Corals May Have a Taste for Dangerous Plastic by VERONIQUE GREENWOOD

By VERONIQUE GREENWOOD In lab experiments, the organisms that make up reefs were observed nibbling on a confetti of broken down plastic fragments, and they seemed to be choosy. Published: October 30, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT Science http://nyti.ms/2zVOmfZ

Tech Executives Are Contrite About Election Meddling, but Make Few Promises on Capitol Hill by CECILIA KANG, NICHOLAS FANDOS and MIKE ISAAC

By CECILIA KANG, NICHOLAS FANDOS and MIKE ISAAC Facebook, Twitter and Google all acknowledged ahead of hearings that Russia’s use of their platforms to sway the American electorate was bigger than previously acknowledged. Published: October 30, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2znLwUY

Andrew Weissmann, Mueller’s Legal Pit Bull by MATT FLEGENHEIMER

By MATT FLEGENHEIMER Mr. Weissmann, on leave from the Justice Department, brings decades of experience prosecuting Mafia heads and white-collar crime to the Russia investigation. Published: October 30, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2zmHJXZ

How a Trump Adviser Repeatedly Sought a Meeting With Russia by TROY GRIGGS, K.K. REBECCA LAI and JASMINE C. LEE

By TROY GRIGGS, K.K. REBECCA LAI and JASMINE C. LEE George Papadopoulos, an adviser to the Trump campaign, contacted campaign officials at least 11 times from March to June 2016 about a potential meeting. Published: October 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2zoA9fa

Trump Campaign Got Early Word Russia Had Democrats’ Emails by SCOTT SHANE

By SCOTT SHANE George Papadopoulos, a Trump campaign adviser, was told the Russians had “dirt” on Hillary Clinton and “thousands of emails” and were “open for cooperation.” Published: October 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2z9RNT2

A Lot Happened in the Russia Investigation on Monday. Here’s a Wrap-Up. by Compiled by HAMILTON BOARDMAN

By Compiled by HAMILTON BOARDMAN Monday brought a dizzying series of developments in the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Here’s a look at the day’s news, and what it might mean. Published: October 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2z8XGQG

Google Docs Glitch That Locked Out Users Underscores Privacy Concerns by MAYA SALAM

Some users received alerts on Tuesday that they had violated Google’s terms of service, and were subsequently stopped from accessing or sharing their documents. By MAYA SALAM from NYT Technology

Word of the day for November 1, 2017

listicle , n : (informal) An article based around a list. The American Internet media company BuzzFeed, known for publishing listicles, was founded on this day in 2006.

Super Mario Galaxy

Super Mario Galaxy is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii console, first released on 1 November 2007. In this third 3D-graphics game in the Super Mario series, Mario is on a quest to rescue Princess Peach while saving the universe from Bowser. A central element of gameplay is the […]

Picture of the day for November 1, 2017

Picture of the day on November 1, 2017: Horse hoof, after technique of vinylite and corrosion, which allows for the visualization of the vascular architecture of the body. This specimen is on display at the University of São Paulo Museum of Veterinary Anatomy.

Under Mueller Scrutiny, Democratic Donor Tony Podesta Resigns From Lobbying Firm by KENNETH P. VOGEL

By KENNETH P. VOGEL The Podesta Group and another firm with which it had worked, Mercury Public Affairs, were referenced — though not by name — in Monday’s indictments. Published: October 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2yjjJ7Z

Dartmouth College Professors Investigated for Alleged Sexual Misconduct by KATHARINE Q. SEELYE and STEPHANIE SAUL

By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE and STEPHANIE SAUL Three professors from the department of psychological and brain sciences have been put on paid leave as a criminal investigation is carried out. Published: October 30, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2zW1AJx

Paul Manafort’s Ambition Set the Stage for His Downfall by KENNETH P. VOGEL

By KENNETH P. VOGEL “He could have kept running campaigns for the Yanukovychs of the world, and nobody would have cared,” said Hector T. Hoyos, one of Mr. Manafort’s friends and partners. Published: October 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2zlWzhi

Learning to Walk Before Heading to Space

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen is suspended over a mock-up of the International Space Station during a microgravity simulation. via NASA https://go.nasa.gov/2yiQ8vk

Trump Belittles ‘Low Level’ Adviser Who Tried to Connect With Russia by PETER BAKER

By PETER BAKER In his first comment on George Papadopoulos, the president said “few people knew” him and that he “has already proven to be a liar.” Published: October 30, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2z30lZU

How a Federal Inquiry Says Paul Manafort Laundered $18 Million, and How He Spent It by WILSON ANDREWS and ALICIA PARLAPIANO

By WILSON ANDREWS and ALICIA PARLAPIANO President Trump’s former campaign chairman is charged with channeling large sums of money from offshore bank accounts to pay for goods, services and real estate in the United States. Published: October 30, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2A4yIzJ

In Self-Driving Race, Waymo Sets Its Own Terms by KEVIN ROOSE

Waymo, the self-driving vehicle unit of Alphabet, showed its latest advances at Castle, its test track in California’s Central Valley. By KEVIN ROOSE from NYT Technology

