| WORDS OF WISDOM | | "The spirit of truth and the spirit of freedom—these are the pillars of society." | | HENRIK IBSEN | | | Good morning! Today we're covering President Joe Biden's farewell address, the FDA's ban on Red No. 3 dye, and the Israel–Hamas cease-fire deal. | | TOP STORIES | | | |
Biden Warns of a 'Tech-Industrial Complex' Five days before leaving office, President Joe Biden delivered a live primetime farewell address to the nation, highlighting his accomplishments and warning of emerging threats, including oligarchs and a "tech-industrial complex."
"I want to warn the country of some things that give me great concern," Biden said. "Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead." Biden referred to Dwight Eisenhower's iconic 1961 farewell address where he warned the nation about the dangers of the "military-industrial complex."
"Six decades later, I'm equally concerned about the potential rise of a tech-industrial complex that could pose real dangers for our country," Biden said. "Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation, enabling the abuse of power. The free press is crumbling. Errors are disappearing. Social media is giving up on fact-checking." (More) | |
FDA Bans Red No. 3 in Food The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Jan. 15 revoked its authorization for the use of Red No. 3 in food products and ingested pharmaceuticals, citing potential health concerns associated with the synthetic food dye.
The decision comes after years of scrutiny and debate over the safety of Red No. 3, also known as erythrosine. Red No. 3 is a colorant that has been commonly used in a variety of products, including candies, cereals, and certain medications, to impart a bright pink or red hue. The agency's decision is based on a comprehensive review of scientific studies that have raised concerns about the potential carcinogenic effects of Red No. 3 when consumed in large quantities over extended periods, according to the agency's announcement.
While the FDA had previously restricted the use of Red No. 3 in cosmetics and externally applied drugs in 1990, its use in food and ingested drugs has continued until now. In 2022, the Center for Science in the Public Interest and 23 other organizations and scientists petitioned the FDA to ban all remaining uses of Red No. 3. (More) | |
Israel and Hamas Reach Cease-Fire Deal Israel and Hamas have reached a deal, to take effect on Jan. 19, for a hostage and prisoner swap, a six-week cease-fire, and access to relief aid for the beleaguered Gaza Strip.
The deal's details were confirmed and many of them disclosed at a news conference in Doha, Qatar, late on Jan. 15 by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. The negotiations, conducted around the clock in recent days, were mediated by Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States, Al Thani said. "We worked day and night in order to reach this moment," he said.
As part of the agreement, Hamas will release 33 Israeli captives, including civilian women, female recruits, children, elderly people, and civilians who are ill and wounded, in return for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Israel will withdraw toward the east, away from populated areas, he said. (More) How did you enjoy today's Morning Brief? Tell us what you think here. | | MORE TOP NEWS | | | | | | | | | | | | | | CULTURE |  | | The Beginnings of Western Music | | Today, most people are familiar with Latin chant because of the way it is inserted into film scores, especially in moments of fear.
But Gregorian chant used to be associated with praise and joy rather than horror. The chant was also much more complex than its modern adaptations which, by repeating one or two phrases over and over, are designed to elicit a simple emotional response from an audience.
Given that plainchant has no instrumental accompaniment and is monophonic—that is, all the voices sing only one line of melody—this may seem surprising.
When you think about it, though, there are a lot of different ways to sing one melody. In the past, sometimes the choir sang together, sometimes in alternating halves.
At other times, singing was "responsive," involving a soloist alternating with a choir. A sung syllable might correspond with one note or be drawn out over many notes. This latter style is known as "melisma."
One of the early composers of the Middle Ages was Nokter Balbulus (the "Babbler" or "Stammerer"). This Benedictine monk came up with a written method to help singers memorize long melismas that make Whitney Houston's vocal runs seem rather primitive by comparison.
Even given plainchant's surprising complexity, Christian music remained melodically simple for the first thousand years of its existence.
But this started to change in the second millennium. | | | | | EPOCH TV | | | | | | OPINION | | | | | | EPOCH FUN | | | | | |
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