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☆ Slouching isn’t bad for your spine but may impact your memory, research says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Chris Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The Conversation —Often a posture assigned to teenagers and disaffected youth, slouching is traditionally considered to be a “bad” posture — with some claiming it will damage your spine and cause pain. But while posture is heavily overlaid with psychological meaning, is it really that bad for our spines if we slouch? There’s also no clear evidence that slouching while sitting at your desk or while using your phone causes damage to the spine. Slouching has been linked to poorer information and memory recall, as well as worse mood when compared to sitting upright. But aside from that, the evidence overwhelmingly suggests there’s no single, ideal or good posture.

Persons: slouching, —, ”, there’s, There’s, it’s, Slouching, Chris McCarthy Organizations: CNN, Manchester Metropolitan University

☆ Khon in Bangkok: Inside Sala Chalermkrung Royal Theatre, passionate performers keep a masked art form alive
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Karla Cripps | Kocha Olarn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But one of the best places to experience an authentic Khon performance is Bangkok’s Sala Chalermkrung Royal Theatre. Among the performers tasked with playing that role at Sala Chalermkrung is 34-year-old Thanet Pakwisath, who has been practicing Khon for more than 20 years. “And I believe that other performers here at Sala Chalermkrung would have the same belief.”But like many of his colleagues, he fears for its fate. I want everyone to help – both Thai people and foreigners.”Sala Chalermkrung: A living museumBangkok’s Sala Chalermkrung Royal Theater has its own fascinating back story. But from the late 1970s, visitors to Sala Chalermkrung began to decline.

Persons: Ling ”, Khon, Sala, Apassara, khon, Karla Cripps, Hanuman, “, ”, “ Khon, Hanuman Thanet, Sala Charlermkrung, Mark Phillips, ” Sala, King Prajadhipok, Sala Chalermkrung Organizations: CNN, Bangkok CNN, Suvarnabhumi International, Heritage, Chalermkrung, Khon, Royal, Sala Chalermkrung, Sala Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, Khon, Thai, Sala, –, Sala Chalermkrung, Thanet, “, Charoenkrung, Phra Nakhon District

☆ Take My Wife, Please: For Political Damage Control, Just Blame Your Spouse
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Rebecca Davis O Brien | Reid J. Epstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It is a tale as old as Adam and Eve: A husband, faced with accusations of misconduct, blames the wife. It is also a time-honored, bipartisan political strategy. This week, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey pointed ringed fingers at their wives for episodes that have landed each man in political or legal trouble. The justice’s wife, Martha-Ann Alito, was in a feud with neighbors at the time over an anti-Trump sign, The Times reported. In the case of Mr. Menendez, a Democrat, it was his lawyer who did the finger pointing.

Persons: Adam, Samuel A, Alito Jr, Bob Menendez, Alito, ”, Donald J, Trump’s, Biden’s, Martha, Ann Alito, Menendez, Avi Weitzman Organizations: Bob Menendez of New, New York Times, Times, Democrat Locations: Bob Menendez of, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Manhattan

☆ The Mona Lisa was set in this surprising Italian town, geologist claims
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Leah Dolan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa — one of the most famous paintings in the world — is shrouded in mystery; from questions around the figures identity, to her puzzling, enigmatic expression. Now, at least one of the artwork’s secrets has been revealed, according to a geologist based in Italy. Ann Pizzorusso, who is both a geologist and an art historian specializing in Leonardo and the Renaissance era, believes she has deduced the location of the Mona Lisa using her geological expertise. “Because when the glacier moved it scoured out certain pieces of land.”Pizzorusso believes Lake Como, the glacial lake dating back around 10,000 years, is in the background of the Mona Lisa. “We don’t know who (Mona Lisa) is, some believe she was a rich Tuscan merchant’s wife,” she said, referring to a popular historical theory that proposes the figure was based on Italian noblewoman Lisa Gherardini.

