The Two-Person Times — Tuesday, August 25

Food (5)

You’re Invited to Eater Off Menu 2026

Eater's biggest LA food event returns with trending bites, celebrity chefs, and surprises at an iconic century-old venue.

Event happens Saturday, September 19 at 6 p.m. at Tam O'Shanter restaurant
Tickets start at $125; all proceeds benefit World Central Kitchen
Cathay Pacific presents Asian cuisine including yakitori from Sumibiyakitori Kidori and Peking duck from Ji Rong

Eater Aug 25

Cocktails and drink culture

31 Labor Day Recipes for Summer's Last Hurrah

31 Labor Day recipes to maximize summer's final weekend with grilled classics and peak-season produce.

Dishes include smash burgers, barbecue ribs, grilled salmon, and tofu burgers for all preferences.
Sides feature potato salad, pasta salad, baked beans, and slaw alongside fresh seasonal vegetables.
Desserts range from fruity galettes and ice cream pies to lemonade for the cookout.

Bonappetit Aug 24

Cooking techniques and recipesRecipes

Avoid Putting This Type Of Cookware On Electric Stovetops At All Costs

That vintage pottery pot you thrifted? Keep it far away from your electric stovetop or risk complete disaster.

Bobby Hicks, author of 'Retro Recipes: Vintage Dishes with a Twist,' advises against using clay cookware on stovetops.
Earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain fall into three incompatible categories for electric stovetops.
Thermal shock occurs when direct heat causes sudden temperature shifts, damaging clay-based cookware.

Tasting Table Aug 25

Cooking TechniquesCooking techniques and recipes

Trader Joe's New Frozen Pasta Might Just Be Your Weeknight Savior (If Only It Was Bigger)

Trader Joe's new frozen lasagna tastes homemade and costs just $7.49, but shoppers say the 'family style' label is misleading.

The Family Style Chicken Florentine Lasagna weighs only 2 pounds despite its family-sized name.
Product contains white meat chicken, spinach, onions, and parmesan and romano cheese sauce.
One Reddit user ate half for dinner and saved the other half for next-day lunch.

The Takeout Aug 24

Cooking TechniquesCooking techniques and recipes

If You Have Potatoes And Ground Beef, Make A Skewer Dinner On The Grill In A Flash

Transform beef and potatoes into viral-worthy grilled skewers by layering seasoned ground beef with thin potato slices.

Slice potatoes no thicker than ¼-inch to ensure they cook completely through.
Use about one pound of 15% fat ground beef mixed with fresh and wet ingredients like mustard or Worcestershire sauce.
Grill at low heat around 300°F with lid closed, then baste with butter mixture and rest ten minutes before serving.

Tasting Table Aug 25

Meal Prep

Good News (5)

Queen conch snails are in danger.

Scientists deploy solar-powered mobile hatcheries across the Caribbean to save endangered queen conch from extinction.

Queen Conch Lab, affiliated with Florida Atlantic University, operates eight mobile hatcheries including one in Eleuthera, Bahamas.
Only one in 4,000 to 10,000 juvenile conch typically survives to adulthood due to predation and fishing.
Eleuthera hatchery plans to release up to 2,000 juvenile conch per year after first successful hatch in June.

Good Good Good Aug 24

Scientific and medical breakthroughsWildlife and conservation wins

Could Shellfish Farming Fix Florida’s Algal Bloom Problem?

Florida is exploring shellfish farming as a natural solution to combat toxic algal blooms plaguing its coastlines.

A single adult oyster filters over 50 gallons of water daily, removing excess nitrogen and algae.
In 2018, red tide impacted nearly 1,000 miles of Florida's coastline, costing $2.7 billion in lost tourism.
86 percent of Florida's watersheds contain areas imperiled by nitrogen pollution from agricultural and residential runoff.

Reasons to be Cheerful Aug 25

Innovation for good

A Michelin-starred restaurant started a 'pay what you can' day.

A Michelin-starred Mexico City restaurant launched a global 'pay what you can' dining day, now expanding to 100 restaurants across 14 countries.

Founded by Norma Listman and Saqib Keval during COVID-19 pandemic to support struggling community and staff.
August 26, 2026 event includes 100 restaurants from 14 countries joining the initiative.
Last year, 20 Mexico City restaurants participated; organizers believe hospitality shouldn't be segregated by class and race.

