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☆ Blink Fitness files for bankruptcy and may close some gyms
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Blink Fitness, the low-price gym chain with monthly memberships ranging from $15 to $45, filed for bankruptcy Monday and said it may close an unspecified number of its 101 clubs. Several major chains, including 24 Hour Fitness and Gold’s Gym, filed for bankruptcy. Blink’s bankruptcy shows the lingering impact of the pandemic on the fitness industry. “It’s a sign that this is an industry still going through growing pains post-Covid,” Rick Caro, the president of fitness industry consulting firm Management Vision, told CNN. The fitness industry faces other challenges, such as consumers cutting back on discretionary spending and the rise of GLP-1 drugs used for weight loss.

Persons: Blink, ” Rick Caro Organizations: New, New York CNN, Health & Fitness Association, Management Vision, CNN Locations: New York, New York , New Jersey , California, Texas

☆ How Xs and Cs spotted in the ionosphere could disrupt life on Earth
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Earth’s electric and magnetic fields and gravity cause charged particles in the ionosphere to flow away from Earth’s magnetic equator. Typically, plasma bubbles are long and straight because they form along Earth’s magnetic field lines. GOLD observations captured C-shaped and reverse C-shaped plasma bubbles close together in the ionosphere on October 12, 2020, and December 26, 2021. So far, GOLD has only observed two instances of the close pairings, but the C-shaped bubbles have the potential to disrupt communications. “Due to such wide view and continuous measurements, GOLD has allowed us to observe these mysteries within the ionosphere,” Karan said.

Persons: Jeffrey Klenzing, “, it’s, ”, NASA SVS, Fazlul Laskar, —, Laskar, ” Klenzing, Karan et, Deepak Karan, Karan, ” Karan, John Deere, Tim Marquis, ” Laskar Organizations: CNN, International Space Station, NASA SVS, Goddard Space Flight, NASA, of Geophysical Research, University of Colorado’s Laboratory, Atmospheric Locations: Tonga, Greenbelt , Maryland, Baltimore, Boston

☆ Richard Simmons’s Radical Promise: Exercise Is for Everybody
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-14 | by ( Danielle Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If you lived in Los Angeles in the late 1970s, your choices for an aerobic workout class were truly slim. You could go to Jane Fonda’s studio in Beverly Hills, where everyone breaking a sweat was “feather-to-lightweight,” according to one observer. You could try a few dance studios where the professionally beautiful — actresses, models, media personalities — willed their bodies to become even more so. If building muscle was your goal, you could stop by Gold’s Gym or other palaces of pump, where an almost entirely male clientele strove for hard bodies in the image of Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was against this backdrop of fitness exclusivity that Richard Simmons kicked, shouted and shimmied to the forefront of the workout scene, inviting the people he encountered to move with him — first at his Los Angeles studio and then in their own living rooms, through his home workouts on TV and VHS.

Persons: Jane Fonda’s, —, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Richard Simmons, shimmied, Simmons, “, ”, Daniel Kunitz, ” Mr, Kunitz Organizations: Gold’s, Los Angeles, Ninja Warriors Locations: Los Angeles, Beverly Hills

☆ China Is Buying Gold Like There’s No Tomorrow
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Daisuke Wakabayashi | Claire Fu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As gold surged this year to its highest price ever, Xena Lin joined the frenzy by making monthly purchases of gold “beans,” pebble-like morsels of the precious metal. For Ms. Lin, a 25-year-old administrative worker in southern China, the $80 beans — small enough to rest on a fingertip and weighing about one-thirtieth of an ounce — were an affordable way to buy into the gold excitement without splurging for jewelry, gold bars or coins. She had dabbled with investing in stocks in the past, but she said buying gold, especially in this fun way, inspired her to continue investing. “I’m still working hard to save more,” Ms. Lin said. But gold’s climb to highs above $2,400 per ounce has proved more resilient, and lasted longer, because of China.

