DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Death toll in Spain's floods rises to 158, among Europe's worst storm disasters
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

A man with a shovel stands on a mud-covered street in the aftermath of torrential rains that caused flooding, in Paiporta, Spain, October 31, 2024. A view shows an area affected by heavy rains that caused flooding near Valencia, Spain, October 31, 2024. People stand next to damaged surface metro tracks in the aftermath of torrential rains that caused flooding, in Paiporta, Spain, October 31, 2024. Stranded cars are piled up on the street, following floods, in La Torre neighbourhood in Sedavi, Valencia, Spain, October 31, 2024. A woman kneels down against a wall as mud fills the street in Sedavi, Valencia, Spain, October 31, 2024.

Persons: Eva Manez, Angel Victor Torres, Mayor Maria Jose Catala, La Torre, Doce, Laura Villaescusa, Maribel Albalat, Antonio Molina, Molina's, Oscar Puente, Puente, Susana Vera, Pedro Sanchez, Ricardo Gabaldon Organizations: Rescue, Mayor, Reuters, La Torre, Interior Ministry, TVE Locations: Paiporta, Spain, Valencia, Germany, Romania, Portugal, La, Madrid, La Torre, Sedavi, Valencia city, Spanish, Utiel

☆ Transfers and Pay Cuts: Pregnant Officers Accuse Border Agency of Discrimination
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Eileen Sullivan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Roberta Gabaldon was ready to share news of her pregnancy with her colleagues at Customs and Border Protection in 2015, she brought in pink and blue doughnuts with a sign that read: “Pink and blue. Pink and blue. Somebody’s pregnant, guess who?”But her palpable excitement, particularly after a miscarriage months earlier, quickly dissipated. Her experience reflects that of hundreds of female employees at the agency who have filed suit against Customs and Border Protection, saying that since at least 2016, they were denied equal treatment once they disclosed they were expecting. The policy, they say, hurt their opportunities for advancement, and others add that they weathered pay cuts because light duty meant no more overtime.

Persons: Roberta Gabaldon, “, ’, Gabaldon Organizations: Customs, Border Protection Locations: El Paso

☆ Why readers are falling for romantasy stories
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

But when it comes to the literary flavor that’s dominating readers’ attention in 2024, it’s clear: “Romantasy” reigns supreme. When romantasy protagonists (such as dragon-riders, fairies and fallen angels) aren’t busy saving their worlds, they’re falling deeply in love — often with someone they formerly considered an adversary (the “enemies-to-lovers” trope does big numbers with romantasy readers). Romantasy is breaking through among readers who previously didn’t browse the fantasy aisle — and delighting readers who’ve loved it for years. We talk to authors, experts, longtime fans and recent converts about why readers are flocking to romantasy stories, in which treacherous quests are punctuated by steamy trysts. It’s what bookseller and romantasy fan Gideon Ariel calls “Swiss Army lit” — a subgenre that all readers can enjoy, from longtime fantasy nerds to newcomers.

Persons: Romantasy, aren’t, —, ”, Sarah J, Maas, Rebecca Yarros ’, who’ve, steamy trysts, Taylor Su, CNN Romantasy, Frankie Diane Mallis, Yarros ’, Violet Sorrengail, Gideon Ariel, “, Ariel, romantasy, Diana Gabaldon, Nalini Singh, who’s, couldn’t, Stephanie Meyer’s, ’, Jennifer L, Armentrout, Mallis, TikTok, Patti McConville, I’ve, Gemma Todd, Jayashree Kamblé, ” Kamblé, ” Ariel, Beth Gabriel, ” Mallis, Yarros, Todd, “ Harry Potter ”, ” Todd, Gabriel, She’s, Tracy Deonn, ” Sarah J, ” Rebecca Yarros, ” Travis, ” Silvia Moreno, Garcia, ” Scarlett St, Clair, ” Jennifer L, Ash, ” Rebecca Ross, ” Tracy Deonn, ” Frankie Diane Mallis, ” Nalini Singh Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Arcadia University, Army, Guardian, Bloomsbury, LaGuardia Community College, International Association for, Milwaukee Public Library Locations: bibliophiles, Madison , Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Crescent, Yarros, Wisconsin

☆ ‘Fourteen Days’ is a ‘collaborative novel’ from 36 literary giants. But who wrote what?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Zara Khan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

