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☆ Bo Burnham Is Everywhere. He’s Just Very Good at Pretending to Disappear.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Jason Zinoman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Early in his bold and vexing new reality show, Jerrod Carmichael hears a knock at the door and opens it to find a very tall man in a ski mask and goggles just standing there. But certain comedy fans would come to a different response: Welcome back, Bo Burnham. On “The Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show” (HBO), this lanky masked man is referred to as Anonymous and his voice is disguised. But if this isn’t Bo Burnham, it’s a pretty good impression — or at least, one of him dressed to rob a bank. Except for “Inside” outtakes, he hasn’t shown up in any new work — until, possibly, now.

Persons: Jerrod Carmichael, Bo Burnham, Carmichael, it’s, Burnham

☆ Legal woes pile up for Trump allies: Giuliani, Meadows, and more indicted in Arizona election interference case
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows are among those indicted in an Arizona election interference case. Multiple Trump allies and Arizona GOPers were charged with felony counts, including conspiracy. The indictment also appeared to list former President Donald Trump as "Unindicted Coconspirator 1." AdvertisementProsecutors charged Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, and a slate of Arizona Republicans with multiple felonies in a 58-page indictment made public on Wednesday. A representative for Trump and the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

Persons: Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Donald Trump, —, Jenna Ellis, John Eastman, Christina Bobb, Trump, Mike Roman, Boris Epshteyn, Ted Goodman, Giuliani, Bobb, Charles Burnham, Eastman, George Terwilliger, Meadows, hadn't, Joe Biden Organizations: Trump, Service, Prosecutors, Arizona Republicans, The Washington, GOP, Eastman, Business, Post, United, Trump Organization Locations: Arizona, Maricopa County , Arizona, Ellis, United States, Georgia , Michigan , Wisconsin, Nevada, Georgia, Mar, New York

☆ Why Scotland’s ‘ghost’ whisky distilleries are coming back to life
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Angus Mackinnon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Courtesy Port Ellen DistilleryAcross the courtyard, the new still room resembles a vast industrial greenhouse with four shiny new copper stills as its exotic plants. “It is important that we recreate that classic Port Ellen character that people love, but we also want to be doing things we’ve not done before,” says McDonald. Courtesy Port Ellen DistilleryA glimpse into that past comes in the musky surroundings of warehouse number two with a dram drawn straight from a cask filled in 1979. Port Ellen is hoping to attract upscale whisky fans to sample a by-appointment-only Atlas of Smoke Experience. “At the moment, Port Ellen is expensive because it is so old and so rare.

Persons: Carol Ann Duffy’s, ” “, Ellen, ”, attar, Port Ellen, Roy Duff, Dramface.com, Ardbeg, Hijiri, Alexander McDonald, McDonald, Port, Port Ellen Gemini, Ellens, There’s, Dramface’s Duff, ” Emily Burnham, “ Organizations: Scotland CNN, Port, Ellen, Diageo, North America —, Smoke Locations: Islay, Scotland, Isle of Islay, Wuyi, Port, Scottish, —, Highland, Brora, Falkirk, Scotland’s, Hong Kong, Kilnaughton Bay, Antrim, Northern Ireland, Mull, Kintyre, North, America, United States

Star Trek: Discovery premiered in 2017 and follows in the decades-long tradition of Star Trek stories. Where to watch Star Trek: Discovery in the USNew Season 5 episodes of Star Trek: Discovery land on Paramount+ on Thursdays. Shop at ParamountWhere to watch Star Trek: Discovery in CanadaParamount+ is also the home to Star Trek: Discovery in Canada. Where to watch Star Trek: Discovery in New ZealandStar Trek: Discovery is available to stream for free on TVNZ+. Watch Star Trek: Discovery.

Persons: we've, Star, Kirk's, Captain Burnham, Sonequa Martin, ExpressVPN Organizations: Business, Star Trek, Star, Trek, Paramount, CBS, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, MTV, NFL, Champions League, Showtime, Canada Paramount, New Zealand Star Trek, TVNZ Locations: Canada, New, New Zealand

☆ Opinion: Jokes about disability aren’t taboo. But here’s who shouldn’t be telling them
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Opinion S.E. Smith | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

A better and more interesting conversation about comedy and the disabled is not whether people should be allowed to crack disability jokes (they are) or if disability can even be funny (it absolutely can be). The real question is who should be telling these jokes and how the lived experience of disability — punching up, rather than down — can make for radical, truly edgy comedy. Telling jokes about yourself, rather than dunking on others, is a true art form, and disability comedy threads that needle in a way that sometimes makes audiences uncomfortable, pushing at their understanding of disability in society and culture. One reason disability is so terrifying is the unknown factor, since many nondisabled people think they don’t know anyone disabled or that disability itself is a taboo topic, when in fact making disability funny can be accessible and disarming. Some 20% of the US population is disabled, and disability is one of the few marginalized identities that you can take on at any moment.

