Aston Merrygold, a prominent member of the popular boy band JLS, has shared a heartfelt tribute to a fellow musician who was an integral part of the group. Jack Pointer-Mackenzie, an original member of JLS, sadly passed away at the young age of 35. The band initially rose to fame in 2008 through their appearance on The X Factor and has been deeply affected by the loss of a long-time collaborator.
Pointer-Mackenzie had been touring with JLS for over a decade, starting in 2009 and continuing until 2021. Aston Merrygold, who not only is a member of JLS but also owns BASE Dance Studios and serves as its director, took to social media to express his feelings about the late performer, who had been with the band since their early days.
On his Instagram Story, Merrygold shared a series of posts dedicated to Pointer-Mackenzie, a talented dancer. He wrote, “RIP captain,” accompanied by prayer hand and raised hand emojis, followed by the words “Original JLS member.” These sentiments were expressed alongside a reposted picture from BASE Dance Studios with the caption: “A unique gift, who shall be sorely missed. Thank you for sharing your talent with us. Jack Nathaniel Pointer-Mackenzie.”
Aston Merrygold, along with his bandmates Marvin Humes, Oritsé Williams, and JB Gill, also shared a video showcasing Pointer-Mackenzie’s remarkable dancing skills on stage. The overlay text on the video read, “Captain Jack always with the vibe from 2009 and beyond!! A phenomenal team member!”
Additionally, Merrygold reposted a story shared by Dax O’Callaghan, owner of BASE Dance Studios, expressing that the professional dancer, who had worked with artists like Camila Cabello, Justin Bieber, and Hozier throughout his career, will be greatly missed.
The news of Jack Pointer-Mackenzie’s passing has left many friends and fans in shock and sorrow. Numerous individuals have flooded the comments section of BASE Dance Studios’ Instagram post to offer their condolences. One person wrote, “Not Jack. Hadn’t seen him in years but what a sweet soul and infectious spirit he had. Can’t believe it. Rest easy my man.” Another referred to his passing as a “huge loss for the community” and sent love to his closest friends and family. Others described him as “the most genuine, loveliest, and talented person” and expressed their deep sadness.
Despite the outpouring of support and tributes, the cause of Jack Pointer-Mackenzie’s passing has not yet been officially confirmed. For those who may be dealing with the grief of losing a loved one and wish to speak with someone in confidence, Cruse Bereavement Care offers support through their national helpline at 0808 808 1677.
Emergency Alert Will Interrupt All TV and Radio Broadcast
If you’re planning to use tomorrow’s lunch break to catch up on a bit of TV, then take heed, as television broadcasts will experience an interruption when the US conducts an emergency alert test.
There’s nothing more frustrating than having your favorite show or a thrilling sports game suddenly cut off at a crucial moment. While this particular interruption may prove to be a lifesaver in the future, it’s advisable to avoid the annoyance if you have the chance.
The interruption scheduled for tomorrow aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the US federal emergency alert system. The messages will be divided into two categories: the Emergency Alert System (EAS) for radios and televisions, and the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) for mobile phones.
Both tests will occur simultaneously, with cell towers transmitting the alerts for a duration of 30 minutes.
For those tuning into their TV or radio at the time of the message, a notification will appear stating: “This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 14:20 to 14:50 hours ET. This is only a test. No action is required by the public.”
Anyone with a wireless cell phone will also receive an alert for the test through an alarm sound and a message that reads: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
The message will be displayed in either English or Spanish, depending on the language settings of the cell phone. The objective of the test is to assess the effectiveness of the government’s mass communication methods.
Joseph Trainor, a core faculty member at the University of Delaware’s Disaster Research Center, discussed the necessity of conducting two simultaneous tests with CBS News.
“With the combination, you’re going to reach a broader audience,” he explained. “We know that these are effective systems. Like any system, they have strengths and weaknesses, such as character limits, transmission capabilities, and speed of dissemination.”
“Every system has its limitations, which is why we advise people, when designing warning systems, not to rely solely on one method.”
“The goal is for all these systems to collaborate in delivering information to as many people as possible, in various ways,” Trainor emphasized. “This way, individuals have the necessary information to make informed decisions regarding the risks in their vicinity.”
The test is scheduled to occur at approximately 2:20 PM ET on October 4th.
Featured Image Credit: KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images F.J. Jimenez/Getty Images
Worlds Shortest IQ Test
The world’s shortest IQ test won’t demand much of your time, and if you ace it, you might just earn the title of a certified genius.
TikToker @chibimallo shared the IQ test, created by MIT professor Shane Frederick, known as the Cognitive Reflection Test.
With just three questions, it’s a quick test you can breeze through.
It’s touted as ‘the fastest IQ test on Earth,’ and if you answer all questions correctly, you’re deemed ‘smarter than 80 percent of humanity.’
Psychologist Frederick conducted this test on 3,428 people over 26 months. Only 17 percent of them answered all three questions correctly, while 33 percent got all three wrong. So, it’s safe to say this is no walk in the park. Think you can tackle it?
Here are the questions:
- A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total, with the bat costing $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?
- If it takes five machines five minutes to make five widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets?
- In a lake, there’s a patch of lily pads. Each day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half of the lake?
Before you rush to submit your Mensa application, remember that getting these questions wrong doesn’t equate to being unintelligent. IQ tests are just one measure of cognitive abilities.
These questions are designed to provoke ‘impulsive erroneous responses,’ where your brain jumps to an answer that seems right initially but isn’t on closer inspection.
Now, for the answers:
- The ball costs five cents, making the bat $1.05, and together, they total $1.10.
- The correct answer is five minutes. If five machines make five widgets in five minutes, one machine makes a widget in five minutes. So, 100 machines working simultaneously can make 100 widgets in five minutes.
- The patch of lily pads, doubling in size each day, covers half of the lake on day 47, not 24 days.
Did you get them all right? If so, congratulations—you’re smart! So well done for that.
