he is- According to Fortune, “One of Trump’s favorite topics is his own net worth, and he’s not satisfied to let the numbers speak for themselves. Much has been made of his statement, under oath in a deposition some years ago, that his own calculation of his wealth changes depending on “how he feels” that day.”
He sues wildly- Honestly, it’s not entirely absurd to think he might sue me for this article. To learn about some of the Donald’s most ridiculous law suits, read the Atlantic’s article The Lawsuits of Donald Trump.
He piles on debt- Considering the amount of debt America already lives with, I can’t imagine what a Trump presidency would do for our country. According to Forbes, “From its IPO in 1995 through two separate bankruptcies in 2004 and 2009, Trump Hotels—and its successor, Trump Entertainment—never made money. Year after year its operating profits were decimated by gigantic interest costs. Over the almost 15 years that Trump served as chairman, the casino company posted net losses, excluding extraordinary items, totaling nearly $1.7 billion.”
Needless to say, Trump is, truthfully, not an exceptional business man, he is merely a famous one.
4. “Aren’t you tired of politicians?”
Aren’t you tired of politicians? Meaning aren’t we tired of people who work in politics, working in politics? What you’re saying is that you will vote for Donald Trump because he is not a politician?
That’s a little bit like saying, “I would prefer a brain surgeon who has never been to medical school.” Or, if you want to argue that running a corporation is not that dissimilar from running a country, that’s a lot like saying, “I would like an orthopedic surgeon to perform my brain surgery.”
You go on to say that it would be nice to have someone in the white house, who, “isn’t going to lie to us, has real plans, and will actually change something for the better in the white house.”
I’m sorry, are we talking about the same guy?
Let’s list just a few of Trumps nauseating lies:
Trump claimed that thousands of people in New Jersey (with its “heavy Arab population”) cheered the destruction of the Twin Towers. There is no evidence to support this racist claim.
“81 percent of white murder victims are killed by blacks.” Another fallacy.
Trump lies that Wisconsin’s effective unemployment rate is 20%, saying, “What? Is it 20 percent? Effective or regular? I mean just effective unemployment rate, 20 percent. Hey, this is out of the big book.” According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, The U-3 official unemployment rate in Wisconsin was 4.6 percent in 2015; Wisconsin’s U-6 rate for 2015 was 8.3 percent.
Trump alleged that when Michelle Fields “found out that there was a security camera, and that they had her on tape, all of a sudden that story changed.” Absolutely untrue.
Trump claims Cruz bought the rights to the ad featuring a nude Melania Trump: Debunked.
Trump on Fox News denied that he ever accused President George W. Bush of lying about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. “I didn’t say lie. I said he may have lied.” That’s false. Trumpsaid in a February that Bush “lied.”
Trump, the expert economist: “GDP was zero essentially for the last two quarters.” GDP grew at an annual rate of 1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2015, and 2 percent in the third quarter,according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
“Upstate New York I poll higher than anybody ever.” Hillary Clinton would slaughter Trump 56 percent to 33 percent in upstate New York,according to a Siena College poll.
“We (Trump University) have an ‘A’ from the Better Business Bureau.” In reality, BBB received multiple consumer complaints about Trump university, which sank to a D-minus in 2010.
And those are just a few of my favorites! For more, check out the Daily Wire. As for “real plans”, that’s just laughable. Trump is gaining notoriety by the minute for refusing to state any concrete plans. Instead, he just spews buzz words and hateful rhetoric. If you don’t believe me, read the transcript of his 60 minutes article here: Donald Trump’s amazingly vague ’60 Minutes’ interview, annotated.
5. “He’s confident.”
You say “confident”, I say “foolishly arrogant.” For goodness sake when asked about his advisors he stated that he “consults himself.” That’s not confidence, that’s arrogance.
I might even say “laughably insecure” or “dangerously quick tempered” before I said “confident.” On March 3rd he opened the Republican debate by defending the size of his penis. That’s right, this is a man who is just a step away from leading the most powerful country in the world, and he felt so threatened by a passing comment on the size of his hands by Marco Rubio, that he bragged about the size of his genitals on national TV. How can we expect foreign leaders to take him seriously?
What does Trump even feel confident in? He told Wolf Blitzer in 2004 that, “In many cases, I probably identify more as Democrat, it just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats than the Republicans.” Not only that, but he once supported Bill Clinton’s candidacy. So, yes, perhaps he is confident moment to moment, but his confidence bounces from one position to the next at light speed.
