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☆ Indian government cancels 'Cow Hug Day' anti-Valentine's celebration after it was widely mocked
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

India's government called off "Cow Hug Day" that was meant to replace the Valentine's Day holiday. The government said Valentine's Day goes against traditional Indian values. By Friday — while the board was not explicit in their reasoning — the government quickly U-turned, withdrawing the appeal for "Cow Hug Day." Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a political analyst, told the Associated Press "Cow Hug Day" was "absolutely crazy, defying logic." While Valentine's Day has become increasingly popular in the country in recent years, Hindu nationalists see the holiday as encouraging "corrupt" morals.

☆ Familiar foe: No walk down Sentimental Street for Andy Reid
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

February 8 - Andy Reid will stare across the field against familiar uniforms on Sunday but he isn't going to set aside time to be sentimental. Reid is attempting to shoo away references to Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Ariz., as the "Reid Bowl." Those Eagles Reid is referring to are center Jason Kelce, right tackle Lane Johnson, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and defensive end Brandon Graham. Philadelphia then lost 24-21 to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX. During the 2008 season, Reid's Eagles reached the NFC title contest but lost to the Arizona Cardinals.

☆ This Weighted Sleep Mask Is My Secret to Falling (and Staying) Asleep
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

The one item I have found to be up to the challenge is a sleep mask. I’m speaking instead of a weighted sleep mask, which takes the basic sleep mask and fuses it with a weighted blanket. Lunya Weighted Washable Silk Sleep Mask $88 at LunyaI first saw the Lunya weighted sleep mask where I so often see things that I feel compelled to buy: Instagram. I didn’t click purchase immediately though because, at $88, it felt like too much money to spend on a sleep mask. A weighted mask, on the other hand, turns out to be exactly what my head needs to power down for the night.

☆ Emotionally drained Djokovic savours happy end to difficult fortnight
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"When I went into my box, I emotionally collapsed there and teared up with my mother and my brother when I gave them a hug," Djokovic told reporters. Djokovic senior skipped his son's semi-final against American Tommy Paul and was also absent from the title clash. We both agreed it would probably be better that he's not there," Djokovic said. I saw him after... though he was happy to hug me, I could see he was a bit sad. If it's going to be better for me... that he's not in the box, then so be it.

☆ A TikTok mom filmed herself teaching her 2-year-old daughter about consent to encourage other parents to have 'uncomfortable' conversations with their toddlers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Charissa Cheong | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In December, Cochran went viral with a video where she taught Evy about her body and consent. "It's OK to not want a hug, it's OK to say no," Cochran told her daughter in the clip. The content creator told Insider she has been gradually deepening these conversations with Evy, which they have been having since she was one. Cochran told Insider she thinks the clip resonated with people like her, who were not given opportunities to speak openly with their parents about topics like consent. But this is all stuff that has to be taught," she told Insider.

☆ Activists are spreading carefree videos of Tyre Nichols skateboarding to remember him as someone who 'lived in joy'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Five Memphis Police Department officers have been charged in the death of Tyre Nichols. —The Uncultured Black (@camarawilliams) January 27, 2023The video of Nichols enjoying simple moments of "Black joy" was something Williams said every Black person can relate to. Williams said he felt the same way about Nichols' life. In a crowdfunding message, Nichols' mother RowVaughn Wells also referenced his life as a skater and described him as "quirky and true to himself." "Tyre Nichols was loved by his community and was known to be gentle, kind, and joyful," Wells wrote.

☆ Aberdeen sack manager 19 minutes after thrashing
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 28 (Reuters) - Scottish Premier League side Aberdeen took just 19 minutes to sack manager Jim Goodwin after a 6-0 hammering at Hibernian on Saturday continued the club's woeful form. Goodwin was hanging on to his job after Aberdeen suffered a humiliating Cup defeat to sixth-tier Darvel on Monday and the latest capitulation proved the final straw. In a statement on the club's website, Aberdeen Chairman Dave Cormack did not mince his words. He has given it everything he can give it, but the simple facts are that the results since coming back from the World Cup break have been wholly unacceptable and the away form is utterly abysmal. Aberdeen are seventh in the table having conceded 11 goals in their last two league games.