Persons: CNN —, Shane Gillis, Michaela Oteri Gillis, Dave Chappelle’s “, “ There’s, ” Chappelle, there’s, Gillis, Chappelle, That’s, they’re, Maysoon, coy, disablism, Pat Loller, Harold Foxx, Josh Blue, Steve Lee, Danielle Perez, Nina G, Bo Burnham’s, Gillis ’, They’re, — Organizations: CNN, SNL, Netflix, NBC Locations: Northern California, British, Palestinian American, Afghanistan

☆ FTX fraudster Bankman-Fried seeks less than 7 year sentence, claims he is at risk of 'harm and extortion' in prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Sam Bankman-Fried, co-founder of FTX Cryptocurrency Derivatives Exchange, arrives at court in New York, US, on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023. "The harm to customers, lenders, and investors is zero," Bankman-Fried's lawyers wrote. The lawyers wrote that Bankman-Fried has a "neurodiversity" that "greatly affects how he perceives and is perceived." It is not a disease or a condition that needs to be cured," the lawyers wrote. "Individuals with ASD are often at considerably greater risk of physical harm and extortion in prison than other inmates," the lawyers wrote.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Joseph Bankman, Barbara Fried, Lewis Kaplan, —, Michael Milken, Damian Williams, Williams, Kaplan, Marc Mukasey, Sam, Drexel Burnham Lambert, Milken Organizations: Bankman, Alameda Research, The Manhattan U.S, PSR, Defense, Drexel, CNBC PRO Locations: New York, FTX, Manhattan, Alameda, Brooklyn , New York

☆ Everything to know about Taylor Swift's new album 'The Tortured Poets Department'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Callie Ahlgrim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"Sincerely, The Chairman of The Tortured Poets Department." All’s fair in love and poetry... New album THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. Swift still has two installments left in her rerecorded album series: 2017's "Reputation" and her self-titled debut "Taylor Swift." Fans are already dissecting the album announcement for Easter eggs"The Tortured Poets Department" is a conspicuously wordy phrase for Swift, who tends to prefer one or two-word album titles. Healy may be another aforementioned muse ("My muses, acquired like bruises") for "The Tortured Poets Department."

Persons: —, Taylor, Swift, I've, 🤍h Organizations: Service, Department, Business, Recording Academy, Poets Department Locations: .

☆ The Billionaire Donor Taking On His Alma Mater Over Antisemitism
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Rachel Louise Ensign | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

When Marc Rowan ’s father died while he was a student at the University of Pennsylvania and the family could no longer afford tuition, the school told him he could finish paying whenever he was able. Rowan sent the university the money a few months after graduation, using his first bonus from his job as a junior investment banker at Drexel Burnham Lambert. Grateful for its generosity, he kept giving to Penn as he climbed to the pinnacle of Wall Street power. He donated $50 million to its Wharton school in 2018, the largest gift the business school had ever received at the time.

Persons: Marc Rowan ’, Rowan, Drexel Burnham Lambert Organizations: University of Pennsylvania, Drexel, Penn, Wharton

☆ South African violist tackles legacy of alcohol payments to labourers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Thando Hlophe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

South African violist, Lynn "Daphne" Rudolph, who uses music and art to explore the painful legacy of how labourers at wineries in the Western Cape province were for centuries given wine as part of their payment, looks on during a rehearsal at an arts venue in Johannesburg, South Africa, October 13, 2023. Rudolph created and performed in a show called "Dop is my Taal", which means "Alcohol is my Language" in Afrikaans, at an arts venue in Johannesburg. The show involved Daphne playing music she had composed, interspersed with excerpts from the South African national anthem, while another musician performed using beer bottles, domino pieces and thimbles -- objects associated with the daily lives of farm labourers. Audience members at the performance of "Dop is my Taal" said the work had articulated uncomfortable truths and given expression to a part of South African society that sometimes feels marginalised. "I love the fact that she's taking upon herself to do a work that speaks for so many other voices."

