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WASHINGTON, July 21, 2024 – Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the following statement:
“In the 38 years that I have known President Biden, he has consistently and selflessly put our country first—and today is no exception. As a result, he will go down in history as one of our most consequential American presidents.
If you’re looking for the Wordle answer for July 23, 2024 read on. We’ll share some clues, tips, and strategies, and finally the solution. Today’s puzzle is harder; I got it in five. Beware, there are spoilers below for July 23, Wordle #1,130! Keep scrolling if you want some hints (and then the answer) to today’s Wordle game.
Wordle lives here on the New York Times website. A new puzzle goes live every day at midnight, your local time.
Start by guessing a five-letter word. The letters of the word will turn green if they’re correct, yellow if you have the right letter in the wrong place, or gray if the letter isn’t in the day’s secret word at all. For more, check out our guide to playing Wordle here, and my strategy guide here for more advanced tips. (We also have more information at the bottom of this post, after the hints and answers.)
Ready for the hints? Let’s go!
We’ll define common letters as those that appear in the old typesetters’ phrase ETAOIN SHRDLU. (Memorize this! Pronounce it “Edwin Shirdloo,” like a name, and pretend he’s a friend of yours.)
Three of today’s letters are from our mnemonic. One is fairly common, and one is uncommon.
A pointy part.
There are no repeated letters today.
There is one vowel.
Today’s word starts with P.
Today’s word ends with G.
Ready? Today’s word is PRONG.
I started with RAISE and TOUCH followed by BLOND. This gave me a handful of solutions, two of which were more likely: WRONG and PRONG. I guessed the former first, leaving the latter as the answer.
Wordle 1,130 5/6 🟨⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛🟨⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛🟩🟩⬛ ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Yesterday’s Wordle was easier. The hint was “a trainee in a corps” and the answer contained four common letters and one pretty common letter.
The answer to yesterday’s Wordle was CADET.
The idea of Wordle is to guess the day’s secret word. When you first open the Wordle game, you’ll see an empty grid of letters. It’s up to you to make the first move: type in any five-letter word.
Now, you can use the colors that are revealed to get clues about the word: Green means you correctly guessed a letter, and it’s in the correct position. (For example, if you guess PARTY, and the word is actually PURSE, the P and R will be green.)
Yellow means the letter is somewhere in the word, but not in the position you guessed it. (For example, if you guessed PARTY, but the word is actually ROAST, the R, A and T will all be yellow.)
Gray means the letter is not in the solution word at all. (If you guessed PARTY and everything is gray, then the solution cannot be PURSE or ROAST.)
With all that in mind, guess another word, and then another, trying to land on the correct word before you run out of chances. You get six guesses, and then it’s game over.
What should you play for that first guess? The best starters tend to contain common letters, to increase the chances of getting yellow and green squares to guide your guessing. (And if you get all grays when guessing common letters, that’s still excellent information to help you rule out possibilities.) There isn’t a single “best” starting word, but the New York Times’s Wordle analysis bot has suggested starting with one of these:
CRANE
TRACE
SLANT
CRATE
CARTE
Meanwhile, an MIT analysis found that you’ll eliminate the most possibilities in the first round by starting with one of these:
SALET
REAST
TRACE
CRATE
SLATE
Other good picks might be ARISE or ROUND. Words like ADIEU and AUDIO get more vowels in play, but you could argue that it’s better to start with an emphasis on consonants, using a starter like RENTS or CLAMP. Choose your strategy, and see how it plays out.
We have a few guides to Wordle strategy, which you might like to read over if you’re a serious student of the game. This one covers how to use consonants to your advantage, while this one focuses on a strategy that uses the most common letters. In this advanced guide, we detail a three-pronged approach for fishing for hints while maximizing your chances of winning quickly.
The biggest thing that separates Wordle winners from Wordle losers is that winners use their guesses to gather information about what letters are in the word. If you know that the word must end in -OUND, don’t waste four guesses on MOUND, ROUND, SOUND, and HOUND; combine those consonants and guess MARSH. If the H lights up in yellow, you know the solution.
