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☆ Marion Barter mystery: The conman, his lovers and the mother who vanished
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

At the time, Australian police dismissed her concerns, insisting that her mother, Marion Barter, had disappeared by choice, and wanted nothing to do with her family. Ric Blum told the NSW Coroner's court that he last saw Barter in June 1997, just before she left Australia. Blum told the court Cornelius had lied about their relationship, which was platonic, he said. Several years later, Ghislaine Danlois-Dubois met Blum in 2006 through an advertisement she posted in a newspaper seeking companionship. O’Sullivan concluded by reading Leydon’s own words about her mother, Marion Barter, read from her submission.

Persons: Sally Leydon, Marion, ”, Teresa O’Sullivan, Ric Blum –, conman, –, Leydon, she’d, Leydon’s, Owen, Sally, Natalia Marion Remakel, Blum, “, Willy Coppenolle, Ric Blum, Bryan Seymour, – Wouters, Willy Wouters, Frederick de Hedervary, United Kingdom –, Frederick, Diane de Hedervary, F, Monique Cornelius, Cornelius, ” Ric Blum's, Ginette Gaffney, Bowan, Frederick De Hedervary, Gaffney, Met Blum, Janet Oldenburg, Andree Flamme, Marie Landrieu, Blum belittled, Rick ”, Rich ”, ” Blum, Oldenburg, he’d, Ghislaine Danlois, Dubois, Joni, de Hedervary, didn’t, “ couldn’t, Flamme, ” Andree Flamme, ” Flamme, “ Willy, Landrieu, O’Sullivan, mispresenting, ” Ric Blum O’Sullivan, hadn’t, Fernand Remakel, Blum “, Mr, Angus Watson, ” O’Sullivan, ” Leydon, we’ve, Blum’s, Matthew White, CNN’s, ” White Organizations: Australia CNN, CNN, Police, NSW Coroner's, British Embassy, NSW Police, New, NSW, SC Locations: Brisbane, Australia, Sydney, United States, Canada, New Zealand, Europe, United Kingdom, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, Byron Bay, Luxembourg, Australian, New South Wales, Ballina, Tournai, Belgium, France, Paris, Dubois, Bali, Lille, Brussels, Danlois, Indonesian, Portugal, Indonesia, ”, Marion, South Korea

It hardly mattered that “Five Nights at Freddy’s” was released simultaneously in theaters and on streaming this weekend. Fans flocked to movie theaters across the country to see the scary video game adaptation on the big screen, which made $78 million to top the North American box office, according to studio estimates Sunday. The movie also opened in 64 markets internationally, where it’s expected to gross $52.6 million, giving the film a $130.6 million global launch – the biggest of any horror released this year. Political Cartoons View All 1223 ImagesAnd it paid off: “Five Nights at Freddy’s” is his company’s biggest opening of all time, surpassing “Halloween’s” domestic and global debut. Coppola’s “Priscilla,” about Priscilla Presley’s life with Elvis, also opened on four screens in New York and Los Angeles, where it averaged $33,035 per screen.

Persons: ”, Blumhouse, Emma Tammi, Josh Hutcherson, Mary Stuart Masterson, Matthew Lillard, Freddy Fazbear’s, Scott Cawthon, Jason Blum, “, ” Blum, AP’s Mark Kennedy, “ Taylor Swift, Martin Scorsese's, Alexander Payne’s “, Sofia Coppola’s “ Priscilla, Paul Giamatti, Coppola’s “ Priscilla, Priscilla Presley’s, Elvis, Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi Organizations: American, Universal, Peacock, NBCUniversal, IGN, Rotten, AMC Theatres, Paramount, New Locations: U.S, Canada, New York, Los Angeles, New England

☆ Black entrepreneurs, business leaders say conservative legal challenges could hinder progress
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Nicquel Terry Ellis Cnn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Trigg-Jones said she applied for funding from grant groups, venture capital funds and investors, but most of them denied her. Late last month, a federal appeals court granted the Alliance’s motion to temporarily block the Fearless Fund from awarding grants exclusively to Black women entrepreneurs. Black business leaders told CNN the lawsuits, if successful, could stand to undo decades of progress toward leveling the playing field for Black and brown people in the workplace and small business sector. According to a 2019 report from American Express, Black women are the fastest growing demographic of entrepreneurs in the country. Black business owners are turned down for loans at a rate three times higher than White business owners, according to a 2020 analysis of small businesses by Goldman Sachs.

