MiXinG TuBe StuDiO: November 2021

Tuesday 30 November 2021

Accuser Describes Maxwell and Epstein Ensnaring and Abusing Her at 14

During the second day of Ghislaine Maxwell's trial, a woman accused Ms. Maxwell of befriending her when she was a girl, only to join in the sexual abuse that followed.

source https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/30/nyregion/ghislaine-maxwell-accuser-jane-testimony.html

Federal judge grants Montana's request for injunction on CMS vaccine mandate

HELENA — A U.S. District Court Judge granted Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen's request for a preliminary injunction against the COVID-19 CMS vaccine mandate, which was set to take effect Monday, December 6, 2021. The vaccine mandate is now ...

source https://dojmt.gov/federal-judge-grants-montanas-request-for-injunction-on-cms-vaccine-mandate/

Rain fell at Greenland's summit this year for the first time. It's going to happen more often, study says

The Arctic is expected to experience more rain than snow some time between 2060 and 2070, marking a major transition in its precipitation patterns as the climate crisis jacks up temperatures in the region, according to the study published on Tuesday in the ...

source https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/30/us/arctic-rainfall-greenland-climate-change/index.html

Woman testifies Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein started sexually abusing her when she was 14

The woman, identified in court as by the pseudonym "Jane," said after that 1994 introduction she and her mother met Epstein for tea in Florida when he said he could mentor her. She then started going to Epstein's home by herself.

source https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/30/us/ghislaine-maxwell-alleged-victim-testimony/index.html

What to watch for as the Supreme Court reconsiders Roe v. Wade

(CNN) The Supreme Court hears oral arguments Wednesday in a case that could result in the repeal of Roe v. Wade, the decision legalizing abortion nationwide that's been at the center of American politics for nearly 50 years. Here are the key details: ...

source https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/30/politics/dobbs-v-jackson-womens-health-organization-what-to-watch/index.html

CNN suspends Chris Cuomo indefinitely

New York (CNN Business) CNN is suspending prime time anchor Chris Cuomo "indefinitely, pending further evaluation," after new documents revealed the cozy and improper nature of his relationship with aides to his brother, former New York Gov.

source https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/30/media/chris-cuomo-suspended/index.html

De Blasio plan would replace horse carriages with electric cars

Mayor Bill de Blasio will try again to ban horse-drawn carriages from Central Park — a last-ditch attempt to deliver on a key campaign promise that has gone unfulfilled through his eight years in office. Legislation from the mayor's office would ...

source https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2021/11/30/de-blasio-plan-would-replace-horse-carriages-with-electric-cars-1396373

Metroid Dread developer MercurySteam working on third-person action-RPG "set in a dark fantasy world"

MercurySteam, the developer behind this year's critically acclaimed Metroid Dread for Switch, has announced it's working on a new third-person action-RPG "set in a dark fantasy world".

Details on the new title, codenamed Project Iron, are limited, but it's described as a brand-new IP intended for a multi-platform global release. Project Iron's initial development investment is set at €27m (approximately £23m), and the IP will be co-owned by MercurySteam and Digital Bros, the parent company of 505 Games, which is co-publishing the game.

Michigan leaders call Oxford High School shooting that killed 3 'horrifying' and 'unacceptable'

Michigan politicians are “horrified” following a Metro Detroit school shooting at Oxford High School that resulted in three deaths and six other shooting victims, including a teacher and five students. Multiple politicians said “thoughts and prayers” ...

source https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2021/11/michigan-leaders-call-oxford-high-school-shooting-that-killed-3-horrifying-and-unacceptable.html

With defense bill stalled, will lawmakers 'ping pong' it home?

The Senate could consider the annual defense authorization bill as soon as Thursday after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., abandoned a controversial push to merge it with sweeping China-focused legislation.

source https://www.defensenews.com/congress/budget/2021/11/30/with-defense-bill-stalled-will-lawmakers-ping-pong-it-home/

Dr. Oz announces bid for US Senate seat in Pennsylvania

The 61-year-old Oz will join a Republican primary field that already includes Philadelphia-area businessman (and 2018 lieutenant governor nominee) Jeff Bartos and Carla Sands, who served as US ambassador to Denmark in the Trump administration.

source https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/30/politics/dr-oz-senate-campaign-pennsylvania/index.html

CNN's Chris Cuomo Problem Can't Be Ignored

Monday's string of events—damning new revelations into CNN host Chris Cuomo's behind-the-scenes work for his embattled brother, Governor Andrew Cuomo, followed by anticipation (and later, letdown) as to whether he'd address the revelations on his ...

source https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/11/cnn-chris-cuomo-problem-cant-be-ignored

Biden admin presses pause on enforcing feds' vaccine mandate

The Biden administration has advised federal agencies to hold off until the new year on the toughest penalties, like suspensions and firings, for its employees who remain unvaccinated against Covid-19. Last week was the deadline for President Biden's ...

source https://www.eenews.net/articles/biden-admin-presses-pause-on-enforcing-feds-vaccine-mandate/

2021 Atlantic Hurricane season comes to an end — Where does it rank?

(KXAN) — The Atlantic Hurricane season starts June 1st and last's all the way through the month of November. Tropical activity climatology peaks during the month of September. As the 2021 season comes to an end, we have officially exhausted all of the ...

source https://www.kxan.com/weather/2021-atlantic-hurricane-season-comes-to-an-end-where-does-it-rank/

You can wield a shark in Dead Cells' next paid expansion The Queen and the Sea

Developer Motion Twin's majestic rogue-like action-platformer Dead Cells is getting a third paid expansion; it's called The Queen and the Sea and will be making its way to PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC "early" next year.