One more note on strategy: the original Wordle used a list of about 2,300 solution words, but after the game was bought by the NYT, the game now has an editor who hand-picks the solutions. Sometimes they are slightly tricky words that wouldn’t have made the original list, and sometimes they are topical. For example, FEAST was the solution one Thanksgiving. So keep in mind that there may be a theme.
If you can’t get enough of five-letter guessing games and their kin, the best Wordle alternatives, ranked by difficulty, include:
Dordle and Quordle, which ask you to play two (Dordle) or four (Quordle) puzzles at the same time, with the same guesses. There is also Octordle, with eight puzzles, and Sedecordle, with 16.
Waffle, which shows you several five-letter words, scrambled in a grid; you play by swapping the letters around until you solve.
Absurdle, which changes the solution after each guess, but needs to stay consistent with its previous feedback. You have to strategically back it into a corner until there is only one possible word left; then you guess it, and win.
Squabble, in which you play Wordle against other people with a timer running. You take damage if you spend too much time between guesses; winner is the last one standing.
Antiwordle, in which you are trying not to guess the day’s solution. You’re required to reuse any letters that you (oops) guessed correctly, so the longer it takes you, the better you are at the game.
Amazon has been having some sweet pre-order deals on new phones, like on the Samsung Galaxy S24 and the Google Pixel 8a. This time around, Amazon has a pre-order deal on the release of the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, set to release on Wednesday, July 24. This pre-order deal includes a $120 discount on the price of the 512 GB model, which is the same price as the 256 GB model, essentially doubling your storage. It also includes a $200 Amazon gift card—but you have to order by by Tuesday, July 23 to qualify for both promotions.
These deals are pretty sweet if you’re looking for a new phone, but not good enough to drop your working phone for a replacement (unless you’re the type that always needs the latest phone). Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 & Z Flip 6 are the latest phones of the Galaxy Z series, both with some notable upgrades.
The Z Flip 6 is an upgrade of the Z Flip 5, with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy processor with 12GB of RAM, a 4,000 mAh battery (compared to 3,700 mAh in the Flip 5), an IP48 water- and dust-resistant rating (no submerging underwater), and an AMOLED main folding screen of 6.7 inches and the Flex Window of 3.4 inches.
The Z Flip 6’s camera has a 50 MP wide-angle lens (compared to 12MP before), but if you want the ultrawide lens you’ll be limited to 12MP. For selfies, you’ll have a 10MP camera. The Z Flip 6 got an “excellent” review from PCMag for its bright screen, IP rating, great cameras, high-precision build quality, and the seven-year support window.
August is another light month for original content on Disney+. Weekly episodes of new travel reality show Are You Sure?! (August) will drop each Thursday. The series stars BTS members Jimin and Jung Kook as they explore New York state, Korea’s Jeju Island, and Sapporo, Japan, ahead of their military service. Disney+ has other content featuring BTS, including the docuseries BTS Monuments: Beyond The Star and the concert film BTS: Permission to Dance On Stage – LA.
The streamer is also premiering season two of Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures (August 14), an animated series set in the Star Wars universe targeted at younger viewers. The second season of that series’ shorts also drops this month (August 2).
Here’s everything coming to Disney+ in August 2024.
Are You Sure?!—Disney+ Originals premiere, Thursdays starting August 8
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures (Shorts), Season 2—Disney+ Originals premiere
Grown-ish (S6, 18 episodes)
SuperKitties: Su-Purr Adventures (Shorts) (S1, 6 episodes)
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures (Season 2)—Disney+ Originals premiere
OceanXplorers (S1, 6 episodes)
Me & Winnie the Pooh (S2, 4 episodes)
Playdate with Winnie the Pooh (Shorts) (S2, 5 episodes)
Selenkay (S1, 8 episodes)
Cursed Gold: A Shipwreck Scandal (S1, 3 episodes)
Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends (S3, 5 episodes)
Som E a Silaba, O (S1, 8 episodes)
SuperKitties (S2, 4 episodes)
If you’ve ever found your grip giving out in the gym, this is for you. Maybe it was at the end of a pull day, where you’re doing rows and curls and pulldowns. Maybe it was during a deadlift workout, and your legs were able to lift more but your hands betrayed you. How do you finish your workout when your hands feel like the weak point? You have lots of options, actually. Let’s explore.