☆ Sabalenka subdues Rybakina to win maiden Grand Slam at Australian Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Aryna Sabalenka bludgeoned her way to a maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open with a 4-6 6-3 6-4 win over Kazakh 22nd seed Elena Rybakina on Saturday in a thrilling final between two of the most exciting power-hitters in the women's game. "Thank you so much for an amazing atmosphere," said Sabalenka, who received the trophy from former world number one Billie Jean King. "And of course my team, the craziest team on tour, I would say. Sabalenka served with venom and hammered deep returns in the decider to punch holes through Rybakina's defence for a 5-3 lead. It was an amazing two weeks for me and hopefully I'm going to have the same results and even better."

☆ TikTok star Randy Gonzalez of Enkyboys dies at 35
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Gina Vivinetto | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of my father , Randy Gonzalez. The statement went on to thank fans for their “kind words and condolences,” and added that a public memorial for Randy Gonzalez would take place at a later date in Houston. Celebrities commented to share their condolences with the Gonzalez family. In April 2020, Randy Gonzalez announced in a video that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer six months earlier. Lopez paid tribute to Randy Gonzalez Jan. 26 on Instagram, writing, “My sincerest condolences to Brice and the entire Gonzalez family.

☆ The Threads That Bind Us
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Peggy Orenstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

I wondered if the commentator knew its origin: coloring sheep fleece rather than spun thread to reduce fading. The princess in “Sleeping Beauty” pricks her finger (on a spindle, on flax, on a wool comb) in the Middle East, South America and across Europe. Perhaps inspired by the molasses months of lockdown when so many found comfort in needlework, a trendlet of books has emerged celebrating the fiber arts. She drags him to an embroidery class at the local library that seems, at first, beyond his abilities. The needle that looks like a “tiger’s tooth” bites his finger, then bites it again.

☆ McDonald's accidentally gave a customer $5,000 in cash. He went viral on TikTok after returning it
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A good Samaritan has gone viral on TikTok after sharing his memorable experience at a McDonald's drive thru. Josiah Vargas claims he was picking up his breakfast order when he realized that the employee at the window had given him more than he ordered. While sitting in the parking lot outside of the McDonald's, Vargas estimated that he had accidentally been given $5,000. "And now I have to return this because I'm a good person, I guess," he said. "Oh my god, I really want to give you a hug," a McDonald's employee can be heard saying as Vargas hands the bag over.

☆ Putin is a tyrant who wants to enslave Ukraine, Poland's president says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a news conference after a meeting of the State Council on youth policy in Moscow, Russia, December 22, 2022. Sergey Guneev | Sputnik | ReutersPoland's president, Andrzej Duda, has slammed his Russian counterpart, saying Vladimir Putin is behaving like a colonialist. "Vladimir Putin wants to enslave Ukraine, he wants to expand his regime across the Ukrainian territory, [to] take away Ukrainians' freedom. Polish President Andrzej Duda and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shake hands and hug during their press conference on August 23, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Or do we think that the free world can progress and every country has the right to self-determine?"

☆ Explainer: How does Japan's yield curve control work?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

TOKYO, Jan 16 (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan's yield curve control (YCC) is under fierce market attack, as investors test the bank's commitment to capping bond yields with inflation above the BOJ's target. When the central bank had gobbled up half the bond market, it was hard to commit to buying at a set pace. YCC allowed the BOJ to buy only as much as needed to achieve its 0% yield target. The bank has tapered bond buying in times of market calm to lay the groundwork for an eventual end to ultra-easy policy. But markets may force the BOJ to relent, breaching the 10-year yield cap on Friday - before massive BOJ bond buying brought the rate back down.