The Queen and the Sea, which follows previous paid expansions The Bad Seed and Fatal Falls, brings a selection of nautically minded additions to Dead Cells, including two brand-new biomes, Infested Shipwreck and the Lighthouse.

Appeals court judges poised to reject Trump's effort to withhold Jan. 6 documents

Donald Trump speaks at a rally. Former President Donald Trump has tried to assert executive privilege over at least 750 sensitive pages.

source https://www.politico.com/news/2021/11/30/trump-jan-6-appeals-court-523484

Dr. Oz announces Senate bid to his millions of followers

Chris Hansen, former executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is consulting for the campaign, along with strategists Jon Lerner and Larry Weitzner. Other Republicans in the field include real estate developer Jeff Bartos ...

source https://www.politico.com/news/2021/11/30/dr-oz-announces-senate-bid-523530

How To Know If You Qualify For Automatic Student Loan Forgiveness

President Joe Biden announced $5.8 billion of student loan cancellation for student loan borrowers with a total and permanent disability. The Biden administration is also matching data from both the U.S. Social Security Administration and U.S. Department ...

source https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2021/11/30/how-to-know-if-you-qualify-for-automatic-student-loan-forgiveness/

Josephine Baker is the first Black woman to be inducted into France's Pantheon

Josephine Baker, the American-born entertainer and civil rights activist who first achieved fame in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s, was given France's highest honor on Tuesday when she was inducted into the French Pantheon, the nation's mausoleum of ...

source https://www.npr.org/2021/11/30/1059776777/josephine-baker-france-pantheon

Ex-Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows will appear before the Jan. 6 panel

The Democratic-led House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has reached a new agreement with former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to appear for an initial deposition and say he is cooperating by providing ...

source https://www.npr.org/2021/11/30/1060091466/ex-trump-chief-of-staff-mark-meadows-to-appear-before-jan-6-panel

WATCH: A touch of snow around this afternoon, but more significant snow for a few tonight

SYRACUSE, NY (WSYR-TV) –. THIS AFTERNOON: Scattered snow showers/flurries are possible for the first part of the afternoon, especially across the Southern Finger Lakes thanks to a weakening clipper sliding to the south of us.

source https://www.localsyr.com/weather/watch-a-touch-of-snow-around-this-afternoon-but-more-significant-snow-for-a-few-tonight/

Warframe's major cinematic story expansion The New War gets a December release date

Free-to-play sci-fi shooter Warframe's long-awaited cinematic story expansion The New War will be launching for PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC on 15th December.

Described by developer Digital Extremes as Warframe's "biggest narrative expansion...so far", The New War - which was initially teased all the way back in 2018 - tells the story of a massive Sentient invasion over the course of three acts, taking players across 16 planets and three open worlds, including previously unseen environments.

CD Projekt "hard at work" on Cyberpunk 2077's next major update, will arrive alongside next-gen version

CD Project has provided an update on the continuing post-launch development of its troubled Cyberpunk 2077, confirming a "major update" is planned to launch alongside the game's long-awaited next-gen versions in Q1 2022.

As part of its third quarter 2021 report, CD Projekt said it's currently "hard at work" on Cyberpunk 2077's PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions - which were originally due to launch this year before the studio made the decision to push their release into early next year - and that these would be accompanied by a "major update" for all platforms.

The Cooler Master Hyper 212 is one of the most popular CPU tower coolers on the market today, known for its affordability and performance. The RGB Black Edition maintains the value and performance quotient and adds a generous dose of style on top. Now, thanks to some nifty Cyber Monday deals, you can grab this swankier version of the 212 for just a little bit more over the original model.

The Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition is currently priced at just £30, which is a sizable 26 percent discount over its usual £41 price. This is just a few pounds more over the standard as well as the EVO version of the original Hyper 212, making it vastly better value.

It's the final hour of Cyber Monday and if you're still trying to find a good quality, affordable headset, our bite-sized guide for the best gaming headsets under £100 is here to help.

From SteelSeries to Logitech, here are our top headset picks from the Cyber Monday sales.

Before Biden Enacts Student Loan Forgiveness, This Must Happen First

For the past 22 months, student loan borrowers have not been required to make any federal student loan payments. Federal student loans also have had a 0% interest rate since March 2020, which will result in $110 billion of student loan cancellation for ...

source https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2021/11/29/before-biden-enacts-student-loan-forgiveness-this-must-happen-first/

Ex-Google workers sue company, saying it betrayed 'Don't Be Evil' motto

Three former Google employees have sued the company, alleging that Google's motto "Don't be evil" amounts to a contractual obligation that the tech giant has violated. At the time the company hired the three software engineers, Rebecca Rivers, ...

source https://www.npr.org/2021/11/29/1059821677/google-dont-be-evil-lawsuit

Islamophobia controversy worsens after Boebert calls Omar

The Islamophobia controversy engulfing Rep. Lauren Boebert escalated to a full boil Monday after the Colorado Republican went after Rep. Ilhan Omar in a video following a tense phone call between the two. Boebert claimed in a video that she sought to ...

source https://www.politico.com/news/2021/11/29/islamophobia-controversy-boebert-calls-omar-523457

Get this snazzy 1TB WD My Passport SSD for just £100 this Cyber Monday with up to 23% off

A good portable SSD is something we can all use, making it a great purchase for yourself or as a gift. The WD My Passport has been one of our top recommendations due to its combination of price and performance, and now it's cheaper than ever to get this excellent portable drive thanks to some amazing Cyber Monday discounts.

If you're looking for the more affordable option, the 1TB version of the My Passport drive is a great option, currently selling for £100 (down from £130) on Amazon as well as on the WD website. For those seeking more space for their files, the 2TB option is selling for £180 (down from £230) on Amazon and on the WD website. For those who want the maximum storage option, the 4TB variant is a cool £100 off for £360 on the WD website.

