Crazy Eddie's Motie News

Saturday, June 20, 2026

'Let's Talk About America's Iconic Bald Eagle' for American Eagle Day

Happy American Eagle Day! I'm celebrating by sharing Lawrence of Lost in the Pond's Let's Talk About America's Iconic Bald Eagle.

The time has finally come to break my silence on America's national bird, the bald eagle.

There is also an AI summary.

Lawrence explores the fascinating reality of North America's endemic Bald Eagles, examining their surprising habitats and unique behavioral traits. This look into the conservation success story uncovers the history behind their near-extinction and remarkable recovery.

This is only the second time I've embedded one of Lawrence's videos, the first being Lost in the Pond explains 'How US Thanksgiving Wasn't What I Expected', and I'm glad I did. It's also my favorite video about Bald Eagles since Animalogic's Bald Eagle: America’s Fursona, a title that I think is too cute by half, that I embedded in Celebrate American Eagle Day with an ice cream soda. Sharing both videos brought a smile to my face each time.

I've been slacking on one of my traditions, including a drink video for my holiday entries, so I'm making up for by including National Day Calendar's WORLD MARTINI DAY | JUNE 20.

Shaken, not stirred. Do you enjoy a good martini once in a while? Let us know in the comments.

Drink to the health of the bald eagle!

That's a wrap for today's short educational entry. I'll make up for it tomorrow when I celebrate four special days in one, National Seashell Day, the Summer Solstice, World Giraffe Day 2025, and Father's Day. Will I even find a way to make it the Sunday entertainment feature? Stay tuned!

Friday, June 19, 2026

A joyous Juneteenth from Michigan!

A joyous Juneteenth to all! This year's theme is Juneteenth in Michigan and I begin with Click on Detroit/Local 4/WDIV reporting Juneteenth 2026 in Metro Detroit — what to know.

From parades and block parties to artist markets and talks, there are plenty of ways to commemorate Juneteenth across Metro Detroit this week.

Sounds like a lot of fun! WXYZ has more in Juneteenth celebration scheduled at Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park on Fri[d]ay.

The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is celebrating Juneteenth with an event at Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park.

This entry has now earned the poem label.

Detroit isn't having all the fun in the Great Lakes State. WNEM TV5 in Saginaw, Flint, Midland and Bay City reported Juneteenth plans in Flint for 54th year.

Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley said Flint was the first city in Michigan to officially recognize Juneteenth in 2020, a year before the federal government.

I didn't know that about Flint, so I learned something new. That makes today a good day.

I close by crossing the state with WOOD-TV reporting Juneteenth Solidarity Parade and Celebration happening in Grand Rapids.

Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday in 2021. (June 19, 2026)

That's a wrap for today's celebration of the newest federal holiday. Stay tuned for more, American Eagle Day, National Seashell Day, the Summer Solstice, World Giraffe Day 2025, Father's Day, World Rainforest Day, Detroit-style Pizza Day, and the first of two World UFO Days. I love holidays!

Thursday, June 18, 2026

PBS Terra explains why 'America’s Disaster-Free Zone Has a Dark Secret'

Today's "evergreen educational entry I can share in July" features Weathered on PBS Terra explaining why America’s Disaster-Free Zone Has a Dark Secret.

When you look at Federally declared disasters across the U.S., there’s a surprising blank spot in the Southwest region. What’s up with that? Is the Southwest really a safe haven from natural disasters? Or is there a more sinister explanation for this giant hole in the map? On this episode of Weathered, we talk to the folks who made this map, and some of the world’s leading experts on climate risk to find out what’s really going on.

My wife and I watched this video together on the big-screen TV in our bedroom. I guessed the lack of natural disasters in the American Southwest was because there aren't a lot of people there and that the dark secret was the heat. The first guess wasn't true; the Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler, AZ MSA has an estimated population of 5,228,938 while the Las Vegas–Henderson–North Las Vegas, NV MSA has an estimated population of 2,407,226.

