WTF-Beta

"My doctors have confirmed that I didn't break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn't have a heart attack or a stroke. I don't have any tumors or hemorrhages," McConnell said Sunday. "But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital. While receiving excellent care over the past several weeks, I've also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia."

His doctors are trying to figure out what caused the incident, McConnell said, adding he's doing everything they ask to speed up his recovery.

"In fact, with signs of continued progress, I've been able to move from hospital care to a rehabilitation center where I'll keep regaining my strength," he said.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mitch-mcconnell-health-update-pneumonia-unconscious/

Medical examiner says it was an aortic dissection.

It's interesting to read various views of Graham's life and political career.

Anne Applebaum in the Atlantic:

https://archive.is/YUTyn

And an interesting interview this morning with Chris Coons. Starts at 13:39:

Meghan McCain's thoughts.

https://archive.is/RQ3Ab

Emergency personnel responded to a call for “cardiac arrest” at Graham’s Capitol Hill home on Saturday night, according to police scanner audio obtained by NBC News.

Photographs reviewed by NBC News show that paramedics carried a person on a stretcher from Graham’s home to an awaiting ambulance. Police cars and fire trucks were also on site.

Graham was fresh off a trip to Kyiv, Ukraine, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday. He had been scheduled to appear on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/sen-lindsey-graham-dies-71-brief-sudden-illness-rcna552722

‘A slap in the face’: small farmers say Trump is turning his back on them

The president wooed farmers in his campaign, but now the USDA is yanking funding, citing ‘DEI’ and wasteful spending

Trump wooed farmers in the presidential election two years ago with promises to be their champion in Washington DC, only for the side-effects from his tariff regimen and the war with Iran to rock agriculture nationwide. Small-scale producers of livestock and food say they have been uniquely affected by policy shifts at the USDA, which has laid off staff and dismantled initiatives created under Joe Biden, fueling accusations that it is prioritizing large, corporate-owned farms over their businesses.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/11/iowa-farming-trump-cuts-usda

A Japanese choir is touring Lithuania performing Lithuanian songs, the result of a cultural friendship between the two countries that began by chance more than a decade ago.

https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2976341/japanese-choir-finds-its-voice-in-lithuanian-folk-songs

@AndyD

Oops. Turns out I'm behind the times. Grande used to be Starbucks' biggest size, but now...

The history of Starbucks drink sizes:

https://www.dictionary.com/articles/starbucks-trenta

@AndyD said:

Large Grande mocha

FIFY

I thought he might be in pretty bad shape, but I just read that his wife Elaine Chao left for a trip to China a couple of days before he ended up in the hospital and she didn't feel the need to come back immediately.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/07/10/elaine-chao-comments-on-mitch-mcconnells-hospitalization/90876522007/

Don't know what to think.

@shirokuro @bernard

I PMed @axtremus and alerted him about what's going on.

Zucchini pancakes today for lunch. Very nummy.

Hopefully you can see the recipe in the pic:

Tomatoes, cukes, and eggplants. Picking barely ripening tomatoes to beat the squirrels to them. Well, except for the one green one in the middle of the photo; the rats got to it first.

Eggplants getting to a reasonable size, creatures haven't found them yet. Cucumbers under seige; they're next to the tomatoes in the garden, so easy pickin'.

Same as @axtremus here. No FB, no Instagram, and my Google settings are the same as Ax's, including the YT history.

Just checking...something strange is going on with the emoji that @shirokuro posted on my last post. I saw that the forum updated automatically earlier today.

Is anyone else seeing funky code instead of an emoji? @axtremus ?

Worked out perfectly! We had a nice chat with Larry and his wife (she's charming) and got to meet their two daughters.

@dougg Do you do video or audio calls?

Google's doing crap like that, too.

https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-opt-out-of-google-search-new-ai-data-training/

WhatsApp noob here trying to understand how this pup works...I've used Facetime, though not a lot, so not sure what the underlying architectures are of these apps.

I am setting up WhatsApp so we can video call with Mr wtg's friend in Ireland. I installed the app on my Windows laptop and on my Android phone, so I'm connected to a WhatsApp account. I have successfully sent and received chats.

When you have multiple devices associated with an account, will every device get a notification when there is an incoming call? And can I just pick up the call on my device of choice?

...Japan?? Who knew?

President Donald Trump mistakenly said the "Islamic Republic of Japan" fired 111 missiles at a U.S. aircraft carrier "a few months ago."

He made the comments July 8 while speaking to the press alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.

"We have an aircraft carrier which is one of the most beautiful in the world, it's one of the biggest, the (USS) Abraham Lincoln," Trump said. "And a few months ago, we had, I told this story yesterday, we had 111 missiles shot by the Islamic Republic of Japan."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2026/07/08/trump-islamic-republic-of-japan-nato-remarks/90850675007/