An individual set themselves on fire on Friday afternoon outside of former President Donald Trump's Manhattan criminal trial. Several news networks including Fox News and CNN reported that a man was seen setting himself in flames outside of the courthouse on Friday. Newsweek reporter Katherine Fung said‚ &;quot;We hear sirens from inside the courthouse.&;quot; The Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information (DCPI) for the New York Police Department (NYPD) confirmed to Newsweek that first...

A man set himself on fire on Friday afternoon near the Lower Manhattan courthouse where jurors were being chosen for the criminal trial of former President Donald J. Trump. The man doused himself with accelerant at around 1:35 p.m. in Collect Pond Park‚ across the street from the courthouse. Onlookers screamed and started to run‚ and soon‚ bright orange flames engulfed the man. It was unclear what motivated his action‚ but he threw leaflets espousing anti-government conspiracy theories into...

News broke Thursday evening of an Israeli strike inside Iran. In doing so‚ Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the advice President Biden had given him after Iran’s April 13 drone and missile attack on the Jewish state. At the time‚ Biden told Netanyahu not to escalate. “You got a win‚” Biden said to Bibi. “Take the win.” Israel demurred. And was absolutely right to. Whatever happens next‚ it is worth reflecting on the idiocy of Biden’s comments. Not only do Biden...

Sources have confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that the attack on Iran at Isfahan‚ attributed by sources in the New York Times to Israel‚ hit Iranian air force assets at Isfahan‚ almost right next door to the Islamic Republic's nuclear site in the same area. The message was unmistakable‚ 'we chose not to hit your nuclear sites this time‚ but we could have done worse right here‚' sources told the Post. Israel sends a clear message to Iran In other words‚ the attack at Isfahan was designed...

The relatively limited scope of Israel’s overnight strikes on Iran‚ and a subdued response from Iranian officials‚ may have lowered the chances of an immediate escalation in fighting between the two countries‚ analysts said on Friday. While Israel is still fighting wars on two fronts‚ against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon‚ the likelihood of a third front has ebbed‚ at least for now. For days‚ there have been fears that a forceful Israeli response to Iran’s attack on southern Israel...

