If you paid for a TeamDML Membership and would like to see every article, and see them without the ads, please click here. If you are NOT a member, or if your Membership has expired, and you would like to join TeamDML please click here.
Today is May 30. Below are some of the stories grabbing headlines this morning. I hope you share this briefing as doing so will make you the smartest person in the room. And don’t forget to download the free DML App from the Google Play or Apple App Store to remain connected to me throughout the day.
1)- Furry fury as convention goes 18+ in reaction to DeSantis law:
Fox News – An upcoming “furry” convention in Florida will restrict its attendees to adults over 18 in response to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ law prohibiting children from attending “adult live entertainment.”
Megaplex, an Orlando-based convention dedicated to “people who enjoy dressing up as or making art of anthropomorphized creatures,” originally released a statement regarding their decision on Wednesday.
“Many have raised concerns about recent changes in Florida legislation. After reviewing Florida SB 1438 it has been decided that for legal reasons and protection of our attendees, our venue, and the overall convention, Megaplex 2023 attendees must be 18 years of age at the time of registration pickup,” the statement read.
The Protection of Children Act (SB 1438) specifically prohibits a person from “knowingly admitting a child to an adult live performance.” An adult live performance is defined as “any show, exhibition, or other presentation in front of a live audience which, in whole or in part, depicts or simulates nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or specific sexual activities.”
“Florida Gov. and GOP presidential nominee Ron DeSantis has successfully sucked the pleasure out of many of life’s little joys, from drag brunches to Disney adult TikTok. And thanks to the passage of SB 1438, or the Protection of Children Act, DeSantis may now be bringing the ax down on furries,” senior writer E.J. Dickson wrote.
DeSantis lost the furry vote.
This election is so over. pic.twitter.com/IW8ZpaDpZf
— Chris Nelson 🇺🇸 🏝 (@ReOpenChris) May 28, 2023
Denny’s Insight: The irrelevancy of Rolling Stone is equal to their desperation for uplifting “furry” concerns over, I don’t know, the safety and purity of children; such as not exposing them to some weird sex fetish? I’ve seen furries in public before, and they don’t treat their culture as if its just rooted in immaturity and ridiculousness. It’s also very obviously — as witnessed in public, unfortunately — rooted in fetishism. So I think this is a massive win for DeSantis and children in Florida.
2)- Ted Cruz Reacts To Kevin McCarthy’s Debt Ceiling Deal:
Daily Caller – Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz reacted harshly on Monday to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s debt ceiling agreement with President Joe Biden.
Cruz spoke about the debt ceiling deal on his podcast, “Verdict with Ted Cruz,” and highlighted how Democrats reacted positively to the agreement.
“As to that last question, hell no Bill, and you have Trump derangement syndrome, which makes you think the country is better off handing our nation over to out of control Marxists than actually winning policy victories in the White House. But that does tell you something about how people are reacting to this deal that folks on the far left are cheerleading it right now.”
Cruz followed up by giving his assessment of the specific provisions laid out in the debt ceiling agreement. “And so if you just think in terms of big picture comparison, increasing the debt limit from 1.5 trillion to 4 trillion is a big increase. And the spending reductions are much, much smaller. That’s the biggest reason I’m disappointed by what we’re looking at.”
The government is spending like drunken sailors — and your bills are higher because of it. Time to rein in federal spending!
More on the Biden-McCarthy debt deal on the latest #Verdict. https://t.co/6rTqfVZJfm
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 29, 2023
Denny’s Insight: Like Cruz here, many readers yesterday on our poll for the DML News App were in agreement that the deal achieved by McCarthy was indeed quite weak.
3)- Midwest primed to be next frontier for invasive plant kudzu:
The Hill – One of the country’s most notorious invasive plants is expected to become a major pest throughout the Midwest.
