DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ ‘Extraordinary’ archive of ancient brains could help shed light on mental illness
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —An undertaker turned academic, Alexandra Morton-Hayward became interested in brains — specifically how they decompose — during her former job. To understand why, the anthropologist has compiled a unique archive of information about 4,405 brains unearthed by archaeologists. No other soft tissue survived amongst the bones, which were dredged from a heavily waterlogged grave. Morton-Hayward works in a lab in Oxford, England, where she has helped build a collection of 570 ancient brains. Interestingly, many of the oldest brains are preserved in this unknown way, Morton-Hayward said.

Persons: Alexandra Morton, Hayward, “, ”, Martin Wirenfeldt Nielsen, wasn’t, He’s, ” Wirenfeldt Nielsen, Alexandra L, Morton, It’s, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, University of Oxford, Morton, South Denmark University Hospital, University of Southern, Stone Age, Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Hayward Locations: Morton, Bristol, England, Russia, Oxford, Stone, Stone Age Sweden, Sint, Ypres, Belgium, Polish

☆ '3 Body Problem' hasn't been renewed for season 2 yet, but Netflix has plenty more material to draw from — here's what we know
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Palmer Haasch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Here's everything that we know about a potential season two of "3 Body Problem." But Woo said at the SXSW Film & TV Festival in March that they had already begun working on a second season. What would '3 Body Problem' season 2 be about? Here's where we'll really get into some spoiler territory, both for the ending of season one of "3 Body Problem" and book spoilers that might also be potential season two spoilers. "3 Body Problem" is now streaming on Netflix.

Persons: —, Liu Cixin's, Ye Wenjie, David Benioff, Weiss, Alexander Woo, they're, Benedict Wong, Ed Miller, Woo, we've, Liam Cunningham, showrunners, Benioff, Nothing's, haven't, Jess Hong, Jin Cheng, Jovan Adepo, Saul Durand, Eiza, Auggie Salazar, Wade, Clarence Shi, Marlo Kelly, Tatiana, Saamer Usmani, Raj Varma, Alex Sharp, Will Downing, we'll, Saul, Luo Ji, who's, Luo, Yu, Tseng, Maria Heras Organizations: Service, Netflix, Business, SXSW, TV Festival, Collider, United Nations Locations: China, United Kingdom

☆ Here's the science refresher you need before diving into Netflix's '3 Body Problem'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

AdvertisementThe three-body problem is unsolvable and chaoticSome of the show's action takes place in a virtual world that's orbited by three suns. "This is a centuries-old problem," Shane Ross, an aerospace and ocean engineering professor at Virginia Tech, told Business Insider. Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to EarthThe three-body system in the story is based on a real neighboring star system called Alpha Centauri. At about 4 light-years from Earth, it's the closest star system to our own and contains three stars: Alpha Centauri A, Alpha Centauri B, and Proxima Centauri, which has two planets orbiting around it. A view of the bright triple-star system Alpha Centauri.

Persons: —, Liu Cixin, Shane Ross, Isaac Newton, Ross, Georgios Kollidas, Alpha Centauri, Franck Marchis, Davide De Martin, they're, Marchis, Ye Wenjie, Enrico Fermi, Benedict Wong, Jerry Ehman, Sir William Hamilton, William of Ockham, Aristotle, Ptolemy, Maximilien Brice, John Finney, It's Organizations: Service, Netflix, Oxford University, Business, Virginia Tech, Alpha, Alpha Centauri, Proxima, SETI Institute, ESO, Columbia University, USA, Keystone, Getty, Ohio State University, Extraterrestrial Intelligence, SETI, American AstroPhysical, CERN Locations: Ohio, China, North America

☆ FBI returns looted artifacts found in Massachusetts attic to Japan
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The FBI has returned a trove of looted Japanese art to its country of origin after a family found a stash of artifacts in their late father’s Massachusetts attic. They looked old and valuable,” Special Agent Geoffrey J. Kelly, art crime coordinator for FBI Boston and a member of the FBI Art Crime Team, said in a statement. A typewritten letter found alongside the artifacts in Massachusetts helped confirm they were looted during the last days of World War II, the FBI added. “When taken together, they really represent a substantial piece of Okinawan history,” Kelly said of the artifacts. The artifacts were returned to Okinawa last week, the FBI said, but noted that several Okinawan objects are still missing and are listed in the National Stolen Art File.

