🐤 Playing around

Markets: November’s highly anticipated employment report surfaced yesterday, giving investors some insight into the likelihood of additional interest rate cuts in the near term. Although the roughly 227,000 jobs added last month did eclipse forecasts, the unemployment rate also increased to 4.2%. Stocks generally responded positively to the news, but the Dow Jones Industrial Average did finish a fraction of a percent lower for the day.

Stepping away: Randy Moss shared a health update this week, requesting “all the prayer warriors” who saw his message to “put their blessing hands on me and my family during these hard times.” Though the NFL Hall of Famer didn’t specify his illness, ESPN confirmed that he would “step away from ‘Sunday NFL Countdown’ for an extended time to focus on a personal health challenge.” Calling on men to visit the doctor regularly, the legendary wide receiver said that he has “a great team of doctors” and “a great family” to help him “get through it.”

Fire threats: Areas of both sides of the New York-New Jersey line were scorched by wildfires in recent days, which experts say were caused in large part by an ongoing drought in the region. One of the blazes grew so large it could reportedly be seen from space. As of the most recent updates available, the Jennings Creek Fire had already engulfed roughly 3,000 acres. Although other areas of the nation are more prone to wildfires, the Northeast has become increasingly vulnerable — and climate scientists say it is likely to get even worse.

Big-time donor: Kamala Harris might have had more Hollywood endorsements, but Donald Trump had Elon Musk. And according to recent campaign finance reports, that association was clearly beneficial to the Trump campaign. In total, Musk donated more than a quarter of a billion dollars to various political groups this year, most of which directly or tangentially supported Trump’s candidacy. One organization in particular received a majority of Musk’s money: America PAC, the political action committee that he founded. He also donated to groups like RBG PAC and MAHA Alliance, making him the election’s biggest individual donor.

Gloves are off: A number of consumers have reported injuries related to the use of “Temp-tations Oven Gloves” sold by QVC. In total, officials say 162 people have reported insufficient protection in the gloves, with nearly 100 who said they received minor burns as a result. Now, the retailer is recalling more than 1 million of the products. Anyone who bought the gloves, which were available between August 2018 and August 2024, should immediately discontinue use and contact QVC to arrange for a refund. They sold for between $4 and $13.

The gaming world has evolved tremendously over the past few generations, from the 4-bit Atari 2600 to the hyperrealistic, interactive titles of today. Aside from better graphics, one of the major advancements in recent years has been the rise of independent game developers.

Now, one of the industry’s biggest names is spotlighting some of them.

The fun starts on Tuesday

Between December 10 and the end of the year, Xbox is going to be hosting what it calls an Indie Game Fest Demo Event. Basically, participants will have an opportunity to download dozens of indie titles and play some video games they might not have otherwise even known were coming.

But don’t get the wrong idea about the term “demo.” Xbox advises that, unlike the demos available on consoles via the Microsoft Store, the games included in the upcoming event aren’t taken from a fully (or nearly) completed version of a full game.

“Think of these as ‘show floor demos’ and not necessarily indicative of the final product,” the company said of the indie demos. “You’ll get to experience these games early — some way early — which gives you the chance to provide your feedback!”

A few things to remember

It might sound like all fun and games, but Xbox wants participants to be aware of a few ground rules and restrictions before diving in.

For starters, demos will be available to download through the Xbox Dashboard, but they won’t be there forever.

“Some might be re-published to the Demo channel later, but many will disappear at the end of the month, so be sure to check them out while you can,” Xbox advised.

One important step players can take, the company concluded, involves reaching out to developers “on social media or through their websites” to share feedback and/or constructive criticism.

Investors have historically turned to gold because of its stability. Gold can act like a safety net in your portfolio because its value tends to stay afloat – even when the stock market dives. It’s also considered a hedge against inflation, meaning its value can rise as the buying power of cash goes down. Check out our list of top-rated Gold IRA providers, including some that offer educational materials for gold-investing beginners.

START INVESTING IN GOLD

Anyone who has suffered from severe anxiety or panic attacks already understands the feeling of desperation and helplessness that can accompany such issues. And while there are techniques and treatments available to reduce the distress, some are unreliable while others could come with unwanted side effects.

That’s why something being referred to as the “yoga pill” is starting to attract a lot of attention.

What it is and what it does

Salk Institute associate professor Dr. Sung Han says his team has been researching the symptoms of anxiety disorders and safe, effective ways to reverse them.

In the end, experts discovered an apparent shortcut between the brain’s frontal cortex and stem that can regulate breathing. Since deep breaths are one of the hallmark manifestations of anxiety, tackling that symptom could help calm the others.

“By turning on that, activating this certain population of neuron, we saw that the breathing rate is dramatically decreased and also the anxiety state was also decreased,” Han added. “By targeting this specific pathway, we can develop specific drugs that only alleviate the anxiety, not causing other serious side effects.”

Though Han didn’t name any of the other anxiety treatments available, one of the most common is called a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, which has been linked to side effects including:

• Sleep disruption
• Intestinal problems
• Dizziness

“Everywhere in the brain”

What sets the “yoga pill” apart from medications like SSRIs is that it is designed to only address the pathway between the brainstem and frontal cortex, sending a message to “focus, breathe, and center.”

Other treatments, Han noted, travel “everywhere in the brain” and can cause some collateral damage along the way.

Researchers believe the new strategy could help alleviate all sorts of debilitating anxiety — including post-traumatic stress disorder — without disrupting other aspects of life.

It’s one of those futuristic predictions that is now — slowly but surely — becoming a reality. The concept of delivering packages via drone comes with a host of potential benefits: faster delivery, fewer emissions, and potentially even lower costs.

And Amazon remains at the forefront of this developing technology, as evidenced by a first-of-its-kind test flight that occurred this week in Italy.

On a short leash

While drone delivery is intriguing on multiple levels, there are some regulatory and safety concerns to consider. That’s why Amazon hasn’t been able to fully implement its fleet of autonomous flying packages in the U.S. or elsewhere around the world just yet.

Here in the states, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has approved limited testing in two cities — College Station, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona — and will likely add additional locations to the list in 2025.

Similarly, two regulatory agencies in Italy, the ENAC and ENAV, which serve a function similar to that of the FAA, gave Amazon the green light to test its drones in San Salvo.

The first such flight occurred on Wednesday and all reports seem to suggest it was a success.

Like in U.S. tests, the e-commerce titan used its MK30 drone. The aircraft is capable of carrying packages that weigh five pounds or less and can operate even in light rain.

Lots more to come

Even if you’re not living in one of the areas receiving the first Amazon drone deliveries, you might not have to wait very long. After announcing earlier this year that it planned to begin testing in Italy (and the United Kingdom), new projections indicate that drones will be delivering packages commercially to Italians nationwide by next year.

That is, of course, if regulators say it’s OK.

What did the cupcake say to the frosting?
I’m muffin without you!