Customarily, Michael Saylor and team have lifted the STRC dividend when it trades sizably below par, but not this month.
How often are married people having sex? What to know about the intimacy standard in America
New survey data offers a snapshot of how often married Americans are having sex, while researchers say the findings challenge common assumptions about relationship health.National demographic studies suggest that lower sexual frequency is often a normal part of aging and long-term relationships, and that there may be a “sweet spot” associated with marital satisfaction.Data from the General Social Survey, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, found that married Americans report a wide range of sexual frequency.WEIGHT-LOSS MEDICATIONS COULD IMPACT SEXUAL HEALTH IN UNEXPECTED WAYSThe survey asked how often couples have had sex during the last 12 months. Among the 1,893 married respondents surveyed in 2024, the responses were as follows.The average American adult has sex 53 times a year — or a little more than once per week, according to research by the telehealth platform Hims.While marriage is often associated with less frequent sex, research has found the difference to be relatively small. A 2014 study found that married people had sex about 55 times a year, compared with 59 times a year among their unmarried peers.”Experts aren’t sure precisely why this difference exists or why what used to be an advantage has become a disadvantage, but some believe it may be related to the increasing age at which most people get married,” Hims wrote in a medically reviewed article.”There’s no ‘perfect statistic’ or ideal amount of sex. In other words: You like what you like, and that’s perfectly OK.”CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTERClinical data suggests that aiming for a daily or high-volume sexual quota does not actually improve relationship quality.A study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science in 2015 evaluated more than 30,000 individuals over four decades and discovered a drop-off in additional benefits.While overall happiness increased as physical intimacy moved from monthly to weekly, couples who had sex two, three or four times a week experienced no additional statistical boost in marital satisfaction compared to those hitting the weekly threshold.Experts emphasize that sexual desire naturally fluctuates as couples navigate career demands, parenthood and biological aging.CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIESDespite some research suggesting a slowdown with age, intimacy remains an important factor in healthy aging, linked to improved physical and emotional well-being.AARP survey data indicates that physical connection remains routine for many older Americans, with roughly 17% of adults aged 70 and older engaging in sexual activity on a weekly basis.When a couple experiences an intimacy dry spell, medical professionals recommend evaluating physiological factors rather than jumping to conclusions about incompatibility.Educational resources from the International Society for Sexual Medicine note that the following physical conditions can influence libido.TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZRather than trying to force a weekly goal, healthcare providers encourage couples dealing with mismatched sexual desire to discuss the issue openly and consult a doctor to evaluate baseline hormone levels, medication profiles and overall metabolic health.
Explosion at restaurant in central Moscow leaves three dead, more than a dozen injured
Three people were killed on Saturday at a restaurant in central Moscow following a massive explosion.The explosion was caused by a homemade explosive device, Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee claimed.The dead included a woman who attempted to bring the explosive device into the restaurant, a security guard and a patron, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.At least 21 more people were injured in the explosion, which happened around 8 p.m. on a ground floor terrace restaurant at Kudrinksaya Square, which includes seven skyscrapers built during the Stalin regime.MOSCOW, TALIBAN FORGE MILITARY ALLIANCE IN POWER GRAB AFTER US AFGHANISTAN EXIT: REPORTSA Russian outlet said the explosion happened at the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant. Its website said it was closed Saturday for a private event.Heavily armed law enforcement was seen at the scene.The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Disruptions on multiple fronts put oil markets on the brink
Collapse of the Memorandum of Understanding sees a resumption of the Iran-U.S. war.
The collapse of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Iran and the U.S.—and the resumption of hostilities—carries serious implications for a global oil market that had priced in an end to major conflict and a gradual return to business as usual in the Middle East Gulf.
Prices have already risen sharply. When President Trump signed the MoU on 17 June at the magnificent Palace of Versailles, oil prices retreated: by early July, Brent crude was trading only slightly above $70 a barrel—roughly its level just before the war began at the end of February. That decline reflected market confidence that the worst disruption from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz (SoH) was behind us.
