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☆ The Martian Chronicles
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Alec Nevala-Lee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Instead of astronauts, exploration has been left to robots, which attract passionate fans of their own. As Shindell observes, a trip to Mars “always seems to be two or three decades in the future,” allowing policies in the present to be justified or forgiven indefinitely. To his credit, Shindell persuasively argues that Mars is most instructive when it sheds light on how we see ourselves. Proposals for Martian colonies are often tangled up with the language of capitalism and privilege, treating the planet as an escape hatch that minimizes the need to solve problems on Earth. It fills the same imaginative role today that America once did for Europe, which underlines the danger of exporting old assumptions to an undiscovered country.

☆ Sting, Harry Styles and Raye among honourees at Ivor songwriting awards
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Sting and his wife Trudie Styler arrive for The Ivors music and songwriting awards ceremony in London, Britain, May 18, 2023. Sting, who has already won seven Ivor Novello awards, becomes the Academy's 23rd Fellow, joining the likes of Elton John, Paul McCartney, Kate Bush and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Music collective Sault's "11" was named best album while best song musically and lyrically went to "King" by Florence + the Machine. Styles's mega hit "As It Was" won the most performed work category while rock band James received the music icon award. Named after the early 20th century Welsh composer, actor and entertainer Ivor Novello, the Ivor Awards were first handed out in 1956.

☆ The Village People really want Trump to stop playing 'Macho Man' and say a recent cover of it at Mar-a-Lago caused 'public confusion'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Village People have asked Trump to stop using their music and likeness at his events. The letter said a cover band's recent performance of "Macho Man" at Mar-a-Lago caused "public confusion." The letter requested that Trump stop using the band's music and likeness at his events. "The performance has, and continues to cause, public confusion as to why Village People would even engage in such a performance," Willis wrote. The Village People are not the first, and likely won't be the last, musicians to demand Trump stop using their music — artists like Rihanna, Adele, and Elton John have also voiced their disapproval.

May 10 (Reuters) - Roblox Corp (RBLX.N) on Wednesday topped quarterly bookings estimates on Wednesday, as a wider audience swarmed to the platform for games such as "Adopt Me!" However, adjusted loss of 44 cents per share was bigger than analysts' expectation of 40 cents loss per share, according to Refinitiv data. Roblox said higher expenses due to developer exchange fees, personnel costs and infrastructure were the reason behind the bigger loss. "We also expect our operating expenses to increase significantly in future periods", the company said, adding it intends to continue to make investments to grow its business and hire more people. Reporting by Yamini Kalia and Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Roblox quarterly loss widens on higher expenses, shares tank
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 10 (Reuters) - Roblox Corp (RBLX.N) posted a larger-than-expected quarterly loss on Wednesday, hurt by higher expenses to support the expansion of its business, sending the company's shares down 12% in premarket trading. California-based Roblox said higher expenses due to developer exchange fees, personnel costs and infrastructure were the reason behind the bigger loss. Net loss attributable to common stockholders was $268.3 million, or 44 cents per share, in the reported quarter, compared with net loss of $160.20 million, or 27 cents per share, a year earlier. However, the company posted net bookings of $773.8 million in the first quarter, compared with $631.2 million a year earlier. Reporting by Yamini Kalia and Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dolly Parton reveals starry list of collaborators for first rock album
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Dolly Parton performs at the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Los Angeles, California, U.S., November 6, 2022. The 77-year-old revealed the stellar line-up of collaborators on her website on Tuesday, sharing details about the album, which will feature nine original songs and 21 covers. "I'm so excited to finally present my first Rock and Roll album 'Rockstar," Parton said in a statement. Parton will perform her lead original track "World on Fire" at the annual ACM (Academy of Country Music) Awards, which she is co-hosting with fellow country singer Garth Brooks, on Thursday. In an interview with Reuters last month, she said the song was "about the times that we're living in".

