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☆ What’s it like to play Olympic beach volleyball in the Eiffel Tower’s shadow? ‘Iconic’
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Brendan Quinn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

And in that sky, directly above this beach volleyball stadium, loomed the Eiffel Tower. Of all 32 sports being played in these Olympics, none has a location that rivals beach volleyball. Beach volleyball’s Olympic history dates back to 1996 and a simple artificial beach stadium in Clayton County Park outside Atlanta. It’s easy to feel impossibly small in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. There are seven more sunsets over Eiffel Tower Stadium for beach volleyball.

Persons: Kelly Cheng, Sara Hughes, Hughes, Cheng, They’ve, Paris . Cheng, ” Cheng, “, Cameron Spencer, de Mars, ”, Kristen Nuss, Nuss, Taryn Kloth’s, ” Hughes, “ I’ve, ” Kelly Cheng, Loyola Stien, Aline Chamereau, Clémence Vieira, ” Chamereau, Champ de, Manoir, Rodolfo Buhrer Organizations: FIVB, University of Southern, NCAA, Hollywood, London, Horse Guards, Canada, Games, Sunday, Eiffel, Loyola, Paralympic, Olympic Locations: University of Southern California, Paris ., Paris, Angeles, Santa Monica, Clayton County Park, Atlanta, St James’s, London, Rio, Copacabana, Tokyo, Shiokaze, American, U.S, Czech Republic, Germany, Eurasia

☆ AmEx lifts 2024 profit forecast on robust spending by affluent customers
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Credit card giant American Express raised its full-year profit forecast on Friday, as its wealthy customers persisted in splurging on travel, dining and entertainment. The company also reported better-than-expected second-quarter profit, underscoring the benefit it has enjoyed by focusing on a premium customer base. The company sees its 2024 earnings per share between $13.30 and $13.80, versus the $12.65 to $13.15 range it had forecast earlier. In the second quarter ended June 30, profit was $3.02 billion, or $4.15 per share, 39% higher than a year ago. Shares of the New York-based company fell 2% in premarket trading.

Persons: Stephen Squeri Organizations: American, Revenue Locations: Des Plaines , Illinois, splurging, York, Squarespace

☆ American Express is taking control of restaurant reservations
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-01 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Trying to get a table at a buzzy new restaurant in New York or Los Angeles? American Express already owns Resy, a rival restaurant booking app, and gives special table access to Amex customers that are not available to other customers. But experts say that Amex’s acquisition gives the credit card company more control over velvet rope access to dinner — and who is shut out. It may help restaurants attract Amex customers with deeper wallets, said Alex Susskind, a professor of food and beverage management at Cornell University. Restaurant owners and merchants have also complained about the fees credit card companies charge businesses, and it could open a new door for fees.

Persons: you’re, Rajesh Bhardwaj, Amex, —, ’ “, ” Joseph Nunes, Alex Susskind, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, American Express, American, Delta SkyMiles Reserve, University of Southern, Cornell University Locations: New York, Los Angeles, New York City, United States, Resy, University of Southern California

☆ American Express Buys Tock to Pursue Customers Shelling Out on Dining
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Emily Schmall | More About Emily Schmall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The credit card giant American Express has acquired Tock, a restaurant reservation and event management company, from the digital commerce platform Squarespace for $400 million, American Express said on Friday. The purchase of the reservation system in an all-cash deal shows that American Express is continuing its pursuit of the market for dining-related services, especially after its acquisition in 2019 of Resy, a rival of Tock, which is based in Chicago. The credit card company is acting on insights that its customers are spending prodigiously on eating out, it said in a statement. Restaurants were a growing spending category for American Express cardholders, reaching a “high watermark” of $100 billion in transactions in 2023, Howard Grosfield, president of the U.S. consumer services division, said in an interview on Friday. “The passion and interest in dining and dining-related experiences just continues to grow,” Mr. Grosfield said.

