DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ With His Tale of Shipwreck, David Grann Is Steady as He Goes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Jennifer Szalai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

THE WAGER: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, by David GrannThere were multiple moments while reading David Grann’s new book, “The Wager,” about an 18th-century shipwreck, when it occurred to me that the kind of nonfiction narratives The New Yorker writer has become known for share something essential with a sturdy ship. A vessel freighted with historical controversy, tangled facts and monomaniacal characters needs to be structurally sound, containing and conveying its messy cargo. It should be resilient yet nimble enough to withstand the unpredictable waters of readers’ attentions and expectations. The men were survivors of the H.M.S. Wager, a British man-of-war that had left England nearly a year and a half before, part of a squadron that had been tasked with capturing a Spanish galleon filled with treasure.

Text-to-image tools like OpenAI's DALL-E, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and DreamUp can render images in various styles in seconds with a few words of direction. Now those purchasers can use the artist's work without compensating the artist at all," the class-action court filing against Stable Diffusion states. Stable Diffusion did not provide a comment by press time. Companies are selling AI-generated prints and Stable Diffusion can learn to copy an artist's style within hours. Given how new generative AI is, it's not surprising the legal system has yet to catch up.

☆ ‘William F. Buckley Sr.’ Review: Conservatism’s Mexican Roots
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Andrew R. Graybill | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

But unlike Burke, who observed the happenings in France from the safety of England, Buckley was a participant in the drama that unfolded in Mexico, where he had moved in 1908. This is the subject of “William F. Buckley Sr.: Witness to the Mexican Revolution, 1908-1922,” a fascinating if uneven book by the independent historian John A. Adams Jr. Considering the Buckley family’s indelible association with New York City and its leafy environs, it may come as a surprise that Buckley père was raised in South Texas, where he was born in 1881. Will and his siblings grew up poor, “blessed with neither electricity, gas, telephone, running water, nor refrigeration,” as one of the children later recalled. But they were bilingual, perhaps of necessity, given that 90% of the 2,000 residents of San Diego, Texas, their hometown, were of Mexican descent.

Some 65% of respondents - including 46% of Republicans and 68% of independents - said they were less likely to vote for a presidential candidate in 2024 who supports laws banning or severely restricting abortion access. DeSantis last year signed a Florida law banning abortions after 15 weeks, saying the measure would protect "the rights of unborn children." The online Reuters/Ipsos poll had a credibility interval of between around two and four percentage points. The Reuters/Ipsos poll found 61% of respondents nationwide, including 66% of independents, prefer a candidate who opposes allowing medical treatment for minors related to gender identity. Reuters GraphicsThe Reuters/Ipsos poll found that nationwide, women were more likely than men to oppose severe abortion restrictions and permitless concealed guns.

☆ What Worked Against Covid: Masks, Closures and Vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Tom Frieden | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

At the three-year mark of the Covid pandemic, governments are declaring victory, and most people are eager to resume their prepandemic lives. The past three years of fighting Covid feel like a fog of war. Did the world perform well or badly in this massive, varied effort? There are many available metrics, but the death rate is the most important way to assess how effectively we managed the pandemic’s health risks. “The death rate is a fact,” William Farr, a British physician and epidemiologist, wrote 150 years ago.

☆ Why Everyone Is Moving to Florida: Jobs, Economy, Cost of Living, Taxes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Emil Skandul | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

For other states to compete, they will need to pay attention to what Florida is doing right. Floridians pay no income tax and fewer taxes overall than people in states like New York, California, or Massachusetts. But a low tax rate isn't the only thing people care about. Despite having a budget half the size of New York's and a larger population, Florida, by many metrics, is able to do significantly more with the taxes it collects. Florida is also outshining New York and other major population centers in tackling the soaring cost of housing.

☆ Canada has firepower to invest billions in green transition, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Steve Scherer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

OTTAWA, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Canada has the firepower to invest billions of dollars in the green transition over the coming years to make it more competitive with the United States, analysts said, while also ensuring its public finances stay on a sustainable path. Because nominal growth is forecast to be weak in the 2023/24 fiscal year, the ratio might creep up before heading downward again. Many in industry say Canada must do more to be a key player in the green transition as the IRA is already spurring investment in the United States. Bartlett estimates Canada could spend an additional C$20 billion ($14.9 billion) per year and keep the net debt-to-GDP ratio below 2021/22's 45.5%, which was the lowest in the G7. Promised investments in the green transition will not "be overly inflationary" and they would provide certainty for investors and businesses, Bartlett said.

Small businesses like his in Britain are being hammered by rising costs which they would struggle to pass onto cash-strapped consumers. It has left many small businesses fighting for survival. Over the course of last year citrus ingredients shot up by between 25% and 35% in price, he said. They now cost nearer to 15 pounds because of a 50% jump in the price of tinned tomatoes. He said: "We're just looking into every single aspect of the expenses that we incur to try and make a living."

