DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Explainer: What health experts say wildfire smoke novices need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Nancy Lapid | Thomson Reuters | Nancy Has Been A Health News Editor At Reuters For More Than A Decade. Previously She Was A Writer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Many in those states are wondering what they need to know about a first-time wildfire smoke event. Are health risks lower during a first-time wildfire smoke event? People in the Northeast may like to think they are not at risk from the wildfire smoke drifting down from Canada because research on health effects comes largely from regions where people are exposed to wildfire smoke for weeks at a time, year after year. Particulates from wildfire smoke enter most buildings in high concentrations, experts say. Bein of UC Davis compared indoor wildfire smoke exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke exposure.

Persons: Doug Brugge, Keith Bein, Jasvinder Singh, Singh, Nancy Lapid, Caroline Humer, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Air Quality Research, University of California, Medstar Franklin Square Medical, Environmental Protection Agency, UC Davis, Thomson Locations: Canada, U.S ., Davis, Medstar, Baltimore, U.S, United States, Northeastern

☆ President Joe Biden tells baby 'I'm bored with me, too' as crying drowns his speech out
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

As a baby cried during White House remarks, Biden joked, "I'm bored with me, too." The White House was hosting the men's and women's NCAA championship-winning teams on Friday. During a speech welcoming the men's basketball team from the University of Connecticut on Friday, which recently won the NCAA Championship, Biden drew chuckles after his self-effacing comment. While talking about a discussion he had with the university president, President Biden interrupted himself saying, "That's okay. The White House hosted the University of Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team and the NCAA-champion Louisiana State University Tigers women's team during separate events.

☆ This Summer We’re Helping Scientists Track Birds. Join In.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +21 min

This Summer We’re Helping Scientists Track Birds. This data will help scientists understand better how birds are affected by forces like climate change and habitat loss. We’re obviously a little bit biased here, so I’m going to recommend the Merlin Bird ID app. Nearly half of all bird species worldwide are known or suspected to be in decline, and climate change could accelerate this trend. Look up past reports of that species on the eBird Species Map and zoom in on your city.

Persons: Mike McQuade, We’ll, Michelle Mildenberg Daryln Brewer Hoffstot, phoebe, Hoffstot, Indigo Goodson, “, Kirsten Luce, Alli Smith, Merlin, —, It’s, That’s, Andrew Spear, ”, Tom Auer, Mr, Auer, birders, James T, Tanner, Steven C, Latta, Chris Elphick, . Latta, Michaels, et, Christine Schuldheisz, Richard O ., Ivory, they’d, Mark, Elphick, there’s, ” Dr, eBird, I’m Organizations: Birds, Cornell, of Ornithology, The New York Times, New York Times, University of Connecticut, Credit, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Yale, Times, Cornell Lab, Walmart Locations: Pennsylvania, North America, Virginia, South America, Canada, Alaska, Louisiana, Pittsburgh, United States, Cuba, Arkansas, eBird

☆ Trans and nonbinary students have long had a place at women’s colleges. Here’s what they want you to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Elizabeth Wolfe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

And Smith – while it opens its doors to trans women and some nonbinary applicants – does not accept admissions applications from trans men. Avery is among the trans and nonbinary students who do not identify as women and yet have been attending women’s colleges for decades. Nanney noted that scholars have identified trans alumni of women’s colleges as early as the 1980s. “There’s a lot of resistance, especially from leadership, to use the term ‘historically women’s college’ because they think that connotes the idea that these colleges are no longer ‘women’s colleges,’” Nanney said. He now identifies as a trans man and contributes to the Wellesley Trans Archive, a student-run Tumblr page that documents stories of past and current trans students.

☆ U.S. Senator Blumenthal fractures leg, to undergo 'routine' surgery
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Senator Richard Blumenthal fractured his leg in a mishap at a University of Connecticut parade on Saturday and will undergo surgery this weekend, he said on Twitter. If the surgery goes as planned, the 77-year-old Connecticut Senator should not miss any votes. "I did indeed fracture my femur after a fellow parade goer tripped and fell on me," Blumenthal said on Twitter. "Routine surgery tomorrow just to make sure everything heals properly. Blumenthal was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2011 after serving Connecticut for 20 years as attorney general.

