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  List of current Indian chief ministers A chief minister in India is the elected head of government of each of the 28 states and 3 of the 8 union territories (Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, and Puducherry). The union territories of Chandigarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Ladakh, and Lakshadweep have...
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  Bari Weiss Bari Weiss is an American opinion journalist who has written for publications including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. In 2025 she became the editor in chief of CBS News. Weiss’s political views span the spectrum, creating controversy with her readers and as well as her colleagues:...
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  Sunil Bharti Mittal Sunil Bharti Mittal is the billionaire founder and chair of Bharti Enterprises, one of India’s largest conglomerates. The Bharti group owns businesses across a wide variety of sectors, including mobile and satellite communication, real estate, insurance, and hospitality. Mittal and his family’s...
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  James Gunn James Gunn’s ability to translate the energy and inventiveness of comic books into film has made him one of the most sought-after American writer-directors in the superhero genre—one of the most lucrative reservoirs of ideas for Hollywood adaptations in the early 21st century. Gunn’s narratives are...
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  Mike Waltz Mike Waltz is a former Republican member of Congress from Florida who served as U.S. Pres. Donald Trump’s national security adviser for the first few months of Trump’s second term. After Waltz became a central figure in a scandal known as “Signalgate,” Trump removed him from that job and nominated...
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  Hooghly River Cyclone of 1737 Hooghly River Cyclone of 1737, tropical cyclone that made landfall near the lower reaches of the Hooghly River, near Calcutta (now Kolkata) in Bengal Presidency (now West Bengal, India) on October 11, 1737. Among the earliest major natural disasters recorded around the city of Calcutta, the cyclone...
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  401(k) vesting schedules: Cliff, graded, and immediate ownership One of the perks of working for an employer is the prospect of a 401(k), 403(b), or other workplace retirement plan. It’s even better when your company matches a portion of your contributions. In fact, about 98% of employers that offer a 401(k) plan provide some type of match, according to the Plan...
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  Jujutsu Kaisen Jujutsu Kaisen, Japanese manga series written and illustrated by pseudonymous creator Akutami Gege. Serialized in the manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from 2018 to 2024, it follows high school student Itadori Yuji, who joins a secret society of sorcerers to combat supernatural curses after...
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  What is a savings account, and how does it work? One of the foundations of healthy finances is a savings habit. Setting aside money regularly can help you reach your financial goals and prepare for emergencies, reducing the likelihood of incurring debt. Choosing where to keep that cash is an important step. A savings account provides a safe place...
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  Cyclone Winston Cyclone Winston, severe tropical cyclone that developed in the South Pacific Ocean in February 2016 and the most powerful tropical cyclone on record in the Southern Hemisphere, with sustained winds reaching 185 miles (300 km) per hour. The cyclone made landfall in Fiji, though Tonga, Vanuatu,...
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  What’s in the Government Reopening Deal? The longest government shutdown in U.S. history appears to be on the verge of resolution. Here’s what you need to know: Probably soon, but there’s some government bureaucracy that needs to happen first. On November 9, eight Senate Democrats joined Republicans to allow a vote to reopen, clearing a...
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  Super Typhoon Fung-wong Super Typhoon Fung-wong, late-season tropical cyclone that grew into a super typhoon in November 2025 and caused severe damage in the Philippines. The typhoon’s maximum sustained wind speed was about 115 miles (185 km) per hour in its early track as it approached the Philippines, along with peak...
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  Composition, 1943 Composition, 1943, abstract still-life oil painting created in 1943 by American artist Lee Krasner. It exemplifies Krasner’s style of geometric abstraction grounded in floral motifs and rhythmic gestures. Before she met Jackson Pollock, Krasner was a better-known artist than the man she would marry...
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  An Angel at My Table An Angel at My Table, autobiography, published in 1989, by New Zealand writer Janet Frame. The work contains the three previously published volumes of her autobiography, To the Is-land (1982), An Angel at My Table (1984), and The Envoy from Mirror City (1985). She begins by describing her childhood...
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  Typhoon Kalmaegi Typhoon Kalmaegi, late-season tropical cyclone whose strong winds and heavy rains brought widespread damage to several islands in the central Philippines, as well as to Vietnam and Thailand. The typhoon’s maximum sustained wind speed was measured at 114 miles (183 km) per hour, with peak gusts...
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  Kilmar Armando Ábrego García Kilmar Armando Ábrego García’s story involves the U.S. government’s extraordinary pursuit of a rather ordinary man—a Salvadoran immigrant who had lived quietly in Maryland, working and raising his family far from the politics that would later engulf him. His wrongful deportation from the United...
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  Mohanlal From a tormented kathakali exponent to a man with Alzheimer disease, Indian superstar Mohanlal has lived countless lives on-screen. Described by fans as the “complete actor,” he is celebrated not only for starring in many of Malayalam cinema’s most memorable films but also for his ability to...
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  Haunted Summer of 1816 It was a cold and stormy summer. In 1816 Switzerland, near Geneva, violent storms lit up the sky for weeks in June and July. Lake Geneva flooded the region, and animal corpses filled the area’s swollen rivers. Some would call it the “year without a summer,” while others called it the “haunted...
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  What are Zohran Mamdani’s positions on key policies? New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s campaign to run the biggest city in the United States revolved largely around one simple fact: It costs too much to live in New York. But Mamdani, who will be the city’s first Muslim mayor and its youngest in more than a century, has attracted a lot of...
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  International Emergency Economic Powers Act The International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by Pres. Jimmy Carter in 1977, permits the president to create, eliminate, or modify a range of economic transactions with other countries in the event of a declared national emergency. The...