Persons: Xena Lin, Lin, “ I’m, Ms Locations: China, Ukraine, Gaza

☆ Faith Ringgold obit: ‘Tar beach’ author and Black quilt artist dies at 93
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Yahya Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Faith Ringgold, pictured in her studio in New York City in 1999. Anthony Barboza/Getty Images(CNN) — Faith Ringgold, the pioneering artist and author best known for her narrative quilts that interwove art with activism, has died at 93. After earning her bachelor’s degree in fine art and education in 1955, Ringgold began teaching art in public schools while developing her own art. Her early work was influenced by civil and racial unrest, and had patent and profound political and social tones. The painting, arguably the series’ most famous, gorily depicts a group of men, women and children brutally attacking one another.

Persons: Faith Ringgold, Anthony Barboza, Faith, ”, Dorian Bergen, “, Ringgold, Ringgold’s adamancy, Jacquelyn Martin, Madame Willi Posey, ” Ringgold, Leila Macor, Connie’s Organizations: New York Times, ACA Galleries, Ringgold, CNN, Harlem, City College of New, City College, Civil, Museum, Modern, Museum of Modern Art, National Museum of Women, Arts, Washington , D.C, New Museum, American, de Young Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Basel, Getty Locations: New York City, New Jersey, Harlem, America, African American, Washington ,, Vietnam, Paris, London, New York, San Francisco, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Miami Beach , Florida, AFP

☆ Faith Ringgold Dies at 93; Wove Black Life Into Quilts and Children’s Books
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Margalit Fox | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Faith Ringgold, a multimedia artist whose pictorial quilts depicting the African American experience gave rise to a second distinguished career as a writer and illustrator of children’s books, died on Saturday at her home in Englewood, N.J. She was 93. Her death was confirmed by Emily Alli, who is helping with Ms. Ringgold’s estate. For more than half a century, Ms. Ringgold explored themes of race, gender, class, family and community through a vast array of media, among them painting, sculpture, mask- and dollmaking, textiles and performance art. She was also a longtime advocate of bringing the work of Black people and women into the collections of major American museums.

Persons: Faith Ringgold, Emily Alli, Ringgold Locations: Englewood , N.J

☆ The Mayor of Los Angeles Wants to Prove Homelessness Can Be Solved
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Jill Cowan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

When Karen Bass took office as Los Angeles mayor with a mandate to tackle homelessness, Venice Beach was at the top of her agenda. On a recent morning in the neighborhood, however, dog walkers navigated the wide sidewalks with little trouble, and there wasn’t a tent in sight. This is what Ms. Bass and her allies say is progress. More than a year into her term, the sidewalks and parks in Los Angeles are, on the whole, cleaner. But momentum in the nation’s second most populous city is fragile.

Persons: Karen Bass, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bass Organizations: Los Angeles Locations: Los, Venice, Los Angeles

☆ Review: With Jeremy Strong, ‘An Enemy of the People’ Is Still Making Trouble
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Jesse Green | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Dissent is necessary to democracy, sure. That’s the fundamental question posed by Henrik Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People” — and, in highly dramatic fashion, by the preview I attended of its latest Broadway revival. Surely not the Ibsen, which aligns closely with their views and is a distant source of them. (The play was first performed, as “En Folkefiende,” in 1883.) Nor does it make sense that they would object to Sam Gold’s crackling and persuasive production, which drove those views home despite having to regroup once the protesters were ejected.

Persons: Henrik Ibsen’s “, ” —, Jeremy Strong, Ibsen, Sam Gold’s crackling, ”, Amy Herzog, Strong, Thomas Stockmann Locations: —, ”

☆ Dubai’s bar scene is being redefined by artisanal champagnes
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

While the city has over 13,000 restaurants, its bar scene has largely been confined to Michelin fine dining, nightclubs, and boozy brunches. Look through the gallery and see the region's other top restaurants, as selected by 50 Best list group. The 50 Best has unveiled its 2024 list of the best restaurants in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Al Muntaha, which was recognized by Star Wine List as having the best sparkling wine list in the UAE earlier this year, has 166 labels on its champagne list, including around 60 recently added grower champagnes, says Lacroix. Tina HillierAnd the culture around drinking is largely focused on dining or special occasions, with little in between, says Krister Bengtsson, founder of Star Wine List.