John Kelly Pins Civil War on ‘Lack of Ability to Compromise’ by MAGGIE ASTOR

By MAGGIE ASTOR Twitter reacted swiftly, and not sympathetically, after Mr. Kelly, the White House chief of staff, spoke with the conservative commentator Laura Ingraham. Published: October 30, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2gQiIc8

How to Fix Facebook? We Asked 9 Experts by FARHAD MANJOO and KEVIN ROOSE

Technologists, academics, politicians and journalists suggested ways to improve Facebook — as a product, a company or both. By FARHAD MANJOO and KEVIN ROOSE from NYT Technology

Mueller’s First Indictments Send a Message to Trump by PETER BAKER

By PETER BAKER The gravity of the threat may yet tempt the president to short-circuit the investigation by firing the special counsel or pardoning Paul Manafort or others. Published: October 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2gXO8Bk

Highlights of the Special Counsel’s Case Against George Papadopoulos by CHARLIE SAVAGE

By CHARLIE SAVAGE Mr. Papadopoulos, an adviser to the Trump campaign, pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about his conversations with people linked to the Russian government. Published: October 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2h1uK6h

Five Key Points From the Indictment of Paul Manafort and Rick Gates by NICHOLAS FANDOS and ADAM GOLDMAN

By NICHOLAS FANDOS and ADAM GOLDMAN Here are highlights from the 31-page indictment against Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman, and Rick Gates, his longtime associate. Published: October 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2igTXpP

Loss of Federal Protections May Imperil Pacific Reefs, Scientists Warn by CHRISTOPHER PALA

By CHRISTOPHER PALA Fisheries officials call the marine national monuments unnecessary, and their boundaries are said to be under review by the Trump administration. Published: October 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT Science http://nyti.ms/2yY10hB

Word of the day for October 31, 2017

Lutheran , adj : (Christianity) Of or pertaining to the theology of Martin Luther (1483–1546) or his followers, or the Lutheran church. On this day 500 years ago, in 1517, German friar and theologian Martin Luther sparked off the Reformation by writing to Albert, the Archbishop of Mainz, to protest the sale of indulgences, attaching […]

Picture of the day for October 31, 2017

Picture of the day on October 31, 2017: Ceiling over the marble Tomb of Hafez, northern edge of the city of Shiraz, Iran. The mausoleum is dedicated to Khwāja Shams-ud-Dīn Muḥammad Ḥāfeẓ-e Shīrāzī (1325/6-1389/90), better known as Hafez, one of the most important poets in the country history. The mauselum is situated in the Musalla […]

Ninety-five Theses

The Ninety-five Theses are a list of propositions written by Martin Luther that started the Protestant Reformation, a schism in the Catholic Church. Luther, a professor of moral theology at the University of Wittenberg, Germany, enclosed them in a letter to the Archbishop of Mainz on 31 October 1517, a date now commemorated annually as […]

Russian Influence Reached 126 Million Through Facebook Alone by MIKE ISAAC and DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI

Facebook and Google disclosed more about the scope of Russian agents’ use of their platforms in the 2016 election as they prepare for hearings before Congress. By MIKE ISAAC and DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI from NYT Technology

Gene Editing for ‘Designer Babies’? Highly Unlikely, Scientists Say by PAM BELLUCK

By PAM BELLUCK Fears that embryo modification could allow parents to custom order a baby with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s imagination or Usain Bolt’s speed are closer to science fiction than science. Published: August 3, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT Science http://nyti.ms/2wgsgDS

Trump Is Expected to Name Jerome Powell as Next Fed Chairman by MAGGIE HABERMAN and BINYAMIN APPELBAUM

By MAGGIE HABERMAN and BINYAMIN APPELBAUM Jerome H. Powell, a Fed governor, is expected to be appointed the next chairman of the Federal Reserve, two people familiar with the plans said. Published: October 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2yXSf4F

Sgt. Bergdahl’s Sentence May Be Lighter Because of Trump’s Comments by RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr.

By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr. A judge says he will consider the president’s criticisms when setting the punishment. “I made a horrible mistake,” Sgt. Bergdahl told the court. Published: October 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2z1bLNW

Many Academics Are Eager to Publish in Worthless Journals by GINA KOLATA

By GINA KOLATA Far from being duped, researchers with few resources are turning to “predatory” journals to publish articles and polish resumes. Published: October 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT Science http://nyti.ms/2h0GndH

What It Means: The Indictment of Manafort and Gates by CHARLIE SAVAGE

By CHARLIE SAVAGE The indictment alleges a complicated scheme of fraud and deception by President Trump’s former campaign manager and his protégé. Both surrendered to the authorities on Monday. Published: October 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2gNVXph

NASA Highlights Science on Next Commercial Mission to Space Station

NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Nov. 2, to discuss select science investigations and technology demonstrations launching on the next Orbital ATK commercial resupply flight to the International Space Station. from NASA https://go.nasa.gov/2gWMIqv

