Silent running

Couldn’t you just put baseball cards in the wheels? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is proposing sound standards for electric vehicles. Not because they’re too loud but because they’re so quiet that pedestrians and cyclists often don’t hear them as they approach. NHTSA is proposing automakers choose from a range of added noises for electric cars.

This could be a huge selling point. We’d love to see the reaction of cyclists who hear a Harley coming up behind them and then see a Prius pass by.

No, the McRib doesn’t count: McDonald’s is expanding its test marketing to Chicago for its “Mighty Wings” chicken wings, deep-fried bone-in chicken wings served with a choice of dipping sauce.

It’s the first time that McDonald’s has offered a menu item that, unlike the McNugget and the McBite, actually comes from an identifiable part of the chicken.

Somebody’s been sleeping in my planet: Astronomers scanning the skies for Earthlike planets say the Milky Way galaxy is home to at least 17 billion planets similar in size to our planet, but they have yet to find one in the so-called Goldilocks zone, where a world would not be too hot nor too cold.

Even more sought-after is a world in the Hansel and Gretel zone where the planet’s crust is made of gingerbread.

Don’t know much about history: On this day in 1963, Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa,” measuring 30 inches by 21 inches, went on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., with President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline, in attendance.

Jackie remarked on its small size, to which John replied, “Ah, that’s what she said.”

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Friday, May 10

A sketchy look at the newss of the day.… Continue reading

Making adjustments to keep Social Security solvent represents only one of the issues confronting Congress. It could also correct outdated aspects of a program that serves nearly 90 percent of Americans over 65. (Stephen Savage/The New York Times) -- NO SALES; FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY WITH NYT STORY SLUGGED SCI SOCIAL SECURITY BY PAULA SPAN FOR NOV. 26, 2018. ALL OTHER USE PROHIBITED.
Editorial: Social Security’s good news? Bad news delayed a bit

Congress has a little additional time to make sure Social Security is solvent. It shouldn’t waste it.

Schwab: The Everett Clinic lost more than name in two sales

The original clinic’s physician-owners had their squabbles but always put patient care first.

Bret Stephens: Why Zionists like me can thank campus protesters

Their stridency may have ‘sharpened the contradictions,’ but it drove more away from their arguments.

Saunders: Voters need to elect fiscal watchdogs to Congress

Few in Washington, D.C., seem serious about the threat posed by the national debt. It’s time for a change.

Charles Blow: Will young voters stick with Biden despite rift?

Campus protests look to peel away young voters for Biden, but time and reality may play in his favor.

Michalle Goldberg: Why senators need to stop anti-semitism act

The application of a standard against anti-semitism was meant as tool, not a basis for legislation.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Thursday, May 9

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks to reporters during a press conference about the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Senate Democrats reintroduced broad legislation on Wednesday to legalize cannabis on the federal level, a major shift in policy that has wide public support, but which is unlikely to be enacted this year ahead of November’s elections and in a divided government. (Valerie Plesch/The New York Times)
Editorial: Federal moves on cannabis encouraging, if incomplete

The Biden administration and the Senate offer sensible proposals to better address marijuana use.

Nicholas Kristof: Biden must press Israel on Gaza relief

With northern Gaza in a ‘full-blown famine,’ the U.S. must use its leverage to reopen crossings to aid trucks.

David French: Greene, MAGA crowd not as powerful as they think

Speaker Mike Johnson and some Republicans are finding they can stand against the party’s fringe.

Jamelle Bouie: Trump will require one thing of a running mate

Most presidential candidates seek to balance the ticket; for Trump it’s loyalty and a willingness to lie.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.