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  Vocabulary Quiz Test or refresh your knowledge of key words, terms, and concepts used in discussions and debates about digital life, science, and technology. Each answer links to the related ProCon debate featuring the word, term, or concept. Enjoy the challenge. Good...
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  2025 Myanmar General Election In August 2025 Myanmar’s ruling military junta—officially known as the State Administration Council (SAC)—announced plans for a multistage general election to be held in late December 2025 and January 2026. It would be the first national vote since the 2020 election, the results of which were...
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  How Do Butterflies Migrate? Most butterflies are light enough to drift on a breeze, yet millions of these fragile insects migrate across continents each year. With the possible exception of the famous monarch (Danaus plexippus plexippus), migratory butterflies are less well-known than migratory birds but no less remarkable....
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  Toledo War Toledo War, conflict that took place in 1835 between the U.S. state of Ohio and the territory of Michigan over ownership of the Toledo Strip—468 square miles (1,212 square km) of land along Ohio’s border with Michigan. Most of the “war” consisted of dueling legislation, charged rhetoric in capitols...
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  The Last of Us The Last of Us, American post-apocalyptic television drama series, adapted from a popular video game franchise of the same name developed by the studio Naughty Dog. Showrunner Craig Mazin cocreated the television series with Neil Druckmann, who is also the writer and creative director of the video...
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  Canada lynx Canada lynx, (Lynx canadensis), medium-sized North American lynx species, similar to the bobcat in appearance but with longer legs, wider feet, longer ear tufts, and a more prominent black-tipped tail. The Canada lynx is native to Canada, Alaska, and parts of the northern contiguous United States....
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  What Are Purple States? Do you remember, as a kid, coloring with a blue crayon and then going over it with a red crayon? Voilà: Purple. In U.S. politics, the same principle holds. You take some blue voters (Democrats) and mix in a similar number of red voters (Republicans), and you have a purple state, also sometimes...
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  Bagrām Bagrām, town in Bagrām district, Parwan province, northeastern Afghanistan, located some 37 miles (60 km) from Kabul. It hosts the Bagrām Airfield, which served as a major Soviet air base during the 1980s and was a key air hub for the United States-led military coalition during the Afghanistan War...
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  Nitroplast A nitroplast is a nitrogen-fixing organelle found in the unicellular marine alga Braarudosphaera bigelowii. It is thought to have originated from a cyanobacterium (blue-green alga) and is still in the early stages of its evolution. It is the first known organelle capable of fixing atmospheric...
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  intrauterine device Intrauterine device (IUD), small, T-shaped device inserted into the uterus to provide long-acting, reversible contraception (LARC). Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are reliable and remove risks of user error, such as forgetting to take a daily pill. They are one of the most effective forms of birth...
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  fecal microbiota transplant Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT), procedure in which processed stool from a healthy donor is transferred into the intestinal tract of another person. It attempts to restore balance to a community of intestinal microorganisms that has been disrupted by infection, antibiotic use, or disease. FMT is...
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  Subnautica Subnautica, an open-world survival adventure video game developed and published by the San Francisco–based studio Unknown Worlds Entertainment. After years of early-access development (a stage in which players can buy and play a game still in progress to provide feedback), it had its full-feature...
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  The Accursed Kings The Accursed Kings, a series of seven historical novels by French scholar Maurice Druon that describes elite French society and the monarchy from the beginning of the 14th century to the Battle of Poitiers in 1356. The novels, published in French as Les Rois maudits from 1955 to 1977, were cited by...
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  Ben Shapiro Ben Shapiro is a blunt-spoken conservative American commentator who hosts The Ben Shapiro Show, one of the country’s most popular political podcasts. Shapiro grew up in Burbank, a city in Los Angeles county. His mother was a TV company executive, and his father was a composer and piano player; both...
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  Candace Owens Candace Owens is a right-wing commentator known for her inflammatory podcasts, videos, and social media posts. Owens was sued in 2025 by French Pres. Emmanuel Macron and first lady Brigitte Macron over Owens’s baseless claims that Brigitte Macron was born male. Owens has also speculated about...
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  List of the Strongest Atlantic Hurricanes Intense winds and heavy rain are the hallmarks of hurricanes—powerful and destructive storms that form primarily over the North Atlantic Ocean and rank among the most costly and deadly natural disasters in the United States. Less recognized is the role that low atmospheric pressure plays in...
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  Charles J. Guiteau Charles J. Guiteau was a lawyer and aspiring politician who assassinated Pres. James A. Garfield. Guiteau, who experienced mental instability, believed that he had helped Garfield win the 1880 election and was angry when the president refused to grant him a foreign consulship. On July 2, 1881,...
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  theonomy Theonomy, from ancient Greek meaning “God’s law” (theos: “God”; nomos: “law”), the Christian theological view that biblical laws, especially the judicial laws of the Old Testament followed by ancient Israelite society, remain morally binding on all nations and hence should form the basis for civil...
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  Paranthropus Paranthropus, genus of extinct primates with a close, but not direct, relationship to modern human beings. The genus is known from numerous fossils in eastern and southern Africa that date to 2.7–1.2 million years ago (mya), during the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs (5.3 million–11,700 years ago)....
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  Do Honeybees Sleep? Each day honeybees usually sleep for about five to eight hours. A bee is considered to be sleeping when its antennae are still, head is nestled into the body, and breathing is irregular. During this time bees are less sensitive to external stimuli. Their sleep patterns may vary based on age and...
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  Nintendo Nintendo Co., Ltd., began in the late 19th century as a small Japanese workshop making playing cards. Over more than a century, it has evolved into one of the world’s most influential video game companies, responsible for some of the industry’s most recognizable characters and franchises. Over the...
