WORLD NEWS
Isn’t Iran already involved?
Top US General Warns Iran ‘Not to Get Involved’ in Israel Crisis
The top U.S. general issued a warning to Iran amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Charles Q. Brown on Monday warned Iran “not to get involved” in the Israel-Hamas conflict that erupted over the past weekend.
“We want to send a pretty strong message. We do not want this to broaden, and the idea is for Iran to get that message loud and clear,” Mr. Brown told reporters while in Brussels, coming just days after he assumed the role, according to Reuters.
Hamas, a State Department-designated terrorist organization, launched a series of surprise attacks on Israel on Saturday, leaving hundreds of Israelis dead. The group also confirmed that it had captured a number of Israeli nationals, while its armed wing on Monday threatened to execute those captives if Israel shells areas in Gaza without warning.
Gaza faces ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ as power plant running out of fuel
Gaza’s authorities say ‘all basic life services’ are at risk after Israel’s ‘total siege’ of the Hamas-run enclave.
Gaza’s power authority has said the blockaded enclave’s sole power plant will run out of fuel within hours, leaving the Palestinian territory without electricity after Israel cut off supplies in retaliation to the recent attacks by Hamas, the armed group that runs Gaza.
Palestinian Energy Authority Chairman Thafer Melhem told Voice of Palestine radio on Wednesday that the plant would shut down in the afternoon in Gaza, where about 2.3 million people live in one of the most densely populated areas in the world.
A brain-controlled army?
China Pursues ‘Brain Control’ Weaponry in Bid to Command Future of Warfare
Launching assaults on the battlefield with a mere thought. Enhancing the human brain to create “super warriors.” Disrupting the minds of enemies to make them submit to the controller’s command.
Once believed to only exist in science-fiction movies, the weaponization of the brain has been discussed by Chinese military officials for years. And Beijing is spending billions each year on neuroscience that could draw these scenarios ever closer to reality.
“The study into brain science was born out of a vision for how the future warfare would evolve,” Li Peng, a medical researcher at a subsidiary of China’s state-run Academy of Military Medical Sciences (AMMS), wrote in an article in 2017. Such research, he said, has “an extremely strong military characteristic” and is crucial to securing a “strategic high ground” for every country.
Black Lives Matter Organization Shows Support for Hamas Amid Terror Attack on Israel
Black Lives Matter Grassroots organization showed support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Tuesday as the terrorist group launched the deadliest attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust.
Black Lives Matter Grassroots, which represents 26 local BLM chapters across the country, issued a lengthy statement “in solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
The statement references the violent attacks on Israel as an understandable “desperate act of self-defense.”
“As the world is faced with deep questions about self-determination, as well all desire and pray for a world of peace, we must stand unwaveringly on the side of the oppressed,” the statement read. “When a people have been subject to decades of apartheid and unimaginable violence, their resistance must not be condemned, but understood as a desperate act of self-defense.”
The UK is moving closer to Orwellian times …
Information Compliance — Bill Passed to Demolish Free Speech
Governments and tech giants enact censorship through laws like Canada’s Online News Act, prompting Meta and Google to ban news content.
September 19, 2023, the U.K. passed a new law to censor online content. The Online Safety Bill has been described as “one of the most far-reaching attempts by Western democracy to regulate online speech”.
The bill has been in the works for the last five years, again proving that online censorship is not something that sprang up in response to COVID.
In addition to stricter regulations on pornography and content that promotes suicide and self-harm, “vaccine misinformation” and any other material that may be “harmful to health” is also barred under the bill.
The European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) also recently took effect, and it too requires online companies to actively police their platforms.
September 29, 2023, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) also announced all “online streaming services that offer podcasts” must now register and conform to regulatory controls.
China Declares America the Villain in Hamas Brutality Against Israel
China’s state propaganda outlet, the Global Times, declared America the “enemy of world peace” in its Monday coverage of the ongoing Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, downplaying the jihadists’ responsibility for the mass murder, abduction, torture, and rape of civilians.
Genocidal Hamas terrorists — believed to be funded by China’s ally, Iran — launched an assault on Israeli civilians on Saturday, in which they went door-to-door in residential communities, killing, torturing, and abducting people. In one particularly devastating attack, the terrorists targeted a peace music festival, massacring attendees and desecrating their bodies on camera. As of Tuesday, Israeli authorities believed the jihadists killed more than 1,000 people and injured thousands more.