A study published earlier this year by researchers at Purdue University-Fort Wayne identified the Great Lakes as the next frontier for kudzu. Kudzu is a hearty vine that was first brought to the United States from Asia as an ornamental plant and was eventually used for erosion control. In addition to its meaty vines, kudzu produces large, fragrant purple flowers and brown, hairy seed pods. It quickly grew out of control and was removed from the list of acceptable species in the Agricultural Conservation Program. By 1998, Congress listed it as a “noxious weed” and it is now commonly known as “the vine that ate the South.”
Jordan Marshall, a professor of plant biology at Purdue University-Fort Wayne and lead researcher on the kudzu study, said speed is the plant’s primary weapon.
“It grows very, very fast and it is able to overtop other plants. Essentially, when it grows over the other plants, it shades them out. And that’s where we start to see losses of trees, ground cover, things that are supposed to be there,” Marshall said.
Denny’s Insight: As if farmers didn’t have it tough already. It’s concerning how many invasive species, both animals and plants, the U.S. is infested with. Kudzu seems like it’s a real nuisance to farming and agriculture.
4)- Benedict Cumberbatch’s Home Broken Into By Knife-Wielding Man, Left The Doctor Strange Star’s Family ‘Absolutely Terrified’:
Yahoo – While Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange uses sorcery to combat all kinds of threats in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, unfortunately the actor doesn’t have such abilities to utilize in real life when finding himself in a dangerous situation. Such an event just happened earlier this month, as the actor and his family were at their home when a knife-wielding man broke in and threatened them, leaving the residents “absolutely terrified.”
According to The Daily Mail, Jack Bissell, a 35-year-old man who used to be a chef de partie at the Beaumont Hotel in Mayfair, forcibly entered the Cumberbatch family’s property in north London with a fishing knife in his hand. After kicking through the front garden’s gate, he then spat at the £3.5million house’s intercom and used the knife to pry it out. Per audio reportedly played in a court hearing, Bissell was heard shouting: “I know you moved here, I hope it burns down.”
Benedict Cumberbatch’s wife, Sophie, and their three kids were at home with him when this intrusion took place, and per an unnamed source, all of them were “absolutely terrified” and “thought this guy was going to get in and hurt them.” Fortunately, Bissell never made into the actual house, and he was later arrested when police found his DNA on the intercom. Bissell did not explain during his court hearing why he targeted Cumberbatch and his family, but prosecutors shared that prior to this “targeted intrusion,” as the source put it, he purchased two packets of pita bread from a nearby shop and “shouted” at the shopkeeper that he was going to break into the Cumberbatch residence and “burn it to the ground.”
Actor Benedict Cumberbatch’s home attacked by former chef wielding fish knife https://t.co/mtbrUpXq7a
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) May 30, 2023
Denny’s Insight: If the UK allowed its citizens to rightfully arm themselves, Cumberbatch wouldn’t have had to be stuck defenseless and fearful. I personally would want to be armed if I was living in crime-ridden London.
5)- Southern accents could cost job seekers a 20% wage penalty, study finds:
Fox Business – A new study found that job seekers with a Southern accent could make less money than people without one. According to the study by the University of Chicago and the University of Munich, people with a Southern accent could lose out on thousands of dollars per year.
The research revealed that people with strong regional accents face a wage penalty of up to 20% compared to those who speak with a “standard accent.”
Another recent study found that 38% of job seekers admitted to “softening” their regional accents during interviews because of negative stereotypes.
This study by the Writing Tips Institute found that applicants with a Southern accent were the fourth most likely to change their voice. People from Western New England, South Midland and New Jersey were the most likely to alter their accents.
Denny’s Insight: Wow! See, this in my opinion is discrimination. A Southern accent shouldn’t be penalized and shouldn’t be used to dictate one’s knowledge, wits, or overall intelligence. I know plenty of people with deep Southern accents and they’re some of the smartest people I know. What are your thoughts on this? Have you ever had to alter your accent for an interview or job, or do you use it loud and proud? Leave your comments below!
