When 500 ppl show up uninvited...

MERIDYTH: I've been conducting job interviews lately for a few roles at work and I've noticed that not a single candidate has sent me a thank you email. It’s made me wonder if I’m a horrible interviewer… or if all our candidates just suck… or if it’s a generational etiquette that’s dying out.

ALISTER: They don’t suck. They just know it’s unnecessary. I've conducted dozens of interviews and by the end of the chat, I will have already scored them and written my feedback. A thank you email doesn't change anything.

MERIDYTH: A follow-up email shows you're thoughtful and genuinely interested. Apart from you, 80% of hiring managers take thank you emails into consideration. Yet only 24% of candidates actually send them. It’s an opportunity to stand out and so many are passing it up.

ALISTER: Except the stat proves my point. If 76% aren't bothering, maybe there's a good reason. And if 80% of managers take Thank You’s into account, but they still make a decision? It's performative flattery.

MERIDYTH: It's not about changing a bad interview into a good one. It's about tipping the scales with all things being equal. But I guess, it's a generational thing. Gen Z hardly ever sends them. Is professionalism dying?

ALISTER: Look, if Gen Z has stopped doing it en masse, maybe they're onto something. Save your energy for being brilliant during the interview instead of adding another chore to everyone's inbox.

M&S has launched a new range of "secret support" pants for men, designed to offer a "subtle lift" for the wearer's... assets. Want to give your friends a lift? Just share The AM Squabble!

Our thoughts go out to all those impacted emotionally and physically from the mass stabbing attack on the Doncaster-London train on Saturday. 😢

🇬🇧 Cornwall's white gold. Cornish Lithium has produced the UK’s first home-refined lithium hydroxide, mined and processed entirely in Cornwall. The breakthrough could supply lithium for half of Britain’s EV battery production, marking a major step toward a domestic, low-carbon battery supply chain.

🏺 Leicester's roman past. Under a market square, archaeologists uncovered a 500-year-old dungeon described as “a most vile prison” (think seriously degrading and uncomfortable conditions). Along with Roman buildings, pottery, and an infant grave, the dig has revealed 2,000 years of Leicester’s buried history.

💨 Iconic landmark on the market. London's famous Battersea Power Station could be up for sale. Its owners are sounding out interest for a potential £2bn deal for the structure, which houses shops, restaurants, and luxury flats. It’s potentially one of the biggest property deals in UK history.

💧 Paying for failure. Ofwat has ordered England and Wales’ water companies to refund £260m to customers for poor performance after record pollution and leaks. Thames Water faces the biggest penalty as the sector battles rising bills, sewage spills, and collapsing public trust.

GOOD NEWS… for justice after 5 more suspects were arrested in connection with the Louvre heist. BAD NEWS… for boats in the Caribbean after the U.S. Pentagon admitted it has no idea who’s on the “Drug Boats” being bombed.

☢️ US to resume nuke tests. Trump has directed the Pentagon to restart nuclear weapons testing after a 33-year pause, using China’s and Russia’s expanding arsenals as rationale. Critics worldwide warn the move risks triggering a new global arms race and undermining decades of non-proliferation efforts.

🌏 Hitting ‘pause’ on trade war. The US and China struck a yearlong truce, with Trump halving tariffs and Xi agreeing to ease controls on rare earths and buy US soybeans. Markets sighed relief, but TikTok and Taiwan unresolved, peace feels temporary.

⚡ Fusion frenzy on Friedrichstrasse. Germany is pouring €1.7bn into the race to build one of the world's first commercial fusion reactors, in the hopes to power a clean-energy future. Supporters call it a “smart long-term play.” Critics say it’s too slow to fix today’s climate crisis.

🚨 Stockholm lowers the bar. Sweden plans to cut the age of criminal responsibility to 13, letting teens face prison for serious gang crimes. The move, aimed at curbing youth-related gang violence, has sparked outrage from legal experts who warn it violates child-protection principles.

🏥 Free morning-after pill. In one of the biggest shifts in women’s healthcare since the 60s, the NHS is now offering the morning-after pill for free at nearly 10,000 pharmacies across England. This improves NHS contraception access and ends the 'postcode lottery' that saw some women charged up to £30.

🏃‍♀️ Men need to double step it up! Women get more heart benefits from exercise than men, a new health study reveals. To get a 30% reduction in heart disease risk, women needed 250 minutes of weekly exercise. Men, however, needed 530 minutes (nearly 9 hours) to achieve the same effect.

⚕️ “MRI in the morning, biopsy by afternoon.” The NHS is piloting same-day prostate cancer diagnoses using AI that flags tumours within minutes. It’s being hailed as a “game changer” for cutting wait times and saving lives. Leeds Teaching Hospitals leads the trial, with more trusts set to follow.

🤖 The AI apocalypse is real. US Fed Chair Jerome Powell blames AI, saying job creation is “pretty close to zero.” Despite steady GDP and spending, Powell called it a “low-fire, low-hire” economy. Closer to home, 1.2m UK grads competed for only 17,000 open jobs! 😩

🐉 George R.R. Martin vs. ChatGPT. A judge says George R.R. Martin can sue OpenAI and Microsoft after ChatGPT generated a Game of Thrones sequel idea called A Dance with Shadows. The court found the AI’s plot, complete with dragons and Targaryens, could be considered copyright infringement.

💰 OpenAI eyes $1tn IPO. The company is quietly preparing for a historic public offering that could value it near $1tn, rivalling tech’s biggest debuts. With revenue soaring toward $20bn and Microsoft holding 27%, the move would fund massive AI infrastructure expansion and mark a new phase of independence.

By Meridyth

The latest health supplement trend is magnesium. It supports stress reduction, better sleep quality, bone health, energy levels… and for this fair-weather “athlete,” it helps my sore muscles recover quicker.

But did you know, not all magnesium supplements are equal? The most common form found at H&B and other shops is magnesium citrate. However, it has lower absorption and can have a laxative effect. 💩

The best form is Magnesium Glycinate (or Bisglycinate), which has higher absorption and is gentler on your stomach. Also it’s best to take it before going to bed. MyProtein sells this one for £13.99. (Btw, we don’t earn any £ from our recos.)

By Meridyth

Speaking of uninvited guests… the worst is when one shows up to a wedding, except for perhaps this one.

Apparently, “The Shire” (from The Lord of the Rings films) in New Zealand is a popular wedding destination for LOTR fans. And this one couple was overjoyed with this particular uninvited guest.

While it was a sweet moment from Elijah Wood, I can’t help but remember a time when I went on a 2nd date with a guy to see the 3rd film in the trilogy. He admitted to having watched it 7 times prior and then pulled out a replica of the ring on a chain around his neck. There was no 3rd date and certainly no wedding at The Shire. 😐

Time to dig out the big coat and find some sparklers, as Bonfire Night is on Wednesday. Please try to remember that fireworks are meant for the 5th of Nov, not 3am on the 8th! 🙉 Join us next week for another (hopefully well-rested) Squabble!

Alister & Meridyth