MY WRITING JOURNAL
Wednesday, November 6
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> MLB Gold Glove winners announced for best fielders, including 14 first-time winners (More) | MLB free agency begins; see ranking of potential landing spots for top 50 available players (More)
> Sean “Diddy” Combs seeks gag order from federal judge to prevent witnesses from speaking publicly about testimony prior to his sex-trafficking criminal case (More)
> New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen fired after 2-7 start to NFL season (More) | 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs underway; see latest schedule and bracket (More)
Science & Technology
> Meta's plans to build a nuclear power plant to power AI blocked by discovery of rare bee species on location; broader effort follows other companies' push to use nuclear energy to support data centers (More)
> Researchers discover 16 different types of nerve cells involved in the sense of touch; findings shed light on the evolution of human sensory tools and how quickly the body can respond to external pain (More)
> Physicist develops equations to describe the motion of house cats; motivation reportedly to both model general behavior while making basic science accessible to nonexperts (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.3%, Dow -0.6%, Nasdaq -0.3%) as investors brace for outcome of 2024 presidential election and the Federal Reserve's policy decision this week (More)
> Palantir shares rise nearly 14% in after-hours trading after data analytics software giant posts better-than-expected revenue and earnings; company reports Q3 sales were up 30% year-over-year (More)
> China plans to sue the European Union in filing to World Trade Organization, alleging the EU improperly placed tariffs on new Chinese-made electric vehicles (More) | See EU-China trade data (More, w/graphics)
Politics & World Affairs
> US Supreme Court agrees to hear Louisiana redistricting dispute that could determine whether the state can keep its congressional map featuring two mostly Black districts (More) | Pennsylvania judge allows Elon Musk's political action committee to continue $1M giveaways to voters registered in swing states (More)
> At least 10 people killed after Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupts in eastern Indonesia; officials warn of greater risks of earthquakes in coming days (More)
> Tropical Storm Rafael forms in the Caribbean, expected to strengthen into a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico today and reach Cuba tomorrow (More)
B R I C S
BRICS is an organization comprised of BRAZIL, RUSSIA, INDIA, CHINA, SOUTH AFRICA, EGYPT. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, ETHIOPIA, and IRAN.
The purpose of BRICS is to perform whatever economic activities they need to perform in order to replace the US dollar with the Chinese YUAN as the international currency of trade.
These countries are REFUSING to use the US dollar when engaging in any commerce deal with themselves or other countries.
It is highly doubtful that their initiative will change anything, but it is still causing concerns for the USA on the global marketplace, especially when the USA experiences unusually slow economic growth.
There are also huge concerns should the USA default on paying the interest accrued on their national debt...
Coupled with the fact that should the USA need to borrow more money and cannot find any lenders, then should they print and put more money into circulation that it will devalue to dollar even more.
A devalued US dollar not only hurts trade but causes US goods and services to be more expensive.
China's Mach 4 Passenger Jet
Two decades after the iconic Concorde was retired, a Chinese aircraft designed to travel twice as fast as the Anglo-French plane has successfully completed its test flight.
The Beijing-based company Space Transportation announced on October 27 that its Yunxing prototype, capable of reaching speeds of Mach 4—twice the speed of the Anglo-French Concorde—completed a successful test flight on October 26, according to Chinese media.
The company said that Yunxing’s advanced aerospace design is tailored for high-speed, efficient travel. Designed for vertical take-off and landing, the jet aims to reach altitudes exceeding 20,000 meters (65,600 feet). READ MORE...
Tuesday, November 5
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Abdi Nageeye becomes first runner from the Netherlands to win men's New York City Marathon; Kenya's Sheila Chepkirui wins women's title (More)
> UK prosecutors investigating comedian Russell Brand on possible sexual assault charges (More) | "Venom: The Last Dance" hauls in $317M at global box office (More)
> Alan Rachins, Emmy-nominated actor known for starring role on "LA Law," dies at age 82 (More) | "Dawson's Creek" star James Van Der Beek reveals colorectal cancer diagnosis (More)
Science & Technology
> Researchers develop technique similar to large language models—the approach used to train chatbots like ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude—to teach robots new skills (More)
> Utah's Pando tree is between 16,000 and 80,000 years old, making it one of the oldest organisms on Earth, genetic analysis shows (More) | The single plant consists of nearly 50,000 tree-like stems spread across 106 acres (More)
> Chemists make molecules previously thought to be too unstable to exist; chemicals feature a double carbon bond in a location that breaks a century-old rule, may lead to development of new drug compounds (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher Friday (S&P 500 +0.4%, Dow +0.7%, Nasdaq +0.8%) (More) | Nvidia to replace rival chipmaker Intel in Dow Jones Industrial Average Nov. 8; paint maker Sherwin-Williams to replace chemicals company Dow Inc. (More)
> Striking Boeing workers to vote on latest contract today to potentially end seven-week strike; latest offer from Boeing includes increasing wages 38% over four years (More) | TGI Fridays files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; the fast-casual restaurant chain's locations will remain open amid restructuring (More) | 1440 Business & Finance: This week we'll take a deep dive into how bankruptcy works (Sign up here)
> IRS raises limits for 401(k) and other retirement plans, increases catch-up contributions for 60- to 63-year-olds in 2025 (More) | Learn about 401(k) plans (More, w/video)
Politics & World Affairs
> Israeli forces capture senior Hezbollah naval leader (More) | Israel says it carried out ground raid into Syria in recent months, seized a Syrian citizen who they believe is tied to Iranian network targeting Israel (More) | See Middle East updates (More)
> UK Conservative Party elects Kemi Badenoch as its leader; Badenoch becomes the first Black woman to head Britain's oldest party (More)
> At least 200 Bolivian soldiers reportedly taken hostage by armed supporters of Bolivia's former President Evo Morales amid ongoing abuse investigations into Morales (More)
Election Day
If you are anything like me, I am frigging sick and tired of all the election commercials with which we have been inundated.
I am not a Democrat.
I am not a Republican.
I vote for whomever I think will be best for the country.
My vote is PRIVATE.
Personally,
I am not happy with the way this current administration has managed the country for the last four years.
I ask myself, could I have done any better.
I doubt it, but I am not a politician.
I DETEST/DISLIKE THE FOLLOWING:
- High taxes
- Inflation
- Illegal Immigration
- WOKE Policies and tactics
- Liberal news outlets
- A weak military
- My property tax has doubled
- My city tax has doubled
- My income tax has doubled
- Gasoline is higher
- Food prices are higher
- Democrats like social programs
- Democrats like spending money
- Democrats like higher taxes
- Democrats want green energy
- Democrats want to do away with gasoline
Why Roman Concrete Lasts
The ancient Romans were masters of building and engineering, perhaps most famously represented by the aqueducts. And those still functional marvels rely on a unique construction material: pozzolanic concrete, a spectacularly durable concrete that gave Roman structures their incredible strength.
Even today, one of their structures – the Pantheon, still intact and nearly 2,000 years old – holds the record for the world's largest dome of unreinforced concrete.
The properties of this concrete have generally been attributed to its ingredients: pozzolana, a mix of volcanic ash – named after the Italian city of Pozzuoli, where a significant deposit of it can be found – and lime. When mixed with water, the two materials can react to produce strong concrete. READ MORE...