☆ 3 arrested following fatal shooting of 11-year-old girl killed in drive-by walking home from store
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Minyvonne Burke | Minyvonne Burke Is A Senior Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Three people were arrested in the death of an 11-year-old girl who was killed in a drive-by shooting as she walked home from a nearby corner store, Syracuse, New York, police said. Brexialee Torres-Ortiz had left her home on Jan. 16 to buy a carton of milk for her family. She was returning home when the suspects allegedly opened fire from a car, targeting a 19-year-old boy. The third suspect, an unidentified 16-year-old boy, was arrested in Lincolndale, New York, with the assistance of state police, authorities in Syracuse tweeted Friday morning. Fitzpatrick said the 16-year-old was a "resident of a juvenile facility" and was on furlough from the facility on the day Brexialee was killed.

Carminatti led as chief geologist the discovery in 2006 of one of the world's largest offsfhore oil deposits this century, the pre-salt. The salt barrier alone was more profound than any well that Petrobras, the world's leader in deep-water exploration, had drilled before. The pre-salt area is now responsible for more than 70% of Brazil's daily production of near 4 million barrels of oil and gas. Past CEOs have failed to convince him to take a post as head of a division in the company. Petrobras experts have compared the oil deposits in the region those of nearby Guyana.

Companies Petroleo Brasileiro SA Petrobras FollowHOUSTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - The new Chief Executive of Brazil's Petrobras, Jean Paul Prates, has picked geologist Mario Carminatti to head the oil company's exploration and production division, people with knowledge of the information said on Friday. Petrobras said in a securities filing it had not received official statements regarding the nomination of any executive. He won praise for the pre-salt discovery, pressing on with drilling though the salt barrier that alone was deeper than any well that Petrobras, the world's leader in deep-water exploration, had drilled before. The pre-salt area is now responsible for more than 70% of Brazil's daily production of near 4 million barrels of oil and gas. Carminatti is currently involved in an almost $3 billion exploration effort in a new frontier North of Brazil, the Equatorial Margin.

Four people were arrested in connection with the alleged rape of Madison Brooks, a Louisiana State University student who was fatally hit by a car shortly after the suspects dropped her off in an East Baton Rouge subdivision. Lee is Washington's uncle, the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office said. Carver told investigators that he, his friends and Lee did not know Brooks prior to meeting her at Reggie's, the report said. When they were about to leave, Brooks asked for a ride home, Carver told detectives. He told CBS affiliate WAFB of Baton Rouge that a rape did not occur.

☆ ByteDance board member: Fight against TikTok based on 'misinformation and misunderstanding'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailByteDance board member: Fight against TikTok based on 'misinformation and misunderstanding'William Ford, General Atlantic chairman and CEO, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the ongoing battle between TikTok and U.S. government. In December 2022, the popular Chinese video app was banned from all U.S. House of Representatives-managed devices.

☆ Philly’s newly ID’d ‘Boy in the Box’ gets grave marker at 70
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The family lived down the street from the potter’s field where the boy was first buried, and placed flowers there on holidays. It’s a confluence of great detective work, cutting-edge science and the careful art of genealogical research, retired city detective William Fleisher said in his graveside remarks Friday. “It is a big part of our city’s history, a big part of the Philadelphia Police Department’s history. So this is everybody’s victory.”Police now believe the boy lived in West Philadelphia, miles across town from where his body was found. “This has been our whole lives, with this boy, our whole entire lives, since we were children,” said Kim Augustine, 56, Braxton’s sister.

☆ One more thing for Democrats to fix: the Republican Party
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Neal Urwitz | Neal Urwitz Is A Public Relations Executive In Washington | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

And that, ironically, means Democrats must focus on fixing the Republican Party. And the current iteration of the Republican Party would strip away American democracy. Is it someone who is likely to make the Republican Party more or less responsible? Will that Republican Party abide by American laws and American democracy? Democracy will only survive if Democrats have done our part to create a responsible Republican Party.

Several Latinos whose lives and work left a profound imprint on American institutions — from arts and entertainment to legal and civil rights — passed away in 2022. Cavazos began his education in a two-room schoolhouse on the King Ranch in Texas, where his father was a foreman. President Reagan named Cavazos Secretary of Education in 1988, making him the first Hispanic ever to serve in the U.S. Together, “Luis” and Maria” showed young audiences that Latinos were people who worked, fell in love and were part of their community. Her goals were to give Latinos a presence in the dance world, and to instill pride in Hispanic culture.

☆ Photos: Prince William and Kate visit Boston
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Britain's Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, arrive for the Earthshot Prize awards at the MGM Music Hall in Boston, Massachusetts on Friday, December 2. Produced by CNN Digital's Photo TeamBritain's Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, are in Boston this week to attend the Earthshot Prize Awards that William founded two years ago. This is the couple's first trip to the United States since they visited New York City eight years ago. Prince William, the heir to the British throne, founded his climate change prize in the hope of harnessing the world's smartest minds to confront some of the most pressing environmental challenges facing humanity. Each year for the next decade, five winners will receive £1 million (around $1.12 million) to fund their creative solutions to the climate crisis.

