That’s Odd

paign at least $10 million in the past but is now suffering from significant financial problems due to losses from the coronavirus. Last week, Adelson’s Las Vegas USA disclosed that it had lost over $1 billion since January as the coronavirus shuttered casinos all around the world.

China Sanctions U.S. Lawmakers

China slapped sanctions on 11 U.S. lawmakers, the latest twist in an escalating tit-for-tat fight between the two countries.

Those sanctioned included U.S. Senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley and Pat Toomey along with Representative Chris Smith and four individuals working for anti-China NGO’s. The move comes after the US blacklisted 11 officials in Hong Kong for their role in enabling China to effectively take over the territory.

“In response to that wrong U.S. behavior, China has decided to impose sanctions on individuals who have behaved egregiously on Hong Kong-related issues,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian.

Beijing’s sanctions expropriate any assets owned by the aforementioned lawmakers and ban them from doing business and from conducting business in China. Since none of the U.S. officials own any property in China and Hong Kong, the sanctions are largely seen as symbolic.

Cruz, Rubio, and Smith were already been sanctioned by Beijing in July for their role in highlighting China’s campaign against the Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.

Last Friday, the U.S. Treasury unveiled new sanctions against Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and the territory’s current and former police commissioners. The move came in response to the arrest of a senior Hong Kong media figure who opposed China’s tightening control over the city.

Touring Antarctica

Want to visit an exotic locale on your next trip? Luckily for you, Qantas is about to restart one of its most interesting flights: a 12-hour journey where passengers are whisked from Australia and then back again, spending about four hours flying over Antarctica.

During the trip, voyagers will be able to view the least-visited continent during the south pole’s summer

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Interestingly, because the pandemic has grounded international flights in Australia, the Qantas flights are considered domestic flights since they start and end in the same place. The Boeing 787 is the plane that will be making the journey and it’s known for its large windows, enabling passengers to catch rare views.

Looking to book your next midwinter adventure? Tickets start at $1,199 AUD (about $860 USD) for economy seats and $6,499 AUD ($4,650 USD) for business class.

But you can’t put a price on the experience.

Cat-tirement

It was the purr-fect job for him.

This week, though, it was announced that Palmerston will be retiring from his post as “Chief Mouser” at the UK’s Foreign Officer’s headquarters in London. The famous feline is going to “spend more time relaxing away from the limelight.”

Palmerston definitely deserves time off. He arrived at the office as a rescue in 2016 and quickly became famous for catching mice and appearing in photos with visiting diplomats.

He also made headlines for clashes with Larry, the cat charged with catching mice for the prime minister at 10 Downing Street.

“Although I am ending my formal role here,” the letter announcing Palmerston’s retirement said. “I will always be an ambassador for the U.K. and the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.”

“We’ll all miss him paw-fully, but wish him a purr-fect retirement,” the Foreign Office tweeted in response.

And they’re not kidd-en.

Swimming with the Fishes

James Savage almost puts Michael Phelps to shame. The 13-year-old swimmer is the youngest person to swim across California’s Lake Tahoe. He completed the 12-mile swim to the Godfather mansion in six hours and 59 minutes.

Savage, who started swimming competitively at the age of 5, said the “Godfather” swim was the second part of his plan to complete what’s known as the “Tahoe Triple Crown.”

He made the first swim in the series, the 10.5-mile Vikingsholm Swim from Cave Rock to Emerald Bay, in 2019. His sights are now set on the 21.3- mile length swim. Savage would be the youngest person to complete the Tahoe Triple Crown, a title currently held by a 15-year-old swimmer.

Savage’s Facebook page aptly notes that he “dehydrates if left out of water too long.”

He has been swimming since he was five-years-old. Back then, his older brother was on the recreation club swim team in Los Banos, California. Savage’s mom asked the five-year-old if he’d like to join too. His answer was no.

But his mother persisted, and Savage agreed – only saying that he wouldn’t swim the backstroke or butterfly. Fa mous last words: Savage ended up trying both those strokes and eventually broke the country record for both of them.

Four months later, he joined the Junior Olympics.

When he was eight, Savage decided to head for choppier waters. He set his mind on swimming from Alcatraz to San Francisco.

“When he said he wanted to do open-water, I freaked out, I’ll be honest,” Jillian Savage, his mom, said. “When your 8-year-old says, ‘I want to swim from Alcatraz,’ how many people say, ‘Yes’?”

“I like open water more because you get to explore more places,” James Savage said. “You can explore other pools but all pools are pretty much the same – it’s a blue line you’re looking at at the bottom – but open water you get to explore places like Tahoe and other different kinds of clear waters and oceans.”