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The demise of the deal negotiations underscores the challenges facing private equity firms seeking to put together leveraged buyouts. New Relic has been negotiating with potential acquirers since last year, Reuters has reported, and it's possible that deal talks resume some time in the future, the sources added. New Relic and Francisco Partners did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while TPG declined to comment. San Francisco-based New Relic develops cloud-based software to help websites and application owners track the performance of their services. New Relic has previously been targeted by several activist hedge funds including Jana Partners, Engaged Capital and Eminence Capital.

☆ Even Apple will have a hard time making the metaverse cool
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Apple must do what no other tech company has done: make the metaverse cool. The iPhone maker is widely expected to debut its mixed-reality headset next month. The company's making a risky move as the tech world retreats from the metaverse and fixates on AI. In other words, Apple has more to lose by not making a wager on a mixed-reality headset than if it did. "If you believe there's something beyond a smartphone then it's probably the metaverse," Munster said.

☆ Software Company New Relic in Talks to Be Sold
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Laura Cooper | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ TPG, Francisco Partners in talks to buy analytics firm New Relic - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 17 (Reuters) - Private-equity giants Francisco Partners and TPG (TPG.O) are jointly planning a bid of more than $5 billion to acquire data analytics company New Relic (NEWR.N), a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. Reuters was the first to report in July that the U.S. business software company was preparing to explore a potential sale following interest from private equity firms. The San Francisco-based company had a market capitalization of roughly $5.78 billion, as of Wednesday's close. The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, while Francisco Partners and TPG declined to comment. New Relic develops cloud-based software to help websites and application owners track the performance of their services.

☆ Brooklyn’s Batcave Reborn as Gotham’s Art Factory
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Hilarie M. Sheets | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Rising at the edge of Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal — a rezoned superfund site with developers racing to build — the colossal industrial relic known locally as the Batcave has found its own Bruce Wayne. Consider it his gift to Gotham. On May 19, the nonprofit organization celebrates its grand opening, inviting a broad swath of the art world, city government and local residents to tour its state-of-the-art facilities designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in partnership with PBDW Architects. The conceptual artist Lorna Simpson, who’s collaborated with Powerhouse’s print shop, sees all kinds of opportunities for cross-pollination between media in the new building. “I really had ceramic envy walking through Powerhouse,” Simpson said, imagining that artists will have ideas that “can branch into something else that happens within the building because you can easily look at samples or have a conversation about technique.”

☆ Debt ceiling threat: Time to take this political football off the field
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Christine Romans | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

In theory, the debt ceiling should act as a fiscal restraint during the budgeting process. Deciding later not to pay the bills by not raising the debt ceiling is not sound fiscal policy. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, a Republican, has said the debt ceiling is counterproductive. And the CEO of the nation’s biggest bank, JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon turns visibly frustrated at the subject of the debt ceiling. KPMG Chief Economist Diane Swonk says the politicization of the debt ceiling has weakened America.

☆ The US wants to cut carbon emissions from power plants. Here are the 15 states where coal is king.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Biden administration proposed steep pollution cuts by coal- and gas-fired power plants. Most US electricity comes from fossil fuels — the sector creates 25% of the nation's emissions. Coal is the most polluting fossil fuel, and plants have been closing over the past decade. Most of the country's more than 3,400 fossil-fuel power plants would have to nearly eliminate their planet-warming greenhouse-gas emissions by 2040 under a proposal announced by the Environmental Protection Agency last week. Coal plants could also opt to shut down in the first half of the 2030s to avoid meeting most or even all pollution caps.

Persons: Biden, it's Organizations: Service, Environmental, Agency, EPA, Biden, US Energy Information Administration, West Virginia —, Missouri —, Wyoming, Kentucky —, Utah —, Indiana —, Dakota —, Nebraska —, Montana —, Wisconsin —, Colorado —, Mexico —, Arkansas —, Michigan —, Minnesota — Locations: Mexico

☆ The Biden administration built a 'digital wall' by requiring asylum-seekers to use a glitchy app in the aftermath of Title 42, immigration experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Azmi Haroun | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

That's because the Biden administration is handling almost all asylum claims through a glitchy app. Friday marked the official end of Title 42, a public health measure imposed by the Trump administration in March 2020. The catch, immigration advocates said, is that the app is borderline unusable for many migrants who have reached the border. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)Advocates working at the border told Insider that on the day Title 42 expired, the app was not working. The Biden administration did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.

☆ ‘A Trump tribute act’: Meet Suella Braverman, the commander-in-chief of Britain’s culture wars
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

London CNN —Late last year, after a breakneck ascent of British politics put her in charge of the country’s migration, crime and national security agenda, Suella Braverman revealed her political fantasy. Leon Neal/Getty ImagesAnd she is an equally furious culture warrior, borrowing rhetoric from the American right when lambasting “woke” culture, transgender rights and climate protesters. Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP/Getty ImagesIt is a stance that has drawn sharp criticism – including from within the traditional wing of Braverman’s Conservative Party. Should Braverman succeed at her next bid for the party leadership, her critics fear another rightwards shift in British politics. “She’s recognized that in the current political climate, her way of creating an impact… (is) positioning herself as a Trump tribute act.

