‍

Blake, Wm. God Judging Adam. 1795.

‍

The NBA has suspended Draymond Green indefinitely, citing a “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts.”

The suspension came after the Golden State Warriors forward slapped Jusuf Nurkić across the face during a game on Tuesday, resulting in Green receiving a flagrant foul 2 and an ejection for the third time this season.

After this incident, Green apologized: “I am not one to apologize for things I mean to do, but I do apologize to Jusuf because I didn't intend to hit him. I sell calls with my arms ... so I was selling the call ... and I swung and unfortunately I hit him.”

The other two ejections came when he picked up two technical fouls against the Cavaliers in November and put Rudy Gobert in a headlock just three days after.

To fulfill the conditions of this suspension, Green “will be required to meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play,” the NBA said.

This is already Green’s second suspension this season, and his coach, Steve Kerr, has made it clear his absence will be felt: “We need him. We need Draymond. He knows that. We've talked to him. He's got to find a way to keep his poise and be out there for his teammates.”

‍

Blake, Wm. The Woman Taken in Adultery. 1780.

‍

Harvard’s President Claudine Gay was spotted attending a campus menorah lighting after she was engulfed in backlash over her response to “antisemitism.”

The event came just one day after Harvard’s governing board reaffirmed their support for her amid calls for her resignation.

She was spotted lighting the first candle at the event which had roughly 100 people.

Calls for her resignation were sparked after Gay testified to Congress last week about the perceived rise of “antisemitism” on college campuses. When she was asked if calling for the genocide of Jews is protected speech, she said it would depend on the context.

Her response drew the ire of Jewish donors, resulting in Harvard losing $1 billion in donations.

‍

Blake, Wm. The Ascension. 1780.

‍

Japan has created a new space rocket engine that runs on locally sourced cow dung.

“ZERO” was fired up in a 10-second "static fire test" in Hokkaido.

The startup behind the engine, Interstellar Technologies, aims to use the rocket to launch satellites into low Earth orbit, with more tests in January.

The innovative tech is in response to space organizations like NASA using fuel made from oxygen and kerosene, which likely leaves black soot in the upper atmosphere for years.

It also reduces a major source of methane, as livestock dung comprises more than 14% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.

‍

Blake, Wm. Joseph of Arimathea Preaching. 1794.

‍

In his annual message for the World Day of Peace, Pope Francis warned of a “technological dictatorship” that could stem from AI, urging for a “binding international treaty” for the technology.

The Pope: “The unique human capacity for moral judgment and ethical decision-making is more than a complex collection of algorithms, and that capacity cannot be reduced to programming a machine, which as ‘intelligent’ as it may be, remains a machine.”

“Any number of urgent questions need to be asked. What will be the consequences, in the medium and long term, of these new digital technologies? And what impact will they have on individual lives and on societies, on international stability and peace?”

Despite these warnings, he also issued praise on the technology, commending the “impressive achievements of science and technology” and the “exciting opportunities.”

Cardinal Michael Czerny clarified that the Pope is “no luddite” but emphasized that AI is a high-stakes “gamble” on humanity.

‍

Blake, Wm. The Goddess of Fortune. 1824.

‍

Apple shares closed at their highest ever on Wednesday as Big Tech stocks flourished in a broad rally sparked by speculation that the Fed will soon cut interest rates.

The Cupertino-based company saw its shares climb 1.7% to $197.96, beating its previous record in July.

This gain means the stock is up 52% for the year, resulting in a market cap of $3.08 trillion and solidifying Apple’s position as the world’s most valuable company.

This surge is a blessing for the company compared to its plunge in October, when concerns about revenue growth and China potentially banning iPhones from government offices caused the stock to close at the lowest in five months.

Wall Street expects Apple’s revenue growth to accelerate in 2024, spurred by a rebound in demand for laptops, phones, and other devices.