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☆ The ‘outside agitator’ narrative has a long history
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Harmeet Kaur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

In these instances, and others, authorities have not offered many specifics about who the “outside agitators” are, how significant their numbers are or how they differentiated outsiders from university-affiliated protesters. “It seems to me that the ‘outside agitator’ claim is one to shift the focus away from the grievances of the students and their protest.”The emphasis on “outside agitators,” Morris says, detracts from the central issue that is driving students to protest: Israel’s war in Gaza. ‘Outside agitator’ trope has a long historyYou don’t have to look far back in history to find examples of the “outside agitator” narrative. “We want to say as clearly as possible - we welcome ‘outside agitators’ to our struggle against the ruthless genocide of Palestinians.”Still, the use of the term is more complicated than it seems. As pro-Israel politicians have amplified concerns around antisemitism, some supporters of students’ right to free expression have suggested “outside agitators” are undermining otherwise peaceful protests.

Persons: ”, Eric Adams, Kaz Daughtry, Gregory Fenves, Aldon Morris, Morris, aren’t, ” Morris, ’, detracts, Donald Trump, Trump, George Floyd, Jose Lusi Magana, —, Kathleen Fitzgerald, White, ” Fitzgerald, Bruce Solomon, Solomon, Martin Luther King Jr, “, Emory, Ayanna Pressley, Hank Johnson, Netanyahu, ” Alex Slitz, ” What’s Organizations: CNN, New York Police Department, Columbia University, New York University, New York City, NYPD, Fox, Emory University, University, Emory, Northwestern University, Associated, AP, White House, Washington D.C, Getty, Parkland, Civil Rights Movement, University of North, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, ”, Atlanta, Spelman College, Yale University, Chapel Hill, University of Texas Locations: Gaza, New York, York, ”, Washington, AFP, Oklahoma, Ferguson , Missouri, University of North Carolina, Mississippi, Brooklyn, Jackson, Miss, Birmingham, United States, Israel, Atlanta, Georgia, Columbia, Austin

☆ I quit buying from Amazon 4 years ago. I get better deals on products elsewhere but still have to use their services.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( Eden Flaherty | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

So, as e-commerce reached a fever pitch during the pandemic, I vowed never to order from Amazon again. Buying online isn't always best for your walletThe first thing I noticed when quitting buying from Amazon was that I didn't actually need 90% of what I ordered. Abstaining from Amazon — and all the online megastores — meant I no longer made those impulse purchases, and, unsurprisingly, life went on. So, while I haven't bought anything on Amazon for almost four years, I've certainly used their services. I don't think that detracts from the positives of quitting buying from Amazon, but it does give some perspective.

Persons: I'd, I've, What's, megastores Organizations: Amazon, Amazon Web Services, Facebook Locations: Amazon

☆ 'Maestro' is obvious Oscars bait, but that doesn't make it a good movie
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Directed by Bradley Cooper and starring Cooper and Carey Mulligan, "Maestro" is gunning for major awards. Here's why "Maestro" fails as Oscar bait. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . What I mean by that is that "Maestro," from the very jump, is aware of its own artistry and impact. Carey Mulligan as Felicia Montealegre and Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in "Maestro."

Persons: Bradley Cooper, Cooper, Carey Mulligan, gunning, Maestro, —, Leonard Bernstein, Felicia Montealegre, Bernstein, wistfully, Montealegre, it's, Mulligan, Oscar Organizations: Service, Netflix Locations: New York City

☆ Stock market looks to escape macroeconomic fears as it mounts a November comeback
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Michael Santoli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

.SPX YTD mountain S & P 500, YTD Progress, for sure, with something more to prove. And of course, the S & P had only just broken an eight-session win streak before then. There's no doubt the spread between, say, the Nasdaq 100 and the equal-weight S & P 500 is extreme this year, at some 42 percentage points. The S & P 500 High Beta Index, tracked by the SPHB ETF , now trades under 15-times forward earnings, down from 20-times in February and a current 18 for the S & P 500. Earnings growth — even if slow and unevenly bestowed across sectors — tends to limit equity downside at minimum.