US neighbor refuses to set up migrant transit centers
Mexico prefers these sites for asylum seekers being in their countries of origin, the country’s president has said
Mexico has rejected the US request to open local processing centers for migrants, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said during his press conference on Tuesday. He noted that the issue will be addressed at a coming summit of Latin American leaders to be held in the Mexican state of Chiapas on October 22.
According to Lopez Obrador, the US opened these sites in certain countries to regulate migration and provide greater security. However, the proposal was declined when Washington asked Mexico to create such centers to issue temporary visas. “We have not accepted it. We want to talk to the presidents first,” the Mexican leader said, referring to the upcoming meeting.
“We don’t want to set up places in our country for them (migrants) to wait to be given temporary (US) visas,” he stressed. “We want this to be where the migration originates, where the migrants come from, so they don’t need to come to Mexico,” the president added.
On October 2, the Mexican president revealed that the number of migrants arriving in his country through the southern border, where Chiapas is situated, had increased to 6,000 per day. Meanwhile, 10,000 migrants per day came to the northern border the previous week. Chiapas borders Guatemala, where a US-funded migrant processing center has already opened.
French troops begin leaving Niger
The first convoy departed Niamey under a local security escort in the direction of Chad, according to the African nation’s new rulers
The withdrawal comes after weeks of tension between Paris and the new rulers who came to power in the former French colony following the July 26 coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. Days after taking the reins, the coup leaders demanded that France withdraw its 1,500 troops from the country and announced the suspension of military cooperation agreements with Paris, citing “external interference.”
Last week, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces announced that Paris would begin withdrawing troops from Niger on the directive of President Emmanuel Macron. Macron, who had previously rejected pressure from the military rulers, referring to them as “illegitimate” authorities, agreed in September to end military cooperation with the African country. He said the French troops would leave Niamey “by the end of the year.”
French troops have also been expelled from Mali and Burkina Faso, both of which are under military rule, in response to widespread dissatisfaction with the decade-long counter-insurgency mission in the Sahel region.
Zimbabwe Turns Gold-Backed Digital Token Into Payment Method
On Oct. 5, the gold-backed digital token under the name Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) officially kicked off as a payment method. The launch was announced by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ).
The first time the RBZ introduced its new project was in April 2023.
The central bank specified that every issued digital token would be backed by a physical amount of gold held in the bank’s reserves. The RBZ started issuing physical gold tokens last year, claiming their successful adoption.
Afghanistan hit by second strong earthquake in days
6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes Herat province days after deadly quakes killed an estimated 1,000 people.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
US playing world cop … again!
First plane carrying US ammo lands in Israel as troops mass near Gaza
Israeli military says 300,000 troops are massing close to the Gaza Strip for possible ground assault on Hamas.
Delta Force and SEAL Team Six deployed to save hostages abducted by Hamas
Special operations forces from the US have been placed on alert in a European country, ready to step in and help Israel rescue the hostages taken by Hamas on Saturday
Taking effect today is a filing in the Federal Register which directs $128-million from the DOD to give to Ukraine. The directive was issued by the Office of the President in a Memorandum for the Secretary of State under § 621 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
View the document here: https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2023-22631.pdf?utm_campaign=pi+subscription+mailing+list&utm_medium=email&utm_source=federalregister.gov
Justice Thomas Speaks Out Alone Against Landmark Supreme Court Ruling
The Supreme Court rejects an appeal from a former GOP presidential candidate.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal from Don Blankenship, a former coal company CEO who ran for president in 2020, after he argued that major news outlets defamed him, while Justice Clarence Thomas argued that a landmark defamation ruling should be revisited.
A lower court ruled against Mr. Blankenship, the former chief executive of Massey Energy, after he served a year in prison on a misdemeanor charge following a West Virginia coal mine explosion that left 29 people dead in 2010. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court’s determination that CNN, Fox News, and 14 other outlets sued by the former CEO did not act with “actual malice” amid coverage of his unsuccessful 2018 U.S. Senate campaign, even if they failed to meet journalistic standards.