Persons: Howard Grosfield, Mr, Grosfield Organizations: Express, American Express Locations: Resy, Tock, Chicago

☆ An Ivy League sophomore says he found a $105,000 side hustle: selling coveted restaurant reservations
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Brown sophomore Alex Eisler has a lucrative side hustle selling restaurant reservations. He vends them on nascent platform Appointment Trader. AdvertisementEisler told Business Insider the most expensive reservation he's ever sold was $1,358 at an omakase restaurant in Boston. Appointment Trader is just one platform helping to turn reservation-selling into a cottage industry of sorts. "It's bad for business," Eric Ripert, chef and co-owner of famed French seafood restaurant Le Bernardin, told The New Yorker.

Persons: Brown, Alex Eisler, Eisler, —, Eisler —, he's, Prime, Carbone, Insider's Linette Lopez, Tock —, Eric Ripert, Bernardin Organizations: Service, Brown University, American Express, Business, Yorker, Bloomberg, New Locations: Boston, New York City

☆ Intel used to dominate the U.S. chip industry. Now it's struggling to stay relevant
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +16 min

David Paul Morris | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesThe iPhone could have had an Intel chip inside. It would've made sense to use Intel chips, which ran on the best desktops at the time, including Apple's Macs. Braithwaite, who worked at Intel in the 1980s, said Intel's process engineers were the company's "crown jewels." Intel doesn't have a GPU competitor to Nvidia's AI accelerators, but it has an AI chip called Gaudi 3. For comparison, AMD expects about $2 billion in annual AI chip revenue.

Persons: Pat Gelsinger, Seth Wenig, Gelsinger, Biden, Nicholas Braithwaite, Akshara Bassi, It's, Steve Jobs, David Paul Morris, Apple, Paul Otellini, Walter Isaacson's, Otellini, Isaacson, Jobs, Apple didn't, Apple —, TSMC, Mikako Kitagawa, Joe Biden, Brendan Smialowski, Braithwaite, Gordon Moore, Moore's, Brian Krzanich, 7nm —, TSMC didn't, Jensen Huang, Josh Edelson, OpenAI, Gaudi, Intel's, it's, Bassi, CNBC's Jon Fortt Organizations: Intel, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Nvidia, Micro Computer, Qualcomm, Broadcom, Texas Instruments, AMD, Apple, Celesta, Meta, Microsoft, Getty, Samsung, Gartner, Asus, AFP, Semiconductor, Engineers, SAP Center, Afp, Companies, Blackwell, Habana Labs, Gaudi, FactSet, U.S Locations: New York, American, U.S, Chandler , Arizona, California, San Jose , California, Taiwan, Columbus , Ohio

☆ TikTok's time in the US could soon be on the clock, and that's not the app's only problem
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The big storyTick-tock on TikTokChelsea Jia Feng/BITikTok's time in the US could soon be on the clock. When it's all said and done, a TikTok ban could be in place before the week's end. Business Insider's Peter Kafka explains why the TikTok ban, while more imminent than ever, still has a long way to go . A TikTok ban would benefit one familiar face in social media, though, writes BI's Katie Notopoulos . YouTube Shorts, too, stand to grab more attention after a TikTok ban.

Persons: —, Caitlin Clark's, Chelsea Jia Feng, ByteDance, Joe Biden, it's, Business Insider's Peter Kafka, Michael Beckerman, TikTok, hawking, BI's Lindsay Dodgson, outperforming, Katie Notopoulos, Merrill Lynch, Tyler Le, Andy Sieg's, Merrill, Lindsay Hans, Eric Schimpf, It's, Steve Cohen's, Grzegorz Wajda, Hokyoung Kim, Nordstrom, Tesla, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover Organizations: Business, Service, Nike, Bloomberg Intelligence, YouTube, Big Tech, New York Stock Exchange, NYSE, Chelsea, Getty, Walmart, BI, Costco, Amazon, Motors, Spotify Locations: Americas, TikTok, Merrill, China, American, New York, London

☆ Jay Z's luxury watch collection is worth millions and includes one of the most complicated timepieces ever made
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Julie Gerstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Richard Mille RM011 Felipe Massa Chronograph Rose GoldJay Z expanded his collection of Richard Mille watches with this RM011 Felipe Massa Chronograph in rose gold. The rapper's Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 26585CE has an openwork sapphire dial and rose gold dial markers. Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 in Tiffany BlueThe Patek Philippe 5711 was released in limited quantities in early 2021. The watch is based on the AP Royal Oak design that debuted in 1972 from watch designer Gérald Genta. Patek Philippe 2499Patek Philippe produced this watch from 1950 to 1985 in extremely limited quantities — only 349 were made.