Persons: Lynn, Daphne, Rudolph, Lynn Rudolph, Kelly, Eve Koopman, Julia Zenzie Burnham, Thando Hlophe, Tannur Anders, Estelle Shirbon, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, South African, Thomson Locations: Western Cape, Johannesburg, South Africa, JOHANNESBURG

☆ UK PM Rishi Sunak scraps major high-speed rail link; plans to phase out smoking
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak used his headline speech at the close of the conference to reassert his authority and outline a number of new policies. Bloomberg | Getty ImagesMANCHESTER, ENGLAND — U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday unveiled a raft of new policies aimed at shoring up waning support for his Conservative Party ahead of next year's General Election. Sunak used the decision to position himself as the change candidate, saying that he would "fundamentally change" the country. "For the first time in the lifetime of this project, we will have cut costs," Sunak said. watch nowCritics on both sides of the political spectrum have accused the prime minister of stifling the countries' long-term prospects in the interests of short-term political gain.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Mayor Andy Street, Andy Burnham, BBC Sunak Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty Images, Conservative Party, Conservative Party Conference, Westminster, West, Mayor, Conservatives, Labour, BBC Locations: Getty Images MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, Manchester, England, Birmingham, Greater Manchester, London

Its cost was estimated at 33 billion pounds in 2011, but has soared to more than 100 billion pounds ($122 billion) by some estimates. Sunak said Conservative lawmakers would be given a free vote in Parliament on the smoking ban. He used the speech to give party members and voters a glimpse of the man behind his technocratic exterior. Home Secretary Suella Braverman used her conference speech to appeal to the party’s authoritarian, law-and-order wing, advocating tougher curbs on migration and a war on human rights protections and “woke” social values. “I am confident we can win,” said Balwinder Dhillon, deputy mayor of the town of Slough, west of London.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, he's, ”, ” Sunak, Andy Burnham, ” “, Rain Newton, Smith, “, Margaret Thatcher —, Liz Truss, Akshata Murty, Suella Braverman, Balwinder Dhillon Organizations: Conservative Party, Labour Party, Leeds, Conservative, Manchester, of British Industry, Health, New, British American Tobacco, Imperial Brands, London Stock Exchange, Treasury, United, British Locations: MANCHESTER, England, Manchester, London, “, Birmingham, Midlands, North, Britain, Britain’s, New Zealand, Rwanda, United Kingdom, Slough

☆ I looked at the plans for the new city proposed by Silicon Valley elites. They're really terrible.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Right now, California Forever is just a website with some ideology and a handful of hopeful sketches with a faintly socialist-utopian flair. AdvertisementAdvertisementCities of the future of the pastThe California Forever art illustrations show at a place that'll look startlingly familiar. Point is, the garden city remains a dream honored more in the breach — in pitches like the one for California Forever. Just about 60 miles southeast of the California Forever site is a residential development called Mountain House. It's what plans like California Forever look like when brick starts getting laid.

Persons: Daniel Burnham, Burnham, Marc Andreessen, Chris Dixon, Michael Moritz, Laurene Powell Jobs, Collison, Flannery, Peter Thiel, Goldman, Jan Sramek, Sramek, Ebenezer Howard, Howard, What's, Foreverville, That's, it's, Banks, John Nash's London, what's, It's, Walt Disney, Gabriel Metcalf, BH Bronson Johnson, Dan Parolek, Adam Rogers Organizations: Travis Air Force Base, New York Times, Flannery Associates, Industry, Truman, California, Western Railway, California Forever, St, BH Locations: Chicago, California, Solano County, Sacramento, Solano, Silicon, Los Angeles, England, Japan, New York, Philadelphia, Seaside , Florida, Pontevedra, Spain, Paris, Tempe, doesn't, Foreverville, Pirates, Caribbean, Toronto, Culdesac

LONDON (AP) — The British government confirmed Sunday it may scrap a big chunk of an overdue and over-budget high-speed rail line once touted as a way to attract jobs and investment to northern England. The Conservative government insists no final decision has been made about the embattled High Speed 2 project. HS2 is the U.K.’s second high-speed rail line, after the HS1 route that links London and the Channel Tunnel connecting England to France. The government hailed it as a key plank in its plan to “level up” prosperity across the country. The government has also delayed work on bringing the line all the way to Euston station in central London.