When your hands hold onto something, you’re using muscles that we will generally call your “grip” muscles. Most of the muscles that flex and extend your fingers and stabilize your wrist are located in your forearms. That’s why your forearms may feel sore after a workout where you do a lot of pulling movements, or where you’re using your hands a lot, as in rock climbing.
Pulling movements are more taxing on your grip because your fingers have to curl to hold onto the weight or object as you pull it toward yourself. These kinds of movements include rows, deadlifts, pullups, and lat pulldowns.
Pushing movements like bench press and overhead press aren’t as affected by grip issues because your fingers aren’t doing much in a press. You just push against the weight with your palm, while your fingers can more or less relax.
To deal with this issue, I recommend a two-pronged approach: strengthing your grip and finding some quick-fix solutions that will let even tired hands get a workout in just fine. We’ll start with the quick fixes and move on to the long-term plan.
First, a quick tip to take care of your skin: Make sure you are holding the bar (or dumbbell or handle) so that it is nestled against the bottom of your fingers. You don’t want to hold it at the top of your palm, because then a bit of the skin of your palm will get squeezed between the bar and your fingers.
By holding the bar at the base of your fingers, you’ll avoid some of the worst calluses and blisters that can form there. That will help to keep your hands pain-free as long as possible.
The thicker a bar or handle, the harder your grip has to work to hold onto it. Dumbbells often have a fairly thick handle, so if your grip fatigues toward the end of a dumbbell workout, consider replacing some of your moves with their barbell equivalents.
Dumbbells also need to be carried to and from the rack, which adds extra time that the weight is in your hands. Barbells, on the other hand, are usually loaded with plates while you’re in the rack, so you’re not walking around the gym with a loaded bar.
If you use machines, like cable machines, consider whether you might be able to swap out the attachment you use for one that’s easier to grip. For example, tricep pushdowns are often done with a rope, but your grip muscles will have a much easier time if you use a straight bar.
On deadlifts or similar exercises like RDLs (Romanian deadlifts), consider using mixed grip. This is when the palm of one hand faces toward you, and the palm of the other faces away. It helps because the bar wants to roll downward, unpeeling your fingers from the bar, but whenever it rolls this direction relative to one hand, it’s rolling up the other hand. Mixed grip, sometimes called alternate grip, is an easy way to add literally hundreds of pounds to the amount of weight you can hold onto.
Another grip that is very secure is hook grip, commonly used by Olympic-style weightlifters. To do this, you sandwich your thumb in between the bar and your fingers. (For best results, make sure your thumb is running almost parallel to the bar. Think of pointing your thumb tip toward your pinky finger.) Hook grip hurts at first, but once you get used to it, it’s very secure, and many lifters feel it’s worthwhile. Try using hook grip on your lighter lifts as you warm up, and over time, you’ll find it feels more and more comfortable at heavier weights.
If your gym has a chalk bucket, now is the time to learn to use it. Either dip your hands into the chalk dust at the bottom, or pick up one of the blocks of chalk and use it like a crayon to scribble all over your hands. Rub off the excess while your hands are still in the bucket, please. No need to leave a pile of chalk on the floor or clap it into a cloud in the air.
Chalk provides extra friction between your hands and the bar. If your hands are sweaty, the chalk particles mix with the sweat to form a gross but effective grip-enhancing layer. Wash your hands after using chalk, and ideally also moisturize, since it can dry out your skin.
If your gym doesn’t have a chalk bucket, get yourself some liquid chalk, ideally in one of those little keyring bottles. Even gyms that have “no chalk” signs tend to be fine with liquid chalk, because it doesn’t leave a mess on the floor. You squirt it on your hands and rub—just like hand sanitizer—and what starts as a clear-ish liquid dries into a layer of grippy white chalk. (Only rub it on your palms, obviously; no need for extra grip on the back of your hands.)