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  Kathryn McLay When Kathryn McLay became president and CEO of Walmart International in 2023, she took charge of one of the world’s largest retail operations. The global arm of Walmart Inc. (WMT) generates about $100 billion in annual revenue and serves tens of millions of customers each week. Known for her...
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  Polymarket Polymarket is a blockchain-based prediction market platform that allows users to speculate on the outcome of real-world events across popular culture, weather, sports, economics, politics, and other areas of interest. Founded in 2020 by Shayne Coplan, the company is based in New York City....
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  1973 Chilean coup d’état On September 11, 1973, Chile’s armed forces launched a military coup d’état that overthrew Pres. Salvador Allende’s democratically elected socialist government. A junta, composed of three generals and an admiral with Gen. Augusto Pinochet as its leader, seized power. The resulting military...
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  geomancy Geomancy, divination by means of figures, dots, lines, or patterns. The term is derived from the Latin geomantia, which in turn is derived from the combination of the Greek geō- and manteia, together meaning “divination by earth.” This etymology refers to the early practice of making marks in the...
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  Manon Rhéaume Manon Rhéaume is a former Canadian ice hockey player who made history in 1992 by becoming the first woman to compete in a National Hockey League (NHL) game when she tended goal in an exhibition game for the Tampa Bay Lightning. She was the first woman to play in a game for one of the four major...
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  The Onion The Onion is a U.S.-based media organization with an estimated readership of four trillion people around the known universe. (Updated Mars subscription data is not expected until 2030.) The publication gets its name from the fact that it is printed on onion skin, making The Onion one of world’s...
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  List of Winter Olympic Athletes Athletes competing in the Winter Olympics have wowed audiences with their amazing feats on ice and snow since the first full-fledged edition of the Winter Games, held in 1924 in Chamonix, France. Below are select past and future Winter Olympic Games competitors and their countries of representation...
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  Kimberly-Clark Corporation Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB) is a U.S.-based maker of personal care and household products best known for products such as Huggies, Kleenex, Cottonelle, Scott, and Kotex. Founded in 1872 as a paper goods company in Neenah, Wisconsin, Kimberly-Clark has grown into a global business with products...
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  Mohammed Shia al-Sudani Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is the prime minister of Iraq (2022– ). Despite belonging to the often divisive Shiʿi Muslim faction that has dominated Iraqi politics since the fall of Saddam Hussein (2003), he is considered a pragmatist, and his tenure as prime minister has been marked by a degree of...
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  Mikey Madison Mikey Madison is an American actress best known for starring in the 2024 Sean Baker film Anora, for which she won the Academy Award for best actress. She previously was known for her roles in the TV series Better Things (2016–22) and the films Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood (2019) and Scream (2022)....
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  How Did Aileen Wuornos Die? Aileen Wuornos was an American serial killer who murdered at least seven men in 1989–90 while earning a living as a sex worker along Florida highways. She was convicted of one of the murders in 1992 and sentenced to death. She later pleaded no contest to five other murders. (The body of one of her...
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  municipal governance in India Municipal governance in India, system of local government in which elected units look after the administration of an urban area such as a city or a town. A municipality (an administrative division with its own local government) is organized into three types, depending on the size and nature of the...
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  Shahid Kapoor Shahid Kapoor is an Indian actor known for his work in Bollywood films. He is highly regarded as a dramatic actor, noted for complex performances in films such as Haider (2014), and for his accomplishments as a dancer. His prominent movies include Vivah (2006; “Wedding”), Jab We Met (2007; “When We...
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  Edgar Award Edgar Award, any of several annual awards presented by the Mystery Writers of America (MWA), a professional organization founded in 1945 to promote and elevate the standards of mystery writing. It is named for American writer Edgar Allan Poe, whose short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841)...
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  How Many Legs Does a Caterpillar Have? Caterpillars are the larval form of moths, butterflies, and skippers. Like all insects, they have three pairs of true, jointed legs, which are attached to the three thoracic segments of their cylindrical bodies. Most species also have several pairs of fleshy prolegs on their abdominal segments....
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  Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri is an Australian race-car driver in the single-seat, open-wheel Formula One (F1) with the McLaren Mercedes (now McLaren) automobile racing team. He made his F1 debut with McLaren Mercedes in 2023. In 2024 Piastri helped the F1 team win its first constructors’ championship (annual F1...
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  The Scourged Back On April 2, 1863, during the American Civil War, American photographers William D. McPherson and J. Oliver, who were active in Louisiana during the 1860s, documented the physical brutality of American chattel slavery when they created an image of the severely scarred back of a formerly enslaved...
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  Why Is It Called a Spelling Bee? It would be natural to think that a spelling bee gets its name from the buzz created when students compete in bees at the local, state, and national levels. Natural, but wrong. This kind of bee has absolutely nothing to do with that kind of bee. Let’s start with the term bee, which generally refers...
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  What Happened to Aileen Wuornos’s Girlfriend? In 1986 Aileen Wuornos met Tyria Moore at a bar in South Daytona, Florida, and the two women began a romantic relationship. After Moore left her job as a motel maid, Wuornos supported them through sex work. In 1989 Wuornos killed her first known victim, 51-year-old Richard Mallory. He had picked...
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  Anutin Charnvirakul Anutin Charnvirakul is a Thai engineer and politician who currently serves as the 32nd prime minister of Thailand (2025– ) and leader of the Bhumjaithai Party (2012– ). He previously served as deputy prime minister (2019–25), minister of public health (2019–23), and minister of the interior...
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  Periyar Periyar was an Indian social reformer, politician, and iconoclast who played a pivotal role in shaping modern Tamil politics. Born Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy Naicker, he was popularly called Periyar (“Revered One”). A fierce critic of the caste system, religious orthodoxy, and patriarchy, he led the...