However, in the age of Apaches and laptops, everything I did in the course of two tours of duty was recorded and time-stamped,” Harry writes. The disagreement came at a planned reconciliatory tea at Kensington Palace in June 2018, Harry writes. According to the book, Kate told Meghan: “You talked about my hormones. We are not close enough for you to talk about my hormones!”According to Harry, Meghan recalled the conversation but was perplexed at Kate's reaction. Harry writes: "What I do remember with stunning clarity is that I did not cry.

☆ Meet a 36-year-old broker who rents luxury vacation villas to tech billionaires and celebrities paying up to $25,000 a night
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Now, she manages a private portfolio of luxury villas in Greece that cost up to $25,000 a night. Categorized by five, six, and seven-star properties, Kennedy's multi-million dollar villas are not your typical vacation rental — and you won't find them on Airbnb. Nightly rates for her portfolio of ten villas in Greece range, for example, from $4,000 to $25,000. A spokesperson said Elon Musk has also stayed in one of the Mykonos villas, but declined to share documentation or additional details regarding his trip, citing NDA restrictions. Not all rich people are made equalTesla CEO Elon Musk was photographed on board a luxury yacht this July in Mykonos, Greece.

To capture this moment of adaptation, we contacted 200 New York Times readers who had sent us photographs of their pandemic lives at the end of 2020 and asked them to share a new photo reflecting what normal means two years later. Nearly the same share, 42 percent, said the pandemic had changed their lives in lasting and significant ways. Just 12 percent said the pandemic never changed much: “I didn’t give up anything,” one respondent said. What is one thing about your life that the pandemic has changed in a lasting way? Together, the photos collected below capture a kind of then-and-now of pandemic times, when many are still figuring out what comes next.

Cars burn on a street after a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack of Ukraine, in Kherson, Ukraine December 24, 2022. On Wednesday, the shelling hit the maternity wing of a hospital, though no-one was hurt, according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's deputy chief of staff. Zelenskiy is vigorously pushing a 10-point peace plan that envisages Russia respecting Ukraine's territorial integrity and pulling out all its troops. TASS cited Lavrov as saying that Russia would continue to build up its fighting strength and technological capabilities in Ukraine. KHERSON ATTACKSOn the battlefront, Russia shelled more than 25 settlements around Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said on Wednesday.

☆ Explosions rock Ukrainian cities as Russia launches 'more than 100 missiles' in waves
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Air raid sirens rang across Ukraine as Russia unleashed more than 100 missiles on Thursday morning, according to a Ukrainian presidential advisor, and blasts were heard in several cities, including the capital Kyiv. More than 100 missiles in several waves," presidential office adviser Oleksiy Arestovych wrote on Facebook, and the head of Ukraine's Mykolaiv region also reported Russian missiles in the air. Explosions were heard in Kyiv, Zhytomyr and Odesa, according to a Reuters correspondent and local media reports. The blitz came hard on the heels of the Kremlins rejection of a Ukrainian peace plan, insisting that Kyiv accept Russia's annexation of four regions. Moscow has repeatedly denied targeting civilians, but Ukraine says its daily bombardment is destroying cities, towns, and the country's infrastructure from power to medical.

☆ Peru communities settle scores with Christmas ritual fighting
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CHUMBIVILCAS, Peru, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Most Christmas ceremonies would be ruined if attendees threw a punch. On Christmas Day, hundreds of residents of Chumbivilcas province in Peru's Cusco region gather to take part in an ancient fighting ritual aimed at settling scores and resolving conflict before the year's end. The ritual has been described as a method of alternative governance outside Peru's justice system. Ronderos, members of a grassroots justice system in Peru's Andean communities, stand by to break up the fighting when necessary. Finally, with scores settled, the fights typically end with a hug, smile or handshake.