San Diego State will play UConn in the NCAA men's basketball national championship game on April 3. ETHow to watch the NCAA national championship game in the USYou can watch the NCAA men's basketball national championship game on CBS or Paramount Plus. If you don't already have access to CBS via antenna or cable TV, Paramount Plus is the cheapest way to watch the NCAA national championship game. How to watch the NCAA national championship game in CanadaThe NCAA men's national championship game will air on TSN networks in Canada; TSN offers monthly streaming passes for $20, four month passes for $49.96, and annual passes for $199.90. How to watch the NCAA national championship game in the UKIn the UK, you can watch the NCAA men's national championship game with ESPN Player, which costs £10 a month or £70 a year.

☆ AI experts disown Musk-backed campaign citing their research
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Martin Coulter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Civil society groups in the U.S. and EU have since pressed lawmakers to rein in OpenAI's research. Among the research cited was "On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots", a well-known paper co-authored by Margaret Mitchell, who previously oversaw ethical AI research at Google. Her research argued the present-day use of AI systems could influence decision-making in relation to climate change, nuclear war, and other existential threats. Asked to comment on the criticism, FLI's Tegmark said both short-term and long-term risks of AI should be taken seriously. Twitter will soon launch a new fee structure for access to its research data, potentially hindering research on the subject.

☆ Miami?! San Diego State?! Florida Atlantic?! Frisky First Timers Invade Final Four
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Jason Gay | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

My friends, take a long look at the teams in this year’s men’s college basketball Final Four, because there has never been a final foursome like it before, and there will almost surely never be again:Hamburger University Harvard Business School The Sorbonne DukeOK, fine, I’m kidding, those aren’t really the four schools—the field is actually (for realsies) Florida Atlantic, Miami, San Diego State and something called the University of Connecticut—but it still represents a radical departure from the March Madness norm.

[1/4] Ibrahim Kurt helps salvage belongings from a collapsed home in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Nurdagi, Turkey, March 5, 2023. This 20-year-long rapid construction came crashing down in just two minutes," said Hasan Bal, 52, a retired teacher who lost 10 immediate relatives in the magnitude 7.8 quake. The initial quake on Feb. 6 tremor sliced directly through Nurdagi, leaving it among the worst hit communities in Turkey's deadliest modern disaster. Residents say cheap credit had helped the town expand, reflecting a nationwide building boom that has defined Erdogan's two decades in power. Aslan said her family is thankful for a furnished container home where they live for now on the outskirts of town.

☆ Confessions of 20-somethings who live at home and splash out on cars, designer handbags, and nightclubs instead
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Dan Latu | Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

They're also spending the money they would have spent on rent on pricey goods and travel. Courtesy of Julia MachajProfession: EngineerIf she weren't living with her parents she'd live in: Stamford, Connecticut, where the rent starts at $1,875, according to Rent.com. Courtesy of Jonathan BranchProfession: AccountantIf he wasn't living with his parents he'd live in: Arlington, Virginia, where rent starts at $1,999, according to Rent.com. He's spent money on: $700 Sony camera and $800 lensesJonathan Branch recently turned 30, but spent his twenties living at home in Fairfax, Virginia. Courtesy of Gabby BeckfordProfession: Travel influencerIf she weren't living with her parents she'd live in: Seattle, Washington, where rent starts at $1,560, according to Rent.com.

Musk is likely to "double down" on his communication tactics after the verdict, said Minor Myers, a professor of corporate law at the University of Connecticut. Musk ultimately abandoned his effort to take Tesla private, but told jurors early in the three-week trial that he had believed what he wrote in tweets. "I expect Elon is going to write anything he wants,"Musk himself thanked the jury on Twitter -- which he bought in October for $44 billion. The tweets led to Musk and Tesla paying $40 million to resolve U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission civil charges under a consent agreement that Musk has fought unsuccessfully to lift. Still, many analysts said Musk, who has tweeted more than 22,000 times and has about 128 million Twitter followers, has no reason to slow down now.

[1/3] Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his security detail depart the company’s local office in Washington, U.S. January 27, 2023. Ives added that some Tesla investors feared Musk might have to sell more Tesla stock if he lost. Tesla investors have expressed concerns that running the social media company has taken up too much of his focus. During the three-week trial, Musk spent nearly nine hours on the witness stand, telling jurors he believed the tweets were truthful. He said his tweets in general did not always affect Tesla stock the way he expects.