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  What Is DRS in Cricket? In cricket, “DRS” refers to the “Decision Review System,” a set of technologies introduced in 2008 to help umpires and teams review disputed on-field umpire decisions. Players on the field have a limited number of opportunities to challenge an umpiring call, and must do so within a brief time...
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  Albert Pike Albert Pike was a lawyer, political writer, Masonic lodge leader, and Confederate general who played a central role in the early politics of the state of Arkansas. From 1901 until its removal in 2020, a statue in Pike’s honor was the only outdoor public monument to a Confederate general in...
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  ampulla of Lorenzini Ampulla of Lorenzini, any of the specialized sensory organs found in certain types of fishes that enable them to detect weak electric fields in their environment. The ampullae occur specifically in cartilaginous fishes, such as sharks, rays, and skates, as well as in some bony fishes, such as...
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  Hurricane Melissa Hurricane Melissa, catastrophic tropical cyclone that struck the island countries of Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas in late October 2025. In addition, Hurricane Melissa grew from a tropical storm to a category 5 hurricane with winds of 160 miles (about 257 km) per hour in about 39 hours. When it...
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  Who’s Who in Netflix’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story The third season (2025) of Monster, Netflix’s true-crime anthology series, focuses on one of the most notorious killers in American history: Ed Gein. Known as the “Butcher of Plainfield,” he made national headlines in 1957 when authorities uncovered his gruesome crimes—two murders and a series of...
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  Capital gains exclusion: How to save on taxes when you sell your home Selling a home is a difficult process. You need to find a broker or sell it yourself, find a buyer who is the right fit, endure the home inspection, negotiate the cost, pay commission, and finally close on the sale and move out. But your worries aren’t over yet. At the end of the year, you’ll...
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  What Is “Pay for Slay”? “Pay for slay” is a term used by critics to describe a system of welfare payments by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization that, the critics contend, rewards terrorism and incentivizes violence. Until 2025 the system consisted of multiple programs that made...
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  10 Major Epidemics Throughout history outbreaks of disease have reshaped communities, altered political destinies, and advanced medical understanding. Unlike pandemics, which sweep across continents, epidemics are outbreaks that strike within a specific region or population—often with devastating intensity. Epidemics...
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  1996 Mount Everest disaster 1996 Mount Everest disaster, event that claimed the lives of eight climbers during a summit attempt on Mount Everest on May 10–11, 1996. It was at the time the single deadliest day on Everest (since surpassed by 16 deaths in 2014, with a 17th person dying later) and at least 19 deaths caused by the...
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  How Women with Military Backgrounds Are Changing the Face of Politics There was a time when military service or national security expertise was practically a job requirement for top politicians in the United States. More than two-thirds of U.S. presidents have served in the armed forces, and that doesn’t count those who tried to become president after distinguished...
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  Prediction markets: The intersection of forecasting and investing Prediction markets exist at the intersection of crowd wisdom, financial innovation, and speculative trading. They are increasingly capturing the attention of individual investors and traders worldwide. At their core, these platforms allow participants to buy and sell contracts based on the outcomes...
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  Aga Khan V Aga Khan V is the 50th in the line of spiritual and worldly leaders of the Nizārī Ismāʿīliyyah and the fifth in the lineage of Aga Khans. The Nizārī Ismāʿīliyyah are a branch of the Ismāʿīliyyah, a sect within Shiʿi Islam. He was appointed to his position by his father, the Aga Khan IV, upon the...
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  Brandon Johnson Brandon Johnson is a former American educator, a Democratic politician, and the 57th mayor of Chicago, a position he has held since 2023. He previously served as an organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union and held a seat on the Cook County Board of Commissioners from 2018 to 2023. Johnson gained...
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  What Is the SNAP Program? Today it’s called SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). When it was first piloted during the Great Depression and then formally launched during U.S. Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society, it was known as the Food Stamp Program (FSP). Regardless of what it is called, the program helps...
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  Did Martin Luther Marry a Nun? Yes, Martin Luther, the leader of the Reformation and a former Augustinian hermit, married Katharina von Bora, a former Cistercian nun. Their love story began in 1523, when Katharina and eight other nuns dramatically fled their convent, smuggled out in a fish cart, after being inspired by Luther’s...
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  Joshua tree Joshua tree, either of two species of treelike yucca, native to the Mojave Desert of the southwestern United States. The western Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) is particularly associated with southern California but can also be found in Nevada. The eastern Joshua tree (Y. jaegeriana) is also found...
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  Hussein Al Sheikh Hussein Al Sheikh is the vice president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), appointed to the position when it was created by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in April 2025. A confidant of the aging PA president Mahmoud Abbas, he is Abbas’s designated successor to the presidency and...
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  Z-Library Z-Library, online shadow library of academic and general interest books and journal articles available in electronic format to download free of charge, without authorization from copyright holders. Billing itself as “one of the largest online libraries in the world,” Z-Library has claimed to have...
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  What Is the Origin of the Word Mafia? The word Mafia refers to an organized criminal association and often evokes images of mobsters, secret crime families, and major scandals such as the 2025 NBA betting and gambling case. Although scholars agree that the word originated in Sicily, its exact roots remain a mystery. In modern usage...
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  strawberry tree Strawberry tree, (Arbutus unedo), evergreen shrub or small tree cultivated as an ornamental and for its edible berries. Although they have a fairly mealy texture when eaten raw, the tart strawberry-like fruits are used locally to make jams, sorbets, and alcoholic drinks. The leaves and fruits are...