6. “His immigration policy just makes sense.”
Here you state that “Illegal immigrants are a nightmare for America; they take advantage of all the United States has to offer while not paying taxes.”
Actually, according to NewsWeek, “Other than their violation of immigration laws, these “illegals” commit far fewer crimes per capita than lesser educated, native-born Americans. They do take jobs, but they also create more jobs for Americans. They use some social services, but a lot of that is offset by how much they pump into the economy. The aggressive enforcement of U.S. immigration laws has given rise to an organized crime network that smuggles people across the border, often while subjecting them to rape, kidnapping and even murder. And as for the most popular, easy-sounding solutions, such as building walls and having mass deportations? They are ridiculous and would require spending hundreds of billions of dollars to accomplish virtually nothing, while upending the American economy.”
The proposals on Mr. Trump’s website would increase the debt by $12.1 trillion by 2026.
Debt would rise from 74% of GDP last year to 129% of GDP by 2026 (instead of 86% as projected)
To balance the budget under this plan, spending would need to be cut 40% to 80%, or real economic growth would need to exceed 10% annually. If Medicare, Social Security, and defense were exempt from cuts, balance would be impossible.
7. “He’s self funded.”
This one’s easy, because it’s just false.
As of Jan. 31, his campaign had accepted $7.5 million from donors not named Donald J. Trump.
8. “Hillary and Bernie just aren’t the right people for the job.”
This one is so foolish I can hardly make an intelligent argument. You claim Hillary isn’t right for the job because she’s a liar. I just proved above Trump is the king of the liars. Yes, there are arguments to be made that do hold merit on why Hillary shouldn’t be president, but she has been a servant to the American people for decades and has consequently lived in a harsh spot light. She has expertise, experience, political savvy and for God sakes some common sense.
You say Bernie, “is a nice guy, but America should stay as far away from anything close to socialism as possible.” That’s it. You don’t follow up with why, or what socialism means to you, you just make an ignorant assertion likely based on what you learned about socialism in 8th grade social studies. Bernie Sanders is a DEMOCRATIC socialist, and it’s fine if you disagree with what that entails, but at least know what that is if you’re going to openly oppose it.
In fact, Democratic Socialism is defined by dictionary.com as “a form of socialism with a democratic government; the ownership and control of the means of production, capital, land, property, etc., by the community as a whole combined with a democratic government.”
If you’re basing this point entirely off your vague memory that Stalin was a socialist, let me tell you your candidate shares a lot more personality traits with Stalin than Bernie does.
9. “He’ll balance the Supreme Court.”
So I guess you only have selective memory of that 8th grade social studies class, huh? Justices of the supreme court are non-partisan. Sure, they’re considered to lean left or right ideologically, and the idea of a balanced supreme court is pretty widely accepted, but Donald Trump’s list of potential justices contains not merely conservatives, but extremists. For example, William Pryor (one of the 11 possible justices Trump named) fought for the Supreme court to uphold a Texas law banning gay sex. That’s right, not gay marriage, gay sex. He argued, “A constitutional right that protects ‘the choice of one’s partner’ and ‘whether and how to connect sexually’ must logically extend to activities like prostitution, adultery, necrophilia, bestiality, possession of child pornography, and even incest and pedophilia.” This is a man not merely opposed to gay marriage, but a man who sees homosexuality as an abomination and a sickness. That isn’t an opinion; that is prejudice. That is hate.
Another prime example of the kind of “balanced” ideology displayed by Trump’s candidates for the highest court in the land, is that of Don Willet. He is known professionally primarily for refusing to separate church and state. According to Reuters, “Before becoming a judge, Willett was part of Texas’ legal team that won a Supreme Court battle to display the Ten Commandments on a monument in the state Capitol despite opponents’ concerns that it amounted to government endorsement of a religion.”
Not only are Trumps potential SC picks terrifying, but your claim that Trump would “balance” the court is just false. The Supreme Court is now evenly divided with four conservative justices and four liberals. Scalia, who died in February, was one of the court’s most conservative justices. So, what you’re arguing for is not a balanced court, but a conservative court, and a not very diverse court at that, as every single person on Trump’s list is a white person, and the majority of them men. If you would like to read more about Trump’s all-star Supreme Court picks, read Reuter’s Trump’s Supreme Court list: all conservative, some provocative.
