Despite being associated with a famous wrestler, a Vin Diesel movie and hardcore pornography, the sign-off ‘xxx’ at the end of a message is ubiquitously and unambiguously used to symbolize a wholesome trio of kisses. In Spanish, however, the letter X is shorthand for ‘por’, meaning ‘for’ or ‘by’, so the link between this versatile character and kissing is clearly not inherent.Like many cultural oddities, the origins of the use of X’s as kisses are difficult to pin down. According to Dr Laura Wright from the Faculty of English at Cambridge University, the tradition may have something to do with the fact that the Greek letter X is pronounced ‘ks’, which obviously sounds a lot like ‘kiss’.Yet other researchers favor a different explanation, also beginning with the Greek alphabet. Supposedly, because the Greek word for Christ - Χριστς - begins with an X, the letter itself was previously used to symbolize the Christian faith - hence the continued use of ‘Xmas’ as shorthand for Christmas.In the Middle Ages, when many people were illiterate, the letter X was often used in lieu of a signature on messages and official documents, signifying a person’s devotion to Christianity. Supposedly, it was also popular to physically kiss the mark once it was made, out of love and loyalty to one’s religion.Sealing a message (signed X) with a kiss thus became common, cementing the connection between the letter and physical displays of affection. Over time, as the religious connotation faded, the character came to exclusively represent kissing, although exactly when this transition occurred is the subject of debate.The Oxford English Dictionary, for instance, attributes the first known use of X’s as kisses to a 1763 letter penned by British naturalist Gilbert White, who signed off: “I am, with many a xxxxxxx and many a Pater noster and Ave Maria, Gil White.”However, given the religious language accompanying the outrageous seven kisses, some scholars have argued that White’s x’s are more likely to have represented holy blessings than smooches.It’s therefore pretty difficult to say who first ended a communication with kisses, although it seems the slang had become well and truly established by the time Winston Churchill wrote a letter to his mom in 1894, ending with: “Please excuse bad writing as I am in an awful hurry. (Many kisses.) xxx WSC.”

Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart had nothing but effusive praise for President Joe Biden on Friday’s PBS News Hour as he marveled at the prisoner swap with Russia being, “not bad for an 82-year-old man everyone said had cognitive decline and were questioning his mental acuity.” Host Geoff Bennett set the table, “Well, as we end our conversation, I want to talk about the fact that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan were among those two dozen detainees released as part of the biggest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West since the Cold War. Lasting takeaways. President Biden said it was a feat of diplomacy.”     Capehart oozed, “Yeah, not bad for an 82-year-old man everyone said had cognitive decline and were questioning his mental acuity. When you read what… happened in the Wall Street Journal, that man was all over it.” He added, “This was a huge diplomatic feat, but this was also a huge victory for the United States and for the American people. To bring those Americans home is something that should be universally celebrated.” Bennett also sought to get in on the praise, “And the detail that he was on the phone with his Slovenian counterpart basically coordinating this deal just an hour before he announced that he wouldn't seek reelection, I mean, how does that strike you?” Capehart wasn’t done gushing, “Well, that example is something that, you know, when, I have interviewed the president twice, and in both interviews, I came away with one really distinct impression. He loves that job. And the fact that he's got all of this stuff going on, but he is on the phone trying to make a deal, that's why he wants to be president. That's why he loves the job. It's about getting something done.” Johnson then turned to David Brooks fill-in, Washington Free Beacon editor-in-chief, Eliana Johnson. Johnson was more subdued, “It's wonderful that they're home. However, we need to stop doing deals where we trade terrorists and assassins for reporters and dissidents.” She added, “And what dictator wouldn't take more hostages to make that deal? And in order to do that, we need to impose serious consequences on the hostage-taking nations. And that is not something I have seen from the Biden administration. If we continue to do deals like this, we will find more Americans behind bars, unjustly detained in despotic nations.” Earlier, Johnson also confused Capehart by arguing that if it wasn’t for Sarah Palin, John McCain would’ve done even worse in 2008. Perhaps, she could replace Brooks full time. Here is a transcript for the August 2 show: PBS News Hour 8/2/2024 7:35 PM ET GEOFF BENNETT:  Well, as we end our conversation, I want to talk about the fact that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan were among those two dozen detainees released as part of the biggest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West since the Cold War. Lasting takeaways. President Biden said it was a feat of diplomacy. JONATHAN CAPEHART: Yeah, not bad for an 82-year-old man everyone said had cognitive decline and were questioning his mental acuity. When you read what was that — the ticktock of what happened in the Wall Street Journal, that man was all over it. This was a huge diplomatic feat, but this was also a huge victory for the United States and for the American people. To bring those Americans home is something that should be universally celebrated. BENNETT: And the detail that he was on the phone with his Slovenian counterpart basically coordinating this deal just an hour before he announced that he wouldn't seek reelection, I mean, how does that strike you? CAPEHART: Well, that example is something that, you know, when, I have interviewed the president twice, and in both interviews, I came away with one really distinct impression. He loves that job. And the fact that he's got all of this stuff going on, but he is on the phone trying to make a deal, that's why he wants to be president. That's why he loves the job. It's about getting something done. And the fact that he's got all of this stuff going on, but he is on the phone trying to make a deal, that's why he wants to be president. That's why he loves the job. It's about getting something done. BENNETT: Eliana? ELIANA JOHNSON: It's wonderful that they're home. However, we need to stop doing deals where we trade terrorists and assassins for reporters and dissidents. And what dictator wouldn't take more hostages to make that deal? And in order to do that, we need to impose serious consequences on the hostage-taking nations. And that is not something I have seen from the Biden administration. If we continue to do deals like this, we will find more Americans behind bars, unjustly detained in despotic nations. 

Between Minecraft, Roblox, Dreams, and Gmod there are plenty of creative ways to make your own games. You can learn the basics and be off to the races, sharing animations, game modes, and unique experiences with absolutely anyone. For those games, though, the act of creation is almost entirely locked into their own ecosystem, so Sandbox wants to change that. A spiritual successor to Gmod from Facepunch Studios, the team just made Sandbox open to all for the first time. It was so popular that it broke. Continue reading Gmod successor Sandbox is so popular it broke when made public MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Free Steam games, Best sandbox games, Best old games

It’s a great time to be a fan of big robots and mechs alike. Elden Ring creator FromSoftware proved that there’s still plenty of life in the genre with Armored Core 6, and now another of the biggest names in the business is set to make a comeback soon with Mechwarrior 5: Clans. As if that weren’t enough evidence, the Mecha Break playtest, which has just launched in a limited form on Steam, shows just how much potential interest there is in the upcoming game from Amazing Seasun. Continue reading Mecha Break is already flying on Steam as multiplayer playtest begins MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best multiplayer games , Best co-op games, Best upcoming PC games

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