Since the conflict started, oil prices have remained far lower than many early forecasts anticipated. The industry largely expected a short-lived war that would avoid the most severe supply disruptions. Even as fighting dragged on, regular peace talks sustained hopes of a resolution and helped limit upward pressure on prices.
The interruption to oil supplies normally flowing through the SoH—close to 20 million barrels per day (mb/d) —was the most significant challenge that the oil industry has faced in half a century. The industry depends on continuous flows, from production through shipping and refining to the end consumer. Confronted with an unprecedented disruption in a 104 mb/d market, companies and traders worked to offset the losses and keep as much supply moving as possible. Four main offsets limited the damage:
Some countries, notably Saudi Arabia and the UAE, bypassed the SoH by redirecting oil through existing pipelines to under-utilized alternative export terminals.
China, the world’s largest importer, suddenly cut off from more than 5 mb/d of Middle East crude, drew heavily on its vast stockpiles—estimated at around 1.5 billion barrels—rather than competing for barrels from elsewhere and driving prices higher.
Commercial inventories were drawn down, while the 32 member countries of the International Energy Agency (IEA) coordinated the release of more than 400 million barrels from their strategic stockpiles.
Reduced availability and higher prices caused global oil demand in the second quarter of 2026 to fall by nearly 5 mb/d year-on-year, according to IEA data.
Taken together, these four offsets compensated for roughly half the oil that would normally have passed through the SoH.
Optimism that peace might take hold, culminating in the signing of the MoU, saw a brief surge in oil volumes through the SoH, in June and early July, averaging about 2 mb/d. The resumption of hostilities has seen traffic fall to almost zero. Brent crude is now trading close to $100 a barrel, with the potential to move higher.
If the renewed Middle East Gulf hostilities escalate further, only limited buffers remain to offset the lack of supply through the SoH. The market is in a very dangerous situation.
Problems could be compounded by the return of the Houthis.
Alongside the collapse of the MoU, a new and dangerous factor has emerged with the return of the Yemeni Houthis. After a period of inactivity, the Iran-backed group resumed threats against shipping in the Red Sea, specifically against oil tankers leaving Saudi Arabia’s port of Yanbu, a major alternative outlet for oil exports via the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. Before the war, exports from Yanbu were about 1.1 mb/d; since the disruption to the SoH they have exceeded 3.6 mb/d.
Already we’ve seen reports of ships that entered the Red Sea from the Suez Canal turning around, judging the risk to be too high. the Houthis do not need to hit many vessels. Even limited attacks will likely persuade ship operators that the risk is unacceptable. Ships can avoid the Red Sea entirely and sail around Africa, but this adds substantial time and cost to voyages. Saudi tankers anchored in the Red Sea do not have this option.
The outlook is therefore bleak, and if fighting between the U.S. and Iran continues for any length of time before another ceasefire is announced, and if the Houthis, acting effectively on Iran’s behalf, damage Saudi assets, the oil market faces a return to the deepest cuts seen so far, augmented by the loss of more than 3 mb/d of Red Sea exports.
Hormuz and Houthi risks are now compounded by fallout from the Ukraine-Russia war.
This year, Ukraine has sharply intensified its drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, achieving significant success in targeting pipelines, refineries, and storage facilities. Kazakhstan normally exports more than 1 mb/d of oil through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) system to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk from where it is exported to global markets. Ukrainian drone strikes have disrupted tanker loadings at the CPC terminal to such an extent that Kazakhstan has suspended CPC operations and is currently unable to export crude via the Black Sea. Even if normal CPC operations resume, an ever-present risk remains.
The worst may yet be to come for oil prices.
Today’s actual and potential disruptions to oil industry operations are unprecedented in recent history. So it is reasonable to conclude that the sky’s the limit for crude oil prices. Where might that limit might—$150 a barrel? $200 a barrel? It is impossible to forecast a price with confidence. Consumers are already paying higher prices: the average U.S. retail price for gasoline reached $4 a gallon in the third week of July and is close to $5 a gallon on the West Coast. Of equal importance is the soaring price of diesel, which is the energy workhorse of the global economy. In the U.S., average diesel prices are already well above $5 a gallon and above $6 a gallon on the West Coast.