If you’re itching to declutter around this time of year‚ you’re not alone. According to the American Cleaning Institute‚ 80% of Americans plan to spring clean this year‚ which is a more than a 10% increase from just 3 years ago. Guess all that working from home will do that to ya. However‚ just because many of us are participating in spring cleaning‚ that doesn't mean we’ll be maximizing it. With the constant decision making‚ plus the emotional toll at letting go‚ it’s a daunting task that can leave folks feeling drained‚ rather than refreshed. But with a few small tweaks‚ spring cleaning really can be the cathartic‚ freeing activity we long for it to be.Sofia Vyshnevska‚ a housing expert and co-founder at NewHomesMate‚ shared her 5 ultimate life hacks for easy and hassle-free spring decluttering. Try one—or all—of these super simple strategies for a clean home and a clear mind.The Reverse Hanger TrickIn a sea of wardrobe decluttering hacks‚ this one stands out for how it “effortlessly streamlines your wardrobe‚” says Sofia.Here’s how it works: turn all your closet hangers backwards at the start of spring and only turn back those you wear throughout the season. Once summer nears‚ go through your clothing and donate or sell any items that are still facing backwards. You can even rinse and repeat this throughout the year.Considering that so many of us have way too many clothes that we don’t actually use‚ this trick could really come in handy for gleaning the pieces that actually suit our taste and lifestyle.“If you’ve gone months without picking it out‚ chances are you never will.”The Four-Box MethodEver gotten halfway through an organizing frenzy when that adrenaline suddenly wears off and you’re sitting in a pile of random stuff with no idea what to do&;#63; This is a great way to keep that compartmentalizing going even when the motivation disappears. Sort everything you own into four boxes: keep‚ donate/sell‚ trash‚ and relocate. Much like Marie Kondo‚ Sofia advises to “make quick decisions and don’t let sentimental value cloud your judgment” and you’ll have a clutter-free home in no time.And if sentimentality is clouding your judgment and making parting with things difficult‚ read on…The Rehoming HackThis is a great way to discover what really should be taking up space in your heart‚ and your home. “Whenever you find an item you no longer love‚ but feel you should hold on to‚ place it in an empty box and‚ once full‚ put it away out of sight. Give it a few weeks‚ then go back and sort through them again‚” Sofia suggests. “You’ll likely realize that you didn’t miss these items and letting them go isn’t so hard after all.” And if there’s still some hesitation‚ you could also take a photo of these items and create an album which takes up a lot less space while still giving you all the joy the actual item previously did. Tactical TidyingIt can be tempting to start our spring cleaning by delving into the messy pantry or tucked away storage areas‚ but with “tactical tidying‚” you go for the most visible areas first. That way you’re “constantly reminded of the difference it makes‚ which will provide the motivation you need to get the job done‚” instead of tired and deflated in a couple of hours. Zone-Based DeclutteringZone-based decluttering also helps us avoid the all-too-common “decluttering fatigue‚” explains Sofia. Rather that trying to cram all the cleaning into a single weekend‚ spread out each room‚ or zone‚ throughout a couple of days. Here’s an example of what zone-based decluttering might look like. “Start by removing debris and organizing your patio furniture to get your outside space ready for the warmer weather. Tomorrow‚ get to work on the kitchen—clear the countertops‚ tidy your cabinets and clean out the refrigerator. Next week&;#63; Tackle the storage spaces‚ organize your electronics‚ and scrub your upholstery. Then on to your bedrooms‚ where you need to declutter your nightstand‚ change your bedding‚ and switch out your winter wardrobe.” It’s easy to see how this helps us actually go through the clutter without subjecting ourselves to burnout. Cause at the end of the day‚ spring cleaning should be energizing‚ right&;#63; As a bonus‚ Sofia added some thoughts on the four main types of clutter and how to remove them in a way that good for us and for the planet: Clothing: You might not want it‚ but there’s likely someone who does. Don’t toss it in the trash until you’ve checked whether local charities‚ shelters‚ or thrift stores will take it off your hands.Electronics: Don’t make your clutter the planet’s problem. Recycle any unwanted electronics through a certified e-waste recycling center to avoid causing environmental harm. Furniture: if it’s in usable condition‚ sell it online or donate it to a charity‚ shelter‚ or community center. Otherwise‚ contact local waste management to find out how to dispose of or‚ better yet‚ recycle it.Non-perishable food: Don’t do the easiest thing; do the right thing. Rather than throwing it away‚ food banks‚ shelters‚ and community organizations will happily take any food you don’t want. Lastly‚ but very important in today's world—let’s talk about the importance of digital decluttering. Walter Gjergja‚ Shaolin Temple secular monk‚ mindfulness and well-being expert‚ and co-founder of the personal trainer app Zing Coach‚ wisely notes:&;quot;Clutter doesn’t just invade our space; it invades our minds too.…those with cluttered lives tend to procrastinate on important tasks — and digital clutter is no exception. Once you’re done spring cleaning your home‚ it’s time to clear your inbox and clean your desktop.”To do this‚ Gjergja suggests deleting unimportant emails‚ organizing your files and uploading any you don’t frequently need to cloud storage‚ plus deleting any unused apps from your home screen.“You’ll be surprised just how much decluttering your digital space can free up the mind.&;quot;

