Equal Pay Day is not a holiday to celebrate
You know the 79 cents statistic — the one that denotes how much women make for every $1 a man makes. But maybe you didn't know that April 12 is Equal Pay Day, the date that women would have to work until this year just to earn the salary men made last year. (What were guys doing in all those months?) Here’s what’s even more shocking: That’s the average for white American women. Different groups have even higher pay gaps: Equal Pay Day for moms is June 4. For black women, it's Aug. 23. For Native American women, Sept. 13. And Latinas’ Equal Pay Day isn’t until Nov. 1. Hard to believe? Here are some myths, debunked.
In a surprise to no one, Facebook announces plans to take over the world
Did you know Facebook makes airplanes now? (How else would they beam Internet access from the sky?) At Facebook's annual F8 developers' conference on Tuesday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg laid out a 10-year plan to connect the planet's 7 billion people, half of whom aren't online. Also announced: Hello, chatbots. Messenger now will allow businesses to build bots that do tasks for you, including shopping. Zuck showed off some of Facebook's shiniest new VR gear and gave us an idea of what's coming in the future. It's a very Facebook future at that.
Yes, Hillary Clinton and Bill de Blasio really joked about 'C.P. time.' Ugh.
A racially charged joke Bill de Blasio made about his tardy support for Hillary Clinton arriving on "C.P. time" drew gasps over the weekend. And it's still drawing backlash. During a dinner, Clinton joked to the New York mayor about being slow in supporting her presidential campaign. "Sorry, Hillary," de Blasio said. "I was running on C.P. time" — a comment some believe referred to "Colored People time." Whoa. (See the video at around the 8:20 mark.) Clinton jumped in: "Cautious Politician time — I’ve been there." DiBlasio said Monday on CNN that people were "missing the point" and that the exchange was scripted.
Just like Rose couldn’t let go of Jack, we can’t let go of the Titanic
A little more than 100 years after the “unsinkable” ship sank, we are still fascinated by stories of people who died and who survived. On Friday, seven “rare” paper and textile artifacts from the Titanic go on display for the last time before they are retired to a conservation facility. Why do we care? Because the artifacts tell a story about the “uncertainty of our fate,” says Mark Lach, creative director of Premier Exhibitions. The items include a haunting declaration of intent to seek U.S. citizenship and a pair of pajamas.
GREAT BALLS OF HAIL FELL IN TEXAS! (Why are we yelling?)
The National Weather Service is warning IN ITS SHOUTING VOICE that severe storms are possible Tuesday in parts of Texas. Softball-sized hail crashed through windows and windshields Monday in Wylie, Texas, and the images are incredible. Some hail stones even broke through rooftops. In other news, beginning next month, the National Weather Service will STOP using all capital letters on many of its forecasts. Thanks, NWS, for easing up on the yelling.
Also today ...
Paul Ryan really, really wants you to know that he really, really doesn't want to run for president.
And when your brother's like 'there's a zombie attack' and you're like 'I can say pants' in Spanish: Forget all that sappy #NationalSiblingDay love. Millicent's brothers take advantage of her cloudy mind after dental surgery and convince her there's a zombie attack. They ask her to make difficult decisions like "chocolate cake or Funfetti?" And then easier choices: Should we save the cat or the dog?
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