The Supreme Court left that ruling intact on Tuesday. Justice Thomas, who agreed with the lower court ruling, called on the high court to overturn the landmark 1964 ruling in the New York Times v. Sullivan.
That ruling established the “actual malice” standard, which found that if a plaintiff in a defamation lawsuit is a public official or a candidate for public office, they have to prove that a statement was made with “actual malice,” which means the defendant knew the statement was not true or had recklessly disregarded whether it might be false or not.
The Supreme Court had previously turned away Mr. Blankenship’s appeal of his misdemeanor conviction in connection to the 2010 mine explosion.
In a comment posted on social media last month, Mr. Blankenship that his “lawsuit seeks to overturn New York Times v. Sullivan, an infamous Court ruling which legalized the defamation of candidates for public office upon the request of current government officials to do so.”
Justice Thomas’s Response
Justice Thomas, an appointee of former President George H.W. Bush, has previously stated that the Supreme Court should overturn the landmark 1964 ruling. He reiterated his stance again on Tuesday, writing a brief opinion that “I continue to adhere to my view that we should reconsider the actual malice standard.”
“The Court usurped control over libel law and imposed its own elevated standard in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan,” he wrote, adding that the court “did not base this ‘actual malice’ rule in the original meaning of the First Amendment. It limited its analysis of the historical record to a loose inference from opposition surrounding the Sedition Act of 1798.”
However, he wrote that while Mr. Blankenship “asks us to revisit New York Times,” he agrees with the Supreme Court’s decision Tuesday “not to take up that question in this case because it appears that Blankenship’s claims are independently subject to an actual-malice standard as a matter of state law.”
A Christian baker sued for refusing to make a gender transition cake is hopeful for a positive ruling in the Colorado Supreme Court.
Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips has scored a victory of sorts in his ongoing lawsuit for refusing to bake a gender transition cake, with the Colorado Supreme Court agreeing to hear his appeal.
Last week, in a win for Mr. Phillips’ years-long legal fight, the Colorado Supreme Court finally agreed to hear his case after a lower court held that Colorado authorities can force the baker to put messages on cakes that violate his personal beliefs, according to a case announcements posting.
Mr. Phillips, who in 2018 won a case before the U.S. Supreme Court in a lawsuit for declining to bake a custom cake for a same-sex wedding, was sued once again in 2019 for refusing to create a cake for a transgender lawyer celebrating a gender transition.
Dozens of witnesses who were interviewed in the federal investigation that led to a four-count indictment against former President Donald Trump for his efforts to stop the peaceful transfer of power withheld information on the basis of assertions of attorney-client privilege, special counsel Jack Smith’s office said in a court filing Tuesday.
Smith’s office is asking U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to require Trump’s team to disclose by December whether he plans to argue at trial that he relied on the advice of counsel after his 2020 election loss. While many lawyers in Trump’s orbit have said they told him that mass election fraud claims were unfounded and that he couldn’t overturn the election results, Trump chose to rely upon a fringe group of lawyers that former Attorney General William Barr referred to as a “clown car.”
Since his indictment, Trump and his team have “repeatedly and publicly announced that he intends to assert the advice of counsel as a central component of his defense at trial,” Smith’s team wrote.
If Trump plans to invoke the defense, Smith’s team argued, prosecutors should gain access to additional communications between him and his lawyer.
If Trump invokes attorney-client privilege, Smith’s office said, he would also be required to waive “attorney-client privilege for all communications concerning that defense,” and federal prosecutors would be “entitled to additional discovery and may conduct further investigation, both of which may require further litigation and briefing.”
ANALYSIS: RFK Jr.’s Run as Independent Shakes Up Presumed Trump-Biden Rematch
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s switch from Democrat to independent has transformed him into a more potent wildcard in the 2024 presidential race.
As the son of a former U.S. senator and the nephew of a former U.S. president, Mr. Kennedy inherited name recognition and political clout, both of which can influence voters.
Now, after announcing his candidacy as an independent on Oct. 9, he is poised to become the strongest independent presidential candidate in decades. Although businessman Ross Perot lost both of his independent presidential bids to Democrat Bill Clinton, he drew 19 percent of the popular vote in 1992 and 8 percent in 1996, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
Like Mr. Perot, Mr. Kennedy is considered a long shot to win the presidency; it seems more likely that he could play spoiler in the next presidential election.
