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☆ Born of Grief, a Couple’s Off Broadway Incubator Marks 20 Years
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Robin Pogrebin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In 2002, Jenny and Jon Steingart founded the Off Broadway incubator Ars Nova as a way of honoring Jenny’s brother, Gabriel Wiener, who in 1997 died of a brain aneurysm at the age of 26. Now, as the nonprofit theater is marking its 20th anniversary, the couple is facing another wrenching struggle: Jon has A.L.S., the severe neurological disorder also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. “Every painful experience in my life — if I have to live through it, I am going to come out on the other side with a lesson and a way to give back in some way,” Jenny Steingart said in a recent interview at their home on the Upper West Side. “Because a loss without some meaning behind it is really hard to live with.”So this anniversary, to be celebrated with a gala on Monday, also finds the Steingarts feeling great satisfaction, having created an institution that — in the wake of the 9/11 attacks — has played a crucial role in the professional development of so many artists. Among those who have worked at Ars Nova are Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, Christopher Jackson and Phillipa Soo of “Hamilton” fame; Bridget Everett, the actress and cabaret performer of the acclaimed HBO series “Somebody Somewhere”; and Dave Malloy, who created “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812” at Ars Nova.

☆ MLB roundup: Down 6, Rays stun Gerrit Cole, Yanks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Cole gave up six runs (five earned) and eight hits, striking out six and walking two in his five-plus innings. The winning pitcher was Michael Tonkin (3-1), who did not allow a hit over two scoreless innings. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. homered twice, scored four runs and had four RBIs and Christian Walker also homered for Arizona, which had its win streak snapped at three. Pittsburgh starter Roansy Contreras (3-3) allowed five runs and nine hits in five innings, with four strikeouts and three walks. Yarbrough allowed one run on three hits over 5 2/3 innings, his longest start since July last year with the Tampa Bay Rays.

"This is the right's best chance for people to pick a Pinochet constitution without Pinochet's signature," said Patricio Navia a political scientist at New York University. "The political climate in Chile isn't the same as in 2019 or 2020," said political analyst Cristobal Bellolio. An estimated 3,200 Chileans were murdered and another 28,000 tortured by the state during Pinochet's rule. Many of the victims were affiliated with the socialist government of Salvador Allende, who was deposed in a 1973 coup. "The issue is that if it's more right then Pinochet's constitution, people are going to reject it," Navia added, who added the loss for Boric left the leader who once promised to bury Chile's market-led model sorely wounded.

☆ Miranda Priestly's six-story NYC townhouse from 'The Devil Wears Prada' is now on sale for $27 million — see inside
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

The next owner of the East 73rd Street home will have more than just a famous history to boast about. They'll also have famous neighbors — like Gloria Steinem, who lives across the street, according to New York Magazine. Adam D. Modlin/Modlin GroupSource: New York Magazine

☆ Countries set to request emergency session of UN rights body on Sudan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GENEVA, May 5 (Reuters) - A group of countries is set to request an urgent meeting of the U.N. human rights body on the Sudan crisis next week, a document showed on Friday, in a move that rights activists hope will increase scrutiny of violations by rival military factions. Diplomats told Reuters they had the backing of at least a third of the 47-member council, as required by its rules. The U.N. Human Rights Council, the only body made up of governments to protect human rights worldwide, does not have legally binding powers, but its debates can spur investigations that feed evidence to national and international courts. Last week, a group of over 90 non-governmental organisations wrote an open letter calling for the special session. What remains to be determined is whether members will seek a formal probe into alleged human rights abuses there which include the killings of hundreds of civilians and attacks on hospitals.

☆ UNICEF: More than 1 million polio vaccines destroyed in Sudan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Smoke is seen rise from buildings during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan. REUTERS/ Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File PhotoGENEVA, May 5 (Reuters) - More than 1 million polio vaccines intended for children have been destroyed as a result of looting in Sudan during the upsurge in violence since April, the U.N. children's agency UNICEF told Reuters on Friday. "A number of cold chain facilities have been looted, damaged and destroyed, including over a million polio vaccines in South Darfur," Hazel De Wet, deputy director of the Office of Emergency Programmes, UNICEF told Reuters in an email. Africa was declared free of wild polio in 2020 but Malawi, Mozambique and Sudan have reported imported cases since last year. Numerous humanitarian agencies have reported looting during the Sudan crisis including the World Food Programme, which said it lost $13-$14 million worth of supplies.

