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☆ ‘The Buccaneers’ Review: Edith Wharton’s Expats on Apple TV+
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( John Anderson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Kristine Frøseth, Alisha Boe, Josie Totah, Aubri Ibrag and Imogen Waterhouse Photo: Apple TV+If “The Buccaneers” is what it takes to keep Edith Wharton in circulation among a new generation of readers, it may be worth the price. On the downside, people will think “The Buccaneers” has something to do with Edith Wharton. The Buccaneers Wednesday, Apple TV+Wharton—chronicler of robber-baron America, genius of the social critique, stylist extraordinaire—had left four-fifths of “The Buccaneers” behind when she died in 1937. It was published in 1938, unfinished; Marion Mainwaring’s “completed” version appeared in 1993, to a predictable mix of bouquets and outrage. The version materializing on Apple TV+ is the interpretation of series creator Katherine Jakeways (the director is Susanna White ) and will have hardcore Wharton-ites squealing louder than the bevy of batty beauties exported from New York for the London Season in order to find themselves titled English husbands who need American money.

Persons: Kristine Frøseth, Alisha Boe, Josie Totah, Aubri Ibrag, Imogen Waterhouse, Edith Wharton, Wharton, America, extraordinaire —, Marion Mainwaring’s “, Katherine Jakeways, Susanna White Organizations: Apple, Buccaneers, Wharton, London Locations: batty, New York

☆ ‘The Buccaneers’ review: Edith Wharton’s last novel becomes a ‘Bridgerton’ wannabe
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Although “The Buccaneers” comes with the literary pedigree of being based on Edith Wharton’s last, unfinished novel, the series so desperately wants to emulate “Bridgerton” that it almost makes your teeth ache, down to the mix of corsets and contemporary music. The result is a mildly watchable Apple TV+ series that proves, to quote Fred Allen, imitation is the sincerest form of streaming, too. Even so, everything feels a little too familiar, including the series’ hissable villain, hidden beneath a polished and presentable veneer. Consumed entirely on its terms, “The Buccaneers” works reasonably well as a soapy distraction for those willing to check their brains at the ballroom door. “The Buccaneers” premieres November 8 on Apple TV+.

Persons: Edith Wharton’s, Fred Allen, Conchita, Alisha Boe, ’ brashness, Nan St, George, Kristine Frøseth, Jinny, Imogen Waterhouse, Nan, Guy Remmers, Matthew Broome, Men’s ” Christina Hendricks, Christina Hendricks, Angus Pigott “ Organizations: Buccaneers, Apple Locations: Europe, New York

☆ UK house prices show surprise rise in October - Nationwide
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( William Schomberg | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Prices increased by 0.9% from September when they had risen by a marginal 0.1%, Nationwide said. It was the biggest monthly increase since August 2022. Economists polled by Reuters had expected prices to fall by a monthly 0.4% and by 4.8% year on year. "The uptick in house prices in October most likely reflects the fact that the supply of properties on the market is constrained," Nationwide Chief Economist Robert Gardner said. "While some buyers are able to accept higher mortgage payments, helping to prop up house prices, their number is dwindling as shown by the drop in mortgage approvals in September," Pattison said.

Persons: Robert Gardner, BoE, Gardner, Imogen Pattison, Pattison, William Schomberg, Jason Neely Organizations: Nationwide, Reuters, Royal Institution, Chartered Surveyors, Bank of England's, Capital Economics, Thomson

☆ Adapting ‘All the Light We Cannot See’ for TV, and the Blind
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Imogen West-Knights | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Sutton was satisfied, and settled back into position, headphones on, to start a scene in which her character, Marie-Laure, is listening to the radio way past her bedtime. “The most important light is the light you cannot see,” she says. Sutton, cast as the young Marie-Laure in “All the Light We Cannot See,” Netflix’s four-episode adaptation of Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, is blind. The actress playing the character 10 years later, Aria Mia Loberti, is also blind. But this production was the first time that blind lead characters in a major television show were being played by actors who were themselves blind, and the attention that went into accommodating those actors, and making the show as true as possible to the experiences of people who are blind, was significant.

