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☆ IRS Sees Crypto Companies as Potential Crime-Fighting Partners
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Richard Vanderford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

In the alphabet soup of federal law-enforcement agencies, IRS-CI hasn’t attracted as much attention as its counterparts at the Federal Bureau of Investigation or Drug Enforcement Administration. Sometimes it’s hard to compete with private companies. But there are those out there that want to dedicate their life to service, that want to combat fraud, that want to do law-enforcement work. We’ve had several of our cyber agents and managers go to private companies. They’ll go out to the private sector, and they’ll come back to government and back out to the private sector.

☆ China's holiday home sales rise 27.1% y/y - private survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Among 22 cities selected by the China Index Academy, the average daily floor area of homes sold rose 27.1% from last year's holiday season. The firm also said major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai saw a rise in sales compared with last year's New Year holiday but sentiment remained at low level in most small cities. Compared with last year's holiday season, home sales rose 80% in Beijing, 74% in Shanghai and 131.5% in Guangzhou. China's property market crisis worsened in 2022, with official data showing home prices, sales and investment all falling in recent months, putting more pressure on the faltering economy. New-home prices in the 100 Chinese cities monitored by the firm fell 0.02% year-on-year in 2022, the first decline since 2015, the real estate research firm said.

☆ Final farewell: From Sidney Poitier to Pope Emeritus Benedict a look back at the influential figures who died in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +55 min

Other world leaders who died in 2022 include former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died in August. The final days of 2022 saw the loss of some exceptionally notable figures, including Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2022 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___Dan Reeves, 77. A Cuban-born artist whose radiant color palette and geometric paintings were overlooked for decades before the art world took notice. A prolific character actor best known for playing villains and tough guys in “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Ocean’s Eleven” and other films.

Pharmacists and parents across the country are contending with empty shelves as they search for children’s pain relief medications amid the ongoing spread of RSV, flu and Covid. CVS and Walgreens each announced on Monday that they are limiting the number of children's pain relief medications customers can buy: CVS to two, and Walgreens to six. Courtesy Chantel JablonskiCaswell said shortages of children’s Tylenol and ibuprofen and their generic versions started a month or two ago. Johnson & Johnson Motrin brand children's pain relievers at a Stop & Shop store in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., on Jan. 23, 2022. Khan said “this is probably the worst” shortage of children’s medicine he’s seen, surpassing even peak Covid.

☆ Box-office hits like 'Top Gun' and 'Avatar' could make waves at the next Oscars as the show fights for viewership
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"Top Gun: Maverick," "Avatar: The Way of Water," and more box-office hits are in Oscar contention. Now, with the Oscars fighting for viewership, box-office hits like "Top Gun: Maverick" — this year's biggest movie so far — and "Avatar: The Way of Water" — which is chasing that title — may be in contention for the top prize at the 2023 ceremony. The declining viewership has, in recent years, prompted the organization behind the Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, to try to inject the show with changes. The aforementioned "Top Gun: Maverick" is a formidable player in this year's awards race, as is "Avatar: The Way of Water." The movie, which was made for $25 million, grossed $103 million worldwide, making it indie studio A24's biggest film ever.

☆ The Biggest Debates and Opinions in 2022 - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +30 min

Opinion The 22 Debates That Made Us Rage, Roll Our Eyes, and Change Our Minds in 2022Debating is what we do here at Times Opinion. To many, she was an icon: She ruled for 70 years, presided over the transition from empire to commonwealth and served as a living link to the generation that won World War II. (Though Ben Bernanke, a former Fed chairman himself, wrote in The Times that that wasn’t going to happen.) The United States and its European allies poured weapons and aid into Ukraine, but how was this going to end? As 2022 draws to a close, the fighting continues and peace talks look as distant as ever — which probably means that the debates will continue.

☆ A-10 pilot reveals what it was like trying to land an attack aircraft that was literally falling apart around her
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Taylor Bye's A-10 attack aircraft started falling apart on a training flight. US Air Force photo by Andrea JenkinsWhen Bye attempted to fire the cannon on a strafing run, she heard a troubling pop. Bye commissioned into the Air Force in 2015 straight out of the United States Air Force Academy, where she first flew. Her first ever solo flight was in a DA20 in Colorado during Air Force pilot training, and the experience, she said, "was so much fun." 995, for the first time since the Air Force maintenance and repair teams finished putting it back together.

☆ America's lack of boardroom diversity isn't just a PR problem, it's a business problem that will make companies more vulnerable in a downturn
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Marguerite Ward | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

More than a dozen companies had no board members of color, according to the report, which relied on 2021 data. Along with a few partner organizations, Watts launched a program in August to help companies interview and select more board members from underrepresented backgrounds. Bessie Watts of Vista Equity Partners is working on a program to increase the pipeline of board members from underrepresented backgrounds. More CEOs are embracing not just the moral case for board diversity, but the business case, as well, Watts said. "We're able to meet and help support board members with valuable new insight."

