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☆ My final, unexpected conversation with Cormac McCarthy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( David Kushner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

My last conversation with Cormac McCarthy, the acclaimed and elusive novelist who died last week at 89, came as unexpectedly as the first. "I thought you said Cormac McCarthy edited your book on theoretical physics?" "I got the manuscript back in the mail, and it was marked up on every page," Randall told me. By the time I interviewed Randall, Cormac was spending his days at the Santa Fe Institute, a theoretical-research institute in the piñon foothills of New Mexico. "Don't do this to yourself," McCarthy told the guy, before shutting the door in his face.

Persons: Cormac McCarthy, McCarthy, —, Belying, Cormac, Lisa Randall, Randall, Gil, Jon, MacArthur, Murray Gell, Mann, it's, Einstein, they're, Doug Erwin, David Krakauer, David, Stella Maris, I'd, He'd, David Kushner Organizations: Wired, Stone, Harvard, drifters, Santa Fe Institute, Atari Locations: backwoods Florida, piñon, New Mexico, Texas, Tennessee, El Paso, Rolling Stone, SFI

☆ I'm a mom that's test-driven or toured 65 family cars — these are my favorite models and top tips for buying
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Kelly Stumpe, also known as the Car Mom, has test-driven and toured 65 family cars. The problem with buying a family car is, it's not just a matter of: "I don't like the drive." It is not as simple as if it has a seatbelt, it can fit a car seat. In the Sequoia, I can only put it in the middle seat, so I could not have another child in this car who would still be in a car seat. It actually allows you to access the third row when a car seat is still installed.

Persons: Kelly Stumpe, Alexa St, Stumpe reevaluated, St . Louis, there's, I've, shouldn't, Joe Raedle, it's, Stumpe, It's, they're, I'm, Sienna Organizations: Morning, Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan, Ford Expedition, Toyota Sequoia, Leasing, Ford The Ford Expedition, General Motors, Honda, VW Locations: John, St, Louis , Missouri, St ., Florida, Hyundai Santa Fe, Autotrader, Edmunds, Yukon

CNN —The armorer on the set of the movie “Rust” likely was hungover when she loaded a prop gun used by actor Alec Baldwin that fired a live round of ammunition during a rehearsal, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, prosecutors said in a court filing. Witnesses told investigators Hannah Gutierrez Reed “was drinking heavily and smoking marijuana in the evenings during the shooting of Rust,” prosecutors said in the Friday filing. Gutierrez Reed will plead not guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the October 2021 shooting, an attorney for her has said. A final decision on charges against Baldwin would be made before August 8, prosecutors said in the Friday filing. Through their respective attorneys, both Gutierrez Reed and Halls accused Baldwin of deflecting blame onto others.

Persons: Alec Baldwin, Halyna Hutchins, Hannah Gutierrez Reed “, ”, Gutierrez, Gutierrez Reed’s, Gutierrez Reed, Joel Souza, Jason Bowles, ” Bowles, “, Baldwin, ” Kari Morrissey, Jason Lewis, Mr, Luke Nikas, Alex Spiro, Hannah, Jae C, CNN’s Chloe Melas, Dave Halls, ” Baldwin, Hutchins ’, Baldwin –, Matthew Hutchins, “ Rust ” Organizations: CNN, ” CNN Locations: Mexico, Santa Fe , New Mexico, New Mexico, Montana

☆ Cormac McCarthy, Novelist of a Darker America, Is Dead at 89
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Dwight Garner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Knopf, his publisher, said in a statement that this son, John, had confirmed the death. Mr. McCarthy’s fiction took a dark view of the human condition and was often macabre. He decorated his novels with scalpings, beheadings, arson, rape, incest, necrophilia and cannibalism. “There’s no such thing as life without bloodshed,” he told The New York Times magazine in 1992 in a rare interview. While not quite as reclusive as Thomas Pynchon, Mr. McCarthy gave no readings and no blurbs for the jackets of other writers’ books.

