NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research A giant squid was recorded in U.S. waters for the first time on June 19, 2019.
Giant squids are swimming in American waters! See the historic video scientists recorded about 100 miles from Alabama. A team of daredevil siblings will attempt to walk a tightrope suspended 25 stories above Times Square tonight. And fans of the 1992 movie “The Bodyguard” may be surprised to learn that the iconic movie poster does not include star Whitney Houston.
Here’s what you need to know in the daily roundup:
TOP STORY: Researchers Spotted a Giant Squid in U.S. Waters For the First Time
There are giant squids in the Gulf of Mexico! Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research have made history by recording video of the giant squid swimming in U.S. waters for the very first time. The squid was spotted about 100 miles from the coasts of Louisiana and Alabama.
The team shared its find with the title, “Here Be Monsters: We Filmed a Giant Squid in America’s Backyard.” Their camera, which is nicknamed Medusa, is equipped with an e-jelly to attract sea creatures to it. It was deployed about 750 meters underwater (2,460 feet). On Medusa’s fifth trip down, on June 19, 2019, the camera recorded the giant squid showing off its tentacles as if to attack the camera.
Duke University biology professor and Sönke Johnsen and ORCA CEO and Senior Scientists Edie Widder are listed as the authors of the NOAA article explaining the discovery. They wrote that there are old stories about “monsters” in the deep, but that the rare video recordings of the giant squid prove that the sea creature is no monster.
“We did not find a monster. The giant squid is large and certainly unusual from our human perspective, but if the video shows anything of the animal’s character, it shows an animal surprised by its mistake, backing off after striking at something that at first must have seemed appealing but was obviously not food.
Our perspective as humans has changed. What were once monsters to be feared are now curious and magnificent creatures that delight. We like to feel that science and exploration has brought about this change, making the world less scary and more wondrous with each new thing we learn.”
WHAT’S BUZZING THAT HAS EVERYONE TALKING: The ‘Crips’ Graffiti in an Atlanta Suburb Has Social Media Doing a Double Take
WBS TVCrips graffiti in Newton County
The Crips is a criminal street gang that was started in southern California several decades ago. It has since spread to various cities around the country. But when gang graffiti recently showed up in an Atlanta suburb, skeptics instantly took to social media.
At least three homes and one vehicle were tagged with the word “Crips” in Newton County, Georgia, according to Newton County Police. Neighbors expressed surprise, telling WSB-TV that the area is normally very quiet.
But the cursive writing and the exclamation points have doubters questioning whether real Crips gang members would have been responsible for the graffiti. Social media commenters also expressed skepticism that the gang members would write the name of the gang in the first place. The term “Crips” was trending on social media on Saturday as people shared jokes about the graffiti. See the reactions here.
OFF-BEAT: Daredevils Will Cross Times Square on a Wire 25 Stories Above the Ground Tonight
I’m so excited to announce that I’m returning to the highwire with my sister Lijana for a never before attempted walk across New York City’s iconic Times Square! Join me LIVE Sunday, June 23 on ABC. #HighwireLIVE
Highwire walkers Nik Wallenda and his sister Lijana are following in their family’s long tradition of daredevil adventures. In a special airing at 8 p.m. tonight on ABC, the siblings will walk 1,300 feet across Times Square in New York City. The tightrope will be 25 stories up.
Nik and Lijana will start at opposite ends and cross in the middle. The plan is for her to duck down and Nik will step over her. The wire is only about the width of a quarter. The crossing is expected to take about 30 minutes.
This will be Lijanda’s first highwire walk since she was nearly killed during a similar stunt two years ago. She fell 30-40 feet off a tightrope during a rehearsal, breaking every bone in her face. Nik Wallenda said that experience is why he is ok with wearing a safety harness this time, even though he normally prefers to go without it. He told the Wrap, “With everything that she’s gone through, and that near-fatal accident that she went through a couple years ago that we were all involved in, I just think it’s important.
Nik and Lijana Wallenda’s family has been performing highwire stunts for the past seven generations. He says crossing Times Square has been a lifelong dream. Read more about the Wallenda family and tonight’s event here.
DAILY NEWS ROUNDUP
The snow began to fall on Friday, just west of Denver in elevations above 7,000 feet. Snow has also been reported in parts of Montana. Summer Solstice who?t.co/dxzVvXjWrf
- A 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck northern California late Saturday night.
- Parts of Colorado received nearly two feet of snow on the first day of summer.
- A tech analyst says Google Chrome now looks like surveillance software and is spying on us.
- Toy Story 4 debuted in theaters this weekend, continuing Disney dominance at the box office.
- Jeopardy champ James Holzhauer is competing in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
CHECK THIS OUT: That Wasn’t Whitney Houston on the ‘Bodyguard’ Movie Poster
💬Kevin Costner Reveals Major Surprise About Iconic ‘The Bodyguard’ Movie Poster – t.co/VlfaK2ERP0
📻 87.7fm | 📲 t.co/g70GVICZX8
Actor Kevin Costner has revealed that Whitney Houston was not on the movie poster for 1992’s “The Bodyguard.” He recently admitted to Entertainment Weekly that the woman in the iconic image was actually Houston’s body double. “That wasn’t even Whitney actually. She had gone home and that was her double, and her head was buried into my shoulder, which was appropriate anyway. She was frightened.”
Costner said he received some pushback for choosing the image for the poster. Critics thought Houston’s face should have been visible, considering she was the co-star. But Costner explained that he pushed for it because he thought the image perfectly represented the movie.
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