For the oil market, the worst may yet be to come, with all that means for the health of the global economy.
Neil Atkinson is a Senior Fellow at the National Center for Energy Analytics, Washington DC; the former Head of the Oil Division at the International Energy Agency; and a former analyst with Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. He is based in Paris.
This article was originally published by RealClearEnergy and made available via RealClearWire.
Apple’s record iPhone boom just became a Wall Street trap
Apple (AAPL) reported the type of quarter that should have sent its stock price skyrocketing.Revenue rose 16% from a year earlier to $109 billion, while profit increased 26% to $29 billion. iPhone sales jumped 22%, Mac revenue climbed 25%, and the iPhone 17 produced the biggest product launch in Apple’s history.Shares still sank more than 7% in after-hours trading.Investors weren’t worried that buyers had stopped buying Apple items. They worried that Apple could not produce enough of them.Supply bottlenecks that are already hurting the availability of Macs will get worse and spread to the iPhone and iPad businesses, CEO Tim Cook said. One of the pressure points was improved CPUs, for which Apple relies largely on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.The warning posed an unusual dilemma for Apple: demand is higher than projected, yet the corporation has limited ability to boost supply.But an unsold item doesn’t make money, no matter how many buyers desire it.“This is not a regular supply issue, it’s a demand forecast issue, to be candid,” Cook said. “We’ve got a quarter ahead where we’ll be scrambling on the supply side.”Apple’s demand surge created a revenue ceilingApple’s results revealed its most significant items remain quite popular.Cook said the company underestimated demand, particularly for the iPhone and Mac. That distinction matters because the warning does not indicate a weakening brand or a disappearing customer base.It does indicate a failure in prediction.Apple uses its size, its relationships with suppliers, and its inventory management to ensure it can maintain products in stock for big product releases. Cook’s recognition that the corporation has little flexibility suggests that those instruments are inadequate to rapidly address the present supply deficit.Related: If you financed your iPhone with Apple, read this nowSome purchases simply may slip into a later quarter. Other customers may delay an upgrade, choose another model, or walk away instead of waiting for an unavailable product.The risk is highest in the first weeks after a product debut when excitement and marketing are at their peak. Even when the underlying demand is solid, estimates of long delivery delays can sap momentum.Apple also saw a brief lift to its profits in the quarter. The BBC estimates that tariff refunds raised its gross margin by nearly two percentage points, which equates to roughly $1.1 billion.Cook said Apple intends to reinvest the reimbursements back into the United States. The business has already pledged $600 billion for domestic manufacturing over four years.That spending could eventually make Apple’s supply chain more resilient. It does little to address the current supply shortfall.Apple is paying for the AI era before Siri deliversApple’s supply warning comes amid fierce competition among tech companies for advanced chips and manufacturing capacity.Those processors are needed by the company to power its latest iPhones, Macs and artificial intelligence features. But Apple’s redesigned Siri is still in public beta, or early prerelease, and not yet a proven source of new revenue.More Apple:Apple stock move vindicates Palantir CEO warning for AI industryApple’s iPhone cost problem reveals AI’s hidden billApple’s 2027 hardware refresh sends Wall Street a warningCook touted on-device artificial intelligence as a “competitive weapon.” Additional functions directly on an iPhone or Mac might be better for privacy, speed, and product differentiation.This method can finally make customers upgrade their devices.Before Apple’s new AI platform will be able to generate a tangible financial return, the company needs to secure the components needed to produce such gadgets.The corporation also has distribution problems. Cook said discussions with European Union authorities over the new Siri are still ongoing as Apple strives to make the digital assistant widely available simultaneously.