Persons: Geoffrey J, Kelly, ” Kelly, ”, you’re Organizations: CNN, FBI, FBI Boston, Okinawa FBI, Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Asian, Washington , D.C Locations: Massachusetts, Japan, Okinawa, Washington ,

☆ Inside Startupland's 'Shroom Boom'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Frohman is part of a small but growing community within the startups industry that is experimenting with small doses of psilocybin to improve focus and productivity. Business Insider spoke with multiple founders and investors who microdosed, but wished to be anonymous. The person declined to share their name for publication, but their identity is known by Business Insider. Vancouver-based Filament Health is working to expand access to natural psychedelics through an extraction and drug-discovery process, while brick-and-mortar shops Shroomyz and Fun Guyz are further fueling the Canadian "'Shroom Boom".

Persons: Scott Frohman, Frohman, hasn't, Microdosing, James Fadiman —, Koel Robinson, Robinson, Richard Laver, Steve Jobs, Peter Grinspon, Grinspon, Peggy Van de Plassche, Van de Plassche, She's, Justin Zhu, I'm, microdosing, they're, It's Organizations: Business, Rocket Beverage Group, Erewhon, Foods, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, BMO, PsyMed Ventures, Noetic Fund Locations: Florida, San Francisco, Denver, Minneapolis, In Oregon, California , Iowa, Washington State, Vermont, Massachusetts, Vancouver, Palo Santo

☆ What happened to the extra copies of the Voyager mission's golden records
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Elon Musk posted on X that he has a Voyager golden record. Two golden records went to space on the twin Voyager spacecraft. AdvertisementBut his post had me wondering: Who has the original golden records? When I started looking into the golden records, I noticed conflicting numbers for how many originals were created. While the golden records on the Voyager spacecraft are expected to last over a billion years, Lomberg said the probes will probably crash on another planet or star eventually.

Persons: Elon Musk, —, Musk, Carter, U.N, General Waldheim, Carter couldn't, Jon Lomberg, Lomberg, Carl Sagan, wasn't, Sagan, Calla Cofield, Cofield Organizations: NASA, Service, SpaceX, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, JPL, Propulsion Laboratory, Space Center Kennedy Space Center Glenn Research Center Langley Research Center Goddard Space Flight, National Air & Space Museum, Smithsonian The, United Nations, Langley Research Center, Sotheby's

☆ Singapore InterContinental Hotel will pay you if it rains on your vacation
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

But one hotel in the Lion City is taking a gamble to ensure that rain doesn’t spoil its guests’ holidays. The InterContinental Singapore’s “Rain Resist Bliss” package will reimburse one night of a guest’s stay if one of their planned activities ends up getting rained out. The money comes in the form of a voucher, which must be spent at the InterContinental Singapore within one week, and the amount you get is equivalent to one night’s stay in your room category. Special packages like these can be a way for an established hotel to stand out from the pack. In Bali, one hotel banned smartphones and other electronics by the pool as a way to encourage guests to unplug and relax.

Persons: “ , what’s, Andreas Kraemer, Organizations: CNN, InterContinental, Asian Civilizations Museum, Tiger Brewery, Hyatt Locations: Singapore, Lion, InterContinental Singapore, Bali, Hyatt New York

☆ Opinion: Why Iran hates America
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Fareed Zakaria | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Iran, and particularly its hostile relationship with the US, is firmly at the center. The story is more complicated than that, as I lay out in my CNN special report “Why Iran Hates America,” airing Sunday at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. But suffice it to say that America’s relationship with Iran has been hostile and confrontational for more than four decades. Washington has viewed the fall of the Shah’s Iran as a deep betrayal from which it has never really recovered. As Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif pointed out to me, the Iran nuclear deal was premised not on trust but on mistrust.

Persons: Fareed Zakaria, Fareed, Read, CNNi, Yemen’s Houthis, jihadism, Majid Saeedi, Iran’s, Shah, Jimmy Carter, It’s, Ronald Reagan, George W, Bush, Barack Obama, Hassan Rouhani, Javad Zarif, premised, Donald Trump, Rouhani Organizations: CNN, Fareed’s, Sunday, US, Iranian, Washington Locations: Iran, Israel, Gaza, An Iran, Jordan, Washington, Tehran, Britain, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, —, Moscow, Roman, America, United States

Opinion What Sourdough Taught Me, in the Pandemic and BeyondInside one tablespoon of active sourdough starter, the fermented culture made of flour and water used for thousands of years to leaven bread, there are billions of microorganisms. How to create a sourdough starter Repeat until bubbling with life. Add flour, water and salt. Add flour, water and salt. To avoid this exponential growth, a portion of sourdough starter is traditionally discarded at every feeding, which means there’s plenty to go around.