☆ Jack Dorsey criticizes Elon Musk’s leadership at Twitter: ‘It all went south’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Twitter's former CEO Jack Dorsey openly criticized Elon Musk's leadership of the company in a series of social media posts Friday, writing that "it all went south" and Musk "should have walked away" from the acquisition. Users of Bluesky, a buzzy new social media platform that is being touted as a potential alternative to Twitter, prompted the discussion. They asked Dorsey if he believed Musk was the right leader for Twitter, to which Dorsey replied, "No." He added that he is glad new social media platforms like Bluesky are being built. In a tweet from April 2022, Dorsey said he trusted Musk's "mission to extend the light of consciousness" through the platform.

☆ What it was like to pilot the supersonic Concorde jet
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +28 min

It’s said that during the aircraft’s 27 years of service, there were more qualified American astronauts than there were British Airways Concorde pilots. Supersonic flyingA photo of Concorde pilot Barbara Harmer, Concorde at the controls for a London to New York flight in 1993. Concorde: When supersonic travel was a reality 02:32 - Source: CNNThe small pool of Concorde pilots also meant everyone knew everyone. It would take him back to the day he stood at Heathrow, watching the first commercial Concorde flight take off. Future of supersonic flightAlmost two decades since Concorde’s final flight, the allure of supersonic flight hasn’t waned, with companies such as Boom Supersonic plotting plans for Concorde’s successor.

☆ Royal castles to luxury getaways: How to spend King Charles III's coronation weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | Rob Goss | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The king has pledged a more scaled-back affair than that celebrated by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953. Here's CNBC Travel's top picks for how to spend the coronation weekend. Watch the ceremonial processionThe coronation will take place at Westminster Abbey on May 6 in a service conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Buckingham Palace, London residence of the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, is open for tours outside of the coronation weekend. Picnic in the Royal ParksLondon's Royal Parks offer a more low-key way to absorb the royal atmosphere over the coronation weekend.

☆ Dominion isn’t Rupert Murdoch’s costliest legal defeat. Not even close
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But for now, the price tag attached to the Dominion case isn’t the worst Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch has had to stomach. A phone hacking scandal involving Murdoch’s tabloid newspaper empire in the United Kingdom has proven much more costly over the past decade or so. It looked at legal fees and damages, as well as expenses tied to the subsequent restructuring of Murdoch’s UK media empire. The last big Murdoch legal fightThe editor of Murdoch’s News of the World and a private investigator were convicted of conspiracy to hack the voicemails of British royals in 2007. Britain’s Prince Harry and actor Hugh Grant are among those who have filed legal challenges against The Sun tied to phone hacking.

WASHINGTON, April 19 (Reuters) - British pop star Elton John urged U.S. senators on Wednesday not to ease up on the fight against HIV and AIDS, as Congress faces a September deadline for reauthorizing the multi-billion-dollar U.S. program to fight the disease. Congress must reauthorize PEPFAR for another five years before Sept. 30. REUTERS/Anna GordonA set amount has not been set for the reauthorization, but Congress typically has approved $6.5 billion to $6.9 billion for PEPFAR each year. Global AIDS Coordinator John Nkengasong told the committee PEPFAR has saved 25 million lives and created health networks that have helped fight outbreaks of Ebola and the COVID-19 pandemic. "I urge my colleagues to join me in working to reauthorize PEPFAR without delay and without new mandates and directives," said Senator Jim Risch, the panel's top Republican.

☆ King Charles has a personal fortune of almost $750 million — hundreds of millions more than the late Queen, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

King Charles has a personal fortune worth nearly $750 million, The Sunday Times reported. Analysis by the London newspaper found he is worth about $285 million more than the late Queen. It generated £23 million ($28.5 million) in profits last year and £212 million ($263 million) in the decade to 2022. He is likely to be ahead of David and Victoria Beckham, who were worth £380 million ($472 million) in last year's ranking, and Sir Elton John, who was worth £395 million ($490 million). As King, Charles is now in control of the Crown Estate, worth about £15.6 billion ($19.4 billion).