Rep. Santos faces new charges he stole donor IDs, made unauthorized charges to their credit cards
U.S. Rep. George Santos stole the identities of donors to his campaign and then used their credit cards to ring up tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges, according to a new indictment filed Tuesday.
He then wired some of the money to his own personal bank account, prosecutors said, while using the rest to inflate his campaign coffers.
The 23-count indictment replaces one filed in May against the New York Republican charging him with embezzling money from his campaign and lying to Congress about his wealth, among other offenses.
Republicans face crucial vote in House speaker race that could shape Israel aid, government funding
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan will make their case to Republican lawmakers Tuesday evening as the party struggles to coalesce around a candidate for speaker of the House of Representatives.
“This is a dangerous world right now,” Scalise said after leaving a Republican conference meeting Monday evening. “The House needs to get back to work. That means we’ve got to elect a speaker and we saw strong resolve to make sure we can come together quickly.”
Scalise and Jordan will address the House GOP during a candidate forum at 5 p.m. this evening. Republican lawmakers will hold a vote Wednesday morning to select a candidate for speaker, which will then face a full floor vote.
It is unclear whether Scalise or Jordan can secure the 217 votes needed to win the speakership on the House floor. Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California faced a grueling 15 ballots before he was elected speaker in January
Republican Kari Lake Announces Run for Arizona Senate Seat
Former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake announced her bid for the Arizona Senate on Tuesday with the aim of ousting Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ).
What else did you expect?
Democrat Rashida Tlaib Displays Palestinian Flag Outside Congressional Office
Radical Democrat Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) continued to display a Palestinian flag outside of her congressional office, Breitbart News confirmed Tuesday.
The radical Democrat refused to remove the flag after Palestinian Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Saturday, killing more than 1,000 Israelis and leaving 2,500 wounded. Legal scholar Eugene Kontorovich called it the “worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.”
… and Joe refuses to budge …
Pressure Builds on Biden to Freeze $6 Billion in Iranian Cash as Democrat Senators Join Push
Pressure has been building against the Biden administration from Democrats with calls to freeze the $6 billion that will be released to Iran for a prisoner exchange.
Moderate Democrats Sens. Jon Tester (MT) and Joe Manchin (WV) both said on Tuesday that the funds need to be frozen in the wake of the horrific terrorist attack on Israel at the hands of Hamas, which has been partially linked to the government of Iran.
Potential terrorists from Syria reach remote Arizona border crossing
Syria has been designated by the U.S. government as a state sponsor of terrorism for decades already.
It supports terror. And provides them weapons.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is present there and active in the country.
Now dozens, even hundreds, of illegal aliens from Syria are finding their way to a remote border crossing point in Arizona where they enter the U.S., without permission.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
IMF issues worse new global inflation forecast
Consumer prices across the world are expected to rise by 5.8% next year
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has issued an upward revision of its forecasts for global inflation to 6.9% this year and 5.8% in 2024, marking an increase of 0.1% and 0.6%, respectively, versus the projections made by the Washington-based institution three months ago.
On the other hand, global inflation is expected to steadily decrease from 8.7% in 2022 to 6.9% this year.
In its latest World Economic Outlook (WEO), the IMF left its forecast for global real GDP growth in 2023 unchanged at 3.0% but slashed the projection for 2024 by 0.1% to 2.9% compared to the prognosis made in July.
“The global economy is limping along, not sprinting,” the fund said in its report, citing a slower-than-expected recovery from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and Ukraine-related crisis.
47% Of CEOs Believe AI Could, And Should, Replace Them
Why? Because they anticipate that AI could rekindle the need for traditional leadership for those who remain.
“Success in the CEO role hinges on effective leadership, and AI can liberate time for this crucial aspect of their role,” Andy Morgan, Head of edX for Business comments on the findings.
“CEOs understand that time saved on routine tasks can stimulate innovation, nurture creativity, and facilitate essential upskilling for their teams, fostering both individual and organizational success,” he adds.
