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Skimm for August 18th

Skimm’d over sweet potato fries.

QUOTE OF THE DAY “Would you be able to put a wee blind girl [on] top?” — Autocorrect fail. A mom texted this to the baker who made her daughter’s birthday cake. She meant “blonde girl.” And ended up with this. Skimm This

THINGS PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT

BANGKOK THE STORY Yesterday, a bomb exploded at a busy tourist site in Thailand’s capital. At least 20 people were killed. WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW? The pipe bomb went off during evening rush hour in front of a popular Hindu shrine. No one has claimed responsibility, but police are now looking for a suspect seen in a surveillance video. It shows a man carrying a backpack near the shrine at the time of the explosion. It’s been a rough year for Thailand: last year, after months of unrest, the prime minister was kicked out in a military coup . She was popular with the rural poor majority, but not so much with the upper class. Things have mostly calmed down since then. Until yesterday. Officials say the attack was “intended to destroy the economy.” theSKIMM This is the worst bombing in Thailand in years. And many are worried it could make tourists pause before booking their trips. Not good, since tourism is a critical part of the otherwise shaky Thai economy.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL THE STORY Last year, Northwestern University’s football team got the go-ahead to unionize. Yesterday they were told ‘nope, never mind.’ EXPLAIN. Schools like Northwestern make big $$$ on their sports teams (think: broadcast deals and ticket sales). But athletes don’t see a lot of that upside. Last year, Northwestern’s football team said it wanted to form a union to bargain for things like medical care and other benefits. A director at the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) gave them the A-OK, saying that athletes with scholarships should be considered “employees” under US law. BUT...? Yesterday, the NLRB decided that allowing Northwestern’s team to form a union would open a sort of Pandora’s box in college sports. Meaning, some schools might be at a competitive disadvantage if they don’t offer the same benefits as a unionized school. So now, Northwestern’s football team is back where it started: the athletic department’s friend without benefits. theSKIMM Yesterday’s decision shuts the door on one team’s fight for student athletes to have a seat at the table. Northwestern football players aren’t the only ones who want benefits…so this won’t be the last time you hear about this.  Skimm This

REPEAT AFTER ME...

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT COFFEE SPILL ALSO GOT ON YOUR NEW SHOES... This is worse than I thought. Welcome to the IRS. Earlier this year, it came out that hackers accessed the tax info of more than 100,000 Americans. Then yesterday, the IRS said great news: it was actually more than 300,000 Americans , and the hack started earlier than everyone thought. The hackers – who were allegedly in Russia — got into a system that houses tax returns. Nyet good. In order to get into the system, the hackers needed to know a few little things, like a taxpayer’s Social Security number, address, and birthday. Really nyet good. The goal? To cash in on these people’s tax returns, according to the IRS. Cue Uncle Sam taking a shot of vodka. To the face. Skimm This

WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR FRIEND WHO WENT TO BOARDING SCHOOL... Did you hear about St. Paul’s? The New Hampshire prep school with a distinguished alumni list (think: John Kerry) is involved in a not-so-distinguished scandal. Yesterday, a 19-year-old former student went to trial  for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl while he was a senior. He pleaded not guilty. But in a previous interview with police, he mentioned a competition at the school called the “senior salute” – which sounds like a plot line out of  a very bad version of “American Pie.” It’s a contest to see how many younger girls senior guys can hook up with. Except in this case, the girl says it wasn’t consensual. Now, the former student is standing trial and there’s expected to be a big ol’ spotlight on the ‘sexual culture’ at the boarding school. You’re going to keep hearing about this one.

WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR CO-WORKER WHO’S ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A DEAL... Retailers love a sale too. Yesterday, Liberty Interactive – the company that owns home shopping network QVC – said it’s buying e-commerce site Zulily for $2.4 billion. Zulily is a shopping site that’s basically like Gilt for new moms...meaning it’s all about that flash sale. Its growth has slowed recently, but it still has a younger customer base – women from 25-45 – that QVC wants access to. Badly. Done and done. Skimm This

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU NEED TIME TO THINK OF A COMEBACK... Jeff Bezos knows the feeling.

THING TO KNOW Beefsteak vs. Roma Tomatoes: Because being tomato-literate is a summer necessity. Beefsteak are the large, watery ones that come on your BLT. Roma are the small, dense ones in your spaghetti sauce.  Skimm This

SKIMM GIFT Nice guys do come out on top. When we’re talking Nice, France. We want to send you there for five nights. Travel and $500 for restaurants included. Say ‘bonjour.’

SKIMM SHARE Sharing theSkimm gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Share here.

SKIMM BIRTHDAYS * indicates Skimm’bassador. Cake cake cake.  theSkimm’s Kate Preziosi (New York, NY); Leigh Carpenter (Greenwich, CT); Carla Solomon (New York, NY); *Amanda Crowe (Virginia Beach, VA); *Elise Steinharter (Baltimore, MD); *Stephanie Souders (Philadelphia, PA); *Kaitlyn Fitzgerald (Charlotte, NC); *Caroline Canavan (Chicago, IL); *Courtney Conn (Littleton, CO); *Meredith Hunter (Charlotte, NC); *Sara Dacus (Searcy, AR); *Gabby Shacknai (Edinburgh, Scotland); *Savannah Ledgerwood  (Seattle, WA); *Nechama Muchnik (New York, NY); *Peggy Jackson (St. Paul, MN); *Rachel Axler (Los Angeles, CA); *Samantha Carney (Sanford, NC); *Steffie Tomson (Los Angeles, CA); Lauren Walters (Greenville, SC); Kathleen Varallo (Nashville, TN); Riley Parker (Huntsville, AL); Tonja Arkell (Louisville, KY); Nicole Fratkin (Richmond, VA); Abby Hughes (Chicago, IL); Chloe Washington(Atlanta, GA); Izzy Cotenoff (Maplewood, NJ); Meredith Hunter (Charlotte, NC); Sharon Mozzoni  (Pittsburgh, PA); Stacey Johnson(Indianapolis, IN); Stella Key (Pensacola, FL); Susie Katz (Dayton, OH); Amerissa Eckloff (Readington, NJ); Richard Klein (Greenwich, CT); Sue Colaianni (Commerce Township, MI); Sonja Dunaway (Ridgeland, MS); Missy Murphy (Venice, FL); Meghan Zadrowski(Woodbury, CT); Allison Tatios (Philadelphia, PA); Ann Pike (Rye, NY); Rachel Meyer (Cambridge, MA); Julia Pierce (New London, NH)

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