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☆ 7 people who left California detail the bigger and better homes they were able to buy or rent in their new locations
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Jordan Pandy | Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Seven people who chose to leave California told Insider about the bigger and better homes they could afford in other locations. Brittany PhillipsName: Brittany Phillips, 37Profession: Hairstylist making about $85,000 a yearHome in California: Phillips shared a three-bedroom, 1,353-square-foot house with a roommate. Home in Florida: Phillips and her 13-year-old daughter moved in with her parents in a northwest Florida hot spot, Panama City Beach. Worst part of California: Phillips felt that California is simply unaffordable. Worst part of California: Berube said Chino Hills was getting crowded and expensive.

A federal judge in Texas on Friday extended an order temporarily allowing hundreds of thousands of young immigrants enrolled in a program to work and study in the U.S. without fear of being deported. The administration's revised version of DACA, aimed at codifying and strengthening the protections, is set to go into effect on Oct. 31. Texas, which is home to over 100,000 people enlisted in the DACA program, filed suit to end the program in 2018, alleging that the program is illegal because it should have been created by legislation, not executive order. Hanen agreed that the program was unlawful his July 2021 ruling. The program narrowly survived a different challenge before the high court in a 5-4 ruling in 2020, but the court now has a larger conservative majority.

☆ Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz spared death penalty. Victims' families might be better off.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Emilia Benton | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Though many were shocked he didn’t receive the death penalty, and many victims’ family members were visibly upset by the decision, it’s wrong to assume this would have automatically brought them solace. The lengthy proceedings stirred up decades-old memories of waiting to find out whether my own mother’s murderer would receive the death penalty. It’s the prime example people use when they’re surprised to learn I’m not fervently in favor of the death penalty. Sometimes family members of victims do have clear-cut feelings that the death penalty is needed. It’s time for everyone in this country, from lawmakers to the general public, to prioritize the effect of the death penalty on a victim’s survivors over their own political ideologies.

☆ Venezuela objects to U.S. court's calendar to sell Citgo parent's shares
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CARACAS, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The Venezuelan government on Wednesday objected to what it called an "arbitrary decision" by a U.S. court that approved a calendar for auctioning shares in the parent of Houston-based refiner Citgo Petroleum, which is owned by Venezuela. Venezuela "categorically rejects this reckless decision," the government said in a statement on Wednesday. "All objections... are hereby overruled and denied on the merits with prejudice," Judge Stark ruled on the objections to the calendar, including Venezuela's. Venezuela said it will take action before international bodies and mechanisms to defend the asset, without providing details. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Deisy Buitrago; Written by Marianna Parraga; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ports are the perfect place for electric trucks to scale, but getting drivers on board could be a long haul
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Then, electric trucks started to get real. That's where electric trucks come in. Why ports are a perfect fit for electric trucks — almostPorts are an ideal place to employ electric trucks at scale because the job of a port trucker matches the capability and limitations of an electric truck. Cordero said the Port of Long Beach, combined with the neighboring Port of Los Angeles, would raise $90 million a year in fees. But even with many unanswered questions, it's a great time to get serious about changing out trucks, Cordero said.

☆ A new study confirms it: The pandemic turned us all into jerks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Graceless under pressureTo see how the pandemic affected us, researchers looked at the so-called Big Five personality traits: agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, and openness. But the new study found a surprising shift during the pandemic — roughly equivalent to what they'd expect from 10 years of life, not two. During the first months of the pandemic, Sutin's team found little personality change. "The only thing that went wrong," says Brent Roberts, a psychologist and expert in personality change at the University of Illinois, "is the goddamn pandemic kept going." For some Americans, the most stressful thing about the pandemic was experts telling them they should help people they don't like.

☆ Warren Buffett buys more Occidental Petroleum after shares slide 18% in one month
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Berkshire's stake in Occidental has now reached 20.8% after steadily increasing the bet over the past few months. In August, Berkshire received regulatory approval to purchase up to 50%, spurring speculation that it may eventually buy all of of Houston-based Occidental. Shares of Occidental retreated 18% over the past month as oil prices dropped on rising recession fears. Berkshire also holds warrants to buy another 83.9 million common shares for $5 billion, or $59.62 each. The Berkshire stake in Occidental would rise to 27.4% if it exercised those warrants.

☆ Pandemic may have altered some personalities to be more neurotic, less agreeable
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Adults became less extroverted, open, agreeable and conscientious during the pandemic, a new study found. Past research has already demonstrated that personalities can change as we age or develop new habits like exercising. Past research has not found an association between exposure to natural disasters and personality changes. Damian's past research has also not found an overall change in personality traits among those affected by major storms like Hurricane Harvey. Sutin said one possible reason personalities didn't seem to change at the start of the pandemic is that there was a more hopeful attitude in 2020.