Persons: Grant Shapps, ”, “, Shapps, Boris Johnson, ” Johnson, Andy Burnham, ” Burnham, Sadiq Khan, ” Khan, Rishi Sunak Organizations: Conservative, BBC, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, Labour Party, Sky, London Locations: England, British, Birmingham –, London, Manchester, Ukraine, France, Birmingham

☆ Mural of Joy Division's Ian Curtis returns to Manchester
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Artist Akse P19 works on a mural of singer Ian Curtis of Joy Division in Manchester, Britain, September 8, 2023. REUTERS/Phil Noble Acquire Licensing RightsMANCHESTER, England Sept 8 (Reuters) - The northern English city of Manchester welcomed back a mural of its late music icon Ian Curtis on Friday, newly restored after it had been painted over last year to outcry from local residents. Aitch said he had no control over the location of the Amazon Music billboards and was "fuming" at the decision to paper over the mural. The restoration of the mural precedes World Suicide Prevention Day on Sunday. Manchester's Joy Division produced two studio albums before Curtis' death but they cast a long shadow over British pop music.

Persons: Ian Curtis, Phil Noble, Curtis, Akse, Aitch, Andy Burnham, Manchester's, Andy Bruce Organizations: Joy Division, REUTERS, Rights, Star, Mental, Manchester, Amazon, Amazon Music, Thomson Locations: Manchester, Britain, Rights MANCHESTER, England, English, British

☆ Judge in Trump New York porn star hush money case refuses to step aside for trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Trump had asked for Merchan to step off the case in Manhattan Supreme Court, where his trial is set to begin in late March, citing three different areas of potential conflicts of interest. The judge wrote that he "finds that recusal would not be in the public interest." Judge Juan Merchan said he had "carefully weighed" the legal standards for recusing himself after Trump cited the judge's purported conflicts of interest. The New York judge set to preside over the porn star hush money trial of Donald Trump refused on Monday to step off the case, saying he is certain he can be "fair and impartial" to the former president . Merchan cited a 1988 New York federal appeals court decision related to judicial recusal.

Persons: Donald Trump, Juan Merchan, Stormy Daniels, Trump, Merchan, recusal, recusing, Trump's, Michael Cohen, Daniels, Cohen, Allen Weisselberg, Joe Biden, Re Drexel Burnham Lambert Organizations: New, Republican, Trump, Trump Organization, Democratic, New York, Re, Manhattan, Attorney's Office Locations: Manhattan, New York City, New York

☆ Taylor Swift’s Viral Era
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Matt Stevens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Taylor Swift, wearing a long green gown, takes a swan dive pose and jumps into a hole in the stage. A large crowd of Taylor Swift fans sing together in a parking lot outside of her concert. Taylor performs in a “full on deluge.”Rain pours down on a smiling Taylor Swift as she performs onstage. Taylor Swift, sitting at a piano, explains to concertgoers that it is malfunctioning and playing itself. The actor Taylor Lautner enters the stage with a backflip to greet Taylor Swift.

Persons: Taylor, Taylor Swift, Arlington , Texas Taylor, Joe Alwyn, “, ” Taylor, Matty Healy, Nashville Taylor, Matty, Philadelphia “, ” Taylor Swift, Taylor concertgoer Keith Urban, fanboying, Phoebe Bridgers, Bo Burnham, N.B.A, Taylor’s, Aaron Rodgers, she’s, Chicago Taylor, Minneapolis Taylor, John ”, John Mayer, ”, Cincinnati Taylor, Taylor Lautner, Denver Taylor, Seattle Taylor, “ Taylor, Taylor can’t, Travis Kelce, Mexico City Taylor Organizations: Ticketmaster, Philadelphia, Spice, Taylor, Independence, Swift, Federal Reserve, Seattle Locations: Glendale, Ariz, Arlington , Texas, Tampa, Fla, Tampa’s, East Rutherford, N.J, Chicago, Minneapolis, ” Kansas City, Mo, Philadelphia, Seattle, Inglewood, Calif, Mexico City