Persons: ”, —, Seamus Blackley, . Kan, they’ve, “, Caesar, cura, Jesus, John, we’ve, Thomas White, Gazans, Alice Spearman, Germany Chiara G, Netherlands Anna Celda Czechia Veronika Moravcikova, Allie Wist, we’re Organizations: U.S, International New York, Penn, Ala . Iowa Miss, Okla . Texas Colo, Okla . Texas Colo . Puerto Rico Wyo, Utah Idaho Mexico Ariz, Great, Netherlands France Belgium Denmark, Poland Latvia Slovenia, Poland Latvia Slovenia Italy Croatia, . Connecticut Massachusetts Rhode Island New Jersey New Hampshire Vermont Pennsylvania, . Connecticut Massachusetts Rhode Island New Jersey New Hampshire Vermont Pennsylvania Maryland Delaware D.C, Maine Virginia, Maine Virginia West Virginia Ohio, Maine Virginia West Virginia Ohio North Carolina Michigan Indiana South, Maine Virginia West Virginia Ohio North Carolina Michigan Indiana South Carolina Kentucky Tennessee Wisconsin Illinois, Alabama Iowa Mississippi Minnesota Florida Arkansas, Canada Louisiana Nebraska Kansas Oklahoma, Canada Louisiana Nebraska Kansas Oklahoma Texas Colorado, Canada Louisiana Nebraska Kansas Oklahoma Texas Colorado Puerto Rico Wyoming, Portugal Spain, Supermarkets, United Nations, BBC, Alice Spearman Canada Locations: Barthelme, Conn, R.I . N.J, N.H . Vt, Md, Del, D.C, Maine Va, W.Va . Ohio N.C, Mich, Ind, S.C . Ky, Tenn, Wis, Ill, Ala . Iowa, Minn, Fla, Canada, Okla . Texas, Okla . Texas Colo . Puerto Rico, Mont, N.M, Utah Idaho Mexico, Ore, Calif, Iceland, Portugal Spain, Netherlands France Belgium, Netherlands France Belgium Denmark Luxembourg Sweden Germany Brazil Switzerland, Poland Latvia, Poland Latvia Slovenia Italy, Poland Latvia Slovenia Italy Croatia Hungary Bulgaria Greece Hawaii, Argentina, China Bhutan India South Africa, Malaysia Singapore, Australia, . Connecticut Massachusetts Rhode Island New Jersey New Hampshire Vermont, . Connecticut Massachusetts Rhode Island New Jersey New Hampshire Vermont Pennsylvania Maryland Delaware, Maine, Maine Virginia West Virginia, Maine Virginia West Virginia Ohio North Carolina, Maine Virginia West Virginia Ohio North Carolina Michigan Indiana South Carolina Kentucky Tennessee Wisconsin, Maine Virginia West Virginia Ohio North Carolina Michigan Indiana South Carolina Kentucky Tennessee Wisconsin Illinois Georgia, Alabama Iowa Mississippi Minnesota, Canada Louisiana Nebraska Kansas Oklahoma Texas, Canada Louisiana Nebraska Kansas Oklahoma Texas Colorado Puerto Rico, Canada Louisiana Nebraska Kansas Oklahoma Texas Colorado Puerto Rico Wyoming Montana New Mexico, Utah Idaho Mexico Arizona Nevada Washington Oregon California Iceland, Portugal, Portugal Spain France The Netherlands Belgium Denmark Luxembourg Sweden Germany Brazil Switzerland, China Bhutan India, Africa, Uruk, France, Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Ukraine, Gaza, Germany, Netherlands

☆ Valentine's Day chocolate prices highest in years amid cocoa shortage
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | In Ying-Shan-Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

But lovers may experience sticker shock this year due to higher cocoa and sugar prices. "Chocolate prices are the highest we've seen in years," said a representative of NielsenIQ. He noted that in spite of higher prices, the chocolate market is robust in mature markets like Europe and North America. Now, chocolate and Valentine's Day are synonymous, even if critics say the affiliation is perpetuated by marketing gimmicks. That being said, chocolates are not the only Valentines' Day treats that will dent the wallet this year.

