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☆ A history of Mike Pence's Harley-Davidson motorcycle rides
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Rebecca Harrington | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former VP Mike Pence rode a Harley-Davidson for the "Roast and Ride" event in Iowa on Saturday. US Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, right, and former Vice President Mike Pence ride motorcycles on the way to the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa., Saturday, June 3, 2023, during Ernst's Roast and Ride. Former Vice President Mike Pence rides a motorcycle during US Sen. Joni Ernst's Roast and Ride, Saturday, June 3, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. Mike Pence participates in the Annual Governor's Motorcycle Ride to benefit the Indiana National Guard Relief Fund in Fountaintown, Ind., Friday, July 29, 2016. Trump and Pence stand next to a Harley Davidson motorcycle on the South Lawn of the White House after meeting with company executives, February 2, 2017.

Persons: Mike Pence, Davidson, He's, Pence, —, Sen, Joni Ernst, Ron DeSantis, US Sen, Joseph Cress, Harley, Joni Ernst's, Michael Conroy, Donald Trump's, Trump, Harley Davidson, Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Pence didn't Organizations: White, Service, Florida Gov, US, Iowa State Fairgrounds, Iowa City Press, Citizen, AP, Harley, Indianapolis Star, Indiana cornfields, Republican, Indiana Gov, Indiana National Guard Relief Locations: Iowa, Indiana, Des Moines , Iowa, Fountaintown, Ind, Milwaukee , Wisconsin, America

☆ ‘After Sherman’ Review: A Family Reckoning
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Lisa Kennedy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

In the elegiac documentary “After Sherman,” cameras glide along waterways, soar above marshes, contemplate churches and travel down Southern roads lined by trees, the moss hanging like braids. Under the director Jon-Sesrie Goff’s gaze, these places are sacred, even as they remain haunted by a nation’s grievous racial history. “I’m Gullah, born in exile,” says Goff, who is based in New York, describing his place among the Gullah Geechee people of South Carolina. Dr. Norvel Goff Sr., a descendant of formerly enslaved people who purchased land in South Carolina after emancipation. Reverend Goff, who owns property in the Lowcountry, was also the interim pastor at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, after a self-identified white supremacist killed nine Black parishioners gathered for Bible study one evening in June 2015.

Persons: Sherman, Jon, ”, Goff, Norvel Goff, Reverend Goff Organizations: Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church Locations: Southern, New York, South Carolina, Charleston

☆ Scientists discovered a smiling, paragliding gecko that flies from tree to tree in India
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Scientists discovered a new species of paragliding gecko in India. The smiling reptiles use skin flaps along their body to fly from tree to tree. The wide-eyed, smiling reptiles were discovered while researchers were surveying gecko populations in northeastern India. The creature's scientific name is Gekko mizoramensis, but scientists have dubbed the mini-lizards "parachute geckos" due to their habit of gliding from tree to tree. Scientists found that the geckos discovered in India are distinct from other types of parachute geckos, some of which can glide up to 200 feet.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Privacy Locations: India, Nature, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia

☆ In the Market: Amid the calm, the Fed brews the next storm
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Paritosh Bansal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Earlier this month, Chairman Jay Powell said the Fed's monetary policy and financial stability tools were "working well together," allowing it to support banks and pursue price stability. But several people in the market believe not only is the regional banking sector still under stress, multiple other risks to financial stability also remain. Tighter monetary policy could well cause them to blow up or worsen the impact of other shocks, such as debt ceiling negotiations. "The Fed has no desire to conduct monetary policy through financial crises," said Wendy Edelberg, director of The Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution. In its most recent financial stability report earlier this month, the Fed listed several areas of concern, including life insurance and some types of bond and loan funds.

☆ How Pacific Islanders in the US are keeping in touch with their culture through dance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“One, two, three,” Hernandez, founder of the Pacific Islander dance group Lei Pasifika, yells out. “It makes them less homesick.”According to the US Census Bureau, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders were the fastest growing ethnic population in the US from 2020 to 2021. And in big cities with a large Pacific Islander presence, like New York, Portland, Oregon, and San Diego, many US-born Pacific Islanders as well as transplants are keeping their culture alive through dance. It’s a way for Pacific Islanders, especially young people, “to find themselves” and get connected with their ethnic identity and cultures, she notes. Mann says they noticed a growing number of Pacific Islanders, including those who aren’t Native Pacific Islanders but grew up in the islands, wanting to learn more about the culture and participate in dances.