Persons: CNN — Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa —, Ann Pizzorusso, Leonardo, Mona Lisa, Pizzorusso, “, ”, VCG Wilson, Mona, there’s, ” Pizzorusso, titoslack, “ Botticelli, Michelangelo, Lisa Gherardini, Said, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, Italy —, Como Locations: Italy, Lecco, Lake Como, Windsor , London, Bobbio, Arezzo, Tuscany

☆ A Crucial Senate Race Could Come Down to One Question: Do I Trust You?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Kellen Browning | Tailyr Irvine | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The rural dirt farmer versus the decorated Navy SEAL. The longtime Democratic incumbent in a deep-red state versus the youthful conservative handpicked by Republicans to topple him. The man who lost three fingers to a meat grinder versus the man who got shot — or maybe didn’t — in Afghanistan. Montana’s high-profile race for Senate, which could decide the balance of power in Washington, is shaping up as a fight to see whose unique biography can best earn the trust of the state’s wary voters. Republicans believe that the Democrat they are trying to defeat, Senator Jon Tester, 67, is vulnerable to attacks that he has lost touch with Montanans and become a Washington insider.

Persons: Jon Tester, Tim Sheehy Organizations: Navy, Democratic, Senate, Republicans, Republican Locations: Afghanistan, Washington

☆ It was only after my mom died that I truly learned how to have compassion for her — and myself
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Tracey Yokas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Theo and Bob set up beach chairs. I'd been journal-writing, reading, thinking, and talking more to my therapist about compassion, and I'd realized that she was right. Similar to how I'd never learned how to repair communication, talk about difficult feelings, or set healthy boundaries. I handed a single flower to Theo, Faith, and Bob, and kept one for myself. At the water's edge, we spoke about my mom, Lauraine: mom, grandmother, partner, friend, survivor, vilomah — parent whose child died.

Persons: —, Bob, who'd, Theo, we'd, Faith, he'd, I'd, overachieving —, vilomah, Lauren, you've, it's, Tracey Yokas Organizations: Service, Business, Faith Locations: New Jersey

☆ Just how bad are ultraprocessed foods? Here are 5 things to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Andrea Kane | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

NOVA separates foods into four groups, starting with natural and minimally processed foods in the first category to ultraprocessed foods, which use industrial formulations and manufacturing techniques, in the fourth. Here are five things to know about ultraprocessed foods:Ultraprocessed foods are linked to bad health outcomesEating a lot of ultraprocessed foods isn’t healthy. We have one.”Ultraprocessed foods cause weight gainThat one randomized, controlled clinical trial showed that ultraprocessed foods actually caused people to gain weight. So, all those factors probably play a huge role in … the foods that we choose to eat in the real world.”Not all ultraprocessed foods are badSome ultraprocessed foods can provide important nutrients, such as whole wheat bread and yogurt. “Which goes to show that not all ultraprocessed foods necessarily drive this effect.”Hall’s team is conducting a new study to tease out which ultraprocessed foods are harmful and which are neutral, or even healthy.

Persons: Marion Nestle, Meg Tirrell, Paulette Goddard, Nestle, ”, ” Nestle, Kevin Hall, ” Hall, Tirrell, shouldn’t, you’re, we’re Organizations: CNN, University of São Paulo, NOVA, Nestle, New York University, National Institute of Diabetes, National Institutes of Health Clinical, ”, National Health, US Department of Agriculture, US Food and Drug Administration Locations: Brazil, Bethesda , Maryland

☆ Reasons to Have Hope - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Kristof is the author of a new memoir, “Chasing Hope: A Reporter’s Life,” from which this essay is adapted. More than three-quarters of Americans say the United States is headed in the wrong direction. And this despair permeates not just the United States, but much of the world. Instead of a City on a Hill, we feel like a nation in despair — maybe even a planet in despair. What I’ve learned from four decades of covering misery is hope — both the reasons for hope and the need for hope.

Persons: Kristof, “, that’s, I’ve Locations: United States, America, Gaza

☆ Kylie McKenzie: Jury awards $9M in damages to tennis player in sexual assault case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A jury has awarded $9 million in damages to a tennis player after a court ruled that the United States Tennis Association (USTA) failed to protect her from being sexually assaulted by a coach. “My confidence and my self-esteem was gone,” McKenzie said, “both on and off the court.”On Monday, a jury awarded McKenzie $3 million in compensation and $6 million in punitive damages. Shortly after, Aranda began to coach McKenzie. McKenzie alleges that Aranda remarked on her physical appearance, inquired about her personal life and would instigate inappropriate physical contact with her. With each serve repetition, Coach Aranda would press harder and harder against Plaintiff’s body to the point where Plaintiff would almost tip forward and lose her balance,” the lawsuit says.

