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☆ Priced Out of the City, They Bought a Tiny Suburban Home. Now What?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Julie Lasky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Much has been written about “good enough” marriages, but what of “good enough” houses in “I guess we have to live somewhere” neighborhoods? This is the story of a family who began with low expectations and then fell in love. In 2016, Amanda and Alain de Beaufort were renting an apartment with a garden in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, where they had access to a new school with a Spanish/English program for their two children. Then one day, their landlord sold the building for cash and gave them a month to pack up and move out. “OK, we’ll just buy something in Sunset Park,” Ms. de Beaufort, 46, recalled saying, before making the cruel discovery that no affordable properties remained in the neighborhood.

Persons: Amanda, Alain de Beaufort, de Beaufort, Ms Locations: “, Sunset Park , Brooklyn, Colombia, Sunset Park, Bay Ridge , Brooklyn, Westchester County

☆ Making money as a startup is hard, so these New Jersey companies are selling their financial losses in exchange for millions in cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The state of New Jersey offers a unique program that allows startups in the state to sell those losses for cash. To date, TrueFort has pulled in $20 million through a New Jersey program for startups. Those companies can then deduct those losses from their taxable income, cutting the amount of money they pay in taxes. The NOL program is especially popular among biotech businesses like Lisata, which are characterized by large R&D expenses and unpredictable paths to profitability. The NOL program is part of a suite of programs designed to support New Jersey startups.

Persons: Sameer Mahorta, TrueFort, Malhorta, David Mazzo, Mazzo, Lisata, Mahorta Organizations: Partners, Shasta Ventures, New, New Jersey Economic Development Authority, state's Technology, Bank of America, NOL, Garden State Locations: New Jersey, Weehawken, Silicon, Garden

☆ 6 National Parks You Don’t Know About (But Should)
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Emily Pennington | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

MAKE WAY FOR A MOOSE A hiker in Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park yields the right-of-way on the Minong Ridge Trail. Photo: Jim West/imageBROKER/ShutterstockWITH THEIR mile-deep sandstone canyons, glacier-polished granite domes and herds of charismatic megafauna, it’s no wonder that America’s national parks received nearly 312-million visits in 2022. A staggering 25% of those visitors descended upon just nine of the Park Service’s 424 designated areas. Too often, these crowds funnel into narrow byways, creating headaches and traffic jams—and negating the very thing most parkgoers crave: solitude.

Persons: Jim West Locations: Isle

☆ Get Lost in Clay, Even if It’s Just for the Weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Ainara Tiefenthäler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Summer clay workshops generally last between four and 12 days, during which participants live on the 420-acre campus, and focus on a range of functional and decorative aspects of pottery. A three-hour drive east, the town of Seagrove, which has one of the highest concentrations of working potters in the country, advertises itself as America’s pottery capital. Among its residents, Seagrove counts eighth- and ninth-generation potters, as well as a growing number of young apprentices and clay artists. Nearly three-quarters of a century after the Bray was founded, the world appears ready for its contemporary take on clay. For those interested in exploring, the Bray offers two-hour experience classes open to the public in July and August.

Persons: —, Archie Bray, Bray, ”, Rebecca Harvey Organizations: Penland, of Craft, North Carolina —, Carolina Pottery, Archie Bray Foundation, Ceramic Arts, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bray Locations: North Carolina, Seagrove, Helena, Mont

[1/5] Arlo Brownlee, an engineer, checks battery banks at GlidePath's Byrd Ranch energy storage facility in Sweeny, Texas, U.S., May 23, 2023. The battery rush also puts the Republican-controlled state at the forefront of President Joe Biden's push to expand renewable energy use. Reuters drew on previously unreported data and interviewed more than a dozen executives from private equity firms, utility companies and energy storage providers involved in some of the biggest battery storage deals for this report. But the legislation also contains provisions that industry groups said could encourage investment in battery storage. Miller said he expects ancillary market prices to "collapse" as more battery storage comes online.