On Feb. 19‚ 2023‚ &;quot;Mister Rogers' Neighborhood‚&;quot; turned 55 years old. And the internet was feeling feelings over it.After premiering on Canadian TV in 1963‚ Fred Rogers' beloved children's program debuted in the U.S. in 1968‚ inspiring generations of kids across North America to be more thoughtful‚ kinder neighbors. One person feeling the feels on the show's anniversary was model‚ author‚ and Twitter goddess Chrissy Teigen. Teigen tweeted the most delightful anecdote about why Rogers would often announce that he was feeding the fish during the show. Mister Rogers would narrate himself feeding the fish each episode with \u201cI\u2019m feeding the fish\u201d because of a letter he received from a young blind girl who was worried the fish were hungry. Love you‚ Mister Rogers.https://twitter.com/pbsds/status/965596450733228032\u00a0\u2026 — chrissy teigen (@chrissy teigen) 1519089788 &;quot;Mister Rogers would narrate himself feeding the fish each episode with‚ 'I'm feeding the fish‚' because of a letter he received from a young blind girl who was worried the fish were hungry‚&;quot; she wrote. &;quot;Love you‚ Mister Rogers.&;quot;Aaaaaand I'm crying.Rogers included the text of the girl's letter in his book‚ &;quot;Dear Mister Rogers‚ Does It Ever Rain in Your Neighborhood&;#63;&;quot; published in 1996.As he noted in the book (emphasis added):One girl and her family wrote to tell us there was a special reason why she wanted me to talk about feeding the fish each day.Dear Mister Rogers‚Please say when you are feeding your fish‚ because I worry about them. I can't see if you are feeding them‚ so please say you are feeding them out loud.Katie‚ age 5 (Father's note: Katie is blind‚ and she does cry if you don't say that you have fed the fish.)This downright adorable clip from the series shows Rogers reassuring little Katie that the fish were always well-fed:Sylvia Earle brought her underwater microphone to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood so children could listen to the fish in the aquarium. When the fish don't make...&;quot;I need to feed the fish right away‚&;quot; Rogers said in the episode‚ before shaking the container of food above the tank. &;quot;I have some friends who get very concerned when I forget the fish during our visits.&;quot;Aaaaaand I'm ugly crying.Rogers showed us how simple it often is to be a more compassionate friend.&;quot;I just wanted you to know that even if I forget to feed them when we're together‚ I come back later and feed them‚ so they're always taken care of‚&;quot; Rogers concluded. &;quot;It's good to know that fish and animals and children are taken care of by those who can‚ isn't it&;#63;&;quot;Yes it is‚ Mister Rogers. The world needs more neighbors like you.This article originally appeared on 02.20.18

You're probably familiar with the literary classic &;quot;Moby-Dick.&;quot; But in case you're not‚ here's the gist: Moby Dick is the name of a huge albino sperm whale. (Get your mind outta the gutter.) There's this dude named Captain Ahab who really really hates the whale‚ and he goes absolutely bonkers in his quest to hunt and kill it‚ and then everything is awful and we all die unsatisfied with our shared sad existence and — oops‚ spoilers&;#33;OK‚ technically‚ the narrator Ishmael survives. So it's actually a happy ending (kind of)&;#33; Basically‚ it's a famous book about revenge and obsession that was published back in 1851‚ and it's really‚ really long.It's chock-full of beautiful passages and dense symbolism and deep thematic resonance and all those good things that earned it a top spot in the musty canon of important literature.There's also a lot of mundane descriptions about the whaling trade as well (like‚ a lot). That's because it came out back when commercial whaling was still a thing we did.In fact‚ humans used to hunt more than 50‚000 whales each year to use for oil‚ meat‚ baleen‚ and oil. (Yes‚ I wrote oil twice.) Then‚ in 1946‚ the International Whaling Commission stepped in and said &;quot;Hey‚ wait a minute‚ guys. There's only a few handful of these majestic creatures left in the entire world‚ so maybe we should try to not kill them anymore&;#63;&;quot;And even then‚ commercial whaling was still legal in some parts of the world until as recently as 1986.And yet by some miracle‚ there are whales who were born before &;quot;Moby-Dick&;quot; was published that are still alive today.What are the odds of that&;#63; Honestly it's hard to calculate since we can't exactly swim up to a bowhead and say‚ &;quot;Hey‚ how old are you&;#63;&;quot; and expect a response. (Also that's a rude question — jeez.)Thanks to some thoughtful collaboration between researchers and traditional Inupiat whalers (who are still allowed to hunt for survival)‚ scientists have used amino acids in the eyes of whales and harpoon fragments lodged in their carcasses to determine the age of these enormous animals — and they found at least three bowhead whales who were living prior to 1850.Granted those are bowheads‚ not sperm whales like the fictional Moby Dick‚ (and none of them are albino‚ I think)‚ but still. Pretty amazing‚ huh&;#63;This is a particularly remarkable feat considering that the entire species was dwindling near extinction.Barring these few centenarian leviathans‚ most of the whales still kickin' it today are between 20 and 70 years old. That's because most whale populations were reduced to 10% or less of their numbers between the 18th and 20th centuries‚ thanks to a few over-eager hunters (and by a few‚ I mean all of them).Today‚ sperm whales are considered one of the most populous species of massive marine mammals; bowheads‚ on the other hand‚ are still in trouble‚ despite a 20% increase in population since the mid-1980s. Makes those few elderly bowheads that much more impressive‚ huh&;#63;Unfortunately‚ just as things are looking up‚ these wonderful whales are in trouble once again.We might not need to worry our real-life Captain Ahabs anymore‚ but our big aquatic buddies are still being threatened by industrialization — namely‚ from oil drilling in the Arctic and the Great Australian Bight.In the off-chance that companies like Shell and BP manage not to spill millions of gallons of harmful crude oil into the water‚ the act of drilling alone is likely to maim or kill millions of animals‚ and the supposedly-safer sonic blasting will blow out their eardrums or worse.This influx of industrialization also affects their migratory patterns — threatening not only the humans who depend on them‚ but also the entire marine ecosystem.And I mean‚ c'mon — who would want to hurt this adorable face&;#63;Whales might be large and long-living. But they still need our help to survive.If you want another whale to make it to his two-hundred-and-eleventy-first birthday (which you should because I hear they throw great parties)‚ then sign this petition to protect the waters from Big Oil and other industrial threats.I guarantee Moby Dick will appreciate it.This article originally appeared on 11.04.15