☆ Ex-GOP congressman says Trump's Mar-a-Lago dinner with white supremacist Nick Fuentes 'further diminishes' the former president as a 'serious' political figure
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ex-Rep. Charlie Dent on Saturday criticized Trump for dining with Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago. "This is simply inexcusable that he would have dinner with this noted white nationalist," Dent said. "This is simply inexcusable that he would have dinner with this noted white nationalist, antisemite Nick Fuentes, and of course, Kanye West with all of his baggage. "It also speaks to a larger problem for former President Trump — that there apparently are no gatekeepers. "But finally, I guess I would say this further diminishes Donald Trump as a serious political figure.

☆ How to Outsmart Your Relatives at Thanksgiving
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( William Flannigan | Matthew Riva | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Economic woes may stick aroundThe Federal Reserve combats inflation by increasing interest rates in an attempt to curb demand. Because of the overheated job market, inflation might become entrenched. Last month, prices eased but remained high. Slowing growth is also leading to a lot of layoffs, particularly in the tech sector. Home prices have slid from their springtime highs, but prices in most areas remain higher than a year ago because supply remains limited.

☆ Results: Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney loses his bid for reelection against Republican Michael Lawler in New York's 17th Congressional District election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Hanna Kang | Dorothy Cucci | Nov | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney was defeated by Republican Michael Lawler in New York's 17th Congressional District. The 17th District is located in the lower Hudson Valley. Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney lost his bid for reelection against Republican Michael Lawler in New York's 17th Congressional District. 2022 General EmbedsNew York's 17th Congressional District candidatesMaloney, who was first elected to the US House in 2012 after defeating Republican incumbent Nan Hayworth, serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Voting history for New York's 17th Congressional DistrictNew York's 17th Congressional District is located in the lower Hudson Valley and includes Rockland and Putnam counties, parts of Westchester, and three towns in southeast Dutchess County.

☆ Your Duty as a Voter Is to Take the Election Seriously
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Peggy Noonan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Surely the votes of the thoughtful and informed should be counted more heavily than those of the frivolous and knee-jerk. If we did it that way, she said, the Democrats would have just won in a sweep and not gone down to defeat. Buckley replied that he too wished the votes of the more knowledgeable were given greater weight as this would ensure conservative victories for generations. My modest hope as Tuesday approaches is that all ballots be cast only after much thought. We say that voting is our right and duty and it certainly is our right, enshrined in that old Constitution, but our duty is to take a serious interest in our country, state and city, and be part of an informed citizenry.

☆ Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney faces off against Republican Michael Lawler in New York's 17th Congressional District election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Hanna Kang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney is running against Republican Michael Lawler in New York's 17th Congressional District. The 17th District is located in the lower Hudson Valley. New York's 17th Congressional District candidatesMaloney, who was first elected to the US House in 2012 after defeating Republican incumbent Nan Hayworth, serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Prior to his congressional career, Maloney served as senior advisor to former President Bill Clinton. Voting history for New York's 17th Congressional DistrictNew York's 17th Congressional District is located in the lower Hudson Valley and includes Rockland and Putnam counties, parts of Westchester, and three towns in southeast Dutchess County.

☆ Three adults arrested on charges of 100 counts of animal cruelty after hoarding more than 200 cats, police say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Police arrested three Connecticut adults last week and charged each of them with more than 100 counts of animal cruelty after they were found hoarding what authorities estimate were more than 200 cats. A dozen cats had to be taken for emergency vet care, NBC Connecticut reported at the time, adding that most also had fleas. Through a subsequent investigation, authorities proved the family owned at least 106 of the cats, using records from veterinarians and statements from the family, Fitzgerald said. The cats have since been distributed to shelters throughout the state, and some have been adopted, according to Fitzgerald. The house where they were found has since been condemned, NBC Connecticut reported.

☆ Louisiana native, author Ernest Gaines to appear on US stamp
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Gaines’ stamp offers an impressive representation of the man I knew and admired, and it reminds me of the immeasurable grace, strength and character he displayed throughout his life and through his words,” said Dr. Joseph Savoie, UL-Lafayette president. The book that earned widespread notice for Gaines, “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,” is a first-person narrative of a fictional 110-year-old woman born into slavery. Published in 1971, the novel’s inspiration was Augusteen Jefferson, Gaines’ disabled aunt who helped raise him. “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” and “A Gathering of Old Men” (1984) became honored television movies. Gaines’ novels, which have drawn comparisons to the writings of William Faulkner and Charles Dickens, have been published in at least 17 languages.

Supporters of gay marriage rally in front of the Supreme Court in Washington June 25, 2015. The Supreme Court in 2013 let Walker's ruling stand, paving a way for same-sex couples to marry in California. The Supreme Court in June 2015 in a landmark ruling of its own legalized gay marriage nationwide, ruling along the same constitutional grounds as Walker. The Supreme Court in 2010 rejected a bid to allow the trial to be publicly broadcast, finding that such a step was not allowed under the San Francisco federal court's rules. San Francisco-based KQED in 2017 asked a federal court to "unseal the tapes and permit them to be viewed by everyone."

Search resuls for: "William F"

25 mentions found