An OLED television can single-handedly elevate any home theatre or gaming setup but for a long time has been out of reach for many due to its high price point. Not anymore though, as thanks to this great deal on the new LG A1, what was already an affordable entry point into the OLED world is now almost too good to be true.

How great of a deal, you ask? Well, if you were to purchase the 55-inch LG A1 from John Lewis, you only have to pay £779. That's £220 off its usual sticker price and you get a 5-year guarantee as part of the package. And if you want more peace of mind, an additional £80 will give you five years of accidental damage protection, which also includes screen burn-in for OLED televisions.

Sennheiser's HD 598 and 599 series of open-back headphones are legendary for their neutral sound signature, comfy velour earcups and wide sound stage. I've owned a pair of HD 598 SE headphones for six years, and I still use them regularly - whenever I'm not obligated by my job to test out a new set of gaming cans!

So I was excited to see a set of HD 599 SEs pop up as an Amazon US lightning deal for $100 in the US, down from a list price of $200 - and even more excited to see these headphones also available at 50 percent off at Amazon UK. They're already 46 percent claimed on Amazon US by the time I started this article, so let me quickly tell you why I really rate these headphones.

If you missed out on Black Friday weekend, there's still a chance to bag some deals this Cyber Monday, especially if you're looking for PC gaming peripherals as Roccat has a decent range of its headsets, keyboards and mice on offer at Amazon UK, where you can save up to half price off, until the end of the day.

Roccat is a highly regarded German manufacturer of PC gaming peripherals. It's also been owned by Turtle Beach, who you will also know for their high quality console headsets, though the two companies have stuck to specialising for PC and console respectively (although you'll find the wired headsets are still compatible with PlayStation, Xbox and Switch). These deals include a great range depending on your preference, whether you're after a full-fat mechanical keyboard or the smaller TenKeyLess (TKL) version, wired or wireless options, as well as some stylish RGB lighting that complements any PC set-up.

Managed to get hold of a PlayStation 5 over Black Friday week? Congrats! You might however also be looking for an extra DualSense controller since the old PS4 DualShock controllers aren't compatible with PS5 games (although you can still use them to play backward-compatible PS4 games). Fortunately, you can get these new wireless controllers for a little less this Cyber Monday and Base has them priced the cheapest.

While retaining the classic PlayStation controller layout since the original DualShock controller, the bulkier DualSense also comes packed with all-new next-gen features, notably its much more immersive haptic feedback that really makes you feel the subtle differences between elements such as a car engine, different kinds of guns or the subtle patter of rain. Its adaptive triggers can also change the pressure of how you squeeze them, and in the case of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, can even be used to provide primary and secondary fire on the same trigger based on how tight you pull back. And let's not forget the built-in mic and speaker so you can use voice chat even without a headset.

SteelSeries, a brand known for high-quality gaming peripherals, has a wide range of products on sale for Cyber Monday, including one of their flagship headsets, the 61453 Arctis Pro + GameDAC. Right now you can grab it on sale for just £139 at Amazon UK.

What's great about the Arctis Pro is the dedicated hardware DAC and headphone amp which transforms any PS5, PS4 or PC into a high-performance audio source by bypassing the low fidelity, poor quality DACs found in typical console controllers, USB headsets, and PC sound cards. This DAC also supports High-Res audio, allowing you to play up to 96 kHz / 24-bit audio with no downsampling.

Congress returns from a holiday break with a full plate of must-pass legislation

They leave important things until the very last minute. They have until Friday at midnight to pass a funding deadlines, or federal agencies could see a partial shutdown. No one wants that to happen, but there's still no agreement on the spending bills that ...

source https://www.npr.org/2021/11/29/1059706138/congress-returns-from-a-holiday-break-with-a-full-plate-of-must-pass-legislation

Lawmakers file complaint against Rep. Aaron Coleman after second arrest in recent months

It was the latter option which legislators opted to take after examining Coleman's alleged behavior prior to his election as a legislator, including allegations of harassment, bullying and stalking. Instead, members opted to issue a ...

source https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/politics/elections/2021/11/29/complaint-filed-against-kansas-rep-aaron-coleman-following-dui-arrest/8797468002/

Trump's Capacity to Steal the 2024 Election Is Only Growing

The former president's desperate scheme to overturn his 2020 defeat and incessant “fraud” lies were just the beginning, as loyalists are angling for key jobs overseeing future elections.

source https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/11/donald-trump-capacity-to-steal-the-2024-election-is-only-growing

These Borrowers Could Get Student Loan Forgiveness Next

Here's what you need to know. Student Loans. With the end of student loan relief approaching, at least some student loan borrowers are hoping that President Joe Biden will enact wide-scale ...

source https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2021/11/29/these-borrowers-could-get-student-loan-forgiveness-next/

This Xbox Series X/S 1TB External SSD has £60 off this Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday 2021 has been dishing out deals for gaming and tech products all day long and we've been eagle-eyeing the best bargains so you can get the most bang for your buck, before the sales end at midnight.

This last quarter of the year has been a busy time for new game releases, which means plenty of older Xbox game titles have been discounted - including games released earlier this year. And if you've already picked up a bunch of these heavily reduced titles for the latest or last-gen consoles, you might now be wondering where you're possibly going to store all your games and save files? Well, the next port of call following those purchases is a new storage solution to actually be able to hold and install all those games. That's why this deal on the WD_Black D30 1TB game drive SSD, compatible with Xbox Series X and Series S, is the perfect solution!