In every relationship we'll ever have‚ there's going to be a final conversation. Before the digital age‚ these interactions were usually face-to-face or over the telephone and could only be recorded in our memories. But now‚ just about every relationship leaves a paper trail of text messages‚ social media interactions‚ and voice messages. Sometimes the final communication is a heated breakup‚ and other times‚ it's a casual interaction shortly before a person's death.Now‚ there's a blog that collects these haunting final messages. The Last Message Received contains submissions of the last messages people received from ex-friends or ex-significant others as well as from deceased friends and relatives. Here are some of the blog's most haunting posts.&;quot;My good friend's dad died around Thanksgiving. Two weeks later he drank himself to death.&;quot;&;quot;This is the last text I got from my mom before she died of Stage IV brain cancer at the age of 53. It left her completely paralyzed on the left side of her body‚ hence the typos in the texts. What she was saying was‚ 'You're missing music therapy.' Almost as good as Good Friday church giggles.' A few years prior to this‚ we went to the Good Friday service at our church. The choir was absolutely horrendous and couldn't sing whatsoever. She and I sat there‚ in the most serious‚ somber church service of all‚ laughing hysterically‚ unable to stop for the life of us. She sent me this text while she was in hospice and I was at school.&;quot;&;quot;This happened a few months back. He was my best friend and my boyfriend of 7 years. He stuck with me when I fell pregnant at 16 after I was raped. He became an actual dad to my son. He was my everything. A few months before this message‚ things started to change‚ we drifted apart and he was telling my 5 year old son to lie to me about his whereabouts. One night he beat me‚ I ended up in hospital for a few days. He begged for forgiveness‚ I stayed. It happened again a few days later‚ he was at work when I text him. I took my son and left. This is the last text I received from him. I heard last week that he's just been sent to prison for crimes involving violence and drugs. I hope he gets the help he needs.&;quot;&;quot;My dad died 6 weeks later flying the plane in this picture.&;quot;&;quot;The last text he sent me. The next day I got a call from his daughter that he was still very much with his wife and I wasn't the only one he was cheating on her with.&;quot;&;quot;She had sent me a message earlier asking me not to contact her anymore. I woke up to one last message. We'd dated for 3.5 years and when I came out as trans‚ the relationship fell apart. I still think about and miss her every day.&;quot;&;quot;I sent this to my grandpa on thanksgiving. Two days later he unexpectedly had a heart attack and passed. He was my favorite person in the world and nothing has been the same since. I refuse to delete this message.&;quot;&;quot;I would have fallen in love with her if distance and timing hadn't gotten in the way. I'm ignoring her because I need to let her move on.&;quot;This article originally appeared on 05.25.19