☆ Diddy still pays Sting '$5,000 a day' for sampling his hit song 'Every Breath You Take' 26 years ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The mogul, who sampled the smash hit for his 1997 " I'll Be Missing You " tribute to the late Notorious B.I.G., tweeted this week that he's still paying Police frontman Sting $5,000 in royalties each and every day. Sean "Diddy" Combs is still paying the price for sampling The Police's " Every Breath You Take ," and it's not cheap. In 2003, Sting told Rolling Stone that when Elton John heard "I'll Be Missing You" he told him "You're gonna be a millionaire!" DON'T MISS: Want to be smarter and more successful with your money, work & life? Take this survey and tell us how you want to take your money and career to the next level.

☆ There was little love in New York for Trump, but at home at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, the MAGA faithful rallied around him
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Aditi Bharade | Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump delivered a defiant speech in Mar-a-Lago after his arraignment in New York on Tuesday. Trump allies like Roger Stone, Mike Lindell, Kari Lake, and Marjorie Taylor Greene were there. GOP lawmakers like Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene made it down to Mar-a-Lago to cheer Trump on. Greene — who earlier on Tuesday gave a short 10-minute speech at a mini pro-Trump protest in New York — tweeted about the Mar-a-Lago event. Trump on Tuesday was arrested in New York, and later in a Manhattan courtroom pleaded not guilty to 34 low-level felony charges.

☆ The CEO of the world's biggest record company just got a new contract with stock options worth as much as $100 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Universal Music's CEO could receive stock options worth up to $100 million under a new contract. He took a annual pay cut to $5 million in the new contract that runs to 2028. Half of the $100 million equity option will be paid out in installments if the share price hits the targets of 26.50 euros, 30 euros, and 38 euros. The stock closed Friday at 23.30 euros in Amsterdam, valuing the company at just over 42 billion euros ($45 billion). Apple CEO Tim Cook collected almost $100 million last year alone, making about $83 million in stock awards, $12 million in incentives and salary of $3 million, CNBC reported.

☆ Podcast: Outside the Manhattan courthouse for Trump’s surrender
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Donald Trump is criminally indicted – a first for the United States. We are in New York ahead of the former president’s expected surrender. Plenty of legal action across the pond too, will the Daily Mail publisher defeat Prince Harry and Elton John in court? Weight loss drugs – a Hollywood fade no longer? Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Prince Harry back in UK court for battle with Daily Mail publisher
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, March 30 (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Harry returned to the High Court in London on Thursday where his lawyer was fighting an attempt by a newspaper publisher to throw out his and other high-profile figures' lawsuit which alleged widespread unlawful acts by journalists. Harry, the singer Elton John and five other high-profile people are suing publisher Associated Newspapers, alleging they were the victims of phone-hacking and other serious privacy breaches by journalists from the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday or private investigators working on their behalf. The publisher's lawyer Adrian Beltrami told the court on Wednesday the claims were rejected "in their entirety". The judge, Matthew Nicklin, is not expected to rule for some weeks on whether the case should proceed to trial. During an exchange with Sherborne, he suggested that if it did, it would be a "massive trial" which would last a "substantial period of time".

☆ Daily Mail publisher urges UK court to reject lawsuit by Harry, Elton John
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Harry, the singer Elton John and five other high-profile people are suing publisher Associated Newspapers, alleging they were the victims of "numerous unlawful acts" carried out by the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday journalists or private investigators working on the titles' behalf. "The claims are rejected by the defendant in their entirety," Beltrami told the court, which began the four-day preliminary hearing on Monday. Harry has said he felt like he was under 24-hour surveillance, and feared an ex-girlfriend would be "harassed to death". Elton John said the Mail had sought medical records around the birth of his son. In his argument, Associated's Beltrami said those involved could have discovered their claims years earlier, adding they were now "far too late".

