Meet Meta 

A New Name

Facebook is giving itself a new name: Meta. The social media giant is overhauling its identity, and is also rebranding itself with a new logo (an infinity sign-esque symbol). Although the company has a new name and look, Facebook, Instagram, and other apps will stay the same, just under a new Meta umbrella. Mark Zuckerberg announced the name change during the company's virtual and augmented reality conference, and emphasized his plan to focus more on the digital world. Facebook will officially begin trading under the stock ticker MVRS on Dec. 1. 

Controversial Company

The renaming of the company comes as Facebook has been embroiled in major controversy in recent weeks, after a whistleblower leaked scandalous internal documents. Not to mention, lawmakers have criticized the company for harming young people's confidence, and being a vessel for the dangerous spread of misinformation online. The move to overhaul Facebook's branding could very well be seen as an effort to mend its reputation and start fresh amid the ongoing scrutiny. 

Gone (More) Digital 

Either way, the tech giant is moving on to a new chapter, with a big focus on the so-called metaverse, which refers to virtual and augmented worlds that exist online. For several months, Facebook has been building up to this shift, recently releasing several virtual reality products. Zuckerberg called the metaverse "the successor to the mobile internet," so naturally, he's keen to be at the forefront of tech's future.

“No one got everything they wanted, including me, but that’s what compromise is. That’s consensus, and that’s what I ran on."

– President Joe Biden is pushing to pass what's being called the "largest effort to combat climate change in U.S. history." The framework, which he announced yesterday, includes a $1.75-trillion spending plan for clean energy, electric vehicles, and protection against natural disasters. This historic economic and environmental bill is a BFD because it can determine the House and Senate majorities, and the course of his presidency.

Also on Our Radar: 

• A woman is in critical condition after a stabbing at a Winnipeg hospital. In an unexpected turn, the crime was also connected to two homicides, and was committed by one of the hospital's own employees. 

• The Justice Department will pay Charleston church massacre victims US $88 million. The families sued for wrongful death, physical injuries, and failing to do a background check after a white supremacist killed nine Black people in 2015. 

• The well-known antidepressant fluvoxamine can help prevent you from being hospitalized for COVID-19 by up to 30%.

• According to a new mandate, all senators must be fully vaccinated by the time Parliament resumes next month. (Erin O'Toole will respect the new rule, but says Conservatives will challenge the policy.)

• Former NY Governor Andrew Cuomo has officially been charged with a misdemeanour sex crime for allegedly harassing a former aide. 

• NHL head coach of the Florida Panthers, Joel Quenneville, has resigned amidst the Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault scandal.

Soulmates

Teenage sweethearts are getting a second shot at love after reuniting on Facebook. Penny Umber and Mark Bethel met in the U.K. as teens when Bethel attended boarding school at England's Trent College, but their relationship came to a tragic end when Umber's father secretly threatened to have Bethel's university scholarship revoked unless he ended the romance. Now, 39 years later, hatred isn't keeping this interracial couple apart: Umber has left her life in the U.K. behind to join Bethel in the Bahamas. (Turns out Facebook can be good for something, after all.)

WTF: Pee-Yew!

The rare "penis plant" (a.k.a. the amorphophallus decus-silvae) just bloomed for only the third time in known history, but it's nothing to get all hot and bothered over. Though the plant is an impressive sight to behold — standing tall at six-and-a-half feet and with an impressive girth, to boot — its scent...not so much. Apparently, it stinks of rotting flesh — which is, quite frankly, the last thing you want smell down there. 🤢