Former DOJ official could be second person to face contempt charges for defying January 6 committee

(CNN) The House Select Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection is poised to vote on a criminal contempt of Congress referral for former top Department of Justice official, Jeffrey Clark, the panel announced Monday.

source https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/29/politics/jeffrey-clark-criminal-contempt-of-congress-referral/index.html

Gov. Evers orders flags to half-staff, honoring State Trooper that died of COVID-19

MADISON (WKOW) — Governor Tony Evers has ordered flags to fly at half-staff on Tuesday, honoring a Wisconsin State Patrol Trooper that died from complications of COVID-19. Master Trooper Daniel Stainbrook lost his life earlier in November, ...

source https://www.wkow.com/news/gov-evers-orders-flags-to-half-staff-honoring-state-trooper-that-died-of-covid-19/article_c5dcbfb6-511b-11ec-9d19-7781b41c7c02.html

Sea of Thieves' fifth season starts this week, lets you bury your treasure for others to find

With the season of spooky fruit mutilation behind us, Sea of Thieves is readying to trade one lot of festivities for another, and will be getting into the spirit of celebration when its jam-packed fifth season gets underway this Thursday, 2nd December.

Unlike Sea of Thieves's third and fourth seasons, which went all-in with their big headline features - the Pirates of the Caribbean Tall Tales and Sunken Kingdom map expansion respectively - Season Five is focussed on delivering a pleasingly diverse grab bag of slightly less flashy but no-less-welcome additions and quality of life improvements.

The Amazon Cyber Monday sale will soon be coming to an end, and if you're still on a hunt to pick up some last minute PC-related bargains, you'll be pleased to know there's still a huge number of deals available, including deep discounts on storage and peripherals.

We had some fantastic discounts over the Black Friday weekend on super-fast SSD storage for both PC and PS5 owners. But if you missed out on those, don't fret! There are still plenty of affordable Cyber Monday deals available this evening.

As the Supreme Court considers Roe v. Wade, a look at how abortion became legal

Those rulings consistently declared that a woman has a constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy in the first two trimesters of pregnancy when a fetus is unable to survive outside the womb. But with the abortion right now in doubt, it's worth looking ...

source https://www.npr.org/2021/11/29/1056129045/as-the-supreme-court-considers-roe-v-wade-a-look-at-how-abortion-became-legal

New Sony patent for mobile controller discovered

Sony has reportedly patented a new controller for use with mobile devices.

The patent was published by Sony Interactive Entertainment's Japanese division and shows a PS4-esque controller with a screen in the centre.

Microsoft has published its live action Halo Infinite advert.

Weighing in at just over two minutes, the Forever We Fight advert is light on action, heavy on meaning.

The Samsung Odyssey G9 is Samsung's flagship gaming monitor. This state of the art display is a stunning 49 inches across with a 32:9 aspect ratio - that's like having two standard monitors side-by-side but with no gap in the middle. Now, thanks to the magic of Cyber Monday discounts, you can have this incredible display for 22 percent off.

The Odyssey G9 normally retails for £1280, but with the aforementioned discount you're looking at a price of £999 instead. That still sounds like a lot - and it is! - but you have to remember that you're getting a 49-inch screen that's two perfectly joined 27-inch monitors.

Who is Ghislaine Maxwell? Socialite and ex-girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein goes on trial

Now, after more than a year in federal custody, she faces trial on sex trafficking charges in New York. The 59-year-old has pleaded not guilty to all counts.

source https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/29/us/ghislaine-maxwell-epstein-profile-intl/index.html

Democrats go on the offense with Biden's agenda to avoid a repeat of Obamacare battle

Democrats in Congress are banking that President Biden's Build Back Better agenda — the largest expansion of the social safety net in decades that includes a wide range of programs to address health care, child care, elder care and climate change — is ...

source https://www.npr.org/2021/11/29/1058160233/democrats-go-on-the-offense-with-bidens-agenda-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-obamacare-ba

Omicron news coverage is in overdrive, but there's still so much we don't know

Now the world is in a sort of information holding pattern, as reflected by this banner on CNN Sunday afternoon: "QUESTIONS & CONCERNS BUT STILL SPARSE DATA ON NEW COVID VARIANT." Sociologist Zeynep Tufekci put it this way: "South Africa has gifted us an ...

source https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/28/media/omicron-news-coverage-reliable-sources/index.html

Esper Claims Defense Dept. Is Improperly Blocking Parts of His Memoir

Former Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper on Sunday sued the agency he once led, accusing officials at the Pentagon of improperly blocking significant portions of an upcoming memoir about his tumultuous tenure under President Donald J. Trump.

source https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/28/us/politics/mark-esper-memoir-lawsuit.html

Street Fighter 5 Luke gameplay video offers a look at the character dubbed "the future of Street Fighter"

Capcom has released a gameplay video of Street Fighter 5's final DLC character, Luke.

Luke, who Capcom has dubbed "the future of Street Fighter" and a "major" part of the next Street Fighter game (and has been likened to Jake Paul by many fans), is an offense-heavy puncher from the USA.

The best-selling game in the UK last week was... Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Yes, the Switch port of Nintendo's Wii U racer, originally released in 2014.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is frequently found in the UK top 10, even now, as yet more people pick up a copy (it is the Switch's best-selling game, and believed to be the best-selling racer of all time).

Vanillaware's 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim will be coming to Switch next year.

The PS4 title was released worldwide last year to critical acclaim and will hit Nintendo's console on 12th April 2022.

343 has confirmed Halo Infinite's controversial Fracture: Tenrai event ends on Tuesday as the backlash to the game's progression, battle pass and cosmetics continues apace.

A tweet from the official Halo Support account announced Fracture: Tenrai ends as originally planned at 6pm UK time on Tuesday, 30th November.