☆ The New York Liberty Sign Breanna Stewart, and Build Their Superteam
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Robert O'Connell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Breanna Stewart has done just about everything a basketball player can do. In college, at the University of Connecticut, she won four NCAA tournament championships in four years and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player each time. With Team USA in the Olympics, she’s won two gold medals. Over six seasons with the Seattle Storm, she won two WNBA titles and an MVP award. Bringing a championship to a basketball-crazed city that hasn’t seen an NBA or WNBA title since 1973.

☆ Explainer: Who is behind Hindenburg, the company that is shorting Adani?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Carolina Mandl | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Short-seller Hindenburg Research disclosed on Wednesday short positions in India's Adani Group, citing potential stock manipulation and accounting fraud in a report. WHAT IS HINDENBURG RESEARCHFounded in 2017 by Nathan Anderson, Hindenburg Research is a forensic financial research firm which analyses equity, credit and derivatives. On its website, Hindenburg says it looks for "man-made disasters," such as accounting irregularities, mismanagement and undisclosed related-party transactions. After finding potential wrongdoings, Hindenburg usually publishes a report explaining the case and bets against the target company, hoping to make a profit. HOW MANY COMPANIES HAS HINDENBURG TARGETEDHindenburg has flagged potential wrongdoing in at least 16 companies since 2017, according to its website.

Opening arguments kick off Wednesday in a trial that will see Tesla face off against shareholders who are accusing the company of misleading them over a tweet by Elon Musk that stated funding had been "secured" to take the electric car company private. Lead shareholder plaintiff Glen Littleton is seeking billions of dollars in damages over the August 2018 tweet, which prompted a brief rise in Tesla's stock price. Shares of company stock began a steady decline that continued into the following year. Musk and Tesla were separately fined $20 million and Musk was forced to step down as Tesla's chairman. He also agreed to a requirement to have lawyers review his statements about Tesla before publishing them on social media.

An attorney for Musk, as well as Tesla and several directors who are also defendants, declined to comment. Musk surrendered the Tesla chairman position and agreed to let a company lawyer vet some of his tweets. He won a bench trial in Delaware's Court of Chancery last year over claims by Tesla shareholders that he allegedly coerced the Tesla board into buying SolarCity, a rooftop solar panel maker. Tesla shareholders had sought billions in damages and they have appealed. Around half are dismissed for failing to comply with securities law and most of the rest are settled.

According to the police, a 6-year-old boy at Richneck Elementary School in Virginia used a gun legally purchased by his mother to intentionally shoot his teacher on Friday. Because, research shows that most children who get intervention early for violent behaviors recover. These can help a child develop a strong foundation for thinking things through and foster an openness or motivation to learn. And I certainly don’t want to draw sweeping and overly upbeat conclusions saying that every individual can be rehabilitated. The reportedly intentional shooting of a teacher by a 6-year-old is awful and heartbreaking.

But the sheer number of nurses working travel jobs, and the difference between what they thought was promised and what they pocketed, has led to a substantial legal pushback by travel nurses around the country on the issue. Courtesy Jordyn BashfordThis summer, Stueve Siegel Hanson, a Kansas City, Missouri, law firm, filed class-action lawsuits against four travel nurse agencies: Aya, Maxim, NuWest and Cross Country. Advertisements touted an hourly rate of $8 to $11, but many nurses wound up making less than $6, according to Pan Travelers, a professional association of travel nurses. But by February, after her first 13-week contract, Covid hospitalizations had waned and the demand for travel nurses had fallen. Mark Humphrey / APTwo travel nurses walk the hallways during their shift at a hospital in Rhode Island.

☆ The Michigan lawyer pushing Trump’s voter-fraud fictions in U.S. court
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +27 min

Lambert started in her home state of Michigan, joining four lawsuits on behalf of Trump supporters. As Trump zeroed in on vote-rigging allegations in Michigan, Lambert emailed the White House, according to her July 2021 video interview with two right-wing websites. Cotton and Penrose also were involved in examining breached voting machines in Michigan for DePerno and Lambert, according to the Michigan attorney general investigation. In the process, the commissioners were accused of flouting a court order by allowing a forensics company to inspect county voting equipment. In August 2021, a federal judge reprimanded Lambert, Powell and seven other lawyers who joined the failed lawsuit seeking to overturn Michigan’s vote after Trump’s 2020 defeat.