Persons: Kylie McKenzie, Anibal Aranda –, “, McKenzie, Aranda, ” McKenzie, ”, Chris Widmaier, –, ” Widmaier, Michael Chow, Robert Allard, McKenzie “, Aranda’s, Anibal Aranda, John Raoux, Aranda groped, Jane Doe ”, Jane Doe Organizations: CNN, United States Tennis Association, USTA, Court, Athletic, USA, AP, US Center, SafeSport Locations: American, Orlando , Florida, Arizona, Republic, Orlando, Aranda, New York

☆ These snakes not only fake their own deaths, they use gory special effects to do it
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Dice snakes can fake their own death when being attacked by predators, putting on a theatrical display that includes smearing themselves with their own poop and letting blood ooze from their mouths. To test this, the researchers traveled to Golem Grad, an island in a lake in North Macedonia, where the snakes are common. They observed that some snakes played dead by leaving their mouth wide open, some smeared themselves with poop and others oozed blood from their mouth, too. Overall, the snakes spent between about six and 24 seconds playing dead. While the snakes don’t squirt blood directly at their predators, like horned lizards do, bleeding from the mouth signals their apparent death to the predator.

Persons: Jozef Kaut, ” Vukašin, ”, Bjelica Organizations: CNN, University of Belgrade, Golem Locations: North Macedonia, Serbia

☆ New Delhi’s Iron Pillar has been exposed to the elements for centuries. So why hasn’t it ever shown signs of rust?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Poonam Binayak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque is part of the UNESCO-listed Qutb Minar complex. Scientists both in India and abroad began studying the iron pillar in Delhi in 1912 to try to figure out why it hadn’t corroded. Stuart Forster/ShutterstockBeyond its metallurgical intrigue, the origin of the Iron Pillar is also veiled in mystery. In the epic poem “Prithviraj Raso,” penned by Chand Bardai, a courtier in the Chahamana dynasty under King Prithviraj Chauhan, the Iron Pillar holds great significance. “Bardai describes the Iron Pillar in Raso as a nail holding the Earth on the hoof of Sheshnag, the serpent king in Hindu mythology,” says Vikramjit.

Persons: Qutb, Anders Blomqvist, Balasubramaniam, Stuart Forster, Gupta, Chandragupta II, Vikramaditya, Vishnu, It’s, Garuda, Vikramjit Singh Rooprai, King Vikramaditya, Siddhanta, ”, Raja Anangpal, Qutbuddin, Prithviraj Raso, Chand Bardai, King Prithviraj Chauhan, “ Bardai, “ Raso, Anangpal, Qutub, Ravi Pratap Singh, Pragya Nagar Organizations: CNN, New Delhi’s UNESCO, UNESCO, Indian Institute of Technology, National Metallurgical Laboratory, Indian Institute of Metals, Varāhamihira, ASI, Survey Locations: Mehrauli, Islam, India, Delhi, Kanpur, Varah, Udayagiri Caves, Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, “, Mihirapuri, Tomar, Raso

☆ How I found support in my journey through grief
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Emily Halnon | Personal Essay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Editor’s note: Runner and writer Emily Halnon’s new book, “To the Gorge: Running, Grief, and Resilience & 460 Miles on the Pacific Crest Trail,” was released on May 7. CNN —When my mom died, I spent a lot of time trying to stuff away my grief. My mother felt the weight of cancer, but she insisted on continuing to live in her wholehearted way. I was worried the Pacific Crest Trail run would be too much. But as I kept training, I discovered that running was one of the best places to process my grief.

Persons: Emily Halnon’s, “, Miles, ”, I’d, didn’t, She’d, that’d, you’ll Organizations: CNN, Pegasus Locations: Eugene , Oregon, Oregon, Vermont, Eugene, Salt Lake City, Willamette, Griefville

☆ Opinion | In Medicine, the Morally Unthinkable Too Easily Comes to Seem Normal
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Carl Elliott | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Did she understand that when the lights went dim she would be treated like a clinical practice dummy, her genitalia palpated by a succession of untrained hands? I don’t know. Like most medical students, I just did as I was told. Much of the force behind the new requirement came from distressed medical students who saw these pelvic exams as wrong and summoned the courage to speak out. Whether the guidance will actually change clinical practice I don’t know.