The four-count, 45-page indictment charges Republican Trump with conspiring to defraud the U.S. by preventing Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden's victory and to deprive voters of their right to a fair election. The charges stem from Special Counsel Jack Smith's sprawling investigation into allegations Trump sought to reverse his loss to Biden. "President Trump will not be deterred by disgraceful and unprecedented political targeting!" [1/5]Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 29, 2023. Tuesday's charges represent a second round of federal charges by Smith, who was appointed special counsel in November by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Joe Biden's, Mike Pence, Tanya Chutkan, Barack Obama, Jack Smith's, Biden, Weeks, Smith, Trump's, Rudy Giuliani, Jeffrey Clark, John Eastman, Pence, Lindsay DeDario, Giuliani, Robert Costello, Eastman, Charles Burnham, Clark, General Merrick Garland, Stormy Daniels, Kevin McCarthy, Ron DeSantis, Fani Willis, Garland, Jacqueline Thomsen, Sarah N, Lynch, Rami Ayyub, Andrew Goudsward, Luc Cohen, Jack Queen, Kanishka Singh, Dan Whitcomb, Costas Pitas, Mike Scarcella, Tim Reid, Jeff Mason, Gram Slattery, Joseph Ax, Scott Malone, Will Dunham, Howard Goller, Grant McCool, Michael Perry Organizations: U.S, Capitol, Republican, ., Trump, Congress, Justice, REUTERS, Reuters, Presidential, TRUMP, REPUBLICAN, Republicans, Democratic, Justice Department, Thomson Locations: American, Washington, U.S, Washington ,, Nazi Germany, Georgia, Erie , Pennsylvania, Miami, Manhattan's, Florida, Fulton County, The Hague, Kosovo, New York

1: RUDY GIULIANIThe former New York City mayor and Trump's former personal attorney has faced legal issues since working on Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. He also played a prominent public role in pushing theories of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. He believed there was proof of election fraud, and I have seen the affidavits that back that up." Powell has since been sued for defamation by the voting companies Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic over false claims she made about them rigging the 2020 election against Trump. 4: JEFFREY BOSSERT CLARKJeffrey Clark is a former high-ranking Justice Department official who has been under investigation by federal prosecutors for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Persons: John Eastman, Donald Trump's, Rudy Giuliani, Read, Donald Trump, Jack Smith, Trump, RUDY GIULIANI, Giuliani, Robert Costello, JOHN EASTMAN John Eastman, Mike Pence, Joe Biden, Eastman, John Eastman's, Charles Burnham, SIDNEY POWELL Sidney Powell, Powell, “, JEFFREY BOSSERT CLARK Jeffrey Clark, Clark, Jeffrey Rosen, Rosen, Clark's, Rich Donoghue, KENNETH CHESEBRO Kenneth Chesebro, Biden, Pence, Cheseboro, Jacqueline Thomsen, Sarah N, Lynch, Andrew Goudsward, Mike Scarcella, Michael Perry Organizations: Chapman University, Trump, U.S, Congress, New, New York City, Capitol, D.C, Reuters, Electoral, NBC, Voting Systems, Department, Justice Department, Prosecutors, ”, Trump's, Thomson Locations: U.S, WASHINGTON, New York, Washington, Georgia, California, Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin, Andrew Goudsward Middletown, N.J, Silver

☆ Who are the Trump co-conspirators in the 2020 election interference indictment?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN, however, can identify five of the six co-conspirators based on quotes in the indictment and other context. They include:Co-Conspirator 1 is former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Among other things, the indictment quotes from a voicemail that Co-Conspirator 1 left “for a United States Senator” on January 6, 2021. The quotes in the indictment match quotes from Giuliani’s call intended for GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville, as reported by CNN and other outlets. The indictment quotes from the memo, and those quotes match a two-page memo that Eastman wrote, as reported and published by CNN.