☆ A ‘Birth-Year’ Wine Is a Great Gift—Sometimes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Lettie Teague | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

If you’re thinking of bequeathing a bottle from the year a loved one was born, investigate what sort of vintage it was before you invest. Illustration: Nick LuHAVE YOU EVER tasted a wine made the year you were born? Some people will buy a wine for that reason alone. Purchasing “birth-year” wines for loved ones has long been a tradition among oenophiles. But I wonder if it is (still) a good idea, or a relic of an earlier era when wines weren’t styled to be consumed right away, as most are today.

☆ What John Blake discovered when he met the White mother he never knew
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( John Blake | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +25 min

It’s a story about my mother, and the White relatives who shunned me at birth—and still somehow became family. I now know one of the reasons my family didn’t tell me about my mom’s illness is because they didn’t know how. I vividly recall thinking as I looked at my mom: I didn’t know a White person could suffer like this. I saw White, Black, and brown people hug and call each other “brother” and “sister” after worship service. John Blake is a Senior Writer at CNN and the author of “More Than I Imagined: What a Black Man Discovered About the White Mother He Never Knew.”

☆ Science Proves the 4-Day Workweek Prevents Burnout, Helps Productivity
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Shubham Agarwal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

At the time, back in 2018, a New Zealand firm had just wrapped up a landmark trial to test the efficacy of a four-day workweek. A lot of the benefits of the four-day workweek come down to a simple, everyday activity: sleep. A lot of the benefits of the four-day workweek come down to a simple, everyday activity: sleep. Less time, more productiveThough the four-day workweek may seem like a recent phenomenon, it's been decades in the making. But for now, the four-day workweek certainly has the potential to be a far-reaching antidote to pressing workplace concerns such as mass resignations and the burnout crisis.

☆ A 2000-year-old Roman bust that was sold for $35 at a Goodwill in Texas is heading back to its 'rightful' home in Germany
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An ancient Roman marble bust found in Texas will soon return to its "rightful" home in Germany. Laura Young bought the bust in 2018 for just $35 at a Goodwill in Austin, Texas. Laura Young found the bust at a Goodwill in Austin, Texas, in 2018. While the sculpture is currently on display at the San Antonio museum, it will soon return to its "rightful home" when repatriated to Germany next month. Stephennie Mulder (@stephenniem) May 21, 2022"It's been really bittersweet," Young told CNN on Thursday.

Coronations at Westminster Abbey go back almost one thousand years. Like Charles III, William had his coronation at Westminster Abbey. Gross says coronation blunders do not become truly significant for monarchs until their reign starts to go wrong. A “beautiful and symbolic” silver cross containing a piece of the so-called True Cross will lead King Charles’ coronation procession in London next month. Meanwhile, gun salutes will sound from military bases and ships at sea to mark the moment Charles is crowned King.

☆ Pope presents shards from cross of Christ for King Charles' coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] The new Cross of Wales, which will be used in the procession during the Coronation of Britain’s King Charles is seen before a service at Holy Trinity Church in Llandudno, Britain April 19, 2023. REUTERS/Phil NobleLONDON, April 19 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has gifted fragments believed to be from the True Cross on which Jesus was crucified to form part of a new processional cross which will be used at the coronation of Britain's King Charles next month. It features two small shards from the relic donated by the pope which have been shaped into a cross behind a rose crystal gemstone. After the coronation, the cross will be shared between the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches in Wales. "We are delighted too that its first use will be to guide their majesties into Westminster Abbey at the Coronation Service."

Meanwhile, BlackRock is part of another group investing $650 million to build chargers along freight routes. Because port real estate is at a premium, most early drayage charging projects will be "behind the fence" on trucking company property, experts said. Electric trucks cannot operate without chargers, but it does not make sense to build chargers if drivers are not using electric trucks. Prologis, the biggest U.S. warehouse owner, created its mobility business to install electric truck chargers and solar panels. "A marriage between real estate and energy infrastructure" will be needed to accelerate the transition to electric-powered trucking, Prologis Mobility's Holland said.

☆ 1,000-year-old Mayan 'scoreboard' for ancient soccer-like game discovered in Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An ancient stone "scoreboard" was discovered at an archeological site in Mexico earlier this week. The stone depicts two figures playing an ancient soccer-like ball game, experts said. The circular relic was discovered at the Mayan Chichen Itza site in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. A worker shows a circular-shaped Mayan scoreboard used for a ball game found at Chichen Itza's archaeological site during a news conference, in Merida, Mexico April 11, 2023. Mesoamerican people played the ball game as a form of traditional practice, and it is thought to have had ritual connotations, per Reuters.