10. “He’ll make America great again.”
Now this is an opinion, so I can’t tell you you’re wrong, but I think our thoughts on what a “great America” looks like differ hugely. Your closing sentence of this inexplicably viral article is, “Let’s stick to our roots and make America great again with Donald Trump by our side.”
Our roots. Yes, I think Donald Trump would return us to our roots. The roots of America are steeped in racism, sexism, ableism and close mindedness, and I agree with you, those are exactly the kind of ideals we would return to with the Donald as our president.
Ms. Dewitt, I applaud you for voicing your opinion, and I do not mean to discourage you from doing so, but by putting your opinion on the web like you did, you leave yourself open to response and correction.
Donald Trump has shown this country time and time again that he is nothing but a loud voice, willing to do and say anything for attention, and for some reason people like you see that as a positive.
Some people see Trump’s vocalization of the same prejudiced, hateful thoughts that go through their own head as an indication that he must be a good candidate. If you can truthfully know all there is to know about Trump, if you are actually familiar with all the moments where he made his ignorance and hatred clear, and you still want to vote for him, then go ahead. But perhaps you should examine what that says about you, and the kind of world you want to live in.
What I think, Ms. DeWitt, is that you’re guilty merely of ignorance, not hate. I don’t think you realize the hate, misogyny, and racism that you’re supporting by supporting Donald Trump. I think you think it makes you different from your millennial peers, that it’s against the grain and maybe even a little rebellious. But this isn’t a band that your friends hate, so you support it all the more openly, this is people’s lives, this is your future.
So, Ms. Dewitt, I will not be voting for Donald Trump and I hope, that after a little research, you won’t be either.
(CNN)Muslim community leaders have refused to bury one of the terrorists who killed a Catholic priest this week in northern France, according to the president of a local Muslim organization.
Adel Kermiche was one of two men who took five people hostage during morning Mass on Tuesday at a Catholic church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, before forcing the priest to his knees and slitting his throat.
The Rev. Jacques Hamel, 86, was also stabbed in the chest before he was killed at the foot of the altar, according to a nun who escaped the attack.
Mohammed Karabila, president of the local Muslim cultural association, said that neither he nor the local Imam would take part in any burial service for the 19-year-old Kermiche, who had pledged allegiance to ISIS.
Kermiche was known to authorities and even wore an electronic monitoring device during the fatal hostage incident, according to French prosecutor Francois Molins.
Kermiche and Abdel-Malik Petitjean, also 19, were shot dead by police as they ran from the 17th-century stone church.
The mayor"s office will make the final decision on whether Kermiche can be buried in the town.
The singer is claiming that he, too, was offered millions of dollars for one performance at the RNC in Cleveland — and he also turned it down!
According to sources from TMZ, Jonas was offered something in the $2 million range to play what was apparently supposed to be a free concert in Cleveland on July 24 — and he said no!
Granted, it was apparently slightly different than the Biebs" case.
Instead of being specifically at a GOP event, Jonas" concert was to be a free event allegedly for the people of Cleveland after the convention as a "thank you" for hosting the four-day event.
(CNN)Hundreds of soldiers detained in the fallout of the July 15 coup attempt have been released, Turkish state media reported.
As many as 758 of the 989 soldiers held after that failed power grab were freed Saturday, on the recommendation of a judge in Istanbul after the soldiers provided testimony on their involvement in the execution of the plot to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The judge called the detention of the soldiers, including military students, unnecessary. However, 231 soldiers remain behind bars.
Suspects can be detained for up to 30 days without charge under a new presidential decree issued in the wake of the foiled revolution. The directive also allows the government to listen in on all conversations suspects have with their legal representation. A state of emergency has also been sanctioned.
Swift retribution
Turkey is slowly returning to some degree of normalcy following the attempted coup, which claimed the lives of 246 people and 24 coup plotters. As the government reasserted its authority, it wasted little time in its response.
The country"s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim quickly made public addresses denouncing the failed military uprising. While Erdogan vowed to seek revenge for "a clear crime of treason" in an exclusive interview with CNN.
Pittsburgh (CNN)Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban endorsed Hillary Clinton on Saturday during a campaign event in Pittsburgh, telling CNN that he had decided Donald Trump had gone "bats--- crazy."
