I will neither confirm nor deny whether I belong to a group of a select few individuals that enjoy viewing online videos of people popping pimples up close. If I were to be into this very strange, and arguably repulsive hobby, I would highly recommend the YouTube channel of “Dr. Pimple Popper,” a dermatologist operating on blackheads somewhere in California. Her channel is chock full of pus-filled content, ranging from videos containing sebaceous cyst extractions all the way to a nose covered with blackheads. Now, I am not saying that I derive pleasure from watching these videos, but I will say that there is something oddly satisfying about watching someone pop a zit in 4K resolution.
Whether you think that’s nasty or not, here’s what you missed in the news yesterday.
Oh, So Everyone Was Right All Along?
Remember Michael D. Cohen, President Trump’s former lawyer and key character the media has focused on for the last year as the federal investigation into Trump’s potential collusion with Russia has continued on end? Well, on Thursday, Cohen admitted in court that he did, in fact, enter into negotiations with Moscow regarding business dealings for President Trump well into the 2016 presidential campaign.
To put it simply, Michael Cohen lied under oath, and only now admitted that he had done this. Cohen changed his plea to guilty, in hopes of lessening his prison sentencing. President Trump responded to Cohen’s recent change of heart by calling him a “weak person.”
The language of Cohen’s official plea agreement stated:
“Your client [Cohen] agrees to waive indictment and plead guilty to a Criminal Information, a copy of which is attached, charging your client with making false statements to the U.S. Congress, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1001 (a)(2).”
–Cohen Plea Agreement
Not What We Meant By “Office Hours”
It seems like just when you think the world couldn’t get any more sinister, a headline pops up to remind you that you’re very wrong. Professor Elizabeth Midlarsky, a Jewish professor at Columbia University, had her office vandalized with two spray-painted swastikas on her walls. This hate crime comes several weeks after a man entered into the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and opened fire onto the congregation, killing dozens of the temple’s members, many of which were elderly.
Midlarsky, whose published articles related to the Holocaust and other tenets of Jewish history, entered her office and “almost passed out,” according to CNN.
“We unequivocally condemn any expression of hatred, which has no place in our society. We are outraged and horrified by this act of aggression and use of this vile anti-Semitic symbol against a valued member of our community.”
–Thomas Bailey, President, Columbia Teacher’s College
Mind Your Manners
Be honest, if you own a Google (GOOG) Home or an Alexa-thing, have you ever caught yourself barking orders at one of these devices as if they were a stepchild that disobeyed you? Well, according to TechCrunch, Google (GOOG) released an update for its Google Assistant technology that causes devices to respond more favorably if you use words like “please” and “thank you,” when requesting information.
Amazon (AMZN) released a similar update for its Alexa products back in April, saying that this update would help foster a more polite environment for families with children who typically speak to their Amazon Echo devices without manners.
“We had noticed that practically none of the children that we had talked to said they ever used words ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ when talking to their devices. Younger children will enjoy having the added interactivity, but older children may be less likely to use it as they will be more aware it’s a robot at the other end.”
–Simon Leggett, Research Director, Amazon