Faced with tight schedules and increased pressure to run companies as lean as possible, Morgan suspects that CEOs are already handing over routine tasks to the likes of Bard, ChatGPT, and Bing to make more time for top-level decision-making.
What’s more, experts have previously told Fortune that it may not be long before AI can take on more complex responsibilities from CEOs, like negotiating contracts with suppliers and customers, evaluating employees, and allocating their company’s capital.
Writers Guild Ratifies New Contract With Hollywood Studios, Addressing AI and Payment Terms
has announced a new three-year agreement with prominent Hollywood studios, which has come after a 148-day work strike by the TV and movie writers.
In a statement, the writers union said that the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) and Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) have overwhelmingly ratified a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The agreement spans from Sept. 25 through May 1, 2026.
Much like the human versus technology storyline in “The Terminator” movie franchise, Hollywood’s real-life saga mirrors the struggle against advancing technology, with writers advocating for protection in their contract against artificial intelligence, and increased residual payments for their work on streaming platforms.
General Motors reaches deal with Canadian autoworkers hours after union initiates strikes
General Motors has reached a tentative agreement for nearly 4,300 Canadian autoworkers after the union representing those workers called a national strike early Tuesday.
Canadian union Unifor said Tuesday afternoon the “strike actions are on hold to allow the membership to vote on the tentative agreement.” A majority of workers must vote in support of the pact for ratification.
Unifor initiated a national strike after the sides failed to reach a deal by an 11:59 p.m. Monday deadline. The strike briefly affected an assembly plant that produces light- and heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado trucks; production of some V6 and V8 engines used in a variety of vehicles such as the Chevrolet Equinox and GM’s full-size SUVs; a stamping facility; and a parts distribution center.
“When faced with the shutdown of these key facilities General Motors had no choice but to get serious at the table and agree to the pattern,” Unifor President Lana Payne said in a release.
HEALTH
Money in Cannabis Industry Is Overshadowing Mental Damage to Kids: Expert
‘We have a lot of data … showing a 4-fold increase in psychosis … and an almost 3 to 4 times lower performance in memory and processing speed’
This year, the American Heart Association surveyed more than 2,500 teens and found that 70 percent of THC vapers reported experiencing anxiety symptoms such as worrying, flashbacks, panic attacks, and anxiety over the previous week. That compared to 40 percent of those who had never vaped. A Columbia University study also found that teens using cannabis recreationally are two to four times as likely to develop psychiatric disorders, including depression and suicidality, compared to teens who don’t use cannabis. So, with all this incredibly daunting information in front of us, why is the United States so gung-ho about making cannabis legal in all states?
“Follow the money. That’s why we haven’t learned anything. There are a lot of powerful interests who think they can make money from us,” Boston University professor of health law, policy and management Dr. David Jernigan said to The Epoch Times. “There’s a constellation of reasons, but one is that there’s a lot of money involved, and that money is speaking louder than anyone else.”
California becomes first US state to ban 4 potentially harmful chemicals in food
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a landmark law aimed at banning red dye No. 3 and other potentially harmful food additives in consumer goods.
On Saturday, the Golden State became the first in the country to forbid the use of the ingredients found in many popular candies, drinks and more, according to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental health organization that cosponsored the law with Consumer Reports.
Also known as the California Food Safety Act, Assembly Bill 418 — introduced by Assemblymembers Jesse Gabriel and Buffy Wicks in February — prohibits the manufacture, sale or distribution of food products in California containing red dye No. 3, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil or propylparaben.
Parental rights in California have been under attack for years. Now, the battle has intensified as the state’s legislature has passed a slew of laws targeting children. The latest example is Assembly Bill 665, which Gov. Gavin Newsom just signed into law.
The measure amends Section 6924 of the Family Code and grants minors 12 years of age or older the ability to consent to mental health treatment or counseling services without the knowledge or consent of their parents.
Chia seeds – Teeny tiny but loaded with health benefits
Chia is a type of seed that come from the Mexican desert plant called Salvia hispanica. “Chia” actually means strength. The ancient Mayan and Aztec cultures ate these seeds for energy because they contain carbohydrates, protein, calcium, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids. A single ounce, which is about 2 tablespoons, contains 12 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of protein, 9 grams of fat, as well as other vitamins and minerals that can be absorbed by the body.
