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☆ A man is fatally shot near a popular New Orleans restaurant on first day of Jazz Fest
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Jay Croft | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A man was fatally shot and a woman wounded Friday night outside a New Orleans restaurant near the annual Jazz Fest, which started Friday. They found a man dead at the scene near Mandina’s Restaurant, a 90-year-old institution. A woman on the streetcar at the time told WDSU the streetcar was stopped and police told everyone to get off but did not say why. “The neighborhood comes alive during Jazz Fest,” he said. “It would be busy on any Friday night, but especially after Jazz Fest.”

☆ An Abraham Lincoln quote helped sports marketing CEO through crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Louise Johnson, CEO of sports and entertainment marketing firm Fuse, is no stranger to a crisis. "During the first lockdown, I read Nancy Koehn's book, 'Forged in Crisis,'" she explained. "It looked at five leaders in crisis, and one of them was Abraham Lincoln," she said. During the stresses of the pandemic, she found the quote highly motivating. "I had such a personal and professional responsibility to weather this storm to protect all of our employees," she said.

☆ Go Ahead, Judge This Book by Its Cover. There’s Nothing Inside.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Anna Kodé | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The tomes are all “rescue books,” ones that would otherwise be discarded or recycled for paper pulp, said Charles Roberts, the president of Books by the Foot’s parent company, Wonder Book. There are other, sometimes counterintuitive, uses for fake tomes as well. Instead, perforated aluminum plates emblazoned with images of books can be found, primarily on the upper shelves of the atrium. Tina Ramchandani, an interior designer in New York, said that her firm has used fake books in both commercial and residential settings. For a dressing room in a members-only club in New Jersey, “where nobody was really going to read the books, but where there were bookshelves, we got all fake books,” Ms. Ramchandani said.

☆ Sam Altman is building his utopia, whether you want it or not
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Melia Russell | Julia Black | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +41 min

Altman told Insider, "We debate our approach frequently and carefully." "I don't think anyone can lose your dad young and wish he didn't have more time with him," Altman told Insider. Altman told Insider that his thinking had evolved since those posts. (When asked about guns, Altman told Insider he'd been "happy to have one both times my home was broken into while I was there.") When asked about this, Altman told Insider in an email: "i can guess what that's about; these stories grow crazily inflated over the years of getting re-told!

☆ He's played chess with Peter Thiel, sparred with Elon Musk and once, supposedly, stopped a plane crash: Inside Sam Altman's world, where truth is stranger than fiction
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Melia Russell | Julia Black | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +41 min

But, "you do at some point need to start having contact with reality," he told Insider. The plan was still only a rough sketch, Blania told Insider, but that didn't seem to matter to his host. "He always wanted to understand everything at a very deep level," Thrun told Insider in an email. (When asked about guns, Altman told Insider he'd been "happy to have one both times my home was broken into while I was there.") When asked about this, Altman told Insider in an email: "i can guess what that's about; these stories grow crazily inflated over the years of getting re-told!

TOKYO, April 27 (Reuters) - Japan's Denso Corp (6902.T), a leading supplier to Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T), reported an 86.3% rise in fourth quarter operating profit on Thursday, benefitting from stronger sales and weaker lockdown-induced headwinds. The company, a major manufacturer of automotive parts and chips, posted operating profit of 158.1 billion yen ($1.18 billion) for the three months to end-March, versus an average 161.51 billion yen profit estimated by 10 analysts. A year earlier, the company earned 84.9 billion yen in profit. Denso gets about half of its revenue from the Toyota group, which also includes Toyota truck unit Hino Motors (7205.T) and small-car maker Daihatsu, and counts Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda as a board member. The company, which makes systems for running gasoline engines and driving hybrid and battery-powered vehicles, projected operating profit of 510 billion yen for the current business year that started April 1.

☆ Meta shares pop 15% on guidance, sales increase
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Mark Zuckerberg told the world in Oct. 2021 that he was rebranding Facebook to Meta as the company pushes toward the metaverse. Meta shares gained more than 15% in premarket trading Thursday, as analysts and investors digested positive guidance for the upcoming fiscal quarter and an unexpected sales increase for the first quarter of 2023. Meta reported first-quarter earnings per share of $2.20, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03, and revenue of $28.65 billion versus the $27.65 billion expected by analysts. As with other large-cap tech companies, analysts expect that artificial intelligence will be a positive point for Meta. Morgan Stanley holds an overweight rating for Meta and upped its price target from $250 to $300.

