Welcome to EsstN, your go-to destination for the latest in fun, weird, and fascinating stories

Two years before his arrest in the brutal stabbing deaths of a couple at Devil’s Den State Park in Arkansas, Andrew J. McGann was already drawing concern from parents at Donald Elementary School in Flower Mound, Texas. According to Lindsay Camp Polyak, whose son was occasionally in McGann’s class, he displayed off putting behavior that…

The moment it dawned on Thomas Fullagar that his job search was not going well came in April, about six months into the process, when he applied for a position in Manhattan, Kan. The job, at a technology company called CivicPlus, involved relatively straightforward data analysis that he wouldn’t strain to do. In fact, he…

John Calamos offered a bright outlook on the stock market and the economy this week, making it clear he has no plans to follow Warren Buffett into retirement. “The stock market is coming back very, very well, so I’m pretty positive on that,” the billionaire founder and chief investor of Calamos Investments told Business Insider.…

A 14 month old Tonkinese cat in New Zealand named Leo has earned a cheeky new title — “Leonardo da Pinchy” — thanks to his curious hobby: stealing neighbors’ underwear. Owner Helen North told Radio New Zealand that Leo has brought home “about 150 pilfered items in the past nine months.” She added, “He brings…

A Maryland woman’s accidental purchase turned into a $50,000 win — her second major lottery prize in just a few years. The Frederick woman told Maryland Lottery officials that she stopped at the Washingtonian Express convenience store in Frederick and bought three $50,000 CASH tickets, even though she only meant to buy two. “This whole…

“Why Are Stocks Up? Nobody Knows. A torrent of bad news hasn’t been enough to sink the market.” That’s how a brilliant—but fake—Wall Street Journal article began, published by The Weekly Standard back in 1998. In 2025, the same could be said about the market’s performance for much of the year: Few predicted it, and…

Foreign investors appear undeterred by President Donald Trump’s recent tariff threats. In fact, they surged into U.S. markets in May, reaffirming belief in the continued strength of American “exceptionalism.” According to Robin Brooks, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, “market participants from overseas don’t think the U.S. ‘exceptionalism’ story is over.” This comes after…

“They May Be Watching Because We’re Watching”: What Science Says About Dogs and TV New studies reveal how your dog’s personality shapes what it sees—and likes—on screen Dogs and Screens: A Matter of Personality At the end of a long day, many of us settle into the couch with a show. But what about your…

From privacy risks to psychological harm, these are the AI queries best left untyped. AI Use Is Surging—But Not All Questions Are Safe Artificial intelligence is everywhere. According to a March survey by Elon University, over half of U.S. adults have used AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Copilot. One in three say they…

Just weeks ago, Moody’s chief economist Mark Zandi expressed cautious optimism about the housing market. But that tone has changed sharply. In a July 13 post on X, Zandi escalated his concern, warning that home sales, homebuilding, and even house prices are set to slump unless mortgage rates fall materially from their current 7% range—something…