Protests have taken place around the world calling for action to avert environmental catastrophe.
From London to Sydney, here's a look at some of the millions of people joining the global youth climate strike.
People shared some of their favorite signs on Twitter as well:
A church in Switzerland is stirring debate with its use of an AI-generated Jesus hologram for confessions. Dubbed Deus in Machina (“God in Machine”), the project is installed at St. Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne, the city’s oldest Catholic church.
The hologram, developed by experts from Lucerne University’s Immersive Realities Center and a parish theologian, greets users with, “Peace be with you, brother,” and invites them to share what’s troubling their hearts. It can respond in 100 languages, with answers based on sacred scripture and theological texts sourced from the internet.
Folks were pretty weirded out.
That's creepy
— Rhiannon Raincrow🇬🇧🇮🇪☦️🔵 (@rhiannonraincrow.bsky.social) November 21, 2024 at 2:01 PM
What can he do better than the original? Revived after two days?
— Dieter Mueller (Klarname) — 6*💉 (@bitpaul53.bsky.social) November 21, 2024 at 1:42 PM
Speech synthesis (another application of machine learning) is also often used by automated phone bots. They have gotten VERY convincing if you're not educated about their existence.
— John (@macronid.com) November 20, 2024 at 10:54 PM
AI Jesus: and the Lord sayeth, is yon image a traffic light??
— Tobias Wilson-Bates (@phdhurtbrain.bsky.social) November 22, 2024 at 8:44 AM
Some people thought of the ways you could mess with an AI Jesus.
Were I a Swiss teen I would spend all my time trying to get AI Jesus to swear www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
[image or embed]
— Prof Dynarski (@dynarski.bsky.social) November 22, 2024 at 2:13 AM
New heist film drops: a gang of international hackers chase a war criminal to his Swiss chalet and now they must break into the AI Jesus confessional booth in order to record his confession and discover where he his millions in looted cash.
[image or embed]
— Movies Silently (@moviessilently.bsky.social) November 22, 2024 at 8:12 AM
This is right out of THX 1138!
— Producing The Beatles (@ptbeatles.bsky.social) November 22, 2024 at 8:29 AM
Folks felt a little haunted by the news.
Is your feed entirely AI Jesus or is that just me and my religious trauma?
— Sofia Prado Huggins (@sofiawithaphd.bsky.social) November 22, 2024 at 8:30 AM
Rollin’ down the strip in my ‘64 Got AI Jesus on the dashboard He don’t slip and he don’t slide Cuz AI Jesus is magnetized
— Scott Beckett (@scottbeckett.bsky.social) November 22, 2024 at 8:17 AM
Finally, a necessary reminder.
This should go without saying but please do not confess your sins to AI Jesus.
— See Emily Play (but she’s sharp) (@rebelmusicteach.bsky.social) November 21, 2024 at 7:12 AM
A.I.men to that 🕍
— Dee (@reallyoldlight.bsky.social) November 21, 2024 at 1:20 PM
For those wishing to visit, St. Peter's Church is in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Speaking to reporters, New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called out South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace, for proposing a bill that would prohibit transgender women from using women's bathroom facilities at the U.S. Capitol.
Mace introduced the resolution shortly after Delaware elected Democrat Sarah McBride as the first openly transgender member of Congress.
The bill would bar members of Congress, as well as congressional officers and employees, from using single-sex facilities that do not align with their biological sex. The proposal appears to target McBride, who secured Delaware's lone seat in the House.
When asked about the proposal by reporters on Monday, Mace stated she wasn’t concerned about how her future colleague might feel about the measure. She said "Sarah McBride doesn’t get a say in this" because "If you’re a biological man, you shouldn’t be in women’s restrooms.”
On Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson announced that he would impose the policy on the Capitol and House office buildings.
“All single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House Office Buildings — such as restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms — are reserved for individuals of that biological sex,” Johnson said. “It is important to note that each Member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol.”
But Ocasio-Cortez pointed out that the policy—despite what Mace or her GOP backers might say—is not about protecting people:
"What Nancy Mace and Speaker [Mike] Johnson are doing is endangering all women and girls because if you ask them, 'What is your plan to enforce this?' they won't come up with an answer. What it inevitably results in is that women and girls who are primed for assault [are going to have people checking] their private parts in suspecting who is trans and who is cis and who's doing what."
"The idea that Nancy Mace wants girls and women to drop trou in front of an investigator? Who would that be because she wants to suspect and point fingers at who she thinks is trans is disgusting. It's disgusting. Frankly, what it does is allow all these Republicans to go around and bully anyone who's not wearing a skirt because they think she might not look 'woman' enough."
