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☆ 'House of the Dragon' season finale review: 'The Black Queen' soars into the battle to come
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Editor’s Note: This story contains spoilers about the “House of the Dragon” season finale. CNN —The two giant fantasy series that premiered within weeks of each other shared massive scope and scale. The “Dragon” season finale that premiered October 23, subtitled “The Black Queen,” in a sense brought this first season – at times uneven, but always interesting – full circle. Although it wasn’t a direct competition between “Dragon” and “Rings,” the parallels between them and the timing of their release made comparisons virtually inevitable. But based on its opening salvo, score “House of the Dragon” as a victory for the old guard.

☆ Democrat Eric Sorensen faces off against Republican Esther Joy King for an open seat in Illinois' 17th Congressional District election
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Eric Sorensen's campaign; Esther Joy King's campaign; InsiderRepublican Esther Joy King is running against Democrat Eric Sorensen in Illinois' 17th Congressional District. Bustos, who led the House Democrats' campaign arm during the disappointing 2020 cycle, only bested King by about 4 percentage points. Sorensen, whose campaign logo includes a wind turbine, has pushed for aggressive action addressing climate change. Voting history for Illinois' 17th Congressional DistrictThe seat is a prime example in how former President Donald Trump accelerated the erosion of traditionally Democratic strongholds. King has raised more — $4.3 million — and spent $2.9 million with about $1.4 million still remaining, as of September 30.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks about the student loan forgiveness program from an auditorium on the White House campus in Washington, U.S., October 17, 2022. U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey in St. Louis said that while the six Republican-led states had raised "important and significant challenges to the debt relief plan," they lacked the necessary legal standing to be able to pursue the case. Autrey ruled an hour after Barrett denied without explanation an emergency request to put the debt relief plan on hold in the challenge brought by the Brown County Taxpayers Association. The plaintiffs in the case are represented by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, a conservative legal group. Circuit Court of Appeals subsequently refused the group's request to block the debt relief program pending an appeal.

☆ New contemporary art event boosts Paris scene
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Elizabeth Pineau | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A visitor walks past the "Buste de Diego" (1961) by artist Alberto Giacometti as Paris+ par Art Basel international contemporary art fair opens in Paris, France, October 19, 2022. The event, "Paris+ par Art Basel", was awarded to Art Basel, one of the giants in the art world, which hosts fairs in Switzerland as well as Miami and Hong Kong. Contemporary art, dating roughly from 1945 onwards, made up 23% of the art market in 2020-2021, compared with 3% in 2000-2001, according to the Artprice data bank. The Paris event replaces the International Contemporary Art Fair (Fiac) and follows the high-profile Frieze fair in London. Paris is the only big city in the continent, the only important city for contemporary art, so it was an obvious choice," Kilchmann told Reuters.

☆ NBA roundup: Suns hit late shot to cap rally from 22-point hole
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Lee hit a 10-foot fallaway jumper over Spencer Dinwiddie to cap an electric Phoenix comeback in the season opener for both teams. Cameron Johnson added 15 points, Mikal Bridges had 13 points and 11 rebounds and Lee scored 11 points off the bench. Christian Wood added 25 points and eight rebounds in his Dallas debut while Dinwiddie added 15 points. D'Angelo Russell added 20 points and Jaden McDaniels had 19 for Minnesota. Santi Aldama (18 points, 11 rebounds) and John Konchar (12 points, 11 rebounds) each posted double-doubles while Jones had 15 points off the bench.

☆ European countries face an air conditioning Catch-22 after its red hot, record-breaking summer
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-08 | by ( Christian Nunley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Unlike the U.S., European countries don't rely on air conditioning to cope with high temperatures. Fewer than 10% of households in Europe owned air conditioners as of 2016, according to the International Energy Agency. We were getting typically 20 inquiries a day maybe for people interested in air conditioning," said Richard Salmon, director of The Air Conditioning Co., which is based in central London. Demand for air conditioners spiked as temperatures crossed 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the United Kingdom. Watch the video to learn more about why large parts of Europe don't have air conditioning, how ACs contribute to climate change, and new kinds of efficient cooling technologies that can mitigate carbon emissions.

☆ Europe faces a growing heat wave crisis — and lack of air conditioning
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-08 | by ( Christian Nunley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Heat waves in Europe broke many temperate records, caused higher-than-average amounts of wildfire to burn, and even melted a busy runway at a London airport. Europeans deal with the heat in different ways than those in the United States -- without air conditioning, but that's quickly changing. Fewer than 10 percent of households in Europe come equipped with air conditioners, according to the International Energy Agency. We were getting typically 20 inquiries a day maybe for people interested in air conditioning," said Richard Salmon, the director of The Air Conditioning Company based in Central London. Watch the video to learn more about why large parts of Europe don't have air conditioning, the dangers of letting carbon emissions run wild via air conditioning and effective, efficient cooling technologies that can mitigate carbon emissions from just trying to cool off.