☆ Some of the Books That Hernan Diaz Owns Surprise Even Him
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Scott, Deborah Eisenberg, Paul Yoon, Ottessa Moshfegh, Michael Ondaatje, Louise Erdrich, Colson Whitehead, Sigrid Nunez, Jean Strouse, Lorrie Moore. The novel contains four different books, written by different fictional authors in disparate genres and styles. “Trust” closes with a personal diary that is also a sort of a prose poem and a love letter to modernism. While writing this, I read and revisited authors as different as Jean Rhys, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Townsend Warner, Dawn Powell, Theodor Adorno and Gertrude Stein. Wodehouse section of my library and can report that I’ve read 29 of his books.

INVESTMENT HELPSThe company based in Hove on Britain's south coast was one of 61 firms - most with 25 or fewer employees - to take part in the world's biggest four-day week trial last year. The experience of some companies in the first trial suggests that moving to a four-day week might help, if it prompts firms to spend more on equipment and training. It piloted a four-day week for its 80 New Zealand staff over 18 months, and has since extended it to 500 workers in Australia, a move it hopes will attract new talent. British recruitment agency Reed.co.uk said it had seen a rise in the number of job advertisements offering a four-day week since the start of the year. Allcap, a supplier of industrial components with 36 employees in western England, tried a four-day week after its staff had worked flat out during the pandemic to supply protective equipment and ventilator parts.

☆ Is Twitter's new CEO, Linda Yaccarino, being set up to fall off the 'glass cliff'?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk appointed Linda Yaccarino, a former NBCUniversal exec, to succeed him as CEO of Twitter. Amid Twitter's turmoil, some suggest that Yaccarino could fall prey to the so-called "glass cliff." While men often glide on a "glass escalator" to the corner office, women often confront a "glass ceiling." "I wish we were seen as good leaders in good times, too." I wish we were seen as good leaders in good times, too."

CNN —Two senior Russian military officers have been killed in eastern Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday, the latest high-profile losses for Moscow in a grinding war with its western neighbor. The ministry said the two officers – Col. Vyacheslav Makarov and Col. Yevgeny Brovko – were in killed in action while leading Russian troops in the Donetsk region. “The commander of the 4th motorized rifle brigade, Colonel Vyacheslav Makarov, being at the forefront, personally led the battle,” a Russian Defense Ministry briefing read. The Donetsk region of Ukraine includes the city of Bakhmut, which has seen some of the fiercest and most relentless fighting of the war. The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine has made “massive attempts to break through the defense of our troops to the north and south of Artemovsk,” referring to Bakhmut by its Russian name.

CNN —Russia’s air force may have just suffered one of its worst days since the Ukraine war began. Some analysts believe Ukrainian air defenses may have been pushed forward as the Russian air force uses more “glide munitions” that can fire at targets from distance. They are using these bombs “from a distance that is unreachable for Ukrainian air defense,” he said. Mykola Oleshchuk, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, has also suggested that the nature of the threat has changed. That may be as of much concern in Russia as the loss of four aircraft over Russian territory

☆ To my fellow Gen Xers worried AI is going to take your job: Take a chill pill
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Some Gen Xers might worry that the fast rise of AI bodes ill for their job security. In an AI-driven workplace, Gen Xers will have new responsibilities, which could suit them well. For Gen Xers who are the experienced professionals in their organizations, these new responsibilities could turn out to suit them quite well. To be sure, Gen Xers' anxiety that AI has upended their glide path toward retirement is understandable. Gen Xers who are still uneasy about AI — angst is our specialty, after all — can take solace in the numbers.

