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☆ A professor found $550,000 of 'floating gold' in the entrails of a dead sperm whale. Here's why ambergris is so expensive.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A professor found a lump of ambergris, or "floating gold," worth 500,000 euros in a dead whale. The stone, which was worth 500,000 euros, or around $545,000, was made of ambergris — a strange, naturally-occurring substance that's known as "floating gold." It can be judged by the color of the ambergris, with black having the least ambrein and white the most. Top perfumes are usually made with white ambergris, while substitute chemicals are used in cheaper ones. In 2021, a group of fishermen in the Gulf of Aden sold a chunk of ambergris worth around $1.5 million to a buyer in the United Arab Emirates.

Persons: Antonio Fernández, Alexis Rosenfeld, Richard Sabin Organizations: Service, of Animal Health, Food Security, Universidad, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, National Geographic, United, United Arab Emirates, BBC Locations: Wall, Silicon, La, Gulf, Aden, United Arab

☆ Why Do Mosquitoes Like Me So Much?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Dani Blum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Mosquitoes seek out carbon dioxide (which in part is why they’re so good at finding us), and the more we exhale, the more carbon dioxide we send into the air, inviting bugs our way. If you were to do a vigorous workout outside, you might breathe more heavily and exhale more carbon dioxide, which might usher in mosquitoes, Dr. Potter said. Sweat sends a powerful signal to mosquitoes too, Dr. McBride added — particularly sweat that’s lingered for a few hours, mixing with bacteria on our skin. And if you’ve had a few beach-side beers or happy hour margaritas, you might also emit some alcohol in your sweat, Dr. Bazzoli said, which can lure mosquitoes in. Some fragrant personal care products such as certain perfumes and scented soaps and lotions (including sunscreens) can attract mosquitoes, Dr. Bazzoli said, so if you’ll be spending time outdoors when mosquitoes are around, try to use products that are fragrance-free, and consider skipping the perfume completely.

Persons: Christopher Bazzoli, haven’t, Bazzoli, —, Potter, Sweat, McBride, you’ve Organizations: Cleveland Clinic, Research

☆ Lehmann most influential women's player on Instagram ahead of World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Lori Ewing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Lehmann told talkSPORT recently: "Some people just see Instagram and social media and don't even know I actually play football ... Lehmann, who scored six goals in 31 games for Aston Villa this season and has 38 caps, comes in ahead of Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas, U.S. striker Morgan, and England captain Leah Williamson, who will miss the World Cup with a knee injury. Each Instagram post from Lehmann and Putellas, who in 2021 was the first player to win the UEFA Women's Player of the Year, Ballon d'Or Feminin and The Best FIFA Women's Player award in the same year, deliver over $100,000 of media value to brands. The rankings, created ahead of the World Cup that kicks off on July 20 in Australia and New Zealand, are based on Nielsen's measurement tool InfluenceScope. Cristiano Ronaldo has the most Instagram followers among male players with over 530 million.

Persons: Alisha Lehmann, Alex Morgan, Jon Stainer, Nielsen InfluenceScope, MJ Jones, Roger Federer, Lehmann, talkSPORT, Alexia Putellas, Morgan, Leah Williamson, Putellas, Germany's Jule Brand, Megan Rapinoe, Jordyn Huitema, Alessia Russo, Sakina Karchaoui, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lori Ewing, Ken Ferris Organizations: Nielsen Sports, EA Sports, Coca, Twitter, Aston Villa, UEFA, FIFA, VfL Wolfsburg, Thomson Locations: MANCHESTER, England, Swiss, Spain, U.S, Nielsen's, Marta, Brazil, Canada, France, Australia, New Zealand

☆ Gucci Owner Is Buying Perfume Maker Creed to Grow Its Luxury Empire
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Nick Kostov | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/gucci-owner-to-buy-perfume-maker-creed-1cc0c8ab

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Gucci Owner to Buy Perfume Maker Creed
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Nick Kostov | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Lube That’s Too Chic for the Sock Drawer
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Gina Cherelus | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For Portia Brown, a sex coach in Brooklyn, lube is nonnegotiable. “I don’t think I’ve had sex in the last five years without reaching for a lubricant,” she said. Inside her night stand drawer is an array of personal lubricants: some silicone-based, some oil-based, some infused with CBD. One thing most of them have in common, however, is the chic packaging and bottles they come in, imbuing a sex aid with the allure of a beauty product. Indeed, there is now a “lube aesthetic.”

