Astronomer‑Pilot Reflects on Teaching, Military Duty, and the Magellanic Clouds | JQJO

The author, a professor in Zurich and a Swiss militia helicopter pilot, explains a recent silence as a result of teaching duties and annual flight training. He describes his responsibilities as a captain, noting the need for a minimum of fifty hours of training each year. The writer also shares personal reflections, mentioning his family—Jocelyne, the children, Gino, Tsigane, and Safira—and his commitment to Switzerland’s defense. He criticises the U.S. president’s actions, describing them as “cowardice” that erodes America’s credibility. Finally, he turns to astronomy, noting that the Magellanic Clouds are two galaxies visible to the naked eye from the southern hemisphere and that they have never been visited by the author.

Jon Stewart will remain the host of Comedy Central’s "The Daily Show" through December two thousand and twenty‑eight, extending his once‑a‑week role through the next presidential election. Skydance announced the two‑year extension on Monday, resolving uncertainty about Stewart’s contract, which was due to expire in December. The new deal means one of television’s most prominent critics of President Donald Trump is staying in place for the rest of Trump’s term. Stewart will continue hosting on Monday nights, an arrangement in place since January two thousand and twenty‑four, and serving as executive producer of the series. The agreement is Stewart’s longest extension since returning to the program, following two successive one‑year renewals.

Donnie Wahlberg, the actor and singer, posted a video on Sunday thanking God and the pilots after his private jet skidded off runway one‑L at Harry Reid International Airport. The jet, carrying him and seven others, failed to lift off and ran off the runway, striking the airport’s perimeter fence. Wahlberg described the incident as intense, saying the pilots’ actions prevented a serious disaster. He praised emergency personnel on the ground and expressed gratitude for everyone’s safety. The incident occurred after a New Kids on the Block show in Las Vegas.

Kendall Jenner, thirty, did not attend her sister Kylie Jenner’s surprise appearance at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show on Sunday, October eighteenth. Kylie, twenty-nine, debuted as the first non‑Angel to wear the Fantasy Bra, a fifty‑million‑dollar diamond‑studded garment. The event drew Kylie’s partner, Timothée Chalamet, and mother Kris Jenner, who celebrated a milestone on Instagram. Kendall’s absence, coupled with her Instagram silence, prompted fans to speculate about a possible feud between the sisters.

After the Broncos’ overtime victory over the Seahawks, Prime Video’s Ryan Fitzpatrick called Bo Nix’s performance garbage. Payton, however, said he has not considered benching the quarterback. He emphasized improving the offensive line and running game instead. Payton also said he focuses on the next game against Arizona, ignoring media criticism. Fitzpatrick will have another chance to evaluate Nix before the Steelers matchup on Black Friday.

A Purdue University team that searched for Amelia Earhart’s missing Lockheed Electra 10‑E on the remote Pacific island of Nikumaroro has reported a setback. The expedition, which focused on the Taraia Object—a visual anomaly first spotted in satellite imagery in 2020—found no conclusive evidence that the object was aircraft wreckage. Instead, the team concluded the anomaly was likely a collection of large trees deposited along the peninsula’s sandspit. By the time the team arrived, much of the debris had fragmented and washed away, leaving only a single Y‑shaped fragment. The fragment’s reflective surface was caused by a carbonate veneer, and other items found were coated with a shiny concretized amalgam of coral sand. Despite the disappointment, the expedition uncovered several artifacts, including a 30‑inch steel tube, that could help study how debris travels through the lagoon. The team remains hopeful that Earhart may have ended up on Nikumaroro, but no artifacts were conclusively linked to the missing aircraft.

Wyze released the BodyScan Plus scale, syncing with Google Health and Android Health Connect. The new model moves the display to the sensor bar, improving readability. It tracks weight, BMI, body fat, muscle mass, water, visceral fat, protein, bone mass, and basal metabolic rate. The scale requires no subscription or Bluetooth; built‑in Wi‑Fi syncs with the Wyze app and health platforms. Priced at one hundred forty‑nine dollars, it follows the original BodyScan launched in late twenty‑twenty‑five.

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other alleged 9/11 plotters seeking to enforce a plea deal. The men had agreed to life sentences in a 2024 deal signed by a military commission judge. Days later, then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin rejected the proposal, claiming authority to override it. Military courts said Austin had no such power, and an August ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit favored the government. The Supreme Court’s decision removes a barrier to Mohammed’s trial before a military commission in 2028, where the death penalty is possible. Mohammed has been held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since 2006.

The 2026 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show took place on Sunday at Sony Pictures Studios in Los Angeles, marking the first time the runway has been held in the city in nineteen years. Adam Selman served again as creative director. The event featured a star‑filled lineup, including the Hadid sisters, Paloma Elsesser, Alex Consani, Irina Shayk, Alessandra Ambrosia, Anok Yai, Precious Lee, Ashley Graham, Joan Smalls, and Liu Wen. Kylie Jenner returned the iconic Fantasy Bra, first worn in 2018, for her debut appearance. After the show, attendees continued the celebration at the Bird Streets Club after‑party.

Federal officials carried out a major voter‑fraud operation in Commerce, California, on Monday morning, arresting more than two dozen people accused of registering to vote as noncitizens. The action is part of the Department of Justice’s statewide "Operation Protect the Vote" initiative, which involves all four U.S. attorney districts in California. The operation follows a recent DOJ warning that processing ballots from suspected noncitizens could expose election officials to criminal investigation. The arrests come amid heightened tensions between the Trump administration and California over election administration and noncitizen voting allegations ahead of the midterm election.