For barbell lifts, the ultimate assist for a weak grip is a set of straps. This is also the ultimate tool for grip training, since it lets you train your grip as hard as you want, without worrying about whether your sore grip muscles will get in the way of training deadlifts or other lifts.
There are several types of lifting straps, and I have an article detailing the differences here. If you just want a cheap, basic option, though, get these. Make sure to wrap them so they’re going the opposite direction from your fingers. If your fingers go over the bar, the straps should wrap underneath.
For pullups or other lifts where wrapping a strap would be inconvenient, grips may be better. Gymnastics grips like these are good for pullups and Crossfit workouts. For more casual gym use, Versa Gripps are easy to use on dumbbells and machines in addition to barbells.
I have several articles on grip training. Here’s one on the best grip training exercises, and here’s one that is specifically on training your “support” grip, the kind that gets used for deadlifts and pullups.
Some gym bros will tell you that forgoing straps is all you need to train your grip, but that makes no sense. People who specialize in grip strength (it’s a whole sport on its own) train their grip as a specific training goal, and they use straps as needed so that a fatigued grip doesn’t get in the way of training the rest of their body.
Dead hangs are one easy way to get started: hang off a pullup bar and see if you can make it to 30 or even 60 seconds. (When that gets easy, either hang some weights off your waist with a dip belt, or move on to a harder exercise.)
Deadlift bar holds are great, too: At the end of a set of deadlifts, take some weight off the bar and just pick the bar up and hold it for a while. Again, when you can do a few sets of 30-60 seconds, it’s time to add weight.
Wrist curls and finger curls are great, too, and can easily be done in a superset at the end of your workouts. Working with fat grips or a towel wrapped around a dumbbell or barbell can also challenge your grip muscles, but I’d use that in addition to the exercises above, not instead. Grip trainers may look like a fun way to work on grip outside the gym, but they tend not to be as effective as the exercises above. Basic holds and wrist and finger curls will get you a stronger grip, faster.
Want to quickly power through a lecture or educational video, but don’t want to distort the speech of the speaker? The browser extension Jump Cutter can do exactly this by speeding up only the silent pauses during a talk or lecture.
This free and open-source tool scans the audio of the video you’re watching and speeds up playback when there’s no audio. This is particularly useful if you’re listening to a lecture by…someone who…pauses…unnecessarily…before getting back to their point. To get started, simply download the extension for Chrome, Firefox, or Edge, then load any video in your browser. You can also load videos saved to your computer using the extension—just click the extension icon, then click open a local file and you can drag the video over.
Whatever video you’re playing, you can click the extension’s icon to see it in action. The bar will show you the volume of the video over time. Anything marked in red indicates a pause. You can decide to speed the video up during those pauses up to eight times the original playback speed. The result: you can get through a talk a lot faster.
You can customize a few things, including the volume point that’s considered quiet, how much the video should speed up during pauses, and whether to leave a margin before and after pauses. You can also speed up speech overall, if you want, though of course that will more severely distort the speech of the presenter.
I, personally, think such tools should only be used when you’re severely crunched for time, or when a speaker’s excess of pauses is consistently driving you nuts. It’s also worth noting that pauses aren’t necessarily dead space—they’re essential for things like comedic timing, for example. So I wouldn’t leave this on if you’re watching a stand-up comedy routine, or even just a professor who is known for getting a few good jokes in.
With all of those caveats aside, though, this is a simple tool that does the job its advertised for. It’s no wonder this tool is popular with college students, sure, but I could imagine using it for catching up on work meetings too.
More than two decades post-9/11, limiting yourself to containers of liquids, pastes, or gels 3.4 ounces or smaller in your hand luggage is as routine a part of air travel as bringing an acceptable ID and avoiding overpriced airport food.
The good news is that the restrictions on liquids probably won’t last forever—in fact, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) “anticipate[s] the limit on liquids will be lifted in the coming years,” a spokesperson from the agency recently told Condé Nast Traveler. But for now, the rule is still in effect, even as newer scanners mean you might not have to take your laptop out of its case.