Organizations: of Health, Human Services

☆ Condé Nast has reached a deal with its union, and some call it bittersweet
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewThe labor union representing Condé Nast employees reached a tentative agreement with the company, hours before the union was set to strike ahead of one of fashion's biggest events of the year, the Anna Wintour-cohosted Met Gala. AdvertisementThe win is bittersweet for some union members. Union members who spoke with Business Insider expressed relief and elation over the contract achievement and resulting employment benefits at Condé Nast, historically known for its low starting pay. Related stories"There's just not going to be any more, 'You're going to make 30 grand a year and work your fingers to the bone,'" said one Condé Nast staffer. "I'm definitely thinking about layoffs," a second Condé Nast staffer said.

Persons: —, Condé, Anna Wintour, cohosted, repped Condé, Roger Lynch, There's, Condé Nast, couldn't, Nast, Mark Alan Burger, we're Organizations: Service, Condé Nast, Business, Union, Vogue, GQ, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art Locations: New York, New York City, Bon, Union

☆ Has the US cracked the code on avoiding recessions? It would be great news for your job security and stock portfolio.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

But some economists have argued that flawed historical economic data puts this claim in question. The further back you go — the NBER data goes to about 1850 — the more common recessions were. He said the NBER's pre-1914 recession data, in particular, is "very poor," and that only economic data collected after World War II is of good quality. "So the growing share of services also means you're going to have more stable economic growth." AdvertisementTo be sure, while a stable economy has its benefits, it's not the only indicator of a healthy economy.

Persons: —, they'll, haven't, George Selgin, what's, NBER, Selgin, Joseph H, Davis, Satyam Panday, Panday, it's, they've Organizations: Service, National Bureau of Economic Research, Cato Institute, of Labor Statistics didn't, US, Vanguard, US Department of Agriculture, Satyam, Federal Reserve, Fed

☆ A YouTuber let the Cybertruck frunk close on his finger to test the new sensor update. It didn't go well.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A YouTuber tested if Tesla's Cybertruck update makes the frunk safer by closing it on his finger. The frunk update worked well on various produce, but closed on his finger, leaving a mark. So YouTuber Jeremy Judkins tested out whether the update actually makes the frunk safer by closing the frunk on a carrot, cucumber, banana — and eventually his finger. The frunk closed on his finger and left it shaking, with a dent, and what looked like a small cut or skin tear. AdvertisementJudkins said that after the finger test, a lead cybertruck engineer at Tesla said he did the video wrong.

Persons: Tesla, —, Jeremy Judkins, YouTuber, Judkins, It's Organizations: Service

☆ 'Fallout' will take viewers back to the wasteland for season 2. Here's everything we know.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Eammon Jacobs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Here's what to know about "Fallout" season two. It seems likely 'Fallout' season 2 will visit a classic location from a beloved gameNew Vegas in Amazon's "Fallout." HOLYSHIT HOLYSHIT HOLYSHIT HOLYSHIT HOLYSHIT HOLYSHIT HOLYSHIT HOLYSHIT HOLYSHIT THAT ENDING OH MY GOD MY EXCITEMENT LEVELS ARE THROUGH THE ROOF AFTER THAT ENDING #Fallout — Glassman044 (@glassman044) April 21, 2024When speaking to Business Insider ahead of "Fallout" season one, showrunner Graham Wagner said that there's a lot the makers didn't do in the series (like introducing a deathclaw) in the hopes that they got a second season. If Amazon gets the cameras rolling this year, it's possible "Fallout" season two might arrive on the streamer in early 2026. AdvertisementAaron Moten, Walton Goggins, and Ella Purnell will return for 'Fallout' season 2Aaron Moten as Maximus, Walton Goggins as The Ghoul, Ella Purnell as Lucy in "Fallout."

Persons: —, Lucy MacLean, Ella Purnell, Hank MacLean, Kyle MacLachlan, Lucy, it's, Hank, he's, Maximus, Aaron Moten, Graham Wagner, irrefutably, Wagner, Walton Goggins, Walton, MacLachlan, — Eammon Jacobs, Sarita Choudhury, Norm, Moisés Arias, Will Thaddeus, Johnny Pemberton Organizations: Amazon, Service, New Vegas Locations: Amazon's, Vegas, New Vegas

☆ India election 2024: The indelible ink behind the world’s biggest election
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Dhruv Tikekar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Election Commission uses indelible ink, or “voter ink”, to prevent fraud or duplicate votes. Sujit Jaiswal/AFP/Getty ImagesMore than 960 million people are eligible to vote in India’s election, the world’s biggest. “Indelible ink serves no other purpose,” said Irfan. The company now supplies indelible ink to more than 35 countries, including to Ghana beginning in the late 1970s. However, Ghana’s election commission recently announced it would phase out the use of indelible ink, opting for biometric verification methods instead.