Persons: Scott Olson, Sergey Chetvertakov, David Branch, there's, Kim, Mintec, It's, Andrew Francis Wallace Organizations: Valentine's, Getty, P, El Nino, Food Institute, Branch, CNBC, Bloomberg, National Confectioners Association, Toronto Star Locations: Chicago , Illinois, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Wells, Asia, India, Africa, Azaguie, Europe, North America, Western Europe, Singapore, Toronto

☆ Romantic kissing’s earliest record dates to 4,500 years ago, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Romantic kisses have long been celebrated in songs, poems and stories, commemorated in art and film. Modern scholars therefore concluded that romantic kisses likely originated in India. Across thousands of cuneiform tablets kissing isn’t the most mentioned topic, “but it is attested regularly,” he said. But Arbøll and Rasmussen suspected that romantic kissing became accepted in Bronze Age Europe, and not because of migration alone. Even today, many cultures shun romantic kissing, Arbøll and Rasmussen reported.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Guy de Maupassant, Troels Pank, Assyriology, Justin R, Garcia, ” Garcia, de Maupassant, Arbøll, Dr, Sophie Lund Rasmussen, ” Arbøll, “, primatologist Frans B.M, De, Rasmussen, isn’t, It’s, ” Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN, University of Copenhagen, Indiana University, Kinsey Institute, Oxford University, Emory University, Scientific Locations: Mesopotamia, Bloomington, India, De Waal, Atlanta, Europe, Russia

☆ Did syphilis originate in the Americas? Ancient DNA offers some insight
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In France, it was named the “Neapolitan disease” after the French army got infected during its invasion of Naples, Italy, in the first documented syphilis epidemic. A complex disease caused by a complex bacteriumWithout treatment, syphilis can cause physical disfigurement, blindness and mental impairment. Others believe T. pallidum bacteria always had a global distribution but perhaps grew in virulence after initially manifesting as a mild disease. Some bones had marks characteristic of infection with T. pallidum — the bacteria effectively eat away at bones, leaving concave lesions. “The modern tools available for extracting DNA from ancient samples, for enriching the treponemal DNA, and obtaining deep sequencing from samples has rapidly increased our understanding of the Treponema.”

Persons: Christopher Columbus, Treponema pallidum, ”, Brenda J, Baker, Jose Filippini It’s, Molly Zuckerman, wasn’t, ” Zuckerman, “, it’s, Columbus, Europe ’, Sheila A, pallidum, Verena Schünemann, Schünemann, Mathew Beale, Beale, ” Lukehart Organizations: CNN, Research, Arizona State University, Bioarchaeology Laboratories, Mississippi State University, University of Washington, University of Zurich’s Institute of Evolutionary, Wellcome Sanger, Columbus Locations: France, Naples, Italy, Europe, Americas, Brazil, New, Laguna, Santa Catarina, Africa, Columbus, Finland, Estonia, Netherlands, Asia, Cambridge, England

☆ Flipping the bird: Why the middle finger is the most controversial digit
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

While throwing up a middle finger today clearly communicates a resounding “f**k you,” in classical society, historians say a middle finger was more of a ribald sexual reference. Proudly displaying a middle finger was usually a joke, an insult or a sexual proposition, Nelson and other classical researchers posit. Morris has said that the middle finger landed in the US with Italian immigrants in the late 19th century. Anti-establishment artists from Joe Strummer of The Clash to Tupac Shakur have pointed a middle finger at the ruling class in their work — and, in famous photos, literally. The singer appeared during Madonna’s Super Bowl Halftime Show and flexed her middle finger toward the camera, prompting the NFL and NBC to apologize.

Persons: ”, Max Nelson, Nelson, Aristophanes, Socrates, Suetonius, Caligula, Desmond Morris, Morris, ” Morris, It’s, ” Nelson, didn’t, Brian Palmer, Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer, Tupac Shakur, M.I.A, Madonna, assumedly Organizations: CNN, BBC, University of Windsor, Catholic Church, Slate ., San, NFL, NBC Locations: Ontario, Canada, Greece, Rome, San Quentin, California, M.I.A

South Africa’s genocide case has put the spotlight on a deeper fault line in global geopolitics. Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP/Getty ImagesReactions from the Global North to the ICJ case have been mixed. “This war is a war that is not only between Israel and Hamas,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog told MSNBC in December. “It’s a war that is intended – really, truly – to save Western civilization, to save the values of Western civilization.”So far, no Western countries have supported South Africa’s case against Israel. Traditionally, the West has wielded significant influence in international affairs, but South Africa’s move signals a growing assertiveness among Global South nations that threatens the status quo, says Adekoya.