Persons: that's, Disinflation Organizations: Federal, stoke, Treasury, Fed, NYSE, Trader's, Nasdaq, Beta Locations: Friday's

☆ Crashed, harassed, and shot down: It's been a rough year for the MQ-9 Reaper, America's workhorse combat drone
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

It's been a tough year for US military's MQ-9 Reaper workhorse combat and surveillance drone. The aircraft has been crashed into, harassed, and shot down by US adversaries around the world. AdvertisementAdvertisementIt's been an annoying year for the US military's go-to drone for combat and reconnaissance: the MQ-9 Reaper. Over the course of the year, America's adversaries have run into and crashed, harassed, and now — as of this week — shot down the aircraft. An MQ-9 Reaper drone at the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kanoya Air Base on November 5, 2022.

Persons: It's, —, Christopher Broome, Alex Grynkewich Organizations: Service, US, US Air Force, Islamic, Japan, Self, Kanoya, Base, Staff, ISIS, US Air Forces Central Command, US Central Command, Airmen, Squadron, Nevada, Air, Bomb, Victoria, US Navy, Hamas, Pentagon Locations: Europe, Russian, Washington, Moscow, Ukraine, Syria, Islamic State, Russia, Yemen, Iran, Israel, Gaza

☆ Opinion | The Laws of Campus Culture War
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( David French | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +15 min

They represent the moral and philosophical foundations for the concrete constitutional rules of culture war that directly apply on campus. One of the most powerful and compelling arguments for free speech in American history was born out of mob suppression. In 1860, Frederick Douglass wrote his “Plea for Free Speech in Boston” after a violent mob shut down an antislavery event. Every college and university — public or private — that receives federal funds has an affirmative duty to protect students’ civil rights. In the recent past, schools have sometimes been too enthusiastic about stopping harassment, defining the term so broadly that university anti-harassment policies actually violate students’ free speech rights.

Persons: George Washington, ”, “, Abraham, ” Washington, Johnson, Watts, they’re, Deactivating, Frederick Douglass, ” Douglass, Biden, Davis, VI, Scott Alexander’s, it’s, — Organizations: State University System of, Justice, Cooper Union, Cornell University, Trees School, . Ohio, Klan, Hamas, Civil, of Education, Cornell, Democratic Locations: State University System of Florida, Palestine, New York City, Ithaca, N.Y, ”, United States, America, Newport, R.I, Texas, Terminiello, Chicago, Brandenburg, ., Ohio, “, Gaza, Florida, Boston, Monroe County

"We're in uncharted waters," Republican Representative Byron Donalds told reporters after supporting McCarthy in a vote the speaker lost 216-210. "I don't envy anyone this job," Republican Representative Mike Garcia said. The names being mentioned as replacements for McCarthy include House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Republican Whip Tom Emmer. 2 House Republican, is viewed by many in the party rank-and-file as a more rock-solid conservative than some House Republicans viewed McCarthy. The entire House - Republicans and Democrats - vote for the chamber's speaker who normally holds the position for two years or until the end of the current Congress in early January 2025.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, Jonathan, McCarthy, Byron Donalds, Paul Ryan, John Boehner, Matt Gaetz, Mike Garcia, Dusty Johnson, I'VE, I've, Jim McGovern, Hakeem Jeffries, Donald Trump's, Steve Scalise, Tom Emmer, Patrick McHenry, Scalise, Jeffries, McCarthy's, Joe Biden, Richard Cowan, David Morgan, Moira Warburton, Scott Malone, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Representatives, Capitol, REUTERS, U.S . House, Republicans, Republican, Democratic, Reuters, House Democratic, Democrats, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, WASHINGTON, Mexico

☆ China's economic model isn't working, but that doesn't mean the country's headed for a 'Lehman moment'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

And, similar to the crisis that ultimately toppled Lehman Brothers in 2008, much of China's troubles are rooted in its property sector. China's property crisisFront and center for any comparison between today's China and the US in 2008 is the real estate market. "The boom that characterized the property sector of the last decade is over," he said. AdvertisementAdvertisementStill, given the scale of China's property market, policymakers may need to step in with fiscal stimulus to avoid catastrophe. "Rather, it'll be a slow-moving, structural economic crisis that could last for years.

