DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Kusama Takes On the Infinite With a Sly Wink
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Will Heinrich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Once a high-profile fixture of the 1960s New York avant-garde, Yayoi Kusama has long since become an icon, in the sense of a visually recognizable brand. Like Coca-Cola, it also goes with anything: A recent collaboration with Louis Vuitton even included Instagram and Snapchat filters. The downside of being a brand might be a certain predictability. Each partial circle is hard against an edge, so that, with its reflection, it appears whole. Among other things, this means that your gaze doesn’t pause at the edge, instead gliding painlessly right into the mirror world.

☆ Elon Musk’s Twitter Show Makes Sense. Yes, Really. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( David Nasaw | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

His Starlink satellites provide “internet to the most remote areas,” including boats on “waters all around the world.” Twitter will give us the unvarnished, uncensored news that the mainstream press quashes. The result, which Mr. Musk champions, has been an outpouring of individual truths on the site. Chief among the citizen journalists tweeting forth their truths is Mr. Musk himself. Promoting Twitter-style “free speech,” Mr. Musk eschews debate, dialogue, argument. Instead of promoting the dialogue across ideological boundaries that we require, Mr. Musk sows mistrust, which deepens the divide.

☆ Where the royal family goes in London, from Indian restaurants to theme parks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Well, they’re not, obviously – but sometimes they do put down their tiaras, leave their palaces and join the hoi polloi at restaurants, bars and even theme parks. He once called Brilliant Restaurant in Southall, west London his favorite Indian restaurant – and Gordon Ramsay is also a fan. Stuart C. Wilson/Getty ImagesBack in the noughties, party Prince Harry was a regular at Mahiki, a Tiki-themed bar-club-restaurant in Mayfair. Simon Dack/AlamyIn his memoir “Spare,” Prince Harry wrote about popping out to shop for clothes at T.K. Toby Melville/Getty ImagesThe-then Meghan Markle was apparently spied In the heart of Chelsea while she was engaged to Prince Harry, getting a facial from Sarah Chapman.

☆ In Transylvania, Anyone With $200 Can Live Like a King. (Well, One Specific King.)
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( David Segal | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Kalnoky, who is tall, urbane and fluent in five languages, was raised in exile in Paris, where his family resided after Communists took over Romania. As a count from Transylvania, he would like to cordially invite everyone to spare him the Dracula jokes. The story of how King Charles came to own a guesthouse in Romania starts with one of Mr. Kalnoky’s ancestors. That factory has long since vanished from what is today the right-next-door village of Zalánpatak, population 94. “As he was describing his dream house, I realized that I might know that very house,” he recalled.

☆ Why the producers of 'Queer Eye' and Peacock's 'Swedish Death Cleaning' show believe they're 'in a really good position' to ride out a Hollywood writers' strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

"Queer Eye" creator Scout Productions is betting its time is now, with a Hollywood writers' strike looming. It's working with Kristen Stewart on a "super-gay ghost hunting" reality series, as the star touted it on Instagram. It's also plotting a return to its scripted content roots. "They are very Scout shows in our storytelling process, but they're also shows that fit, that can be international, they can be domestic only. Joel Chiodi, head of documentaries and SVP of strategic development, contended that Scout's content "may not be broad, but we're enough in the mainstream, just pushing a little more."

☆ Biden Faces His First Big Choice on Debt Limit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Jim Tankersley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“In our history, we have never defaulted on our debt or failed to pay our bills. Congressional Republicans must act immediately and without conditions to avoid default.”But that does not mean Mr. Biden will be able to maintain his current posture toward Mr. McCarthy indefinitely. Administration officials have pushed business groups to pressure Republicans to pass a no-strings debt limit increase. “I’m happy to meet with McCarthy, but not on whether or not the debt limit gets extended,” Mr. Biden told reporters at the White House on Wednesday. More recently, officials across the administration have blasted the Republican bill for potentially cutting spending on popular programs for veterans, students and more.

☆ Trump offered pizza to supporters in a Florida restaurant, asking: 'Does anybody want a piece that I've eaten?'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Donald Trump stopped by a pizza restaurant in Fort Myers, Florida, after giving a speech. A video shows him offering a half-eaten slice of pepperoni pizza to supporters. Over 100 supporters rushed to see Trump as he stopped to get pizza, causing "pandemonium," according to local outlet Wink News. The former president stopped by the eaterie after giving a speech at the Lee County GOP's 2023 Lincoln-Reagan Dinner. The event included speeches from Rep. Greg Steube, Rep. Byron Donalds, and political operative Roger Stone.

☆ From 'Queer Eye' to gay ghost hunters, Scout Productions execs reveal how they built a reality TV powerhouse that's well armed for a Hollywood writers' strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Reality TV powerhouse Scout Productions is betting its time is now, with a Hollywood writers' strike looming. It's working with Kristen Stewart on a "super-gay ghost hunting" reality series, as the star touted it on Instagram. The company also revealed to Insider that it's developing an unscripted series with Janelle Monáe and her production company, Wondaland. It's also plotting a return to its scripted content roots. "They are very Scout shows in our storytelling process, but they're also shows that fit, that can be international, they can be domestic only.