☆ How 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' became a holiday music hit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Aj Willingham | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —The familiar tunes of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” transport us. In 1965, when “A Charlie Brown Christmas” first aired, Christmas jazz wasn’t exactly a thing. The musical formula they created didn’t just make “A Charlie Brown Christmas” an instant hit. “Bossa nova was one of the things that helped smooth its way to popularity.”A still from 1965's "A Charlie Brown Christmas." A woman listens to music from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" on her phone in 2013.

The Golden Globes are attempting to press forward after a rocky few years for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization that puts on the ceremony. The press association ultimately decided to hold the event privately, with a small audience and winners announced on social media. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has since diversified its voting membership, and NBC has reinstated the telecast. Including popular television series could help the Globes draw viewers this year. Gilles Mingasson / ABCThe nominees for best drama series are "Better Call Saul," "The Crown," "House of the Dragon," "Ozark" and "Severance."

☆ Ryuichi Sakamoto, fighting cancer, livestreams what may be final concert
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Elaine Lies | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Japan's Ryuichi Sakamoto, known for his electronic music, including the score for "The Last Emperor," on Monday finished streaming a concert that may be the last for the Academy-award winning composer, who is fighting stage 4 cancer. "My strength has really fallen, so a normal concert of about an hour to ninety minutes would be very difficult," he said. In 2014 he was diagnosed with throat cancer, which was cured after years of treatment. But in January 2021 he said he had been diagnosed with rectal cancer the previous year. In June 2022, he wrote in an essay that the cancer had spread despite multiple operations and was now Stage 4.

☆ Mystery deepens as friends reveal accused 'catfisher' visited longtime girlfriend in days before killing a teen's family
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Tim Stelloh | Tim Stelloh Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

Efforts to reach Edwards’ family have been unsuccessful. Neither Gates nor the second friend knew about the trip ahead of time, a move Gates described as unusual. The second friend said he learned of it from Edwards' father after Edwards didn't let him know he was heading home. In a text message with the second close friend, the girlfriend described Edwards' trip as "spontaneous" and said everything had gone well, the second friend said. He wanted to move back to southwestern Virginia, where he could be closer to friends and family, Gates said.

Four college students have died and three others were injured after the SUV they were in crashed early Saturday in the Maine town of Castine, authorities said. Jerry Paul, president of the Maine Maritime Academy, where all seven attended, said in a statement that he's devastated. The four were preliminarily identified as Brian Kenealy, 20, of York, Maine; Chase Fossett, 21, of Gardiner, Maine; Luke Simpson, 22, of Rockport, Mass. All seven were students at the academy, a circa-1941 state school that prepares students for careers in overseas transportation, the Navy, and other ocean-oriented pursuits. Castine, about 35 miles south of Bangor, Maine, has a population of about 1,100 residents, slightly more than the academy's student body.

☆ Will 'Emancipation' set Will Smith free from 'the slap?'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Three things to watch‘Emancipation’Will Smith (center) in a scene from "Emancipation." Smith has been banned from attending the Oscars for the next decade, but he is still eligible for nominations. ‘Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage?’Idina Menzel attends the American Music Awards on November 20, 2016 in Los Angeles. A Boogie wit da Hoodie performs at the Rolling Loud Los Angeles festival on December 15, 2019 in Los Angeles. Something to sip onNick Cannon attends an event at the GRAMMY Museum on June 25 in Los Angeles.

☆ Gonçalo Ramos: Meet the striker who replaced Cristiano Ronaldo and made World Cup history at Qatar 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Not only was it his first start at Qatar 2022, the tournament’s first hat-trick, but Ramos’ three goals in this last-16 tie puts Ronaldo record in one-off World Cup games somewhat in the shade. Ronaldo has never scored in a World Cup knockout match, despite competing in five tournaments. Michael Steele/Getty ImagesBenfica CampusRamos is a product of the famous Benfica academy. Never gives up!” Ramos’ Benfica teammate Grimaldo told Marca. His trio of goals ensured Ramos became the first player to score a hat-trick in his first World Cup start since Miroslav Klose against Saudi Arabia in 2002.

Yet for former Ghana star Derek Boateng, they hold a personal truth. “Football saved my life, because without football I don’t know where I would be or what I would be doing,” he told CNN. Just four years earlier, Ghana had competed at its first ever World Cup, in Germany, with Boateng again featuring. “Playing the World Cup is everything to me, as a football player. Pius Utomi Ekpei / AFP via Getty ImagesThat mantra lay at the heart of Boateng’s playing career, and it is a message he repeats to aspiring student-athletes at the academy.

☆ Zelenskyy's TIME Person of the Year Award is proof that resilience is the most important trait any leader can have
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Marguerite Ward | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

He embodies valor and resilience, traits business leaders should exhibit in tough times. The Ukrainian leader's speaking style is characterized by short sentences, vivid imagery, and empathy, all of which make him effective. A 2021 research paper published in the Academy of Management Journal found business leaders who led by example boosted productivity in their businesses. Some of the most convincing business leaders of our time have leaned into emotion when making key arguments. "President Zelenskyy remains focused on his core assignment.