Persons: CNN —, Israel, ”, Nesrine Malik, ” Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Jaafar Ashtiyeh, Biden, ” Remi Adekoya, Nelson Mandela, Yasser Arafat, ” Hugh Lovatt, Garry Andrew Lotulung, ” Lovatt, Lovatt, Israel –, Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, Alaister Russell, Isaac Herzog, Hage Geingob, Berlin’s, Namibians, ” Adekoya Organizations: CNN, Israel, International Court of Justice, Guardian, Hamas, West Bank, Getty, US, UN, University of York, Palestine Liberation Organization, North Africa, European Council, Foreign Relations, Global, Arab League, ICJ, West, ”, International, MSNBC, ZDF, Dhaka Tribune, Germany Locations: South Africa, Johannesburg, Israel, The Hague, Gaza, South, Africa, Sudanese, United States, Europe, Ramallah, West, AFP, England, PLO, East, Indonesian, Jakarta, Indonesia, Anadolu, China, Soviet, Ekurhuleni, Germany, German, Germany’s, Namibia, Namibian, Bangladesh, Pakistan

☆ Prepping for America's Collapse: Inside an Off-the-Grid Utah Homestead
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Evan Malmgren | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

The folks at Riverbed Ranch have answered these questions decisively, embracing a radical turn toward self-reliance and small-scale sustainability. He founded Riverbed Ranch after losing power during a winter storm. Gleason's wife, Colleen, said of Riverbed residents in a 2021 TV interview : "Most of them tend to be prepper types." AdvertisementGleason envisions Riverbed Ranch as a safe environment for families: "This is about the kids." "The American idea that we're going to go on forever is naive at best," Fisher told me.

Persons: Jesse Fisher's, Fisher, Philip Gleason, they'd, Gleason, Jesse Fisher, of Jesus Christ, Elon, Blonquist Gleason, " Gleason, Colleen, bristled, Priscilla Hart, Hart, you've, Sarah Vezzani, —, Vezzani, Lance Pope, Brittany Organizations: Apple Watch, of Jesus, dodgers, Fox News, Pew Research, Rockies Locations: Utah, Ukraine, Gaza, Idaho, Ogden , Utah, Ogden, Nebraska, America, Arizona, Santaquin , Utah

☆ Harvard academic says school needs to stop subscribing to 'the extreme left of the political map'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-04 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb weighed in on discussions over the path forward for the university. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementHarvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has a few ideas on how Harvard should move forward following Claudine Gay's resignation as president . One of those: Stop subscribing to "the extreme left of the political map."

Persons: Avi Loeb, Claudine Gay, —, Claudine Gay's, Loeb, Loeb — who's, He's, Harvard, Alan Garber Organizations: Service, Harvard, Ivy League, University, D.C, Galileo, US President's, Advisors, Science, Technology, Physics, National Academies, Harvard Corporation, Gay Locations: Washington

☆ Baby boomers did one big thing we should all be grateful for
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-02 | by ( Andy Kiersz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The boomers had it great, the argument goes, but then they went and screwed it all up. For one thing, baby boomers didn't have it easy: The America they grew up in was poorer, less educated, less healthy, and more unfair than the society we live in today. To better understand how individuals and families are experiencing the economy, it's important to look at wages, income, and wealth. Boomers have consistently passed laws to make building housing harder, leaving the country with a structural housing deficit. Beyond the economy, the boomers have handed off other deep problems that the younger generations will have to solve.

Persons: Gen Zers, Zers, millennials, Norman Rockwell, —, they've, we're, it's, Zer, Andy Kiersz Organizations: Black, Boomers, Business Locations: America

☆ Putin says Russia will develop new AI technology to counter the Western monopoly, which he fears could lead to a 'digital abolition' of Russian culture
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

He announced plans for a new national strategy for AI development to counter the West. The United Kingdom has eight. Similarly, close to 300 authors of these systems come from the United States. Another 140 are from the United Kingdom. Geoffrey Hinton, the British-Canadian AI researcher named a "godfather of AI," for instance, has said he's worried about "bad actors" like Putin using the AI tools he's creating .