Apple’s demand surge may cost it billions in lost salesVALERIE MACON / Getty Images
Apple’s next leader inherits a dangerous kind of successIncoming CEO John Ternus will not inherit a corporation starved for customers.He’ll inherit a corporation with more customers than management had anticipated, wanting more products; a corporation whose supply chain may not be able to keep up.That’s better than demand collapsing, but it can still affect growth, profits, and investor confidence.What Apple investors should watchAvailability of the newest iPhone, Mac and iPad models.Whether delayed purchases move into later quarters.The effect of component shortages on revenue.Gross margins after the tariff-refund benefit fades.Whether Siri AI encourages device upgrades.Apple’s progress expanding domestic manufacturing.The bullish view is that the shortfall shows the continued strength of Apple’s brand. Customers are buying iPhones and Macs more quickly than the business expected.The bear case is that record demand doesn’t matter if Apple can’t produce enough things to meet it.Cook made his name by converting Apple’s supply chain into a competitive advantage. His new warning suggests that even the world’s most sophisticated hardware operation has its limits.Apple’s difficulty is not finding buyers.It is making sure its hottest sales cycle doesn’t finish with empty shelves.Related: Apple rewrites how Americans pay for iPhones
Queens Man Indicted For Car Crash That Killed Jewish Woman Also Charged With Hate Crime For Destroying Property Outside Kosher Bagel Shop
A Queens man who was indicted for manslaughter late last month after killing a woman in a three-car crash and then fleeing the scene was also charged with hate crimes yesterday for allegedly destroying property outside a kosher bagel shop just days before the crash.
Dawood Faisal, a resident of the Fresh Meadows neighborhood of Queens, allegedly drove more than 75 miles per hour in an area with a 35-mile-per-hour speed limit on the evening of May 25, speeding through two red lights and crashing into two cars. He hit the second car with such force that it careened into a crosswalk and struck two pedestrians, one of whom—71-year-old Cara Trager—suffered fatal injuries. According to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, Faisal attempted to flee the scene before bystanders chased him down. He faces more than 15 years in prison if convicted.
The incident came days after he allegedly vandalized a kosher bagel shop in Queens, Bagels & Co., on two separate occasions. On the evening of May 15, according to hate crimes charges brought against him on July 31, he knocked over nine metal plant stands outside the store—which displayed Israeli flags—and then allegedly threw dirt at the storefront. He returned in the middle of the night on May 23, allegedly pushing over 11 plant stands, dumping plants and dirt out onto the sidewalk, and ripping plants out of other pots. If convicted on the hate crime charges, he faces up to seven additional years in prison.
Trager, a longtime journalist, was known as an outspoken supporter of Israel and leader in the Queens Jewish community. Her husband, Michael—who was injured in the crash—told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency afterwards that he believed Faisal was “looking to do damage in a heavily Jewish area” like the neighborhood of Hollis Hills, a majority-Jewish section of Queens.
Faisal’s alleged crimes occurred amid a rise in antisemitic violence in New York City under Mayor Zohran Mamdani. That same month, according to NYPD data, antisemitic hate crimes jumped 46 percent compared to the three months that came before. New York City experienced 41 antisemitic hate crimes in May, averaging one every 18 hours, and hate crimes directed against Jews accounted for 60 percent of all hate crimes in the city.
The spike took place in the run-up to the June 23 New York primaries in which three anti-Israel candidates, all endorsed by Mamdani, won the Democratic nominations in their congressional districts. Claire Valdez, who defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso in the 7th district, has falsely accused Israel of committing a “genocide” in Gaza and called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas “almost immediately” after the terror group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack, according to progressive blog City and State. On the day of the attack, she liked an X post that described the massacres as “unthinkable bravery” and later sat for a friendly interview with a Twitch streamer who called Jews a “demonic ethnicity,” Jewish Insider reported.
Another Mamdani-backed candidate, Darializa Avila Chevalier, defeated incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D., N.Y.) in the 13th district’s primary election. Avila Chevalier attended a pro-Hamas rally in Times Square on Oct. 8, 2023 and helped organize the anti-Israel encampment on Columbia University’s campus alongside an organizer who said “Zionists don’t deserve to live” and who fantasized about “murdering Zionists.”