"People have a right to express themselves, to dress how they want, and to be who they are, and if a woman doesn't look 'woman' enough to Republicans, they want to inspect her genitals to use a bathroom? It's disgusting and everybody, no matter how you may feel about this issue, should reject it completely."
"What are they doing? They''re doing this so Nancy Mace can make a buck and send a text and fundraise off an email. They're not doing this to protect people. They're endangerijng women, they're endangering girls of all kinds and everybody should reject it. It's gross."
You can hear what she said in the video below.
Many concurred.
McBride issued a statement shortly afterward saying she would comply with the rules:
“I’m not here to fight about bathrooms, I’m here to fight for Delawareans and to bring down costs facing families. Like all members, I will follow the rules as outlined by Speaker Johnson, even if I disagree with them. This effort to distract from the real issues facing this country hasn’t distracted me over the last several days.”
“Serving in the 119th Congress will be the honor of a lifetime, and I continue to look forward to getting to know my future colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Each of us were sent here because voters saw in us something that they value."
"I have loved seeing those qualities in the future colleagues that I’ve met and I look forward to seeing those qualities in every member come January. I hope all of my colleagues will seek to do the same with me.”
Wisconsin Democratic Representative Mark Pocan pushed back, however, saying Johnson's "holier-than-thou decree to ban transgender people from using bathrooms that align with their identity is a cruel and unnecessary rule that puts countless staff, interns, and visitors to the United States Capitol at risk."
Hollywood A-listers Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, famous for their star-crossed lover roles in the global box office phenomenon Titanic 27 years ago, gave fans all the feels when they recently reunited on stage for a screening of Winslet's latest film.
DiCaprio introduced Winslet on stage at a screening of her new "passion project" film, Lee, based on the life and work of WWII journalist Lee Miller, played by Winslet.
Before bringing her out, DiCaprio told the audience gathered at the Harmony Gold Theater in Los Angeles:
“Kate, my dear friend, your work in this film has been nothing short of transformative."
“I continue to be awestruck, I continue to admire your strength, your integrity, your talent, and your passion to every single project.”
The 50-year-old Killers of the Flower Moon actor choked up as he mentioned Winslet's name to explain her dedication to Lee, which was over nine years in the making to honor Lee's legacy of documenting the atrocities Europe endured during the Second World War.
He then introduced his longtime friend and colleague as "one of the great talents of my generation."
Winslet, moved by her bestie's eloquent introduction, joined him on stage where they adoringly embraced and kissed each other on the lips.
"I can't even look at Leo now because I'm going to cry," said the 49-year-old Mare of Easttown actor as DiCaprio gave her the stage.
You can see the sweet moment here.
- YouTubeyoutu.be
Here's a juxtaposed video featuring each actor's speech and the sweet kiss from farther away.
Fans loved seeing them together again.
DiCaprio and Winslet famously portrayed doomed lovers Jack and Rose in James Cameron's 1997 epic romance Titanic. She had turned 21 during production at the time, and DiCaprio was 22.
The two have remained close ever since and reunited for the 2008 drama Revolutionary Road.
In stark contrast to their Titanic roles, DiCaprio and Winslet played Frank and April Wheeler, a couple that gradually experience the painful dissolution of their marriage in suburban Connecticut.
Whenever the two happen to get together, it's always a sentimental moment.
Winslet told the Guardian in a 2021 interview that she "couldn't stop crying" after seeing DiCaprio for the first time in three years.
"I've known him for half my life!" she said, adding:
"It's not as if I've found myself in New York or he's been in London and there's been a chance to have dinner or grab a coffee and a catchup."
"We haven't been able to leave our countries. Like so many friendships globally, we've missed each other because of COVID."
"He's my friend, my really close friend. We’re bonded for life."
Now, that's a friendship that gleams brighter than the "Heart of the Ocean."
Lee had its world premiere in September 2023 at the Toronto International Film Festival, after which Sky Cinema gave the film its theatrical release in the UK and Ireland in September 2024.
The film was released domestically in September after Roadside Attractions and Vertical acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film in February 2024.
Speaking during a House Oversight Committee hearing, Pennsylvania Democratic Representative Summer Lee expertly pinpointed why diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs are being targeted by Republicans nationwide, noting that "remedying past discrimination is not, in turn, a discrimination."
DEI programs are organizational strategies aimed at ensuring fair treatment and full participation for everyone, with a special focus on historically marginalized or discriminated groups. These frameworks strive to create an environment where all individuals, regardless of their identity or abilities, are valued and included.