☆ Meet a teacher who quit her job to avoid returning in person — and found a position at a remote-only public school
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A New York City teacher quit her job in March after 12 years at the school. She teaches music and describes the shift to remote learning at the beginning of the pandemic as one that triggered a professional change, too. Parkis is one of many Americans who prefer remote working, even as companies have attempted to entice — and in some cases, strong-arm — employees back to the office. She was teaching full time at a Brooklyn, New York, middle school for 12 years and said her school ended remote learning last year. When she did, she quit right away and began her post at a fully online public school.

REUTERS/Leah MillisWASHINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) - Incumbent President Joe Biden entered the 2024 election race on Tuesday with something he didn't have two-and-a-half years ago: a record in the White House. Critics also say that increased federal spending under Biden, including $750 million on climate change and tax breaks, also drove inflation higher. Biden may have worse cards in 2024, with unemployment likely to rise as growth slows, interest rates remaining high and inflation holding above pre-pandemic levels. Biden also dismissed the sentences of thousands of people with federal offenses for simple marijuana possession, a disproportionately non-white group. The Biden administration also has faced scrutiny over its handling of record numbers of unaccompanied children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.

☆ Chinese retailers helped lift Meta's first-quarter sales in a tough online advertising market
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Meta can thank Chinese retailers for helping lift the company's first-quarter sales after three consecutive quarters of revenue declines. It's a sign that China's recent easing of its zero-Covid policy has indirectly benefited Meta, with Chinese companies using Facebook and Instagram's massive reach around the world to land new customers. Still, Meta's sales grew only 3% year over year to $28.65 billion during the first quarter, underscoring that there's still turbulence in the digital advertising market. Li said that Meta also saw stronger demand in the quarter as Russia's war in Ukraine passed its one-year mark as of February. Indeed, the company's Reality Labs unit, which is building the virtual reality and augmented reality technologies needed for the yet-to-be developed metaverse, logged nearly $4 billion in first-quarter losses off $339 million in sales.

☆ I increased a property's value by $78,000 with DIY renovations that cost under $2,000. See the before-and-after pictures, plus how I stayed on budget.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Salina Jivani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A friend asked for Juliff's help to refresh her London apartment on a tight budget of under $2,000. Here's how she increased the home's value by $78,000, as told to Salina Jivani. During this time, my husband and I decided to sell our apartment in London and purchase anotherOur apartment sold in January 2021, but our purchase fell through. Upon hearing our dilemma, a close friend reached out to another person in her network who had an empty apartment in London. Once the remodeling was over, my friend got the apartment appraisedThe real-estate agency valued the home at $78,000 more than before.

☆ Jacinda Ardern: Former New Zealand leader is heading to Harvard
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —After stepping down as leader of New Zealand earlier this year, Jacinda Ardern has revealed that she is swapping the rough and tumble of politics for a stint of quiet reflection within academia overseas, heading to Harvard University this fall under two fellowships. She was appointed to dual fellowships at the Harvard Kennedy School, the university’s school of public policy and government, according to a news release by Harvard. Jacinda Ardern leaving New Zealand's Parliament for the last time as Prime Minister on January 25, 2023 in Wellington, New Zealand. “Jacinda Ardern showed the world strong and empathetic political leadership,” said Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf in the news release. Within a year, she had become only the second world leader to give birth in office.

☆ Airbnb has descended on America's small cities. Now locals must decide how to contain it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

In cities both small and large, some locals are calling out short-term rentals for making housing more expensive. The same question is perplexing local governments and fueling impassioned locals to weigh in: What should we do about Airbnb-style, short-term rentals? Jacob Boomsma/Getty ImagesFor Bozeman Tenants United, it's simple math: Bozeman homes should be occupied by Bozeman residents first, before out-of-towners. Formed in 2020, Bozeman Tenants United surveyed Bozeman residents on the most pressing issues in local housing and landed on short-term rentals. Fire Thunder said the increase of short-term rentals and vacation-owned properties is just one harbinger of a concerning trend.