Persons: Lana —, Nicolas Caupain, ”, boozy, Caupain, Raz Rahav, Tala Bashmi, Em Sherif, Yasmina Hayek, Fawzi Al Mulki, 3Fils, Khufu's, Solemann Haddad, Moonrise, Gregoire Berger, Berger, Himanshu Saini, Pol Roger, Queen Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, champagnes, Larmandier Bernier, Ulysse Collin, Samuel Lacroix, Al Muntaha, Lacroix, “, Josette, Veuve Clicquot, Dom Pérignon, Millau, Lana, Tina Hillier, Krister Bengtsson, it’s, Bengtsson, ” Bengtsson, Jean Imbert, — Organizations: CNN, High Society, United Arab, Michelin, Middle, Gulf, Jordanian, Trèsind, Burj, Star Wine, Arabian, BOCA, Michelin Star, Wine, UAE Locations: Dorchester, Dubai, Emirate, Islam, United Arab Emirates, UAE, East, North Africa, Tel Aviv, Tala, Manama's, Bahrain, Beirut, Giza, Cairo, Ossiano, Atlantis, BOBY, Africa, Emirates, Swedish, Dubai’s, Paris, London , New York, French

☆ Gold prices have never been this high
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —Gold prices hit an all-time high Monday, buoyed by growing expectations of interest rate cuts among investors, a weaker dollar and geopolitical tensions. “This has created a more favorable environment for gold as a non-yielding asset.”John Reade, a market strategist at the World Gold Council, an association of gold producers, told CNN that, with investors predicting several rate cuts over the next year, gold prices could “quite possibly” shoot above Monday’s record high. Since gold is priced in US dollars, the fall in the greenback’s value has made it less expensive for investors outside the United States to buy the metal, which should have boosted demand and, in turn, lifted gold prices. Gold prices have risen 10% so far this year. According to the World Gold Council, central banks in emerging markets bought 473 metric tons (521 tons) of gold a year on average between 2010 and 2021.

Persons: ebbs, Daria Efanova, ” John Reade, Jamie Dimon, ” Reade, “, Reade, ” Organizations: London CNN —, US Federal Reserve, Treasury, Sucden, World Gold Council, CNN, Interactive Investor Locations: United States, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, China, South China, Taiwan, Russian

☆ Getting Hollywood Back Up and Running Won’t Be Easy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Nicole Sperling | More About Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Daisy Edgar-Jones, the 25-year-old British actress with an increasingly crowded dance card, will soon experience just how complicated Hollywood’s rush to return to work is going to be. Now, with only weeks to finish the film for a planned release next summer, there’s no time to waste. That means Ms. Edgar-Jones will have to walk away from a role in a drama that Ron Howard is set to begin directing soon in Australia. He is set to portray Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown,” beginning in March. Details on how Mr. Chalamet would juggle production of one movie and publicity for another are being worked out.

Persons: Daisy Edgar, Jones, Ms, Edgar, ”, Ron Howard, Chalamet, Bob Dylan, James Mangold’s “, Austin Butler Organizations: Warner Bros Locations: Oklahoma, Australia

☆ Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Here to Pump You Up (Emotionally)
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( David Marchese | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +11 min

As improbable as his achievements are, Schwarzenegger believes his life and outlook can be a model for others. Then I realized that that’s funny. If they want to be stuck in the ideological corner, then I say, I think I’m freer if I’m not, and I can work with more people. Schwarzenegger in the documentary series “Arnold.” NetflixWhat do you think of the different sides’ positions on the issues? “You’re terminated.”“If it bleeds, it leads.” That’s funny.

Persons: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Schwarzenegger, “ I’m, ”, I’ve, It’s, Harry Chase, I’m, it’s, Bobby, Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, there’s, Conan ”, Jim Cameron, Conan, “, He’s, Milton Berle, You’ve, you’re, Kevin Winter, goody, Let’s, Trump, Ramin Talaie, “ Arnold, You’re, David Marchese, Alok Vaid, Menon, ordinariness, Joyce Carol Oates, Robert Downey Jr Organizations: Los Angeles Times, UCLA, Everett, Arnold Sports Festival, Mattel, Hollywood, Republican Party, Republican, Convention, ” Netflix, Netflix, Marvel Locations: Austria, California, American, Berle’s, Hollywood, New York City

☆ Furniture store Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams is shutting down
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, which grew from a small North Carolina-based upholstery maker to a national retail furniture chain, is shuttering operations, citing weak sales and trouble securing financing. Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams is shutting down. Ben Hider/Getty ImagesMitchell Gold and Bob Williams founded their business together in 1989. Furniture stores, especially high-end retailers like Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, have been struggling as people cut back on home improvement projects and big ticket items. “Shortly after this restructuring, the company’s lender withdrew its support, forcing Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams to cease operations,” the Stephens Group said.