Critics argue that DEI programs are discriminatory and try to address racial discrimination by disadvantaging other groups, particularly White Americans. However, supporters and industry experts maintain that DEI practices, which have been in place for decades, have been politicized and are often misunderstood.
Lee spoke as Republicans voiced their support for the “Dismantle DEI Act,” which would “abolish” all federal DEI offices and eliminate funding for federal DEI programs, saying that "Americans who have not enjoyed centuries of unfair advantages" would suffer if the bill passes.
You can hear what she said in the video below, which she shared to her followers on X, formerly Twitter.
She said:
"We know who those Americans are: Americans who have not enjoyed centuries of unfair advantages by keeping each other enslaved or segregated or disenfranchised or incarcerated or redlined or gerrymandered or excluded by law. Americans who have disabilities or have had their relationships criminalized or their gender expression demonized."
"If we're being honest here, this bill, which would wipe out every diversity, equity, and inclusion program in our federal agencies wants those who contract with us, plus those who receive grant money, plus our schools is nothing new. This is just the final piece of a decades-long obsession with targeting or dismantling anything that might give marginalized people a fair shot, including DEI programs which started the second the Civil Rights Act passed."
"Policies like affirmative action and diversity, equity, and inclusion are the closest thing we have to the mythical bootstraps that some of my colleagues insist historically harmed communities need to pick themselves up by after centuries of efforts to keep us out of schools and jobs and universities and elected offices, Republicans attacking these policies is no accident."
"Why do predominantly conservative white men believe that the success of a Black person or the opportunity or access of a Black person is an existential threat to them? DEI is not giving them any unfair advantage that society itself does not already confer on certain Americans. It merely exists to ensure that all other people, women, minoritized folks, queer folks, disabled folks have the same opportunities to thrive in our workforce, in our schools as people who have not had those opportunities."
Lee noted that "contrary to Republican conjecture, remedying past discrimination is not, in turn, a discrimination," adding that "we're not going to sit here and pretend racism is over just because one Black person on the Supreme Court agreed that it should be." She added that DEI programs do not give "some kind of pass" to better jobs or opportunities, stressing that the definition of "equity" is to "treat people fairly and impartially."
She went further, stressing that "Republicans are trying to bastardize the term to be a slur" by referring to Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and Vice President Kamala Harris as "DEI hires."
And referring to Pete Hegseth and Linda McMahon, President-elect Donald Trump's respective nominees for Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Education, she said:
“They want you to believe that Harvard graduate with over 20 years of experience is not qualified but a Fox personality is qualified to run the Department of Defense and a WWE executive is qualified to run the Department of Education."
She added:
“Let’s be real. There is an attempt to create a direct correlation between our race, being a Black person and our qualifications. So much as to say there is no way to be a Black woman, there is no résumé a Black person could have that would qualify them unless that Black person is a Republican and there is a quota there.”
"While all of this is happening at the top level of our government, I can promise you these same things are happening at every level of government and the private sector, but those people do not have a national platform to speak out against discriminatory treatment."
"Where is a federal worker supposed to turn when a colleague makes a racist comment in the break room? Where is the same-sex couple, because of their relationship, supposed to turn? Where is a pregnant woman who was fired for being pregnant supposed to go? Often the only place they have to give them any recourse are the diversity, equity, and inclusion programs."
"These folks just want to do their jobs serving the American people in an environment that makes them feel safe and supports them. Making work a better and safe environment for some does not mean it's automatically worse for others and those complaining about DEI training are probably the ones who need it the most."
She concluded:
"My Republican colleagues have got to stop punching down on already marginalized communities and face their own fears of a level playing field privately. It’s shameful."
Many applauded her remarks.
Your move, Republicans.
I've traveled quite a bit—for work and pleasure—and had some memorable meals along the way.
There was the borscht, pierogies, and sausage at Polish restaurant Mazurka (R.I.P.) on Rue Prince-Arthur in Montreal, Canada. The poutine I sampled across Quebec and the Maritimes. All the fresh breads, doner kebabs, schnitzel, and baked French onion soups I ate while TDY in Germany. The yakisoba, sushi, and seafood curry I had while working for the DoD in Japan.
But my favorite meals revolve around my family.
My Akenistén:’a's (Mother's) meatloaf; my paternal Tuŋkaŋŝila (Grandpa) Art's shredded pork tacos, beer boiled shrimp with homemade cocktail sauce, and aged grilled steaks; my adopted Grandpa Bill and Grandma Mavis' fresh seafood platters of boiled, shelled lobster meat with melted butter and pan seared scallops; and anything and everything from my maternal Metís Mémère Amelia who taught me to cook.
