DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ A 97-year-old Holocaust survivor and psychologist has just written her third book. She shares how resilience has helped her live a long and joyful life.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-02 | by ( Kim Schewitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In 1949, Eger moved to the US with her late husband, Béla Eger, and earned a psychology degree in 1969. She went on to become a best-selling author, a psychologist who specializes in healing trauma, and a great-grandmother to seven. AdvertisementAlmost 40 years after the Holocaust, Eger returned to Auschwitz to release her grief and survivor's guilt, she wrote in her memoir "The Choice." But we can choose how we live now," Eger, 97, writes in her new book "The Ballerina of Auschwitz." In Japan's Blue Zone Okinawa, a region where people live around a decade longer than the country's average, older residents remind themselves of their "ikigai," or life purpose, every morning.

Persons: Edith Eger, Eger, —, Magda, Béla, Edie, Jordan Engle, I'd, Engle, Marianne, centenarians, Klara, She's, it's Organizations: Service, Slovakian, Nazi, Complutense University of Madrid Locations: Auschwitz, Mauthausen, Austrian, Košice, Hungary, Béla Eger, Eger, San Diego

☆ Simone Biles is back at the Olympics, and no one is telling her what to do anymore
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Dana O'Neil | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +11 min

It began in Tokyo when Simone Biles said she couldn’t go on and no one told her she’d better go anyway. We were all beaten down and battered,” Strug’s teammate Dominique Dawes says in “Simone Biles Rising,” a Netflix documentary. Simone Biles talks with coach Cécile Canqueteau-Landi after the vault that led her to withdraw from the team all-around at the Tokyo Olympics. Are they really letting Simone Biles try out for the Olympics? GO DEEPER Team USA's Olympics gymnastics leotards revealed: A look at the eight designs for Paris(Top illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photo of Simone Biles: Jamie Squire / Getty Images)

Persons: couldn’t, Kerri Strug, Béla Károlyi, ”, Larry Nassar, Simone Biles, Strug, Jack Youngblood’s, Kirk Gibson’s, Willis Reed’s, Michael Jordan’s, Demi Moore, Bruce Willis, Bill Clinton, “, Doug Pensinger, Karolyi, Dominique Dawes, “ Simone Biles, Biles, Cécile Canqueteau, Landi, Robert Deutsch, “ It’s, I’ve, ” Simone, don’t, ” Simone Biles, Elsa, Getty, audibly —, “ They’ll, leotards, Dan Goldfarb, Jamie Squire Organizations: Paris Games, United, Olympic, Gymnastics, Paris, Planet Hollywood, Sports Illustrated, USA, Netflix, Team, U.S, Tokyo, Russian Olympic Locations: Atlanta, United States, Tokyo, U.S, American, Strug, Russia, USA, Paris

☆ Gabby Douglas ended her bid to return to the Olympics. She’s still a champion in my eyes
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-01 | by ( Opinion Onnie Willis Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Her painful backstory was a good part of the reason why I, like many other gymnastics fans, pulled hard for Gabby Douglas when she announced her return to elite gymnastics. Had she made the team, Douglas would have been the oldest American woman to compete in gymnastics at the Olympics since 1952. Ross, a teammate of Douglas’ in London, was the youngest member of the “Fierce Five” that won team gold at that Olympics. And if she can’t make the national championships, she can’t make the US Olympic team. Dominique Moceanu, the diminutive, dynamic athlete on the “Magnificent Seven” 1996 Olympic gymnastics team, paralleled Douglas’ journey in some ways.

Persons: Onnie Willis Rogers, CNN —, Gabby Douglas, Onnie Willis Rogers Rogers, Douglas, Gabby, Alexandra Raisman, Madison Kocian, Lauren Hernandez, Simone Biles, David Ramos, Douglas ’, —, It’s, Kyla Ross, Ross, Bela Karolyi, Ronald Martinez, Karolyi, calculatingly, Martha, Larry Nassar, Nassar, Dominique Moceanu, Moceanu, ” Moceanu, Douglas soldiered, ”, Simone Biles —, won’t Organizations: UCLA, Northwestern University, CNN, London Olympics, Olympic, Getty, US Olympic, Bela, USA Gymnastics, Twitter, Facebook Locations: London, Rio de Janeiro, US, Fort Worth , Texas, Romanian, Texas, Rio ., Paris

☆ From ‘The Sympathizer’ to ‘Past Lives,’ American Audiences Warm to Subtitles
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Brandon Yu | Alice Fang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

In Hollywood today, not only are Asian and Asian American narratives more prominent than ever, but they are also being told in increasingly dynamic ways through the artful use of Asian languages. The sequence is emblematic of a significant shift in how Asian languages are featured in American film and TV. Marvel” (2022) and “American Born Chinese” (2023) — that use Asian languages to bring additional depth and nuance to their stories. “The trend has shifted.”It’s a startling evolution from how Asian languages have typically appeared on American screens. The internet’s broad entertainment ecosystem has also diversified the American media palate.

