Monday Briefing | March 8

The SpaceX SN10 rocket prototype exploded last Wednesday after successfully touching down on the company’s launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas. Credit: https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/03/tech/spacex-starship-sn10-test-flight-scn/index.html

Stories to follow:

SpaceX Starship Mars

SpaceX’s rocket prototype, the Starship Mars, exploded during a test on Wednesday. The Starship Mars rocket is slated for several purposes: high-speed commercial travel, moon landings and future missions to Mars. The prototype, known as SN10, was conducting a test flight that seemed to be going well. The SN10 lifted off, climbed six miles—and for the first time ever—successfully executed a soft touch down on the landing pad. But three minutes after landing, the SN10 exploded. The FAA will investigate the explosion.

Governor Cuomo

Last week, Governor Andrew Cuomo refused to resign in the face of sexual harassment accusations. Cuomo, a DNC darling during the early days of the pandemic, emphasized that he did not touch anyone inappropriately. Cuomo asked that people wait for the results of state attorney general Letitia James’ ongoing investigation.

Dr. Seuss

Six Dr. Seuss books have been pulled from publication for incorporating racial stereotypes. Originally published between 1937 and 1976, the books –“And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” “If I Ran the Zoo,” “McElligot’s Pool,” “On Beyond Zebra!” “Scrambled Eggs Super!” and “The Cat’s Quizzer”—represent cancel culture’s latest frontier.

Oldest Living Person

118-year-old Kane Tanaka is scheduled to carry the Olympic torch this May. Tanaka was born in 1903, just seven years after the modern Olympic games began in 1896. Tanaka has lived through two world wars, two global pandemics and twice she has survived cancer. When Tokyo last hosted the Olympic games in 1964, Tanaka was 61 years old.  

Happening this week:

Check out an elusive live music performance by The Brandi Disterheft Duo at The Flatiron Room, March 9 at 6PM.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is open. Visit the fourth-most visited museum in the world for paintings, sculptures, armor and interiors.

In your free time:

Think critically about contemporary campus culture, safetyism and censorship. Read “The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure” by Greg Lukianoff and NYU’s Jonathan Haidt.

Indulge in Ralph Macchio’s Cobra Kai-catalyzed resurgence. Check out Macchio’s 1986 cult classic “Crossroads.” Written by John Fusco as his NYU master’s thesis, “Crossroads” features Macchio as Lightning Boy, a young guitarist in search of a legendary lost recording from blues legend Robert Johnson.  

This week’s Monday Briefing was brought to you by Harrison Kass.