☆ Russia's Kinzhal was never an unstoppable hypersonic missile, but the Patriot shot that killed one is still 'impressive,' expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Ukraine shot down a Russian Kinzhal missile described as a hypersonic weapon with a US-made Patriot interceptor. Still, a missile defense expert told Insider the missile is tough target, making it an "impressive" kill. A missile defense expert called the intercept by a Patriot missile "impressive," for both the advanced American-made missile defense system and its Ukrainian operators. A general view of a mobile defence surface-to-air missile system, Patriot, before it is transported to Poland from Gnoien, Germany January 23, 2023. Gen. Pat Ryder said that he could "confirm that they did down a Russian missile by employing the Patriot missile defense system."

☆ Hurricanes of Data: The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Porter Fox | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +35 min

The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea Shortly after dawn on Sept. 30, 2021, Richard Jenkins watched a Category 4 hurricane overrun his life’s work. That August, a sister ship, SD 1031, successfully entered Tropical Storm Henri, but only in its early stages. Hurricane research, modeling and forecasting requires many terabytes of data for every square mile the storm passes through, including vitally important sea-level data from inside a storm. The next day, the depression was upgraded to a tropical storm and officially given the name Sam. And four months later, Tropical Storm Megi killed more than 150, wiped out several villages with landslides and displaced more than a million people.

☆ Ukraine wants F-16s to shoot down Russian strike fighters dropping bombs it can't beat. Airpower experts say give them the jets.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Its defenses struggle to counter the bombs, so Ukraine wants tools to take out the Russian strike fighters. "Guided bombs are tricky for air defense because they have short flight times and usually very little infrared signature," he said. "The air defense system with the longest distance available to us is the S-300, but it's Soviet-era weapons." That is absolutely unrealistic," he said, challenging the arguments against sending fighter aircraft. There are significant training, supply chain, and operational hurdles to overcome, making essential ground-based air defense a priority in the meantime.

☆ Virgin Galactic set for first spaceflight since Richard Branson's trip two years ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The flight, slated for late May, will carry two pilots and a crew of four Virgin Galactic employees, the company announced Monday. If all goes well, Virgin Galactic expects to begin commercial services out of its spaceport in New Mexico in late June. At the time Virgin Galactic went public in 2019, it had also been touting plans to start commercial service in 2020. They include two pilots — CJ Sturckow and Mike Masucci — as well as four Virgin Galactic employees who will ride in the passenger cabin. Virgin Orbit, a sister company to Virgin Galactic that is focused on launching satellites to space on a small rocket, filed for bankruptcy in April.

☆ Video appears to show Ukraine striking a Russian warehouse in Bakhmut with devastating effects using US-made smart bombs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A video shows bombs being dropped on what appears to be a Russian military warehouse in Bakhmut. The kits transform unguided free-fall bombs into all-weather, precision-guided smart weapons. The bomb kits, which transform unguided, free-fall bombs into precision-guided munitions, have been sent to Ukraine in recent months, per reports. The kits can be bolted to unguided bombs ranging from 500 to 2,000 pounds, and its pop-out wings allow it to glide up to 45 miles. The account noted that this appears to be one of the first videos showing bombs equipped with JDAM-ERs in action in Ukraine.

☆ Ukraine could launch its offensive against Russia any moment now. Here's what's waiting
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Tim Lister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The defenses continue for hundreds of miles across the meandering southern front – where Ukrainian forces are expected to concentrate their counter-offensive in the coming weeks. This area will be critical should Ukrainian forces try to advance towards the city of Melitopol and split Russian forces in the south. It’s unclear where the equipment went but likely that it was sent north to reinforce Russian defensive lines. Russian-appointed officials in Zaporizhzhia claim there is already a large build-up of Ukrainian forces in the area. Ukrainian officials do not disclose the movement of units.

☆ I got to play the latest 'Legend of Zelda' game early. Here's a preview of the biggest game the year.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( William Antonelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

"The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom," Nintendo's biggest game this year, is releasing May 12. Last week, Nintendo invited Insider to play a demo of the game. Here are my first impressions of "Tears of the Kingdom," a wonderfully creative game that delivers on its hype. There are few games that have built more hype and anticipation than the newest Zelda game, "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom." "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" releases on May 12.