Persons: CNN CNN —, ”, K Mohammed Irfan, Manish Swarup, Deepika Padukone, Sujit Jaiswal, Irfan, “, Ornit Shani, Shani, ” Shani, Prakash Singh, MVPL, Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV, Mukulika Banerjee, Rakesh Nair, Banerjee, haven’t, ‘ I’ve Organizations: CNN CNN, CNN, Getty, Universal, Bloomberg, London School of Economics, Reuters “ Locations: Neemrana, India, Mumbai, AFP, Mysuru, Karnataka, Chennai, Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh, Mysore, Ghana, West Bengal

☆ Top Gear gets early look at Cybertruck update that'll help prevent fingers from being crushed in the 'frunk'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Camilo Fonseca | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Top Gear recently tested the Tesla Cybertruck's camping accessories. There's a software update for sensors that will hopefully prevent smashed fingers, as well as a sleek new cooler. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. The frunk's sharp edges have been cause for concern, especially with some viral videos showing that the closing hood was capable of slicing through carrots — and possibly, misplaced fingers. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: —, Jack Rix Organizations: Gear, Service, Business

☆ How our memories of food remind us of our history through scent and taste
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Leah Asmelash | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

The essay — one of 40 in her new book, “Bite by Bite” — isn’t just about her son, or vanilla. Each chapter of “Bite by Bite” focuses on a food — everything from apples to butter to the Filipino dessert halo-halo. But food is one big connector, so I really wanted to focus in on that. Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty ImagesI really wanted to kind of celebrate, again what nourishes us, what brings us together. I used to be so creative, and I don’t know what to do.

Persons: Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Nezhukumatathil, Edmond Albios, Nezhukumatathil’s, It’s, it’s, ”, —, “, ” Nezhukumatathil, deliciousness doesn’t, Nezhukumatathil doesn’t, There’s, Menahem Kahana, there’s, That’s, ’, we’re, ‘ I’m Organizations: CNN, Getty Locations: Spain, Philippines, Portugal, India, American, New York, Concord, AFP, New York City, San Antonio

☆ Why a Brazilian UFC star is championing a dead Austrian economist
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( David Shortell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

In recent years, the free-market economist and the contrarian Austrian school he led midcentury have been turned into a hashtag deployed by tax-wary workers. Ludwig von Mises From Mises Institute“Ludwig von Mises is Latin America’s leading economist,” declared the headline of a Bloomberg opinion piece earlier this month by economist Tyler Cowen. His free-market policy prescriptions, framed by an economic thinking centered on human behavior and individual choice, were widely considered out of fashion at the time. “That is my jam!” Shapiro said of the Austrian school. “If you start to understand the concept of the Austrian economic school,” Moicano said in a recent YouTube video, “you’re going to understand that’s what I need: free market, liberties, and wealth, my brother.

Persons: Renato Moicano, “, Ludwig von Mises, ” Moicano, Mises, midcentury, influencers, “ Ludwig von Mises, ”, Tyler Cowen, Marx, Camila Rocha, Moicano, Jair Bolsonaro, Javier Milei, Fabrice Coffrini, Milei, “ Milei, Daniel Raisbeck, Raisbeck, Milton Friedman, ” Mises, El, Nayib Bukele, Amanda Andrade, Rhoades, Rocha, Ben Shapiro, ” Shapiro, It’s, “ you’re Organizations: CNN — Brazilian UFC, Austrian, Mises, “, Bloomberg, New York University, Brazilian Center of Analysis, UFC, Economic, Cato Institute, Argentina national, Salvador, Conservative Political, Conference, Mises Institute, Mises Institutes, Fox Business, YouTube Locations: Austrian, United States, South, Central America, American, El Salvador, Argentina, Brazil, Davos, AFP, Milei, Buenos Aires, Mises, National Harbor , Maryland, Washington, Latin America

☆ British man seriously injured in Tobago shark attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A 64-year-old British man is receiving “critical care” after he was attacked by a shark 10 meters from the shore in Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago. According to Farley Chavez Augustine, the Chief Secretary of Tobago, the man was attacked on Friday morning local time by what appeared to be a bull shark. The people accompanying the man “were trying to physically fight off the shark” after it attacked, Jakerov added. The Tobago House of Assembly offered a $10,000 Trinidad and Tobago Dollar reward (around $1,470 USD) for the successful capture of the shark, but later recalled this bounty. The British High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago posted travel guidance related to the attack on X, noting the closure of the marine park.