Most people consume chia seeds with other foods or in beverages. They have a mild, nutty taste. When mixed with water, they make a gel. Popular uses include on top of yogurt or cereal, with vegetables, in baked goods, or with rice.
The most appealing benefit of chia seeds is the claim that they aid with weight loss. These seeds are supposed to expand the belly upon consumption, which in turn makes a person fuller, meaning they will eat let, and thus weight loss will result. The evidence validating this is limited. Therefore, realistically, it is not the miracle weight loss aid. However, the USDA does claim that chia seeds contain no cholesterol, are a good source of energy, protein, fat, carbohydrates, and fiber. They also contain vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, vitamin E, vitamin A, sodium, and zinc. They also contain the following antioxidants which help fight free radicals in the body: flavanol glycosides, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, kaempferol, quercetin, myricetin, and linolenic acid. Chia seeds have also been linked to raising good HDL levels and are a heart healthy food containing omega-3 fatty acids which help lower bad LDL cholesterol levels. They contain more than salmon or flax seeds. These seeds also contain fiber which help with the digestive system. Once the seeds enter the stomach, they become a gel that acts like a probiotic. Chia seeds can also help lower blood sugar levels which is great news for diabetics. The carbohydrates in these seeds are slowly released so they do not cause an insulin spike.
The list of benefits continues. Chia seeds contain more calcium than skimmed milk and boron which helps metabolize calcium. This is important for bone health and can even help your teeth. Chia seeds are known for their energy boosting power, which many athletes utilize for performance improvement. These seeds also contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which helps reduce inflammation in the joints and arteries. Chia seeds also are great for pregnant women because they aid in the baby’s brain development.
Healing with herbal teas – a nutritionist’s guide
Herbal teas are known for their soothing and comforting qualities, as well as their potential healing properties. Nutritional Therapist Cara Shaw shares her guide to healing with herbal tea
Herbal teas have been used for centuries for their potential healing properties and therapeutic benefits.
They can be an important part of a holistic approach to health and wellbeing and the benefits they offer are dependent on the specific phytonutrients within the blend.
Many herbal teas are known for their soothing and comforting qualities, providing digestive relief from bloating, or indigestion.
An additional bonus is that many can also be used to help reduce stress and anxiety; and promote relaxation and deep sleep.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Adobe Firefly can now generate more realistic images
At MAX, its annual conference for creatives, Adobe today announced that it has updated the models that power Firefly, its generative AI image creation service. According to Adobe, the Firefly Image 2 Model, as it’s officially called, will be better at rendering humans, for example, including facial features, skin, body and hands (which have long vexed similar models).
Adobe also today announced that Firefly’s users have now generated three billion images since the service launched about half a year ago, with one billion generated last month alone. The vast majority of Firefly users (90%) are also net-new to Adobe’s products. The majority of these users surely use the Firefly web app, which helps explain why a few weeks ago, the company decided to turn what was essentially a demo site for Firefly into a full-fledged Creative Cloud service.
Utah sues TikTok, alleging it lures children into addictive and destructive social media habits
Utah became the latest state Tuesday to file a lawsuit against TikTok, alleging the company is “baiting” children into addictive and unhealthy social media habits.
TikTok lures children into hours of social media use, misrepresents the app’s safety and deceptively portrays itself as independent of its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, Utah claims in the lawsuit.
“We will not stand by while these companies fail to take adequate, meaningful action to protect our children. We will prevail in holding social media companies accountable by any means necessary,” Republican Gov. Spencer Cox said at a news conference announcing the lawsuit, which was filed in state court in Salt Lake City.
Vice: Tech Giants Don’t Seem to Care About the Twisted Content Their Psycho AI Tools Generate
Vice News reports that the field of generative AI and popular tools like ChatGPT and DALL-E are being scrutinized as instances of misuse and ethical dilemmas become more apparent. In short, tech companies are creating AI chaos often aimed at kids, and none of them seem particularly concerned about the fallout.
Vice News reports that generative AI has emerged as a powerful tool, enabling users to create a myriad of content, ranging from the whimsical to the downright offensive. Tech giants, including ChatGPT developer OpenAI, Microsoft and Facebook (now known as Meta), have been ardently pushing forward with AI-generated content, unveiling chatbots and image-generating tools that have been hailed as the future of content creation.
