Cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches sold in grocery and dollar stores last year poisoned hundreds of American children with extremely high doses of lead‚ leaving anxious parents to watch for signs of brain damage‚ developmental delays and seizures. The Food and Drug Administration‚ citing Ecuadorean investigators‚ said a spice grinder was likely responsible for the contamination and said the quick recall of three million applesauce pouches protected the food supply. But hundreds of pages...

President Biden is running behind both former President Donald Trump and Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin among voters in the battleground state of Wisconsin‚ according to a 2024 election poll out Tuesday. The Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey found 45% of Wisconsin voters support Trump and 42% back Biden — a three-point dip in the incumbent’s support from last month‚ in which the same poll showed him ahead of the former president by a single point. The remaining 12% of voters remain...

Special counsel Jack Smith's prosecutors claimed that former President Trump's handling of classified documents is not "remotely" similar to how President Biden also handled sensitive national security information as laid out in dueling special counsel Rob Hur's report released earlier this month.  The 12-page filing Monday countering Trump's motion to dismiss the indictment "based on selective and vindictive prosecution" serves as Smith's first response to the blistering Hur...

A U.S. manufacturing and mining boom launched under President Biden is just getting started. Most of it is heading to Republican-leaning communities. Democratic lawmakers passed two key climate laws a little more than two years ago‚ with virtually no Republican votes. Since then‚ companies have announced $170 billion in new or expanded factories and mining projects in the U.S. that would add around 200‚000 new industrial jobs‚ according to data from Atlas Public Policy and Utah...

Legislative dysfunction on Capitol Hill is fueling doubts among U.S. allies in the Asia-Pacific about Washington’s commitment to deterring China in the region’s strategic waterways and archipelagos‚ according to correspondence seen by Semafor. The governments of three island nations — the Republic of Palau‚ the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands — all renewed last year their formal partnership-agreements with the U.S.‚ known as Compacts of Free...

The history of military drones dates back to the early 1900s. During World War I‚ unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were used for reconnaissance missions. These early drones were primarily balloons equipped with cameras. However‚ it wasn’t until World War II that more sophisticated drone systems emerged. These drones served as targets for training and were also used for intelligence gathering. In recent years‚ armed UAVs like the MQ-1 Predator have played a crucial role in military operations‚ including combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Land of Bad shows audiences how far they’ve come. Land of Bad When his Spec Ops team is ambushed‚ Air Force Sergeant JJ Kinney’s only hope of survival lies with drone pilots thousands of miles away to guide them through 48 hours of hell. Falling somewhere between SISU’s relentless and over-the-top action and Guy Ritchie’s The Covenanent’s grounded depiction of combat‚ Land of Bad is a surprisingly engaging action war thriller. It may not add much new to the genre‚ but it manages to deliver what genre fans want: compelling and realistic men depicting visceral heroism while unironically exploring universal themes of duty and survival under impossible conditions. Its limited cast does its duty by giving equally natural performances that expertly hook the audience and provide them with a raw connection to the film’s stakes. Hemsworth‚ who gets the lion’s share of the film’s focus‚ proves that he has what it takes to be a serious action star. Were it not for every other aspect of the show‚ his turn as Sergeant Kinney would be more than enough to give Witcher fans hope. Admittedly‚ though‚ there are one or two very brief moments in which his intensity isn’t quite commensurate with the scene. The rest of the cast is brimming with enough charisma to work quickly within the constraints of their relatively brief screen time to infuse a richness to their characters that lesser performers would have missed. This is especially true for the once-svelte star of Gladiator‚ Russell Crowe. Crowe proves that his talent is as expansive as his waistline by infusing a character that could have just as easily been completely omitted with heart and purpose. He delivers a magnetic performance for an otherwise cutting room floor subplot. Land of Bad isn’t a perfect movie. Its plot has been recycled from countless other films‚ and it overlooks some basic details (especially toward the end). Still‚ for those few things it gets wrong‚ it more than makes up for with its primal stakes‚ perfect pacing‚ and some first-rate cinematography. It’s been a while since I left the cinema with a smile on my face. I’m happy to mark Land of Bad as Worth it. Role Models The self-sacrificing‚ no-quit‚ complete-the-mission attitude that exemplifies the best of U.S. soldiers is on full display and honors those who have sacrificed much for more.   WOKE ELEMENTS None. The post Land of Bad first appeared on Worth It or Woke.