Persons: Arlo Brownlee, Adrees Latif, Rhett Bennett, ”, Joe Biden's, Wood Mackenzie, Andrew Waranch, David Miller, Miller, Waranch, Dick Lewis, Andrew Tang, Chris McKissack, you've, McKissack, Nichola Groom, Laila Kearney, Richard Valdmanis, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: REUTERS, Korea's SK, Switzerland's UBS, Black, Energy, Texans, Republican, Reuters, U.S . Energy Information Administration, Developers, BlackRock, Jupiter, EnCap Investments, Korea's SK E, Vision Ridge Partners, UBS, SK E, SK, Mercom Capital Group, Reliability, of Texas, Spearmint Energy, Inc, Wartsila, Thomson Locations: Sweeny , Texas, U.S, BlackRock, Texas, California, Gridmatic

Here are the meanings of the least-found words that were used in (mostly) recent Times articles. Of course, the other people at your table will say they have no room for dessert. Or Kuh-TAH, like the British pronunciation of catarrh, a phlegmy sore throat?— How Do You Pronounce Qatar? The difference is that “b” is voiced, which for some people, makes it sound funny or strange coming at the end of a word. (April 3, 2005)And the list of the week’s easiest words:

☆ Ex-British Gurkha hopes Everest climb will change disability perceptions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Gopal Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KATHMANDU, May 21 (Reuters) - Hari Budha Magar, the first above the knee double amputee to scale Mount Everest, said on Sunday that his ascent would raise awareness about disability. “Gurkha veteran, Hari Budha Magar creates history … as the first ever double above-knee amputee to scale Mt Everest,” the Gurkha Brigade said in a twitter post. “I hope my climb will help change the perception of persons with disabilities,” Magar told Reuters from the base camp by phone. Mount Everest has been climbed by more than 11,000 people, including those with disabilities – like blindness and below the knee amputees. Nepal has issued 478 permits to climb Everest during the current season that ends this month.

Washington CNN —A pair of Democratic lawmakers from California have asked President Joe Biden to once again raise the case of a US Navy officer jailed in Japan with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida while at the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima. Lieutenant Alkonis’ case remains stalled in the Japanese system,” the pair wrote. Biden raised the Alkonis case with Kishida during the prime minister’s visit to the White House in January, and the two countries agreed to establish a working group to solve the problem. “I’m not doing that good,” he wrote in a letter dated April 30, which was shared with CNN. “Lieutenant Alkonis’ service records make clear that he is an extraordinary officer, and we believe he deserves better,” the Democratic lawmakers wrote.

☆ Fact Check-New Canadian passport design represents seasons, not Pride flag
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

(Editor’s note: This article contains profanity)The new Canadian passport design does not include a rainbow Pride flag. On May 10, Canada unveiled its new passport design with upgraded security features, according to Reuters reporting (here). A tweet said: “These new Canadian Passports are an absolute DISGRACE They removed Terry Fox and Vimy Ridge for a f*cking PRIDE FLAG?? Most pride flags show six or more colors, as seen in Reuters pictures (here), (here), (here), not four like the new Canadian passport design. The new Canadian passport design does not feature a Pride flag, and the colors on the inside cover represent the four seasons.

“I’m not doing that good,” Lt. Ridge Alkonis wrote in a letter dated April 30, which was shared with CNN. “The walls and bars seem to be making my cell even smaller as of late.”“I feel closer to an animal than a human being now,” Ridge Alkonis wrote. “That was the most dejected I’ve ever heard him,” his wife, Brittany Alkonis, told CNN on Thursday. As such, despite her hope for positive movement coming out the G7 trip to Hirsoshima, Brittany Alkonis said she does not have high expectations of a resolution. But based on Japan’s response, it doesn’t seem that they do think it’s a big deal,” Brittany Alkonis said.

☆ Amazon's 100 drone deliveries puts Prime Air far behind Alphabet's Wing and Walmart partner Zipline
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Katie Tarasov | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

Wing CEO Adam Woodworth shows the Alphabet company's delivery drone to CNBC's Katie Tarasov on April 25, 2023, in Hollister, California. Walmart said it made more than 6,000 drone deliveries across seven states in 2022 with DroneUp, Zipline and a third partner, Flytrex. Amazon's VP of Prime Air David Carbon showcased the current MK27-2 drone in Westborough, Massachusetts, on Nov. 10, 2022. Prime Air drones, along with most other delivery drones, operate with a number of federal exemptions that greatly restrict where and how they can fly. Prime Air drones are not expected to exceed 58 decibels, according to an FAA assessment, about the noise level of an outdoor air conditioning unit.