And so whenever I get one of those notifications, I know I’m going to have a good time there. kevin roose[LAUGHS]: I actually don’t think I could’ve told you what IBM stood for. kevin rooseSo I’ve thought a lot and written a lot about how and when AI actually is a threat to jobs. The third category is just the jobs that I think are going to be protected, the jobs that we won’t let AI do. But I don’t actually think the speed of it matters at all.

☆ Chile's voters set to take big step in constitution redraft 2.0
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Natalia A. Ramos Miranda | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Rodrigo GarridoSANTIAGO, May 5 (Reuters) - Chileans will vote to elect 50 constitutional advisers on Sunday, a major step towards rewriting the constitution, after voters overwhelmingly rejected a first attempt in a plebiscite last September to replace the dictatorship-era charter. The so-called Constitutional Council that voters are set to elect will work as of June on the new constitution, based on a preliminary draft prepared by a commission of 24 experts that Congress appointed in March. "I voted to approve (in September), I wanted a new constitution and to get rid of the dictatorship's constitution, but now I'm not really interested." He stressed that traditional political forces are now more in control of the process, unlike the failed first attempt. It seems "likely that no single bloc or party will win enough seats to independently steer the process without compromise," Watson said.

☆ This global commercial real-estate stock is set to rise by 60%, Jefferies says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Jefferies expects shares of U.K.-focused commercial real-estate stock Life Science REIT to rise by more than 60% over the next 12 months. The investment bank's prediction comes at a time when the global commercial real estate market has seen prices fall sharply over the past year . However, according to Jefferies, Life Science REIT will escape the brunt of the pressure facing the rest of the sector. These properties are then leased to "tenants operating in the life science sector," according to the company. The region is also set to benefit from the U.K. government's 10-year strategy, unveiled in 2021, to aid and develop the life science sector in the U.K.

☆ Trans and nonbinary students have long had a place at women’s colleges. Here’s what they want you to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Elizabeth Wolfe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

And Smith – while it opens its doors to trans women and some nonbinary applicants – does not accept admissions applications from trans men. Avery is among the trans and nonbinary students who do not identify as women and yet have been attending women’s colleges for decades. Nanney noted that scholars have identified trans alumni of women’s colleges as early as the 1980s. “There’s a lot of resistance, especially from leadership, to use the term ‘historically women’s college’ because they think that connotes the idea that these colleges are no longer ‘women’s colleges,’” Nanney said. He now identifies as a trans man and contributes to the Wellesley Trans Archive, a student-run Tumblr page that documents stories of past and current trans students.

"The German economy remained stuck in the mud at the start of 2023, only barely avoiding recession," Pantheon Macroeconomics' chief eurozone economist Claus Vistesen said. The German economy shrank by a revised 0.5% in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared with the previous three months, reviving fears of a technical recession, defined as two consecutive quarters of contraction. "A gradual recovery is underway, despite a persistently difficult environment," German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in the presentation of the forecasts. "The recent renaissance in industrial production could very well carry the economy through the second quarter," ING's global head of macro Carsten Brzeski said. "However, we are afraid that looking into the second half of the year, the German economy will continue its flirtation with recession."

☆ How to haggle with your college over financial aid
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Dayun Park | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

In some cases, filing an official financial aid appeal may even delay the deadline for putting down a deposit. Here, according to college financial aid and admissions officers, consultants and students, are the steps to take:Email, don’t call, and handle it yourself. “If there has been a significant reduction in income compared to your application, inform the school’s financial aid office; in some cases, financial aid can increase,” said Phil Asbury, Director of Financial Aid of Northwestern University in Illinois. The opportunity to increase need-based aid depends on the accuracy of your documented financial change and the financial ability of the school to make a change,” John Leach, Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment and University Financial Aid at Emory University, told CNN. Northwestern has a “priority deadline” so that the financial office can notify students early, but students can still apply for financial aid all year round.

