10/21/2022: College Shmollege

PLUS: TikTok’s Tracking You (again!); Joy Behar’s Spooky Sex; and Prince Andrew the Recluse

Oct 21, 2022

Today is Friday, October 21, 2022.

It is the 294th day of the year.

71 days remain.

HIT LIST

Now that ELON MUSK is once again poised to buy out Twitter and take it private, more rumors are swirling about his plans for the platform. The Washington Post reports that Musk intends to cut 75% of Twitter’s existing staff, which currently has a headcount of 7,500.

Those same sources indicated Twitter was looking to nix $800 million out of its payroll budget by the end of next year, too – but no word to how many jobs that would equal.

Musk has mocked Twitter’s generous work-from-home policy that has continued well past the initial unconstitutional pandemic lockdowns.

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If you always seem to be the one singled out by mosquitos when you’re outside, even around a bunch of other people, it might not just be in your head.

A years-long study published in science journal “Cell” had 64 participants wear a nylon stocking on their arms to absorb their scent. The stockings were then placed in a long tube, and swarms of mosquitoes were unleashed. The most-favored stocking turned out to be 100 times more popular than the others. When the test was repeated in subsequent years, it had similar results.

Analysis suggests the preferred stockings belonged to people who had certain naturally-occurring acids on their skin. There’s not much you can do about it, either, to eliminate these chemicals.

Fortunately, the researchers are using their findings to help develop better repellent technology.

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“Forbes” reports that the Chinese company behind social video app TikTok had a program in place to target the physical location of specific app users in America.

It’s no secret that tech companies use the bulk gathering of your data to refine its algorithms, which is spooky enough – that’s why when you search for a toaster on Amazon once, all you see is ads for toasters everywhere you go.

But in this case, Forbes reports the company was “planning to use this location information to surveil individual American citizens, not to target ads or any of these other purposes.”

Per their own reporting, Forbes says there’s no proof this program was ever implemented beyond tracking one individual person – but that’s just based on whatever documents they were able to obtain and review.

WORTH REMEMBERING: In 2020, former President DONALD TRUMP sought to ban TikTok in the United States over national security concerns.

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COLLEGE SHMOLLEGE: The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported Thursday that U.S. colleges and universities experienced a 1.1% decline in undergraduate enrollment year over year for the fall semester.

As NPR reports, “Concerns about student debt and a strong labor market for unskilled workers, and questions about college affordability, particularly at four-year colleges, are other major factors keeping prospective students away from getting a degree.”

WORTH NOTING: These are all very well and good factors.

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Inflation and a bad wave of avian flu is expected to make Thanksgiving dinner 75% more expensive this year.

The Department of Agriculture reports an average-sized turkey is up 42% and potatoes are up 17.5%. Nationally, 47 million chickens and turkeys have been killed before going to market across 42 states to stop the spread of the bird flu – six million of those were last month alone.

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BY THE NUMBERS

📈 The Dow lost 90 points (0.3%) Thursday to close at 30,333. The S&P was down 29 points (0.8%) to close at 3,665 and the Nasdaq slipped 65 points (0.61%) to close at 10,614.

🛢 West Texas Intermediate traded at just under $86 a barrel Thursday. Brent Crude settled at $92.

⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.84 on Thursday.

₿ Bitcoin remained mostly flat Thursday, losing $85 in the evening nad trading just over $19,000.

🛩 There were 2,645 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Thursday and 47 such cancellations.

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CHARTS

New to Amazon Prime:

Argentina, 1985 (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%)

New to Hulu:

Abandoned (Score 22%)
Matriarch (No Score)
Wyrm (Score: 88%)

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DEATHS

TRISTEN NASH, the son of WWE Hall of Famer KEVIN NASH, has died.

He tragically passed away this week, several outlets reported on Thursday. No cause of death has been shared.

He was only 26.

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THE SWAMP

President JOE BIDEN got lost again on a small riser yesterday while campaigning for Democrat Pennsylvania Senate candidate JOHN FETTERMAN. The speech didn’t go great either.