Elon Musk’s Neuralink Implant ‘Ruptured’ a Monkey’s Brain – but He Says Its Ready for Humans
A recent investigation has unveiled a harrowing incident involving the results of Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain implant trial on macaque monkeys, sparking a debate about if the technology is ready for human trials. In one gruesome incident, the implant caused a monkeys brain to “rupture,” leading to its untimely death.
Wired reports that an implant trial conducted by Elon Musk’s Neuralink at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) at UC Davis has come under scrutiny for causing severe cerebral swelling and subsequent brain rupture in a female macaque monkey. The seven-year-old primate experienced “severe neurological defects” and endured a notably painful 24 hours, during which it “seized and vomited, lost control of her right leg, and shook uncontrollably,” before being euthanized to end its suffering. A postmortem examination revealed that adhesive leakage from the implant had inflamed a part of the brain that secretes cerebrospinal fluid, causing such severe effects that the rear of the monkey’s brain protruded from its skull.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Exxon Mobil agrees to buy Pioneer Natural Resources for nearly $60 billion in all-stock merger
NOTE: Pioneer Natural Resources Company is an American company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration headquartered in Irving, Texas. It operates in the Cline Shale, which is part of the Spraberry Trend of the Permian Basin, where the company is the largest acreage holder. The company is ranked 248th on the Fortune 500.
Exxon Mobil said Wednesday it agreed to buy shale rival Pioneer Natural Resources for $59.5 billion in an all-stock deal, or $253 per share. As part of the agreement, Pioneer shareholders will receive 2.3234 shares of Exxon for every Pioneer share they own. The deal, Exxon’s biggest since the late 1990s, is expected to close in the first half of 2024, the companies said in a release. Pioneer shares were up around 1% in the premarket, while Exxon lost 1.5%.
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
Deadly bird flu detected in US commercial poultry flocks in Utah, South Dakota
The U.S. Department of Agriculture detected traces of highly pathogenic bird flu in commercial poultry flocks in South Dakota and Utah on Friday, raising concerns about possible future outbreaks across the country.
So far, virus detections in 328 commercial flocks and 516 backyard flocks in the U.S. have affected 58.97 million birds nationwide. Backyard flocks are residences that keep 1,000 or fewer birds, whereas commercial flocks exceed that amount, according to the USDA.
On Oct. 4, officials in South Dakota confirmed the presence of bird flu among a commercial turkey flock in Jerauld County. More than 47,000 poultry were believed to be affected by the outbreak and will have to be culled. Infected flocks are killed to prevent the spread of the virus.
Building Your Own Home Apothecary
We now know that we have a personal responsibility to take care of ourselves and our loved ones. The good news is that it is not as complicated as it seems.
With a handful of herbs, and a few supplements, you can address mild illnesses at home. We share 20 must-have herbs, plus finding space, herbalism tools, and where to source your herbs.
Herbs can help support the body’s natural immune function, address a headache, tackle seasonal mood disorder, calm an upset belly, ease mild depression and anxiety, tame itchy skin, and more.
Herbs are effective, and have been used since the beginning of time. Some are easy to grow or forage, others are inexpensive to buy. There is a certain satisfaction that comes from seeing your beautiful jars of herbs lining your home apothecary shelves!
COVID RELATED NEWS
COVID Increases Risk for Immune Disorders
In rare cases, some patients may develop an autoimmune disease following a bout of COVID, Korean researchers report.
Conditions such as alopecia (hair loss), psoriasis, vitiligo (white skin patches), vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels), Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, adult-onset Still’s disease (painful skin rash), Sjogren’s syndrome (autoimmune disease), ankylosing spondylitis (spinal arthritis) and sarcoidosis (enlarged lymph nodes) can all be triggered by COVID-19 infection, according to the new report.
COVID-19 patients faced 12% to 74% higher odds for various types of alopecia, a tripled risk for vasculitis, 68% higher odds for Crohn’s and 59% higher odds for sarcoidosis, the study found.
