Keep Busting Your Hump

Supreme Court Rules On U.S. Census

The Supreme Court released an unsigned decision on Tuesday suspending lower court orders requiring the Trump administration to end the 2020 census count on Oct. 31, instead of the administration’s proposed Oct. 5 change. The Commerce Department, which appealed the lower court’s ruling, cited a need to process the results of the census before the congressional year-end deadline as the reason behind moving the deadline forward.

Unrelated Supreme Court News: Yesterday marked the second day of Senate hearings for Amy Coney Barrett. (Full video)

UN Human Rights Council Election Results

China and Russia were among the 15 new additions elected to the 47-seat UN Human Rights Council in a secret ballot conducted at UN headquarters in NYC on Tuesday. The two countries will join several other nations already on the council who stand accused of human rights violations.

More: How the voting process works.

Coronavirus Trials Paused

• U.S. health regulators paused the Phase 3 trial of Eli Lilly’s leading coronavirus antibody treatment yesterday. The company confirmed the trial was paused due to potential safety concerns, though other details are currently unknown.
• Johnson & Johnson confirmed on Monday that its Phase 3 coronavirus vaccine trial has been paused. A company statement revealed the pause resulted from a trial participant reporting an “adverse event,” but refused to go into further detail to maintain the participant’s privacy.

More: In early September, UK health officials paused AstraZeneca’s Phase 3 trial due to a potentially unexplained illness before resuming six days later.

Nice To iMeet You

Apple introduced its new lineup of iPhones yesterday: the iPhone 12 ($799), 12 Mini ($699), 12 Pro ($999), and 12 Pro Max ($1,099), which will all feature 5G support. The models, which feature the first major exterior redesign since 2017, share the same basic specs -- the main differences are screen size and camera sophistication.

Facebook Turns Anti-Anti-Vaccine

Facebook announced on Tuesday that it would ban ads (but not individual posts) discouraging people from getting vaccinated as part of a more extensive campaign to support global vaccine efforts. The social giant said it would continue to allow ads that advocate for or against legislation of government policies surrounding vaccines.

Good Shepard

Blue Origin, the Jeff Bezos-founded aerospace company, conducted the 13th successful test flight of its New Shepard rocket on Tuesday in the West Texas desert. The spacecraft carried several payloads - such as microgravity experiments and research - up to an altitude of 340k feet, spending about ten minutes in zero gravity before returning to Earth. New Shepard is designed to carry six passengers, though none have been aboard any test flight to date.

Correction: It was brought to our attention that a link we included regarding Amazon Prime Day deals gave readers an error message. We have identified and addressed the technical issue, and apologize for any inconvenience. The good news? There's still deals to be had (this link works, promise).

Horsin’ Around

The Rosevale Care Home in York, England, has not experienced a single case of COVID-19 during the pandemic. Many attribute this to the retirement community’s strict safety restrictions, which require family visits to be conducted outside and through the barrier of a glass screen. Although the facility’s residents – 90% of whom experience dementia – have remained healthy, many have suffered negative emotional effects from the extended isolation.

Recognizing the benefits interacting with animals can have on one’s mood, the staff at Rosevale recently introduced the residents to a ten-year-old miniature horse named Monet, who spent an hour walking around the nursing home visiting with the aged occupants. The secluded seniors were overjoyed to spend time with Monet, with many cheering up for the first time in months as they had a chance to pet the pony.

Build-A-Body

When 21-year-old Jared Wells of Denver, CO, walked into the Body Alive bodybuilding gym for the first time in 2018, he weighed just 117 pounds. Jared, who has cystic fibrosis – a disease that affects the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe – had spent the past five years fighting lung cancer and had almost completely lost the will to get better. Emaciated as a result of his poor health, Jared was determined to make a change.

Although Jared was initially anxious about how the other members would treat him, he quickly found a supportive community at Body Alive. For the past two years, he has been growing steadily stronger and more confident (video). The driven Jared has now developed enough muscle to participate in bodybuilding competitions and is currently pursuing certifications in nutrition and personal training.

Dream Team

Earlier this year, four-year-old Pippa Jackson of Cornwall, England, had a bad dream. In it, she was distraught to see that some children would not receive any presents on Christmas Day. When she awoke, Pippa was inspired to prevent her dream from becoming a reality and enlisted her mother and two-year-old sister's help.

Ever since, the persistent Pippa has worked to make 200 Christmas presents for children in need, constructing elaborate care packages filled with hats, scarves, and colored pencils to keep recipients warm and hopeful this winter. The thoughtful gifts, funded by donations from Pippa's friends and family, will be delivered to local women's shelters and orphanages.

Fall is in full swing. It’s time to bake!

Cider mills, pumpkin patches, fall colors, a chill in the air - it’s hard not to be excited about the sweet treats that accompany the season. Especially when they include the flavorful spices, herbs, extracts, and seasoning blends of Spice Islands®.

Just imagine these tantalizing aromas circulating through the house:

• Rich and flavorful carrot cake featuring Spice Islands Cinnamon, Ginger and Cloves.
• Tasty and chocolatey Mexican Chocolate Almond Cookies featuring Spice Islands Ground Saigon Cinnamon and vanilla and almond extracts.
• Delicious and tangy Lemon Texas Sheet Cake featuring Spice Islands Lemon Peel and vanilla and lemon extracts.

(Looking for more culinary inspiration? Look no further.)

Spice Islands sources the highest-quality spices and extracts from around the world.
Our organic blends, spices and herbs don’t contain added sugar, fillers, or other ingredients so you get the most authentic flavor every time. Whatever your baking demands, Spice Islands has the answer.