Persons: Cathleen Trigg, Jones, –, you’re, ” Trigg, Edward Blum, Blum, Fearless, ” Blum, “, Goldman Sachs, Arian Simone, ”, AAER “, Rashae Barnes, Barnes, ” Barnes, Kaycea Campbell, ” Campbell, Lenwood Long, —, Long, CNN’s Jaide Timm, Garcia, Isabel Rosales, Tami Luhby Organizations: CNN, Trigg, American Alliance for Equal Rights, Civil, American Express, “, Evals Equity, Pierce College Los Angeles, Federal, Consumer Finances, African American Alliance of Community Development Financial, Black Locations: New York, PitchBook, White

☆ Big Tech said return to the office. She had another solution
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

New York CNN —Big Tech has given workers an ultimatum: Come back to the office, or find a new job. However, the program risked letting all employees work from home or any other remote location. Intentional office gatheringsAhead of instituting Flex Forward, Autodesk was “rethinking our office footprint,” Blum said. For instance, Autodesk closed its San Rafael, California, office; consolidated it with the San Francisco headquarters; and started subleasing some of its office space. But, increasingly, the talent acquisition team is seeing more candidates apply for openings because they view Autodesk as “that remote company,” Pearce added.

Persons: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Rebecca Pearce, Pearce, “ I’m, ” Pearce, ”, Steve Blum, Autodesk’s, it’s, ” Musk, Jamie Dimon, Michael Nagle, —, “, doesn’t, Andy Jassy, Jassy, don’t, ’ ”, ” Blum, Blum Organizations: New, New York CNN, Big Tech, Autodesk, Flex, CNN, Autodesk Inc, ”, Meta, JPMorgan, Bloomberg, Getty, ” Autodesk, La Nacion, “, San, Employees Locations: New York, Cornwall, England, North America, Autodesk’s Portland , Oregon, Portland , Oregon, La, Rafael , California, San Francisco, cubicles, Autodesk's Portland , Oregon

NEW YORK (AP) — A grant program for businesses run by Black women was temporarily blocked by a federal appeals court in a case epitomizing the escalating battle over corporate diversity policies. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily prevents the Fearless Fund from running the Strivers Grant Contest, which awards $20,000 to businesses that are at least 51% owned by Black women, among other requirements. In a statement Sunday, the Atlanta-based Fearless Fund said it would comply with the order but remained confident of ultimately prevailing in the lawsuit. “We strongly disagree with the decision and remain resolute in our mission and commitment to address the unacceptable disparities that exist for Black women and other women of color in the venture capital space,” the Fearless Fund said. The Fearless Fund has enlisted prominent civil rights lawyers, including Ben Crump, to defend against the lawsuit.

Persons: Edward Blum, “, Thomas W, program's, ” Blum, Judge Charles R, Wilson, Ben Crump, ” Organizations: Circuit, American Alliance for Equal Rights, Civil, U.S, District Locations: Atlanta, Black, U.S .

But the Fearless Fund is a tiny player in the approximately $200 billion global venture capital market. Less than 1% of venture capital funding goes to businesses owned by Black and Hispanic women, according to the nonprofit advocacy group Digitalundivided. The lawsuit against the Fearless Fund was filed by Edward Blum, the conservative activist who filed the affirmative action cases before the Supreme Court. Fearless Fund has invested more than $2 million in Thirteen Lune, founded by Nyako Griego. The combined share of venture capital funding received by Black and Latina founders briefly surpassed 1% in 2021 before dipping back below that threshold in 2022, according to Digitalundivided.

Persons: ”, Arian Simone, it's, Simone, ” Simone, Fearless, Edward Blum, Blum, ” Blum, Ben Crump, Marc Rosen, Thirteen, Sephora, Kohl's, Rosen, They’re, ” Rosen, Nyako Griego, George Floyd, Morgan Chase, Associated Press Retail Writers Anne D'Innocenzio, Haleluya Hadero Organizations: Fearless Fund, Black, Associated Press, Civil, American Alliance, Equal, AP, Fund, Court, Latina, Bank of America, Mastercard, Associated Press Retail Writers Locations: Atlanta, Texas, Florida, U.S, Lune

☆ Marion Barter: The search for a missing mother surfaces claims of her lover's 'life of deceit'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +21 min

We’ve exposed a way bigger fish than what I ever expected to find,” Leydon told CNN. He revealed that he’d had a four-month affair with the schoolteacher from February to June, 1997 – the same month she left Australia. Two years after Barter left Australia for Europe, Janet Oldenburg took a similar trip with Blum, who she knew as Ric West. She filed a police report and the inquest heard Blum told police he sent all the jewelry back. In court, Blum denied her claims and accused her of lying.

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