Even if you’re well-versed in the 3-1-1 rule as it exists now, you may not know that there are a few exceptions to the TSA regulation. Here are 21 examples of full-sized liquids that you can bring through airport security.
There are a number of full-sized liquid medical items that you’re permitted to bring through airport security in “reasonable quantities,” provided you let TSA officers at the checkpoint know about them. They include:
Prescription liquids (including insulin)
Prescription gels
Prescription aerosols
Liquids associated with the nebulizers
Cooling accessories like ice packs, freezer packs, gel packs
Contact lenses
Contact lens solution
You’re allowed to bring containers larger than 3.4 ounces of the following baby and toddler items:
Formula
Breast milk
Toddler drinks
Water for babies
Baby/toddler food (including puree pouches)
Breast milk and formula cooling accessories, like ice packs, freezer packs and gel packs (regardless of whether you’re also carrying breast milk)
Liquid-filled teethers
Moreover, these items don’t have to fit inside a quart-sized bag.
And finally, some random items containing more than 3.4 ounces of liquid that are permitted in your hand luggage:
Fresh eggs
Liquids purchased at the duty-free shop (e.g. liquors, perfumes), provided they’re properly sealed inside a security tamper-evident bag (STEB)
Non-infectious specimens in preservative solution for scientific research, including formaldehyde, ethanol, isopropanol, or other alcohols
Completely frozen gel ice packs for non-medical or baby purposes
Live fish in water
Live coral in water
Live lobster in water—provided it’s OK with the specific airline, and is packed in a spill-proof container
It’s important to note that “the final decision rests with the TSA officer on whether an item is allowed through the checkpoint,” according to the agency’s guidelines. So, if you’re traveling with any of these liquid items, it’s a good idea to keep your carry-on bag at least somewhat organized to make the process go as smoothly as possible.
Ever since Prime Day, sales on headphones have continued to impress. The AirPods Max had already dropped to their then-lowest price of $394.99, but right now, the pink AirPods Max are even cheaper at $382.70 (originally $549).
AirPods Max are undeniably a luxury item; at their regular price, they cost over half a grand. Most people can’t reasonably afford that amount of money for just headphones, but they are very good headphones. As an Apple user, they’re just about the best you can get, even though they have been out for a few years now. They came out in 2020, back when there wasn’t a lot of competition for headphones that could do active noise canceling (ANC) and ambient awareness while still providing luxe audio. Today, there’s a lot more competition in all of those categories, especially at this price point. However, buying AirPods Max is a statement. Even though they don’t have the Apple logo, you’re paying a premium price for the recognition. If that’s what you’re after, these headphones are it.
The features aren’t all that impressive, but that’s expected for headphones that are four years old. The few features they have, however, are very well done (on-brand for Apple’s minimalist vibe). They have great ANC (they don’t give off that weird pressure sensation when you turn them on), have ambient awareness to hear your surroundings, and have adaptive EQ and spatial audio, which adjusts the audio automatically to you and your environment, and hands-free Siri. PCMag gave them an “excellent” review.
Keep in mind that AirPods Max are heavier than regular headphones, at 13.6 ounces. This comes from the choice to use metal for the material. You also can’t manually adjust the EQ, so if you don’t like the sound signature, you’re out of luck. Finally, the smart case it comes with is not the most attractive and doesn’t protect the mesh strap that rests on your head (a delicate part of the headphones). You also need the case to put your headphones in “sleep” mode so your 20 hours of battery aren’t drained.
WASHINGTON, July 22, 2024 – Parents and caregivers will soon begin the familiar routine of preparing and packing school lunches for their children. Parents and caregivers play a crucial role in safeguarding their children’s health by ensuring these lunches are safe from foodborne illness and allergens for those with food allergies. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service encourages you to follow these food safety tips and be allergen aware for a wholesome, worry-free return to the classroom.
CDC has clarified and simplified the process for bringing dogs into the United States from rabies-free and low risk dog rabies countries. CDC aims to protect the health of U.S. communities and animals and prevent the re-introduction of dog rabies to the United States.