Persons: ”, —, sheepishly, “, Robert Downey Jr, Bong Joon, Bong Joon Ho, Sharon Choi, Paul Drinkwater, Pachinko ”, Marvel ”, Minjeong Kim, Don McKellar, ” McKellar, ” “, ” Hopper Stone, ” Kim, Bela Bajaria, Lupin, helming, Lulu Wang, ’ Organizations: Communist, Hollywood Vietnam, Globe, Golden Globe, NBCUniversal, Getty, Center, Asian, Pacific Studies, San Diego State University, HBO, YouTube, Netflix, Spanish Locations: Hollywood, Vietnam, Hong Kong

☆ Netflix is rebuilding the cable bundle, but there’s one conspicuous topic it is avoiding
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Netflix is rebuilding the cable bundle, sans one important ingredient: news. The company, having blown up the decades-old linear television business and ushered in the costly and destabilizing era of streaming, is inching closer and closer to resembling the entertainment behemoths of yesteryear. Netflix has shown little-to-no interest in investing in either live-news or pre-taped programming (a la, a show akin to “Vice News Tonight” or “60 Minutes”). Rebuilding the traditional cable package without news is akin to putting together a meal that includes steak, potatoes and ice cream, but not the broccoli. The vegetables might not be the tastiest, most popular item on the menu, but neglecting them would not be healthy.

Persons: Tom Brady, John Mulaney’s “, “, Bela Bajaria, ”, — Organizations: New York CNN, Netflix, NFL, WWE, Meta, Republicans, Journalists, Warner Bros, Discovery, CNN, Comcast, NBC, Disney, ABC News, Paramount, CBS, SPAN Locations: New York

☆ Netflix to air NFL games on Christmas Day in major expansion into live sports
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The streaming service announced Wednesday a three-year deal to broadcast the league’s Christmas Day games, marking a major milestone for Netflix, whose sports ambitions have largely focused on producing documentaries and creating live specials about golf and tennis. This deal kicks off this year with Netflix airing globally two NFL games on Christmas. We’re so excited that the NFL’s Christmas Day games will be only on Netflix,” said Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer, in a release. This year’s Christmas Day games will be revealed Wednesday night on the NFL Network and website. The deal means NFL is also partners with all the major US broadcast networks and most major streaming platforms, including a Thursday night game package with Amazon and Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV.

Persons: ”, Bela Bajaria, “, Hans Schroeder Organizations: New, New York CNN, Netflix, NFL, NFL Network, US, Amazon, YouTube Locations: New York

☆ Netflix and the N.F.L. Sign a Three-Season Deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Wednesday, the streaming giant announced a three-season deal with the National Football League that will include showing two Christmas Day games on its service this year. It’s the first time Netflix has become partners with a major sports league, and it likely won’t be the last. The move follows Netflix’s increasingly aggressive push into the business of live events. “There are no live annual events, sports or otherwise, that compare with the audiences N.F.L. football attracts.”The streaming business has matured in the United States, and though Netflix is the dominant service, it still needs to keep growing.

Persons: Tom Brady ”, John Mulaney, Katt Williams, Foke ”, “, Bela Bejaria Organizations: Netflix, National Football League Locations: Los Angeles, United States, America

☆ Netflix is shifting strategy away from big-budget action flicks and big-name stars. Here's its new plan.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Dan Lin, Netflix's new film chief, wants to diversify its movie offerings. Dan Lin, the company's new film chief, now wants to change that, according to The New York Times. Netflix's previous film chief, Scott Stuber, left the company in January following clashes with bosses over what kinds of films to produce. AdvertisementLin quickly went to work reorganizing the company's film department, laying off 15 of its 150 film department staff, and reorganizing the department by budget rather than genre, according to the outlet. Lin also "indicated that Netflix is no longer only the home of expensive action flicks featuring big movie stars."