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  climate of India Climate of India, Although the monsoons influence India’s climate and economy to a great extent, there are also many regional variations despite its unifying effect. Temperatures, wind patterns, and rainfall levels can vary widely in different regions of the country. For example, regions in...
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  Fairmont Conference The Black Alternatives Conference, often called the “Fairmont Conference,” was a symposium on African American conservative thought held at San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel in December 1980. It was organized by the economist Thomas Sowell and the activist Henry Lucas and was financed by the Institute...
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  hematinic Hematinic, any vitamin or other substance that serves as a building block in the formation of blood components, particularly hemoglobin and red blood cells. In many instances anemia and related conditions result from deficiencies in hematinics, most commonly iron, vitamin B12, or folic acid. As...
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  New Year’s Resolutions Every January 1, millions of people make New Year’s resolutions—to go to the gym, eat healthier, stop smoking, spend more time with family, save money, or do something else deemed virtuous and worthy of attention. As the joke goes, those resolutions are often left on the curb with spent holiday...
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  List of Formula One Champions (Drivers’ and Constructors’) Formula One (F1) is the most prestigious international open-wheel, single-seat automobile racing competition in the world. Races are sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), founded in 1904. The F1 season consists of a series of races on a combination of purpose-built...
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  Abigail Johnson Most chief executives who lead Wall Street’s largest financial firms have to answer to shareholders, but Abigail Johnson isn’t among them. As chair and chief executive officer of Fidelity Investments, she oversees a privately held company started by her grandfather that has grown into one of the...
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  Demi Lovato Demi Lovato is an American singer and actress who rose to fame playing Mitchie Torres in the Disney Channel musical film Camp Rock (2008). Some of Lovato’s most well-known albums include Here We Go Again (2009), Demi (2013), Unbroken (2011), and Tell Me You Love Me (2017). Demetria Devonne Lovato...
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  Mission: Impossible Mission: Impossible, spy-action film franchise starring Tom Cruise, released between 1996–2025, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The series consists of eight films, with the seventh and eighth films forming a two-part finale, and is based on the 1966 TV show of the same name. Over its...
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  2025 NBA Betting and Gambling Scandal In October 2025 the NBA was rocked by a scandal in which active and former players and coaches, among others, were accused of participating in illegal gambling and poker schemes. Federal law enforcement announced two indictments. In one indictment, current Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey...
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  Why Is the U.S. Bailing Out Argentina? In October 2025 the administration of U.S. Pres. Donald Trump announced the extension of a $40 billion bailout package to Argentina. The U.S. Treasury would provide a $20 billion currency swap to prop up Argentina’s ailing peso (a deal that was finalized on October 20), while an additional $20...
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  Ashkenazi Hasidism Ashkenazi Hasidism, a short-lived Jewish religious movement in the Rhineland region of present-day France and Germany in the 12th to 13th century that combined religious austerities with mysticism. It sought favor with the common people who had grown dissatisfied with formalistic ritualism and...
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  14 Young Roman Catholic Saints Becoming a saint in the Roman Catholic Church requires certain qualifications. Above all, a person must be Catholic, must have lived a holy life, and must be dead for five years before the path to sainthood can begin. There are, however, no age restrictions. Some of the most venerated Catholic...
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  The Odyssey The Odyssey, upcoming epic action film from writer-director Christopher Nolan that is set to be released on July 17, 2026. The film is a screen adaptation of the epic poem the Odyssey, attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer. The eagerly anticipated film will be the first that Nolan has released...
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  1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal, an international financial crime involving the theft of more than $4.5 billion from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), between 2009 and 2015. Initially billed as a vehicle for economic development, the fund became the center...
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  2025 U.S. Strikes on Venezuelan Vessels: When Washington’s War on Drugs Reaches Venezuela’s Shores Since early September 2025 the United States military, under Pres. Donald Trump, has conducted a series of lethal strikes on small civilian boats operating in or near Venezuelan waters. As of the end of October, at least fourteen such operations have been reported, resulting in at least 61 deaths....
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  History of Trick-or-Treating Every October 31 millions of children and teenagers put on costumes and go door-to-door, shouting a familiar demand: “Trick or treat!” This has become one of Halloween’s most popular traditions. But have you ever wondered how trick-or-treating started? We take a look at its long—and often...
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  How Many Moons Does Earth Have? You may have seen headlines such as “NASA confirms Earth now has two moons until 2083.” First, to be nitpicky, NASA hasn’t confirmed anything. It’s shut down, like the rest of the U.S. federal government. Second, and more importantly, we need to define what a “moon” is. A moon is a natural...
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  Turning Point USA Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is a political organization started by the activist Charlie Kirk in 2012. Its primary mission is to engage high-school and college students in conservative politics. It has often been described as one of the largest and most powerful conservative youth organizations in the...
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  The 10 Most Expensive Artworks by Women Reports predict that when Frida Kahlo’s El sueño (La cama) (1940; The Dream [The Bed]) goes under the hammer in November at Sotheby’s auction house in New York City, it may trounce more than one record. With a low estimate of $40 million, the painting will probably beat Kahlo’s previous auction...
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  labia majora Labia majora, in the female reproductive system, the outer folds of skin that form part of the external genitalia, collectively known as the vulva. The labia majora are homologous to the male scrotum, meaning they arise from the same embryonic tissues and serve comparable protective functions. The...
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  Assisted living 101: Questions to ask about timing, care, and costs Assisted living is just what it sounds like: a helping hand for both the individual moving into a care facility and their family and caregivers. Although the definition may be straightforward, the decisions involved in choosing an assisted living facility can be difficult. If you’re beginning to...
