The Daily Populous

Tuesday May 4th, 2021 day edition

image for NASA solar probe becomes fastest object ever built as it 'touches the sun'

Nothing built by human hands has ever traveled faster than NASA's Parker Solar Probe, a diminutive, scorch-proof spacecraft about the size of a small car that is practically "touching the sun."

In late April, it smashed two wild space records, dethroning the previous champion -- which also happened to be NASA's Parker Solar Probe -- and its journey is really just beginning.

The probe, which launched in August 2018 on a mission to study the sun, has been flying ever closer to our solar system's furnace, using the planet Venus as a slingshot.

Fastest human-made object: 244,255 mph (393,044 km/h).

Fastest human-made object: 330,000 mph (532,000 km/h).

Parker should break its own record later in the year when it uses another Venus flyby to slingshot closer to the sun.

Follow CNET's 2021 Space Calendar to stay up to date with all the latest space news this year. »

Black man enslaved by White manager should receive more than $500,000 in restitution, court says

Authored by cbsnews.com

A Black man who was enslaved by a restaurant manager from 2009 to 2014 should have been paid more money after his captor pleaded guilty, according to a South Carolina appeals court.

In 2019, Edwards pleaded guilty one count of forced labor and the district court sentenced him to 120 months' imprisonment.

The appeals court has vacated the district court's award of restitution and is asking for recalculation. »

From Russia with Root Beer

Authored by chiefmarketer.com

This is the story of a promotion that will give you both reactions at the same time.

You would expect a graduate of Cornell University, with a Wharton MBA to be maybe a trifle conservative.

In 1991, Barq’s needed an aggressive 12-pack promotion that would enable them to compete with the cola giants during the summer of 1992. »

The Weeknd Says He’s Still Boycotting the Grammys Despite Rule Changes

Authored by pitchfork.com

The singer took particular exception with the Recording Academy’s “secret committees” that historically decided who made the final ballots in many categories.

This past Friday (April 30), the Recording Academy announced changes to its nomination process for the 2022 Grammy Awards.

Despite the changes, the Weeknd has affirmed his boycott of the Grammys. »

Lithuania's President Says Nation 'Will Never Recognize' Russia's Crimea Annexation

Authored by newsweek.com

Lithuania's president on Monday took a firm stance against Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and the Kremlin's more recent military actions against its neighbors in Eastern Europe.

"Lithuania will never recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea and will be taking steps toward ending the actual occupation of part of eastern Ukraine," Nauseda said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the presidents of Latvia and Estonia were also among the guests at the ceremonies in Warsaw. »