Persons: Dan Lin, —, Mark Wahlberg, Wahlberg, Critics, Robert P, Scott Stuber, Bela Bajaria, Bajaria, Lin Organizations: Service, Netflix, The New York Times, Business, Rotten, Times

☆ Netflix Names Dan Lin Its Top Movie Executive
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Nicole Sperling | More About Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Netflix said on Wednesday that the producer Dan Lin would replace Scott Stuber as the streaming company’s top film executive. Mr. Stuber was the head of Netflix Film for seven years before announcing last month that he would be leaving. During his tenure, he brought a bevy of Oscar-winning filmmakers to Netflix and helped the company push the rest of the entertainment industry into the streaming era. He will report to Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer. “While I’ve been approached many times during my past 15 years at Rideback, I could truly never imagine leaving until Bela reached out with this incredible opportunity,” Mr. Lin said in a statement.

Persons: Dan Lin, Scott Stuber, Stuber, Oscar, . Lin, Bela Bajaria, I’ve, Bela, Mr, Lin Organizations: Netflix, Warner Bros, Rideback Productions Locations: Rideback

☆ Did Netflix's movie boss leave because he didn't want to make so many movies?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Netflix movie boss Scott Stuber, who joined in 2017, is leaving. AdvertisementOn Monday, when Netflix announced that Scott Stuber, their longtime film boss, was leaving to start his own production company, we wondered what the backstory was. Or, more accurately, one version of the answer: Stuber, who Netflix brought in to ramp up its movie business in 2017, was sick of making so many movies. Related storiesHe also wanted to get those movies into movie theaters, with wide distribution, before they came to Netflix. Sarandos and Bajaria—Stuber's boss since last January—wanted none of that, even though Netflix loses many coveted projects over the theater issue.

Persons: Scott Stuber, —, Ted Sarandos, Bela Bajaria —, — Kim Masters, Matt Belloni, Stuber, Here's, Bela Bajaria, He'd, Chris Nolan wouldn't, Oppenheimer, Belloni, Sarandos, Oscar Organizations: Netflix, Service, — Netflix, Hollywood, Apple, Sundance, Big Bad Locations: Puck, Hollywood

WWE's weekly television show “Raw” will move to Netflix next year as part of a major streaming deal. “Raw,” which debuted in 1993, has produced 1,600 episodes to date and features wrestlers such as Cody Rhodes, Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins and Rhea Ripley. “We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria said in a prepared statement. WWE, which is part of TKO Group Holdings Inc., said Tuesday that “Raw” will air on Netflix starting in January 2025. This will be the first time that WWE will air on the network in prime time.

Persons: “, Cody Rhodes, Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins, Rhea Ripley, Bela Bajaria, Mark Shapiro, ”, Dwayne “, ” Johnson, Johnson Organizations: Netflix, USA Network, WWE, Punk, Holdings Inc, World Wrestling Entertainment Inc, NBCUniversal, NBC Locations: U.S, Canada, America, Fox

☆ Netflix to Stream W.W.E.’s ‘Raw’ in $5 Billion Deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Gregory Schmidt | More About Gregory Schmidt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Netflix reached a multibillion-dollar, 10-year deal for exclusive rights to W.W.E.’s flagship weekly wrestling show “Raw,” as the streaming giant broadens its offerings with more live content. The deal will bring “Raw” to Netflix starting in January 2025, Netflix and TKO Group, W.W.E.’s parent company, said in a statement. Netflix will also own the rights to stream W.W.E.’s other shows and specials outside of the United States. The agreement will cost Netflix more than $5 billion and will last for 10 years, with an option to extend an additional 10 years or opt out after five, TKO Group said in a regulatory filing. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with W.W.E., we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members,” Netflix’s chief content officer, Bela Bajaria, said in a statement.

Persons: ”, we’ll, Bela Bajaria Organizations: Netflix Locations: United States

(Both men already hold sizable amounts of Alibaba stock.) Alibaba itself bought back $9.5 billion worth of stock last year, reducing its share count by over 3 percent. The stock purchases will probably bring attention back to Ma, a former English teacher who helped start Alibaba as an e-commerce platform. Ma, who hasn’t held a management role at Alibaba or Ant in years but remains a lifetime partner in the Alibaba Partnership, now largely focuses on Bill Gates-style philanthropy. And she’s expected to take swipes at Trump’s economic record as president.