☆ Ukrainian's 'know what we are fighting for,' Zelenksyy says in defiant Christmas message after Russian strikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( Henry Austin | Henry Austin Is A London-Based Editor For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainians “know what we are fighting for,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a defiant Christmas message Saturday, hours after officials said 10 people were killed by Russian shelling in the southern city of Kherson. And Christmas bells can ring not so loudly and inspiringly through air raid sirens, or even worse — gunshots and explosions,” Zelenskyy said. Zelenskyy’s message came despite the fact that the majority of his compatriots are Orthodox Christians and mark Christmas on Jan. 7, in accordance with the Julian calendar. “This is not sensitive content — it’s the real life of Kherson,” Zelenskyy tweeted alongside images showing cars on fire, bodies on the street and building windows blown out. At least 10 people had been killed and 68 injured by the strikes, Kherson Regional Gov.

☆ I fed ChatGPT my childhood journal entries to talk to my inner child. The results were very therapeutic.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Michelle Huang used OpenAI GPT-3 Playground to create an inner child chatbot as an experiment. I decided to train an AI chatbot on my childhood journal entries to engage in real-time dialogue with my inner child and I discovered how an AI tool can be used for therapeutic benefits. I told her that she was loved, cared for, and safe: the words that my past self always wanted to hear. Hearing my inner child say "I'm proud of you" was healing. I tweeted a tutorial for how to create your own inner child chatbot for anyone who wants to replicate the experiment.

Dec 24 (Reuters) - Ukrainians will create their own miracle this Christmas by showing they remain unbowed despite Russian attacks that have plunged millions into darkness, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a defiant message on Saturday. "We endured at the beginning of the war - we withstood attacks, threats, nuclear blackmail, terror, missile strikes. Zelenskiy made his remarks in a video address to Ukrainians who celebrate Christmas in December. [1/3] A Christmas tree is seen in front of an Orthodox cathedral during a service on the eve of Christmas, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 24, 2022. The clip, which lasted just under nine minutes, was filmed outside at night with just a few white lights and a Christmas tree in the background.

☆ She gave birth, twice, in prison. We were there to witness the reunion with her kids.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Jamie Roth | Alan Chin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

As she left prison, still wearing her prison-issue sweatsuit, the photographer Alan Chin raced to catch the reunion at the San Antonio airport. Alan Chin for InsiderWhat made this reunion even more poignant was that Kelly had been let out once before. Alan Chin for InsiderThere is no reliable count of the number of babies born behind bars each year. Alan Chin for InsiderWhen Kelly returned to prison after her year out, Rick tried to stay in close touch. Alan Chin for Insider"It was just us: me and my kids, and him.

Known in the legal world as the “death penalty” of child welfare, it can happen in a matter of months. One in 100 U.S. children — disproportionately Black and Native American — experience termination through the child welfare system before they turn 18, the study found. Still, longer timelines can also reflect a stronger focus on family reunification and a willingness to devote greater resources to meet that goal, child welfare experts say. And some child welfare advocates have criticized the law’s focus on narrow initiatives like parenting classes, which they say fail to address poverty and the other root causes of neglect that prompt most child welfare cases. Snodgrass said she never imagined when her child welfare case started that she could lose her rights to her children.

☆ Nonstop partying, lavish spending, and sexual-harassment accusations: Inside the self-destruction of Pollen, the music startup once worth $800 million
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Melkorka Licea | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +41 min

About 400 Pollen employees were camped out in Mendocino County, California, for five straight days of partying. Two former Pollen employees told Insider that they recalled the assistant telling them about Callum's inappropriate comments at the time. (The Pollen representative said Callum and Bedi didn't date at Pollen or at any other company connected to Pollen. Out of 360 events Pollen announced over the past 12 months, 39 were canceled, the Pollen representative said. (The Pollen representative said that "out of hundreds of thousands of customers, fewer than 100 people were moderated" online.)

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