Persons: Cormac McCarthy, grotesques, ”, Knopf, John, scalpings, “, Thomas Pynchon, McCarthy Organizations: New York Times Locations: American, Santa Fe

☆ Cormac McCarthy, dark genius of American literature, dead at 89
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Rosalba O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The book was made into a movie - as were 2005's "No Country for Old Men" and 2006's Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Road." He granted a rare exception for Oprah Winfrey in 2007, telling her: "I don't think (interviews) are good for your head. In a statement, Nihar Malaviya, CEO of Penguin Random House, said, "Cormac McCarthy changed the course of literature. McCarthy was married three times, divorcing his third wife Jennifer Winkley in 2006. Writing by Rosalba O'Brien; additional reporting by Joseph Ax; editing by Diane Craft and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Cormac McCarthy, McCarthy, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, John McCarthy, Little, Oprah Winfrey, God, Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr, Cormac, Lee Holleman, Anne DeLisle, Faulkner's, Joel, Ethan Coen, Stella Maris, Nihar Malaviya, Jennifer Winkley, Cullen, John, Rosalba O'Brien, Joseph Ax, Diane Craft, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: YORK, Penguin Random, New York Times, Air Force, Thomson Locations: American, Santa Fe , New Mexico, Providence , Rhode Island, Tennessee, America, Europe, Knoxville , Tennessee, El Paso , Texas, Santa Fe, Texas

☆ Cormac McCarthy, Pulitzer-winning novelist known for apocalyptic Westerns, dies at 89
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Daniel Arkin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16: Writer Cormac McCarthy attends the premiere of "The Road" at Clearview Chelsea Cinemas on November 16, 2009 in New York City. McCarthy's death was announced in a statement by his publisher, Penguin Random House. "Cormac McCarthy changed the course of literature," Nihar Malaviya, the CEO of Penguin Random House, said in a statement. Two novels published in the 2000s — "No Country for Old Men" and "The Road" — drew wide acclaim and found favor in Hollywood. McCarthy published his final two novels in 2022: "The Passenger" and "Stella Maris," interconnected narratives that grappled with morality, science and faith.

Persons: Cormac McCarthy, Jim Spellman, WireImage, Pulitzer, John McCarthy —, McCarthy, Olivetti Underwood, Malaviya, James Wood, King James Bible, Melville, Conrad, Faulkner, Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr, Albert Erskine, William Faulkner, James Joyce, —, Joel, Ethan Coen, Viggo Mortensen, Stella Maris Organizations: Chelsea Cinemas, Penguin Random, Yorker, The New York Times, University of Tennessee, Random, Penguin Locations: New York City, Santa Fe , New Mexico, American, Providence , Rhode Island, Knoxville , Tennessee, Hollywood

☆ Opinion | Cloisters U.: The Sounds of Silence in a College Class
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “Universities, Meet Monasteries,” by Molly Worthen (Opinion guest essay, May 28):Dr. Worthen’s essay resonated deeply with me. I am a tutor and the incoming dean of St. John’s College, Santa Fe, one of the oldest colleges in America, a college with an enduring commitment to seminar-style discussion and the close reading of the Great Books. Without fanfare, year after year, St. John’s continues to offer a program of study that requires little more than a great book, a seminar table and the participants around that table. St. John’s is not a monastery, but it does provide a cloister where devices and the pull of the virtual world have no place. The education requires the students to be present to their thoughts, to the comments of their classmates, to the beauty of the texts.

Persons: Molly Worthen, John’s, Worthen Organizations: “, John’s, St Locations: Santa Fe, America

☆ Where to go this summer: A dozen destination ideas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Marnie Hunter | Jane Levere | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Peru"Peruvians are welcoming travelers back with open arms," says travel one travel expert. And perhaps most importantly, the city offers excellent value, in part because it will be the winter/low season there during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer. It’s home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including megalithic temples that date to the 4th millennium BC. Although summer is the rainy season, Gellis says showers are often brief and intermittent. AlbaniaAlbania is a Mediterranean gem that’s likely to be less crowded this summer than Greece and Croatia, says Joao Donadel, another EMBARK Beyond travel advisor.