For gamers on a budget looking for a relatively affordable headset that they can use with their PC, console, or mobile, the Logitech G432 has always been a good option. Although it has been around for a few years now, it remains a great choice today courtesy of its price and performance. And now thanks to Cyber Monday 2021 discounts, you can have it for even less.

Normally, you can expect to pay around £70 for this headset. However, thanks to a sizeable 58 per cent discount, you can now have it for just £29.28, making it even better value and one of the best in its price range.

BASICALLY, Deltarune goes like this. You are a lonely kid in a small town. Your name is Kris. You have a sweet but slightly overbearing mother, a high-achieving older brother away at college, and a dad who no longer sleeps in your house. You turn up late to school one morning and find that everybody else is already partnered up for the big project. One by one you go around the room trying to persuade your fellow students to take you on. Then... Suzie kicks down the door.

Everybody is scared of Suzie, including your hapless teacher, who pairs you up as a way to mollify this hulking, mean-spirited lizard girl (everyone is a monster in this story, except for you). The teacher sends you and Suzie out on some half-assed errand to get the troublemaker out of the classroom. Out in the corridor Suzie briefly considers eating your face, but decides against it. Then two of you head on into the store room and through a wormhole into another reality.

If you've gotten hold of a Nintendo Switch this Black Friday, you might be considering a sturdier traditional controller over the Joy-Con, or just might want a few to spare if you like to have people over for multiplayer sessions. But if the price of a pro controller feels rather off-putting then you may want to consider PowerA's wired controllers, which feel just as good as the official ones (they're officially licensed by Nintendo, after all) for a fraction of the price. Better yet, the third party controller manufacturer has a variety of designs on discount for Cyber Monday over at Amazon UK.

As well as replicating the design of the pro controller, there's also a few in the style of the GameCube controllers - perfect if you're gathering friends together for games of Super Smash Bros Ultimate. These designs have an even deeper discount, reduced by almost half price.

On the face of it, the conceit that lies at the heart of Moncage isn't a particularly novel one. It's a puzzle game that's all about perspective, where changing your view or shifting your position can make the scene in front of you morph into something very different. It's about reframing - your opinions every bit as much as your view - until, with a little imagination and a touch of trial and error, you realise that you can take those shadows and stony dead-ends and turn them into something else. Something more hopeful.

It's a magical thing, really. Truly brilliant. That said, sometimes it feels like there's too much going on. Sometimes the scenes in front of you switch so unexpectedly - you'll know when it happens by a gentle audio cue and a golden glow from the window that's been updated - that you'll struggle to keep track of what's going on no matter how hard you keep on top of it. It's an on-the-nose metaphor for real life, I guess.

McConaughey not running for governor of Texas

The actor had been considered a wild card in the 2022 race. Matthew McConaughey poses for photographs. ... Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey said Sunday that he is not running for governor of Texas.

source https://www.politico.com/news/2021/11/28/matthew-mcconaughey-texas-governor-523431

Carrie Meek, trailblazing Black former congresswoman, dies at 95

(CNN) Former Rep. Carrie Meek, who broke barriers throughout her winding political career as the daughter of a sharecropper and granddaughter of a slave, died Sunday in her Miami home. She was 95. Meek's death came after a "long illness," family ...

source https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/28/politics/carrie-meek-florida-pioneer-congresswoman/index.html

Biden Administration Braces for New COVID-19 Variant Omicron

(The restrictions won't apply to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.) “I've decided that we're going to be cautious,” President Joe Biden told reporters on Friday, speaking of the forthcoming ban.

source https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/11/biden-administration-braces-for-new-covid-19-variant-omicron

Best Black Friday 2021 gaming deals on GOG

If you've been lucky to snag a new upgrade for your PC or changed your rig altogether, you'll need the right games to accompany it. Thankfully, the folks at GOG have an excellent sale this Black Friday, with many titles being reduced significantly for the first time.

This includes Horizon Zero Dawn, a port of the hit PlayStation title on PC, for just £20.04, a half price reduction! Psychonauts 2 is also reduced by nearly a third to £38.49 and the gold edition of Metro Exodus is nearly two thirds off to just £13.99!

We may be coming to the end of the Black Friday weekend but the deals aren't over yet. Cyber Monday is here with a fresh new wave of deals. In Newegg's case, it's decided to jump the gun and bring out its Cyber Monday deals already before the weekend is even over. With that in mind, we've gone in to highlight all the best tech and gaming deals for you.

For starters, one great deal is the Black Xbox Elite Wireless Series 2 Controller for $149.99- $30 off its regular price. As one of the best controllers for the Xbox, which provides more button mapping options to increase accessibility and competitiveness, we haven't seen any reductions on this expensive controller over Black Friday so this is a deal you won't want to miss.

The Crucial MX500 is one of our favourite SATA SSDs here at Digital Foundry. It has made its way through several of our recommendation guides and continues to be a good option even in these modern times where M.2 drives are starting to make some serious inroads. Now thanks to some amazing Black Friday discounts, you can have this all-time great SSD for an even better price.

If you make your way down to Amazon, you can now find the 2TB model of the Crucial MX500 selling for just £134, a considerable 37 percent discount over its usual price of £214. This makes it just a bit more expensive than the 1TB model of most M.2 SSDs.

Hanukkah celebrations shine a light after a year of adversity

Hanukkah is celebrated on different dates each year because the celebration days are determined by the ancient Hebrew calendar. (CNN) Celebrating Hanukkah, the Festival ...

source https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/28/us/hanukkah-2021-celebrations-wellness/index.html

The Razer Naga Trinity wired gaming mouse is enjoying £50 off this Black Friday

If you've been looking for a new FPS or MMO gaming mouse that's fully versatile then the wired Razer Naga Trinity is an excellent option. All you really need to know is that it's reduced by a whopping £50 in this year's Black Friday sale. That's less than half price. Perfect to snap up as a replacement mouse or upgrade for yourself. Or even to pop in a Christmas stocking.

