The pace of U.S. inflation eased from 2.5 percent in August to 2.4 percent in September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
ECONOMIC UPDATE – MARKET OVERVIEW
October Surprise? Take a look at the facts. October did not start off great for U.S. equities, however, the markets recovered with the S&P 500 hitting new highs.
THERE IS NO MARKET
Incredible, truly this is… The gap between any resemblance of reality and “the market” is gone. Here is the new reality, are you ready for it? There is no market. For there to be a market, there must be a price discovery mechanism behind it.
HALF OF AMERICANS UNABLE TO PAY BASIC BILLS ON TIME, CONSUMER CONFIDENCE SLUMPING
Half of Americans are unable to pay all of their basic monthly bills on time, such as rent or mortgage payments and utility bills, a Lending Tree survey of 2,040 adults found.
DOCUMENTING DISSIDENCE: AN INTERVIEW WITH FILMMAKER JESSICA SOLCE, PART ONE
Allowing a story to appear to tell itself, while at the same time infusing artistry, and building dramatic and thematic focus, makes for a compelling cinematic experience.
ISRAEL SENDS THOUSANDS OF TROOPS INTO LEBANON AS NETANYAHU ESCALATES WAR
The Israeli Defense Forces escalated its invasion of Lebanon last week as it sent thousands of more troops into southern Lebanon—bringing the number to more than 20,000 as its air force continues to bomb the region into ruin and kill over 2,000 innocent civilians.
OUTGOING RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.S. WARNS OF NUCLEAR CONFRONTATION
Russia announced last week that it has pulled its ambassador to the U.S. and the outgoing diplomat warned the West, again, of the growing risk of nuclear confrontation between the countries.
Global Economy
DO PEPSI’S SLOWING SALES SIGNAL A TREND TO HEALTHIER EATING?
In this year’s third quarter, sales in PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay snack division rose an “underwhelming” 1.3 percent, The Wall Street Journal reported, with Frito-Lay North America posting a decline of 1.5 percent.
RETAILERS CUT PRICES TO WIN BACK CUSTOMERS
After years of hiking prices to keep up with inflation, retailers are now cutting prices to hold onto shoppers who have less to spend and are looking for bargains.
BANKSTER BANDITS: TD BANK PLEADS GUILTY, WILL PAY $3 BILLION IN FINES
On 10 October, Canada’s TD Bank pleaded guilty in a U.S. federal court to charges related to money laundering and agreed to pay $3 billion in fines, the largest cash penalty ever imposed in the U.S. on a bank guilty of money-laundering charges.
The Israel War
PALESTINIANS BURNED ALIVE IN TENT CAMP OUTSIDE AL-AQSA HOSPITAL
Shortly after a Hezbollah drone struck a military base in northern Israel, killing at least four IDF soldiers and injuring 60, the Israeli military carried out a bombing outside Deir al-Balah in central Gaza targeting a tent camp for displaced Palestinians.
OCTOBER SURPRISE: NETANYAHU PROMISES TO ESCALATE WAR JUST IN TIME FOR U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed Washington last week that the IDF will not target Iranian oil fields or nuclear facilities—but it will carry out strikes on military targets sometime before the U.S. presidential election on 5 November.
LEBANON DEATH TOLL
The death toll across Lebanon surpassed 2,300 and nearly 10,800 people have been injured since the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023.
AI
META DEBUTS FILMMAKING AI
Meta has unveiled Movie Gen, its AI that can create realistic videos from written instructions. The system will play catch-up with similar offerings already out, including OpenAI’s Sora and developer Runway’s version.
MOZILLA URGES “PUBLIC AI”
Mozilla, the nonprofit that operates the Thunderbird email program and Firefox browser, is urging AI developers to create a parallel AI industry devoted solely to public benefit—one that creates AI platforms just for nonprofits, government agencies, and companies emphasizing social goals.
OPENAI TO RESTRUCTURE AS PUBLIC BENEFIT CORPORATION
OpenAI is considering transforming itself into a profit-seeking corporation that also is legally committed to socially beneficial works.
Hi-Tech Science
META’S “SMART GLASSES” CAN LEARN ALL ABOUT YOU
Meta designed its “smart” glasses as a wearable camera. They look like regular horn-rims but they’re able to take photos and videos of what you’re looking at.
INDOOR VERTICAL FARM PLANS TO GROW FOUR MILLION POUNDS OF BERRIES A YEAR
Virginia’s Plenty Richmond Farm aims to branch out: its new growing system is designed to produce strawberries year-round from plants hanging off of 30-foot towers.
NEWLY DISCOVERED PROTEIN HALTS DAMAGE TO DNA
Researchers at Canada’s Western University have discovered a protein in a bacterium called D. radiodurans that not only arrests damage to DNA but also signals the body’s repair mechanism to come and fix it.