☆ Two killed in shootout between bikers in New Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TAOS, N.M., May 27 (Reuters) - Two people were killed and six wounded in a shootout during a motorcycle rally in Red River, northern New Mexico, on Saturday, state police said. Some of the wounded were transported to hospital in Taos, New Mexico, around 25 miles to the southwest, state police said on Twitter. Taos town banned alcohol sales after the shooting and called a curfew. The incident comes eight years after nine bikers were killed and 18 wounded in a shootout in Waco, Texas involving members of motorcycle groups such as the Bandidos and Cossacks. Reporting By Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Man charged with murder after 3 dead in New Mexico biker shootout
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Reto Mesmer/Handout via REUTERSTAOS, New Mexico, May 28 (Reuters) - A biker was charged with murder after a shootout between rival motorbike gangs at a motorcycle rally in Red River, northern New Mexico, on Saturday in which three gang members were killed and five wounded, police said. "It was just gangbanger on gangbanger," Johnson told a press conference in Red River, adding that no bystanders were injured. The confrontation began in Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city, over a photo involving another gang, then spilled over to Red River's annual Memorial Day motorcycle rally, Johnson said. Red River Mayor Linda Calhoun advised local businesses to close. Reporting by Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Editing by Andrea RicciOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Inside Santa Fe’s Priciest Zip Code
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Jessica Flint | Photographs Brad Trone For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

In north-central New Mexico, in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, is the state’s capital, Santa Fe. The heart of the city—whose population is 89,008, according to census data—is its 400-year-old plaza. But outside of town, the 87506 ZIP Code has Santa Fe’s priciest residential real estate as ranked by median listing price, according to Realtor.com. ( News Corp , parent of The Wall Street Journal, operates Realtor.com.) The ZIP Code is a roughly 200-square-mile circle beginning just north of the plaza and extending about 35 minutes northeast and 45 northwest into open land, where gated communities like Las Campanas and large estates offer luxury country living while being close to the city’s culturally-rich energy.

The comments came a month after prosecutors dropped a criminal charge against Baldwin over Hutchins' death in 2021, citing new evidence. Prosecutors said additional testing was required to see if the hammer was modified, the source of the modification and what impact it might have on the firearm's performance. Ammunition found on the set was requested for testing for manner of assembly and origin of manufacture, prosecutors said. Prosecutors have yet to reveal how live rounds got onto the set of the low-budget movie production. "Rust" weapons handler Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is the only person still facing charges over Hutchins' death.

☆ Hyundai and Kia agree to $200 million legal settlement over theft issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Korean automakers Kia and Hyundai have agreed to an estimated $200 million class action legal settlement over claims that many of the companies’ cars and SUVs are much too easy to steal. The settlement, which could cover up to nine million vehicle owners, provides a total of up to $145 million that will be distributed to owners whose vehicles have been stolen to help cover their out-of-pocket losses. Hyundai and Kia operate as separate companies in the United States, but Hyundai Motor Group owns a large stake in Kia, and various Hyundai and Kia models share much of their engineering. Hyundai dealers will also affix window stickers stating that the vehicle has anti-theft software installed. As part of the agreement, installation of the anti-theft software will now be done automatically along with any dealer service appointment without the owner having to specifically request it.

☆ Gun-loving Texas, where most households own a firearm, has become an epicenter of mass shootings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Emma Tucker | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +23 min

CNN and the GVA define a mass shooting as a shooting that injures or kills four or more people, not including the shooter. They argue that more firearms and higher gun ownership increases public safety – a stance that continues to be at odds with gun violence experts and data. The area around the Robb Elementary School signs has become a memorial dedicated to the victims of the May 24 mass shooting. Mass shootings are just a piece of that, and the strategies that we’re laying out will impact mass shootings. They’ll also impact a lot of other types of gun violence and that’s absolutely critical to saving lives,” Horwitz said.