Persons: Nell Sutton, Shawn Levy, ” Levy, Sutton, Marie, Laure, Mark Ruffalo, ”, Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer, Aria Mia Loberti, strode Locations: Budapest, “

☆ Sales of newly built homes reverse course, drop nearly 9% in August
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sales of newly built homes fell 8.7% in August from July, to a seasonally adjusted annualized pace of 675,000 units, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census count is based on signed contracts during the month, and mortgage rates took a sharp jump higher. The median price of a newly built home sold in August was $430,300, a drop of 2% compared with August of last year. Homebuilders have been lowering prices as well as offering more incentives, like buying down mortgage rates. One of the nation's largest homebuilders, Lennar, recently reported strong earnings, but that was for a quarter where mortgage rates hadn't hit their highest yet.

Persons: Imogen Pattison, Homebuilders, Stuart Miller, Miller, Robert Dietz, NAHB's Organizations: . Census, Mortgage News, Capital Economics, National Association of Home Builders

☆ UK house prices fall by most since 2009 as rate rises bite
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Halifax said house prices were 4.6% lower last month than in August 2022, when they were close to their peak. "House prices have proven more resilient than expected so far this year.... The Bank of England has raised interest rates 14 times since December 2021, taking rates to 5.25% in August. Rival mortgage lender Nationwide reported last week that house prices in August were 5.3% lower than a year earlier. Imogen Pattison, assistant economist at Capital Economics, said the bigger-than-expected fall in Halifax house prices supported the consultancy's forecast that house prices would drop a total of 10.5% by mid 2024.

Persons: Phil Noble, Halifax, Kim Kinnaird, Andrew Bailey, Imogen Pattison, David Milliken, Paul Sandle, Emelia Organizations: REUTERS, Halifax, Lloyds Banking Group, Bank of England, Nationwide, Capital Economics, Thomson Locations: Manchester, Britain, Halifax

☆ The Bank of England is facing major losses on its bond purchases — and it's set to get much worse
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In late July, the central bank estimated that it would require the U.K. Treasury to backstop £150 billion ($189 billion) of losses on its asset purchase facility (APF). It saw the BOE accrue £895 billion worth of bond holdings while interest rates were historically low. However, the pace at which the central bank has had to tighten monetary policy in a bid to tame inflation means the costs have risen more sharply than anticipated. watch now"First, interest rates have risen far above levels assumed in the fiscal watchdog's spring forecasts. "On the other hand, though, while QE gilts are not sold, the BoE pays Bank Rate on the ~£900bn reserves it created to buy them.

Persons: Dan Kitwood, BOE, Sanjay Raja, Raja, Imogen Bachra, BoE, Bachra, QE Organizations: Bank of England, Getty, Deutsche Bank ., Treasury, AFP, Deutsche Bank, Bank, NatWest, — Locations: —

Here are the meanings of the least-found words that were used in (mostly) recent Times articles. — The Lessons of Nothingness From Maverick Zen Monks (June 22, 2022)3. beltline — the area around one’s waist:Haney, the World Boxing Council lightweight champion, thumped Sims’s midsection. “This project is so life-affirming with thoughts about the future,” she wrote in an email. She might revisit classics like “30 Rock” and “Arrested Development” with her 17-year-old son. — Mentaiko Spaghetti Is Creamy, Briny, Rich and Spicy (June 23, 2023)The list of the week’s easiest words:

Persons: hamartia, Thompson, Shakespeare, Aristotle, —, arhat, gaunt, Monks, beltline, Haney, America’s, demimonde, “, ” Imogen Binnie, linocut, ”, bingeing, Habboo, beignet, I’m, Anthony Doerr’s Organizations: Boxing Council, Literature, Hollywood, Netflix Locations: Southeast Asia, Saigon, Vietnam, Houston, I’ll

☆ Wrestling With Identity at the Edinburgh Festival
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Houman Barekat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Questions of nationhood, identity and belonging loom large in three politically themed productions at this year’s Edinburgh International Festival. The tagline for this year’s edition is “community over chaos,” and there was plenty of both in “Thrown,” a National Theater of Scotland production running at the Traverse Theater through Aug. 27. When Imogen encourages Jo to take a greater interest in racial politics, this puts a strain on Jo and Chantelle’s friendship. Chantelle resents Imogen for boiling everything down to race and vents her frustration at being seen as privileged, simply because she is white. Helen provides moral support to Pam when she reveals her struggles with her gender identity and delivers the play’s defining monologue: a positive message of unity through celebrating difference.