Good Good Good Aug 25

Community and grassroots efforts

The world hit 3 terawatts of solar power faster than anyone predicted

Solar power reached 3 terawatts faster than expected, with each terawatt arriving quicker than the last.

First terawatt took 68 years; second arrived in 2 years; third in 19 months.
In 2025, world installed 664 gigawatts of new solar capacity, 12 percent more than 2024.
Wind and solar combined generated 22 percent of global electricity in April 2026, surpassing natural gas.

Optimist Daily Aug 24

Back-to-school shopping without the meltdown: How to keep trends and budgets in check

Parents can navigate back-to-school shopping battles by understanding kids see clothes as identity, not just function.

Psychologist Caitlin Slavens: "Back-to-school shopping isn't just about function—it's about identity."
Ages 11-17: fitting in is social survival; clothing acts as social currency for peer groups.
Let kids earn the difference if they want something over budget instead of flat rejection.

Optimist Daily Aug 24

Super Local (6)

Bedford Beats and Eats Fest Lineup Update

Bret Michaels cancels Bedford Beats and Eats Fest performance due to surgery recovery; organizers seek replacement acts.

Bret Michaels medically advised to cancel all remaining 2026 performances following recent surgery.
Festival still happening Saturday, September 5 with Parmalee, Le Freak, and other acts confirmed.
City staff actively exploring additional performers to fill the lineup gap.

City of Bedford Aug 24

Live music and concertsLocal events and festivals

Live Music at The Bull - Shannon Morales & The Max

Shannon Morales & The Max bring live music to The Bull in Grapevine this weekend.

Event held at The Bull venue in Grapevine, Texas.
Features performer Shannon Morales & The Max band.
Part of Grapevine's entertainment and festival event lineup.

Grapevine Texas USA

Live music and concertsLocal events and festivals

Oncor Vegetation Management Scheduled in Bedford

Oncor begins vegetation management in Bedford starting September 1 to trim trees around power lines.

Work focuses on Pipeline Road and Forest Ridge Drive neighborhoods in southern Bedford.
Contractor United Clearing Services will distribute door hangers a few days before work starts.
Residents can call Oncor at 888-313-6862 with questions; debris removal may happen separately from trimming.

City of Bedford Aug 25

Community programs

Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau

Grapevine, Texas offers Texas-sized fun with small-town charm near DFW Airport.

Located in the heart of the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex region.
Serves as host city to DFW Airport for convenient travel access.
Features attractions, festivals, and events with a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere.

Grapevine Texas USA

Local events and festivals

The Christmas Capital of Texas

Grapevine, Texas transforms into a magical holiday destination with over two million visitors and 1,400+ festive events.

Official Christmas Capital of Texas® designated by Texas State Senate in 2009
Voted Best Christmas Town by Newsweek and named American Bus Association's Best of the Best for 2025
Features 40 days of celebrations including Carol of Lights, Parade of Lights, and North Pole Express® train rides

Grapevine Texas USA

Local events and festivals

Check Into First Class Hotels⁠

Grapevine offers diverse first-class hotel options for every type of traveler and group size.

The city features 20 hotels ranging from world-class resorts to family destinations.
Gaylord Texan is highlighted as a world-class resort option.
Great Wolf Lodge caters specifically to families visiting the area.

Grapevine Texas USA

Local (1)

Pork chops sizzle in 7 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Dallas food scene heats up with pork chop deals, pizza discounts, and brewery celebrations this week.

Pie Tap celebrates 10 years with $10 pizzas at all seven DFW locations through August.
Perry's Steakhouse offers a four-course pork chop dinner for $44 on National Pork Chop Day Thursday.
Lakewood Brewing's 14th anniversary bash runs Saturday noon-7pm with free admission and special Lion's Share XIV barley wine.

CultureMap Dallas Aug 24

Events

Business (1)

Are older Americans spoiling the economy for everyone else?

Seniors are sitting on massive wealth while younger generations struggle—but there's a plan to unlock it.

Older Americans hold $12 trillion in home equity that remains largely untapped.
Wealth concentration among seniors is creating economic imbalance across generations.
Unlocking senior spending could reshape economic growth and opportunity distribution.