Persons: Portia Brown, I’ve, Ms, Brown, “, ” Locations: Brooklyn, lube

☆ How AirTags and luggage trackers became the hottest travel accessory
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

That’s right: compact, portable and potentially snatching your perfect vacation from the jaws of lost luggage disaster, the travel accessory of the moment is the humble luggage tracker. “There remain significant problems with lost luggage this year, and this is likely to be worse still in the peak travel period this summer. Possibly because he was one of many: “At one point the agent I was emailing with told me that the building had thousands of lost bags,” he said. Elliot SharodElliot Sharod was one of the first to go viral for tracking his lost luggage through its AirTag. Both Lufthansa and Air New Zealand seemingly banned bag trackers in the hold last year – before swiftly reversing the ban in both cases.

Persons: ” Thomas Romig, Rory Boland, That’s, you’ve, Kate Bevan, it’s, you’ll, you’re, ”, Boland, Jai Rawat, Jai Rawat Jai Rawat, “, –, Virgin, – Rawat, he’d, Rawat, James D, Morgan, Emily McNutt, ” Boland, ’ Elliot Sharod's, Elliot Sharod Elliot Sharod, Sharod, they’re, Bevan, Andrew Kelly, SITA, David Lavorel, Jonas Walzberg, It’s, Boland – Organizations: CNN, Airports, International, SITA, Virgin Atlantic, London Heathrow, Heathrow, Rawat, ‘ Airlines, Samsung Galaxy, “ Passengers, Aer Lingus, Google, Samsung, Apple, Lufthansa, Air New, FAA, Airlines, Reuters, Delta, Twitter, “ Locations: –, London, San Francisco, California, South Africa, Air New Zealand

☆ Elon Musk and Bernard Arnault – the world’s 2 richest people – had the ultimate power lunch in Paris on Friday
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The world's two richest people met for a power lunch in Paris on Friday. Elon Musk and Bernard Arnault, both worth more than $200 billion, dined at the Cheval Blanc hotel. "Power lunch" may have a whole new meaning after the world's two richest people dined in Paris on Friday. Elon Musk and Bernard Arnault, the CEO of LVMH, met at Cheval Blanc, the luxury hotel run by the French luxury conglomerate. Elon Musk and Antoine Arnault at the VivaTech conference in Paris on Friday.

Persons: Elon Musk, Bernard Arnault, Musk's, Alexandre, Antoine, LVMH, Cheval, Musk, he's, Maye Musk, Antoine Arnault, It's, Gonzalo Fuentes, Reuters Musk's, Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, Emmanuel Macron, Macron Organizations: Morning, Bloomberg, Eiffel, French, Reuters Locations: Paris, Cheval Blanc, Europe, France

☆ Roman tweezers: Obsession with hairlessness revealed as more than 50 pairs of tweezers discovered in Britain
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Archaeologists have unearthed dozens of Roman tweezers in Britain, revealing the ancient culture’s obsession with hairlessness. The collection has now gone on display in a new museum at Wroxeter Roman City, which in its prime would have been as large a settlement as Pompeii. The simple tools would have been used not only for plucking eyebrows but for removing any unwanted hair – including in armpits. Usually associated with eyebrow shaping today, tweezers would have been used for general hair removal, including to pluck armpit hair, said English Heritage. The find was made at Wroxeter Roman City, one of the best-preserved Roman towns in Britain.

Persons: Jim Holden, Heritage Cameron Moffett, ”, Moffett, Andrew Maybury, Seneca Organizations: London CNN —, Heritage, English Heritage Locations: Britain, Roman City, armpits, Shropshire, Roman Britain

☆ 2,000 years before 'manscaping' and smooth armpits, the Romans were seriously into hair removal, archaeological findings show
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A team of archaeologists has found that our obsession with hair removal can be traced to Roman times. Hair removal was the way to get "the look" for men and women. Archaeologists working in Wroxeter Roman City, in Shropshire, England, have discovered a huge collection of over 50 tweezers at the settlement that dates from the 2nd to 4th century AD. English HeritageEnglish Heritage has said that the hair removal practices were just as routine for men as they were for women, noting that men who would engage in sports like wrestling would be expected to remove their body hair. Cameron Moffett, English Heritage Curator at Wroxeter Roman City, a new museum that opened last week, told The Times that you "had to have the look.

Persons: —, Cameron Moffett, Seneca, Moffet Organizations: Service, Heritage, English, Times, English Heritage Locations: Wroxeter Roman City, Shropshire, England, Roman City, Wroxeter, Britain

☆ Do We Have to Pay for Our Children’s ‘Platonic Partners’ on Family Vacations?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Philip Galanes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Going forward, gather the children and reiterate your commitment to family travel. Depending on the surplus, you can cover some (or all) of the travel costs of partners and chosen family members — or you can throw those costs back to the children involved. It will serve you better to be inclusive than to decide unilaterally which of your children’s relationships matter more. Image Credit... Miguel PorlanIn the Right, but Keeping QuietMy husband’s father left his mother when my husband was 2. I also ride out gifts I don’t care for if they have sentimental value: family heirlooms, for instance.

