A Case Of The Mondays

Charlie Hebdo Attack Pegged As Terrorism

Two people were stabbed and seriously wounded near the publication Charlie Hebdo’s headquarters in Paris, France, on Friday. The incident against the satirical magazine - which happened five years after a mass shooting in the same location - is now being investigated as a terrorist attack.

The Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict

On Sunday, violent clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh resulted in at least 16 military deaths and several civilian deaths. The region, which is inside Azerbaijan but occupied mostly by ethnic Armenians, suffered an artillery strike the Armenian government claims came from Azerbaijan, causing both countries to declare martial law.

More: The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be traced back to the early 20th century, when Soviet leader Joseph Stalin drew borders to make the region - which has an ethnic Armenian majority - a part of Azerbaijan. Dig deeper.

COVID Roundup:

• Johnson & Johnson’s experimental vaccine induced immune responses in most people who received the shot, according to results from its Phase 1/2 trials that began in July. Dig deeper.
• The New York City Principals Union unanimously passed a vote of no confidence in Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday, calling for him to cede full control of the city’s school systems to the state’s Education Department.
• Florida moved to Phase 3 of reopening on Friday. This phase allows restaurants and other businesses to operate at full capacity.

Worth Noting: The New York Times (free) obtained President Donald Trump’s tax information extending over more than two decades. Here’s what we know: Right Center | Left Center

🦠 Brain Strain… officials in Lake Jackson, TX, issued a local advisory to boil tap water before consumption after a 6-year-old died from a brain-eating amoeba traced to the water supply earlier this month.

TikTok… TikTok…

A federal court judge on Sunday afternoon granted TikTok’s request for a temporary restraining order against an impending ban by the Trump administration that would have begun at midnight last night. While the judge’s order temporarily blocks TikTok’s impending U.S. app store ban, it does not affect a much broader ban set to come into effect on Nov. 12 that could effectively render the app unusable.

S Is For Settlement

Alphabet filed a settlement on Friday to resolve a series of shareholder lawsuits revolving around $135 million in severance payments to former executives who left the company amidst sexual misconduct allegations. Under the terms of the settlement, Alphabet will allocate $310 million towards diversity initiatives and undergo a series of workplace changes, including a new rule banning relationships between managers and subordinates.

More: Read Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s company-wide email in response to the announcement of the settlement.

The Economics Of Space

NASA released its first-ever economic impact report on Friday. For the fiscal year 2019, the report claims the agency generated more than $64B in total economic output, supported more than 300,000 jobs, and generated an estimated $6.9B in federal, state, and local taxes.

Worth noting: The Commerce Department now requires U.S. companies to obtain a license to export certain technology to China’s top semiconductor company. Dig deeper.

📊 Bonus Stat: Americans are starting new businesses at the fastest rate in more than a decade, according to the WSJ. Read more.

In Fair Verona, Where We Lay Our Scene

Until March, Michele D’Alpaos and Paola Agnelli of Verona, Italy, had never met one another, even though they had lived as neighbors for years. However, when Michele spotted Paola performing a violin rendition of “We Are the Champions” by Queen on her balcony during the country’s coronavirus lockdown, it was love at first sight.

Michele reached out to Paola over social media, and the two quickly sparked a passionate online relationship, dreaming of the day that they break quarantine and meet in person. After two months of online courtship, the couple finally met at a park and shared their first kiss in May. Michele and Paola – who have been dubbed the “Romeo and Juliet of the pandemic” – are now engaged and plan to marry in their hometown, Shakespeare’s “fair Verona.”

Call Me A Doctor

Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Mercedes Strong dreamed of becoming a physician. However, just as she began a pre-medicine undergraduate program, Mercedes’s father passed away, leading her to make the difficult decision to drop out of school to take care of her siblings. Mercedes never went back to school, and instead went on to have children of her own, always encouraging them to pursue their educations.

Motivated by Mercedes’s passion for learning, her daughter, Loida, became a nurse and worked in the medical field for ten years. Nevertheless, feeling that she had not fulfilled her mother’s dream, Loida later returned to school to pursue a doctoral degree in nursing – but did not tell her mother. In August, after three years of studying in secret, Loida surprised Mercedes by inviting her to the graduation ceremony, causing her mother to fall to her knees in joyous disbelief.

Giving Every Dog Its Day

For senior shelter dogs, the chances of being adopted are not very high. The aged canines, many of whom were dropped off by families who could no longer care for them, are often overlooked by prospective owners enchanted by newborn puppies and energetic young rescues.

Determined to dote on dogs in their golden years, Marty’s Place Senior Dog Sanctuary in Upper Freehold Township, NJ, offers home-like accommodations to abandoned senior pups. The facility, which acts as a lavish canine retirement community, provides the lovable pets plenty of human companionship, medical care, and various outdoor exercise opportunities.