Persons: —, Jay Z, Shawn Carter, Audemars Piguet, Hublot, Otis, Beyoncé, de Genève, Jay Z's Shawn Carter Hublot, Shawn Carter Hublot, Richard Mille, Richard Mille Jay Z's, freestyled, Rich Schultz, Richard Mille RM011 Felipe Massa Chronograph Rose, Felipe Massa Chronograph, Felipe Massa, Mille, Richard Mille RM027 Rafael Nadal Richard Mille, Matthew Stockman, Richard Mille RM027 Rafael Nadal, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Nadal, Richard Mille Rafael Nadal, Roger Kisby, Audemars that's, 26585CE, Philippe, Phillip, Tiffany, Tiffanys Jay Z, Patek Philippe collab, Tiffany Blue, Audemars, Yves Klein, Klein, Gérald, Paul Newman Dial, Paul Newman, Newman, Jay, Z, Patek Philippe, Phillip Patek Jay Z, DJ Khaled, Patek, Patek Philippe Grandmaster, Getty, Jay Z's Patek Philippe, Tony Kavak, Kavak Organizations: Service, Business, GQ, Getty, Radio City Music Hall, Philippe Nautilus, AP, IFL Locations: Swiss, Brooklyn, Mille, Paris, French, Christie's, Geneva

☆ Opinion: Restaurants should end tipping for good
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Opinion Corey Mintz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The Wall Street Journal described this as Chicago eliminating the “tips-as-wage system,” which makes it sound like a ban on tipping. It’s a shame, because tipping has always been a scam that enables restaurants to suppress labor costs, which keeps menu prices down. Tipping emerged as a model for employing formerly enslaved Black workers without having to pay them a real wage, if anything at all. Instead, restaurants should pay a living wage (if the revenue does not cover the actual cost of labor, what kind of business is it? Despite today’s dire labor shortage, precious few restaurants seem willing to re-examine their employment model in order to address it.

Persons: Corey Mintz, CNN — It’s, Jaime Hogge, Steve Hanke, Nick Kokonas, ” Kokonas, “, Tipping, North America wouldn’t, ” Organizations: Public Affairs, CNN, Twitter, Chicago Locations: Chicago, Toronto , Ontario, North America

NEW YORK (AP) — The next book by Erik Larson, widely known for the best-selling “The Devil in the White City,” is a work of Civil War history inspired in part by current events. Crown announced Wednesday that Larson's “The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War” will come out April 30. Larson sets his narrative over a short but momentous time span, from Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860 to the firing on Fort Sumter five months later. Lincoln's primary concern had been about whether the electoral vote count would be disturbed, and then came the grave concern about the inauguration. Besides “The Devil in the White City,” based in Chicago during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, Larson's books include “The Splendid and the Vile,” “Dead Wake” and “Isaac's Storm.”

Persons: Erik Larson, Larson, Abraham Lincoln's, Donald Trump, “, Robert Anderson, Edmund Ruffin, Mary Boykin Chesnut, ledgers, it’s, ” Organizations: Crown, Fort, U.S, Capitol, Confederate Army Locations: White City, ”, Fort Sumter, Virginia, South Carolina, America, Chicago

☆ US government shutdown: WIC, a program that feeds and provides medical help to 7 million mothers and children, could run out of funds in days
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

It puts programs at risk, such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. WIC supports 7 million mothers and children with food and health resources. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (or WIC), which serves nearly half the infants born in the country, has just a few days of funding in the event of a shutdown, per the Times. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe program serves some 7 million mothers and children, providing nutritional foods and health care referrals to some of the most vulnerable in the country. The fates of some 206,282 women, 587,139 children, and 178,997 infants in California rest in McCarthy's hands.