The second guess was dead on. That's no surprise, as I blogged about Phoenix being the hottest city in the U.S. in 2021 and mentioned its record heat in 2023 twice. What is surprising is that heat waves don't count as federal natural disasters covered by FEMA. The commenters found the reason dismaying: "You don't get disaster declarations for mortality. You only do it for economics." Ecurewitz responded "That’s the most American statement ever." RandomAngle9 commented "The fact that heat doesn't 'qualify' as a disaster because it doesn't destroy buildings, only people, says everything about how we value human life in policy." Speaking of policy, Florida banning municipalities from protecting workers from heat shows that DeSantis wasn't only bad on COVID-19. He and the rest of the Republicans on Florida are bad on climate and weather, too.

While the lack of natural disasters in the American Southwest exists because of a flaw in the criteria for disaster declarations, the lack of natural disasters in and around Michigan is real. As I wrote in 2022, "Michigan is currently the safest state in the Union for natural disasters..." This gives me another opportunity to tout the Great Lakes State as a climate haven.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for a string of holidays, Juneteenth, American Eagle Day, National Seashell Day, the Summer Solstice, World Giraffe Day 2025, Father's Day, World Rainforest Day, and Detroit-style Pizza Day. I love holidays!

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

'Underdogs' wins two News & Doc Emmy Awards plus a late World Sea Turtle Day

I closed 'Secrets of the Penguins' wins two News & Doc Emmy Awards by telling my readers, "Speaking of Underdogs, it also won two News & Doc Emmy Awards, so I think I will cover it next." I promised that again at the end of A late National Megalodon Day. Without any further ado, I'm revisiting what I wrote in 'Underdogs' earns four News & Doc Emmy Award nominations.

The trailer alone demonstrated that Underdogs deserved this nomination. Unfortunately, I doubt it will win this award. It's competing against 2000 Meters to Andriivka with six nominations including Best Documentary, Songs from the Hole with four nominations including Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary, and The Stringer, also with four nominations including Outstanding Investigative Documentary. I expect grit will win over wit.

I was wrong; wit beat grit in Outstanding Writing: Documentary.

The #DocEmmys Award for Outstanding Writing: Documentary goes to Underdogs (Wildstar Films). pic.twitter.com/e0Za8c3VkB
— The Emmys (@TheEmmys) May 29, 2026

Congratulations!

Now for Outstanding Sound: Documentary.

Secrets of the Penguins deserved this nomination, but I doubt it will win. Instead, I think it's between Turning Point: The Vietnam War with five total nominations and Love + War with four nominations. Both are also nominated for Best Documentary. The sounds of combat would probably impress the journalists and documentarians, possibly even more than the sounds of nature or music. If the entertainment professionals in the Creative Arts Emmys were voting, they might give WE WANT THE FUNK! the advantage. Not here; electorates matter.
I think the same of Underdogs' chances for Outstanding Sound: Documentary. Given the competition in its categories, it has an apt title.

I was wrong here, too. As I wrote about Outstanding Cinematography: Documentary in 'Secrets of the Penguins' wins two News & Doc Emmy Awards, "I'm glad that nature beat warfare."

The #DocEmmys Award for Outstanding Sound: Documentary goes to Underdogs (Wildstar Films). pic.twitter.com/wiCqcKtVG8
— The Emmys (@TheEmmys) May 28, 2026

Again, congratulations! I'm never more happy to be wrong!

By the way, yesterday was World Sea Turtle Day, so I'm embedding National Day Calendar's WORLD SEA TURTLE DAY | June 16 for a late celebration.

Have you been able to see a sea turtle in times past?

May I remember to observe the day on time next year.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for an evergreen educational entry I can share in July tomorrow, followed by a string of holidays, Juneteenth, American Eagle Day, National Seashell Day, the Summer Solstice, World Giraffe Day 2025, Father's Day, World Rainforest Day, and Detroit-style Pizza Day. I love holidays!

Previous posts about the 57th News & Doc Emmy Awards

Tuesday, June 16, 2026

A late National Megalodon Day

A belated happy Megalodon Day! I feel I should have observed it yesterday. It probably would have been more fun than writing 'Secrets of the Penguins' wins two News & Doc Emmy Awards, although that was satisfying. I begin with National Day Calendar celebrating NATIONAL MEGALODON DAY | June 15.

Don't even think about getting a bigger boat! Let us know in the comments the largest fish you ever caught.

When Marlo Anderson mentioned that a Danish scientist had figured out that the "dragon's tongues" were really giant sharks teeth in 1666, I thought "that has to be Nicolaus Steno." It was.