Persons: Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, they're, Geoffrey Hinton Organizations: Russia, Service, Artificial Intelligence, supercomputing, Stanford's Institute for, Intelligence Locations: Moscow, Russia, United States, United Kingdom, States, British, Canadian

☆ ‘Faces of Sanxingdui’: Bronze Age relics shed light on mysterious ancient kingdom
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Christy Choi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Hong Kong CNN —A golden face with patinaed turquoise eyes stares out of the darkness. Currently on display at the Hong Kong Palace Museum, they may appear Mayan or Aztec to the untrained eye, but these over-3,000-year-old sculptures weren’t unearthed anywhere near Mesoamerica’s ancient civilizations. Archaeologists from the Sanxingdui Museum say the city was established some 4,800 to 2,800 years ago, until it was abandoned around 800 BC for unknown reasons. 'Kneeling figure with a twisted head', bronze, at the Hong Kong Palace Museum in Hong Kong, China on September 26, 2023. A figure on display at the Hong Kong Palace Museum.

Persons: Shu, Sanxingdui, Noemi Cassanelli, Shen Bohan, China’s, Qin Shi Huang, Wang Shengyu, ” Wang, would’ve, what’s, Qin, ”, Henry Tang, Ian Johnson, ’ ”, CNN Johnson, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong, Hong Kong Palace Museum, Sanxingdui, CNN, Sipa, Army, Palace Museum, UNESCO, Kowloon Cultural, Hong Kong’s, China Studies, Foreign Relations, Chinese Communist Party, People’s Locations: China, Hong Kong, Chengdu, Sanxingdui, China's Sichuan province, Noemi, Sichuan, Shu, Kowloon, People’s Republic, People’s Republic of China, Republic of China

☆ China has a sweeping vision to reshape the world — and countries are listening
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +23 min

All this coincides with longstanding calls from countries across the developing world for an international system where they have more say. Beijing, he added, sees the US as merely “paying lip service” to the “liberal order” to hurt other countries. Sergei Savostyanov/Sputnik/ReutersIn recent years, even some countries that have for decades embraced a close partnership with the US have drawn closer to China and its vision. “Is China really trying to promote multipolarity — or does China just want to (become a) substitute (for) US influence over the world?” he asked. They also raise questions about how a more militarily and economically powerful China would behave globally, if left unchecked.

Persons: Xi Jinping, —, Xi, Vladimir Putin, General Antonio Guterres, ” Xi, , Shen Hong, they’d, ”, Yun Sun, liberalize, Sanjit Das, Shen Dingli, ‘, ’ ”, Russia’s Putin, Bashar al, Assad —, Assad’s, Sergei Savostyanov, Ali Sarwar Naqvi, “ We’ve, James Marape, ’, Rubens Duarte, Li Zhiquan, “, Tong Zhao, Zhao, Ted Aljibe, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Zhang Youxia, Beijing’s, Gilberto Teodoro Jr, BRICS, Weeks, Joe Biden, Sergio Lima, ” — Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, United Nations, Forum, China, Communist, CNN, Beijing, Washington, Getty, Stimson, Bank, World Trade Organization, . Riot, Bloomberg, Initiative, Asian, Global, Sputnik, Reuters, Center for International Strategic Studies, Papua New Guinea, multipolarity, China News Service, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Global Security Initiative, NATO, Russia, Philippine Defense, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, United, New, Seven, Ministry, Global Security, Group, UN, Communist Party Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, United States, Ukraine, Gaza, Russian, Xinhua, Washington, South, Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, America, Shanghai, West, Hangzhou, Israel, Pakistan, Pakistani, Islamabad, Papua New, Brazil, Indonesia, Europe, Asia, Scarborough, South China, AFP, Moscow, Russia, “, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Palestine, India, South Africa, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, United Arab Emirates, New Delhi, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Caribbean, ” Beijing

☆ Opinion | What I Read to My Son When the World Is on Fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Miriam Udel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

Children’s books, which present subtle truths in simple terms, offer a valuable tool in retaining our moral bearings, especially amid a maelstrom of grief and rage. In the books I read with my son, I saw the Palestinian children’s authors of today doing something I recognize from my research on the Yiddish children’s literature of the previous century: striving to help children make sense of the world they stand to inherit while writing a better world into being. Instead of reinforcing conventional nationalism, these works followed the general tendency of Yiddish literature, art and film to explore how culture might define a nation. They were created to write a better world into being: Now we must use them to read a better world into being. Children’s literature can’t solve these problems.