In 2008‚ a young boy named Johnny Jackson went swimming and accidentally swallowed some water. He had a short coughing fit‚ toweled off‚ and then went home. No big deal. Or so his parents thought.A few hours later‚ after going down for a nap‚ Johnny passed away. In 2014‚ a toddler named Ronin came frighteningly close to the same fate. He slipped briefly into a pool before being pulled to safety by his mother. Ronin was shaken up but seemed fine.Later that night‚ he lay stretched out in an ambulance as it screamed toward the hospital‚ where he arrived just in time.Stories like these have resulted in an outburst of news coverage around what's being referred to as &;quot;dry drowning.&;quot; But that's a bit of a misnomer.Since we're entering the season of pool parties and beach trips‚ here are a few things you really need to know about what actually happened to Ronin and Johnny.First‚ there is a difference between dry drowning and delayed drowning.With dry drowning‚ water never enters the victim's lungs. Rather‚ it causes the vocal chords to spasm and shuts off airways without actually filling the lungs with water. Otherwise‚ it looks a lot like normal drowning because it occurs in real time and causes asphyxiation.Delayed drowning‚ sometimes called secondary drowning‚ is a bit different. In cases like Ronin and Johnny's‚ water gets into the lungs in small amounts — not enough to disable breathing right away. Instead‚ it sits there and inhibits the lungs' ability to oxygenate blood. From there‚ the victim starts to have more and more trouble breathing over the course of several hours.Second‚ drowning doesn't look the way it does in the movies.Whether you're dealing with normal‚ dry‚ or delayed drowning‚ don't expect a dramatic scene full of thrashing‚ coughing‚ and yelling.According to Dr. Anna Mendenhall of the Children's Physicians Medical Group‚ 9 out of 10 children who drown do so even though they were being supervised by a parent because it's so easy to miss the signs.Here's what you need to look for‚ even hours after you've left the pool or beach:Difficulty breathing‚ coughing‚ chest pain‚ or throwing up. Look for rapid and shallow breaths‚ nostril flaring‚ or a pronounced gap in the ribs when breathing. These are all signs a child is working too hard to get oxygen.Extreme tiredness. Big-time fatigue can be a sign that the brain isn't getting enough oxygen.Any odd change in behavior. Kids in the beginning stages of delayed drowning may be really cranky‚ argumentative‚ or combative.Odd physical changes. Look out for blue lips or pale skin.Most likely these symptoms will go away over time. But if they don't or they get worse‚ you might want to call your pediatrician on the way to the emergency room.And the best way to watch for drowning in the moment&;#63; Get in the pool with your kids and stay within an arm's reach. It's the only way to make sure you don't miss anything.Third‚ don't panic. Delayed and dry drownings combined make up only 1% to 2% of all drowning incidents.There's no getting around it. This is really scary stuff‚ especially to a parent.I have a 2-month-old daughter‚ and my first reaction to all of this is to literally never let her near a swimming pool. Ever.But as scary as they are‚ these unusual cases are just that — unusual.It's a really good idea teach your kids about basic water safety and get them comfortable in the pool with swim lessons at an early age (experts say 4 or 5 is a good age to start). But I'll say it again:The single best thing you can do to protect a child from drowning — wet‚ dry‚ or otherwise — is to get in the pool with them.As long as you're prepared‚ pools can be great for fun things like throwing your children&;#33; Photo from Thinkstock.At least until they're old enough to be embarrassed by your presence.This article originally appeared on 07.02.15