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  Where Did Halloween Originate? Halloween is believed to have connections to the festival of Samhain celebrated among the Celts of ancient Ireland. On the day roughly corresponding to November 1 on contemporary calendars, the new year was believed to begin. This date was considered the beginning of the winter period, when...
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  Kareena Kapoor Kareena Kapoor is an Indian actress known for her work in Bollywood films. Especially noted for her charismatic screen presence and versatility, Kapoor has portrayed a wide range of feisty characters such as the flamboyant Pooja in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001; “Sometimes Happiness, Sometimes...
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  Was the Monster of Florence Ever Found? While two men were convicted of the crimes associated with the serial killer known as the Monster of Florence, many believe that the actual killer (or killers) was never caught. From 1968 to 1985 the Monster of Florence caused panic in the area around the Italian city, killing at least 16 people....
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  Hindu Holidays Colored powders coat revelers from head to toe at the vibrant springtime Holi festival. For the autumn Diwali festival, fireworks explode in the air and oil lamps adorn homes. Hindus celebrate a myriad of such festivals, or utsavas, throughout the year. These joyous times celebrate in various ways...
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  X Games The X Games are extreme sports competitions held twice a year. The Summer X Games typically feature skateboarding, BMX, and motocross, and the Winter X Games feature snowboarding, skiing, and snowmobiling. Athletes from around the world compete in these multiday events for a chance to win gold,...
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  Marie Tharp Her work was dismissed as “girl talk” until it changed the way we think about the world. Oceanographer and cartographer Marie Tharp made revolutionary discoveries about the dynamic nature of the ocean floor that fundamentally changed the understanding of how the oceans and continents were formed....
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  FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List One of the most iconic lists in U.S. history started with a phone call from a reporter. In 1949 William Kinsey Hutchinson, the editor in chief of the International News Service, asked FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover who the “worst of the worst” U.S. fugitives were. The names Hoover provided yielded a...
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  trap music Trap music, subgenre of rap music characterized by heavy bass, complex drum patterns including rapid hi-hats and rhythmic snare hits, and booming sub-bass lines dubbed “808s” for the Roland TR-808 drum machine. It emerged from the Southern hip-hop scene and incorporates elements of electronic dance...
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  A Brief History of White House Construction The changes to the White House undertaken by Pres. Donald Trump during his second term may seem stunning to those who think that the White House of today is how it has always been. The reality is that in its more-than-200-year history, the People’s House has undergone changes necessitated by...
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  Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Crisis After Patrick McSorley’s father died by suicide in the late 1980s, Father John Geoghan stopped by the 12-year-old boy’s home to express his condolences. The Boston priest offered to take him out for ice cream. Afterward, Geoghan sexually molested him in his car. McSorley was one of nearly 150...
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  Sabrina Carpenter Sabrina Carpenter is an American singer and actress. She first gained recognition for her role as Maya Hart on the Disney Channel television show Girl Meets World (2014–17). The young actress’s music career skyrocketed soon after her time on the show ended, though she had released her first EP in...
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  Real estate commissions and agent fees: What homebuyers and sellers should know When a home changes hands, money moves in more ways than one. Beyond the price tag, there’s the cost of paying the people who make the deal happen—the agents and brokers who market listings, guide offers, and close transactions. For decades, their pay has followed a familiar pattern: a percentage...
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  Planning for health care costs in retirement Health care costs in retirement have become the single greatest financial worry for millions of seniors, outweighing even fears of running out of money. It’s not surprising. Medical expenses tend to rise over time, and retirees must navigate complex insurance choices as their health needs change,...
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  Elvis Presley’s Family Tree Pioneering rocker Elvis Presley was born on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi, in a two-room shotgun house built by his father, grandfather, and uncle. Dirt-poor as a child, Presley was living like a king by the time he was 22, his age when he purchased Graceland, a palatial estate in...
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  Timeline of the 1930s As the 1930s dawned, the global population surpassed 2 billion, and more than 4 million of the United States’ nearly 123 million residents were unemployed, a number that would triple by 1933. The Great Depression’s widespread hardship forced the U.S. government to assume new responsibilities,...
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  Who Are the Britannicas? It’s 1986 and Joyce Byers works selling print sets of the Encyclopædia Britannica over the phone from her home in Lenora Hills, California. One evening in March, she tells her sons and their friends about a sudden business trip: She needs to leave the next day to travel to company headquarters in...
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  What Was Stolen from the Louvre? Soon after the Louvre unlocked its doors to visitors in Paris on Sunday, October 19, 2025, a team of thieves brazenly broke into the museum and pilfered nine 19th-century imperial and royal pieces of jewelry from the collection. The heist, which involved a truck-mounted electric ladder, power...
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  Eric Rudolph Eric Rudolph is a domestic terrorist guilty of four bombings, including the 1996 attack during the Olympic Games in Atlanta. For five years, while listed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, Rudolph eluded the FBI by hiding in the woods of western North Carolina. In 2003 Rudolph was...
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  immunity Immunity, in biology, the ability of the body to prevent or defeat infection from invading microorganisms or parasites. This protection relies on the coordinated actions of the immune system. The body defends itself against infection through two main types of immunity: innate (or natural) and...
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  Murdaugh Family In the 2020s the Murdaugh family of South Carolina became nationally known after Alex Murdaugh, a notable attorney, was arrested and later convicted of murdering his wife and son. His crimes—which included financial wrongdoing—brought scrutiny to a legal dynasty that had long wielded considerable...
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  Mark Twain Prize for American Humor The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is an annual award presented by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a branch of the Smithsonian Institution, to honor a living entertainer who has used humor to contribute to American culture and society. The prize is named after the celebrated writer...