☆ How to watch the PGA Championship: Start time, channels, and other things to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Rob Schumacher/USA Today Network Tiger Woods walks the 18th green during the second round on Saturday, April 8. David J. Phillip/AP Fred Couples waves to patrons after finishing his second round on Saturday. Patrick Smith/Getty Images Patrick Cantlay plays a shot from a bunker on the 18th hole on Saturday. Rob Schumacher/USA Today Network Adam Scott plays a bunker shot on the second hole Thursday. Rob Schumacher/USA Today Network Hideki Matsuyama, who won the tournament two years ago, looks over a putt on the second hole.

☆ Nepali sherpa sets Everest record with 27th ascent
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Gopal Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Nepali mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa waves upon his arrival after climbing Mount Everest for the 24th time in 2019, setting a record for the most summits of the world's highest mountain, in... Read moreKATHMANDU, May 17 (Reuters) - A Nepali sherpa scaled Mount Everest for a record 27th time on Wednesday, beating his own record, a government official and his hiking company said. Kami Rita Sherpa, 53, scaled the 8,849 metre (29,032-foot) mountain early in the morning along the traditional southeast ridge route, guiding a foreign climber. "Yes, Kami Rita climbed Sagarmatha for the 27th time," said Department of Tourism official Bigyan Koirala, referring to the mountain by its Nepali name. For now it's 100% confirmed that Kami Rita scaled for the 27th time,” Guragai said. Climbing contributed $5.8 million to state coffers this year, $5 million of it from Mount Everest, according to government data.

☆ Pentagon leak suspect Jack Teixeira was preparing for a violent 'race war' against Black and Jewish people, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Jack Teixeira, 21, was charged with leaking secret Pentagon documents last month. The Air National Guard member was preparing for a violent "race war," The Washington Post found. "He used the term 'race war' quite a few times," a close friend of Teixeira's, who spoke to the Post on the condition of anonymity, said. "He was afraid they would target White people," his friend told the Post. His online presence also revealed conspiratorial thinking and further racist thinking, including about Jewish people and Muslims.

☆ Gold retreats as dollar gains upper hand
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Spot gold was last down 0.75% to $2,014.3021 per ounce, while U.S. gold futures settled down 0.8% to $2,020.50. Gold popped up after data showed a jump in weekly jobless claims and the smallest annual increase in producer prices last month in over two years. However, the metal soon gave up those gains as the dollar rose, making bullion more expensive for overseas buyers. While this weighs on sentiment for gold "to a certain extent, the precious metal remains in its uptrend channel established in November," said Alexander Zumpfe, a precious metals dealer at Heraeus. Gold is traditionally considered a hedge against inflation, but elevated interest rates dim appeal for zero-yield bullion.

☆ Party City is planning to close over 30 stores across the country — here's the full list
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Avery Hartmans | Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Party City says it's closing over 30 stores after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Cartersville: Cartersville Crossing, 451 East Main St.IowaWaterloo: Crossroads Commons Shopping Center, 1415 Flammang Dr.IllinoisBradley: Bradley Commons, 2060 N. State Rte. 20Felch Street Shopping Center, 3050 Beeline Rd., Ste. L12East Hills Shopping Center, 3702 Frederick Ave., Ste. K2Five Points Shopping Center, 4101 Hwy.

☆ Gold flirts with all-time highs as banking concerns deepen
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold are placed in a workroom at Krastsvetmet precious metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, January 31, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander ManzyukGold made another run toward record highs on Thursday as U.S. banking concerns accelerated a flight to the safe-haven asset and sustained its stellar rally driven by bets for a pause in U.S. rate hikes. Spot gold was up 0.3% at $2,045.79 per ounce after climbing earlier to $2,072.19, shy of a record high of $2,072.49. The Fed Funds target rate stands in the 5%-5.25% range, with markets expecting rate cuts in the second half of the year. In physical markets, lofty prices have tarnished gold demand in top Asian retail hubs.

Once a wellness haven for American elites in search of mountain air, Asheville, N.C., has reinvented itself many times over the last century. In recent years, the city, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, has become a culinary hot spot, with multiple award-winning restaurants, and an inordinate number of breweries. Art lovers will find much to savor in the River Arts District, and bikers and hikers will have miles of trails in and around the city to explore. In the downtown area and beyond, Black residents are embracing their “Affrilachian” heritage through tours and art collectives, and creative spaces featuring the work of Indigenous artists acknowledge the region’s ties to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, on whose ancestral land the city sits.