Persons: New York CNN — Mitchell, Bob Williams, Chris Moye, Mitchell, Ben Hider, Ethan Allen, ” Moye, ”, “ Organizations: New, New York CNN, state’s Department of Commerce, Worker, Home Depot, Target, Stephens, CNN, Stephens Group Locations: New York, North Carolina

☆ How torture, inaction underpin UAE's thriving sex trafficking industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

“The suffering was too much.”In a statement to the court after she was charged, Gold denied that she and her brother were sex traffickers. Emirati authorities do little to protect these women, according to anti-trafficking activists, Nigerian authorities and interviews with trafficked women. Human traffickers keep African women in sexual slavery by playing on their financial desperation and creating webs of manipulation and coercion, the reporting shows. This article is part of a reporting collaboration led by ICIJ, Trafficking Inc., which is examining sex trafficking and labor trafficking in many parts of the globe. The UAE made sex trafficking a crime in 2006 and has established an interagency anti-trafficking panel and opened shelters for survivors.

Persons: Christy Gold’s, Gold, Christiana Jacob Uadiale –, they’d, “, ”, ICIJ, Fatima Waziri, NAPTIP, Angus Thomas Organizations: United Arab, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Reuters, UAE, Gold, Emirates, NBC, Investigative Journalism, Dubai, UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria’s National Agency for, U.S . State Department Locations: Nigerian, Nigeria, Dubai, British, United Arab Emirates, Gulf, UAE, “, ”, Ghana, Gold, Europe, South Asia, Africa, Abu Dhabi

☆ The Cannes Film Festival
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Melissa Kirsch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Cannes Film Festival began this week with Maïwenn’s “Jeanne du Barry,” starring Johnny Depp as Louis XV, and ends on May 27 with a new Pixar film, “Elemental.” In between, there will be many screenings, many awkward standing ovations, many awards bestowed. Wes Anderson also has a new one, “Asteroid City,” about a junior stargazing convention. It features many members of the Andersonian repertory — Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody and others. In “Firebrand,” from the Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz, Alicia Vikander plays Catherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII, who’s played by Jude Law. Hirokazu Kore-eda, whose film “Shoplifters” won the Palme d’Or in 2018, has a new film, “Monster.” It stars Sakura Ando from “Shoplifters,” and the composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who died last month, did the score.

☆ Nina Gold on creating film stars, audition tapes, and why she'll never act
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Thomas Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

This is the same Nina Gold who’s made a successful career casting some of the defining films and TV shows of this century. “I still don’t really understand what it is that makes acting good,” she says. For “Bad Sisters’” smarmy, abusive antagonist John Paul, Gold cast Claes Bang. For Gold and her team – rising to six people, depending on projects – it’s a lot of logistics and audition tapes. Gold cast Taylor-Johnson in his breakout role as John Lennon in “Nowhere Boy” (2009) at age 18-20, she guesses, but had been auditioning him since about the age of nine.

☆ I'm a frequent traveler and these 5 credit cards never leave my wallet
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Andrew Kunesh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

So without further ado, these are my top five credit cards as a frequent traveler. My top 5 credit cards as a frequent travelerI use credit card rewards to fund my flights and hotel stays around the world. HyattThe Chase Sapphire Reserve is another iconic travel credit card that took the credit card world by storm when it launched in 2016. Other travel credit cards I keep openI keep a handful of hotel cards open for the annual free night certificate. Read my article to why you should have more than one credit card for more information on creating a credit card stack that works for your needs.

☆ Gold miner’s mega $20 bln deal is not quite over
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The boss of $40 billion U.S.-based gold miner Newmont (NEM.N) has sweetened his bid for Australian rival Newcrest (NCM.AX) after the latter rejected its two prior approaches. The latest $19.5 billion offer looks shinier but still faces some challenges. Under the revised proposal, Newcrest shareholders will receive 0.4 of a Newmont share for each one they hold, plus up to $1.10 via a franked special dividend. Newcrest shares closed nearly 10% below the offer price on Tuesday. Newcrest shareholders, who will own 31% of the merged company, also need to approve the deal.