In 1667, Danish naturalist Nicolaus Steno made a discovery that forever changed the way we viewed the oceans forever. The fossils were thought to have been the petrified tongues of dragons or snakes, but what Nicolaus realised was the truth was equally, if not far more terrifying. These strange objects were actually the fossilized teeth of the largest shark to have roamed the oceans, the megalodon.

I plan on lecturing on Steno's contributions to geology on Thursday and I will include this factoid. One of my students is really into sharks and he'll enjoy it.

I have more material, but I feel like being a good environmentalist and conserving my resources for next year. May I remember to celebrate on time then. In the meantime, stay tuned for the News & Doc Emmy Awards won by Underdogs for Wayback Wednesday.

Monday, June 15, 2026

'Secrets of the Penguins' wins two News & Doc Emmy Awards

It's time to revisit my predictions from 'Secrets of the Penguins' leads Outstanding Nature Documentaries at the News & Doc Emmy Awards for Earth Day.

This is in the same overall series as Secrets of the Whales, Secrets of the Elephants, and Secrets of the Octopus, all of which earned nominations at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. That, and its award-winning producer and director, bode well for its award chances at these Emmy Awards.
...
I'm rooting for Secrets of the Penguins...

I got my wish; Secrets of the Penguins won Outstanding Nature Documentary.

On the other hand, I was happy to be wrong about Outstanding Cinematography: Documentary, for which I wrote, "Secrets of the Penguins is in very good company, including 2000 Meters to Andriivka with six nominations including Best Documentary, which is my pick to win both that award and this category." I repeated that thought in 'Underdogs' earns four News & Doc Emmy Award nominations: "Underdogs might be more deserving than Pangolin: Kulu's Journey and as deserving as Secrets of the Penguins, but I still think 2000 Meters to Andriivka is the favorite to win Outstanding Cinematograpy: Documentary." Nope, Secrets of the Penguins won Outstanding Cinematography: Documentary. I'm glad that nature beat warfare.

Speaking of Underdogs, it also won two News & Doc Emmy Awards, so I think I will cover it next. Stay tuned.

Previous posts about the 57th News & Doc Emmy Awards

Sunday, June 14, 2026

Marsh Family sings 'Trumpy Doodle' for America250 on Flag Day

Happy Flag Day! I'm posting something tangential to the holiday today, "Trumpy Doodle" - Marsh Family version of "Yankee Doodle" for the USA's 250th anniversary antics.

"Yankee Doodle" was a traditional song (Roud 4501) that predated the American Revolution and was adapted by both British and Americans to mock one another in the eighteenth century. So we felt it was a fitting tune to repurpose on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States, and the No Kings musical protests occurring this weekend which happens to be the 80th birthday of Donald Trump.

The word 'doodle' likely comes from German 'Dödel' meaning fool or simpleton or nob. It may also reference Low German 'dudel' = playing music badly. So it works whether you like or hate this parody arrangement! The earliest known version of the lyrics was the 1750s when it was sung during the Seven Years' War (or "French and Indian War" in the colonies), and it had become a patriotic song for the USA by 1781, when new verses mentioned a certain George Washington, who also crops up in ours as a bringer of political or national liberty (though, of course, also a slaveholder and denier of liberty).

This makes for a great companion to Randy Rainbow sings 'A Very Stable Genius Part Two!' for Wayback Wednesday — truly patriotic musical comedy that allows us to laugh so we don't cry!

I promised another Sunday entertainment feature, so follow over the jump for the remaining most read post and top social media shares about entertainment during the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News.

SciShow reports 'Everyone On Earth Has The Same Commute,' a driving update

I'm beginning today's a driving update with SciShow reporting Everyone On Earth Has The Same Commute.

There's a lot that unites us as humans. How much we sleep, how much we eat, how much we travel... wait, what? Yeah, turns out that the vast majority of human populations have the same average amount of travel time per day. Here's what the research says about why that is, and how learning this could shape our future.

Hosted by: Madelyn Leembruggen (she/her)

78 minutes? I've been on the low side of that average time for years, but I did enough to contribute to the average 20 years ago, when I drove 48,000 miles in one year and 40,000 miles per year from 2000-2005. I'm glad I'm no longer doing that. Follow over the jump to see how I'm doing now.