It is a right-handed mouse, and along with the 19 programmable buttons (which is what most MMO players will be after), you also get the benefit of the highly precise 16,000 DPI 5G Optical Sensor. As a wired mouse there's virtually no latency either. Bargain!

Black Friday 2021 may be starting to wrap up for the year, but you can still land some excellent last minute deals, including this bundle at Amazon.

Right now, you can save over £35 on this combo when you get the Xbox Wireless Controller and Far Cry 6 Limited Edition bundle. You can't even get a bargain this good if you bought each item separately at a discount in this year's Black Friday Sale. So in short, if you want both items then buying this bundle is the cheapest possible price you can get.

Trump's Senate picks stumble out of the gate

The former president's endorsement doesn't guarantee a glide path to the GOP nomination. Former President Donald Trump speaks at a Turning Point Action gathering in ...

source https://www.politico.com/news/2021/11/28/donald-trump-senate-picks-stumble-523407

Sword and Fairy 7 is the cutting-edge PC exclusive nobody's talking about

The era of the high-end PC exclusive may well be a thing of the past, but every once in a while a game comes along that is rather special, that can't be played anywhere else and in the case of Sword and Fairy 7, by Softstar Technology in Beijing, we have an excellent role-playing game that piles on the high-end visual features, including ray tracing support - all courtesy of Unreal Engine 4. It's a quality game and looking into it, I've unwittingly stumbled upon a sleeping giant of a games franchise. Sword and Fairy has spawned many games and live action adaptations, and this latest series entry is a high quality production that, curiously, has received very little editorial coverage. That changes today!

The story begins in 1995 when The Legend of Sword and Fairy was first released for MS-DOS, telling the tale of a luckless orphan in provincial China who sets off on an adventure to save his ailing aunt. Hailed as a pioneering game for Chinese development, its tragic story, mazes and turn-based battles struck gold, selling many millions of copies. So why didn't it receive the same kind of profile as, say, Ultima or Final Fantasy? The reasons are legion, but importantly, The Legend of Sword and Fairy was never officially released with an English translation - and I've only managed to sample it via a translation patch released many years later.

With a slow supply of GPUs and next gen consoles this Black Friday, retailers have instead been showering customers with deep cuts on accessories- including some of the top gaming headsets. So if you're looking to improve your multiplayer experience, you'll want to jump on this affordable deal up ahead.

Logitech's a known premium hardware maker, and their G635 headset is reduced by nearly half price over the Black Friday weekend. Here in the UK, Amazon have it down to just £59.99 and so do Currys.

The Missouri auctioneer bidding it all for Trump's backing

Immediately after taping the announcement of his Senate candidacy on Tucker Carlson's show, Billy Long paid former President Donald Trump a visit. As Long recalls it, Trump was a bit surprised. “You're in without my endorsement?

source https://www.politico.com/news/2021/11/28/billy-long-missouri-auctioneer-trump-523243

A Lenovo IdeaPad gaming laptop sporting an RTX 3050 is down to £680 this Black Friday weekend

It's a tough time getting gaming hardware this Black Friday season. GPUs remain few and far between, meaning gaming desktop deals aren't as prevalent as they usually are. Gaming laptops, however, are an easier find and there's still decent deals to be had at the tail-end of the sales.

Lenovo is stepping up by reducing their IdeaPad 3 gaming laptop to just £679.99 after you punch in the voucher code BLACKFRIDAY at checkout. This is a massive reduction from its usual price of £799.99!

TRACKING: A very mild week ahead

Tonight: We are mostly cloudy tonight with a slight chance for a stray wintry mix in northeast Iowa. Lows bottom out in the mid to upper 20s as winds shift to the south around 5-10 mph.

source https://www.kwwl.com/weather/forecast/tracking-a-very-mild-week-ahead/article_174b5c94-5032-11ec-8a96-d33d6de5736e.html

Gardening and games converge in Genius Loci, a new book about digital landscapes

Nobody else is doing quite what Rob Dwiar is doing. Dwiar, who works at GamesRadar as a commissioning editor, has spent much of his life as a games writer thinking about gardens. Or maybe he's spent much of his life as a gardening writer thinking about games. Eurogamer readers might be familiar with his work from his lovely articles for Eurogamer. But that's only a part of it. Now, Dwiar has written a book about the intersection of games and landscape. It's called Genius Loci, and it's currently running a campaign on Unbound.

Genius Loci promises "a grand tour of video game landscapes and gardens." It's a richly illustrated thing, a lovely chunky hardback, by the looks of it, covering everything from Assassin's Creed to Dragon Age as it takes in the best of video game landscapes, making sense of the design choices, picking through the flora and fauna, and providing a wonderful sense of context.

Best Black Friday Deals on PS4 and PS5 Exclusives

With Black Friday currently firing on all cylinders and sales popping off across the internet, it can be difficult to find exactly what you're looking for. There really is never enough time to search for every single deal yourself, however we here at Jelly Deals can help guide you to the cheapest and best value deals on a vast range of gaming and tech products.

From the best gaming deals across all platforms, to Amazon's more than £50 discount on the wired Logitech G Pro X gaming headset, we're regularly updating our deals hubs as new price cuts and discounts become available, so you can save more coin this Black Friday.

If you've been looking for a laptop that fits multiple purposes such as gaming, studies and work, the Dell G15 has been a great option for some time now. And thanks to the Black Friday sales, this affordable gaming notebook is now even cheaper, making it a great gift for yourself or a family member.