Persons: hasn't, Lehman, Xi Jinping, Alfredo Montufar, William Hurst, Hurst, it's, Helu, Evergrande, Nicholas Spiro, Spiro Organizations: Service, Lehman Brothers, People's Bank of, China Center, Conference Board, Citi, Zhongrong, University of Cambridge, Country Garden Holdings, Lauressa Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, People's Bank of China, Japan, Beijing

☆ Russia's fighter jets have gone from harassing US aircraft to actually breaking them as Moscow flexes its muscles where it still can
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Russian fighter jets have harassed US military drones on numerous occasions throughout July. That incident is just one of several demonstrations of Russian aggression around US military drones this month. Russian military Su-34 and Su-35 aircraft employ flares in the flight path of a US MQ-9 aircraft on July 6, 2023 over Syria. A press officer who goes by callsign Damian looks at a destroyed Russian military vehicle in Novodarivka village, Zaporizhzhia Region, southeastern Ukraine. "These maneuvers, they are to some extent intended to demonstrate Russian military strength," which could appease the country's domestic audience.

Persons: Nicholas Lokker, Alexus Grynkewich, Sabrina Singh, Su, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Damian, Putin, Lokker, Assad, Äzzeddin Kasim, Paul Lushenko, Lushenko, Christopher Sommers, AFCENT Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Center, New, New American Security, Islamic, US Air Force, ISIS, US Air Forces Central Command, Pentagon, Donetsk Regions, US, Anadolu Agency, Getty, US Army, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Quds Force, 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, U.S . Central Command Locations: Wall, Silicon, Syria, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, New American, Moscow, Syria . Washington, Islamic State, Washington, CNAS, Belarus, Novodarivka, Zaporizhzhia Region, Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian, Iran, Idlib, United States, Western

☆ Video captures a Russian Su-35 fighter jet harassing and breaking a US Reaper drone by popping flares above it
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A Russian fighter jet flew "dangerously close" to a US military drone over Syria, the Air Force said. The Su-35 harassed the MQ-9 Reaper drone by releasing flares in its path, damaging the propeller. It's the latest incident of aggressive Russian aircraft maneuvers over the Middle East. More recently, the Air Force said in mid-July that a Russian aircraft engaged a US MC-12 surveillance plane "in an unsafe and unprofessional manner." The recent engagement is also not the first time that Russian aircraft harassment resulted in damage to a Reaper drone's propeller.

Persons: Alexus Grynkewich, Assad, Sabrina Singh, Michael Kurilla Organizations: Air Force, Service, US Air, US, Islamic, ISIS, US Air Forces Central Command, Russian, US Air Force, Pentagon, US Central Command Locations: Russian, Syria, Wall, Silicon, Islamic State, Washington, Moscow, Russia

☆ Harvard psychologist: The 'common enemy effect' may explain why Elon Musk's declining popularity could benefit Mark Zuckerberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Zuckerberg's found early success luring dissatisfied Twitter users to his new competitor, Threads, which launched earlier this month and quickly amassed 100 million users within days. At the end of 2022, after he acquired Twitter, Musk's net favorability had dropped by 13 points among U.S. adults, according to a survey by Morning Consult. In this case, a common disdain for Musk's Twitter could be the cause for Thread's flood of new users. But Warren makes it clear that growing a business using the "common enemy effect" may not be sustainable. "[The common enemy effect] is often a slippery slope to build a business around, although it may be effective in getting people to buy into a common cause," Warren says.