Besides YouTube's 2.6% first quarter ad revenue decline, Google is facing multiple challenges to its advertising business. While Google's search revenue was up about 2%, Microsoft is in the early stages of a big play to go after it. Matthew Bailey, principal analyst at research firm Omdia anticipates Google will post digital ad revenue growth at around 5% in 2023 and in 2024. Google's monolithic search ads business is starting to see real competitionMost of Google's ad revenue is driven by its ubiquitous search engine. But Amazon, which has a $31 billion ad business, and Walmart, which has a $2.7 billion ad business, grab roughly 80% of retail ad spend.

☆ Want to Explore Your Childhood? Start With a Floor Plan.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Phoebe Chen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Like most other gated suburbs in medium-density Chinese cities, ours was a cluster of nondescript buildings, countless lives piled to the skies. If Vermeer conjured a corner of my childhood bedroom on canvas and asked me to finish the rest, I’d have a hard time. Only floor plans have given my memories of movement a tangible form, a shape for the routine motions that made up my days. I walked through the front door and into the living room. A floor plan is the only way I’ll retain anything of that route to the window.

Google's monolithic search ads business is starting to see real competitionMost of Google's ad revenue is driven by its ubiquitous search engine. But neither pose the threat to Google's search dominance that ChatGPT-powered Bing does today, according to an agency source. But ChatGPT-Bing has a bigger opportunity to grab budgets earmarked for Google search because it will change the entire way consumers search for information. But Amazon, which has a $31 billion ad business, and Walmart, which has a $2.7 billion ad business, grab roughly 80% of retail ad spend. Morgan Stanley recently estimated that adtech firms are poised to win $26 billion out of a $130 billion retail media market by 2025.

☆ A Russian fighter jet mistakenly bombed one of its own cities. Experts say that 'serious' cockpit errors are likely to blame.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian warplane mistakenly bombed one of its own border cities, on Thursday, officials said. An expert told Insider that the pilot may have confused the Russian city for a Ukrainian one. A Russian Su-34 dropped a bomb on the border city of Belgorod, around 25 miles north of the country's border with Ukraine, Russia's defense ministry said in a statement. Two military experts told Insider that it was strange for the Su-34 to be flying over a built-up city in the first place. However, both experts told Insider they are confused about why the plane was flying so close to a populated Russian city, with Miron noting "they could have easily avoided flying over Belgorod."

☆ Elephant seals enter 'sleep spiral' during ocean dives
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The researchers refer to this as a “sleep spiral.”The research marked the first time scientists recorded brain activity in free-ranging wild marine mammals, capturing data from 104 sleep dives. Then she attached them to 13 juvenile female elephant seals that are part of a colony at Año Nuevo State Park in Pescadero, California. In shallow waters, the elephant seals even reached the seafloor, where they would rest. During REM sleep, elephant seals enter a "sleep spiral." Elephant seals sleep the most along the coast and near their foraging grounds, and that data could be used to see how shipping traffic could affect the seals.

☆ Inside the Rise and Fall of Kittyhawk, Larry Page's Failed Flying Car Company
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Hugh Langley | Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

Killing off projects had become something of a tradition at Kittyhawk, the secretive flying-car startup launched by the Google cofounder Larry Page. Larry Page has used his Google money to found a series of flying car companies with one common goal: "to free the world of traffic." "When Bloomberg did their original exposé, that's when urban air mobility became a thing," a former Kittyhawk employee recalled. Everyone thought: If Larry Page is in this space, there must be something here." Interpreting "Larry-isms" or "learning to speak Larry" were essential skills for any Kittyhawk employee who wanted to retain their sanity.

☆ NBA roundup: Warriors hang 157 on Blazers, glide into playoffs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Shaedon Sharpe added 18 points to go with a team-high seven rebounds, while Jeenathan Williams had 17 points for Portland. New Orleans' Brandon Ingram had 42 points and 12 rebounds, CJ McCollum scored 23 points and Trey Murphy III had 20. Lindell Wigginton scored 17 points and Bobby Portis had 16 for the Bucks. Jaden Hardy led all scorers with 25 points, with Theo Pinson forging a triple-double (23 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists) for the Mavericks. De'Aaron Fox, who scored 13 points, played less than 18 minutes.

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