☆ BASF maintains 2023 forecast, faces subdued demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, April 27 (Reuters) - German chemicals giant BASF (BASFn.DE) on Thursday maintained its profit forecast for 2023 but warned of great uncertainty in the global economy as it saw demand weaken across its segments. BASF is targeting sales this year in a range of 84-87 billion euros ($92.84-$96.15 billion) and adjusted earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of 4.8-5.4 billion euros, the company said upon confirming its preliminary results for the first quarter. "BASF started off 2023 better than analysts had expected – and in a stagnating and difficult economic environment," said chief executive Martin Brudermueller. Earlier this month, the company reported higher-than-forecast first-quarter adjusted EBIT of 1.93 billion euros, falling by almost a third compared to the same quarter of 2022. However, first-quarter sales fell by 13% to 20 billion euros as a result of lower volumes across almost all segments.

☆ MLB roundup: Zac Gallen extends scoreless run in D-backs' win
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

Arizona's Emmanuel Rivera had an RBI single among his two hits and scored a run. Evan Longoria also had an RBI single for the Diamondbacks, who won two of the three games in the series after losing four of their previous five contests. Padres 5, Cubs 3Fernando Tatis Jr. ripped a two-run single in the seventh inning to give San Diego the lead for good in its win in Chicago. Tatis added an insurance run with an RBI single in the ninth. Rodolfo Castro added a two-run single, and Bryan Reynolds, Andrew McCutchen and Ji Hwan Bae each had an RBI single for the Pirates.

Net profit attributable to shareholders was 1.158 billion euros ($1.28 billion). That compared with profit of 1.060 billion euros a year earlier, and was better than analysts' expectations for a profit drop to around 977 million euros. "We have worked hard to achieve this stability," Deutsche Bank Chief Executive Officer Christian Sewing told employees in a memo. Revenue at the investment bank unit fell 19% to 2.7 billion euros in the first quarter from a year earlier. The investment bank's revenue decrease was countered by gains at the corporate bank and retail bank, which saw 35% and 10% increases.

☆ Schools Are Ditching Homework, Deadlines in Favor of ‘Equitable Grading’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Sara Randazzo | Photographs Miranda Alam For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Las Vegas high-school English teacher Laura Jeanne Penrod initially thought the grading changes at her school district made sense. Under the overhaul, students are given more chances to prove they have mastered a subject without being held to arbitrary deadlines, in recognition of challenges some children have outside school. Soon after the system was introduced, however, Ms. Penrod said her 11th-grade honors students realized the new rules minimized the importance of homework to their final grades, leading many to forgo the brainstorming and rough drafts required ahead of writing a persuasive essay. Some didn’t turn in the essay at all, knowing they could redo it later.

☆ Meet Jelly Roll, the Rapper Turned Country Singer Rousing Nashville
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Alan Light | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

1 on rock radio while the mid-tempo “Son of a Sinner” topped the country radio chart, and Jelly Roll held the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s emerging artist chart for 25 straight weeks, the longest run in that ranking’s history. The Bridgestone show is chronicled in a new documentary, “Jelly Roll: Save Me,” premiering on Hulu on May 30. He’s living proof that anything is possible.”As Jelly Roll’s profile grows, he’s not slowing down his nonstop work habits. He is very strong in who he is and what he wants to say as an artist.

☆ Spare the bear: Sculpture of Spain's rifle-wielding ex-king puzzles onlookers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Once revered for his role in Spain's transition to democracy, he is now seen as a liability for his son, King Felipe. After eight minutes standing next to the bronze bear figure, Miranda removed his unauthorised statue - 170 cm (67 inches) tall and made of polyurethane and modelling clay covered with metallic paint resembling patina on bronze. The Bear and Strawberry Tree - the official symbols of Madrid - are photographed by thousands of tourists daily in the middle of the Puerta del Sol square. Miranda will have an exhibition in Madrid next month which will include images of the performance in Puerta del Sol. Reporting by Emma Pinedo, editing by Andrei Khalip and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

I love writing about personal finance, but personal responsibility isn't the be-all and end-all. How disability shapes my family's finances »Demographic disparities persist through educationLike all areas of education, financial education suffers from disparities in school funding, which exacerbate racial inequality. As one instructor told the USBE auditors, "Financial literacy is critical to the financial wellbeing of our country. Financial education is under-resourced and undersupportedThe problems with financial education aren't surprising, given the lack of attention the subject receives from decision-makers. I'm glad I ignored mainstream financial advice »Financial literacy needs to include our history of inequalityPersonal finance media, gurus, and educators love to tout financial literacy as the missing puzzle piece to the American dream.