Persons: “, ”, Nat McCleary, Johnny McKnight, it’s, haggis, kilts, Jo, Adiza, Chloe, Ann Taylor, Imogen, Efé, Chantelle, Lesley Hart, Pam, Maureen Carr, Helen, Carr Organizations: Theater of Scotland, Traverse Locations: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Scottish, Scotland

☆ UK house prices fall for 4th month but market shows resilience - Halifax
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( William Schomberg | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But the decline in house prices has so far been small compared with the surge in valuations during the COVID pandemic. Kim Kinnaird, director of Halifax Mortgages, said house prices were likely to continue falling into next year, echoing previous comments by the lender. A Reuters poll of analysts published in early June pointed to a 3% fall in house prices in 2023 before flat-lining in 2024. This should leave house prices 10.5% below their peak on the Nationwide measure." Nationwide, another mortgage lender, said last week its index of house prices fell by the most since 2009 in the 12 months to July.

Persons: Susannah Ireland, Kim Kinnaird, Kinnaird, Imogen Pattison, William Schomberg, Kate Holton, Bernadette Baum Organizations: City of, REUTERS, Halifax, Bank of England, Capital Economics, Nationwide, Thomson Locations: City, City of London, South London, Britain, Halifax

☆ Remember when Marissa Cooper wore fake Chanel on ‘The O.C’?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Leah Dolan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Before Blair Waldorf wore Oscar de la Renta to her high school prom, Marissa Cooper — the sun-kissed It Girl of “The O.C.,” which turns 20 on August 5 — was wearing Chanel to second period. Some fans have counted that she debuted six different Chanel bags in the first season alone. In an interview with Page Six in 2018, Welker said she resorted to buying fake Chanel bags to keep up appearances. Michael Yarish/Fox/Alamy Stock PhotoToday, the genre of high school TV drama has undergone a sartorial shift. “Those Chanel bags that (Cooper) carried, those weren’t something I could have on my budget,” she reportedly said.

Persons: Blair Waldorf, Oscar de la Renta, Marissa Cooper, —, Chanel, Cooper, Mischa Barton, Ryan Atwood’s, Imogen Heap, Julie Cooper, Alexandra Welker, Welker, ”, Michael Yarish, Heidi Bivans —, HBO Max, Miu Miu, Jean Paul Gaultier, “, ” Welker, Page Organizations: CNN, Fox, Alamy, HBO, Warner Media Discovery, “ Locations: Newport Beach , Orange County, Coperni, Downtown LA

☆ 3 Young Irish Writers and Their ‘Difficult Second Books’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Imogen West-Knights | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In recent years, Irish novelists, and particularly Irish women novelists, have published some of the most compelling English-language literary fiction. Not just Sally Rooney, whose three novels to date have sold millions of copies worldwide, but a whole host of women have written books which, taken together, suggest a new contemporary Irish literature that focuses on the precarity of modern working life, as well as intimacy and its failings. Naoise Dolan, 31, Megan Nolan, 33, and Nicole Flattery, 33, are three of the better-known members of this cohort. Dolan’s 2020 debut novel “Exciting Times” was the story of a love triangle set in Hong Kong; “Acts of Desperation,” from Nolan and published in 2021, charted the life of a young woman in an abject relationship; and Flattery also published her debut, “Show Them A Good Time,” a collection of deadpan and appealingly peculiar short stories, in 2020. All three have also released a second book this year: Dolan’s is an acerbic comedy of errors about an impending wedding called “The Happy Couple,” Nolan’s “Ordinary Human Failings” follows an Irish family after one of its members is accused of a terrible crime, and “Nothing Special” is Flattery’s tale of a young woman who gets a job as a typist at Andy Warhol’s Factory.