The idea of predicting the future has been the subject of countless books‚ movies and televisions shows (and is basically the basis of all gambling). Outside of a few uncanny instances‚ no one can tell exactly what the future holds‚ especially for the world at large. But people sure love to predict it anyway.The BBC shared a video compilation of kids in 1966 sharing what they imagine the year 2000 would be like‚ and their predictions are fascinating. After five or six kids share‚ it becomes clear what some of the most pressing concerns of the 1960s were. Some kids thought we'd have bombed ourselves into oblivion. Others believed we'd be so overpopulated we would be packed like sardines and wouldn't be able to build houses anymore. Not all of the predictions were so dark. Some kids had some hilarious predictions about cabbage pills and robots. Others thought we'd have better cures for diseases and less segregation among the races‚ which we have. Watch what these young folks envisioned nearly 40 years into their future—now more than 20 years into our past:Thankfully‚ the year 2000 wasn't as dire as many of these kids imagined it would be. In fact‚ hearing these predictions might even make us feel pretty good about how humanity has fared in the past 60 years. How about the kid predicting the future of automation? Or the kid who said people would be regarded more as statistics than people? Or the one who predicted animals being kept in buildings instead of grazing so they could produce more? And hey‚ props to the kids who didn't predict an overpopulated nuclear hellscape. It can be hard to see negative news and not think the world is on a downward spiral. But if nothing else‚ seeing that these kids' doom and gloom predictions didn't come true is pretty heartening and a good sign that our own future may not be as dark as it sometimes appears. This article originally appeared on 12.7.23

Have you ever seen something in a movie or online and thought‚ "That's totally fake‚" only to find out it's absolutely a real thing? That's sort of how this house in Pennsylvania comes across. It just seems too fantastical to be real‚ and yet somehow it actually exists. The home sits between Greencastle and Mercersburg‚ Pennsylvania‚ and houses a pretty unique public secret. There's a cave in the basement. Not a man cave or a basement that makes you feel like you're in a cave‚ but an actual cave that you can't get to unless you go through the house. Turns out the cave was discovered in the 1830s on the land of John Coffey‚ according to Uncovering PA‚ but the story of how it was found is unclear. People would climb down into the cave to explore occasionally until the land was leased about 100 years later and a small structure was built over the cave opening. The idea was to make it accessible to visitors and use the cave as a tourist attraction‚ and the small structure was eventually built into a two-story house. But it was closed to the public in 1954 after the land was purchased for limestone mining and it remained closed for nearly 70 years. (In the words of Stephanie Tanner‚ "How rude.") Sometime during that 70-year closure‚ the home that contains the cave was purchased by Dara Black‚ and in 2021‚ it reopened to the public.Currently‚ the home is occupied by Black‚ but to gain access to the cave you can simply book a tour. The best part about booking a tour is that you only have to make a donation to enter. It's a pay-what-you-can sort of setup‚ but since someone actually lives in the home‚ you can't just pop in and ask for a tour. You have to go during the "open house" times available. According to the Black-Coffey Caverns Facebook page‚ they treat the tours truly as an open house‚ complete with snacks and drinks. There's a waiting room area where people can chat and eat their snacks while they wait for the tour to start. They also offer cave yoga once a month. According to Uncovering PA‚ the tour takes about 45 minutes to complete and there are about 3‚000 feet worth of passageways. Imagine living on top of a cave and just taking strangers on a waltz under your floorboards essentially. It makes me wonder if the house is quiet at night or if you can hear echoes of the cave sounds while you're trying to sleep. From the Facebook page‚ it appears that the cave doesn't have any lights‚ but there were pictures with some Christmas lights mounted to the cave walls. Otherwise‚ you have to use flashlights. Hopefully‚ no mischievous children decide to play hide and seek or you just might have to call in a rescue crew. Literally. But what an unbelievable "pics or it didn't happen" kind of story to tell. It's not every day you run into someone that has a door that leads you to an underground cave. If you want to see what a cave tour looks like starting from the outside of the house‚ check out the video below:This article originally appeared on 1.30.23