Persons: Miguel Porlan, didn’t

☆ NASA looks to spice up astronaut menu with deep space food production
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/4] A team member from Interstellar Lab of Merritt Island, Florida, prepares Daikon Radish sprouts during NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge Phase 2 prize announcement on May 19, 2023. The NASA-sponsored Deep Space Food Challenge prompted Sheehan to modify his invention as a way of producing edible proteins, carbohydrates and fats from the same system. TASTES LIKE ... SEITANThe resulting single-cell protein drink entered in NASA's contest has the consistency of a whey protein shake, Sheehan said. But the imperative for self-contained, low-waste food production requiring minimal resources has become more pronounced as NASA sets its sights on returning astronauts to the moon and eventual human exploration of Mars and beyond. Advances in space-based food production also have direct applications for feeding Earth's ever-growing population in an era when climate change is making food more scarce and harder to produce, Fritsche said.

☆ For the Indigenous, Was This Building a Gesture of Reconciliation? Or an Empty Gift?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Norimitsu Onishi | Nasuna Stuart-Ulin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Near the old perfume counters on the ground floor of the Hudson’s Bay department store in Winnipeg, Canada, a trade dripping with symbolism took place. The 39th “governor” of Hudson’s Bay — North America’s oldest company and one of Canada’s most iconic — accepted from an Indigenous leader two beaver pelts and two elk hides in exchange for the building, the company’s onetime Canadian flagship. The ceremony took place a year ago when Hudson’s Bay, the company once chartered to found the colony that became part of Canada, gave away its shuttered, 600,000-square-foot, six-floor downtown building to a group of First Nations. But what seemed like an act of reconciliation has become a subject of intense debate as the building’s worth and the cost of transforming it have become clearer: Was this a real gift or an empty one? The gift of the building has focused attention on the evolving relationship between Hudson’s Bay and Indigenous people in Canada, as well as their central role in the history of a country founded on the fur trade between them and the company.

☆ As Ukrainian Attack Looms, Putin Faces Setbacks and Disunity in Russian Forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Paul Sonne | Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russian military aircraft are crashing before they even reach Ukrainian airspace. A Russian mercenary boss is releasing one profanity-laced tirade after another, claiming that corrupt Russian generals who “all reek of expensive perfume” are sending soldiers to their deaths. These would seem to be bad weeks for President Vladimir V. Putin, a time when the problems that have plagued his 15-month war since its beginning are only worsening: stretched resources, disorganized defenses and disunity in the ranks. Those problems are now threatening to derail what just weeks ago had seemed finally to be a rare military success in Russia’s grasp: victory in the long-running, bloody battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Russian forces, while still fighting fiercely within the city limits, have retreated from positions on the edges of Bakhmut and according to the Russian Defense Ministry lost two colonels to combat there.

☆ Here are the weirdest items in Uber's annual lost-and-found report, including a Danny DeVito ornament, unicycle, and fake blood
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Uber released its seventh annual "Lost & Found Index" tracking unique lost items. Among the strangest items include fake blood, pets, a Danny DeVito Christmas ornament, and chicken wings. The most commonly lost items include clothes, tech devices, and wallets. Several living things were also reported lost, including multiple dogs, turtles, hamsters, and at least one rat, all safely reunited with their owners. Among the most commonly lost items are more predictable belongings like clothing, wallets, and devices like phones and laptops.

☆ How to put your best travel foot forward for Earth Day 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

But you don’t have to totally cut out travel or stay super close to home to be a good planetary citizen. You need a city that’s dedicated to getting it right to best enjoy an urban biking vacation. Here, we've curated 30 of our favorite corners, including the Thu Bon River, which flows through central Vietnam. A maze of rivers and caves, the UNESCO World Centre is defined by its craggy limestone facades and jade green water. Bruno De Hogues/Photodisc/Getty Images Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park: A UNESCO World Heritage, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is heaven for spelunkers.

☆ A flurry of news outside the portfolio has implications for 3 of our stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Here are three noteworthy news developments over the past two days, which contain useful insights about our stocks. For the full year 2023, Novo now expects sales growth in the range of 24% and 30%, compared to prior estimates of 13% to 19%. In addition, operating profit growth is expected to be in the range of 28% and 34%, up from a prior range of 13% to 19%. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.

"It feels like I'm starting a new chapter in my life, and I'm really excited for it," she says. Chi Baik, 26, lives on $27,000 a year as a Ph.D. student in Seattle. Baik knows most people will think $27,000 is "so little money," but says "I feel very grateful that I'm making that much, that I have a home to live in, especially in Seattle. The unhoused population is really large, and that makes me even more grateful for the money that I am making." She decided to pursue her doctorate earlier than she planned as a sort of break from the demanding work of teaching special ed during the pandemic era.