Persons: Donald Trump, “, Trump, Rudy Giuliani, ”, GOP Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Ted Goodman, Giuliani, John Eastman, Mike Pence, Eastman, Charles Burnham, ” Burnham, Sidney Powell, Powell, Brian Kemp, Jeffrey Clark, Clark, rebutting Clark’s, Clark ., Kenneth Chesebro, Chesebro Organizations: CNN, United, GOP, Electoral, Eastman, Trump, Georgia ”, Georgia Gov, Justice, Justice Department, Department, Clark, Chesebro Locations: United States, Georgia, Pennsylvania

☆ Battling Brexit, some British firms turn to invest in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

German data show British firms opened 170 foreign direct investment projects in Europe's biggest economy last year as companies sought a foothold in the bloc's single market. That's a far cry from the 50 enquiries from British firms - rather than projects committed - recorded by German Trade & Invest in 2015, the year before the Brexit referendum. Pro-Brexit economists say such data ignore the fact British corporate investment boomed in the years before mid-2016, and it was bound to slow. British firms are also waiting to hear how - or even if - London intends to compete with the enormous green energy and tech subsidies pitched by the United States and EU. At Farrat, the effects of Brexit are insidious, running beyond decisions over investments, said Farrell, describing a sense of unease felt towards British firms from potential foreign clients, worn down by years of political turmoil"People are nervous.

Persons: Brexit, Oliver Farrell, Andy Burnham, Burnham, it's, capitalising, Steve Connor, Connor, Jeremy Hunt, Farrell, Dave, Subrah Krishnan Harihara, Andy Bruce, William Schomberg, David Clarke Organizations: European Union, Reuters, German Trade, Invest, Organisation for Economic Co, Development, Reuters Graphics, Labour Party, EU, Creative Concern, European Commission, Manchester Chambers of Commerce, Thomson Locations: MANCHESTER, England, Britain, Manchester, Germany, English, Europe's, Netherlands, France, United States, England's, London, Birmingham, Greater Manchester, Farrat, EU, Warwick, West Midlands

☆ Opinion | The American Empire in the Fog of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In a critique of the political thinker James Burnham, penned in the wake of World War II, George Orwell wrote:Power worship blurs political judgment because it leads, almost unavoidably, to the belief that present trends will continue. Whoever is winning at the moment will always seem to be invincible. But a war that seems stalemated, that grinds without dramatic shifts, poses a somewhat different challenge to political judgment; the observer is always tempted to discern a certain trend, a sweeping historical judgment, amid a state of ebb and flow and wartime fog. The war in Ukraine is a case study, yielding very different big-picture arguments based on developments from month to month and even week to week. The same pattern applies to analysis of how the war fits in the global power picture.

Persons: James Burnham, George Orwell, Orwell, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Samuel Huntington’s, Francis Fukuyama’s Locations: South Asia, Asia, Tobruk, Cairo, Berlin, London, Ukraine

☆ How should slavery and its legacy be taught in U.S. schools?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +21 min

My father said it was indeed a general store, supplying everything from hog feed to eggs to coal for heating. On the map, I believe General’s Store is the building at the bottom and labeled S for store. Black people appeared chiefly in sketches aimed at amusing readers – or when they were accused of crimes against whites. The letter writer said a young white man in a general store had ordered the woman to put down a can of oil she was examining. I could find nothing that accounted for the death of General Bryson, let alone any item that mentioned the Bryson family.

Persons: General Bryson, General, G.G, Bryson, George T, Williamson, Bryson’s, Lucille Newton Duke, Boots ”, Barbara Newton, Bud Moon, Jim Smith, Smith, Sheriff Culberson, Moon, “, Martin Luther King Jr, Ancestry.com, Jim Crow’s, Margaret Burnham, Burnham, ”, –, ” Burnham, Isaac Gaston, Gaston –, General Bryson –, Walter White, weren’t, Patricia, Julia, I’d, LaBrenda Garrett, Nelson, Thomas Colquitt Hardman, Lamartine Hardman, Hardman, – Hardman, Harry Bryson, Harry, wasn’t, Uzell Mathis, Black, you’d, Terrie Epstein, Epstein, Chara Haeussler Bohan, Alexander Stephens, Mildred Rutherford, Bohan, ” Bohan, ” Chara Haeussler, Ron DeSantis, David Walker, DeSantis, ’ ” Bohan, Jim Crow, Carol Swain, Swain, ” Swain, Booker T, Washington . Organizations: Commerce, Herald, Calvary Baptist Church, Sanborn, Company, Library of Congress, Hurricane, Reuters, Civil, Northeastern University, National Association for, Advancement of Colored, NAACP, New York Times, Jackson County Herald, Arlington National Cemetery, Quartermaster Corps, Harmony, Black Commerce, New, Hunter College, Blacks, Georgia State University, Confederacy, Southern Poverty Law, Union, American AP, Republican, Yale, Harvard Law School, state’s Department of Education, –, demonize, Washington, Tuskegee University Locations: Jackson, Mt, Calvary, Hurricane, Hurricane Grove, Jefferson, Winder, Maxey’s, Donalsonville , Georgia, Donalsonville, Commerce, Georgia, Atlanta, Jackson County, United States, Brest, France, Arlington, Harmony Grove, Commerce Jackson County Georgia, Black, Grove, Michigan, Confederate States, America, Southern, South Carolina, Mississippi, Texas, Florida, demonize America, Virginia, Washington

