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☆ Overlooked No More: James Sakoda, Whose Wartime Internment Inspired a Social Science Tool
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Elizabeth Landau | Ben Klemens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

This article is part of Overlooked, a series of obituaries about remarkable people whose deaths, beginning in 1851, went unreported in The Times. Unlike most of the 120,000 Japanese Americans detained in internment camps in the United States during World War II, James Sakoda had a mission: to document the experience of incarceration. He took about 1,800 pages of notes, largely in private, lest he be accused of being a traitor or a spy. Those notes would form the basis of his 1949 dissertation on the dynamics of individuals and groups at one of these camps, the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho. Tucked into Appendix B of the paper was possibly the first example of what is known as an “agent-based model” — a simulation of how individual actions can add up to large-scale patterns.

The prospective class action complaint, filed in 2021 by two members of the annual paid subscription service Amazon Prime, alleged Amazon was unlawfully "tying" the online sale of third-party products to the use of the company's "Fulfillment by Amazon" program. The lawsuit said Amazon's alleged anticompetitive fulfillment practices had harmed "hundreds of millions of its loyal customers." Amazon's attorneys argued that fulfillment services are sold not to consumers who buy products but to third-party businesses that are selling goods on the company's platform. The antitrust case against Amazon was among private and state actions alleging violations of competition law. The case is Angela Hogan et al v. Amazon.com Inc, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, No.

☆ Amazon, other retailers revamp 'free' shipping as costs soar
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Lisa Baertlein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Alyssa PointerLOS ANGELES, March 24 (Reuters) - There is no such thing as free shipping. "The days of free delivery are numbered," Ken Morris, managing partner at Cambridge Retail Advisors, said of the fast-changing retail marketing tool. It is an open secret that most retailers raise product prices to subsidize free shipping. Postal Service hitting record levels, the industry where nearly three-quarters of e-commerce companies offer some sort of free shipping is rethinking the financial cost of habituating shoppers to free shipping. While retailers like Amazon and fashion purveyor Asos Plc (ASOS.L) have raised thresholds for fast shipping, others are dropping free shipping altogether or taking product prices up again.

☆ James Cameron celebrated in Hollywood amid 'Avatar' success
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Rollo Ross | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Director James Cameron and Producer Jon Landau pose after placing their handprints and footprints during an event at the forecourt of the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 12, 2023. REUTERS/Mario AnzuoniLOS ANGELES, Jan 12 (Reuters) - As "Avatar: The Way of Water" climbs the box office charts, director James Cameron stuck his hands and feet in cement outside the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on Thursday to commemorate his contributions to the film business. Longtime collaborator Sigourney Weaver tricked Cameron and producer Jon Landau into going barefoot for the ceremony. "Writing and designing the subsequent two films, it's now going to pay off, so that's a good feeling," he added. Reporting by Rollo Ross; Writing by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ James Cameron and Jon Landau immortalized in cement
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Dave Lucas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Director James Cameron and Producer Jon Landau pose along with Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang during an event where they placed their handprints and footprints in cement at the forecourt of the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California,...more

Led by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, Mexican officials set out the U.S.-Mexico bilateral agenda after Biden's arrival in Mexico City on Sunday evening for a North American leaders' summit. "Integration needs to be strengthened," Lopez Obrador told a news conference, saying he expected to reach "good agreements" with Biden. Lopez Obrador is hosting Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau between Monday and Wednesday for the first summit between the three since late 2021. DOMESTIC POLITICSLopez Obrador has also alarmed the United States with a plan to prohibit imports of genetically-modified corn. "To create a North American corridor to outcompete China, the United States, Canada and Mexico need to be on the same economic page," he added.

Below are the events, trends and topics investors expect to shape the outlook for emerging markets next year. "The economic downturns along with the aggressive monetary tightening and geopolitical and commodity shocks that induce them will be temporarily painful in financial and emerging markets," said David Folkerts-Landau, group chief economist at Deutsche Bank. Globally, the war has transformed energy markets and inflation pressures, food security and geopolitical risk perception - factors that are often more keenly felt in emerging economies. "There's not actually a lot of debt maturing next year," said Carmen Altenkirch, emerging markets sovereign analyst at Aviva Investors. 6/ TURKEY ELECTIONSPresident Tayyip Erdogan could face the biggest political challenge of his two decades in power as Turks head to the ballot box in the most high-profile vote in emerging markets.

☆ 'Avatar' sequel finally premieres 13 years after original
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Hanna Rantala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Actor Zoe Saldana arrives at the world premiere of 'Avatar: The Way of Water' in London, Britain December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Toby MelvilleLONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Thirteen years after James Cameron released the highest-grossing film of all time, "Avatar", the filmmaker finally premiered its long-awaited sequel in London on Tuesday. "Avatar: The Way of Water" takes audiences back to the enchanting world of Pandora, where in the first film the native blue Na'vi people battled human colonists for the moon’s natural resources. To protect their family and their tribe, Sully, Neytiri and their children flee to a far-flung territory and seek refuge with the oceanic Metkayina clan. Released in 2009, "Avatar" ranks as the top-grossing film of all time with more than $2.9 billion in global ticket sales.

