There’s grim news out of Italy and Afghanistan. But a glimmer of hope in Colombia. Here’s what you need to know today to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
1. Italy earthquake
Some towns are gone. Rescuers are using picks, shovels, even their bare hands to dig people out. Stunned residents walk the streets, begging for help. It’s a morning of misery in central Italy where the death toll from the massive quake is now at least 247. Yes, it’s grim, but there are glimmers of hope. An 8-year-old girl was pulled out alive from the rubble in Amatrice. A rescuer carried her out in his arms to a volley of cheers.
2. Afghanistan attack
The American University in Kabul is exactly the kind of place the Taliban detest. It’s coed. It represents the moderate and modern Afghanistan. An even though few Americans study there, several teach and the US funds a lot of scholarships. So, it’ll be a shocker if it wasn’t the Taliban who was behind the horrific attack on campus, that killed 12 people. Just a few days ago, two of the school’s professors were abducted. Their whereabouts are still unknown.
3. Campaign 2016
Donald Trump says he may not throw millions of undocumented immigrants out of the country after all. He may not even build that wall. That’s a biiig 180 from the hardline stance that shot him to the GOP nomination. But hey, this isn’t a flip-flop. It’s a “softening” on his immigration proposals.
4. Colombia
We can’t stress enough just what a big historic deal this is: After 52 years and 220,000 deaths, the longest-running war in the Americas may finally be coming to an end. Colombia and the country’s largest rebel group, FARC, has signed a peace agreement after four years of negotiations. But there’s still a hurdle. The deal has to be OK’d in a referendum. And some Colombians are not OK with just letting the rebels integrate into civilian life with zero prison time.
5. Space
It’ll probably be a loooong time before we make it to Proxima b. But it does check off a few boxes in the able-to-support-life department. Rocky surface? Check. Habitable surface temperature? It’s a little warm (between 86 to 104 F) but yeah, check. Liquid water? We don’t know yet, but there’s a really good chance, so check. And Proxima b is close, just a short 4.2 light-years away. Who’s up for a move?
BREAKFAST BROWSE
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Well, that went poorly
An angry man decides to chop down his neighbor’s tree because it was dripping sap on his car. What happened next? Well, karma is a you-know-what.
Out to pasture
Super Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps has picked a retirement home — a $2.53 million, 6,010-square-foot mansion. And yes, it has a pool.
Who knew?
Divorces, it turns out, have two very specific yearly peaks: in March and August. Let’s call it the “Cat of Sadness.”
Woz knows
Steve Wozniak’s warning Apple not to ditch the earphone jack when the new iPhone is released because it will “tick off a lot of people.” Preach Woz, preach.
What’s under your bed?
Where’s the world’s largest pearl? In a museum or some rich guy’s private collection? Nope, it’s been under someone’s bed, forgotten about for 10 years.
AND FINALLY …
Back-to-school beats
A first-year teacher out of Chicago welcomes his students to the fourth grade with his very own, kid-friendly rap video.