☆ UK house prices show weak rise in April, Rightmove says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 24 (Reuters) - Asking prices for property being put on sale in Britain over the past month rose less than normal for the time of year, figures from property website Rightmove showed on Monday, adding to signs of more subdued momentum in the property market. Rightmove said that average asking prices were up by 0.2% over the month, less than the average 1.2% gain seen at this time of year. Compared with a year earlier, asking prices were 1.7% higher, down from a 3.0% annual increase a month earlier. Rightmove said transaction volumes were now back to around the level they were before the start of the pandemic. ($1 = 0.8045 pounds)Reporting by David Milliken, Editing by Kylie MacLellanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Opinion | Gun Idolatry Is Destroying the Case for Guns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( David French | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

And yes, I support gun rights, not just for hunting or shooting sports, but for the purpose of self-defense. I’ve written in support of gun rights for years. In a fallen and dangerous world, a responsible, trained gun owner could help keep his or her family safe. But the gun rights movement is changing. A cheerleader accidentally tries to get in the wrong car and is pursued and shot, along with her friend.

☆ Your work-from-home carbon footprint is bigger than you think—3 ways to shrink it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The waters of Venetian canals cleared up; animals around the world roamed freer without the threat of human presences. Daily global carbon emissions were down 17% by April 2020 as compared to the same period a year earlier, according to a study in the journal Nature Climate Change. Carbon emissions have climbed back to their pre-pandemic levels. Now, more workers are powering more workspaces — at the office, at home and anywhere else you can open a laptop. Harrison says there are a few steps workers can take to make their hybrid work life more sustainable:

☆ Dominic Raab, U.K. Deputy Prime Minister, Resigns Amid Bullying Scandal
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Mark Landler | Stephen Castle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Dominic Raab, Britain’s deputy prime minister, resigned on Friday after an investigation into claims that he had bullied subordinates, as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak struggles to put a legacy of scandal behind his Conservative government. Mr. Raab, a hard-line Brexiteer who is one of Mr. Sunak’s most loyal political allies, had long denied allegations of abusive behavior. But the investigation, by an independent barrister, laid out a litany of cases in which civil servants accused Mr. Raab, who also serves as justice secretary, of mistreating them. Mr. Raab becomes the third cabinet minister in six months to be forced out over ethics issues, illustrating again the challenge that Mr. Sunak has had in delivering his promise to lead a government of “integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level.”Mr. Sunak rose to power after his former boss, Boris Johnson, was caught in a whirlpool of scandals, most prominently a series of Downing Street parties that violated lockdown rules. His immediate predecessor, Liz Truss, was forced out after her trickle-down tax cuts backfired.

☆ People said her business idea wouldn’t work — but it’s now a blooming beauty empire
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

When Trinny Woodall founded her skincare and makeup company Trinny London in 2017, she was often met with skepticism. But since then, she has turned it into a successful business, seeing a sales boom during the coronavirus pandemic. Trinny London products include makeup in a wide range of shades, colors and coverage intensity, as well as skincare tailored to specific skin types and issues. Speaking to CNBC's Tania Bryer last month, Woodall explained that she believes being an online business helped her when the coronavirus pandemic hit. One of the ways Woodall has done this is through social media, both through her own and Trinny London's accounts and online Trinny London community groups, known as "Trinny Tribes."

CNN —A young Chinese woman who was arrested after attending a peaceful protest against Covid-19 restrictions in Beijing last year has been released alongside several of her friends after four months in police custody, according to a source familiar with their situation. Cao was released Wednesday evening, according to a source with direct knowledge. Three of her friends who were detained around the same time in December were also released, according to the source, who learned of their situation through mutual friends. Under Chinese law, the two others released alongside Cao would also likely have been formally charged to remain in custody until Wednesday, though CNN has not confirmed their charges. Two others in the group were released on bail in January, CNN confirmed at the time, while two more were released in February, according to the source familiar with the situation of those released this week.