Persons: —, Kevin McCarthy Organizations: Women, Children, WIC, Service, New York Times, Food and Nutrition Service, Republican, White House Locations: California

REUTERS/Michael Swensen Acquire Licensing RightsCHICAGO, Sept 21 (Reuters) - United Auto Workers (UAW) members rallied against the Detroit Three automakers in multiple U.S. states on Thursday afternoon as Friday's deadline loomed for a threatened expansion of the union's strikes. The UAW last week launched unprecedented, simultaneous strikes at one assembly plant each of General Motors (GM.N), Ford (F.N) and Chrysler parent Stellantis (STLAM.MI). UAW workers want to end a tiered wage structure that they say has created a large gap between newer and older employees, forcing some to work two jobs to make ends meet. On Thursday morning, Fain posted a video message on X, formerly known as Twitter, to UAW members about the Friday deadline, showing scenes from several Hollywood movies with the characters saying "tick tock." Fain has said Detroit automakers have not shared their huge profits with workers while enriching executives and investors.

Persons: Phaedra Grant, Michael Swensen, Ayanna Dixon, Shawn Fain, Fain, Ford, Stellantis, Joe Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre said, Ram, Morgan Stanley, Adam Jonas, Eikon, Mark Reuss, Reuss, Tesla, Bianca Flowers, Hyunjoo Jin, David Shepardson, Ben Klayman, Kannaki, Peter Henderson, Jamie Freed, Nick Zieminski, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Ford, UAW, REUTERS, Rights, United Auto Workers, Detroit Three, General Motors, Chrysler, Reuters, GM, GM's, Silverado, Detroit, Detroit Free Press, Toyota, Tacoma, EV, Thomson Locations: Louisville , Kentucky, U.S, Chicago, San Francisco, Louisville, Washington, Detroit, Bengaluru

Just as the news broke on Wednesday of the presumed death of the mercenary chief Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia was presiding over a televised World War II anniversary ceremony on a dark stage lit dramatically in red. He held a moment of silence, flanked by service members in dress uniforms, while a metronome’s beats sounded, like the slow ticking of a clock: Tock. The eerie split screen — the reported fiery demise of the man who launched an armed rebellion in June and the Russian president telegraphing the state’s military might — may have been coincidental. But it underscored the imagery of dominance and power that Mr. Putin, 18 months into his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, appears more determined than ever to project. His internet “troll farm” helped the Kremlin interfere in the 2016 American presidential election, while his mercenary empire helped Russia exert influence across Africa and the Middle East.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Vladimir V, Putin, telegraphing Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Africa

☆ Commodities trader caught in DOJ probe ruined her own non-prosecution agreement by taunting the former colleagues she was helping to investigate
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

She entered into a non-prosecution agreement with the DOJ in exchange for cooperating with a probe. A court filing shows Bamber ruined the agreement by harassing colleagues she was helping investigate. A former commodities trader who admitted to wire fraud and price manipulation ruined a non-prosecution agreement she scored after it was revealed she was harassing the former colleagues she was helping to investigate. Charlotte Bamber, a former trader of oil products at Trafigura Group, entered into the non-prosecution agreement with the DOJ in 2020 in exchange for cooperating with a probe into her former employer. Bamber wrote, copying two colleagues under investigation in the same email thread: "One of you will lose everything."

Persons: Charlotte Bamber, Bamber, You'll, Guess Organizations: Trafigura Group, DOJ, FBI, Trafigura Locations: United States

☆ AMERICAS Debt cap tick-tock leaves eerie calm
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The issue dominated much of the G7 finance chiefs meeting in Japan. Dimon claimed any technical default could cause financial panic and JPMorgan had convened a 'war room' internally to deal with the issue. "It's very unfortunate, it's time-consuming, hopefully it won't happen, but it affects contracts, collateral, clearing houses, clients," Dimon said. Chinese stocks underperformed, with the G7 meeting mulling restrictions on investment to the world's second-biggest economy. Bank of England chief economist Huw Pill speaksReuters GraphicsJobless claimsReuters GraphicsReuters GraphicsBy Mike Dolan, editing by Christina Fincher, <a href="mailto:mike.dolan@thomsonreuters.com" target="_blank">mike.dolan@thomsonreuters.com</a>.

