Happy weekend, everyone!
Here's a short but mind-blowing lineup: the Oval Office meltdown, Skype's farewell, a single strawberry for $19, and, of course, our famous Weekend Leisure Core. Let’s dive in before reality catches up.
You'll Know First:
• West Texas, where we previously reported, is now approaching 150 measles cases.
• After a sudden respiratory episode, Pope Francis is on a breathing machine.
• Ramadan begins with the crescent moon. Here's why the official start time still varies.
Connecting the dots for you, daily:
So here's how Friday's diplomatic dance fizzled: Ukraine's President Zelensky came to the White House with high hopes (and a nearly signed minerals deal) but left empty-handed. Zelensky didn't trust Moscow's "promises" after three grueling years of war, landing him in hot water with JD Vance and Trump.
Cue finger-pointing, a canceled press conference, and a whole lot of global head-scratching as Trump threatened to cut off U.S. support. Well, here's a reminder of how fast a handshake-worthy moment goes up in smoke.
Ringing Off
Looks like the once-iconic Skype is stepping off the stage in May as Microsoft shuffles users to its flashier Teams platform. After changing how we made calls in the past—remember when free international voice chats felt like magic?—Skype gradually lost ground to newcomers like Slack and Zoom.
While Microsoft tried to keep its interface fresh, frequent redesigns and stiff competition left it in limbo. Now, it's officially saying goodbye to its blue interface.
Berry Much
Perfectly shaped and flown in within hours of picking, these "luxury berries" apparently pack enough sweetness to melt wallets—ask the viral TikTokers taking a bite for internet fame.
Erewhon swears you'll pay the same in Tokyo, but at nearly twenty bucks a pop, this strawberry might be best savored (and snapped for social) in one bite.
🎪 Weekend Leisure Core
Fuel Your Screen: Don't let the unfortunate title of My Old Ass fool you off—an uplifting coming-of-age story with a gorgeous backdrop.
Fuel Your Mind: I noticed The Wedding People in the Reader's Favorites on Goodreads. It's on my Kindle now, and it's surprisingly insightful. I'm enjoying it so far.
Fuel Your Curiosity: Wise Guy is a cool two-part documentary that explores how David Chase created The Sopranos and how it helped kick off the prestige TV vibe.
💬 Beyond the Core
Fine Lines: NY high-rise window washers dangle from broken scaffolding before daring rescue.
Space Lotus: Lauren Sanchez, Katy Perry, and Gayle King's girls' trip is gonna be epic.
Dirty Laundry: Apparently, we're washing our clothes the wrong way.
💡 Core Wisdom
“
The eternal quest of the individual human being is to shatter his loneliness.
— Norman Cousins
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📸 Lens to Life
Stories and self-portraits from analogue photobooths in the Real Selfie Project.
🧮 Core Count: 78
This is the percentage of water in the average human brain.
🗓️ Flashback:
1565 - Portuguese soldier Estácio de Sá founded the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
1642 - Georgeana (York) in Maine becomes the first incorporated American city.
1780 - Pennsylvania becomes the first US state to abolish slavery (for newborns only)
1847 - Michigan becomes the first English-speaking jurisdiction to abolish the death penalty. (except for treason against the state)
1869 - US postage stamps featuring scenes are issued for the first time, depicting a post horse and rider, a locomotive, a shield, an eagle, and a ship, the Adriatic.
1872 - Yellowstone becomes the world's first national park.
1954 - US explodes Castle Bravo, a 15-megaton hydrogen bomb at Bikini Atoll, which accidentally becomes the most powerful nuclear device ever detonated by the US.
1973 - Harvest (UK) and Capitol Records (US) release Pink Floyd's 8th studio album, "The Dark Side of the Moon"
1975 - Colour television transmission begins in Australia.
I'm glad we could get together here. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!
Fatih Taskiran
