11.13.2017

China's Black Friday Breaks Records.
Chinese retailers raked in record amounts of cash on Saturday during the country's version of Black Friday, known as Singles Day. Alibaba, the country's eBay-like site, saw $25.3B in transactions, up from $17.8B last year (see more stats). The number two site, JD.com - which is more similar to Amazon - reported over $19B in sales. The day - a nonreligious celebration when single people splurge on themselves - saw over $45B in sales, surpassing the world's #86th economy in one day. For comparison, Amazon generated $1B in revenue during it's "biggest ever" 30-hour Prime Day and US sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined totaled $6.8B last year. 

Middle East Quake Kills Over 340.
A 7.3-magnitude quake rocked the Iran-Iraq border yesterday, killing at least 340 and reportedly injuring over 4,000. The majority of the deaths occurred on the Iranian side of the border, with an aid agency estimating 70,000 were in need of shelter. The region lays along a 1,000-mile-long fault line where the Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet (see map) - two separate 6.3 and 6.4-magnitude quakes struck the region eleven minutes apart in 2012, killing over 300. Check out the US Geological Survey's earthquake maps from the region. 

Trump Wraps Asia Trip in Philippines.
President Trump met with Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte on the sidelines of the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, which kicked off on Sunday and was hosted by Duterte's government. The meeting was the final leg of a 12-day Asia tour during which Trump met with leaders of Japan, China, South Korea, and Vietnam. The meeting with Duterte - who has overseen a bloody anti-drug crusade - drew criticism from human rights advocates. The crackdown has seen between 3,000 and 9,000 deaths, many in extrajudicial killings by government forces. Officials said that meeting between the two focused on ISIS and trade. 
 

> Famed NYC gossip columnist Liz Smith dies at 94 (More)
> Gal Gadot threatens to walk from Wonder Woman 2 if producer Brett Ratner has role (More) | Ellen Page latest woman to accuse producer of sexual harassment (More)
> Wild college football weekend sees #1 Georgia, #3 Notre Dame, and #6 TCU all lose (More)
 

> Simulation finds that dinosaur-killing asteroid got lucky, only 13% of possible impact locations on earth would have resulted in mass extinction (More)
> Tissue for eye transplants can be stored up to 40% longer than previously thought (More)
> IBM raises bar in quantum computing race, hits 50-qubit mark (More)
 

> Lip-syncing video app Musical.ly acquired for $800M by Chinese biz ByteDance (More)
> Sources: Hasbro (Nerf, Monopoly) has made a takeover offer for rival toy biz Mattel (Barbie, Hot Wheels); combined company would be worth $16B (More)
> PayPal launches crowdfunding product, Money Pools (More)
 

> Missing Lebanese prime minister does live interview from Saudi Arabia, says he is not kidnapped and will return within days (More)
> Trump team begins drafting a Middle East peace plan, Saudi Arabia to play central role (More)
> Polls show tightening Alabama senate race after sexual misconduct allegations against Republican candidate Roy Moore (More)

British inventor sets world record for flying in 'Iron Man' suit (w/ video).

See the destruction of the Rohingya as captured by satellite images.

The amazing finalists of the comedy wildlife photo competition. 

Hashtag #MeAt14 from Daily Show co-creator takes a new angle on the Roy Moore scandal.

The benefits of background music depend on what type of task you're doing.

Colombia seizes 12 tons of cocaine in Its biggest-ever bust. 

The most popular thanksgiving recipes by state. 
   
Now There’s a $100K Louis Vuitton toilet. 

Sober is the new drunk.

Clickbait: Man uses match to check for natural gas leak.

Historybook: HBD Jimmy Kimmel (1967); Cyclone kills 500,000 in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) (1970); Vietnam Veterans Memorial dedicated (1982); Terrorist attack in Paris kills 130 (2015).

"WHEN THE SOLDIERS CAME  HOME FROM VIETNAM, THERE WERE NO PARADES, NO CELEBRATIONS. SO THEY BUILT THE VIETNAM MEMORIAL FOR THEMSELVES."
-William Westmoreland
 

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