AS YOU MAY HAVE HEARD: Fetterman suffered a stroke just days before the Democratic primary earlier this year, but his campaign didn’t announce the news until after the election. In weeks since, Fetterman has struggled to speak coherently on the stump and recently had to use a teleprompter to read a reporter’s questions, because he has trouble processing the things he hears.

Biden said in the campaign speech that Fetterman’s wife, Giselle, would make for “a great lady in the Senate” – not the candidate himself. Then, after wrapping things up, Biden turned around, saluted at nobody, and proceeded to try to walk down stairs that didn’t exist on the opposite side of the riser, before figuring things out.

IT GETS WORSE: Fetterman reportedly didn’t even speak – at his own campaign event!

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Remember when Justice AMY CONEY BARRETT was going to be an extreme right-wing Trump stooge doing the bidding of insurrectionist fascist lunatics for decades to come?

OOPS: On Thursday, Barrett rejected an emergency petition filed by a taxpayers’ rights group that sought to block the implementation of the blanket student loan forgiveness announced by President JOE BIDEN earlier this year.

Barrett oversees such applications in the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. It does not appear she referred the application to the entire court, either.

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LOTTERY

No winner for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $30 million jackpot or a $14.9 million cash payout.

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No winner for Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing. Saturday night’s drawing will be for a $550 million jackpot or a $277.5 million cash payout.

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SHOWBIZ NEWS

These albums drop today:

Abby Sage, “The Florist” EP
Alice Boman, “The Space Between”
Andrea Bocelli, Matteo Bocelli and Virginia Bocelli, “A Family Christmas”
Arctic Monkeys, “The Car”
Brutus, “Unison LIfe”
Carly Rae Jepsen, “The Loneliest Time”
Dry Cleaning, “Stumpwork”
Fiona Brice, “And You Know I Care”
Jade Imagine, “Cold Memory”
Jean-Michel Jarre, “Oxymore”
Meghan Trainor, “Takin’ It Back”
Pinkshift, “Love Me Forever”
Robyn Hitchcock, “Shufflemania!
Simple Minds, “Direction Of The Heart”
Sloan, “Steady”
Taylor Swift, “Midnights”
Twain, “Noon”
Whitmer Thomas, “The Older I Get The Funnier I Was”
Witch Fever, “Congregation”
Young The Giant, “American Bollywood”

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JOY BEHAR shocked viewers on Thursday when she claimed that she has had sex with ghosts.

The conversation among the women of “The View” started out with them discussing footage of a woman who claimed to have “sexual ghosts” in her home.

“If you have sex with a ghost, can you get pregnant?,” co-host SARAH HAINES asked. To which Behar replied, “I’ve had sex with a few ghosts and never got pregnant.”

There you have it folks. Instead of discussing actual issues…such as HUNTER BIDEN’s lengthy list of illegal activities…these women are talking about having sex with ghosts.

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POST MALONE hurt himself on stage again.

Just one month after falling and busting his ribs during a show, Post twisted his ankle while performing in Atlanta on Tuesday night.

While he was able to continue the concert, his dance moves were definitely worse for the wear.

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CONNOR KENNEDY, son of ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., had been secretly fighting against Russia in Ukraine.

He shared his experience on social media Thursday, telling followers that only one person in the States knew what he was doing and only one person on the ground in Ukraine knew his real name.

Kennedy didn’t say how long he was on the ground, but did write, “I liked being a soldier, more than I had expected. It is scary. But life is simple, and the rewards for finding courage and doing good are substantial.”

Of the Ukrainian civilians he met, Kennedy called them the “bravest” people he has ever known.

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LANA DEL REY posted on Instagram this week that thieves stole a backpack containing her laptop, hard drives and three cameras from her car in Los Angeles a couple of months ago.

She also revealed that the items taken contained a 200-page book manuscript, unfinished songs and personal camera footage.

In an additional post, Del Rey asked fans to avoid listening to any leaked songs.

No word on where the investigation into the theft currently stands.

