Sunday, November 2
In The NEWS
Judges order Trump administration to continue funding SNAP.
Two federal judges separately ordered the Agriculture Department to use a roughly $5B contingency fund to keep the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program running this month. The program, which helps about one in eight Americans buy groceries, was set to lapse today due to the government shutdown. The rulings allow the administration to decide whether it will tap additional funds to fully cover the program’s roughly $8B monthly cost.
LA Dodgers push World Series into Game 7.
After losing to the Toronto Blue Jays 6-1 Wednesday, the LA Dodgers won 3-1 last night, tying the best-of-seven World Series 3-3. The champion will be determined in Game 7 tonight at 8 pm ET. Toronto, which hasn't won the World Series since 1993, will host at Rogers Centre. LA won the 2024 World Series 4-1 against the New York Yankees.
UN human rights chief orders investigation into US military strikes in Caribbean.
The UN high commissioner for human rights yesterday called for the US military to halt strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific. His spokesperson said he believes the strikes violate international law. This public censure from the UN came after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday announced the 14th strike since September, bringing the death toll to at least 61.
Ohio approves congressional map with two more Republican seats.
Ohio's redistricting commission adopted new US House districts with two additional GOP-leaning districts. The map secured bipartisan support this week after shifting a third in-limbo district in Democrats' favor. The state will maintain 10 Republican-leaning districts and two Democratic-leaning districts. Unlike map revisions in Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina, Ohio's was required by the state constitution. Meanwhile, Virginia's Democratic-led General Assembly advanced a proposed amendment that could enable districts to be redrawn in Democrats' favor.
Researchers design targeted particles to attack ovarian tumors.
Nanoparticles delivering immune-simulating molecules directly to ovarian tumors eliminated metastatic tumors in more than 80% of mice when administered alongside immunotherapy drugs. The combination treatment also trained mice's immune cells to fight new tumor proteins. The advance is significant because ovarian cancer has not historically responded well to immunotherapy drugs alone.
FBI makes arrests on suspicion of plotting Halloween attack.
FBI agents reportedly arrested two teenagers outside Detroit who were allegedly planning a terrorist attack over Halloween weekend. A law enforcement source said the FBI discovered the teens in an online ISIS chat room and others are being questioned in connection with the plot. Authorities did not provide additional information as of this writing but have said there is no current threat.
Getty Images enters partnership with Perplexity AI.
The visual media company inked a multiyear licensing deal with Perplexity AI Friday, enabling the tech startup's AI tools to use Getty's content. Perplexity will include image credits as part of the deal; financial terms were not disclosed. Getty shares surged 19% on the announcement Friday morning, before closing down 6.5%. Earlier this year, Getty dropped a copyright lawsuit against startup Stability AI. Perplexity faces similar suits from Reddit, Dow Jones, and Merriam-Webster, among others.
A Kodachrome Outlook
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I have lived on this earth for almost 8 decades and have experienced many pros and cons about life in general; I have lived through both Democratic and Republican administrations, survived Vietnam and Woodstock, college, grad school, and 45 years of working for ASSHOLE bosses. I was very fit and healthy until age 60, when I contracted Lymphoma, had a heart attack (3 surgeries), four years later contracted Melanoma (2 surgeries) that returned twice, radiation treatments, and three years ago had L2-L3-L4-L5-S1 disks fused due to spinal stenosis.
Half of my hair is gone, the muscular physique that I once had has been replaced by fat and I am fifteen (15) pounds heavier that my desired weight of 195. Most of the weight is due to the steroids I took for over 12 years. I have been eating healthy since 1987, minimal red meat, no alcohol, no cigarettes, no fried food, but fish, chicken, veal, pork chops, vegetables, and beans, with some fruit.
MY GOAL is to live until my 96th birthday and beat my mom's longevity as she died just shy of her 96th birthday. My dad lived until 89.
According to Meyers-Briggs, my personality on numerous occasions has always been INTJ. The second rarest personality type. My horoscope sign is Scorpio. I am a builder of theoretical models and concepts and very few people understand the way I think or why I think that way. This uncertainty has resulted in only a few friends, most of which are dead except for one, a Canadian and we still stay in touch.
Retired since 2015, I now spend my time maintaining two blogs daily and writing novels that I have no desire to publish. Does this mean that I don't think my writing is good enough? Maybe, but it is not what I tell myself. I tell myself that I just enjoy the creativity of writing. Fiction is what I write, scifi, spies, FBI, mysteries, adventure, and human interest. I do a lot of research to make sure my points are authentic and I use CoPilot to test out plot design and other details. So far, I am the only editor of my work.