Persons: Tsai, Ma, Alibaba, Ant, hasn’t, Bill Gates, Nikki Haley, Donald Trump, Eric Rosengren, Robert Kaplan, Kaplan, Rosengren, Archer, Daniels, Vikram Luthar, Scott Stuber, Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, Jane Campion, Stuber, Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s, Bela Bajaria, Biden’s, Janet Yellen, Lael Brainard, they’re, Biden, ” Ray Fair Organizations: Pool Management, Alibaba, Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty, Nets, Boston Fed, Dallas Fed, Republican, Biden, Yale, Times Locations: U.S, Hong Kong, China, Ma, Beijing, ’, Paris, New Hampshire, Dixville

☆ Why did the powerful head of Netflix's movie studio just leave?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

If you do work in movies, you almost certainly have heard of him: He's the guy in charge of Netflix's movie division, and for years, Netflix's movie division made a lot of movies, at a time when lots of studios were shrinking. Now that's changing, and now Stuber isn't going to be at Netflix anymore: Netflix says he's leaving to start his own media company. And a few months after that, when Stuber's name was floated as a possible contender to run Amazon's movie business, he didn't seem long for the place. Now, Stuber said, Netflix was going to cut its output in half so it could make things better things. Asked for comment, a Netflix spokesperson supplied quotes from Stuber, Sarandos, and Bajaria saying nice things about each other.

Persons: Scott Stuber's, Stuber, Ryan Reynolds, Martin, Scott, Reed Hastings, Ted Sarandos, Greg Peters, Bela Bajaria, We'd Organizations: Netflix, Business, Universal, Stuber, Hollywood, Variety Locations: Hollywood, Stuber

Finally Souza, an innkeeper and community leader in Bela Vista do Jaraqui, said he rallied two dozen neighbors to drill a 60-meter well in the heart of the world's largest freshwater basin. With rivers forming the backbone of transportation across the Amazon region, the drought has disrupted access to food and medicine in dozens of cities. The Amazon, the world's largest rainforest, is regarded by scientists as a bulwark against climate change because its dense vegetation absorbs carbon and emits oxygen. The five researchers predicting a 2026 recovery said the effects of the drought could endure even longer if El Nino is prolonged. That would release huge amounts of carbon dioxide, contributing to climate change and wiping out a wealth of plant and animal species found only in the Amazon.

Persons: Bruno Kelly, Raimundo Leite de Souza, Souza, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Michael Coe, we're, El Nino, Coe, El, Philip Fearnside, Henrique Barbosa, Eduardo Taveira, Taveira, Paulo Brando, Brando, Barbosa, Brad Haynes, Jake Spring, Ana Mano, Andre Romani, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Rio, cobras, United, Reuters, Research Center, National Institute of, Research, University of Maryland, Honda, LG, Positivo, GIANTS, Yale University, Sao Paulo, Thomson Locations: Tefe, Amazonas, Brazil, Rights MANAUS, caimans, Bela Vista, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Venezuela, Colombia, United Nations, U.S, South America, South, Pacific, North America, El Nino, University, Baltimore, Western Europe, Brazil's Amazonas, Manaus, Itacoatiara, Madeira Rivers, Sao Paulo, Sao

☆ U.S. great Retton home from hospital
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Olympic Gold medallist gymnast Mary Lou Retton (R) of the U.S. and her former coach Bela Karolyi laugh as they sit next to the floor during the AT&T American Cup gymnastics competition at New York's Madison Square Garden March 3, 2012. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 23 (Reuters) - Olympic gold medallist Mary Lou Retton is home from hospital and "in recovery mode," her daughter said on Monday, after a rare form of pneumonia left the American fighting for her life. Retton, 55, has spent nearly two weeks in an intensive care unit where she was unable to breathe on her own. A fundraising page set up by the family to help cover Retton's hospital bills was approaching $460,000 in donations on Monday. "Thank you Jesus, thank you doctors & nurses, thank you to this loving community of support," Kelley said.

Persons: Mary Lou Retton, Bela Karolyi, Mike Segar, McKenna Lane Kelley, Kelley, Rory Carroll, Ken Ferris Organizations: New, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles

☆ U.S. great Retton making 'remarkable' progress in pneumonia fight, daughter says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Olympic gold medallist Mary Lou Retton has made "remarkable" progress, her daughter Shayla Schrepfer said on social media on Saturday, after a rare form of pneumonia left the American fighting for her life. The 55-year-old gymnastics icon has been in intensive care for several days as she was unable to breathe on her own. "Prayers have been felt and have been answered," Schrepfer wrote in an Instagram post. "Though it's a lengthy journey, witnessing these improvements is incredibly heartening," wrote Schrepfer. Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mary Lou Retton, Bela Karolyi, Mike Segar, Shayla Schrepfer, Schrepfer, Amy Tennery, Ken Ferris Organizations: Olympic, New, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles, New York