Persons: Sally Rooney, Naoise Dolan, Megan Nolan, Nicole, ”, Nolan, Andy Warhol’s Factory Locations: Hong Kong

☆ On Her Debut Album, Olivia Dean Is Already Pushing Ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Jon Pareles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Olivia Dean could easily have stayed in one lane for her debut album, “Messy.” She has been on a glide path to a career in smooth English pop-soul. Dean, 24, has been releasing songs since 2018 — long enough to make her first album feel like a turning point instead of an introduction. She was born in London — to a Guyanese-Jamaican mother and an English father — and soaked up music from her father’s album collection. And like Amy Winehouse, Adele, Leona Lewis, Raye, Jessie J and Imogen Heap, Dean showed enough youthful talent to attend the star-making BRIT School of performing arts. Like other newcomers, Dean gained attention for a featured vocal with an electronic act, performing “Adrenaline” with Rudimental in 2019.

Persons: Olivia Dean, Dean, she’s, —, Lauryn Hill, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Leona Lewis, Raye, Jessie J, Imogen Heap, Elton John — Organizations: Guyanese, BRIT School Locations: London, Rudimental, Glastonbury

☆ Female flight attendants will no longer have to wear high heels and male crew can wear makeup after an airline updated its rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Qantas Airways updated its uniform policy allowing female staff to abandon high heels. The new rules allows anyone to wear makeup, but tattoos still need to be concealed. Another airline has given its presentation rules a makeover, letting female flight attendants abandon high heels and allowing anyone to wear makeup. Anyone can wear makeup if they choose to, and have hair in a ponytail or bun. In March, Spanish airline Vueling was reportedly fined 30,000 euros (about $32,000) for enforcing a strict high heel and makeup policy in its female cabin crew.

Persons: sideburns, Alan Joyce, Imogen Sturni, Vueling, Virgin Atlantic Organizations: Qantas Airways, Qantas, Australian Services Union, BBC, Jetstar, Virgin Locations: Spanish

☆ Footage shows the moment Greenpeace activists scaled a Shell oil platform that was being transported in 'rough conditions' in the Atlantic
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Greenpeace activists used ropes to climb aboard a ship carrying a Shell oil platform. Four activists have been aboard the vessel in a protest against climate devastation for five days. Climate activists on the Shell oil platform. The company said the protest was a safety concern, given the "number of people boarding a moving vessel in rough conditions." The activists, however, are experienced climbers who have "undergone thorough training to take part in this action," a Greenpeace spokesperson said, adding they take safety "very seriously."

☆ Greenpeace activists scale Shell oil platform in the Atlantic Ocean as company announces record profits
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Activists from the campaign group Greenpeace have boarded a ship in the Atlantic Ocean and scaled a Shell oil platform that is currently being transported to the North Sea. The company has benefited from very high oil and gas prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Shell is moving the platform to the Penguins oil and gas field, northeast of the Shetland Islands in Scotland to help unlock new wells. The field is expected to produce 45,000 barrels of oil or gas equivalent a day. Greenpeace climate activists: Carlos Marcelo Bariggi Amara, from Argentina, Imogen Michel from the UK, Usnea Granger from the US, and Yakup Çetinkaya, from Turkey.

☆ Of course audiobooks count as reading
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Judi Ketteler | Judi Ketteler Frequently Writes About Self-Awareness. She Is The Author Of | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

This year, I joined nearly 6.5 million other people and set a reading challenge via Goodreads. I love to read, but these days by evening — the time of day I’ve always allotted for reading — I’m falling asleep. Not only is this argument insufferable, made — and I’m just guessing — by insufferable people, it’s also the worst kind of ableism. Either way, listening and reading both engage audiences in the same act of absorbing a story. This idea that listening to books is cheating still circulates, especially when people share their reading lists and brag about their reading challenges — which is when “counting” takes on an even more literal meaning.