☆ Best Buy, Home Depot Lock Up Goods to Fight Theft
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Sarah Nassauer | Benoît Morenne | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

To deter theft, Best Buy has replaced some products on shelves with QR codes. A Best Buy store at the Southland Center shopping mall in Taylor, Mich. Shoppers are finding more empty space on store shelves, but not because the retailer is out of stock. In many cases, the items are locked away to prevent theft. At a Best Buy store in the suburbs of Houston, hundreds of items including Bose speakers and Fitbit activity trackers have been replaced by small blue signs that read, “This product kept in secured location,” and ask shoppers to find store workers for help.

☆ New York is now the nation's busiest port in a historic tipping point for U.S.-bound trade
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

This comes as the flow of trade continues to move away from the West Coast with logistics managers worried about a labor strike or lockout. More East Coast trade, and more port congestionThe CNBC Supply Chain Heat Map for the U.S. shows how the continued increase in trade has East Coast ports and Gulf port as the winners in this movement of freight. Maritime prices fallingThe flow of trade away from the West Coast has decreased the demand for vessel space, leading Far East to West Coast maritime freight prices to fall. "Shippers are still bringing in a lot of containers, on the East Coast and West Coast and Gulf Coast as well." Shippers are still hesitant to return re-routed cargo to the U.S. West coast, Sand said.

☆ Warren Buffett's 91st year marked by a huge focus on Berkshire Hathaway's energy empire
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-30 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Warren Buffett turns 92 on Tuesday, having spent the past year expanding further his Berkshire Hathaway energy empire, making a classic value investor's bet. Plus, many energy stocks have found themselves with torrents of cash flow since the economy reopened following Covid lockdowns. "All of this just sounds like the perfect Berkshire Hathaway stock." If Berkshire continues to ramp up its Occidental investments and makes the position a controlling one, it probably reflects the influence of Greg Abel, Buffett's likely successor who has been leading the conglomerate's energy unit Berkshire Hathaway Energy. Berkshire acquired MidAmerican Energy in 1999, and Abel became CEO of MidAmerican Energy in 2008, six years before it was renamed Berkshire Hathaway Energy in 2014.

☆ MIT professor wrongfully accused of spying for China helps make a major discovery
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-25 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Months after an MIT professor was cleared of spying for China, he helped make a major scientific discovery. But for me, I’m stopping that research,” Chen, a Chinese immigrant, said. The research, Chen emphasized, is still in its early stages and the material likely years away from commercial use. The failure to report specific work history, for example, had been interpreted by officials as attempts to conceal affiliations with China. “And I decided to stay and actually I’d say I’m very grateful that I got all the opportunities that occurred.

☆ Want to be a sustainability leader? Get away from the screen and go see it in action
▼ + stars: | 2022-05-31 | by ( Eunice Heath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Author Eunice Heath, global corporate director of sustainability at Dow, is on the advisory council for the series. That's why I encourage any business leader focused on impact to step away from the screen and see sustainability in action. Eunice Heath, global corporate director of sustainability at Dow Dow; Edited by Kazi Awal/InsiderIt's one thing to see the photos on a screen, but it was another thing to see mother nature's sheer power up close. Support economic advancements in communitiesI've always believed that people are the key to our success in building a more sustainable world. Eunice Heath is the global corporate director of sustainability at Dow.

☆ Sen. Rick Scott loves hating on New York and its governor, Andrew Cuomo. But new docs show the Florida Republican investing big time in Big Apple bonds.
▼ + stars: | 2020-10-14 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott is a frequent critic of New York Gov. Earlier this year they also disclosed between $1.1 million and $2.25 million worth of New York City Municipal Water Finance Authority bonds. "Cuomo has consistently misused taxpayer dollars and refused to ever cut government waste," Scott in June wrote in a New York Post op-ed. Earlier this year, the Scotts disclosed between $1.1 million and $2.25 million worth of New York City Municipal Water Finance Authority bonds. "Senator and Mrs. Scott have purchased hundreds of municipal bonds over the years from all over the country.

☆ A 46-bedroom Texas mansion that nobody wanted, sat abandoned for nearly 20 years, and nearly got bought 20 times finally has tenants
▼ + stars: | 2015-06-24 | by ( Dennis Green | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A 60,000-square-foot mansion near Houston, Texas, has sat vacant for more than 20 years. Owner Jim Youngblood tried to sell the vacant home more than 20 times, but every deal fell through. Construction stopped about 80% through when the couple decided the house was too big, according to the current owner of the property, Jim Youngblood. Jim Youngblood, the owner of the Manvel mansion. Jim YoungbloodYoungblood, a partner at a local leasing and property management company, bought the abandoned mansion for $525,000 in 2007.

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