Opinion

The Judicial Branch of government is certainly on a roll. It started with “The Leak” in May of what turned out to be the official landmark ruling in July of Dobbs v. Mississippi. You know the one. It is the one that turned back the clock on women’s healthcare rights by nearly half a century. The justices voting in favor of Dobbs, had all tap-danced through their Senate confirmations to the court with statements of their commitment to “settled law” in this arena. Those lies were still hanging in the air as they defiantly reversed themselves—as expected.

To the Editor:

Pumpkin spice, jack o ’lanterns, candy corn, costumes and thrills—no one celebrates Halloween the way Americans do. Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, in what is now known as Ireland, but has taken on a life of its own here in America. Samhain was a pagan celebration that celebrated the harvest by lighting bonfires and wearing costumes to ward off ghosts and other spirits. Pieces of the 2,000-year-old celebration remain—carved pumpkins, costumes and ghosts—but over the years it has morphed into an American tradition involving trick-or-treating and staggering amounts of sugary candy.

Researchers in Melbourne, Australia recently announced a dish of human brain cells has learned to play the 1970s video game Pong.

Paid political letters to be submitted for publication in the Daily Journal before the Nov. 8 general election must be received by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26. The Daily Journal publishes letters to the editor during campaign seasons in support of or in opposition to political candidates and/or parties only after a $25 fee is received.

Last week three Yale professors published a study of COVID-related deaths in the United States. The data they used matched COVID deaths, voter registration by party and age in two states—Florida and Ohio. One goal of the study was to test whether anti-vaccine or anti-mask campaigns contributed to differences in death rates by political affiliation. Here’s what they found.

Here’s how it happens.

INDIANAPOLIS—The decision by the cartel of major oil-producing nations reveals how repressive regimes intend to wage war going forward.

We had just landed at the Los Angeles International Airport, excited about our vacation. As we walked through the terminal I saw a man—I think it was a man—head slumped over, legs draped over his carry-on bag. Normally I wouldn’t have given him another thought. Goodness knows, I have always boasted of my own daytime slumbering ability. What caught my attention was the odd blanket he was wearing around his head and chest. The reason I only think it was a man is that all I could see was his nose.

October is half over, baseball’s playoffs are in full swing, and I’m in sports-fan heaven.