The third, Brad Lander, who defeated incumbent Dan Goldman in the state’s 10th district has accused Israel of committing a genocide and called to block U.S. aid to the Jewish state.
Mamdani has ratcheted up his anti-Israel rhetoric in the past several months. At a rally before the primaries, he described donors to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee as “monsters” and issued a lukewarm response after the owner of a Brooklyn coffee shop banned Goldman from the premises, citing his pro-Israel views. After spending months threatening to arrest Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu if Netanyahu came to New York, Mamdani released a video statement accusing the Israeli prime minister of being “the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people.” The next day, a man stabbed two people on the Upper West Side of Manhattan after yelling “allahu akbar,” with one of the stabbings occurring near a synagogue.
UJA-Federation of New York CEO Eric Goldstein said after Mamdani’s video that the mayor’s “political grandstanding” has “real-world consequences for the Jews of New York.”
“We want the mayor to stop demonizing the only Jewish state, using the most vilifying rhetoric, focused solely on the only Jewish state and the supporters of it,” he continued. “Using language like ‘monstrous,’ using the most horrible, difficult language that inflames, that terrorizes, that causes people to do terrible things.”
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ICE arrests illegal immigrant accused of rape, multiple sex crimes after release from Maryland jail
A Guatemalan illegal immigrant charged with rape and multiple other sex crimes in Massachusetts was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers after his release from state custody, federal officials said Tuesday.ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers in Boston arrested Rocael Ordonez-Cruz, 23, on July 21 at the Middlesex County House of Correction in Billerica, Massachusetts, according to the agency.ICE said Ordonez-Cruz entered the United States illegally at an unknown location and time without being inspected, admitted or paroled by a U.S. immigration official.ICE LODGES DETAINER FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED OF TRYING TO DISARM VIRGINIA POLICE OFFICERThe Arlington, Massachusetts, Police Department arrested Ordonez-Cruz on June 25, according to ICE.Local authorities charged Ordonez-Cruz with rape and assault to rape.He also faces charges of indecent assault and battery on a person aged 14 or older, as well as indecent exposure, according to the agency.EXCLUSIVE: DHS BLASTS SANCTUARY LEADERS AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED OF BAT ATTACK FREED FROM JAIL”Rocael Ordonez-Cruz has not only displayed a blatant disregard for our laws by illegally entering this United States and later allegedly sexually assaulting our residents, he has also proven to be a threat to our neighborhoods,” acting Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston Field Office Director David Wesling said.”The arrest of this alleged sex offender from the streets of Massachusetts shows our officers’ dedication to the safety and security of our New England communities. We will not stop finding and arresting dangerous criminal alien offenders,” he added.After his release from state custody, ICE officers arrested Ordonez-Cruz and served him with a notice to appear before a Justice Department immigration judge.The notice to appear initiates removal proceedings before an immigration judge.Ordonez-Cruz will remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of those proceedings, according to the agency.Fox News Digital reached out to ICE for clarification regarding the circumstances of Ordonez-Cruz’s arrest but did not immediately receive a response.
