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The 8 topics that our followers ranked as the most conversational are:
BOB ODENKIRK HOSPITALIZED AFTER COLLAPSING ON SET OF ‘BETTER CALL SAUL’
Bob Odenkirk was rushed to the hospital after collapsing on the set of his show “Better Call Saul,” and is still receiving medical care. Production sources tell TMZ Odenkirk and cast were shooting in New Mexico Tuesday when the incident happened. We’re told Odenkirk went down, and was immediately surrounded by crew members who called an ambulance. We’re told it’s unclear if he was conscious when he was transported, but a source close to Odenkirk tells us he is still in the hospital under the care of doctors.
[SOURCE: tmz.com / ENGAGEMENT: 47.13%]
CFA LEVEL 1 PASS RATE PLUMMETS TO RECORD LOW OF 25%
The pass rate for the Chartered Financial Analyst Level I exam administered in May was the lowest since testing began in 1963. Twenty-five percent of applicants passed the latest test, down from 44% for those who sat for the February examination, according to the CFA Institute’s website. The 10-year average pass rate is 42%. Nearly 26,000 candidates sat for the Level I exam, which was administered at test centers around the world, the CFA Institute said in a statement Tuesday. Passing all three CFA exams can lead to higher salaries and better job opportunities. Candidates on average study 300 hours for each level and take four years to complete the series.
[SOURCE: bloomberg.com / ENGAGEMENT: 11.06%]
SYDNEY LOCKDOWN EXTENDED BY FOUR WEEKS AS AUSTRALIA COVID-19 CASES SPIKE
The Australian city of Sydney extended a lockdown by four weeks on Wednesday after an already protracted stay-at-home order failed to douse a Covid-19 outbreak, with the authorities warning of tougher policing to stamp out non-compliance. Lockdown had originally been scheduled to end in three days. Instead, the city of 5 million people and neighboring regional centers spanning 200 kilometers (120 miles) of coastline were told to stay home until August 28, following persistently high case numbers since a flare-up of the virulent Delta variant began last month. The state of New South Wales, of which Sydney is the capital, reported 177 new cases for Tuesday — up from 172 on Monday. That is the biggest increase since an unmasked, unvaccinated airport driver was said to have sparked the current outbreak. The state also reported the death of a woman in her 90s, the 11th death of the outbreak.
[SOURCE: cnn.com / ENGAGEMENT: 4.41%]
FOUNDING SLIPKNOT MEMBER, DRUMMER JOEY JORDISON DEAD AT AGE 46
Joey Jordison, best known as the former drummer, co-songwriter, and co-founder of influential alternative metal band Slipknot as well as the guitarist for horror-punk group Murderdolls, has died, according to a statement released Tuesday afternoon by his family. “We are heartbroken to share the news that Joey Jordison, prolific drummer, musician and artist, passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 26th, 2021. He was 46,” the statement read. Nathan Jonas “Joey” Jordison was born April 26, 1975 in Des Moines, Iowa, and he began playing drums at age 8, even forming his first band when he was still in elementary school. In 1995, Jordison joined a local metal band called the Pale Ones, who were later renamed Slipknot upon Jordison’s suggestion. After creating their own scene in Iowa, attracting a devoted following of fans they affectionately dubbed “Maggots,” and self-releasing the demo album Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. on Halloween 1996, Slipknot signed to Roadrunner Records and broke through to the mainstream. Their self-titled Roadrunner debut was in fact the first album in that label’s history to be certified platinum.
[SOURCE: yahoo.com / ENGAGEMENT: 4.06%]
TSUNAMI ADVISORY FOR PARTS OF THE ALASKAN COAST AFTER AN 8.2 EARTHQUAKE
Parts of Alaska are under tsunami advisories after an 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the state’s coast, according to preliminary data from the US Geological Survey. The very strong quake was located about 56 miles (91 kilometers) east southeast of Perryville, Alaska, and occurred around 10:15 p.m. Wednesday night local time, USGS said. At 29 miles deep (46.7 km), the earthquake is considered shallow. Shallow earthquakes are between 0 and 70 km in depth. There have been at least two strong aftershocks, including a preliminary magnitude 6.2 and magnitude 5.6, the USGS reports. A tsunami warning had been issued for portions of the state shortly after the quake, according to the US National Tsunami Warning Center, which said in an update, “A tsunami has been confirmed and some impacts are expected.”
[SOURCE: cnn.com / ENGAGEMENT: 3.50%]
SIMONE BILES WITHDRAWS FROM ALL-AROUND FINAL TO FOCUS ON MENTAL HEALTH
Simone Biles has withdrawn from the individual all-around competition to focus on her mental health, USA Gymnastics announced on Wednesday. Her withdrawal comes after the 24-year-old — one of the greatest gymnasts of all time — stepped away from a dramatic team competition on Tuesday, citing mental heath concerns as she attempts to protect “her body and mind.” USA Gymnastics said it supported her decision “wholeheartedly,” adding in its statement that Biles would be assessed every day. Biles had been one of the favorites to win gold in Thursday’s final, having won every individual all-around competition that she has entered since 2013. After Sunday’s qualifying in Tokyo, Biles had finished first with a score of 57.731. She still has the opportunity to compete in other individual events during the remainder of the Games, having qualified for individual finals in each apparatus: vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.
[SOURCE: cnn.com / ENGAGEMENT: 3.08%]
JULIO JONES AND RODDY WHITE ACCUSED OF SELLING STOLEN WEED
Former Atlanta Falcons teammates Julio Jones and Roddy White are being accused by a cannabis company of defrauding millions of dollars in stolen cannabis that they claim was sold illegally. According to Larry Brown Sports, Jones and White allegedly conspired with another man to sell hundreds of pounds of the company’s cannabis meant to be sold legally on the black market. The lawsuit goes on to say that Van Beek has not reported any sales to Genetixs since March and allegedly “looted, removed, and misappropriated” cannabis from more than 22 harvests in conjunction with white and Jones. The company estimates about $3 million in cannabis has been harvested and sold illegally per month.
[SOURCE: brobible.com / ENGAGEMENT: 2.94%]
DUSTY HILL, ZZ TOP BASSIST, DEAD AT 72
Joseph “Dusty” Hill, ZZ Top’s bassist for more than 50 years, has died, the group’s longtime rep confirmed. No cause of death was cited. The band’s Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard issued a statement of condolences. Earlier this month, Gibbons and Beard played their first performances without Hill in more than 50 years, stating that the bassist had been forced to seek medical attention “to address a hip issue,” according to a statement, although his ailment was apparently more serious than they let on. While ZZ Top was best known for their synthesizer-powered 1980s hits, they were a thoroughly Texan, heavy rock-blues band at heart, spawned from the same psychedelic scene that birthed Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elevators but keeping things roots and rocking throughout their more than 50-year career, even as they incorporated synthesized rhythms into their sound in the 1980s.
[SOURCE: variety.com / ENGAGEMENT: 2.59%]
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