Many people tie their favorite meals to what was happening in their life in that moment as much if not more than the food's quality.
Reddit user c00kie1702 asked:
"What’s the best meal you’ve ever eaten?"
"By far the best potato I ever had was in Germany. The potato was literally just boiled and had fresh cream on top.
The cream had been made that day, at a beer garden outside of Darmstadt, served alongside a pretzel. Just incredibly simple and so amazing."
"Germans know how to cook them spuds."
~ Onlycans69
"I got drunk once and had a panic attack because I got too drunk."
"So while I was freaking out, my mom made meatloaf, homemade mashed sweet potatoes, and cornbread for me to sober up with."
"I swear to God, nothing has come close to how good that meal was."
~ SalaciousHateWizard
"Mine has to be the fried chicken, waffles and maple chipotle that my fiancé and I ate in our underwear on the floor of our unfurnished apartment the first night after moving halfway around the world."
~ c00kie1702
"Popeye's chicken after giving birth and not eating for 2 days."
"You could have told me it was a Michelin star meal, and I would have believed you."
~ Technical_Buy_8198
"Up on the 5th floor of the U.S. Naval Hospital was the maternity ward, and across the street was a KFC. Gave birth at 6pm, but the hospital kitchen closed at 7."
"So I put my clothes on and walked down all the stairs. The elevator was across from the nurses' station."
"Walked across the street and got myself the jumbo original dinner meal with extra mashed potatoes. Walked back and feasted. The nurses saw the box and bones and wondered…"
"This was in 1976, before delivery for most restaurants was available."
~ unownpisstaker
"Shrimp Florentine omelette from Sammy's Grill on Highland in Baton Rouge, late 1990's."
~ oldguydrinkingbeer
"Hickory Roasted Duck from Emeril Legasse’s New Orleans restaurant. It's not open anymore."
"It's like a whole thing where they cure the duck and slow roast it in a wood-fired oven. I doubt I could redo it right. It's served over this Emeril-created sort of cornbread pudding type thing."
~ NeoMaxiZoomDweebean
"Hi Ho Mexican restaurant in Corpus Christi, Texas. We were down for business and were directed to this hole in the wall restaurant."
"They had pics of Selena (the original, not Gomez) and her family on the walls. A local said it was hef favorite spot."
"I’m from Cali, I’m hella picky about my Mexican food."
"OMG—everything was superb, and cheap. Lard was not spared in the making of the meal. I inhaled food that night."
~ SalesTaxBlackCat
"This Thai restaurant I found that I should have made note of the name. But I drove across the country and stopped at Thai restaurants the whole way."
"This one in particular had yellow potato curry that was so good it was crazy. Not soupy like most authentic places, the curry was thick."
~ WingerRules
"Thai curries aren't supposed to be thick, but I really appreciate when they are. It's so much more flavorful."
"I used to drive 50 minutes each way about once a month because I found a good Thai place. Unfortunately, it didn't survive COVID."
~ Nevermind04
"One time my brother and I were chilling at home (in our mid-20s, visiting parents over Christmas) watching Jamie Oliver cook an amazing chicken, and we spontaneously decided to go for a tramp (a hike for you non-kiwis out there) and cook said chicken at the hut (camp or cabin for people not from New Zealand)."
"The problem was, once we sorted our gear and food and finally started walking, we only had an hour or two of sunlight... with about 5 hours of walking ahead of us."
"Of course we also didn't bring head-torches and so were clambering in the dark using our phone torches until they died. At this stage, we just decided to sleep literally on the ground*, only to discover in the morning we were only approximately 70 meters [76 yards or 230 feet] from the hut."
* Unlike their neighbor Australia, New Zealand isn't known for deadly land creatures. You won't find saltwater crocodiles, poisonous land snakes, or the wide spectrum of fatal spiders that live wherever they want to in Australia, living in neighboring New Zealand.
The two venomous spiders that are native to New Zealand—katipō and white-tailed—are endangered, rarely seen and their bites are painful, but not fatal. The third—the redback spider—requires medical treatment for its bite, but is an invasive species from Australia—because, of course it is.
The deadliest creatures of New Zealand are all in the ocean waters surrounding it: Portuguese man o' war, two species of sea snakes, jellyfish, sea slugs, and sharks.
"Anyways, we get there in the morning, decide to get outrageously stoned and then spend literally the whole day cooking this chicken to perfection."
"I'll remember that meal for the rest of my life."