☆ Inside Amazon's rush to respond to ChatGPT. 'Amazon must be really scared about being late on all of this.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

"Amazon must be really scared about being late on all of this," one Amazon employee said in an interview. The same rules apply to the new Microsoft Bing search engine that uses ChatGPT's technology, an internal document said. "Since generative AI is all the rage right now, it will be included in the themes, and there will be a special award for the project that best demonstrates generative AI," the email said. Mike Blake/ReutersEmployees are still curious about Amazon's response to ChatGPT and generative AI, frequently bringing up the topic in internal town-hall meetings. He also said that Amazon's top leadership team, called the S-team, was "very excited about it" and that generative AI was a "big area of focus for us."

Persons: ChatGPT, Sam Altman, Sven Hoppe, It's, hackathons, Andy Jassy, Mike Blake, Adam Selipsky, Jassy, Eugene Kim Organizations: Amazon, Echo, Microsoft, Employees, Getty, Bloomberg, Burnham, Reuters Employees

☆ Taylor Swift seems to reference Matty Healy throughout her new album. Here's a complete timeline of their relationship.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Callie Ahlgrim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

At the concert, Swift was photographed dancing with her friends on the balcony, getting especially cozy with Kloss. February 25, 2015: Swift and Healy hang out at the Universal Music Brits party in LondonNick Grimshaw, Taylor Swift, and Matt Healy at the Universal Music Brits party. "It's not really anything to talk about, because if she wasn't Taylor Swift we wouldn't be talking about her. AdvertisementHe continued: "If I had gone out with Taylor Swift I would've been, 'Fucking hell! Taylor Swift performs at the 2016 Grammys; Matty Healy performs at the 2016 Apple Music Festival.

Persons: —, Taylor Swift, Matty Healy, Swift's, Healy, Milwaukee Healy, Swift, Los Angeles Swift, Selena Gomez, Gomez, Ellie Goulding, — Taylor, Harry Styles, merch, Angus O'Loughlin, hasn't, Stone, I've, she's, Martha Hunt, Lily Aldridge, Karlie, Haim, Hunt, Aldridge, Instagram, concertgoers, it's, Taylor, Jared, Swift Healy, Australia's, London Nick Grimshaw, Matt Healy, David M, Bacardi Swift, Kloss, Goulding, Nick Grimshaw, Mick Jagger, Halsey, It's, wasn't Taylor Swift, Robyn Beck, Dave J Hogan, Elle, Lana Del Rey, Jack Antonoff, Jack, Ally, Phoebe Bridgers, Paul Mescal, Bo Burnham, Bridgers, Burnham Organizations: Service, Poets Department, Business, Swift, Eagles, Us, MTV, Universal Music Brits, Soho House, Bacardi, Q, NME, KROQ, Klein, Poets Society Locations: Milwaukee, Los Angeles, New York City, Australia, London, Soho

☆ A leaked Amazon generative AI sales playbook shows how the company is going after ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, Microsoft and Google
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The strategy is revealed in a detailed internal sales guideline, titled "Generative AI Sales Playbook," obtained by Insider. The guidelines may help Amazon make a stronger push in the generative AI space, where companies including Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google have taken an early lead. 'ChatGPT is a brand new, experimental offering'The guidelines focus on SageMaker's appeal to companies looking to build their own generative AI services. For example, for c-suite executives, Amazon salespeople are told to focus on how generative AI can "improve efficiency by automating operations," the document said. For those with a bit more experience in AI, Amazon salespeople are advised to recommend new generative AI capabilities and AWS offerings to accelerate their development process.

Persons: Bard, SageMaker, JumpStart, Sam Altman Drew Angerer, Sparrow, It's, I'm, haven't, you've, Canva's, Eugene Kim Organizations: Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Stability, AI21 Labs, Amazon Alexa, AWS, Burnham

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