☆ Tee-k Tock: The ‘appalling’ slow play controversy riling golf’s biggest stars
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Koepka, whose frustrations with slow play lit the touchpaper of a fiery feud with rival Bryson DeChambeau in 2019, made no secret of his grievances. It does become frustrating when you are waiting so long.”1-on-1 with newly minted PGA Tour winner Matt Fitzpatrick 03:48 - Source: CNNFurther complaints came from beyond the confines of the PGA Tour. I was penalized on LPGA for slow play … and it forced me to speed up,” Alvarez said. “It’s not very pleasant to watch somebody stand over the ball for half an hour.”Nicklaus is not a fan of slow play. “We want to keep the focus where it should be: on world-class shot-making.”Solutions: Golf’s shot clock eraSo how do you solve a problem like slow play?

Separated by barricades from the Trump crowd, counter-protesters celebrated the former president's indictment with signs that said "Lock him up!," a reference to a chant often heard directed at Trump's opponent Hillary Clinton during his successful presidential campaign in 2016. "I would like to thank patriotic Trump supporters who are here today," Greene said through a megaphone in the thick crowd, eliciting a burst of cheers and chants of "U-S-A!" Trump, 76, is set to become the first current or former U.S. president to be charged with a crime. Though the specific charges have yet to be disclosed publicly, Trump has said he is innocent and intends to plead not guilty. Nearby, a handful of Trump supporters stood outnumbered and cheered as a red-hatted Trump impersonator drove past in a limousine, flanked by a pickup truck flying several pro-Trump and anti-Biden flags.

☆ Why Bill Ackman fears Wall Street's $30 billion rescue of First Republic could have catastrophic fallout
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Bill Ackman is sounding the alarm on Wall Street's $30 billion show of faith in First Republic. The billionaire investor fears the move has put other banks at risk and could endanger the economy. Here's why he's worried and wants a temporary blanket guarantee on bank deposits. JPMorgan, Bank of America, and nine other banks said on Thursday that they would make uninsured deposits totaling $30 billion in First Republic Bank (FRB) for at least 120 days. "Three dominoes have fallen and another is on its way," Ackman said in an earlier tweet, referring to Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and Silvergate.

☆ Fledgling social media sites are competing to be the next Twitter as users abandon the legacy platform. These are the frontrunners.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Gabor Cselle, co-founder & CEO is a former Group Product Manager at Twitter. Funding: T2 has raised $1.1 million from angel investors, Cselle told Insider. "I was like, 'maybe now's the time,'" Cselle told Insider, who reached out and partnered with Oh on their new build. "Usually the safety has come after something bad happens," Oh told Insider. The T2 website name will change so as not to evoke Terminator associations, Cselle told Insider.

☆ Fact Check-Press Secretary did not say White House sent information to reporters 'via TikTok’
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Social media users confused the phrase “tick tock” for the social media application TikTok, claiming that the White House was using the China-based app to communicate with reporters. The text in the posts read, “Karine Jean-Pierre the White House Press Secretary just said ‘A Tick-Tock was sent out to all reporters.’ Are you kidding me?? The White House uses Chinese media to communicate?”, “It is fitting that this administration would use Chinese spyware. “The White House does not use the Tik Tok application.”VERDICTMissing context. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre did not say that the White House sent information to reporters via the TikTok app.

☆ Goldman Sachs picks stocks to ride the EV wave, giving one upside of 120%
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Goldman Sachs says the development of electric vehicles — and the companies involved in this — are set to see "considerable growth" through 2030. According to Goldman, this EV ecosystem includes auto manufacturers, battery makers, software developers, and companies involved in charging infrastructure and power semiconductors. "We think these companies should be able to tap [Inflation Reduction Act] opportunities as the battery market becomes more concentrated," Goldman wrote. Upside of 120% Goldman is also buy-rated Chinese EV maker Nio and gives it gives massive potential upside — among the highest of all of its stock picks in the report. "We see risk-reward for the stock as skewed to the upside," Goldman added.

☆ Sen. Marco Rubio says it's 'absurd' that the media has details on the classified documents found at Biden's and Trump's residences but the intelligence committee still doesn't have clear information
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Senate Intelligence Committee members said they don't have a timeline as to when they'll obtain Biden's and Trump's classified documents. Classified documents were found at both Trump and Biden's private residences over the past several months. Sen. Marco Rubio told CBS it is "absurd" that the press had more info on the vague contents of the documents. In August of 2022, the FBI raided Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate and seized 11 sets of classified information, including some that were marked top secret. In November, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to investigate Trump's handling of classified documents.

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