"Trump scares me," Cuban said after speaking on behalf of Clinton and Tim Kaine, her vice presidential nominee. "Donald, initially, I really hoped he would be something different, that as a businessperson, I thought there was an opportunity there. But then he went off the reservation and went bats--- crazy."
Cuban also said that he had talked to Trump before he endorsed Clinton and urged the real estate mogul-turned-candidate that at some point he had to adapt and learn policy.
"I told him directly, at some point you have to learn, at some point you have to read and that that job is all about uncertainty and if you don"t do the work, that is not good for this country," Cuban said. "And he just doesn"t do the work."
In endorsing Clinton, Cuban said, "I am ready to vote for a true leader, I am ready to vote for the American Dream. I am ready to tell the world that I am here to endorse Hillary Clinton."
Earlier in the evening, Cuban delivered multiple crowd-pleasing zingers at Trump, referring to the Republican presidential candidate as a "jagoff" in a colorful speech.
"You know what we call a person like that -- the screamers, the yellers, the people that try to intimidate you? You know what we call a person like that in Pittsburgh? A jagoff," said Cuban, a Pittsburgh native. "Is there any bigger jagoff in the world than Donald Trump?"
Cuban, a judge on the reality TV show "Shark Tank," even mocked "The Apprentice," which Trump previously hosted, saying his show "kicked "The Apprentice"s" ass."
But beyond the jabs at Trump, Cuban"s broader message to voters here was that Clinton has the qualifications and leadership skills to help preserve the American dream.
"In Hillary Clinton"s America, the American Dream is alive and well," he said. "There is no place that knows that better than Pittsburgh because we are an American Dream city."
Cuban"s endorsement comes in the middle of the Clinton-Kaine campaign"s three-day bus tour through the Rust Belt, where they are selling their economic vision and plan to working class Americans. After traveling west through Pennsylvania, they will next head to Ohio, campaigning in Youngstown and Columbus.
According to a campaign aide, Cuban and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta spoke multiple times throughout the 2016 campaign, and met in the Brooklyn campaign headquarters a few weeks ago. Cuban reached out to Podesta Thursday night to signal that he was ready to make an endorsement.
Clinton thanked Cuban for his endorsement after the introduction, referencing the reality TV star throughout her speech.
"I can"t tell you how happy I am to be here with a Pittsburgh native, who worked hard for everything that he has made and has helped a lot of people along the way what he exemplifies is the American dream," she said of Cuban.
Clinton also name-checked Cuban while speaking about her tax plan. When she pledged to make "those who have been successful" pay their fair share, she turned to the billionaire and said, "Sorry Mark."
We were all very hopeful when it was first revealed that the younger brother of QB Aaron Rodgers would be a contestant on this season of . JoJo envisioned becoming an NFL wife, Chris Harrison dreamed of the scarf he would wear when invited to a Super Bowl game, and I saw the potential emergence of a media dynasty worthy of at least an E! Network series about JoJo marrying into an all-American football family and the hijinks they get into when she organizes a flag football tournament for the town. (The girls beat the boys in that episode!)
Sadly, the nail has been put in the coffin for all of those dreams. For weeks weve been hearing from Jordan on national television about how Aaron is completely detached from their family, and now hes finally spoken out to confirm that he doesnt give a fuck about the show and thinks Jordan is a huge scumbag. In a recent interview with WISN 12 News, Aaron said:
Now, THAT is an impressive roast. Not only does he make Jordan look like an asshole for airing their familys dirty laundry in front of millions of people, but he also throws in the phrase which is the mature way of saying This is sad news for JoJo, who will definitely never get to hang out with Olivia Munn, but I dont even feel bad for her because Im still not over what she did to Luke during hometowns. As far as Aaron goes, I would say congrats for executing a perfectly condescending response to his annoying little brother, but I dont really think he needs that since hes like, a successful professional athlete and probably hasnt given any of this a second thought.
(CNN)Suzanne Wright, the co-founder of one of the largest autism advocacy organizations, Autism Speaks, has died, the nonprofit said Saturday. She was 69.
Wright was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer nine months ago and died Friday at her home in Fairfield, Connecticut, Autism Speaks said.
Wright and her husband, former NBC chief executive Bob Wright, founded the charity in 2005 after their grandson, Christian, was diagnosed with autism.