☆ Crypto winter highlights gold’s warming qualities
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Edward Chancellor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

That’s why crypto pioneers developed stablecoins, which peg their market price to old-fashioned fiat currencies. The FTX founder agreed that digital tokens were impossible to value since they generated no cash flow. In other words, the entire crypto world has the mechanics of a Ponzi scheme. In such a nightmare scenario, access to a decentralised, anonymised type of digital money could prove indispensable. In this world bitcoin serves as the lifeboat for civilisation, offering protection against both anarchy and the surveillance state.

☆ Breakingviews: Crypto winter highlights gold’s warming qualities
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Edward Chancellor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

LONDON, Nov 25 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The crypto winter is bitterly cold. The FTX founder agreed that digital tokens were impossible to value since they generated no cash flow. In other words, the entire crypto world has the mechanics of a Ponzi scheme. In such a nightmare scenario, access to a decentralised, anonymised type of digital money could prove indispensable. In this world bitcoin serves as the lifeboat for civilisation, offering protection against both anarchy and the surveillance state.

☆ Gold’s Gym owner was on plane with 5 others when it crashed off Costa Rica
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — The RSG Group of gym outlets, including Gold’s Gym and McFit, confirmed Monday that founder and CEO Rainer Schaller, family and friends were aboard a small plane that disappeared from radar just off Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. “We are shocked, stunned, and full of grief about this tragic accident,” the RSG statement read. Costa Rican authorities said pieces of the twin-engine turboprop aircraft were found in the water Saturday, after the flight went missing Friday. Schaller was in the news in 2010 for his role as organizer of the Berlin Love Parade techno festival. Schaller fought back against the accusations of wrongdoing, noting that his security concept received official city approval.

☆ Gold’s Gym Owner Rainer Schaller, Family Feared Dead in Plane Crash
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Ginger Adams Otis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Gold’s Gym owner Rainer Schaller and his family were among the six people aboard a private plane that crashed off the coast of Costa Rica, his company said Monday. The private plane was headed toward Limon, Costa Rica, from Mexico on Friday, according to Costa Rican authorities. The German entrepreneur was traveling with his partner, Christiane Schikorsky , and their two children, according to a statement from RSG Group. Two other people, including the pilot, were also on board, the company said.

☆ German business owner behind Gold’s Gym among 6 feared dead in small plane crash off Costa Rica
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — Six people, apparently including the German businessman behind Gold’s Gym, were feared dead Saturday after a small plane crashed into the Caribbean just off the Costa Rican coast. All five passengers were believed to be German citizens, Security Minister Jorge Torres said. A flight plan filed for the small, charter plane listed Rainer Schaller as a passenger. A man by the same name runs international chains of fitness and gym outlets, including Gold’s Gym and McFit. Costa Rica's Coast Guard personnel unload debris found during the search for a small plane that crashed off the coast in Limon on Oct. 22, 2022.

☆ Only the Fed Can Return Gold’s Lost Luster
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

After a big rally early in the year, gold has lost much of its shiny appeal. To regain that luster it will need to win against a formidable opponent—King Dollar. But with economists and business leaders still sending contradictory messages on the economy and the Federal Reserve still firmly focused on clipping inflation’s wings, gold bugs could be in for a long wait. Gold prices have taken a beating in 2022. According to FactSet, prices for front-month gold futures contracts are down 19% since notching near-record highs in March—right after Russia invaded Ukraine.

☆ Deputy D.C. mayor resigns after being accused of assault by a personal trainer
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A Washington D.C. deputy mayor, who headed City Hall's public safety efforts, resigned on Wednesday after he was accused of assault in Northern Virginia — an allegation which also raised questions about his residency. Christopher Geldart, now the former deputy mayor for public safety and justice, was charged with allegedly assaulting a personal trainer after they argued in a Gold's Gym parking lot in Arlington. Geldart declined comment on the alleged assault or the state of his residency, but said the resignation was necessary. “I no longer wanted to be a distraction to the vitally important work of the public safety agencies of the district government,” he said to NBC Washington. City administrator Kevin Donahue will act as interim deputy mayor.

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