☆ High schools and colleges require students to pay mandatory fees to walk at graduation. Critics say this discriminates against low-income students.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Misha Valencia | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Most high schools and colleges charge students a graduation fee to attend the ceremony. Critics say these high, mandatory fees discriminate against low-income students. She told Insider that nothing had changed since she graduated; the school was still charging mandatory graduation fees. High schools and colleges across the US are charging students mandatory graduation fees — sometimes called a walking fee — to walk in their graduation ceremonies. For example, California and Minnesota have barred mandatory graduation fees in public schools.

☆ Argentina's ruling Peronist party wins provincial elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 14 - Argentina's ruling Peronist party posted strong wins in elections Sunday, appearing to hold control over three provinces just months ahead of presidential elections in which support for the party is flagging. The results come as a relief to President Alberto Fernandez's ranks as economic unrest has shaken the party's hold over the country. Fernandez has said he is not seeking re-election, however a Peronist coalition is still aiming to hold onto power. Although the outcome is good news for the party, its fate in the presidential elections will likely be decided in more populous provinces, such as Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Santa Fe and Mendoza. Reporting by Maximilian Heath; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ AI 'digital workers' are cutting tasks that used to take a month down to 10 minutes in New Mexico. Employees love it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A number of birthing centers, Indian Health Service clinics, and Indian Health Service hospitals also use the "baby bot" process. Together, the bots and automation are expected to save more than 100,000 human worker hours each year, the New Mexico Human Services Department told Insider. The New Mexico Human Services Department has also been expanding its use of automation into other areas. In New Mexico, "digital workers" are programmed to execute a range of tasks and are assigned times in which to complete them. The "brainy bot" process also uses IBM AI technology, and it's run on a Salesforce platform, she said.

☆ Factbox: Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway at a glance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

[1/2] Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett walks through the exhibit hall as shareholders gather to hear from the billionaire investor at Berkshire Hathaway Inc's annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S., May 4, 2019. REUTERS/Scott Morgan/File PhotoMay 4 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people are descending on Omaha, Nebraska to attend the annual shareholder weekend for billionaire investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N). Susan Buffett and Howard Buffett are Berkshire directors. His Berkshire stock will go to philanthropy after he dies. (Interview with CNBC, April 12, 2023)Abel on Berkshire managers' relationship with him: "It's not the same as working for Warren.

☆ NYC to give out 500 Apple AirTags for residents to put in their cars to combat car theft
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Laura Ly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Some Kia, Hyundai, and Honda models are getting stolen in New York City so often that the Mayor is giving out Apple AirTags to help residents track their vehicles. The city plans to distribute 500 AirTags to residents to place in their cars to combat car thefts in target neighborhoods, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced at a press conference on Sunday. Adams made the announcement in a Bronx neighborhood that has seen over 200 car thefts this year alone – the highest of any precinct in the city. The Hyundai and Kia vehicles in question include the Hyundai Santa Fe and Tucson, and the Kia Forte and Sportage, with 2015-2019 model years. So far this year, the NYPD has recorded thefts of 966 Kia and Hyundai cars – marking an increase of 819 cars since last year, Chell said.

☆ Argentina secures initial irrigation funding after withering drought
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The approved loan is part of irrigation development plan that aims to ultimately invest some $2.07 billion in public spending and nearly double the amount of farmland with irrigation systems in place. The government's irrigation plan "will allow the development of the country's productive potential" by adding 1.9 million hectares (4.7 million acres) to its total irrigated areas, said Jorge Neme, the country's development planning secretary. Argentina currently boasts around 2.1 million hectares of irrigated farmland, said Neme in the economy ministry statement. Over 30 irrigation projects are already underway in the country's trio of top agricultural provinces Buenos Aires, Santa Fe and Cordoba, which have seen the worst drought impacts. The irrigation projects will be financed by local funds, as well as multilateral organizations including the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Development Bank of Latin America, according to the statement.