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  M.S. Golwalkar M.S. Golwalkar was an Indian Hindu nationalist leader who served as the second sarsanghchalak (“chief leader of the organization”) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS; “National Volunteer Organization”) from 1940 to 1973. Succeeding founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar as the RSS leader, Golwalkar...
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  Jalen Williams Jalen Williams is an American professional basketball player who was a key contributor to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2025 NBA championship with his outstanding performance in the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers. He is a guard and small forward. His younger brother, Cody Williams, is a guard...
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  Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, esoteric and occult initiatory society that operated from 1888 until the early 1900s, primarily in the United Kingdom. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn integrated various concepts from Rosicrucianism, Neoplatonism, Kabbala, Hermeticism, and ceremonial magic...
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  Diwali and Beyond Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights, which weaves together several legends, traditions, and cultures. It is generally characterized by the soft glow of oil-filled diyas and the sound of firecrackers. In many regions of India, Diwali marks the victory of good over evil, commemorating the triumph...
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  phi phenomenon Phi phenomenon, optical illusion in which people perceive movement between two stationary neighboring objects that visibly alternate, such as by appearing and disappearing in quick succession. The movement is perceived as if it were a shadow jumping back and forth over the two objects, which appear...
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  2026 federal income tax brackets: Rates, standard deduction, and key limits Each year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) adjusts federal tax thresholds for inflation so the increase in prices alone won’t nudge you into a higher bracket. If your income grows roughly in line with overall costs, your tax rate should stay about the same. For 2026, the bracket cutoffs and...
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  How the Opioid Crisis Devastated Families, Communities, and, Ultimately, a Country Kateena Haynes’s smile warms the room as she weaves through playing children at her feet to get to the computer room, chatting with staff as she goes. There, the walls are lined with desktop computers for kids to do their homework. A few minutes later, walking around back under the hot Appalachian...
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  peripheral immune tolerance Peripheral immune tolerance, the set of mechanisms that prevent immune cells—especially T cells and B cells—from attacking the body’s own tissues after the cells have matured and left so-called central tolerance sites—namely, the thymus and bone marrow. By maintaining control over self-reactive...
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  Insects That Wear Things Insects might be small and common, but their survival strategies are anything but ordinary. While many use camouflage in the form of concealing coloration, some special animals actually add materials from their surroundings to their bodies. Most of these unusual ensembles help them blend into their...
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  Emotional stages of retirement: The joy, the jolt, and the adjustment You’ve been looking forward to this for years. Retirement! You’re finally getting out of the rat race. No alarms, no deadlines, just freedom, like being a kid on summer break for the rest of your life. But as with any major change, retirement can stir up stress. That’s because stress—our mind and...
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  Klaus Schwab For more than half a century, Klaus Schwab presided over the World Economic Forum, transforming it from a modest European business gathering into one of the most visible global stages for political, corporate, and civil society leaders. Celebrated for his ability to convene heads of state and...
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  Amanda Knox American college student Amanda Knox was at the center of one of the most notorious murder cases of the early part of the 21st century. Knox was twice convicted—and twice acquitted—of the brutal murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy, in 2007. Knox’s story became a nearly...
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  Laura Loomer An American far-right activist and media personality, Laura Loomer rose to prominence through her outspoken support for and informal advising of U.S. Pres. Donald Trump. Throughout Trump’s second term, Loomer has been credited with influencing the dismissal of a number of government officials she...
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  Pakistani Taliban Pakistani Taliban, formally Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan or Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan (TTP), militant group that formed about 2007 to counter Pakistani government rule in Pashtun-inhabited regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan. Like the unaffiliated Afghan Taliban, with...
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  A Void A Void is a postmodern novel written by French author Georges Perec that was originally published in French as La Disparition (“The Vanishing”) in 1969. It was masterfully translated into English as A Void by Scottish novelist Gilbert Adair in 1994. Perec’s extended lipogram—a literary exercise...
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  Portfolio beta weighting: What it is, why it matters, and how to use it Suppose you hold a basket of equity investments—stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs)—as part of a diversified portfolio. This basket of equities spans the 11 sectors of the market, with a mix of growth, value, cyclical, and defensive names. You may take great pride in your portfolio mix—and you...
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  Mark-to-market, variation margin, and daily settlement in futures Margin is one of the most important—and yet often misunderstood—concepts in futures trading. In equities, margin refers to borrowing money from a broker to purchase shares. In futures, however, margin functions more like a performance bond—a good-faith deposit to ensure you can cover potential...
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  Was Chicago’s ‘Rat Hole’ Really Made by a Rat? The city of Chicago is known for many things: the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, 1930s gangster Al Capone, the Democratic political machine, the city’s storied sports teams, and most recently, the Chicago “rat hole.” The hole itself, which appeared in a 20–30-year-old sidewalk slab located in the...
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  Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games are an international athletic competition that will be held in northern Italy from February 6 to 22, 2026. It will be the 25th iteration of the Winter Olympic Games and the fourth Olympic competition hosted by Italy, following Winter editions in Cortina...
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  Insurrection Act The Insurrection Act is a U.S. federal law passed in 1807 that originally authorized the president of the United States to deploy “such part of the land or naval force of the United States” that the president deems necessary to suppress an insurrection or to enable the local enforcement of federal...
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  syringe exchange service Syringe exchange service, public health resource allowing individuals who inject drugs to switch out used syringes and needles for new, sterile drug injection equipment. Such services are a critical component of harm reduction strategies, helping to minimize the negative impacts of drug use,...
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  Greg Abel Greg Abel (born June 1, 1962, Edmonton, Alberta) is a Canadian-born investor and accountant who is vice chair of Berkshire Hathaway and chair of Berkshire Hathaway Energy. He has been designated as the successor to Warren Buffett as chief executive officer (CEO) of Berkshire Hathaway, effective...