☆ U.S. great Retton 'still fighting' rare form of pneumonia, daughter says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Former Olympic Gold medallist gymnast Mary Lou Retton (R) of the U.S. and her former coach Bela Karolyi laugh as they sit next to the floor during the AT&T American Cup gymnastics competition at New York's Madison Square Garden March 3, 2012. REUTERS/Mike Segar /File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 11 (Reuters) - Olympic gold medallist Mary Lou Retton is "still fighting" a rare form of pneumonia that has left her in an intensive care unit for more than a week, her daughter said on Wednesday. Retton, a former U.S. gymnast, captured the heart of the nation with an historic gold medal-winning performance at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. "Thank you so much for all the love and support you have given to my mom," her daughter Shayla Schrepfer said in a video on Instagram. "So please continue the prayers and we can not thank you enough for the love and support you guys have shown."

Persons: Mary Lou Retton, Bela Karolyi, Mike Segar, Shayla Schrepfer, McKenna Kelley, She's, Schrepfer, Ecaterina Szabo, Retton, Rory Carroll, Toby Davis Organizations: Olympic, New, REUTERS, International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, Thomson Locations: U.S, Los Angeles, Fairmont, West Virginia

☆ Olympic gold medalist Retton 'fighting for her life' with rare form of pneumonia, daughter says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Mike Segar /File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 10 (Reuters) - U.S. gymnastics icon Mary Lou Retton is "fighting for her life" and has been in an intensive care unit for more than a week battling a rare form of pneumonia, her daughter said on Tuesday. Retton, 55, has not been able to breathe on her own, her daughter McKenna Kelley said in a post requesting prayers and donations to help the gold-medal winning star of the 1984 Olympics cover her hospital bills. Her Olympic success led to a surge in popularity and she became a household name. She also won American Cup all-around competitions in 1983, 1984 and 1985 before retiring in 1986. Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mary Lou Retton, Bela Karolyi, Mike Segar, McKenna Kelley, Retton, Kelley, Ecaterina Szabo, Rory Carroll, Chris Reese Organizations: Olympic, New, REUTERS, Los Angeles, Games, American, International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, Thomson Locations: Retton, , West Virginia, Los Angeles

☆ 'The Exorcist: Believer' and Hispanic audiences: A match made in horror movie heaven
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Mike Calia | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

In this article CMCSAUVV Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTStill from the set of "The Exorcist: Believer." The new "Exorcist" movie will draw big Hispanic audiences. Universal is seeing stronger-than-average Hispanic interest for "The Exorcist: Believer" as the movie heads into its opening weekend, according to people familiar with the matter. Hispanic and Latino viewers will have a big say in how "The Exorcist: Believer" does at the box office, no matter what. They tend to represent 26% of horror movie audiences, compared with 20% for other genres, according to the Comscore/Screen Engine PostTrak Audience Survey.

Persons: Lea, Rolando Rodriguez, Leslie Odom Jr, Hamilton, Taylor Swift, Paul Dergarabedian, R.C, Jara, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair, Bela Lugosi, Guillermo del Toro, bogeyman El, Llorona, Angel Melanson, they're, William Peter Blatty, Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, Melanson, David Gordon Green, Alfred Hitchcock's, William Friedkin, there's, Green Organizations: Studios, National Association of Theatre Owners, Comscore, Survey, Bettmann, Getty, Universal, CNBC, Pew Research Center, Universal Studios, Hollywood Locations: Cuban, Georgia, Hollywood, United States

☆ Is China’s Economy Now Bigger Than America’s? - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Paul Krugman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This is especially true if you’re comparing a high-income economy like the United States with a middle-income nation like China or, even more so, with a low-income country like India. In such a world, countries would have to be competitive in the production of traded goods, so their wage rates in dollars would reflect their productivity in tradable goods (like the airplanes), not nontradable goods (like the haircuts). Such countries have high wages, but these wages are reflected in higher prices for nontradables and hence in an overall higher price level than in poorer countries. I won’t try to do a rigorous or comprehensive test, just provide an illustrative figure with a few important economies. Here’s the price level in several countries, as measured by the ratio of dollar G.D.P.