Persons: Farley Chavez Augustine, Augustine, ” Augustine, Augustine said, Orion, Jakerov Organizations: CNN, Scarborough General Hospital, Trinidad, Tobago Television, Tobago House, Assembly, British Locations: Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago, Tobago, Caribbean, United Kingdom, State, Trinidad

☆ I'm a 26-year-old software engineer making $75,000, and still dream of becoming a professional e-sports athlete. Here's how I balance work and my gaming endeavors
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewThis as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Andy Collins, a 26-year-old software engineer from Chicago pursuing a professional esports career playing the first-person shooting game Valorant. Being a professional esports competitor wasn't the most well-known or traditional career path at the time. Valorant has only been out for four years, but its professional esports scene is rapidly growing in popularity. Even though I'm playing far fewer hours per day than before — I only spend around four hours after work each day playing other teams and strategizing for my weekly matches — I'm in my best-ever form. Are you a professional esports athlete and want to share your story?

Persons: —, Andy Collins, didn't, would've, Valorant, — you've, DarkZero, Valorant esports, I'm, wasn't, I've Organizations: Service, Business, Robert Morris University ., Valorant's Challengers League, North American, League, —, The Guard, Riot Games, DoorDash, Starbucks, Madison Locations: Chicago, United States, Austin, Valorant, mhall@businessinsider.com

☆ South Africa’s democracy is turning 30 – but a silent crisis threatens its hard-fought gains
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( David Mckenzie | Sarah Dean | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Soweto, South Africa CNN —Seth Mazibuko strides into the intersection of Moema and Vilakazi Street in Soweto, gesturing to the spot that changed South African history. Cars are used as roadblocks on June 21, 1976, during unrest in Soweto, South Africa, stemming from protests against the use of Afrikaans in schools. But as South Africans celebrate 30 years of democracy this week, many educators and activists believe that there is a crisis hollowing out the country’s education system – a crisis that threatens democracy’s hard-fought gains. Despite substantial education funding, South African students consistently rank among the lowest in global assessments of literacy and numeracy skills. South Africa has the highest unemployment rate in the world and many university graduates struggle to enter the workforce.

Persons: South Africa CNN — Seth, ”, Mazibuko, Mike Mizleni, Prince Mulwela, Angie Motshekga, Motshekga, Nelson Mandela, Walter Dhladhla, it’s, Ann Bernstein, Bernstein, Morris Isaacson, “, ‘, ’, General, Mbali Msimanga, Atlegang Alcock, Mandela Organizations: South Africa CNN, Black South, Getty, Keystone, Hulton, “, Morris Isaacson High School, CNN, South, Basic, African National Congress, ANC, of Development, Enterprise, Corruption, South African Democratic Teachers Union, Cape Town Locations: Soweto, South Africa, Moema, gesturing, AFP, Africa, Canada, Kenya, Oshlange, Black, Durban, South Africa's, Johannesburg, Robben, Cape

☆ ‘Avengers Assemble:’ Five years after ‘Endgame,’ the box office needs more than just a blip
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

For many it felt like a soothing balm, underscoring the kind of communal experience people were missing as the still-new coronavirus pandemic shuttered theaters. Even allowing for that, the operatic heights achieved by “Endgame,” which grossed nearly $2.8 billion worldwide, would have been difficult to replicate. Such a concept would have sounded particularly foreign in the run-up to “Endgame,” when Marvel and its leader, Kevin Feige, appeared to possess a Midas touch. Venezuelan filmgoers watch the first screening in Venezuela of Marvel Studios' "Avengers: Endgame" at a cinema in Caracas on April 26, 2019. Unlike “Endgame,” the challenges that face the movie business can’t be undone with a snap of the fingers.

Persons: Captain, Thanos, ”, Marvel, Kevin Feige, Federico Parra, Joe, Anthony Russo, America, Russo, Joe Russo, Barbie ”, Captain America Organizations: CNN, Captain America, Marvel Studios, Marvel, DC, Warner Bros, Hollywood, “, Getty, Film, Captain, Disney Locations: Venezuela, Caracas, AFP

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