The House voted Thursday in favor of the Puerto Rico Status Act, which seeks to resolve the U.S. territory's status and its relationship to the United States through a binding plebiscite. The Puerto Rico Status Act also lays out terms for a November 2023 binding plebiscite including all three nonterritorial status options. Lawmakers from both sides debated the merits of the Puerto Rico Status Act on the House floor Thursday. While Democrats insisted the legislation is a significant step toward Puerto Rico's decolonization, Republicans worried over the economic implications of changing Puerto Rico's status. Venator- Santiago, who has been tracking Puerto Rico legislation in Congress for years, said this is the first time since 2010 that the House votes in favor of legislation dealing with changes to Puerto Rico’s territorial status.

CNN —Scientists have discovered that female snakes have a clitoris — a previously overlooked or dismissed part of their anatomy (and that of many other animals), according to a new study. Female genitalia is not an easy subject to bring up sometimes and I think people were happy saying ‘it doesn’t exist. Folwell decided to investigate the female genitalia of snakes after noticing that very little research had been done on the topic. Studies of female genitalia in the animal kingdom are relatively sparse because of an “overwhelming focus on male genitalia,” according to the study. Last year, Patricia Brennan, an associate professor of biological sciences at Mount Holyoke College and coauthor on the new snake study, revealed dolphins also have functional clitoris.

And Wagner’s beloved fireflies – like so many insects worldwide – have largely vanished in what scientists are calling the global Insect Apocalypse. “Insects are the food that make all the birds and make all the fish,” said Wagner, who works at the University of Connecticut. Humans, too, see some 2,000 species of insects as food. “We’d see yields dropping of all of these crops.”And in nature, about 80% of wild plants rely on insects for pollination. WINNERS AND LOSERSWhile the situation is bleak for insects at large, a few types of insects are thriving.

☆ You may experience a 'mysterious disappearance’ on Halloween — and insurance probably won't pay for it
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Renters and homeowners insurance claims related to a "mysterious disappearance" increased by 5% on Halloween and 3% on Mischief Night, which is the night before Halloween, according to Travelers Insurance claims data from 2011 to 2021. Some have clauses that explicitly deny payment in cases of such a "mysterious disappearance." Why 'named perils' matter in insurance coverageHowever, you're not necessarily in the clear just because your policy doesn't explicitly omit a "mysterious disappearance." When it comes to personal property, insurance generally only covers renters and homeowners for a "named peril," Griffin said. So-called all-risk policies or open perils policies, by contrast, cover any event the policy doesn't specifically exclude.

☆ Ye's ugly break-up with Adidas and Gap show the risks of celebrity partnerships
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The line also helped Adidas (ADDDF) get shelf space at major retailers and brought new customers into the stores who bought other Adidas (ADDDF) merchandise. Other fashion brands that bet on Ye, including Gap (GPS)and Balenciaga, have also ended their partnerships in recent weeks. The partnership with Ye and subsequent fallout highlights the risks of retail brands relying on celebrities to appeal to shoppers. A 2012 study published in the Journal of Advertising Research found that celebrity endorsements from athletes can increase a brand’s sales by 4%. Instead of pulling the plug on Ye immediately, Adidas’ slow response allowed anger and protests over the brand’s ties to him to grow online for more than a week.

☆ These 10 LGBTQ candidates could make political history in November
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Matt Lavietes | Matt Lavietes Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

More than 600 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer candidates will be on the ballot Nov. 8 — up from the 432 candidates in the previous midterm elections in 2018 — according to the political action committee LGBTQ Victory Fund. But even as an LGBTQ political leader, Balint, who is a lesbian, has faced pushback for her sexuality. He previously told NBC News that his Republican political affiliation was a result of his family's affection for former President Ronald Reagan. Jennie ArmstrongRunning for: Alaska House of Representatives, District 16Andrew GrayRunning for: Alaska House of Representatives, District 20If elected would be the first: LGBTQ state lawmaker(s) in Alaskan history. Alaska is one of four states with zero out LGBTQ state lawmakers, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund.

Search resuls for: "University of Connecticut"

25 mentions found