☆ Factbox: Prince Harry and Elton John's evidence in UK lawsuits
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Harry, singer Elton John and five other high-profile figures' written statements in their lawsuits against the publisher of the Daily Mail newspaper were published on Tuesday. Harry also spoke of feeling like he was "under 24-hour surveillance", which he suggested was in part the result of Associated Newspapers' alleged unlawful actions. She said in her witness statement that Law believed information being published about their divorce was being leaked by her. "I was not instructed or commissioned by the Mail on Sunday or the Daily Mail to conduct any unlawful information gathering," Burrows said in his witness statement. Associated Newspapers has said in a statement that it categorically denies the claimants' allegations and would vigorously defend them if necessary.

LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Harry appeared for a second day at London's High Court on Tuesday, where he and six other high-profile figures are suing the publisher of the Daily Mail tabloid newspaper over phone-hacking and other privacy breaches. They allege they were the victims of "numerous unlawful acts" carried out by journalists or private investigators working on behalf of Associated titles, the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday. Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex walks outside the High Court in London, Britain March 28, 2023. The lawsuit is one of three cases in which the British prince is involved at the High Court. Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Prince Harry and Elton John are going to court in a high-profile fight against the Daily Mail
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Both Prince Harry and Elton John were in court on Monday as proceedings commenced in an explosive lawsuit brought against Daily Mail publisher, Associated Newspapers. Even the Daily Mail published an article on their arrival in court. A spokesperson for Prince Harry told Reuters that the Duke of Sussex wanted to be present to signal public support for the case. It’s no surprise that Prince Harry would use his celebrity to gin up attention about the lawsuit. But if it does go to trial, it is safe to say that it will be precisely the type of trial that an outlet like the Daily Mail relishes in covering.

☆ Elon Musk tells William Shatner that Twitter shouldn't have different standards for celebrities when it comes to $8 blue checkmarks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk told William Shatner there shouldn't be different standards for celebrities on Twitter. Twitter says the only way users can keep their blue ticks is by signing up to Twitter Blue, a monthly subscription which costs $8. Stephen King, Josh Gad, and Lynda Carter were among the celebrities to criticize Musk over charging Twitter users for a blue tick. Before Blue Origin sent Shatner into space on an 11-minute journey, Musk commented "Godspeed Captain" on NASA's Twitter post. Following the flight, the billionaire tweeted: "Congrats, was cool to send William Shatner to space."

These included hacking mobile phone messages, bugging calls, getting private information such as medical records by deception or "blagging", and "commissioning the breaking and entry into private property", their lawyer David Sherborne said. Harry, who flew in from his California home, sat just feet away from reporters, watching intently and taking notes. Elton John, Furnish, Frost and another claimant, Doreen Lawrence, mother of Black teenager Stephen Lawrence who was murdered in a 1993 racist attack, were also in court on Monday. Harry hugged Lawrence at the end of the day's hearing and chatted to her and Furnish, and gave a thumbs up to crowds outside as he left court. [1/8] Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, arrives at the High Court in London, Britain March 27, 2023.

LONDON, March 27 (Reuters) - The first hearing in a lawsuit brought by Prince Harry, singer Elton John and other high profile figures against the publisher of the Daily Mail newspaper over alleged phone-tapping and other breaches of privacy, is due to begin on Monday. Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday and the Mail Online, has said it "utterly and unambiguously" denies the allegations. It is seeking over four days of hearings this week at London's High Court to have the case thrown out. His wife Meghan also won a privacy case against the publisher in 2021 for printing a letter she had written to her estranged father. Meanwhile, Harry is expected to appear in court in May to give evidence in a libel trial against the Daily Mirror newspaper over accusations of phone-hacking.

☆ The top 4 sports and sports tech VCs are ready to open their checkbooks. Here's what they're looking for.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Courtside Ventures in January closed a $100 million fund, its biggest yet. KB Partners late last year closed a $127 million fund, also its biggest yet. If you're not in one of those lanes, don't bother reaching out, even though the firm has the new $100 million fund to dole out. Parikh expects fewer investments in media companies out of the new fund, but more investments in gaming. It's doling out the money through two accelerator programs and an investment fund.

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