~ sewerat
"The last Christmas dinner my English grandmother made. She put on an epic Christmas dinner that had everything: prawns, chicken, turkey, ham, roast vegetables, stuffing muffins, at least 5 different kinds of salad, Christmas cake, several different flavors of jelly, Christmas pudding soaked in brandy that she set alight which had a lucky silver charm in it for a lucky guest, and every kind of drink you can imagine."
"It was the classic Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. And after dinner we went into the lounge room to watch the Christmas special and the Queen's Christmas broadcast."
"It will literally be impossible to beat."
~ Nekokamiguru
"Friend's grandpa cooked wild pheasant with this red sauce and olives one night. He was Italian, I don't know how many generations removed from the old country or anything, but the food was positively illuminating."
"I felt like I was floating. I grew up anglo as f*ck, lots of poor White farmers in my family, so a lot of meat and potatoes, pork chops, and hamburgers growing up."
"This was the first time I'd ever had food like this. I was never happier to be picking birdshot out of my food."
~ The-Fat-Matt
"I grew up pretty poor, mostly living off of ramen and things like that. Parents never really cooked, and when they did, it was Hamburger Helper."
"When I was 15, I was convicted of a few crimes that poor kids tend to get into. After I was sentenced, I was sent on my way to a juvenile correctional facility."
"I was so f*cking scared, not knowing what to expect, crying all night. Well, I woke up the first day and headed to the lunch room. Looked around and awkwardly found a place to sit."
"Then I was handed a tray with this white slop on it with some potatoes on the side. It was biscuits and gravy and holy sh*t!"
"I had never had anything so good in my life!"
"Go figure, one of the scariest moments in my life up until then, would be broken up by the single most transcendent culinary experience I've had."
"You can sometimes find beauty in the oddest places."
~ jarlito420
"I modified a halal snack pack to the following and it was delicious:"
"Layer of chips (french fries for Americans), grated cheese, lamb (or goat or beef if you prefer) doner meat, garlic sauce, hummus, sweet chilli sauce, topped with tabbouleh."
"It was perfect in every way."
~ IntroductionSnacks
"The 1st thing that popped into my head was food I can't even remember. For my best friend's bachelor party a few years ago a few of us went to a fancy Michelin star restaurant."
"Now, we're the kind of guys who would each order a little Caesars Hot and Ready pizza and have finished them before we made it home. We were *so outclassed—we laughed as they brought us strange, tiny confections and presented wine options to us as though we knew what we were doing."
"They weren't fooled. We were all dressed up and laughed the whole meal through. It was so much fun."
"When I thought more, the 2nd thing that came to mind was me asking my aging dad to make fried rice when I came for a visit. He always made it perfectly for me as a kid and I've never matched the taste."
"The exact dish wasn't his best, but it was delicious. We talked about recipes and life and the trashy sci-fi books we both read. It was a great meal."
"I think the best meals really are the ones you share with others, whether they're friends, family, or strangers you just met, what makes a meal a candidate for 'best' for me has absolutely nothing to do with the food, and all to do with the company."
~ kurosakura2
"Man, I have lived a LOT of places and traveled even more."
"Nothing beats my mom's home cooking. My goodness that woman can cook."
"I diet all year for Thanksgiving and Christmas."
~ snipe_score_celly
"This older hippie woman moved in next door to me. One day she asked if she could pay me to put some furniture together. I was sick, so I turned it down."
"About an hour later she came back with a pot under her arm and said she was going to make me vegetable soup. I said, 'no, I don't want you to get sick'. She said she was immune, chuckled, and insisted."
"OK, I'm down for some soup. She walked in, dumped a bunch of vegetables from the pot on the counter, and asked for a knife."
"I was kind of high from cough syrup, just sitting on my couch watching her roughly chop veggies and throw them into the pot, with a dash of this, or a dash of that. I make a mean vegetable soup, but this stuff smelled like it was on a whole different level when it started boiling."
"It was intoxicating."
"A while later, she dumped half a bag of egg noodles in it, let those soften, then ladled us up a bowl each. While we were eating, she told me about the time she backpacked across Morocco to get to Tangier, to look for her wayward son. He was apparently working at a car dealership because he was dating the owner's daughter."
"After we were done with our soup, she kissed my forehead and went home. When I returned the pot, she thanked me, then told me she was moving again, to Spain. She left a couple weeks later."
"Part of me thinks I met God, just taking a stroll down to earth to see what was going on, the soup was that good. I still think about it."
~ Conch-Republic
What's the best meal you've ever eaten?