When think back on my 45-year career (reminiscent of Paul Simon's Kodachrome), it is a wonder I survived. I made a point of kissing no ass to keep my job and I was very careful to demonstrate I could outwork everyone. However, I frequently had to change jobs and in one instance change states from NC to TN.
Lessons Learned:
- Arrive early - leave late
- Everyone can be replaced
- Outperform your peers without cheating
- Learn as much as you can as quick as you can
- Always be looking for another/better job
- Take copious notes, especially at meetings
- Try to make the boss look good not matter how bad that hurts
- Treat subordinates like you want to be treated
- Be fair, honest, and never lie
- Be the glue that holds the team together
Scientists Found an 8,000-Year-Old Figurine
There’s no face on the oldest piece of art—a small sandstone figurine of a human from the Mesolithic era—ever found in one region of modern-day Azerbaijan.
In a study published by Archaeological Research in Asia, a team of archaeologists from both Japan and Azerbaijan showed how they used technology to investigate the details of the stone figurine that helps tell the story of the cultural shifts from Mesolithic to Neolithic.
“Its stylistic features considerably differ from those of Neolithic human figures in the region,” the study authors wrote, “providing a valuable reference point for understanding the cultural processes in symbolic aspects during the Mesolithic-Neolithic interface in the South Caucasus.”
Saturday, November 1
Wonderings 29
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Parents lie to their children about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy.
Ministers withhold information (still a LIE) that the Bible says the universe is only 6,000 years old.
Politicians promise this or that and once elected do not follow through on that promise - this is considered a LIE.
Parents tell their children that the couple is not getting a divorce only to find out a few months later, there is a divorce - another LIE.
Spouses tell each other that their illness is not terminal when in fact it is, and they soon die - another LIE.
A lie is a lie is a lie...
One has not told the truth...
Withholding information is still a lie...
We lie to protect feelings...
YET...
if we tell the truth, we run the risk of really hurting one's feelings and destroying the relationship... therefore, is it better to live without being fully informed of the truth?
So...
one spouse no longer loves the other spouse for whatever reason and there are kids involved - teenagers let's say... we share with the other spouse that the love is gone but there will be no divorce because of the children. Now, the truth has been told but the marriage is living a LIE because it is no longer based upon love as was promised by their vows.
When, if ever, do we tell the children and the longer we postpone, the longer we perpetuate the lie.
Headlines
Jetcityimage/Getty Images
Court orders Trump administration to keep disbursing SNAP benefits. A federal judge in Rhode Island yesterday ruled that the Trump administration must use contingency funds to continue paying out SNAP food assistance ASAP, as regular funding was due to run out today because of the government shutdown. A group of cities and nonprofits sued the federal government after it said it wouldn’t use the rainy day funds to keep SNAP funds flowing, arguing that the program no longer exists since Congress failed to fund it. In a separate case brought by several states, a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled yesterday that the Trump administration’s plan to cease disbursing SNAP benefits was likely unlawful. The program provides food assistance to approximately 42 million lower-income Americans and costs the government around $8 billion per month. The $5 billion in emergency cash is expected to enable at least partial payments in the coming weeks.—SK
The FBI thwarted a “potential terrorist attack” in Michigan targeting “pumpkin day.” In a statement posted to X yesterday, FBI Director Kash Patel said the suspects were “allegedly plotting a violent attack over Halloween weekend.” CBS reported that federal agents conducted operations in the cities of Dearborn and Inkster, MI, and that five individuals between the ages of 16 and 20 were arrested. It also reported that the FBI had been monitoring an online conversation in an ISIS chat room regarding the possibility of a terrorist attack over the weekend, but the plot was not concrete. In his statement, Patel said, “Through swift action and close coordination with our local partners, a potential act of terror was stopped before it could unfold.” Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan, posted on X that Patel had briefed her. She said, “As details continue to develop, I am grateful for the swift action of the FBI and MSP protecting Michiganders.”—HVL
Disney pulls its content from YouTube TV. You might have to go to your grandma’s who still has cable to tune into ESPN, ABC, Nat Geo, or other Disney-owned channels after the House of Mouse pulled its content from the Google-owned paid TV service amid a dispute over carriage fees. YouTube said that Disney was asking for fees that would’ve forced it to jack up the TV subscription price and called their decision to yank its channels a negotiating tactic. If the standoff continues for a prolonged period, YouTube said it would compensate subscribers $20 a month for their lost ability to experience second-hand embarrassment every time the New York Jets play.—SK
At A Glance
Bookkeeping
> 534 feet: Height of Barcelona's Sagrada Familia basilica after the latest part of its central tower was lifted into place this week, making it the world's tallest church.