☆ Snoop Dogg, his ape and a question of celebrity hype
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Elle Reeve | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The Bored Apes became some of the most famous NFTs after a series of celebrities said they got one. The Bored Ape crazeSnoop Dogg performs with his Bored Ape character, Dr. Bombay, in February 2023. He sold his versions as RR/BAYC with an accompanying website that detailed claims the Bored Apes contained references to racist memes on 4chan, a troll website. In March 2022, Snoop invested in Yuga Labs, and the month after, he invested in MoonPay. In the VMAs video, Eminem turns into a white ape wearing “hip hop clothes,” while Snoop becomes a cheetah-fur ape wearing a “pimp coat,” according to Yuga Labs’ description.

☆ Goldman Sachs says buy oil-stock pullbacks, highlighting a Club name to purchase
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Goldman Sachs said in a research note Thursday the recent energy sector pullback should be viewed as a reason to buy since that strategy has worked well since late 2020. West Texas Intermediate crude and energy stocks have been under intense pressure in recent weeks on the back of heightened recession fears. Based on that criteria, Goldman has Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) on its "Americas Conviction List" with a buy rating. Recognizing the ups-and-downs of owning energy stocks, we still believe they should be part of any diversified portfolio. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

☆ Oil prices rise 2% after Russia says it will cut output by 500,000 barrels a day
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A work-over rig performs maintenance on an oil well in the Permian Basin oil production area near Wink, Texas August 22, 2018. Russia will cut oil output by 500,000 barrels per day in March, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday, following Western bans on Moscow's crude and oil products implemented in the past few months. The announced production decline amounts to roughly 5% of Russia's latest crude oil output, which Paris-based watchdog the International Energy Agency estimated was down at 9.77 million barrels per day in December. He noted that the cut does not apply to gas condensate and will be calculated from actual output levels, not from Russia's quota under the OPEC+ output agreement. The EU implemented bans on seaborne imports of crude oil on Dec. 5 and of oil products this week.

☆ How M&M’s is making the most of its spokescandies controversy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Given the outsize attention, some think M&M’s announcement is a PR stunt to hype its upcoming Super Bowl commercial. M&M’s relatively subtle changes aimed at inclusivity didn’t seem like they were designed to spark much controversy, if any. At the Washington Post, for example, an opinion piece declared “the M&M’S changes aren’t progressive. “In the last year, we’ve made some changes to our beloved spokescandies,” M&M’s said. “The original colorful cast of M&M’s spokescandies are, at present, pursuing other personal passions,” Wesley said.

Today, there are 54 Hispanic American banks and credit unions that are FDIC or NCUA insured around the US. We selected Hispanic American-owned credit unions from the National Credit Union Administration's list of minority depository institutions which was also updated in September 2022. In our list of Hispanic American-owned banks and credit unions, many of the institutions listed offer customer support in Spanish and English. You can open up savings accounts, checking accounts, CDs, and money market accounts in most of the institutions listed. To help you learn more about a specific Hispanic American-owned bank or credit union, we've included links to reviews of individual institutions.

On the surface, Brittney Griner and Viktor Bout are accused of ludicrously different crimes. Bout’s outsized importance to Russia has always been the bigger puzzle. I have seen videos of Bout in the Congo and across Africa, where he was pretty close to the conflicts there. There were suggestions too that he had served alongside senior Russians who are now close to President Vladimir Putin. This is a man who many ordinary Russians may have heard of, and he certainly is of mythological importance to the Russian elite.

☆ Tampax forced to apologize for 'creepy' tweet after being accused of sexualizing women
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The US arm of the tampon company tweeted their spin on a well-used meme, saying: "You're in their DMs. People immediately expressed outrage with the tweet, saying it "sexualized" women's healthcare and was "demeaning" towards women. Others said the tweet was "creepy," considering minors often use Tampax products during menstruation, Sky News reported. In response to the backlash, the company, owned by Procter & Gamble, tweeted an apology saying they "messed up." "Women and girls want sanitary products they can trust, not wink, wink sexualization of a basic biological function.

☆ Ex-Obama aide says Trump will deny he knows Nick Fuentes but continue to 'wink and nod' at white supremacists
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Taylor Ardrey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An ex-Obama aide said Trump denying knowing Nick Fuentes is his "M.O." "He always tries to claim he does not associate with white nationalists," Alaina Beverly told MSNBC. Her comments come after Trump's meetup with Fuentes and Ye in Florida last week. "He always tries to claim he does not associate with white nationalists, that he does not know them. The visit left Trump's advisers to scramble and try to get ahead of the fallout, calling it "a fucking nightmare."

☆ 'Aladdin' turns 30: Alan Menken on the journey of an animated classic
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

To mark the occasion, eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, who nabbed two statuettes for his work on the movie, spoke with CNN about his memories from the making of the prescient classic. Alan Menken, composer: “Aladdin” was started almost simultaneously with “(The Little) Mermaid.” While we were still working on “Mermaid,” we had started “Aladdin,” had a whole take on it and it was shelved. We’re winking at everything and making fun.” We were making fun of a genre, but making fun of a genre clearly can bleed over to making fun of a people. Alan Menken, seen here this month, spoke to CNN about his memories of working on the animated 'Aladdin.' Alan Menken, lower right, with Ron Clements and John Musker and behind the scenes on 'Aladdin' in 1992.