The organization has lobbied for laws that help families caring for children with autism, worked with the United Nations to establish World Autism Awareness Day and raised money to invest in new research. Autism Speaks raised $27 million in 2014 alone, according to its annual report from 2014, the most recent year for which figures are available.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder, often evident in children at age 3 or earlier, that impairs communication and social skills, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Diagnosing autism early can significantly improve a child"s development and progress. As part of their work with Autism Speaks, Wright and her husband launched a 10-year public service announcement campaign to help families know what early signs of autism to look for in their children.
As a guest on CNN"s "Larry King Live" in March 2007, Wright said she and her husband founded the charity to help families that don"t have resources to deal with an autism diagnosis.
"It was unconscionable that millions of families across the country were not being accepted into the community that needed help," Wright said. "They were just ignored, and that"s why we fought so hard."
Among those remembering Wright on Saturday was actress Holly Robinson Peete, who has a son with autism. She called Wright "a force of nature."
Actor Ed Asner, who has a son and grandson with autism and hosts an annual poker tournament to benefit Autism Speaks, said Wright "started something that will live on forever."
Autism Speaks Chairman Brian Kelly and President Angela Geiger called Wright"s accomplishments in raising autism awareness "immeasurable."
"Suzanne sparked a global conversation with one question: How can we help people with autism live their best possible lives?" they said in a statement. "Persuading the world to see the potential in each child and adult on the vast autism spectrum is her greatest legacy."
Tbt to the summer of 2014 when we voluntarily poured freezing cold water on ourselves instead of raising money for charity. Everyone took the opportunity for a socially acceptable wet T-shirt contest. But apparently a shit ton of people actually donated, too. The viral baptism we all know as the Ice Bucket Challence raised $115 million.
That money was used to fund six studies into what causes ALS, and one of them identified a new ALS gene. That means that doctors will be able to treat a specific type of ALS symptoms for 20,000 Americans suffering from the disease. That"s kind of a big deal, especially considering that 2 years ago it was just a social media challenge we all ridiculed mercilessly.
And yes, you should use the announcement as an excuse to re-post your Ice Bucket Challenge video.
Colorado Springs, Colorado (CNN)Charles Koch warned his allies on Saturday that the country could "deteriorate" if like-minded people turned solely to politicians for salvation in dark times, another sign that the influential Republican patrons have little faith in today"s elected leaders.
Speaking to hundreds of the country"s most powerful donors as they sipped pre-dinner wine and cocktails, the media-shy 80-year-old Koch implored his network to dig deep and settle in for what he repeatedly termed an "uphill battle" to save the country.
"If we just focus on politics, we"re going to continue to lose," Koch said to light applause. "We"re going to continue to deteriorate."
Koch and his network of contributors have declined entreaties to spend their fortunes to help Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee. And Koch at times pushed back against some of the themes of Trump"s dark messaging, acknowledging the state of the world but saying that politicians aren"t the people to solve it.
"No wonder that people have by and large lost their optimism, that they"re frustrated and disillusioned," Koch said. "People are looking for answers. And by and large, they"re looking in the wrong places. They"re looking to politicians."
"The answers they are getting are frightening," Koch continued. "These answers would make matters worse."
A top Koch aide on Saturday directly countered the portrait that Trump"s painted at the Republican National Convention earlier this month, when he portrayed crime and danger on the rise. Mark Holden, a Koch consigliore who has immersed himself in criminal justice reform, said he "respectfully disagree[d]" with Trump"s imagery.
Koch, however, expressed confidence that his network, bolstered by millions of dollars of investment in data and field organizing, could withstand an era in which his friends "don"t really have good options." At one point, he employed an unusual metaphor.
"Don"t get me wrong. I"m not saying this will be easy, or instant pudding," Koch said. "We"ve got to remember the test isn"t in the pudding. The test of the pudding is in the eating, and we want to have good eating here."
Meet Keys, the cat with a rather unusual habit. Take a look at these pictures to see what we mean. I’d like to say that we have a logical explanation for it, but, well, we don’t.
Peter Mares, her Californian owner, saw her throw her paws in the air one morning (presumably like she just didn’t care) and so he quickly took a picture. The next day she did it again and he took another snap. But what is she doing?! Is she worshipping a mighty cat God invisible to us mortal humans? Is she trying to fly? Is she waiting patiently for a double high-five? Well, Peter has nicknamed her Goalkitty, so we can only assume that she’s still celebrating Portugal’s recent victory in Euro 2016. Either that or she’s attempting to do the now famous “Iceland clap.” Whatever the truth is, we love it.