Participants who were offered cash incentives for either pounds lost or for completing certain activities were more likely to lose weight compared with those who were simply offered tools, such as diet books, fitness trackers and access to a weight loss program, the study found. On average, participants in the goal-directed group earned $440.44, as compared to $303.56 in the outcome-based group. “Even if less weight is lost, adopting lifelong physical activity or better eating habits may be more important,” she said. Kushner, who was not involved with the new study, agreed that low-income people face extra challenges when it comes to weight loss. What’s not clear, however, is how the strategy of offering cash for weight loss could be implemented in a real-world setting, outside of academia.

☆ Nick Bollettieri, coach who worked with some of tennis' biggest stars, dies at 91
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Nick Bollettieri, the Hall of Fame tennis coach who worked with some of the sport’s biggest stars, including Andre Agassi and Monica Seles, and founded an academy that revolutionized the development of young athletes, has died. But it takes crazy people to do things that other people say cannot be done.”The Bollettieri Tennis Academy opened in 1978 in Bradenton, Florida, and was purchased by IMG in 1987. The IMG Academy now spans more than 600 acres and offers programs in more than a half-dozen sports in addition to tennis. For spending money, Bollettieri began teaching tennis for $1.50 an hour, according to the Hall of Fame. After a few months, he dropped out of law school to concentrate on coaching.

☆ Nick Bollettieri, famed tennis coach, dies aged 91
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Nick Bollettieri, the famed tennis coach who taught the likes of the Williams sisters, Andre Agassi and Maria Sharapova, has died aged 91. Bollettieri’s death was confirmed by the IMG Academy, which Bollettieri is the founder of, in a statement sent to CNN. In 1977, he founded the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy – now the IMG Academy – after borrowing $1 million from a friend to build a live-in tennis academy for his students. During over 30 years as a coach, Bollettieri became one of the most sought-after teachers in world tennis due to the success players had under him. Bollettieri outside his tennis academy.

☆ When Time’s ‘Man of the Year’ Meant Something
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Lance Morrow | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Time magazine’s Man of the Year selection once was a bigger deal. During my 40-year career at Time, I wrote seven Man of the Year cover stories. It was called Man of the Year in those days but Time by no means excluded women from consideration. In 1976 I did the Women of the Year story about outstanding women in various fields. A man wouldn’t get that assignment today.

☆ Ex-trooper bought home, blacked out windows, weeks before allegedly killing family of teen he catfished, seller says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Tim Stelloh | Tim Stelloh Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Property records from Smyth County, Virginia, list Austin Lee Edwards as the owner of the home on Allison Gap Road. “It still doesn’t feel real," Gordon told NBC affiliate WCYB of Bristol, Virginia. A fire that authorities believe was intentionally set broke out at their home and Edwards allegedly drove off with the teen. Gordon said Edwards told him that he moved to the area because he'd grown up in the region and wanted to return. The last time Gordon said he saw Edwards was Tuesday, Nov. 22, three days before the Wineks were killed.

☆ Former San Antonio officer indicted in shooting of teenager outside McDonald’s
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Phil-Helsel-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Phil Helsel | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A former San Antonio police officer who shot a teenager in a McDonald’s parking lot in October was indicted on assault and attempted murder charges, prosecutors said Thursday. Of the charges, the aggravated assault counts are the most serious and carry up to life in prison if convicted. Brennand allegedly shot Cantu, 17, after he ordered the teenager, who was eating a hamburger, out of a vehicle. Brennand was arrested in October on two counts of aggravated assault by public servant. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Cantu family, said Thursday’s indictment was a significant step toward justice.

☆ World Cup delirium ignites alleys of Pakistan's 'mini Brazil'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Thousands turned out in "Mini Brazil" last Monday when Brazil played Switzerland, sporting the classic yellow and green colours of their favourite team as they gathered in front of large television screens to the sound of raucous music. "Very powerful matches and the Brazil match," said Ashiq Hussain, one of the young players from the academy, adding that he found the matches inspiring. "I went for my job wearing the Brazil shirt, and now at night, I am still wearing the shirt during the match," said another fan, Mohammad Yasin. Brazil's success in that match will draw out thousands more in "Mini Brazil" on Friday, when the team face off against Cameroon. If they draw or win, Brazil will top their Group G.If they lose and Switzerland win against Serbia, the goal difference will decide the top spot.

☆ Will Smith's 'Emancipation' scores mixed reviews so far
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Danielle Broadway | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Ben Foster, Jordyn McIntosh, Jeremiah Friedlander, Will Smith and Charmaine Bingwa attend a premiere for the film "Emancipation" in Los Angeles, California, U.S. November 30, 2022. REUTERS/Mario AnzuoniDec 1 (Reuters) - Apple TV+’s 2022 slavery drama “Emancipation", actor Will Smith's first film since his famous slap of comedian Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars, has received mixed early reviews from film critics. The movie has scored a 59% positive rating on Rotton Tomatoes so far, with 14 out of 24 reviewers applauding the film as of Thursday afternoon. The first batch of reviews have earned “Emancipation” the rotten label, as many reviewers voice their disappointment in the historical action film’s execution. “Emancipation devolves into a confused jumble of messages,” Lovia Gyarke from The Hollywood Reporter wrote.

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