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CASTING CALL

CHELSEA HANDLER will host the 2023 Critics Choice Awards.

She takes over the reigns from TAYE DIGGS, who hosted the last four years.

The awards show is scheduled for January 15.

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SHAQUILLE O’NEAL will be the focus of a new documentary on HBO.

The four-part docuseries, titled “Shaq,” will feature a series of exclusive interviews with O’Neal and various friends and family members. The show will also chronicle his rise to superstardom in the NBA and his life behind-the-scenes.

It is set to premiere on November 23.

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TREVOR NOAH has a new stand-up special heading to Netflix.

The comedian, who is leaving his gig on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” in December, will launch “I Wish You Would” on November 22.

It is Noah’s third stand-up on the streamer, after 2018’s “Son of Patricia” and 2017’s “Afraid Of The Dark.”

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E! News is making a comeback.

The long-running franchise is returning to evenings after a two-year break, starting November 14.

ADRIENNE BAILON-HOUGHTON and JUSTIN SYLVESTER are set to co-host.

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Sony has pushed back the release date for its live-action “Harold and the Purple Crayon” film by five months.

Based on the 1955 children’s book of the same name, the story follows Harold, a curious four-year-old who, with his purple crayon, creates his own world.

ZACHARY LEVI, ZOOEY DESCHANEL, LIL REL HOWERY, RAVI PATEL, CAMILLE GUATY, TANYA REYNOLDS and PETE GARDNER star in the film-adaptation.

The movie will now hit theaters June 30, 2023.

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COURT CASES

KEVIN SPACEY was found not liable in the sex abuse lawsuit brought against him by accuser ANTHONY RAPP.

It took the jury less than an hour to reach the verdict yesterday, after a two week trial.

As previously reported, Rapp sued Spacey for $40 million in 2020 claiming that the actor sexually abused him as a teen.

Spacey continuously denied the allegations.

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CELEBRITY CELLBLOCK

ANDY DICK is facing a felony burglary charge in California after stealing power tools from someone’s home.

According to the Santa Barbara Police Department, officers busted Andy last week, after calls came in about a burglary in progress at a home under construction.

He is still sitting behind bars, waiting for someone to post his $50,000 bail.

WORTH NOTING: This is his second arrest in six months. He was busted in May on accusations of sexual battery.

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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS

KANYE WEST thinks President JOE BIDEN is “[effing] [R-word + ed].”

Ye dropped the expletive during his recent interview with PIERS MORGAN, in which he also tried to clear up some anti-Semitic comments he made, explaining that he only wishes death on Jews who he thinks screwed him over.

Ye told Morgan that he gets a pass on making outlandish statements because he is “mentally ill.”

NO EXCUSE: HOWARD STERN doesn't think Ye should get a pass on his recent rant, telling listeners of SiriusXM show that maybe the rapper needs a conservatorship like the one BRITNEY SPEARS was under for 13 years.

WORTH REMEMBERING: Ye has been in the headlines almost daily for the past two weeks; since his Yeezy fashion show where he made headlines for wearing a White Lives Matter t-shirt.

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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS

PRINCE ANDREW is quite the recluse these days.

Sources told The Telegraph that the disgraced royal spends his days watching TV and walking the halls of his mega-mansion.

He “only leaves his home to ride a horse or walk the dogs,” the sources added.

Andrew was forced into the background nearly three years ago due to his relationship with pedophile JEFFREY EPSTEIN and subsequent sexual assault accusations.

Don’t feel too bad for him though. While he hides at home he still has access to a private chef, full staff and family money, because QUEEN ELIZABETH “remained convinced of Andrew’s innocence to the very end so she would have looked after him,” another insider told the outlet.

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SPORTS

TOM BRADY apologized on his “Let’s Go!” podcast Thursday about a statement he made comparing playing football to military deployment.

When asked what he meant, Brady declined to explain, simply saying that he “should not have made the comparison.”

As previously reported, while chatting with NBA player KEVIN DURANT, Brady said, “I almost look at like a football season like you’re going away on deployment in the military and it’s like ‘man, here I go again.’”