☆ The death of Twitter won't be the dramatic explosion you might expect
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Matt Weinberger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

So I'm confident saying Twitter won't wink out of existence, here one day and gone the next. That said, I'm also confident that Twitter won't be the same after Musk's gambit. Here's how I think will happen:Power users start to abandon ship. The combination of app unreliability and the increasingly-notable absence of power users and influencers will lead to average Twitter users spending less time on the site. If and when users stop refreshing Twitter because it's no longer reliable, they'll start spending more time on other platforms.

Centering on Julia Roberts and George Clooney, two great, aging stars of rom-coms past, “Ticket to Paradise” was always going to be a throwback. Clooney and Roberts play David and Georgia Cotton, a long-divorced couple. The divorced couple who reconcile is an old rom-com trope. Even young gorgeous individuals in a tropical paradise aren’t as effortlessly, gracefully charming as George Clooney and Julia Roberts batting putdowns back and forth. That’s ultimately also the biggest similarity between the two generations of rom-com love.

☆ Meta’s newest VR headset is impressive. Here’s why you probably won’t buy it
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Rachel Metz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN Business —Meta’s newest virtual-reality headset, the Meta Quest Pro, is a slick, powerful device. Buyers can pre-order the Quest Pro as of Tuesday, and it will ship out on October 25. Meta's latest VR headset, the Quest Pro, is aimed at business users and costs $1500. Updated hand controllersThe headset is also more of a mixed-reality headset than a VR headset, as it isn’t meant to block out all ambient light all the time. The Quest Pro headset has sensors that can track your eyes and facial expressions.

☆ Vera Bradley's founders Pat and Barb look back on the last 40 years as they embark into the metaverse
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Chloe Melas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

It was 1982 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Patricia R. Miller was stopping by to introduce herself to new neighbor Barbara Bradley Baekgaard. “The Kappa [Kappa Gamma women’s sorority] house at Michigan State, they kind of brag that they started the company,” Baekgaard said. “We went through all kinds of names, but Barb’s mother’s name was Vera Bradley. Over the next several decades Vera Bradley expanded to bedding, tech and home accessories. Even as the women look back at 40 years of Vera Bradley, the brand is looking ahead and pushing the boundaries of its duffel-bag roots.

Ten foreign fighters, including two Americans who joined the war effort in Ukraine before they were captured and held by Russian forces, were released Wednesday as part of an exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Saudi government had successfully negotiated the release of the foreign fighters and transferred them to Saudi Arabia, where they were "facilitating procedures for their safe return home." The 10 foreign fighters are five British fighters, two Americans, and one Moroccan, Swede and Croatian, according to the Saudi Ministry of Media. U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss said in a tweet that she was elated to hear that the British nationals had been released. They are believed to be the first Americans to be captured during the war between Ukraine and Russia.

☆ Satanic panic is making a comeback, fueled by QAnon believers and GOP influencers
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Brandy-Zadrozny-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Brandy Zadrozny | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +23 min

Utah County Attorney David O. Leavitt speaks on July 31, 2019, in Provo. The accusations were part of a new case from Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith. Discussion about satanism and satanic abuse has increased in recent years, according to data provided to NBC News by Zignal Labs, which analyzes social media conversations. Popular culture and social media have also ferried ideas about satanism and widespread child abuse from fringe to the mainstream. (Anti-LGBTQ politicians and activists have equated LGBTQ people with predators who abuse children as part of a “gay agenda,” the well-worn panic that the gay rights movement’s true motivation is recruitment.

Today, there are 56 Hispanic American banks and credit unions that are FDIC or NCUA insured around the US. We selected Hispanic American-owned credit unions from the National Credit Union Administration's list of minority depository institutions which was also updated on June 30, 2022. In our list of Hispanic American-owned banks and credit unions, many of the institutions listed offer customer support in Spanish and English. You can open up savings accounts, checking accounts, CDs, and money market accounts in most of the institutions listed. To help you learn more about a specific Hispanic American-owned bank or credit union, we've included links to reviews of individual institutions.

☆ Congress needs to stop day trading, says Senator Mark Warner, a former VC and entrepreneur
▼ + stars: | 2022-01-14 | by ( Alex Kantrowitz | Big Technology | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner says members of Congress shouldn't be allowed to trade individual stocks. "The ability to trade, and particularly on a day trade basis, even if you're not doing anything wrong, it looks bad," said Sen. Warner. Nancy Pelosi's argument for allowing stock trading is that federal representatives should not be restricted from participating in the economy. His transactions took place just a week before the House Judiciary Committee advanced its slew of antitrust bills aimed at Big Tech. As he leaned back in his chair in his Washington DC office, Sen. Warner, a seasoned investor, brought the point home.

Search resuls for: "WINK"

25 mentions found