☆ A New York woman lost all her belongings to a moving company scam. She got a $10,000 settlement, but is living with her parents and scraping together 5 part-time jobs to make ends meet.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The 45-year-old lactation consultant won about $10,000 by suing the moving company. There weren't a lot of options available when it came to moving companies, but she eventually found Gold Standard Relocation. Everything seemed normal on Wagner's moving day — until the movers didn't show up and the company wouldn't answer the phone. She'd already paid the moving company about $4,300 to transport and store more than 70 boxes of her things and many furniture pieces for six months. Fraudulent moving companies will often offer customers a low estimate and deposit price, and then demand additional exorbitant fees after taking their belongings hostage.

☆ Wall Street turns even more bullish on China's economy as the end of zero COVID boosts growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Some of Wall Street's top banks raised their forecasts for China's economy this week. The banks all predict China's GDP will grow by around 6% in 2023. UBS also turned more bullish on China's economy, raising its year-end prediction to 5.7%. "We expect China's GDP to peak around 8% in the second quarter before easing to around 5.5% in the second half of the year." "This will bring the full year GDP growth to at least 5.7%, in our view," the strategists added.

☆ Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Makes His White House Run Official
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Trip Gabriel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than half a century after his father sought the White House to end a calamitous war in Vietnam and to salve the country’s racial strife, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a presidential campaign on Wednesday built on re-litigating Covid-19 shutdowns and shaking Americans’ faith in science. Mr. Kennedy, a California resident, traveled to Boston, once the citadel of his family’s power, to declare that he would challenge President Biden for the Democratic nomination in a long-shot bid for the White House. Appearing at the Park Plaza Hotel — a favorite fund-raising venue of his uncle Ted Kennedy’s — he sought to wrap himself in the Kennedy political luster at an event saturated, in words and images, with reminiscences of his father as well as another uncle, President John F. Kennedy. In a rambling speech lasting nearly two hours, Mr. Kennedy, 69, evoked his father’s 1968 campaign and death, and spoke at length about his career as an environmental lawyer. He also aimed criticisms at the pharmaceutical industry, big social media companies that he accused of censorship, Mr. Biden’s commitment to the war in Ukraine and former President Donald J. Trump’s “lockdown” of the country early in the pandemic.

☆ 'Love Is Blind' is hell on earth: Contestants say producers deprived them of food and sleep, preyed on their anxieties, and refused to let them quit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Katie Warren | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

After the 10 days, cast members must decide whether they want to get engaged to another contestant sight unseen — or go home. The season-two contestant Nick Thompson said "Love Is Blind" didn't adequately support its cast members — during or after filming. Many cast members believed "Love Is Blind" would be a cut above other reality shows. The first evening in Cancún, producers told Ruhl she couldn't attend a party for all the newly engaged couples because they thought she might have COVID-19. In a later episode he again became infuriated and threatened to leave when Reed came home late from clubbing with other cast members.

☆ Jake Gyllenhaal and Jamie Lee Curtis spent the Covid-19 lockdown together
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Marianne Garvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —It’s sourdough bread and handstands for Jake Gyllenhaal and Jamie Lee Curtis. Curtis, who won best supporting actress Oscar at lthe 2023 Academy Awards, is friends with Gyllenhaal’s parents, director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner. He and Jeanne lived in the house next door that I have. “He made a lot of sourdough bread, a lot,” Lee said. It also stars Alexander Ludwig, Antony Starr, Bobby Schofield and Jonny Lee Miller.

☆ Angry Tesla Shanghai workers vent to Elon Musk over bonus cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Tesla China-made Model 3 vehicles are seen during a delivery event at its factory in Shanghai, China January 7, 2020. The situation marks a rare outburst of discontent at Tesla's Shanghai plant, whose workers Musk praised last year for burning "the 3 a.m. oil" to keep operations running during the city's two-month COVID lockdown. Some took to Twitter, owned by Musk and blocked in China, to tweet to the billionaire, his mother Maye Musk, and Tesla. "Please pay attention to the performance (bonus) of frontline workers at Tesla's Shanghai factory being arbitrarily deducted," said a person with the handle @AFeiywu on Twitter in a tweet directed at Elon Musk and Tesla's Asia unit. She recently completed a two-week tour in the country during which she visited the Shanghai factory and promoted her memoir.

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