Happy December!

Earlier this week we asked you if the full moon had an affect on your sleep or if you thought it to be an old wife’s tale.

We received mixed responses. Some saying it doesn’t affect them at all and some reporting wild dreams and sleepless nights. If you were hoping for a clear answer to this age-old mystery, we're afraid we don't have one.

Economy

Let’s Buy a Car on Amazon

Amazon is preparing to take a significant step into the automotive sales market in the United States. Starting next year, the e-commerce behemoth plans to offer car sales, allowing local dealerships to sell directly to customers via its online platform.

In collaboration with Hyundai, Amazon announced its intention to initially feature Hyundai vehicles. This partnership also includes naming Amazon's cloud computing division, AWS, as Hyundai's preferred cloud provider. Additionally, Hyundai's future vehicles will integrate with Alexa, Amazon's widely used voice assistant.

If you were hoping for a one-click buy and 2 day shipping straight to your door, you might be disappointed. Amazon's vision for this venture involves customers purchasing new cars online and then either picking them up or having them delivered by their local dealerships.

The move is a bold one, considering the automotive industry's complex landscape, marked by strong lobbying forces and stringent state regulations. Almost every state mandates that manufacturers sell their vehicles through dealerships.

Despite its ambitious plans, Amazon may encounter challenges in convincing consumers to make such significant purchases online. An Amazon spokesperson highlighted the growing trend of online vehicle purchases and assured that the company would offer various solutions to enhance transparency in the car-buying process, thereby aiding customers in making well-informed decisions.  

Entertainment

Blake Lively's Emotional Tribute

Check out this heartwarming video of Blake Lively speaking about her husband and father of her 4 children, Ryan Reynolds. We're not much into celebrity gossip but if your spouse talks about you like this, you have won in life, regardless of how famous you are!

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World News

65 Year Old Crane Operator’s Heroic Rescue

Glen Edwards, a 65-year-old crane operator, rescued a man trapped on the roof of a half-constructed high-rise building that had caught fire. Edwards told Sky News that upon noticing the trapped individual, he swiftly attached the cage to his crane. However, he soon found himself unable to see due to the swirling wind and thick black smoke. Fortunately, a colleague who still had visibility assisted in guiding him to the trapped man. Shortly thereafter, the man was able to climb into the cage and was lifted out of the inferno.

Edwards recounted being visibly shaken. "The adrenaline was out the roof," He said. After the successful rescue, Edwards jokingly mentioned not meeting the rescued man yet, suggesting a drink owed to him.

The footage of the rescue quickly went viral, and a fundraiser to “buy Glen a beer” surpassed its £5,000 goal, reaching over £6,700. The rescued man, was discharged from the hospital on the same day with only mild smoke inhalation.

Below is the intense video of the heroic rescue.

Sports

British Gymnastics Reforms Standards to Protect Athletes

British Gymnastics has introduced a series of policies aimed at enhancing athlete welfare, including a ban on coaches weighing gymnasts below a certain age.

Only gymnasts aged 10 and above can be weighed, with explicit consent and conducted by qualified practitioners. Coaches are now prohibited from conducting weigh-ins, and athletes must not miss formal education for training.

These measures follow an independent review revealing a culture of abuse within British Gymnastics, prompting the organization to take decisive steps to prioritize athlete well-being. The policies signify a commitment to eliminating past poor practices and fostering a safe environment for gymnasts.

If you have any uplifting stories and experience you might want to share, send those over to [email protected] for the chance to be featured.

Mind Stretchers

Pronounced as 1 letter, And written with 3, 2 letters there are, and 2 only in me. I’m double, I’m single, I’m black blue, and gray, I’m read from both ends, and the same either way. What am I?

Answers to yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:
An echo