☆ Why Is America Still Flying the A-10 Warthog, a Cold War Relic?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Daniel Nasaw | Photographs Ash Ponders For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Every day, teams of technicians at a vast Air Force base in Tucson, Ariz., tend to a fleet of attack jets the Pentagon has been trying to retire for more than a decade. They have picked replacement parts from the base’s famous “Boneyard,” where old military planes go for scrap, which stretches far into the surrounding desert. The Air Force has said for years that the A-10 jets, nicknamed Warthogs for their bulky silhouette and toughness in a fight, have passed their prime and will be vulnerable in the wars of the future. The production line where they were made fell silent in the mid-1980s, and the average A-10 here is four decades old. Its job can be done by newer, more advanced planes, the Air Force says.

☆ Drinking is killing Russian troops, according to UK intel. Widespread alcoholism during the first Crimean War 150 years ago resulted in Russia's defeat.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The Crimean War would become another example of the county's war drinking problem cataloged in the annals of Russian history. I don't think it's nearly as important nowadays, as it was during the Russo-Japanese War or World War One, but it's significant, right?" In an interview with Insider, Schrad expanded on the history of Russian drinking during wartime. A lot of it is the consequence of my research topic, which has been alcohol and Russian history. The Crimean War, the Russo-Japanese War, World War I, in particular, were all drunken fiascos.

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Netflix, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, FedEx, Pinterest & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Raymond James upgrades FedEx to outperform from market perform Raymond James said and "undeniable" positive change is underway at the shipping giant. "We are initiating coverage of XPO, one of the largest less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers, in North America, with an Outperform rating and a $44 target price." "We are initiating coverage of Skyworks Solutions, with a Buy rating and $150 target price. Raymond James upgrades Wells Fargo to strong buy from outperform Raymond James said the banking giant is well positioned in the current environment. Raymond James initiates Pinterest as outperform Raymond James said it sees "steady user growth" for Pinterest.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Costco, Bed Bath & Beyond, AMC, FedEx and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Costco — The wholesale retailer's shares dropped 2% after the company announced sales dipped 1.1% year over year in March. Bed Bath & Beyond — The stock tumbled 7% after the retailer proposed a stock split as it attempts to avoid bankruptcy. Analysts covering the stock welcomed the news, with Raymond James upgrading shares to outperform from market perform Thursday morning. Leslie's , Pool — Shares of pool company Leslie's popped 5.4%, while Pool gained 1%, after both names were upgraded by Loop Capital to buy from hold. Craig-Hallum downgraded the stock to hold from buy and Rosenblatt pulled its rating to neutral from buy following the guidance cut.

"Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" is now available to watch in theaters. How to watch 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves'"Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" is now playing exclusively in theaters. "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" is a Paramount movie, so it's expected to stream on Paramount Plus sometime after its exclusive theatrical window. If "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" follows this release strategy, it could hit Paramount Plus on May 15 at the earliest. "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" is based on the popular fantasy roleplaying game, "Dungeons & Dragons," which was first published in 1974.

☆ Starry 'Dungeons & Dragons' film brings fantasy game to big screen
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Hannah Ellison | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/7] Elz the Witch attends the premiere of 'Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves' in London, Britain, March 23, 2023. "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" hits cinemas from next week hoping to entice a new generation of fans with the game which first came out in 1974. "It made me understand why (Dungeons & Dragons) has been around for 50 years." Page, who plays Xenk, said he played his first Dungeons & Dragons game just before starting filming. "I wasn't a player but I had actually watched people play Dungeons & Dragons, which is quite possibly even more involved," he said.

The YouTube subscriber count has quickly become an outdated relic. YouTube shorts has lowered the barrier to entry, making it easier to gain subscribers. "Especially in the world of short-form content, where your viewers are one swipe away from moving onto someone else." Nearly every social platform, from YouTube to Facebook to TikTok, is still working to crack the code for monetizing short-form video well with advertising. Short-form video ad spending worldwide for 2022 to 2028, via Insider Intelligence.

☆ Michael Jordan’s ‘Last Dance’ sneakers are being auctioned off. They could go for millions, and become the most expensive sneakers ever sold.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Michael Jordan's sneakers from 1998 could sell for $4 million, breaking auction records. They are a pair of Air Jordan 13s Jordan wore in the last NBA finals he played for the Chicago Bulls. If sold at their estimated $4 million, they will set a record for the most expensive sneakers ever sold. The shoes are a pair of black and red Air Jordan 13s from Jordan's "Last Dance" — the last championship final Jordan played for the Bulls in 1998. If sold for their estimated price, the Air Jordan 13s will set the record for the most expensive sneakers ever sold, per CBS News, citing Sotheby's.

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