A Ballerina's Final Bow
A history-making ballerina takes her final bow ~ plus, the cutest squish you ever did see squash. A catch-up of the week’s top stories and some SmartHER conversation starters in this edition of the Weekend Digest.
“She redefined who belongs, who gets to be seen, and who gets to lead.”
- Media mogul Oprah Winfrey reflecting on the legacy of professional ballet dancer Misty Copeland. 🩰 In 2015, Copeland became the first Black female principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. She performed her retirement show Wednesday night at the Lincoln Center in New York City. Learn more about Copeland in this CBS special, which originally aired in 2014. ⬇️
🗣️ Your Conversation Starters:
🌎 A Rare Site in Athens: For the first time in 20 years, scaffolding no longer surrounds the Parthenon in Greece. Crews plan to reinstall it in November but expect to finish all restoration work by early summer 2026. Hey Siri, book a flight to Athens.
🚜 “A Pile of Rubble”: Speaking of construction, crews tore down the historic East Wing of the White House this week. According to The New York Times, some expressed outrage over the demolition, while others welcomed the change. What do you think? This piece from Architectural Digest on the history of the People's House over the years makes for a SmartHER read.
🔬 TIME Best Inventions Hall of Fame: See what made the cut over the past 25 years. Our personal fav? The cronut – a “croissant-style pastry that’s fried like a doughnut, filled with cream and topped with glaze.”
🎥 Calling All Cinephiles: Love movies and have money to burn? Sotheby’s Film Memorabilia auction on October 28 includes the Superman costume worn by Christopher Reeve and the Iron Man helmet worn by Robert Downey, Jr in Captain America: Civil War.
💸 AI Lottery Winner: A Michigan woman won $100,000 after asking ChatGPT which numbers to play. Maybe that could be a new feature for OpenAI’s Atlas browser?
💻 Tech Prepper: After millions experienced outages this week due to Amazon Web Services, this guide breaks down how to minimize the impact of future outages.
🥳 “Party Like It’s 1924”: This five-year-old boy wanted a birthday party centered around his favorite person: former President Jimmy Carter. (P.S. Wonder what peanut farmer Pres. Jimmy Carter would’ve thought of the reduction in peanut allergies.)
🎃 Skeletons for St. Jude: What started with one North Carolina man in 2020 has evolved into a nationwide Halloween decorating contest involving over 600 houses – all to support children’s cancer research. “It shows me that there’s a lot of good in this country.”
👑 “A Universe Unto Itself”: The Louvre found itself in the spotlight after a daylight heist. Here’s a fascinating deep dive into the museum’s history – and its long history of thefts. The latest on the heist, including new footage of the thieves’ escape ... 👇🏽
🎙️ This Week From Jenna:
For the first time ever, the National Archives displayed the entire U.S. Constitution – the historic four foundational pages, the rarely seen “fifth page” with its own fascinating backstory, and ALL 27 amendments. Now, the exhibit remains behind closed doors, along with the rest of the museum, as the government shutdown enters historic territory in Washington, D.C. SmartHER News went behind the scenes before the government shutdown to take a closer look with historian Jessie Kratz, who explained how this rare exhibit came together — and why it matters.
WATCH ABOVE OR BY CLICKING HERE. You can also listen on podcasting platforms everywhere (Apple, Spotify).
SCOOP (approx. 67 minutes) What Do Comets & Cats Have In Common? Listen or Watch. (SCOOP Insiders can attend this live broadcast once a week and get their news questions answered; they also receive the special video report EXCLUSIVELY delivered to their inbox along with a "cheat sheet" for the week ahead — learn more HERE).
🙌🏽 What We Found SmartHER This Week:
I spent the week reading (and listening to) one of the most remarkable books I’ve picked up in a long time — Born Lucky by my friend and former colleague, Leland Vittert.
Leland’s book – now a New York Times bestseller – shares how he overcame many challenges early in life, including an autism diagnosis. He built a career as a national news anchor, and even though I sat beside him on live television many times, I never knew his story until now.
Now, I’m thrilled to share that SmartHER News Insiders can join me Wednesday October 29 for a live interview with Leland, where you’ll have the chance to ask him your own questions.
As the wife of an author, I understand how much it means to support someone’s book early – and this one will stay with you. As Leland describes, Born Lucky reads like a parenting book told from a child’s perspective, and I couldn't agree more.
Grab your copy HERE and become an Insider to join us live Wednesday for coffee and conversation with Leland. ☕️🩷 ~ Jenna
“Squishing of the Squash”
The Oregon Zoo recently held its 27th annual Squishing of the Squash — a fall event where the zoo’s Asian elephants smash massive pumpkins donated by local farmers.
The pumpkins can each weigh up to 1,000 pounds – just right for the zoo’s 10,000+ pound adult elephants, but far too much for 8-month-old Tula-Tu. So, zoo staff handed her a smaller pumpkin to kick around instead.
Why the squash-squishing? A highly endangered species, under 50,000 Asian elephants are known to exist in the wild today. The Oregon Zoo says pumpkins offer both a nutritious treat and a stimulating challenge that boosts their well-being.
Credit: Oregon Zoo
And that's The Weekend Digest!
❤️,
Jenna and the SHN Team
Daily news, interviews, our latest podcasts and more at www.SmartHERNews.com.