☆ From Bank of America to Morgan Stanley, Wall Street giants are expecting stocks to crash more than 20% next year. Here's what they've been saying.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Three major Wall Street banks expect the S&P 500 to tank over 20% at some point next year. Here's what Morgan Stanley, Bank of America and Deutsche Bank say about what could drag stocks lower. For Bank of America, a Federal Reserve-induced liquidity crisis could put pressure on the S&P 500 stock index. Here's where the S&P 500 is headed, and why, according to the major banks. He added lower earnings will cause intense pain for larger-cap stocks, and not just tech stocks.

☆ The stock market will fall 25% when the looming US recession hits in mid-2023, Deutsche Bank says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Major stock markets will plunge 25% when a looming recession hits next year, Deutsche Bank says. Analysts also see earnings per share among S&P 500 companies falling to $195 in 2023 from $222 in 2022. After the Fed's rate hikes, the investment bank expects markets to recover by year-end 2023. "We see major stock markets plunging 25% from levels somewhat above today's when the US recession hits, but then recovering fully by year-end 2023, assuming the recession lasts only several quarters," David Folkerts-Landau, chief economist at Deutsche Bank, wrote. Deutsche Bank also sees earnings per share among S&P 500 companies falling to $195 in 2023 from $222 in 2022.

☆ Why good balance is key to healthy living
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Melanie Radzicki Mcmanus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Good balance is an integral part of being physically fit and key to living a long life, according to research. Practice standing next to a chair or something you can grab onto if you become unsteady. Walking up stairs is another easy way to enhance your balance, Baxter said, as part of good balance lies in a strong lower body. “When you have good balance, you move around with less fear and more flexibility,” Landau said, adding that a fear of falling makes you stiff and stressed — and thus more likely to fall. “Good balance improves your general mobility, so you’ll move more and your muscles and bones will get stronger,” Landau said.

☆ The CEO of massage startup Squeeze is borrowing Drybar's playbook to build a self-sufficient franchise model. Here's what it looks like.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Alli Hoff Kosik | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Brittany Driscoll is Drybar's former VP of marketing and the current CEO of Squeeze massage studios. When Webb and Landau asked Driscoll to become CEO, Squeeze was born, with Webb still on board as an advisor. Here's how the Squeeze team is doing it. "These are long-lasting partnerships, and we want to make sure we're finding the very best fit for both Squeeze and the franchisees," Driscoll said. It's all seamless and built in so that the operating partner and their team can focus on creating a great experience."

☆ Brazil's presidential election may determine the fate of the Amazon rainforest — and the entire planet's climate
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

An aerial photo shows virgin Amazon jungle in Mato Grosso State, Brazil, on May 18, 2005. An aerial view of logs cut from Amazon rainforest near of the road BR-319 highway in city of Realidade, Amazonas state, Brazil, on August 22, 2019. Ueslei Marcelino/ReutersBolsonaro promises to increase deforestation in the Amazon, while Lula promises to slow it. But it's also the most consequential election on the planet," Christian Poirier, program director at the advocacy group Amazon Watch, told Insider. A miner works in an illegal gold mine at an environmental preservation area in the Amazon rainforest, in Itaituba, Para state, Brazil on September 3, 2021.

German company Wasser 3.0, however, thinks it may have found the answer to cleaning up microplastic pollution before it reaches the ocean — using a whirlpool and a specially developed hybrid silica gel. Courtesy Wasser 3.0 gGmbH | Philipp BrüderleThe hybrid silica gel consists of silicone-based chemicals called organosilanes, and is non-toxic, says Schuhen. During a 12-month trial at the Landau site, around 600 pounds of microplastics were removed, says Schuhen. Some scientists have suggested using magnetic fluids to separate microplastics from water or sticky film made of bacteria, but these processes are in their early stages. Schuhen says that Wasser 3.0 is an affordable, scalable and simple solution to the global problem of microplastic pollution.

☆ STUDIU: Vaccinurile Pfizer şi Moderna, eficiente împotriva variantei de coronavirus descoperită în India
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-18 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +2 min

Vaccinurile Pfizer şi Moderna anti-Covid ar trebui să rămână extrem de eficiente împotriva a două variante identificate pentru prima dată în India, potrivit noilor cercetări efectuate de oamenii de ştiinţă din SUA. Studiul de laborator a fost realizat de Şcoala de Medicină NYU Grossman şi NYU Langone Center şi este considerat preliminar, deoarece nu a fost încă publicat într-un jurnal, înainte de a fi evaluat de colegi, scrie Mediafax. Acest amestec a fost apoi pus în contact cu celulele cultivate în laborator, pentru a observa câte ar fi infectate. Pentru varianta B.1.618, reducerea a fost de aproximativ trei ori. Sunt destui care îşi fac treaba, încât credem că vaccinurile vor rămâne extrem de eficiente," a adăugat Nathaniel Landau.

Persons: Grossman, Nathaniel, Ned Landau, Nathaniel Landau Organizations: NYU Langone, Mediafax Locations: India, SUA, NYU, NYU Langone Center, Statele Unite, pseudovirus

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