☆ Switzerland shuts embassy in Sudan for security reasons
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, April 24 (Reuters) - Switzerland has closed its embassy in Khartoum and evacuated staff and their families over the security situation in Sudan, the Swiss foreign ministry said on Twitter. "Our staff and their families have been evacuated and are safe," Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis tweeted late on Sunday. The Foreign Ministry said seven embassy staff and five accompanying people had been evacuated. Work was continuing to help Swiss nationals stuck in Sudan. The Swiss foreign ministry on Friday there were about 100 Swiss nationals registered in Sudan while others are thought to be visiting the Red Sea area as tourists.

☆ 'Lilo & Stitch' live-action remake raises concerns about colorism
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Harmeet Kaur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Disney’s animated hit “Lilo & Stitch” is getting the live-action treatment, but a reported casting decision has set off a new conversation about colorism in Hollywood. Why some feel Nani’s skin color is relevantThe new “Lilo & Stitch” is based on an animated film and Nani is a fictional, animated character. But unlike “The Little Mermaid,” which is rooted in mythology despite receiving racist backlash over Halle Bailey’s casting in the live-action remake, “Lilo & Stitch” draws from a very real culture and people. The live-action “Lilo & Stitch” is only the latest in a long line of projects that have faced accusations of colorism. Though Connor is disappointed, she hopes the “Lilo & Stitch” remake will otherwise stay true to the original, which she loved so much growing up.

☆ Susan Stroman Tells Stories Through Music
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Emily Bobrow | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The pandemic hit Susan Stroman hard. The five-time Tony award-winning director and choreographer got seriously ill with Covid-19 days after New York’s theaters shut down in 2020. She then spent 70 days alone in her Manhattan apartment, too sick and then too afraid to leave. “Somehow the pandemic fueled us to work harder,” Ms. Stroman, 68, says. Because the show takes place in 1946, when New Yorkers were feeling newly hopeful after years of war, the timing felt profound.

☆ Germany appoints commission to re-appraise 1972 Munich Olympics attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, April 21 (Reuters) - Germany has appointed an eight-person commission to re-appraise the attack on Israeli athletes and team members at the 1972 Munich Olympics to answer unresolved questions, said German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser in a statement on Friday. "For too many years, there was a lack of understanding or reappraisal of the events, transparency about them or acceptance of responsibility for them," she said. Palestinians from the Black September militant group took members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage on Sept. 5, 1972. Eleven Israelis, a German policeman and five of the Palestinian gunmen died after a stand-off at the Olympic village and the nearby Fuerstenfeldbruck airfield. ($1 = 0.9131 euros)Writing by Miranda Murray; editing by John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Holcim shrugs off interest rate fears to raise guidance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( John Revill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Other countries such as Britain have also seen downturns this year, as higher interest rates weigh on building projects. But Holcim was undeterred, raising its outlook after what it called a strong start to the year. Holcim's first-quarter sales fell to 5.73 billion Swiss francs ($6.41 billion) from 6.44 billion, but beating the 5.66 billion forecast by analysts in a consensus of estimates. Recurring operating profit fell to 493 million francs, but topped the 464 million which analysts had forecast. On a like-for-like basis, which cuts out the impact of divestments and currency swings, sales rose 8% and recurring operating profit increased by 12%.

☆ Germany: decisions on Patriots in Slovakia, Poland to be discussed with allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, April 21 (Reuters) - Germany's Defence Ministry said any decisions on its deployment of Patriot air-defence systems to Poland and Slovakia will be discussed with allies in Europe, after a report said Berlin planned to end the deployment by the end of the year. The planned end to the deployment was reported by the Funke media report, citing a defence ministry spokesperson. "The statements on deployment plans of our Patriot squadrons in Poland and Slovakia referred to original plans," the ministry later said in a statement. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius will discuss and coordinate the matter with partners at Friday's meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Ramstein, it added. Germany has also delivered a Patriot system to Ukraine to support the country in the war against Russia.

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