The model we are talking about today is priced at $784 on Dell's website down from its usual price of $1219, a sizable 35 percent discount and a huge $435 saving.

Cold weather continues Sunday with an increase in wind

A nice, but cold day as we wrap up the weekend tomorrow. Expect mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the 30s. Northwesterly winds will be breezy at times and that will make it feel even colder than the actual temperature.

source https://www.wqow.com/weather/cold-weather-continues-sunday-with-an-increase-in-wind/article_f4f34eee-4fd3-11ec-959d-b353e0efed4a.html

Moderate House Republican warns McCarthy over embracing far-right members

(CNN) A moderate House Republican is firing off a warning shot at House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy as he caters to his right flank in a quest for the speaker's gavel. "He's taking the middle of the conference for granted," the GOP lawmaker told CNN ...

source https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/27/politics/kevin-mccarthy-speaker-race-moderates/index.html

Sens. Baldwin, Johnson release statement against exploiting Waukesha parade tragedy

WKOW -- Less than a week after a car drove through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin's senators released a statement decrying political exploitation of the tragedy Saturday. According to the joint statement from Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson, ...

source https://www.wkow.com/news/politics/sens-baldwin-johnson-release-statement-against-exploiting-waukesha-parade-tragedy/article_ca048d22-4fc6-11ec-af01-9b612872bd69.html

The Razer Iskur gaming chair is on offer for $350 this Black Friday

The Razer Iskur, one of Digital Foundry's top gaming chairs, is on sale this Black Friday at Amazon US for $349.99. In the UK, you should swing over to Currys where you can get it for just £279.99 - when using the code CHAIR20.

Its main selling point is the unique lumbar support structure. It supports the full curvature of the spine to achieve a neutral spine position for a healthy posture, ensuring maximum comfort during long periods of sitting down.

TRACKING: A mild end to the weekend

Tonight: Clear skies hold out through tonight. Winds slow out of the northwest at 5-15 mph. Low temperatures fall to the mid 20s. Sunday: Partly cloudy, but slightly cooler for Sunday. Northwest winds remain at 5-15 mph. High temperatures rise to the ...

source https://www.kwwl.com/weather/forecast/tracking-a-mild-end-to-the-weekend/article_eccc2d68-4fbe-11ec-8c01-f34530ace06e.html

The rugged 1TB SanDisk Extreme portable SSD is down to just £100 in the Amazon Black Friday sale

If you're looking for an external drive to offload your games from your console or to transfer a lot of data quickly between computers, the SanDisk Extreme is a sensible choice. This high speed portable SSD provides incredible transfer speeds and is currently available at a great price for Black Friday.

The SanDisk Extreme is a high speed portable SSD, capable of incredibly fast transfer speeds in the range of up to 1050MB/s, making it one of the fastest external drives you can buy today. The 1TB version of this drive is now selling for just £100 on Amazon UK and it's the same price at Western Digital. In the US, you can pick one up for $120 at Amazon US.

Chilly weekend with a mild week ahead

Madison - Expect a light mix Saturday with little to no accumulations expected throughout the day. A quick cold front moves through Sunday dropping highs back into the low to mid 30s with clearing skies. Looking ahead at next week, temperatures will ...

source https://www.wkow.com/weather/chilly-weekend-with-a-mild-week-ahead/article_c09f7416-4f82-11ec-a0f1-0395551c7cc2.html

Liverpool star quits FIFA 22 tournament early to play real-life match, scores after just 97 seconds, does gamer celebration

A Liverpool player had to quit a FIFA 22 tournament early to play a real-life match this afternoon - and performed a gamer celebration after scoring after just 97 seconds.

Liverpool front man Diogo Jota spent the morning playing a competitive FIFA 22 international qualifier before rushing off to make the 3pm kick-off of his club's Premier League match against Southampton at Anfield.

Playing games on your phone continues to be an amazing experience. Whether you're playing hide and seek in PUBG, trying out the latest Apple Arcade title or streaming something from your Xbox, you need to have the best controller available.

Enter Razer's Kishi controller. Its selling point is that it's an expandable plastic shell that holds your controller while also staying plugged in at the bottom using either USB-C or Apple's lightning connection. And the Android version is down to just £49.99 on Amazon this Black Friday season, nearly half off its usual RRP of £89.99!

The Samsung Odyssey G3 is a fantastic entry-model PC gaming monitor. Sure, it doesn't have the bells and whistles you might find with more pricier monitors, but at $199.99, the Odyssey G3 ticks all the boxes at a great price.

Featuring a 1080p VA panel with a 144Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium, the Odyssey G3 is the perfect monitor for smooth gameplay with entry-tier GPUs. If you have an Xbox Series X or S, the monitor should also support variable refresh rate (VRR) gaming at 1080p.

Babylon's Fall contains gear and emote assets "borrowed" from Final Fantasy 14, developer PlatinumGames has confirmed.

Players of the Babylon's Fall phase three closed beta test had expressed concern about the visual appearance of gear in the long-awaited Square Enix-published online co-op 3D action game, with some accusing Platinum of "ripping off" the much-loved MMO.

Virgin Media has kicked off its Black Friday sales with a number of discounts on smartphone and SIM-only plans, but what we're really interested in are the gaming bundles.

With selected handsets, you can also get a free Nintendo Switch when purchasing a new pay monthly plan. You read that right, a Nintendo Switch free of charge! The cheapest plan gets you the OPPO Find X3 Lite 5G and a Nintendo Switch for just £25 per month with unlimited calls and texts and 2GB of data and no upfront cost. That adds up to £900 over the length of the contract (36 months).