MarketWatch Aug 25

Economy

Tech (5)

The Man Behind the Anti-Flock Darth Vader Mask Wants to Know: 'When Will This End?'

San Diego activist ditches suits for Darth Vader costume to protest surveillance technology at city council meetings.

Anthony Ralphs attended his first council meeting in December 2025 with hundreds opposing Flock.
His viral August 19 Darth Vader speech was covered globally and translated to Spanish and Arabic.
Ralphs is an event producer who founded Eden Art Garden and co-founded DeFlock San Diego.

404 Media Aug 24

Charges Dropped Against Person Who Clapped at a City Data Center Meeting

Kansas teacher arrested for clapping at data center meeting has charges dropped by city.

Lux Claridge, a high school teacher, was arrested on July 22 during the meeting.
City charged Claridge with disorderly conduct and interfering with law enforcement.
November vote will decide whether to ban hyperscale data centers on 1,000 acres of prairie.

404 Media Aug 24

New bootloader lets you take the "Meta" out of the original Meta Quest

Hackers unlock full control of original Meta Quest headsets, freeing them from Meta's servers forever.

QuestStack exploit uses Android fastboot vulnerabilities to achieve root access via web interface.
John Carmack admitted in 2019 that 72 Hz refresh rate was artificially limited for performance.
Meta officially stopped supporting Quest 1 in 2023 to focus on Quest 2 and 3 models.

Ars Technica Aug 25

AI won’t replace radiologists, but it will dramatically change their jobs

AI won't replace radiologists, but Geoffrey Hinton's 2016 prediction missed how the job itself will transform.

Radiology ranks expected to grow 26 percent over next three decades, not shrink.
Three-quarters of 1,400 FDA-cleared AI medical devices as of early 2026 are for radiology.
Diagnostic imaging errors affect approximately 40 million patients worldwide annually, ranging 3-5 percent.

Ars Technica Aug 25

Apple refreshes Mac mini and Mac Studio with new M6 and M5 Ultra chips

Apple upgrades Mac mini with M6 chip and Mac Studio with M5 Ultra, but prices jump significantly higher.

Mac mini M6 starts at $899, up $100; M5 Ultra Mac Studio begins at $5,499.
M6 features 12-core chip with 32 Neural Engine cores—double the AI processing power of M5.
M5 Ultra is Apple's first quad-die chip with up to 36 CPU cores and 80 GPU cores.

https://techmeme.com

Lifestyle (2)

Five Hacks Every Suunto Race 2 User Should Know

Unlock hidden features in your Suunto Race 2 with these five game-changing tips and tricks.

Download offline maps state-by-state via wifi before heading to the trailhead.
Use the Anaerobic Threshold app to run 30 minutes hard and calibrate heart rate zones.
Select up to three SuuntoPlus sports apps simultaneously during any activity.

Lifehacker Aug 24

Productivity and life hacks

These Skullcandy Over-Ear Headphones Are $90 Off Right Now

Skullcandy Crusher 540 over-ear headphones drop to $119.99—nearly half off with stellar battery life.

Original price $209.99; now $119.99 with $90 discount
10-minute rapid charge delivers up to four hours of listening
Water-resistant ear cushions designed to withstand sweat from workouts

Lifehacker Aug 24

Productivity and life hacks

World (1)

How Israel’s Netanyahu weaponises religion in his war rhetoric

Netanyahu invokes ancient Jewish texts to justify preemptive warfare and bypass international law in his conflict rhetoric.

Netanyahu cited the Talmudic phrase 'If someone comes to kill you, rise and kill him first' at a June conference.
Over 73,400 Palestinians killed in Gaza since October 2023; ICJ heard genocide allegations tied to Netanyahu's 'Amalek' reference.
Israel allocated $271 billion budget with unprecedented funds to entrench West Bank occupation where 700,000 settlers live.

Al Jazeera Aug 25

Geopolitics and international relations

Politics (1)

A MAGA plot to keep power in Congress if they lose the election?

A controversial strategy could allow one party to retain Congressional power despite losing the election.

Federal agents stationed at polling places could intimidate voters from casting ballots.
Mail-in ballot disparagement aims to discourage alternative voting methods.
The tactic exploits a potential House election loophole in the current system.

The Hill Aug 25

Congress and legislation

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