News 6 Mashup: Feb. 8, 2021
Here are the top stories for the week of Feb. 8, 2021, straight from AWN News 6 Correspondent, Jolene McNutt:
Army Releases Updated Grooming Standards
The Army has updated its grooming standards to be more inclusive. The updates go into effect Feb. 24, 2021. According to the Army, the major changes include updates to allow breastfeeding and pumping while in uniform and implementation of the Improved Hot Weather Combat Uniform. Additionally, looser grooming standards were released to allow for earrings, lipstick, and nail polish for women and clear nail polish for men. There will no longer be a minimum hair length for female soldiers, and there are additional provisions for multiple hairstyles such as braiding, twists or locs; soldiers will also be permitted to wear ponytails when unable to form a bun.
Space Force Announces Rank Structure
Space Force has officially announced its new rank structure, reported Military.com. Junior enlisted will not be called airmen, but instead, specialist for ranks E-1 through E-4. Enlisted E-5 will be known as sergeant, and E-6 will be called technical sergeant. The highest enlisted at E-9 will be called Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force. Officer rankings are currently planned to remain the same as the Air Force, Army, and Marine Corps structure.
Need a Boost? Listen to these 10 Songs!
February always leaves me in a bit of a slump, my productivity is at an all time low, winter drags on, the days are slowly getting longer, but it still feels like darkness dominates! I have an antidote to these dark days of winter…get out your boombox and blast some of these classics proven by science to be the ten best happiness and productivity-boosting songs.
According to Inc.com, “music and happiness are intimately linked, and science shows happiness actually makes your brain work better. Cheering yourself up won’t just help you get through the gloom. It’ll also help you think more clearly and get more done.”
It turns out, mood-boosting music has a few things in common, including a quicker tempo, between 140 and 150 beats per minute, the music is written in a major key, and the lyrics are about positive events or nonsense.
This Week in History
On Feb. 10, 1964, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Civil Rights Act, after 12 days of debate and voting on 125 amendments. The bill passed by a vote of 290-130. The Senate debated this bill, and “southern senators launched a filibuster against the bill,” according to Senate.gov. The Senate debated the bill for 60 days, which included seven Saturdays, becoming the longest debate in Senate history. The filibuster was finally stopped and the bill passed on June 10, 1964. The bill was signed into law on July 2 and “prohibited discrimination in the workplace, public accommodations, public facilities and agencies receiving federal funds, and strengthened prohibitions on school segregation and discrimination in voter registration,” according to the Library of Congress.