SPEAKING OF DURANT: The Brooklyn Nets star is the latest athlete to invest in the newest craze taking over the country: pickleball. Brady and LEBRON JAMES have also taken claim in the league.

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LIST OF THE WEEK

10 Horror Movies to Watch Before Halloween Ends (in no particular order)

Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark
Trick r’ Treat
A Nightmare On Elm Street
X
Child’s Play
Prom Night
Fear Street: Part Two - 1978
Haunt
Friday The 13th
Bodies Bodies Bodies

*list courtesy of Screen Rant

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DAY OF THE YEAR

International Day of the Nacho

National Apple Day

Count Your Buttons Day

National Reptile Awareness Day

National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day

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ON THIS DATE

1797 – A 44-gun frigate is launched in Boston Harbor to combat the pirates of Tripoli -- that's modern-day Libya

The USS Constitution would play a key role in subduing the pirate attacks. In 1805, a peace treaty to end the conflicts would be signed on her deck.

The ship continued active service until 1855.

Since 1934, it has remained at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston.

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1824 – Stone mason Joseph Aspdin of Yorkshire, England, is granted a patent for Portland cement.

The innovation simplified the process of making Roman cement, which required lime rock and volcanic ash.

Aspdin’s new hydraulic compound hardened when water was added – which we know today as concrete.

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1879 – Thomas Edison shows off the first commercially viable electric light bulb to his associates at his lab in Menlo Park, New Jersey.

The bulb glowed for 40 hours before burning out. Though there had been previous forms of domestic electric lighting, nothing had yet become practical for use in the home.

Edison had tried more than 6,000 vegetable growths to use as the bulb’s filament. He finally succeeded when he used sewing thread.

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1910 – A bomb explosion in the Lost Angeles Times building kills 21 and injures hundreds.

The publisher of the newspaper, Harrison Otis, believed he had been the target of the attack and launched a very public investigation. Ultimately a disgruntled iron worker was to blame for the terrorist attack.

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1967 – A giant rally of hippies, protestors, and assorted radicals show up at the Lincoln Memorial to protest the war in Vietnam.

More than 100,000 were on hand that day. Some were seen waving the flag of the Viet Cong. The hoard began a march toward the Pentagon, but was stopped by soldiers and US Marshals.

A total of 683 were arrested.

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2001 – “United We Stand” benefit concert for September 11 victims is held at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. Michael Jackson organized and headlined the event.

Aerosmith, Mariah Carey, The Backstreet Boys and Destiny’s Child also performed.

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2014 – Oscar Pistorius is sentenced to five years in prison for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The South African Paralympic athlete was convicted in the shooting and killing of his girlfriend at their Pretoria home. He claimed he mistook her for an intruder.

He was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of culpable homicide.

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2020 - Spain becomes the first European country to record more than 1 million COVID-19 cases.

The death toll sits at 34,366.

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BIRTHDAYS

Doja Cat - rapper - 27

Kane Brown - country singer - 29

Louriza Tronco - actress, “Zapped” & “Make It Pop” - 29

Glen Powell - actor, “Scream Queens” - 34

Hope Hicks - former White House communications director - 34

Dean Lewis - pop singer - 35

Amber Rose - model - 39

Aaron Tveit - stage actor, “Grease Live!” - 39

Kim Kardashian - reality star - 42

Andrew Scott - actor, “Sherlock” & “Spectre” - 46

Jade Jagger - model & daughter of Mick - 51

Steve Lukather - guitarist, Toto - 65

Benjamin Netanyahu - Israeli PM - 73

Judge Judy Sheindlin - TV show host, “Judge Judy” - 80

Born On This Date

Carrie Fisher - actress, “Star Wars” films - 1956 (d. 2016)

Whitey Ford - HOF baseball player - 1928 (d. 2020)

Celia Cruz - world music singer - 1925 (d. 2003)

Alfred Nobel - chemist who invented dynamite & founded the Nobel Prize - 1833 (d. 1896)

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