PET NEWS
Popular Pet Dental Products Can Contain Tumor-Causing Agents
The FDA still permits the use of harmful chemicals in these pet products because they’re used in low doses. But pets are often fed these day in and day out for months, years, or a lifetime and the chemicals can build up in their bodies. Three popular products and 6 ingredients to avoid.
GOOD NEWS
‘LA Ink’ Tattoo Artist, Makeup Mogul Kat Von D Baptized After Tossing Books on Witchcraft, Magic
Kat Von D was many things: A tattoo artist on TLC’s “LA Ink” A fashion mogul with her own makeup line. A Californian who struck against the grain with her pagan, artistic expressions. How things have changed.
The latest shows her being baptized a Christian in an unnamed church in Indiana in a video posted on her Instagram on Tuesday, Oct. 3.
As inked-up friends of the artist are seen in attendance, Ms. Von D sings before the ceremony, and then a pastor is heard: “I baptize you, my sister, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” He dips her head and white-robed body—tattoos fully concealed—into the pool. She rises and immediately they embrace.
The dramatic metamorphosis isn’t her first, but the latest in a series of moral moltings for Ms. Von D in recent years, taking her in a less pagan direction and toward a more traditional one. Her Hispanic parents were Seventh-day Adventist Christians.
In July 2022, Ms. Von D said she was tossing all her books about witchcraft and the macabre away, captioning:
I don’t know if any of you have been going through changes in your lives right now, but in the last few years I’ve come to some pretty meaningful realizations—many of them revolving around the fact that I got a lot of things wrong in my past.
Today, I went through my entire library, and threw out books that just don’t align with who I am and who I want to be.
I’ve always found beauty in the macabre, but at this point, I just had to ask myself what is my relationship with this content? And the truth is, I just don’t want to invite any of these things into our family’s lives, even if it comes disguised in beautiful covers, collecting dust on my shelves.
Autistic Teen in Georgia Finds Passion Baking Cheesecakes—Turns It Into Sweetly Successful Business
A week in the life of Jack Leach includes dribbling basketballs at school, cooking salted caramel in the kitchen, and selling cheesecakes from Jack’s Cheesecakes concession trailer.
Jack doesn’t say much. But his accomplishments speak for themselves: He can shoot hoops better than most of his classmates at Oconee County High, where he’s a senior; he won The Taste of Oconee County baking contest for “Best Dessert” four years in a row; Jack also won two gold medals at the Special Olympics in his home state of Georgia.
These days, as dad Brent Leach, 51, crumbles graham crackers at home, as he prepares fruit sauces, Oreo crumble, and melted butter, awaiting Jack’s return from school, both father and son have found their life’s work in Jack’s Cheesecakes business.
But Jack, now 19, didn’t find his sweet spot right away.
“He just wasn’t talking when other kids were starting to talk,” Mr. Leach told the Epoch Times, speaking of Jack’s childhood, adding that Jack’s hearing tests checked out all right. “I don’t know if they really diagnosed him for autism. But the spectrum is so big.”
At age 5, Jack was diagnosed with apraxia—a type of communication disorder.
“It was a little bit upsetting at first, but he became very sociable,” Mr. Leach said. “He started excelling.”
Mr. Leach’s mom—Jack’s grandma—helped Jack make his first cheesecake as a teenager, before he made his first one solo around age 14. Then his mom, Bari, bought him his first set of cheesecake pans.
Jack started making cheesecakes almost every evening at his home in Watkinsville, and they began donating them to his school. Pretty soon, he was selling his delicious baked goods to teachers on a coffee cart to raise money for disabled students; occasionally, staff would miss the cart, and so they started calling him for cheesecakes.
“So, we set up a little online Facebook business for him,” Mr. Leach said.
Before the family knew it, Jack’s Cheesecakes was born.
Now, with 10 selling locations across Georgia, Jack’s Cheesecakes has grown by leaps and bounds since it first opened five years ago. “We ended up getting so busy that I had to quit my job and work full-time with Jack,” said Mr. Leach, who had worked for Comcast and also in the restaurant industry. The demand for Jack’s cheesecakes grew so high, they had to hire his mom, and it became a three-man operation.
“We have four restaurants that sell [Jack’s] cheesecakes by the slice,” Mr. Leach said. “We’ve got two locations that sell our stuff around the Clearwater, Florida, area where I used to live.”
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