🐤 Invitation only

🏦 Markets: November ended on a strong note, posting the best day of the year for the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Both the Dow and S&P 500 chalked up monthly gains of just under 9% while the Nasdaq outperformed both of them, ending November 10.7% higher than it began.

New inflation data promoted yesterday’s gains and Independent Advisor Alliance chief investment officer Chris Zaccarelli expressed confidence that “the market will continue to drift higher” throughout the rest of the year.

🦐 Shrimp surprise: If you’re looking for a seafood dinner from a moderately priced chain restaurant, chances are Red Lobster is on your short list of options. But a recent promotion brought in even more shrimp lovers than the company expected. The restaurant rolled out an all-you-can-eat shrimp promotion for just $20, and it was so popular that parent company Thai Union Group reported massive losses. The feast is still a bargain, but now it costs $25.

📈 Inflation info: Things still aren’t exactly cheap out there, but at least the rate of price increases appears to be slowing down across the board. That was the key takeaway from the latest personal consumption expenditures report, which showed a 3% annual hike in October — a decrease from September’s 3.4%. That’s not down to the 2% rate that the central bank wants to see, but it does reflect a continuing move in the right direction.

💻 Legal leaks: We’ve all become accustomed to learning about massive hacks that result in the release of sensitive information, but they typically target businesses. One alarming new report, however, revealed that a host of data related to court cases can be found relatively easily online … and hackers aren’t to blame. All sorts of classified info found in court records systems can be viewed due to insufficient or faulty security measures.

🤖 Bot birthday: ChatGPT is turning 1 this week and, while other AI platforms struggle to find a profitable application, this chatbot has racked up quite an impressive list of accomplishments over the past 12 months. According to reports, there have been more than 110 million installations on mobile devices and, perhaps more importantly, it has raked in about $30 million from consumer spending on $19.99 per month ChatGPT Plus subscriptions.

What started as a service for individuals who rely on service animals has expanded widely in recent years, with businesses of all types announcing that dogs are welcome.

Dog owners react with glee at the thought of bringing their canine companions to the supermarket, for a cup of coffee at the local cafe, or even a night out at the movies.

But the question remains: What does your dog think about these outings?

Along for the ride

Almost any dog person knows the joy that comes from inviting a four-legged friend to go for a ride … unless the pup is wary that it’s a trip to the vet, that is.

In most other cases, dogs will make a beeline for the car and seem to exude excitement regardless of where the journey takes them. And this is for a very simple reason, according to Barnard College’s Alexandra Horowitz, who heads up the school’s Dog Cognition Lab.

“Dogs are captive to us, in a very real way,” she said. “The world opens up for them when we’re around — and can take them out, play with them, feed them, take them to socialize or run — and it closes for them when we’re not.”

Quality time

All this might sound like a recommendation to take your dog with you anywhere you can, but it’s not that simple. While your pet likes to be around you as a person, that doesn’t mean every environment will be a good fit.

You can certainly try out new places, but be sure to pay attention to your dog’s cues to determine if he or she is having a good time. Too often, says dog trainer Jenny Efimova, humans “view behavior through a lens of convenience for us” instead of what’s best for our pets.

Convenience stores tend to offer a little bit of everything — including a range of odd bottles of liquid and packages of pills near the register that claim to do everything from keeping you alert to boosting your sex drive.

But the pursuit of these supposed benefits often comes with a risk. And that appears to be the case with a substance containing a liquid form of the drug tianeptine.

What is it?

Sold under brand names including Neptune’s Fix, these 10-milliliter bottles have been sold at gas stations, head shops, and other retailers across the nation. And while the recommended dose is just a few drops, some consumers have reportedly ingested the entire bottle at once.

The drug tianeptine is regulated in many countries as a treatment for depression, but it’s not regulated in the States … and businesses are exploiting that loophole.

Here’s what to know about it:

• Tianeptine is marketed as a way to improve mood, reduce anxiety, and boost cognition
• Once ingested, it targets the brain’s opioid receptors, earning the nickname “gas station heroin”
• Use of the drug can result in withdrawal symptoms like nausea, chills, and anxiety

And now the Food and Drug Administration is issuing a warning to anyone tempted to buy a bottle.

Risk of seizures

While tianeptine has been banned in a dozen states, it’s still available for sale in many areas and under various names … although Neptune’s Fix appears to be the most potent.

The horror stories in a subreddit dedicated to quitting the drug include accounts from people who say they’ve experienced seizures, passed out, and even ended up on a ventilator after using it.

The FDA confirmed “severe adverse event reports” related to Neptune’s Fix and encouraged anyone who experiences “a bad reaction” to “seek immediate medical help.”

While ethanol isn’t a perfect form of fuel from an environmental standpoint, it is widely considered a much better alternative than fossil fuels and meets the broad definition of a sustainable energy source.

And the corn-based fuel is gaining particular interest from airlines who believe it could be the answer for reducing the industry’s massive carbon footprint.

A complicated concept

On the surface, corn might sound like an ideal crop from which to refine the jet fuel needed for commercial flights around the world. After all, it’s been quite effective at running automobiles for many years.

And President Joe Biden appears to be on board, asserting earlier this year: “Mark my words, the next 20 years, farmers are going to provide 95% of all the sustainable airline fuel.”

But is that goal actually attainable? Maybe not, according to water-use consultant Jeffrey Brobert.

“We’re on track to massively increase water usage without any real sense of how sensitive our aquifers are,” he said.

One gallon of ethanol requires hundreds of gallons of water, and increasing the supply exponentially for the airline industry could threaten the availability of humanity’s most important resource.

Airlines make an investment

The potential hurdles are significant, particularly since the percentage of corn crops used to create ethanol has already increased from about 10% in the aughts to about 40% now. But U.S. airlines say it’s a crucial element in their goal to cut carbon emissions entirely by mid-century.

They’re currently pushing for the same type of tax incentives that the automotive industry received and United Airlines is working with a Nebraska company to provide enough ethanol to fuel 50,000 flights per year.

Lauren Riley, the carrier’s chief sustainability officer, explained: “Sustainable aviation fuel is the best tool we have to decarbonize airplanes.”