🐤 Make a joyful noise

Markets: It was a holiday-shortened end to the week on Wall Street, but that didn’t stop the stock market from making some Black Friday moves. The final trading day of November was a winner, pushing all three major indexes higher by a fraction of a percent and representing the S&P 500’s best post-Thanksgiving session in 12 years.

Black and white: Yesterday might have been Black Friday, but the ground is turning white across much of the United States. Regions from the Midwest to the Great Plains are expected to see a cold snap turn into wintry precipitation over the weekend. Some parts of New York and beyond could see snow accumulation of up to three feet. If you’re planning to travel through this area, beware of the conditions before you venture onto the roads. Even southern states aren’t spared, with about 9 million people across the region under freeze warnings.

Read all about it: Pop superstar Taylor Swift seamlessly turned her record-breaking “Eras” tour into a record-breaking big-screen movie. Now, the latest chapter (literally) in that saga is available, but only at Target. “The Eras Tour Book” went on sale at locations far and wide, offering Swifties a glimpse into what went on behind the scenes and onstage during the concert tour. Demand was so high that some Target stores opened up separate lines just for Swift fans. Many anxious shoppers camped out in the parking lot to ensure they got a copy.

Not buying it: Even Black Friday crowds might not be enough to save some of the department stores that have been limping along over the course of recent years. The rise in online retailers and discount chains like TJ Maxx and Ross have put increased pressure on stores like Macy’s and Nordstrom. Shoppers have largely abandoned shopping malls and, even though there are efforts underway to revitalize some of these retail destinations it likely won’t be enough to stem the tide of department stores shutting down underperforming locations.

A flip of the coin: President-elect Donald Trump has a lot of appointments to make ahead of his second inauguration. Although he has already nominated a number of individuals to fill key Cabinet and administration positions, there hasn’t yet been an announcement about the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission. As things appear to be shaping up, insiders expect Trump to prioritize candidates with a generally optimistic view about cryptocurrency. Some of the likeliest names in the running are Mark Uyeda, Brian Brooks, and Paul Atkins.

Tragedy struck one of the planet’s most iconic landmarks in 2019 when a fire broke out at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. But five years later, the City of Light is preparing for a long-awaited reopening.

A big part of that celebration will be a ragtag choir made up of men and women who have helped rebuild the iconic structure.

Introducing the Compagnons Choir

The unique project formed from the vision of Stephanie Duchene, a conservation scientist who, like many others across France and beyond, was deeply impacted by the destructive Notre Dame blaze. She recalled visiting the historic site with her family just a few weeks before the fire erupted.

“Everyone was very sad and very anxious about the potential collapse of the cathedral overnight,” Duchene said of the immediate aftermath. “We were very relieved in the morning when we saw that it was — that she was — still standing.”

But in order to achieve President Emmanuel Macron’s goal of reopening the cathedral by the end of this year, many people from all walks of life had to pitch in and help. Now, many of those people will be returning to the site as part of the Compagnons Choir.

A monumental moment for France

For the better part of a millennium, Notre Dame has stood in its prominent location. Over the centuries, it has provided the backdrop for many historic events — like the liberation of Paris following World War II — and works of art, perhaps most notably “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” by Victor Hugo.

And as will be commemorated with a December 11 performance by the Compagnons Choir, this landmark is about to embark on a new chapter in its unparalleled story.

We’re headed for an unpredictable and unprecedented playoff, college football fans. Thanks to a major change implemented this year,

Cheaper by the dozen

It’s always been practically impossible to accurately predict any playoff results at this point in the season. But with 12 teams now making it to the first round, there’s no way to gauge how things will fall into place.

Those who favor the CFP’s growth from four teams to 12 say it offers more opportunity for teams to advance and contributes to a more exciting season in general.

But combined with bloated conferences like the Big Ten’s current 16-team lineup, the chase for a spot in the playoff could easily devolve into chaos.

Conference call

There’s already evidence of that disarray playing out within some of those conferences. Although things can still change, here’s how the CFP is shaping up:

• Big Ten: Four teams — Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State, and Indiana — are in a prime position to reach the playoffs.
• Big 12: More than half of this conference’s 16 teams remain in contention with 256 different outcome possibilities.
• ACC: Clemson, Miami, and SMU are all vying to become what will probably be the only ACC team in the playoff.

There’s plenty more uncertainty to be found when we explore variables like Boise State’s potential path to represent the Group of 5 in the CFP. Then there’s the SEC, which is in a bit of turmoil as even some of the strongest teams, like Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Ole Miss are all still scrambling for a playoff spot.

But despite all that uncertainty and amid mounting disarray, most analysts seem to agree that the ultimate champion likely comes down to one of four teams: Oregon, Texas, Ohio State, and Georgia.

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There was once a time when discussing the weather was the sort of idle chit chat that would be unlikely to cause any real tension. These days, however, climate change has ushered in some strange and often dangerous weather that should move the topic squarely out of the “small talk” category.

The year in review

Even though we’ve still got more than a month left until 2025, we can already chart a year-over-year increase in extreme weather events. Even though last year was itself exemplified by prolonged, relentless heat waves, this year is shaping up to replace it as the hottest in recorded history.

Worse yet, even some of the dire predictions of climate scientists over the past several years didn’t forecast temperatures as high as some areas experienced.

2024 will be the first full year that experts have had access to a global map of hotspots, which have been observed on every continent with the exception of Antarctica. These areas are not only more prone to heat waves and high temperatures but also droughts, fires, and climate-related mortality.

This map was created with data compiled from an extensive study of heat waves over the course of 65 years.

Hardest hit regions

In addition to recent weather trends, the global hotspot map gives experts even more context when determining which corners of the globe are most susceptible to extreme weather events — and heat waves in particular.

Some of the places most acutely impacted in recent decades are Africa, Japan, Korea, eastern Australia, central China, northern Greenland, Siberia, and the Arctic regions of Canada.

Residents across much of Europe have also experienced harsh heat waves, a trend exacerbated by the fact that many residents do not have access to air conditioning.

I bought a pair of sneakers from a drug dealer.

I don't know what he laced them with but I've been tripping all day.