Persons: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg's, Zuckerberg, favorability, It's, Dr, Cortney Warren, Warren Organizations: Twitter, Morning, Meta, Cambridge, Harvard, CNBC

☆ Man City chairman Al Mubarak says he has "strong views" on Premier League charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 19 (Reuters) - Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said he has "very strong views" on the alleged financial charges imposed by the Premier League on the club, adding that the seven-time league champions are well-run. I have very strong views on that, but I am going to be unfortunately very restrained," Al Mubarak said in an interview published by the club. City could face the prospect of losing the three Premier League titles they won from 2009 to 2018 and expulsion from the league. The football pitch - what these players have achieved this year, the treble, is incredible," Al Mubarak said. These are proceedings that take whatever time they take and when we're done, we'll have a conversation," Al Mubarak added.

Persons: Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Abu, Al Mubarak, We've, we've, we're, Pearl Josephine Nazare, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Manchester City, Premier League, Champions League, City Football Group, Thomson Locations: City, Abu Dhabi, Bengaluru

These comments represent just one of the contradictions in the current oil market. The desire for a stable oil market is extremely difficult to reconcile with being unpredictable. But the risk is that the increase isn't sustained, largely as a result of another oil market contradiction. It's another contradiction for the oil market to resolve as those three exporters are all under some form of Western sanctions. It may well be the case that the second half of this year sees a huge pick-up in crude oil demand.

Persons: Prince Abdulaziz bin, Brent, Sonali Paul Organizations: Organization of, Petroleum, Saudi Energy, Brent, International Energy Agency, SECOND, Saudi Aramco, Aramco, Reuters, Thomson Locations: LAUNCESTON, Australia, Saudi, OPEC, Vienna, Russia, China, India, Saudi Arabia

☆ Ted Cruz defends three-times-a-week podcasting side-hustle, says it's a 'critical part of the job'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ted Cruz's highest-profile 2024 Democratic challenger says the Texas senator is podcasting too much. But Cruz argues that hosting a thrice-weekly podcast is "critical" to being effective as a senator. "That is not somehow peripheral to doing the job," said Cruz. The Texas senator began the project over three years ago, during former President Donald Trump's first impeachment trial. Though some other lawmakers also host podcasts, Cruz is well ahead of the pack in terms of the sheer volume of podcasting he does.

☆ Pinterest's guidance is disappointing, but its Amazon partnership shows promise, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Wall Street analysts were mixed on Pinterest after its latest earnings results, saying the near-term outlook appears murky, though an Amazon partnership seems promising. While the image-sharing company beat expectations on the top and bottom lines in its first quarter, it issued second-quarter revenue growth expectations that were disappointing. Along with its results Thursday, Pinterest said Amazon will be its first partner for third-party ads. Bank of America's Justin Post reiterated a neutral rating, calling Pinterest a "near-term disappointment, long-term opportunity." Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs' Eric Sheridan maintained a buy rating, saying the engagement trends are pointing in the right direction.

☆ Hey, Bing, Help Me Overcome My Fear of College Basketball
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +15 min

I’m still learning so I appreciate your understanding and patience.🙏Do you know a lot about college basketball, and do you enjoy talking about it? Why are people so obsessed about the college basketball brackets? I've never filled out a college basketball March Madness bracket, and I heard that it's virtually impossible to do completely accurately, even if you predict the winner. When filling out my college basketball bracket, should I just guess according to what team names I like the best? :)I’m afraid I can’t fill out a March Madness bracket, as I’m just a chat mode of Microsoft Bing search.

☆ Read the email billionaire Ron Baron sent Elon Musk telling him to stop tweeting when angry: 'Get an ice cream cone. Just don't use Twitter'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Grace Kay | Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Tesla investor Ron Baron once emailed Elon Musk and told him to stop tweeting when upset. Baron told CNBC that Musk has made him "$5 billion so far, on a $400 million investment." In his 2018 email, Baron told Musk to turn the other cheek. When an attorney for the plaintiffs showed him the email, Musk offered his own take on Baron's message to him. "He's not saying don't use Twitter, he's saying I shouldn't respond to criticism in the news on Twitter," Musk said on the stand at the time.

