Condensed Soup

It's like buying a ticket to a real-life rom com. A startup in France is helping couples sell strangers invitations to their wedding. If you pay for a ticket, do you also need to bring a gift?

'As if we're real guests': the startup selling strangers invitations to weddings (Angelique Chrisafis, The Guardian, Aug 2, 2025)

French startup lets strangers buy entrance to someone else's wedding (Trend-watching Daily, Aug 4, 2025)

The Incredibly True Story of Renting a Friend in Tokyo (Chris Colin, Afar, Feb 19, 2016)

I paid $47 an hour for someone to be my friend (Jean-Luc Bouchard, Vox, Jul 1, 2019)

I Rented a Friend to See if I Could Cure My Loneliness (Annie Lord, Vice, Feb 8, 2019)

Belly Dancing for the Dead: a Day with China's Top Mourner (Louisa Lim, Morning Edition / NPR, Jun 26, 2013)

Professional Mourners: An Ancient Tradition (Marilyn A. Mendoza, Psychology Today, Feb 15, 2018)

Arlington Ladies (Arlington National Cemetery, accessed Aug 17, 2025)

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Before you touch every peach in the produce section (guilty!), listen to this episode -- you'll be the Best Citizen at the market.

10 of the Rudest Things You Can Do at the Grocery Store (Caroline Bologna, Huffpost, Sep 29, 2022)

11 Rude Things People Do At the Grocery Store (Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, Oct 6, 2024)

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A meteorite that fell through a man's roof -- and it turns out, meteors fall to earth all the time. Sometimes we even wish on them.

Meteorite that ripped through Georgia homeowner's roof is 20 million years older than Earth, scientist says (CBS / AP, Aug 9, 2025)

Fish Falling from the Sky Sparks Wildfire Near Small Town After Osprey Drops its Meal Mid-Flight (Gabrielle Rockson, People, Aug 7, 2025)

Winter Weather Warning of 'Falling Iguanas' Issued for Florida (Jess Thomson, Newsweek, Jan 19, 2024)

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A ten-year-old just beat a chess grandmaster, joining the ranks of chess prodigies from all over the world. What did you do with your summer vacation?

Colorado declares statewide disaster emergency, as dozens of wildfires blaze (Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, Aug 14, 2025)

10-year-old becomes youngest female chess player to defeat grandmaster (Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, Aug 14, 2025)

Chess Terms (Chess(dot)com, accessed Aug 14, 2025)

40 Facts About Chess Most People Don't Know (Yury Markushin, The Chess World, Nov 17, 2011)

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Travel superstitions can help calm anxious flyers -- are you one of them? Also, since they just announced the host of the Kennedy Center Honors -- my thoughts on the craft of hosting and relating to live audiences.

Trump to host Kennedy Center Honors ceremony (Andrea Shalal and Lisa Richwine, Reuters, Aug 13, 2025)

Pilot says, "I'm not really feeling it," tells passengers to deplane (Tamara Gane, Yahoo News, Aug 5, 2025)

The Surprising Origins of Americans' Most Common Travel Superstitions (Ophelia Garcia Lawler, Thrillist, Oct 8, 2024)

Where Our Fear of Friday the 13th Came From (Brian Handwerk and John Roach, Nov 13, 2015)

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Mendenhall Glacier, a big Alaskan tourism draw, is releasing water -- causing calls to evacuate the Juneau area. 2025 has been designated the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation by Unesco and the World Meteorological Organization. (Just in time.)

Alaska's Mendenhall Glacier begins releasing floodwater, some residents urged to evacuate (CBS / AP, Aug 12, 2025)

10 Brrr-illiant Glacier Facts! (National Geographic Kids, accessed Aug 12, 2025)

Glaciers (National Snow and Ice Data Center, accessed Aug 12, 2025)

2025 International Year of Glaciers' Preservation (Unesco, World Meteorological Organization, accessed Aug 12, 2025)

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There's drama on the slopes! Earlier this year, a ski suit scandal shook up the ski jumping world. Now, leading up to the Olympics, they're dealing with the repercussions.

Flooding cancels last day of Wisconsin State Fair as severe storms knock out power and close roads (AP, Aug 11, 2025)

Countries across Europe hit by wildfires as new heat wave arrives (AP, Aug 11, 2025)

Heatwave worsens living conditions of thousands of displaced people in Gaza (AP, Aug 9, 2025)

Ski jumping's suit trouble is back ahead of Olympics as numerous athletes disqualified (James Ellingworth, AP, Aug 11, 2025)

Norwegian ski jumpers suspended during suit tampering inquiry (ESPN / AP, Mar 12, 2025)

Norway suspend [sic] staff in ski jump cheat scandal at world championships (The Guardian / AP, Mar 10, 2025)

What are the rules for ski jumping suits? (Chiaki Nishimura, Olympics(dot)com, accessed Aug 12, 2025)

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Ever wanted to grab a bunch of your buddies and make a commune? Sometimes it's all about keeping the ones you love in, but sometimes it's about keeping the ones you don't love... out.

This 38-Year Old Woman Moved Into a Retirement Home—and Loves It (Ashley Fike, Vice, Jul 22, 2025)

The Bird's Nest (official, accessed Aug 10, 2025)

'Whites-only' group draws bipartisan rebuke over potential move to Missouri (Jason Hancock, Missouri Independent, Jul 31, 2025)

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Labubus are the current collecting craze. People are lining up outside stores, reselling online, and coveting rare specimens. It's moving a lot of money around the world.

$7K worth of Labubu dolls stolen from Los Angeles store, authorities say (AP, Aug 9, 2025)

'Labubu' is a plush toy that is causing a frenzy. Here's its origin story (Juliana Kim, All Things Considered / NPR, Jun 18, 2025)

Adorable or just weird? How Labubu dolls conquered the world (Fan Wang and Adam Hancock, BBC News, Jun 19, 2025)

Trading Standards issue a warning to parents that potentially dangerous counterfeit Labubu dolls are being sold in the area (Trading Standards, Aug 8, 2025)

The Confused Aunt's Guide to Labubu (Liza Corsillo, The Strategist, Jun 12, 2025)

Labubu craze could spell doom for the economy, expert warns (Gabrielle Fahmy, New York Post, Aug 9, 2025)

Sacramento State economics professor makes sense of Labubu doll trend (Lisa Gonzales, KCRA / MSN, Aug 6, 2025)

The End of the Lipstick Index (Daniela Morosini, BoF, May 19, 2025)

Collecting: An Urge That's Hard to Resist (Shirley M. Mueller, Psychology Today, Oct 29, 2020)

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A new version of Romeo & Juliet debuted in Estonia, starring a Ford ford pickup as Juliet and a rally truck as Romeo. The play didn't have any dialogue, but it did have a car crash...

Love-struck trucks and diggers: Estonia's take on 'Romeo and Juliet' (Janis Laizans, Reuters, Aug 1, 2025)

The underage stars of a hit 1968 version of 'Romeo & Juliet' sue over their nude scene (AP, Jan 4, 2023)

Romeo and Juliet Was a Tragedy (Lila Shapiro, Vulture, Dec 30, 2024)

I Panned Romeo + Juliet in 1996. Now I Think It's One of the the Best Shakespeare Adaptations (Stephanie Zacharek, Time, Oct 28, 2021)

A bilingual version of West Side Story gives the Sharks their due (Ed Pilkington, The Guardian, Dec 16, 2008)

Steven Spielberg talks new 'West Side Story' film, calling the story 'generational' (Adia Robinson, ABC News, Dec 3, 2021)

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