From left: the authors Diana Gabaldon, R. L. Stine, Celeste Ng, John Grisham and Margaret Atwood, all of whom contributed to "Fourteen Days." Though some readers will draw connections between the latter work and “Fourteen Days,” Preston notes there are many differences. Perhaps most notably, “Fourteen Days” follows those left behind amid a pandemic — people without “the financial wherewithal to escape,” he told CNN. In "Fourteen Days," residents of New York apartment building begin gathering on the rooftop during Covid-19 lockdowns. Read: “The Interestings” (2014)The tenth novel from author Meg Wolitzer — who also contributed to “Fourteen Days” — follows a group of close-knit friends that meet at an arts summer camp in the 1970s from adolescence through to middle age.

Persons: —, Margaret Atwood, ’, John Grisham, Celeste Ng, Diana Gabaldon, Stine, Atwood, Douglas Preston, Yessie, Preston, Emma Donoghue, “, ”, ” Giovanni Boccaccio’s, ” Preston, Donoghue, Tess Gerritsen, Gerritsen, Harper Collins, Ah Poh, ” Donoghue, Pier Pasolini, Steven Soderbergh’s, Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, Martin Short, Steve Martin, Selena Gomez, Craig Blankenhorn, Meg Wolitzer — Organizations: CNN, British, Guardian, Agence France, Presse, Hulu Watch Locations: New York, —, Chaucer’s “, Covid, York City

☆ 'Outlander' season 7 will return in November 2024. Here's everything you need to know.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

"Outlander" aired eight episodes of season seven in 2023 before taking a midseason hiatus. It's been announced that season seven will return in November. AdvertisementWarning: This article contains spoilers for "Outlander" season seven. As audiences may already already know, the current season is the show's longest since season one, consisting of 16 episodes. AdvertisementFrom which cast members you can expect to see in the remaining episodes to details on the Diana Gabaldon books the episodes will be based on, here's everything we know about the second part of "Outlander" season seven.

Persons: It's, Sam Heughan, Caitríona Balfe, —, Jamie, Brianna, Sophie Skelton, Roger, Richard Rankin, Diana Gabaldon Organizations: Service, Starz Locations: Claire, Scotland, Saratoga, na Dun

“There’s no such thing as a set forecast right now,” said Sophie Kelly, senior vice president of whiskies at Diageo North America, speaking at the same event. The firm, a unit of Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Mediabrands, cut its growth forecast for next year to 4.8% from an earlier prediction of 5.8% in June. Organic revenue growth is a metric that removes the effects of currency fluctuations, acquisitions and disposals. Airbnb Inc. slashed its advertising spending and invested in brand marketing, lessening its reliance on search-engine marketing. “We knew that people are changing their behavior,” said William White, Walmart’s chief marketing officer.

☆ New York Comic Con tries to get back to normal in a world changed by Covid
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-05 | by ( Mike Calia | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Cosplayers dressed in Mandalorian armor and Black Widow pose for a photo during Day 4 of New York Comic Con 2021 at Jacob Javits Center on October 10, 2021 in New York City. (NEW YORK — New York Comic Con isn't quite what it was before the pandemic. But it's still a way off from the approximately 250,000 fans who attended the New York event in 2019. ReedPop, the company that owns New York Comic Con, is fine with being conservative two years after the coronavirus forced organizers to make the event entirely virtual. The virus is still around, so Covid masks will still be required at all times indoors this year, although fans won't need to present proof of vaccination.

Most luxury brands could theoretically stop marketing since they can’t produce goods fast enough to meet current demand, but smart marketers are spending more to build long-term equity, Mr. Sproule said. “There’s no filtering, it’s direct-to-consumer, and we think that’s how consumers want to hear from luxury brands,” said Jeff Curry, vice president of marketing, communications and product, in describing Lucid’s marketing strategy. About 300 people who preordered the $300,000 Aston Martin 2022 V12 Vantage sports car attended dinner at the company's main factory in May. Executives said these events for existing customers and even paid events double as marketing functions, because they have the potential to raise luxury brands’ profiles among wealthy consumers. Separately, Aston Martin held a black-tie dinner for people who purchased the 2022 edition of its V12 Vantage sports car.

Search resuls for: "Gabaldon"

8 mentions found