☆ Pentagon chief visits Israel amid West Bank violence, anti-Netanyahu protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Hours earlier, Israeli forces killed three Islamic Jihad gunmen in the West Bank, among territories that have seen simmering violence amid the Palestinians' long-stalled goal of statehood. "We’re especially disturbed by violence by settlers against Palestinians," Austin said, adding that his discussions were frank and candid. Austin had originally been due to arrive on Wednesday and stay overnight in Tel Aviv, where Israel's Defence Ministry is based. FLASHPOINTSAmong West Bank flashpoints concerning the United States is the village of Huwara, where the Feb. 26 killing by a Palestinian gunman of two brothers from a Jewish settlement triggered revenge riots by settlers. The rampage triggered worldwide outrage and condemnation, which increased when ultra-nationalist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has responsibility for aspects of the West Bank administration, said Huwara should be "erased".

☆ FDA official overseeing food policy and response to resign in wake of baby formula shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Frank Yiannas, a top official at the Food and Drug Administration in charge of the agency's food policy and response office, announced Wednesday that he is stepping down from his role as deputy commissioner. His resignation comes days after Abbott Laboratories confirmed that the Justice Department was investigating the company over its Michigan baby formula plant. "Today, I informed Commissioner [Robert] Califf that I will be resigning my position as Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Food Policy and Response effective February 24 ," Yiannas tweeted. Yiannas' resignation announcement comes weeks after an expert panel issued a scathing report on its investigation of the FDA's processes and organizational structure for its foods program. That investigation, was ordered by FDA Commissioner Robert Califf in July, following growing criticism that the agency had mishandled the formula crisis after illnesses were reported.

☆ Spotify's CEO sent a memo announcing layoffs. It also contained 'a powerful example of toxic positivity.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Shana Lebowitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Spotify is laying off about 6% of its employees, CEO Daniel Ek announced in a memo. This might as well have been the message Spotify CEO Daniel Ek shared in a memo announcing layoffs at the company. Of Ek's comment about doing his best work, Galinsky said, "That's just completely lost here." "In hindsight, I was too ambitious in investing ahead of our revenue growth," Ek wrote. The standard CEO memo announcing layoffs can seem formulaic, Galinsky said.

☆ Hate Elon Musk all you want, but he's got one management trick that every boss should emulate
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Ed Zitron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Managers have become alarmingly distanced from the average worker, making calls based on guesses that aren't informed by actual labor. Musk has demanded that managers are able to create "good code" yet does not appear to be much of a coder himself. Jackson Palmer, a cocreator of dogecoin, said Musk was a "grifter" who "had trouble running basic code" in their interactions. He's targeted critical teams at Twitter and pushed others to quit, which have resulted in a huge upswing in hate speech on the platform. In fact, by his own logic of how managers can contribute to the company, Musk should be summarily firing himself any day now.

ISTANBUL, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Russia said on Saturday it was pulling out of a deal aimed at unlocking Ukrainian grain and fertiliser exports from Black Sea ports and easing global food shortages. TIME FRAMEThe deal signed on July 22 was valid for 120 days and the United Nations expected it to be renewed unless the war had ended by then. Under the deal, Ukrainian pilots guide the ships along safe channels in its territorial waters, with a minesweeper vessel on hand but no military escorts. Monitored by the JCC, the ships then transit the Black Sea to Turkey's Bosphorus strait and off to world markets. He added the deal had been successful in bringing food prices down and boosting export quantities.

☆ Australia's Scarborough project: Race and power collide in a fight over sacred rock art in remote Australia
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Hannah Ritchie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +21 min

More than a million drawings are etched onto rocks on Murujuga peninsula on the Western Australia coast. Resources extracted from the region have powered Australia’s economy and helped create some of the world’s largest mining and energy multinationals. Today, the fight for Murujuga’s rock art reflects long-standing and unresolved issues of race and power. Woodside Petroleum's Pluto development on Murujuga, Western Australia, June 2008. Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Peter Jeffries.

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