☆ Louis Vuitton boss Bernard Arnault is only the 3rd person to be worth $200 billion – and his 5 kids are all Nepo babies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Luxury goods mogul Bernard Arnault is the world's richest person. Eric Piermont/Getty ImagesBernard Arnault is currently the world's richest person with a net worth of about $201 billion, according to estimates by Bloomberg. He's only the third person to surpass the $200 billion mark following tech moguls Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, both of whom have since seen their wealth fall. Arnault cofounded LVMH in the 1980s, and is its CEO and chair. Last year LVMH raised the age limit of its CEO from 75 to 80, extending Arnault's possible tenure.

☆ Uber drivers say loud friends, leaving crumbs on seats, and loading the car with bags might be why I don't have a perfect 5-star rider rating
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Four Uber drivers revealed why some passengers have lower ratings than they expected. Loading cars with bags and making drivers wait could also bring ratings down. An Uber driver previously told Insider that people with ratings of between about 4.7 and 4.79 were decent riders, but had "questionable history." Uber drivers have to wait two minutes until they start receiving payment for a ride. Uber introduced the in-app tipping feature in July 2017, allowing passengers to tip drivers after each trip.

☆ Flight attendants say it's okay to recline your seat on a plane, but there's one thing you should never do
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But if there's anybody who can settle the age-old debate, it's flight attendants. Five out of six flight attendants interviewed by Insider all agree: you have the right to recline. "It's definitely not rude to recline your seat," flight attendant Andrew Kothlow of the blog "Two Guys on a Plane" told Insider. "In first class reclining your seat isn't so rude because there's space to recline, but reclining in the main cabin of the plane is," the flight attendant told Insider. Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesBut the passenger etiquette the flight attendants demonstrated more concern toward was their boldly bare-footed customers — and for good reason.

As parenting researchers, we've seen this happen often with highly sensitive kids. But psychologists and neuroscientists have found that, in the right environment, kids with highly sensitive brains have rare advantages. The empathy advantage of highly sensitivity kidsNot only do highly sensitive kids show more creativity, awareness and openness than less-sensitive kids, but they possess an underappreciated trait: empathy. Here are the most common signs of highly sensitive kids: They notice subtle details, such as a teacher's new outfit or when furniture has been moved. Highly sensitive kids have an entirely different approach to their environment, and that is a strength.

☆ Novartis names Firmenich CEO as chairman designate of Sandoz
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Companies Novartis AG FollowSandoz GmbH FollowZURICH, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Novartis (NOVN.S) on Monday announced the appointment of Gilbert Ghostine as chairman-designate of Sandoz, the generics unit Novartis wants to spin off later this year. Ghostine has been CEO of Geneva-based Firmenich, the world's largest privately owned perfume and taste company, since 2014. He will become the chairman of the new board at Sandoz, which is to be formed after its spin-off from Novartis in the second half of 2023, subject to final Novartis Board of Directors and shareholder approvals. Reporting by John Revill Editing by Paul CarrelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ So You Want to Smell Like a Skunk. Why Offbeat Perfume Is Trending
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Amber Kallor | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

“YOU SMELL interesting,” is the best compliment you can give Katya Roelse. “I don’t think perfume is just about smelling good, it’s about being provocative and starting a conversation,” said the 47-year-old professor in Newark, Del. Some of her favorite fragrances include whiffs of brown tape like Comme des Garçons’s eponymous eau and potato like DSH Perfume’s Starry Nightshade. Unlike mass fragrances that rely on celebrities and sex to drive sales, new niche scents entice olfactory sophisticates with eyebrow-raising names (like Dead Dinosaur) and unusual notes (like tar). Some people care “more about their pleasure than emulating a celebrity,” said New York perfumer Frank Voelkl, who’s had a hand in such hyped scents as Ariana Grande’s Ari.

☆ Google is asking employees to test potential ChatGPT competitors, including a chatbot called 'Apprentice Bard'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Google is also testing a chatbot called “Apprentice Bard,” where employees can ask questions and receive detailed answers similar to ChatGPT. Apprentice BardOne of the test products is a chatbot called Apprentice Bard, which uses Google’s conversation technology LaMDA, or Language Model for Dialogue Applications. Apprentice Bard looks similar to ChatGPT: Employees can enter a question in a dialog box and get a text answer, then give feedback on the response. Apprentice Bard replaced Meena, a previous version of a smart chat bot that had launched internally but was later discontinued. In one example circulated internally, a tester asked Apprentice Bard if there will be another round of layoffs at Google.

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