Parents want to do right by their kids. Make them feel special‚ let them have fun and give them opportunities to enjoy magic before adulthood sets in. And yet‚ that desire can easily be suppressed by the need to keep up with the lavish events constantly seen on social media. For many families‚ over-the-top activities are simply not feasible—especially ones that come year after year like birthdays. So many are going against societal expectations and instead choosing traditions that work for their unique situation. Opting for experiences over expensive gifts‚ for example‚ or having one-on-one family time instead of parties with friends.For Marissa Light‚ it looks a little more like not even doing a birthday party every year.“Under no circumstances will I be throwing my daughter a birthday party every single year‚” Light said in a now-viral TikTok video. “Here's the deal: She is getting a first birthday party‚ she is getting a Sweet Sixteen and she is getting a graduation party. Other than that‚ she is not getting any more birthday parties."And perhaps Light isn’t totally off-base in her reasoning. According to PBS‚ kids don’t even remember birthday parties until after they are three-years-old. That’s essentially $400 (the average amount parents spend on their kid’s party) going towards a core memory that won’t even exist. Light went on to say that she had been to other kids' parties which were “not enjoyable” and she didn’t want to force that experience on others unnecessarily. That being said‚ she added‚ “Now look‚ if you are someone who genuinely enjoys throwing your child a birthday party‚ pop off‚ Queen. Do what you want to do. I'm not telling anyone else how to live their lives. I just personally don't find it necessary and I'm not going to be doing it.” @marissalight It’s been a minute since I’ve given you a #hotmomtake … you’re welcome. #babybirthdayparty #momsoftiktok #momtok #firsttimemom #sahm #momcontent #millenialmom #birthdayparty ♬ original sound - Marissa | Lifestyle | SAHM But that doesn’t mean that no celebrations will be had. The family will still have “dinner and cake with them every single year‚” plus their daughter would get an 'All About You' day” where she would enjoy a “special breakfast” and activities of her choosing‚ like princess dress up‚ a trip to the trampoline park‚ etc. And when siblings come‚ Light’s daughter will be able to choose whether or not she wants them included in whatever birthday shenanigans are happening. So all in all‚ a pretty sweet deal. This option just feels more exciting and less taxing‚ Light explains. While she understands that party planning is some people’s jam‚ she admits “it's a lot of stress on my part to organize and plan and put on the party… I just don't want a bunch of people sitting around at my house all day." Light’s video‚ as most parenting videos are wont to do‚ drew both heavy praise and criticism. Many thought that her choices were depriving her daughter‚ and not really prioritizing her happiness. This was especially true for adults who didn’t have parties growing up. “As someone who didn’t get birthday parties‚ please do that for your kid‚” one person wrote. Another added‚ “I never had bday parties growing up‚ and I was always jealous of kids in my class who got them.” Still‚ others found promise in the idea.““An introverted kid will love this. Just make sure that you're celebrating that kid the way they'd like. Not the way you want to celebrate them‚” one person commented. “I LOVE the idea of experiences‚ so if they want to go to a show or an amusement park for their birthday.” Some even offered up their own unconventional non-party ideas. One parent wrote‚ “I just bring my kids to the park with a bunch of cupcakes and any kid at the park is included.” Whether you can or cannot get behind Light’s take on birthday parties‚ we can probably all agree that our energy is often best spent doing things we truly want to do. Maybe some parents will still want to arrange a get together for their friends every year. But hopefully this conversation can at least offer some permission to do so in a way that doesn’t take a huge toll. There are so many ways to make a birthday special‚ after all.