☆ Finding That Hudson Valley Gem for About $500,000: Which House Would You Choose?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Karen Angel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Ms. Burk still works in Manhattan as a freelance photo stylist for clients like Tory Burch and Coach, but plans to focus entirely on Lotus when she turns 50 in August. “We fell in love with the area,” said Mr. Burk, who began rock-climbing near the local lakes 15 years ago. Email: thehunt@nytimes.com]His retirement thrust the couple into a Hudson Valley house search just as a stream of New Yorkers fleeing the city created fierce competition. Mr. Burk picked up construction skills while working for a plumber when he was in high school and later developed those skills by flipping houses, and Ms. Burk has a background in design. “We were always drawn to ugly-duckling houses,” Ms. Burk said.

☆ Tracing the Angry Path From Timothy McVeigh to Trumpism
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jennifer Szalai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

HOMEGROWN: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism, by Jeffrey ToobinIt was the dog whistle heard ’round the world. Along with the standoff at Ruby Ridge, in 1992, Waco became a galvanizing moment for the radical right. Exactly two years later, on the morning of April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh drove a Ryder truck loaded with a 7,000-pound fertilizer bomb to the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. Contrary to media portrayals of him at the time, McVeigh wasn’t just some lone-wolf drifter or survivalist oddball. Jeffrey Toobin’s “Homegrown” adds to this chorus, but where those other books contain a chapter on Oklahoma City, the entirety of Toobin’s book is given over to McVeigh and the ensuing trials.

Nepal CNN —A US climber has died on his way to scale Mount Everest on Monday, according to an expedition organizer. “Jonathan Sugarman died at Camp 2 after he began to feel unwell,” Pasang Sherpa told CNN on Tuesday. Spring is the most popular time to climb Mount Everest with most climbers aiming to ascend the peak in May. “The geography we can’t change… but we are trying to manage by adding multiple ropes,” Yubaraj Khatiwada, the director of Nepal’s Tourism Department, told CNN. Nepal is home to eight of the 10 highest mountains in the world, so mountaineering is a significant source of revenue for Sherpas, despite the risks associated with climbing Everest.

☆ Fact Check-Ocean pulled to Earth by force of gravity
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The ocean is pulled down to Earth due to gravity, despite a viral post shared online falsely claiming that the planet’s oceans are held inside a “container,” with Antarctica forming the external ridge. The posts allude to flat earth conspiracies. OUR CONTAINER.”The ocean is pulled down to the irregular ellipsoid-shaped Earth due to gravity (here), however, and is not held together by containers on a flat surface. On Earth, per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “gravity pulls all objects ‘downward’ toward the center of the planet” (bit.ly/41XcxYq). The ocean is pulled to Earth due to gravity.

☆ Mount Everest climbing permits: Nepal issues record number for spring season
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Sugam Pokharel | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Nepal has issued permits for a record 463 climbers so far for this spring season’s expeditions to Mount Everest even as experts worry about dangerous overcrowding at the summit. Spring is the prime time to climb Mount Everest, although some mountaineers might climb in the less favorable autumn season. Warnings of too many people on EverestMountaineers have warned of the dangers of overcrowding on Everest. “The geography we can’t change… but we are trying to manage by adding multiple ropes,” Khatiwada told CNN. Three Sherpas died earlier this month after being buried by a block of snow on Everest, according to the official.

☆ Take a look inside the largest house in the US — a Vanderbilt's 130-year-old private mansion with 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Libertina Brandt | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

According to the property's website, the Biltmore House was built in the late 1800s by George Vanderbilt and features 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces. George Vanderbilt, a prominent businessman from the late 19th and early 20th century, began constructing the Biltmore House in 1889. Vanderbilt opened the Biltmore House in 1895. The Biltmore Estate, which now spans a total of 8,000 acres, is covered with gardens designed by American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. The main house, America's largest, includes 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces.

☆ How Ukraine's artillery is doing more damage than Russia's, even with fewer rounds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( David Hambling | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

While Ukraine has fewer guns firing fewer shells, it appear to be doing more damage than Russia. But while Ukraine has fewer guns firing fewer shells, they appear to be doing more damage even though, with some notable exceptions, they are using the same weapons as their Russian opponents. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated in February that Russia was firing around four times as many shells as Ukraine. This suggests an improvement of a factor of 7-10, which is roughly what we see in the ratios of artillery shells: casualties above. A vast number of Ukrainian drone videos show this process in operation.

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