> $1,007: Average estimated holiday spending among American consumers, similar to $1,014 in 2024.
Browse
> See first-known photo of wild white Iberian lynx.
> Sick of candy? Some trick-or-treaters want potatoes.
> British royal titles, explained.
> Over 450 logos capture over 80 years of space exploration.
Listen
> The woman who can make affairs disappear.
> The strange power inanimate objects hold over us.
Watch
> Why the Martian sky turned from blue to red.
> Does it still make sense to go to university?
> Engineering feats that brought us bagged salad.
Long Read
> We've consumed the slop, now we are the slop.
> Inside Pittsburgh's parallel parking championship.
> A New York City restaurant that doesn't care about profit.
Most Clicked This Week: Dictionary.com names “6-7” the Word of the Year.
Historybook: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling exhibited to public for first time (1512); Earthquake and tsunami in Lisbon kill 60,000-90,000 people (1755); Apple CEO Tim Cook born (1960); Bollywood actress and Miss World 1994 winner Aishwarya Rai Bachchan born (1973); Football great Walter Payton dies (1999).
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Toronto Blue Jays lead Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 with chance to win the World Series in Game 6 tonight at 8 pm ET (More)
> Women's Basketball Hall of Fame announces 2026 class, featuring Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne, and Cheryl Reeve (More) | WNBA 101 (1440 Topics)
> Billboard Hot 100's Top 40 includes no rap songs, a first since 1990 (More) | Universal Music Group settles copyright lawsuit against AI song generation platform Udio, partners with Stability AI to develop music creation tools (More)
Science & Technology
> Google DeepMind AI model helped scientists predict Hurricane Melissa's intensity and sharp turn northeast, enabling earlier warnings for Jamaica, Cuba, and eastern Bahamas (More) | What we've learned about hurricanes (1440 Topics)
> Researchers identify DNA-repairing protein in bowhead whales, providing insight into how the over-176,000-pound mammal can live up to 200 years (More)
> Paleontologists determine tiny tyrannosaur fossils belong to distinct species, not teenage Tyrannosaurus rex, overturning long-held assumptions about dinosaur growth (More) | Explore the best resources we've found on dinosaurs (1440 Topics)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -1.0%, Dow -0.2%, Nasdaq -1.6%) as investors digest latest batch of earnings reports (More)
> Apple posts record $102.5B in Q4 sales due to iPhone 17 demand (More) | Meta shares drop 11%, in worst one-day drop in three years, on higher AI spending (More) | Amazon shares rise 13% in after-hours trading after earnings top estimates (More)
> Federal Reserve to cut banking oversight staff by 30% to roughly 350 people by end of 2026 (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> President Donald Trump ends his Asia tour after agreeing to de-escalate trade tensions with China; Trump agrees to reduce fentanyl-related tariffs, with China delaying rare earth export controls, among other agreements (More)
> The White House caps refugee admissions for fiscal year 2026 at a record low of 7,500 people, and directs the administration to prioritize admissions of white South Africans known as Afrikaners (More)
> French prosecutors arrest five more people in connection with the Louvre jewel heist investigation and say three of four suspected robbers are in custody; no gems have been recovered as of this writing (More)
What we Know or Don't Know
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Here's what we know...
- Bill Gates has changed his mind that Climate Change will destroy the world
- Our Tech Leaders last year told us that AI/Robots taking jobs was five to ten years out
- Married Spouse Lie - both male and female
- Parents Lie to Children
- Ministers Lie to Congregations
- Children Lie to Parents
- Teachers Lie to Students
- Jurors Lie to Courts
- Judges Lie to the Judicial System
- Police Personnel Lie to their Superiors
- Journalists Lie to their Editors
- Writers Lie to their Readers
- Actors Lie to Themselves
- Politicians Lied about Obamacare
- Teenagers Lie to Each Other
- Criminals Lie to their Attorneys
- Attorneys Lie to the Courts
- The FBI Lies to Congress
- Congress Lies to its Constituents
Exploring how dark matter alters electron-capture supernovae and the birth of neutron stars
Electron-capture supernovae (ECSNe) are stellar explosions that occur in stars with initial masses around 8–10 times that of the sun. These stars develop oxygen-neon-magnesium cores, which become unstable when electrons are captured by neon and magnesium nuclei.
The resulting loss of electron pressure triggers core collapse, leading to a supernova explosion and the formation of a neutron star—an extremely dense star composed mostly of neutrons.
Researchers at INFN-Pisa and the University of Pisa recently carried out a study aimed at shedding new light on how a hypothetical type of dark matter, called asymmetric dark matter (ADM), could influence the collapse of the ECSN progenitor cores and the subsequent formation of neutron stars.