☆ Reactions: UK's Truss fires Kwarteng, set to U-turn on tax cuts
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON, Oct 14 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Liz Truss fired her finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng and news reports said she will scrap later on Friday parts of the economic programme of big, unfunded tax cuts that they delivered last month. Consequently, the scope for a rally in gilts (move lower in yields) and sterling would seem to be limited." BENJAMIN NABARRO, ECONOMIST, CITI"The key issue in the near term is the contradiction between monetary and fiscal policy. RACHEL REEVES, OPPOSITION LABOUR PARTY'S FINANCE CHIEF"This humiliating u-turn is necessary - but the real damage has already been done. We may well be through the worst of the volatility but I fear that the UK is nowhere near out of the woods."

But it is unclear how many lenders are tapping the facility and whether pension funds are willing to shell out additional fees for what is a temporary solution, sources told Reuters. Banks are reluctant to increase their lending to LDI funds through the repo facility, according to one official at a European bank. BRIDGING THE GAPLDI is an investment strategy sold by asset managers like BlackRock, Legal & General Investment Management and Insight Investment to pension schemes to help them match their assets and liabilities. Governor Andrew Bailey has rejected calls to continue buying bonds from pension funds which say they still need support beyond Friday. "It's a bridging tool that they can still use to keep the dialogue with the market and the pension funds going."

☆ UK in pandemic-style easing without pandemic-style monetary policy, analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailUK in pandemic-style easing without pandemic-style monetary policy, analyst saysImogen Bachra, head of U.K. rates strategy at NatWest, discusses the U.K economy on "Street Signs Europe."

Finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng's plans will require an extra 72 billion pounds ($79 billion) of government borrowing over the next six months alone, and - a particular concern for investors - cement permanent tax cuts costing 45 billion pounds a year. But to bond investors, they bring the prospect of more persistent inflationary pressures - at a time when inflation is already near a 40-year high - as well as tighter Bank of England (BoE) policy. Government borrowing is likely to total 218 billion pounds this financial year and 229 billion pounds in 2023/24, Citi predicted, and it expects benchmark 10-year British government bond yields to rise to 4.25%. Adding to the pressure, on Thursday the BoE confirmed it planned to reduce its own 838 billion pounds of gilt holdings by 80 billion pounds over the coming year. "That is a strong indication that domestic and overseas investors are losing confidence in the UK's inflation-fighting credibility," he said.

☆ (video) Recomandări de la Mircea, fără spoilere: cinci comedii care te vor face să râzi cu poftă
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-24 | by ( Onixmedia Srl | ) diez.md time to read: +7 min

(video) Recomandări de la Mircea, fără spoilere: cinci comedii care te vor face să râzi cu poftăE clar mai simplu să filmezi o dramă decât o comedie. Sub supravegherea pedantă a unui sensei enigmatic (Alessandro Nivola) și a colegei sale hardcore (Imogen Poots), Casey capătă un sentiment de încredere pentru prima dată în viață. Dacă vrei să faci cunoștință cu un Aki Kaurismaki american, acest film e cea mai bună ocazie. Este o comedie ușoară, în spiritul bunului umor francez, cu multiple situații amuzante, unele previzibile, dar cu un efect scontat. În rest, vă doresc vizionare plăcută și o călătorie memorabilă în lumea filmului!

Persons: Mircea, Casey, Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro, Docteur, Crăciun, Richard, Johnny Depp, Jack Sparrow, Hunt, Barry Crump, neozeelandezul, Bella, Hector, Ricky, Bela, Murphy, Dumnezeu, . Organizations: Big, Angel Locations: Paris, Bruxelles, Van

☆ The 17 best and 17 worst Ariana Grande songs of all time
▼ + stars: | 2020-11-05 | by ( Callie Ahlgrim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

"We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" pairs earnest lyrics with engrossing electro-pop. "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" is the 10th track on "Eternal Sunshine." Ariana Grande/YouTube"We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)," the second single from Grande's seventh album "Eternal Sunshine," is immediately easy to like. Song highlight: "Me and my truth, we sit in silence / Baby girl, it's just me and you / I don't wanna argue, but I don't wanna bite / My tongue, I think I'd rather die." If you like this, listen to: "Eternal Sunshine"

Persons: Ariana Grande, Robyn's, Imogen Heap's, Grande, it's

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