The developer of DC Universe Online is making a Marvel MMO.

Dimensional Ink Studios, the latest name for the Austin, Texas branch of Daybreak Game Company, is working on a "Marvel IP based massively multiplayer online game", according to an investor presentation.

Halo Infinite multiplayer is out in the wild - and cheating has already begun.

Players have reported coming across cheaters in 343's free-to-play competitive shooter, whose multiplayer is still flagged as being in beta.

Creative Assembly's latest gameplay video for upcoming strategy game Total War: Warhammer 3 showcases two of my favourite factions in the fantasy universe: Nurgle and Slaanesh.

The video, below, contains gameplay of a fight between armies of the two competing Chaos gods, complete with throaty narration.

Some time in the distant past, our ancestors moved to the treetops and decided that fruit was quite delicious. Before that, we weren't fussy. Afterwards, fruit was top of the menu. And so we evolved three-colour vision to distinguish unripe fruit from the very ripest. Or, that's one theory. In truth, we don't know for sure what caused our colour vision to change in the deep past. But for whatever reason, although most mammals see the world in two colours, most humans see the world in three. It's called trichromacy.

Now, I know what you're thinking. There are more than three colours. Richard of York gained battle in vain for this. Well, hold your horses, because poor Richard did not gain battle in vain in vain. There are many, many colours, but, for most humans, these are all mixes of red, green, and blue. Trichromats have three colour receptors, called 'cones', at the back of their eyes, and all the colours of the rainbow are constructed from these three basic building blocks. Different ratios of red, green, and blue can create most any colour. And those of you with three-colour vision can try it out for yourself using the colour twiddler in Microsoft Paint.

Oil and gas companies should pay more to drill on public lands and waters, Interior Department says

In an effort to boost revenue and protect the environment, the Biden administration on Friday laid out plans to make fossil fuel companies pay more to drill on federal lands and waters. The 18-page Interior Department report describes an “outdated” ...

source https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/11/26/biden-oil-gas-drill-public-lands/

Expect appeals soon from 3 men convicted of Ahmaud Arbery's murder

Defense attorneys are looking to file appeals on behalf of their clients who were found guilty of murdering Ahmaud Arbery in southeast Georgia.

source https://www.news4jax.com/news/georgia/2021/11/26/expect-appeals-soon-from-3-men-convicted-of-ahmaud-arberys-murder/

Why wiping out Hong Kong's opposition may have cost China a whole generation in Taiwan

Taipei, Taiwan (CNN) In just five years, Lin Fei-fan went from charging into Taiwan's legislature and occupying the building with hundreds of students to a senior job for the island's ruling party. But his story could have been very different if he ...

source https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/26/asia/taiwan-hong-kong-china-opposition-intl-hnk-dst/index.html

This PS5-compatible SSD is now $169.99 in GameStop's Black Friday sale

Getting hold of a PlayStation 5 may be tough this Black Friday, but for those who have been lucky, the next hot item on the list is an SSD to expand the console's comparatively meagre internal storage. As Sony's new console makes use of the latest and fastest SSDs on the market to achieve its next-to-zero loading times to incredible effect like in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, these are also the most expensive SSDs right now. Fortunately, GameStop has one of the best deals you can find in the US this Black Friday, as it's selling the 1TB Samsung 980 PRO for just $169.99, which saves you $60 off its usual MSRP.

For those thinking long term and willing to shell out even more, the 2TB version also has a huge reduction, down to $319.99. While that's more than the cost of a new Xbox Series S, you also have to appreciate that it's down from its usual MSRP of $429.99, saving you $110. And if you like games that constantly require gargantuan updates (looking at you, Call of Duty) then that extra 1TB is going to come in handy.

Biden calls for higher fees for oil, gas leasing on federal land, stops short of ban

The Biden administration on Friday recommended an overhaul of the nation's oil and gas leasing program to limit areas available for energy development and raise costs for oil and gas companies to drill on public land and water.

source https://www.npr.org/2021/11/26/1059398764/biden-calls-for-higher-fees-for-oil-gas-leasing-on-federal-land-stops-short-of-b

One more patient leaves Children's Wisconsin after Waukesha parade tragedy; nine still under treatment

According to a news release from Children's Wisconsin spokesperson Tami Hughes, the unnamed patient will continue recovering from their injuries at home. As of November 26, there are nine juvenile patients still in the hospital:.

source https://www.wkow.com/news/state/one-more-patient-leaves-childrens-wisconsin-after-waukesha-parade-tragedy-nine-still-under-treatment/article_b4808b64-4efd-11ec-9800-139e5eb4ef90.html

Our favourite portable SSD, Samsung's T7 1TB, is just $110 after a 35% discount

An external SSD is one of the most versatile and useful things you can have, and few can match the Samsung T7. One of our favourite portable drives here at Digital Foundry, it's our go-to recommendation for anyone wanting a fast, convenient way to transfer data. Thanks to some amazing discounts out there, our US readers can grab this drive for 35 percent off its original price. That's $110 on Amazon for the 1TB model, down from its usual price of $170. You can pick it up in either grey, blue or red.

The Samsung T7 uses USB 3.2 Gen 2 connectivity through a USB-C port and blazing fast storage speeds. It is capable of achieving up to 1050MB/s transfer speeds, making it one of the fastest USB drives on the market. What makes the T7 particularly appealing are its size and build quality. The drive is quite small, about the size of a credit card, and also very light. And despite that, it is built really well, with a solid aluminium chassis that feels as good as it looks.

Tuesday 30 November 2021

Monday 29 November 2021

Sunday 28 November 2021

Saturday 27 November 2021

Friday 26 November 2021

Featured post