Lettuce farmers plow crops back into soil as cyclosporiasis fears tank demand for fresh greens
The nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak has forced some American farmers to throw out their entire lettuce crops, according to a report.One such farmer in California’s Salinas Valley told the Wall Steet Journal this week that he had to chop up 300,000 pounds of romaine hearts and plow it back into the soil.This came with no evidence that his crops were infected with the parasite causing explosive diarrhea that has sickened thousands of people in nearly every state.WHITE HOUSE ADDRESSES GROWING PARASITE OUTBREAK AFTER MORE THAN 400 AMERICANS SICKENEDCox’s Coastline Family Farms supplies major grocery stores and top restaurants around the country, but the outbreak has lowered the demand for his greens by as much as 30%, he said.”It is incredibly demoralizing,” Cox told the Journal. “I would’ve been better off taking a vacation in the South of France than planting the crop.”The region is known as “America’s Salad Bowl” and supplies the country with nearly half of its lettuce.CYCLOSPORA OUTBREAK: IS IT STILL SAFE TO EAT AT RESTAURANTS? HERE’S WHAT TO KNOWStill, he’s optimistic about the next harvest.”You can’t afford to be downcast very long. You better pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep pushing forward,” he explained.Although the outbreak has been linked to iceberg lettuce from central Mexico recalled by California-based Taylor Farms — the country’s largest lettuce supplier — it’s affected the entire lettuce industry as Americans worry.CRUISE SHIP HIT WITH THIRD STOMACH ILLNESS OUTBREAK IN TWO MONTHS, REVIEW UNDERWAY”Consumers aren’t sure what’s right anymore so, out of an abundance of caution, they’re just passing on everything,” Joelle Mosso, a food scientist at family farm trade group Western Growers, told the Journal.Viraj Puri, who founded Gotham Greens in Brooklyn told the Journal that, despite lagging sales, his company opted against less seeding.”The public health benefits of a diet grounded in fruits and vegetables are indisputable,” he said. “I really hope consumers can get back to trusting the fruits and vegetables they buy in stores, because they generally are safe.”Nationally, sales of fresh lettuce fell by nearly 9% in the month between mid-June and July as compared to the same time last year, the outlet reported, citing data from NielsenIQ.That’s equivalent to 7.6 million pounds of lettuce.Sales were also down on other vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, spinach and Brussels sprouts.Even salad dressing has taken a hit.After one outbreak of cyclosporiasis was linked to lettuce served at Taco Bell, its sales went down by 25% that week.While some are heading to local farmers markets, hoping their lettuce is more safe, most people appear to be taking a vegetable pause.
Illegal Alien Claims Uncle Stole $2 Million California Lottery Jackpot After She Feared Claiming It Herself Would Get Her Deported
An illegal alien in California says her uncle stole a $2 million lottery jackpot she won after she handed him the winning ticket because she was afraid that claiming the prize herself could lead to her deportation.
Ruby Reyes purchased a $20 scratch-off ticket at a liquor store in Santa Rosa in late 2024 and realized she had hit the jackpot after scratching off the required words.
Rather than hand the ticket to the California State Lottery herself, she turned it over to an uncle she believed had legal residency, expecting him to cash it and return the money.
The New York Post reports that records show the uncle received a check for $1,520,004.08 after state taxes were withheld.
Reyes now claims he kept the entire prize and has cut contact with her.
“I handed it over to an uncle because, supposedly, he had the (legal resident) paperwork and was going to give me the money,” Reyes told Univision 14.
She said she immediately began making plans for her children’s future once she knew she had won.
“It was a dream I had. I only thought about my future and that of my children. I am telling the truth, and nothing but the truth, and I have sufficient evidence to win this case.”
Reyes has messaged her uncle in hopes he will reconsider and return the funds, and she stated that she has filed legal action, though she provided no further details about the case.
She declined to name the uncle publicly.
While Reyes feared that claiming the prize could get her deported, illegal aliens are not prohibited from collecting lottery winnings in California. However, they are still required to pay federal and state taxes on the prize.
The Post report notes:
In 2011, Jose Antonio Cua-Toc won $750,000 from a scratch-off ticket in Georgia, but asked his boss, Erick Cervantes, to cash it on his behalf. Cua-Toc was arrested for threatening to kill Cervantes, his wife and children after failing to receive the winnings.
An immigration judge instructed Cua-Toc to self-deport, but not before a Georgia judge granted him the jackpot prize.
The post Illegal Alien Claims Uncle Stole $2 Million California Lottery Jackpot After She Feared Claiming It Herself Would Get Her Deported appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
The Future Arrives For IndyCar As Its New Car Passes Its First Test
IndyCar’s new car, the IR-28, had its first test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Alexander Rossi behind the wheel on Aug. 1 and Forbes Sports Money was there.