What's Good Wednesdays

What’s Good Wednesdays™, July 23, 2025

Read: “The House of My Mother” by Shari Franke, the eldest daughter of a Mormon family known for their controversial Youtube channel, 8 Passengers. The channel, created by the Franke family matriarch Ruby, was created in 2015 was originally meant to share the Frankes’ seemingly perfect life. However, it emerged in 2020 that one of the children had been forced to sleep on a beanbag chair for over seven months, so fans grew suspicious. It later came out that Ruby and her friend Jodi Hildebrant had been arrested and later charged with six counts of felony aggravated child abuse of the two youngest children. The House of My Mother dives into the personal, first-hand experience of Shari’s childhood, the twisted, abusive nature of her mother, and how the Mormon church played a large role in both the behavior of Ruby and the creation of the channel. – Hannah

Play:Untitled Goose Game is pure, honking chaos in the best way. You play as a troublemaking goose let loose in a sleepy village, stealing stuff, messing with people, and generally being a menace. It’s light, clever, and full of charm. Perfect when you need a good laugh. Who knew being an annoying goose could be so satisfying and so much fun? – Natalie

Cook: Fresh tomato sauces. Whether you pronounce it “to-may-to” or “to-mah-to,” summer means one thing in the kitchen: it’s tomato season. Just chop a load of this delicious red fruit (yes, they are a fruit, but don’t put them in a fruit salad!) and let it simmer on the stove for a while and you’ll have yourself a delicious sauce that you can pair with your pasta (or zucchini noodles, if you’re gluten free). Obviously, you can – and should – add other ingredients, like onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, or even eggplant to make a pasta alla norma. But keep it simple. It’s really about the tomatoes. – Zac

Watch:Ozzy Osbourne’s last performance of “Mama, I’m Coming Home.” – Alex G

Hot take: An egg bagel is not a bagel. – Zac

More For You

Trump, Putin, and Zelensky surrounded by tanks and negotiators.

America’s new National Security Strategy confirms what Europeans have feared for months: Washington now sees a strong, unified European Union as a problem to be solved, not an ally to be supported.

In this episode of Tools and Weapons, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith sits down with Ed Policy, President and CEO of the Green Bay Packers, to discuss how purpose-driven leadership and innovation are shaping the future of one of the world’s most iconic sports franchises. Ed shares how technology and community-focused initiatives, from Titletown Tech to health and safety innovations on the field, are transforming not just the game of football, but the economy and culture of Green Bay itself. He explains how combining strategic vision with investment in local startups is keeping talent in the Midwest and creating opportunities that extend far beyond Lambeau Field.

Subscribe and find new episodes monthly, wherever you listen to podcasts.

Members of security forces stand guard outside a polliong station, a week late in a special election, after the local governing party kept voting closed on election day, amid accusations of sabotage and fraud, in a presidential race still too close to call as counting continues, in San Antonio de Flores, Honduras, December 7, 2025.
REUTERS/Leonel Estrada

More than a week after Hondurans cast their ballots in a presidential election, the country is still stuck in a potentially-dangerous post-election fog.