Lost Portraits and Loud Playlists
Happy first Saturday in September! We rounded up the week’s top stories for you, PLUS a few fascinating finds – like ornery orcas off Spain’s coast and why biologists blast AC/DC’s Thunderstruck at wolves.
Something special for your Saturday 👇🏼
First up: This week marked the 80th anniversary of the official end of World War II, but a mystery continued – a missing masterpiece the Nazis stole that resurfaced and disappeared again ... 👇🏽
After the Nazis invaded the Netherlands during World War II, they stole more than 1,000 pieces from the collection of Dutch-Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker - including a 17th-century painting.
The whereabouts of Portrait of a Lady remained a mystery for 85 years - until Goudstikker’s heirs and a team of investigative journalists spotted it in a real estate listing for a home in Argentina, owned by the daughter of a Nazi officer who fled there after the war.
After a week-long search through Argentina, officials finally recovered Portrait of a Lady.
🗣️ Your Conversation Starters:
🚢 Deadly Strike: President Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. military targeted a boat in the southern Caribbean operated by the Tren de Aragua gang. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro condemned the strike as “unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal.” Pres. Trump called it a “notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States.” Here's some background on Tren de Aragua, as we ask the question: could this spiral into a larger conflict?
🚀 Rocket City: In other U.S. military news, President Trump announced the relocation of Space Command HQ from Colorado to Alabama – a site expected to play a key role in his “Golden Dome” missile defense system. Colorado lawmakers plan to fight the move.
🇨🇳 Show of Force: China holds a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Japan and the end of WWII, with the leaders of Russia and North Korea in attendance. But the highly staged parade comes as China faces a stagnating economy and military upheaval.
💉 “Two Vaccine Realities”: While one state pushes for fewer vaccines, others move to keep them.
⚠️ “Ferocious”: That’s how scientists describe the sting of the blue sea dragon, a rare sea slug found in warm waters. Its superpower? It feeds on jellyfish – including the venomous Portuguese man-of-war – steals their stinging cells, and shoots them from its “limbs” (OUCH). The stinging creature has forced beach closures along the Mediterranean as officials scramble for a plan.
⚓️ Ornery Orcas: On the opposite side of the Spanish coast, orca attacks continue to rise. Officials caution sailors after the whales, normally deep-sea tuna hunters, were seen feasting on octopus in shallower waters.
📫 Dad Letter Project: What began as a retired professor looking for something to do has grown into handwritten encouragement for hundreds around the world.
🌊 Discovered: Rising sea levels swallowed a city in northern Denmark 8,500 years ago. Divers just found it.
⚡️ “Thunderstruck”: Biologists blast the AC/DC hit – along with movie clips and human voices – at wolves in an experiment designed to stop attacks on livestock.
📱 Screening Calls for Screen Time: Carolina Panthers wide receiver Hunter Renfrow missed some important work calls ... because his daughter was watching the cartoon “Bluey.”
🎙️ This Week From Jenna:
🎙️ SCOOP (approx. 40 minutes) A National Housing Emergency? Listen. (SCOOP Insiders can attend this live broadcast once a week and get their news questions answered; Insiders also receive the special video report EXCLUSIVELY delivered to their inbox, an AD-FREE version of the podcast, AND a "cheat sheet" for the week ahead — learn more HERE).
🙌🏽 What We Found SmartHER This Week:
Did you know? Estimates vary, but historians believe the Nazis stole more than 650,000 pieces of art across Europe and many pieces remain missing! If you're interested in learning more about this fascinating story, we found a few books that might be worth a read:
✨ A little something extra ...
“You feel kind of this warmth…just holding them. You can feel their heartbeat, you can feel them breathe.”
Iceland resident Hafdis Björk Óskarsd, describing his volunteer job of rescuing puffin chicks.
In Iceland, puffin chicks —called pufflings— will fly off cliffs guided by moonlight. But bright city lights can confuse them. Enter a group of volunteers who rescue lost pufflings and gently throw them off cliffs, where the chicks instinctively flap their wings and head toward the ocean.
And that's The Weekend Digest!
❤️,
Jenna and the SHN Team
Daily news, interviews, our latest podcasts and more at www.SmartHERNews.com.