New Accusers Expand Harvey Weinstein Sexual Assault Claims to Four Decades by ELLEN GABLER, MEGAN TWOHEY and JODI KANTOR

By ELLEN GABLER, MEGAN TWOHEY and JODI KANTOR Previously undisclosed accounts broaden the time frame of claims. “We’ll drag you through the mud by your hair,” one woman said a lawyer for the producer told her. Published: October 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2yXT4dH

Trump, Responding to Manafort Indictment, Says Democrats Should Be Focus of Inquiry by MICHAEL D. SHEAR

By MICHAEL D. SHEAR President Trump’s first public reaction to the indictment of a pair of former campaign aides was to insist that no one in his orbit during the campaign colluded with the Russian government. Published: October 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2z593Jd

Viewing Australia’s Great Sandy Desert From Space

Flying hundreds miles above, astronauts aboard the International Space Station photographed Lake Hazlett and Lake Willis in Western Australia’s Great Sandy Desert. Hundreds of ephemeral salt lakes are peppered throughout the arid Australian Outback. via NASA https://go.nasa.gov/2A01GRp

Ohio Students to Speak with NASA Astronauts on Space Station

Students at Shaker Heights High School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, will speak with NASA astronauts living, working and doing research aboard the International Space Station at 10:10 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Nov. 1. from NASA https://go.nasa.gov/2gO4iJK

Trump Campaign Adviser Met With Russian to Discuss ‘Dirt’ on Clinton by MATT APUZZO and MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT

By MATT APUZZO and MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT The adviser, George Papadopoulos, has pleaded guilty to lying to the F.B.I. about that conversation, according to documents unsealed Monday. Published: October 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2yXVz2c

The iPhone X Arrives Friday. Here’s What You Need to Know. by BRIAN X. CHEN

Unlike past models, Apple’s first premium iPhone will probably be particularly hard to get — and it might not even be right for you. By BRIAN X. CHEN from NYT Technology

Read the Charges Against Paul Manafort and Rick Gates by Unknown Author

By Unknown Author Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chairman, was indicted on charges including conspiracy, money laundering and other charges. Mr. Manafort’s business associate, Rick Gates, was also charged. Published: October 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2z0bWZX

Paul Manafort, Who Once Ran Trump Campaign, Surrenders to F.B.I. by MATT APUZZO

By MATT APUZZO Paul Manafort and his former business associate Rick Gates were told to surrender to federal authorities on Monday morning, according to a person involved in the case. Published: October 29, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2gNEbmc

Roger Stone Suspended From Twitter After Expletive-Laden Tweets by JACEY FORTIN

By JACEY FORTIN The longtime supporter of President Trump lobbed insults at CNN anchors and contributors, leading to a suspension of his Twitter account. Published: October 28, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2zZfawO

Democrats Attack Tax Bill as a ‘Middle-Class Con Job’ by JIM TANKERSLEY

By JIM TANKERSLEY Democrats hope to turn back a Republican bill, painting it as a windfall for business and the rich, and instead work with President Trump on bipartisan legislation. Published: October 28, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2xz5wiG

Ever Heard of Burmese Sushi Counters? You’ve Probably Been to One by MIRIAM JORDAN

By MIRIAM JORDAN Immigrants from Myanmar have found a business niche rolling and selling a Japanese delicacy in grocery stores across the country. Published: October 28, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2xy66gK

Mark Warner: Tech Millionaire Who Became Tech’s Critic in Congress by CECILIA KANG

The Democratic senator from Virginia is emblematic of the shifting politics for big technology companies, which face congressional hearings this week. By CECILIA KANG from NYT Technology

‘Bedlam Out Here in Arizona’ After Jeff Flake Departs Senate Race by SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG The Republican senator’s surprise announcement not to run for re-election has thrown open the race to succeed him, igniting divisions in both major parties. Published: October 28, 2017 at 08:00PM from NYT U.S. http://nyti.ms/2lq4vIi

Picture of the day for October 30, 2017

Picture of the day on October 30, 2017: Young male warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus) eyeballing before a fight in the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve. It is 43 years today on from the The Rumble in the Jungle boxing match between Mohammed Ali and George Foreman

Word of the day for October 30, 2017

horripilate , v : (transitive, intransitive) To bristle in fear or horror; to have goose bumps or goose pimples. Boo! Today is the eve of Halloween!

Dave Gallaher

Dave Gallaher (30 October 1873 – 4 October 1917) was a New Zealand rugby union footballer and the captain of the 1905–06 Original All Blacks. They were the first representative New Zealand team to tour the British Isles, winning 34 out of 35 matches on their world tour. With his vice-captain Billy Stead, Gallaher co-wrote […]

Farhad and Mike’s Week in Tech: Twitter and Reddit Take a Stand by FARHAD MANJOO and MIKE ISAAC

In this week’s tech newsletter, Twitter bans ads from new Russian new organization, and Reddit shuts sections catering to Nazis and white supremacists. By FARHAD MANJOO and MIKE ISAAC from NYT Technology