SciShow explains 'How Instagram Hacks Your Brain' plus Howtown on brain rot for Flashback Friday

Happy Flashback Friday! I promised "Stay tuned for another winner at the News & Doc Emmy Awards along with a retrospective of posts on a related theme" for today and get to both of those after I lead into them beginning with SciShow explaining How Instagram Hacks Your Brain.

Do you feel addicted to social media? You're certainly not alone. Social media and our brains have a messy relationship, and researchers are working hard to understand what's going on, who might be more or less at risk, and why.

Hosted by: Hank Green (he/him)

Can't Look Away: The Case Against Social Media is the Emmy winner I'm featuring today and it's all about how social media algorithms make the platforms addictive and how they especially harm teenagers. Howtown examined another possible cognitive harm in What the actual science says about "brain rot".

Are TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts actually destroying our attention spans, or is “brain rot” just another moral panic? In this video, we dig into the science behind short-form video and attention, from debunking viral goldfish statistics to explaining real cognitive psychology experiments testing analytical thinking and prospective memory. We break down what researchers actually mean by “attention span,” how infinite scroll and autoplay feeds are genuinely different from previous forms of media, and what lab tests can and can’t tell us about the mental effects of short-form video.

As much as I have proclaimed "Behold the power of the YouTube algorithm," I at least had the choice of clicking on the preview of the intriguing video the program presented to me. With YouTube shorts, TikTok, and Instagram reels, the only choice I have is to watch the next video or stop watching unless I see the preview of the short on my YouTube home page, where I still have the choice to click. It's one of the reasons I generally avoid TikTok, the other being the ownership, both old and new. Do I think the format is making me stupid? No, although it's certainly distracting, entertaining, and surprising, especially as Instagram reels, some of which I find educational. That loops back to Hank Green's observation about Instagram hacking my brain. I like closing loops.

The second loop to close is today's featured News & Doc Emmy Award winner.

After I watched Can't Look Away's trailer, I declared, "I don't have to look at the other two trailers; I think this is the winner." I was right; it won. Congratulations!

Follow over the jump for the final loop, today's featured post from the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News, which was also about a legal action against social media.

'Prime Minister' wins two News & Doc Emmy Awards including Best Documentary for Throwback Thursday

Happy Throwback Thursday! I'm returning to the News & Doc Emmy Awards today, as I promised in 'Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller' wins 7 News & Doc Emmy Awards for World Oceans Day with the relevant paragraph from CNN Worldwide Honored with Six News & Documentary Emmy Awards.

CNN FILMS PRIME MINISTER WINS TWO EMMY® AWARDS, INCLUDING BEST DOCUMENTARY
...
CNN’s recognition extended to the Documentary Emmy® Awards on Thursday night, where CNN Films’ Prime Minister won Best Documentary and Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary. The acclaimed film premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, earning the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary before being acquired by HBO and CNN Films. Released theatrically by Magnolia Pictures, Prime Minister is available to stream now at CNN.com/Watch, on the CNN app, and on HBO Max.

I declared Prime Minister as the favorite to win Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary early, but I thought 2000 Meters to Andriivka was the most likely to win Best Documentary. Surprise!

Dame Jacinda Ardern posted a thank you speech to her Instagram.

Tonight the incredible team who made the documentary simply titled “Prime Minister” won the Emmy for best documentary. From the sidelines I saw these talented directors, editors, and producers all come together to create a film (which I have still only watched it in its entirety once..) that feels like the most accurate portrayal of what it’s like to lead with your heart on your sleeve. My huge congratulations to them all, especially Michelle Walshe and Lindsay Utz who co-directed it. But here, I want to make a special mention of Clarke, the first person who picked up a camera. I wasn’t the easiest person to film, and nor through the years of being PM was I the easiest partner. But that never changed the amount of support he gave in return. Our loved ones don’t choose politics, but they are still on the front line alongside us every day, cheering us on, keeping life at home going, reminding us why we’re there. So thank you, Clarke. Now it’s my turn to cheer you on xx

Clarke spoke at the awards tonight, and he saved his final words, rightly so, to thank New Zealand. Our home. We will both forever be grateful for the privilege of a lifetime.

Congratulations to Dame Jacinda, the documentarians, CNN, and HBO!

Since it's Throwback Thursday and the subject is politics, follow over the jump for the top serious political posts written during the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News.