Persons: Samuelson, Bela Balassa, Paul Samuelson Locations: United States, China, India, nontradables

☆ Watching Simone Biles this weekend will show how women’s gymnastics has changed
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Elle Reeve | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Simone Biles, photographed practicing this week, is set to compete for the first time since the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021. Stacy Revere/Getty ImagesAt 26, you might hear commentators call Biles “old” for her sport. “To do gymnastics, you have to have good strength-to-weight ratio,” said Jessica O’Beirne, host of the long-running GymCastic podcast. You can’t do the gymnastics required if you don’t have power.”In the bad old days, the emphasis was on weight. “One of the things that has totally changed is the fact that people understand now how important nutrition is.

Persons: Simone Biles, ”, she’s, Stacy Revere, Biles, Jessica O’Beirne, Bela Karolyi’s, Nadia Comaneci, Comaneci, Frank Barratt, Svetlana Boginskaya, Tatiana Lysenko, Jennifer Sey, Mattie Larson, Nick Laham, “, ” Larson, Podcaster O’Beirne, Ellie Black, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Carey, Chiles, O’Beirne, ” O’Beirne, I’ve Organizations: CNN —, Tokyo, ”, Olympic, CNN, USA

☆ Roger Sprung, Banjo Virtuoso of N.Y.C. Folk Scene, Dies at 92
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Alex Williams | More About Alex Williams | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Roger Sprung, a banjo virtuoso and key figure in New York’s midcentury folk music revival, whose innovative picking and genre-mashing audacity earned him the unofficial title of the godfather of progressive bluegrass, died on July 22 at his home in Newtown, Conn. A New York City native who honed his skills early on by playing mountain music festivals in Virginia and the Carolinas, Mr. In the late 1950s, he played with a folk trio, the Shanty Boys, who recorded for Elektra Records. Sprung was inducted into the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, which cites the Kingston Trio and Béla Fleck as having been influenced by him. Steve Martin, another Hall of Fame member whose banjo prowess was a cornerstone of his early comedy act, has owned a Gibson RB-18 five-string that once belonged to Mr.

Persons: Roger, Nancy, Kay Starr, Jimmy Dean, Béla Fleck, Steve Martin Organizations: York City, Carolinas, Boys, Elektra Records, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame, Kingston Trio, Fame, Gibson Locations: Newtown, Conn, York, Virginia, Greenwich Village, Oklahoma City

☆ Brazilian citizen scientists see humpbacks return decades after mass killings
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Leonardo Benassatto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Like other citizen scientists, as they are known, Cardoso uses the photographs to collect information on the numbers of the marine mammals, helping researchers and scientists track the surging numbers of humpbacks in the area. "These animals survived whaling with a very, very small population remaining... something between 300 to 500 animals," Palazzo, of the Humpback Whale Institute in the state of Bahia, said. Palazzo says the surge of whales in Ilha Bela is great news for marine conservation, not only in Brazil, but worldwide. "It shows that if we can do effective protection for marine species, most of them will recover," he said. Reporting by Leonardo Benassatto; Additional reporting and writing by Steven Grattan; Editing by Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Julio Cardoso, Cardoso, we've, Jose Truda Palazzo, Palazzo, Ilha Bela, Leonardo Benassatto, Steven Grattan, Sharon Singleton Organizations: ILHA, Whale Institute, Thomson Locations: ILHA BELA, Brazil, Bela's, Bahia, Antarctica, Patagonia, Australia, Ilha

☆ Why the 1932 Movie ‘Freaks’ Is a Touchstone for Disability Representation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Nicolas Rapold | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hollywood’s track record for portraying people with disabilities has been sketchy at best. There have been inspirational figures, noble martyrs and lovable oddballs — some of these performances garnering Academy Awards — but there aren’t a lot of people simply living their lives. The search for truly resonant disability representation in the history of cinema is continuing, but over the decades, many scholars keep returning to a perhaps surprising touchstone: a 91-year-old film set in a circus. Tod Browning’s most widely known work is “Dracula” (1931), starring Bela Lugosi, but the next year, he broke new ground with a movie featuring an extensive cast of actors with disabilities. Browning’s “Freaks” (available on most major platforms) centers on a close-knit group of circus sideshow performers who rally around a friend after he is betrayed by his lover, a trapeze artist.

Persons: Tod Browning’s, ”, Bela Lugosi, Harry Earles, Hans, Browning, “, Frances O’Connor Organizations: “ Spurs, Ringling Brothers

Search resuls for: "Béla"

25 mentions found