☆ Sheng Wang's clean humor can make anyone laugh, 'from grandmas to porn stars,' he says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-06 | by ( Diep Tran | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

That’s because Wang’s notoriety has just increased substantially, following his first-ever Netflix comedy special, “Sweet and Juicy.” Then again, Wang admits that it’s pretty easy to recognize him these days thanks to his look. But on “Sweet and Juicy,” Wang sports a goatee and a shoulder length mane of black hair. As Wang puts it, “It’s a look!” His hair grew out during the pandemic and he just didn’t cut it. And yet, he’s still surprised at how much his comedy special has resonated, not just with other Asian Americans, but with a diverse array of people. “It’s just all kinds of people at different ages, different careers, different parts of society, parents and their children, from grandmas to porn stars,” says Wang.

☆ A musician raised an AI 'baby' to harmonize with — and her newest experiment could usher in a brave, new world of art
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Drew Austin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

In the world of art, misgivings about AI have been particularly acute. Despite this widespread apprehension, Holly Herndon — an experimental musician and artist — doesn't think AI is nefarious or will ruin art. In her blog post announcing Holly+, Herndon said she envisioned a future where digitally created voices "soon become standard practice for artists and other creatives." While the project has yielded an ever-growing array of fascinating art, Holly+ also raises questions about the future of that art. (Anyone can use the Holly+ voice tool itself without submitting the output to the DAO, however.)

☆ Retailers Face Pressure to Offer Discounts While Battling Inflation
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Kristin Broughton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Retailers and their finance chiefs are facing a challenge balancing consumer expectations for discounts and the need to keep raising prices to offset high inflation. With more discounts available and additional inventory being sold through off-price retailers, consumers are expecting to find good deals when they go shopping, executives said. Last month, the average discount at such retailers was 16%, up from 15% a year earlier, UBS said. That is prompting competitors—including those that don’t have too much inventory—to fine-tune their pricing strategies, offering discounts to stay competitive even as they grapple with higher costs. The company’s operating margin fell to 15% from 18.1% a year earlier, according to FactSet, a data provider.

☆ A professor falsely accused of spying for China describes the toll it's taken on his family
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

The Department of Justice had accused Xi of sharing schematics for a pocket heater with peers in his research community in China. “It’s also important for the community in general, because of all the Chinese scientists and scientists of Chinese descent — many of them are being falsely charged. His arrest, Xi claimed, was discriminatory. The arrest, Joyce added, altered the family’s lives in unmeasurable ways. Several other scholars who have been falsely accused of spying struggle to recount the emotional toll the incidents took on their families.

☆ Microsoft's MIT blackjack whiz who was accused of treating women unfairly is leaving, according to a leaked internal memo
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-29 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft for Startups boss Jeff Ma, an MIT-trained blackjack whiz accused of treating women unfairly at work, is leaving the company, according to an internal email viewed by Insider. Charlotte Yarkoni, Microsoft's cloud and artificial-intelligence chief operating officer, announced the change internally on Friday, saying Ma is "leaving Microsoft to pursue his next adventure." "Jeff's expertise and impact on Microsoft for Startups has been notable," Yarkoni wrote in the email. While there's no indication Ma's departure is related to the allegations, Ma is the latest executive accused of mistreating employees to leave Microsoft in recent months. Current and former Microsoft employees alleged Kipman repeatedly got away with inappropriate behavior toward women employees, including unwanted touching.

☆ 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.

☆ Has the Phoenix Valley real estate market hit its pandemic ceiling? 7 industry experts debate if Phoenix's lofty home valuations are justified — or if there's a housing correction on the horizon for t
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-07 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Besides an overwhelming investor appetite, the surge in the Sunbelt's real estate prices can also be attributed to an influx of enthusiastic remote workers with deep pockets. "The Phoenix market was largely a COVID-19 pandemic market until about last summer," independent real estate market analyst John Wake told Insider, explaining that it was mainly owner-occupants driving the market. "In 2007, before the great recession, over 50% of our workforce was in real estate, construction, retail, and hospitality. Besides its investments into the biosciences and healthcare industry, Phoenix also has a stake in another global sector — semiconductor chip manufacturing. Eventually, Rounds forecasts a price correction of at least 25% for the Phoenix housing market.

☆ How to deal with work-from-home loneliness when you manage a remote team
▼ + stars: | 2022-05-10 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Insider's latest work-advice column is about how managers can tackle remote work loneliness. I have weekly team and one-on-one meetings with colleagues, but apart from those and task-related messages, we don't interact much. I'm not sure how much my team members communicate with each other, but I imagine they have similar experiences. The good news is there are plenty of simple things you can do to help you and your team form social bonds and mitigate your collective feelings of loneliness. Noonan suggested setting aside a couple of hours each week where team members do their own work over video together.

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