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  History of Public Health: A Timeline Public health is the story of humanity versus disease. From ancient clean-water systems and the introduction of quarantine practices to the rise of germ theory, vaccines, and modern health systems, each breakthrough has reshaped how societies live and thrive. Along the way, science, innovation, and...
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  Ranji Trophy Ranji Trophy, India’s primary domestic first-class cricket tournament, played annually by state and regional teams. It was launched in July 1934, with the first tournament being played in the 1934–35 season. The tournament has been held every year since then, except in 2020–21 because of the...
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  Claude AI Claude AI, generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot and supporting large language models (LLMs) developed by AI safety and research firm Anthropic AI. Claude analyzes text, audio, and visual inputs to answer users’ questions, summarize documents, generate long-form text, create diagrams, and...
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  Zodiac Sign Calculator You probably already know what your zodiac sign is. For example, if you were born between March 21 and April 19, your sign is Aries, the ram. But that’s not the whole astrological story, as the interactive above shows. When you enter the date, time, and location of your birth, the interactive...
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  Protein Calculator Proteins are the major building blocks of the body, serving most notably as the fundamental architects of muscle and fueling its growth and repair. But they also direct countless other biological functions. Each protein has its own structure and role, and with an estimated 20,000 encoded by the...
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  Ranked-Choice Voting Ranked-choice voting (RCV), a form of proportional voting (in contrast to a winner-take-all election), was invented in Europe in the 1850s and used in a smattering of places—Denmark, Ireland, Malta, and Australia—throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. Ashtabula, Ohio, was the first place to...
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  Julia Donaldson A mean dragon is outsmarted by a dog, a cat, a bird, and a frog; a little mouse scares off an orange-eyed monster (and his child); a tiny ladybird saves a farm’s prized cow; and a snail helps rescue a beached whale—Julia Donaldson’s pen spins tales that bring a fantastic world of make-believe to...
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  Sue Bird Widely recognized as one of the greatest women’s basketball players of all time, Sue Bird is the only player to win a WNBA championship in three different decades. One of the most decorated basketball players ever, the 5-foot 9-inch (1.75-meter) powerhouse is considered the greatest point guard in...
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  Extreme Birds: 7 Wonders of the Avian World Ever heard of a poisonous bird? Or a bird that mimics a snake? Birds are among the most diverse creatures on Earth, with species adapted to every continent and habitat. Some stand out for extraordinary traits that make them natural wonders in their own right. The following seven birds—each...
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  Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, award-winning stage musical that premiered on Broadway on March 1, 1979. It is widely regarded as the masterwork of American musical theater legend Stephen Sondheim, who crafted its music and lyrics. The book (or script) for the show was written by...
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  nor’easter Nor’easter, extratropical cyclone in the western Atlantic Ocean that forms along the eastern coast of North America. The storm is named for the winds primarily blowing from the northeast that buffet the east coast of the United States from the Mid-Atlantic states and New England to Canada’s...
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  Afghanistan-Pakistan Conflict (2025) On October 9, 2025, following an attack a day earlier in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province by the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP; sometimes called Pakistani Taliban) on Pakistani soldiers, Pakistan carried out an air strike in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, that targeted Noor Wali Mehsud, the leader...
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  Kriti Sanon Kriti Sanon is an Indian actress, producer, and entrepreneur who is known for her work in contemporary Bollywood films. Popular for her award-winning performance in the film Mimi (2021), she is regarded as a youth icon. Sanon has endorsed brands such as Coca-Cola and Tissot. She cofounded a fashion...
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  Reading market signals: The role of volume and open interest Traders like to “follow the money,” and in the futures markets, two clues can help: trading volume and open interest. Picture the market as a bathtub with a flowing spigot and an open drain. The spigot is volume. The drain is day traders and those closing positions. What about the water that’s...
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  Futures delivery basics: Cash vs. physical The concept of delivery is fundamental to the origin story of the American futures market, going all the way back to the years before the Civil War when a group of grain merchants gathered at what became the Chicago Board of Trade to buy and sell crops. Sellers were expected to “deliver” actual...
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  Joel Mokyr Joel Mokyr (born July 26, 1946, Leiden, the Netherlands) is an American-Israeli economic historian and winner, with Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt, of the 2025 Nobel Prize for Economics (officially the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel) “for having explained...
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  Peter Wilkinson Howitt Peter Wilkinson Howitt (born May 31, 1946, Canada) is a Canadian economist known for his theoretical work on innovation, technological change, and long-term economic growth. In 2025 he shared half of the Nobel Prize for Economics with Philippe Aghion “for the theory of sustained growth through...
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  Philippe Aghion Philippe Aghion (born August 17, 1956, Paris, France) is a French economist whose research on innovation, competition, and economic growth has helped redefine how economists understand the role of technological change in long-term prosperity. In 2025 he shared half of the Nobel Prize for Economics...
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  creative destruction Creative destruction is the process by which innovation reshapes an economy as new and superior combinations of products, processes, business models, or markets are developed. Along the way, established products, firms, and even industries are rendered obsolete to open space for new ones. The term...
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  Letitia James Letitia Ann James grew up in Brooklyn and is one of eight children, born to a mother who worked as a cleaner and in customer service and a father who was a building superintendent. She was a self-described tomboy who liked to read fairy tales. That she would grow up to be the state’s first Black...
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  Adam Brody Adam Brody is an American actor whose portrayal of Seth Cohen in the television show The O.C. (2003–07) turned him into a teen icon and made him a fixture of mid-2000s pop culture. Known for playing lovable and charming misfits, he has acted in several films and won plaudits for his turn as an...