☆ How the U.S. Clean Air Act lets closed coal plants keep polluting for years
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Tim Mclaughlin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

Under the federal program, states distribute a certain number of allowances to power plants annually. Reuters found dozens of other examples of coal plants using credits from closed facilities to help comply with pollution rules over the past five years. During the 2021 ozone season, New Madrid’s pollution was five times higher than average among coal plants participating in the NOx-reduction program, EPA data show. RED-STATE PROTESTSUtilities and lawmakers in Republican-controlled states have pushed hard against curbs on coal pollution, including the EPA’s latest NOx-reduction regulations. But even at that price, NOx allowances will find buyers among coal plants, including those that operate at high pollution rates.

☆ Alec Baldwin Returns to ‘Rust’ Set as Charges He Faced Are Dropped
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Julia Jacobs | Graham Bowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

PRAY, Mont. — Alec Baldwin was mounted on a chestnut horse in a steep gully in a snow-dusted valley in Montana on Friday, his first day back filming “Rust,” the western whose cinematographer was shot and killed in 2021 when a gun he was practicing with on its set went off. “Set, ready, and … action,” cried Gerard DiNardi, the movie’s new first assistant director, and Mr. Baldwin urged the horse forward, toward a camera rigged on a pickup truck. As Mr. Baldwin returned to the set of “Rust,” prosecutors in New Mexico filed court papers formally dismissing, at least for now, the involuntary manslaughter charges he had been facing in the shooting of the film’s original cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, who was killed outside Santa Fe, where the movie was initially filmed. The prosecutors, Jason Lewis and Kari Morrissey, wrote in their filing in the case of the State of New Mexico vs. Alexander Rae Baldwin III that they were withdrawing the charges against him “since new facts were revealed that demand further investigation and forensic analysis” that could not be completed before a hearing, set to begin on May 3, at which a judge was to rule on whether the charges against Mr. Baldwin could proceed.

☆ How Do Actors Find Housing When They Get Gigs Out of Town? Well, It Depends.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Joanne Kaufman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

During the pandemic, Mr. Conway said, a lot of actors moved out of New York with their families and put down roots elsewhere. “If they get cast in a show that will bring them back to New York, a housing stipend becomes pretty important,” he said. Rentals of less than a year are hard to come by, and rentals of less than 30 days are legally problematic. (For perspective, most actors are not rich. The median wage for actors was $23.48 an hour in May 2021, according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.)

[1/2] Alec Baldwin attends the 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award Gala in New York City, U.S., December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew KellyTAOS, New Mexico, April 21 (Reuters) - New Mexico special prosecutors dropped charges against actor Alec Baldwin in the shooting death of "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on Friday, marking what legal experts said was a logical conclusion to a flawed prosecution. The move followed new evidence about the gun Baldwin was holding when it fired the bullet that killed Hutchins during the movie's filming, a person close to state prosecutors said. "The case is dismissed without prejudice and the investigation is active and ongoing," prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis said in a filing. Special prosecutors said on Thursday they might refile charges against Baldwin once new evidence was examined.

CNN —A coalition of attorneys general for 17 states and the District of Columbia on Thursday called for a federal recall of Hyundai and Kia vehicles that they say are unsafe and too easy to steal. “Hyundai and Kia announced that they will initiate voluntary service campaigns to offer software updates for certain vehicles with this starting-system vulnerability. Hyundai and Kia operate as separate companies in the United States, but Hyundai Motor Group owns a large stake in Kia, and various Hyundai and Kia models share much of their engineering. “The bottom line is, Kia’s and Hyundai’s failure to install standard safety features on many of their vehicles have put vehicle owners and the public at risk,” Attorney General Bonta said. The attorneys general’s letter asserts that the ease of theft of these Hyundai and Kia vehicles constitutes a safety hazard and the vehicles fail to meet federal standards for theft prevention.

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