Persons: I’ve, Emily Style, Maurice Sendak, Naomi Shihab Nye, Hannah Moushabeck’s “, Amahl, Marjorie Ingall, Janice Hechter’s, ”, “ Daniel, Ismail ”, Juan Pablo Iglesias Organizations: Palestinian, West Bank, Aida Locations: Gaza, Palestinian American, Palestine, ”, Old City, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Israel

☆ Space Billionaires Like Elon Musk Should Think More About Sex - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Kelly Weinersmith | Zach Weinersmith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

This is ominous, given that some private space-launch companies, including SpaceX, have an explicit goal of creating new civilizations off Earth. But truth be told, we don’t even know if you can actually do the fun part of making space kids. While the moon and Mars provide some gravity, the vast majority of data on space physiology comes from orbital space stations, where free-falling astronauts hang in midair. But what happens after the unchastity belt is unbuckled, the snuggle tunnel sheepishly exited? Bone loss may be less of a problem on Mars, which has 40 percent of Earth’s gravity.

Persons: popularizers James, Alcestis Oberg, Dr, Thomas Heppenheimer, Samuel Coniglio, There’s, Vanna Bonta’s 2suit Organizations: SpaceX, Astronauts, Space Tourism Society Locations: China

☆ The rare African mask at the center of a fierce multimillion-dollar legal battle
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Claudia Covilla | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The Fourniers sold their mask in September of 2021 to a second-hand dealer for 150 euros, court documents show. The mask is an extremely rare artifact of great spiritual value to the Gabonese people, Betoe Bi Evie told CNN. It was through this information that the dealer was able to deduce the origins of the mask, Mansat Jaffré, the lawyer, told CNN. “We think he (the dealer) already had an idea at the back of his head, and that he knew the mask was rare,” Mansat Jaffré told CNN. However, as the Ngil mask at the center of the ongoing trial wasn’t held in a public collection, Gabon cannot demand its restitution from France.

Persons: Fournier, Fournier’s, René, Victor Edward Maurice Fournier, Frédéric Mansat Jaffré, ”, “, Mr Fournier’s, Olivia Betoe Bi Evie, Betoe Bi Evie, Betoe, Evie, Jaffré, Mansat Jaffré, Solange Bizeau, weren’t, Emmanuel Macron, Omar Tall, Mali –, wasn’t Organizations: France CNN, CNN, Gabonese, BFMTV, ”, Senegal’s Museum of Black Civilizations, restitutions Locations: Paris, France, Central Africa, Gabonese, Gabon, ”, Gabonese State, Africa, Saharan Africa, restituted, Benin, Senegal, Chad, Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Mali

☆ Marriage as a Mirror of Human Nature
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Amanda Foreman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Marriage is in decline in almost every part of the world. In the U.S., the marriage rate is roughly six per 1,000 people, a fall of nearly 60% since the 1970s. But this is still high compared with most of the highly developed countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, where the average marriage rate has dropped below four per 1,000. Modern views on marriage are sharply divided: In a recent poll, two in five young adult Americans said that the institution has outlived its usefulness. In Mesopotamian mythology, the first marriage was the heavenly union between Innana/Ishtar, the goddess of war and love, and her human lover, the shepherd Dumuzi.

Organizations: Organization for Economic Cooperation, Development Locations: U.S

☆ How climate change contributed to the collapse of the Roman Empire and 7 other ancient civilizations
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Elias Chavez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Ancient RomeThe Roman Coliseum is an enduring symbol of the great Roman Empire. NurPhoto/Getty ImagesThe Roman Empire has been on the mind lately. The Roman Empire is lauded for its population and geographic size, with 75 million citizens at its peak and extending from northern Britain to the edges of the Sahara. The Roman Empire had everything going for it — interconnected cities, a universal currency, highways, libraries, and even a functioning sewage system. A collection of things contributed to the collapse of the Roman Empire.

Persons: Cyprian Organizations: Roman Locations: Rome, Britain, Roman

Search resuls for: "Civilizations"

25 mentions found