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☆ Shane MacGowan, Pogues Frontman and Punk Bard of the Irish Diaspora, Dead at 65
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Rob Curran | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Shane MacGowan sneered at the audience, baring his distinctive snaggled teeth. With his doughy face and plug ears, he looked like a heavyweight swaying in his corner as the bell for the 15th round sounded for the last time. Fumbling for the bottle of spirits at his feet, he eventually gave up the job and headed backstage to fetch another. From an outdoor stage in Thurles, Tipperary, MacGowan then launched into Ewan MacColl’s “Dirty Old Town,” his wise, raspy baritone sounding every bit as full as on the record. The entire stadium sang as one, slightly slurred voice.

Persons: Shane MacGowan sneered, baring, MacGowan, Ewan MacColl’s “, ” Organizations: Tipperary Locations: Thurles, Ireland

The board of ChatGPT-maker Open AI said Friday it has pushed out its co-founder and CEO Sam Altman after a review found he was “not consistently candid in his communications” with the board. “The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI,” the artificial intelligence company said in a statement. Mira Murati, OpenAI’s chief technology officer, will take over as interim CEO effective immediately, the company said, while it searches for a permanent replacement. While not trained as an AI engineer, Altman, now 38, has been seen as a Silicon Valley wunderkind since his early 20s. Forrester analyst Rowan Curran said Altman's departure, “while sudden,” does not likely reflect problems with OpenAI's business.

Persons: Sam Altman, “, Mira Murati, Altman, what’s, He's, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, Adam D’Angelo, Tasha McCauley, Helen Toner, Mira, ”, Paul Graham, “ Sam, Graham, ” OpenAI, Elon Musk, Musk, Elon ”, Rowan Curran, ” Curran, Haleluya Hadero, Kelvin Chan, Michael Liedtke, David Hamilton Organizations: Associated Press, OpenAI, Economic Cooperation, Georgetown Center for Security, Emerging Technology, Microsoft Locations: openai, London, Asia, San Francisco, New York

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Critics of an Illinois program providing private school scholarships say there's no proof it improves academic achievement. Opponents say it's a drain on public education and want it ended. “They take money out of the public coffers for public education, the schools that receive this money are not accountable, some of them exclude students with special needs. It's not a good use of public dollars.”Bridget Shanahan, spokesperson for the Illinois Education Association, stood by the group's position. Nothing prevents the lawmakers from restarting the program during its spring session, but there would be a disruption in scholarships.

Persons: adjourns, Critics, John Curran, Curran, ”, Jaclyn Matthews, couldn't, Dan Montgomery, “, ” Montgomery, It's, ” Bridget Shanahan Organizations: Ill, COVID, Invest, Kids, Republican, Associated Press, Republicans, Pritzker, The Illinois, of Teachers, Illinois Education, Illinois State, of Education . Research, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois Education Association Locations: SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Downers Grove, COVID

☆ Why China and Australia Are Reconciling. Sort of.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Damien Cave | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Since 2017, Australia has played David to China’s Goliath: rejecting Chinese pressure to adopt Huawei technology, calling out Chinese political interference, and demanding an inquiry into Covid-19’s origins, even as Beijing blocked Australian imports ranging from coal to wine. Now, with Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, landing in Beijing on Saturday for a three-day visit and a meeting with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, reconciliation is advancing — but with limits. Mr. Albanese’s trip represents a small step back to economic and diplomatic stability after a long march into distrust. China’s coercive tariffs are disappearing. “It won’t be easily erased because what came with it was a whole other set of assumptions and fears.”

Persons: David, China’s Goliath, Anthony Albanese, Xi Jinping, ”, James Curran Organizations: Huawei, University of Sydney Locations: Australia, Covid, Beijing

☆ JPMorgan CEO Dimon, Family to Cut Stake in Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Rob Curran | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jamie Dimon has led JPMorgan since 2005. Photo: Marco Bello/Bloomberg NewsJamie Dimon plans to make his first substantial sale of shares in JPMorgan Chase since he took over the bank nearly two decades ago. The move is a notable shift for the executive, who has accumulated a more-than-$1 billion stake in his employer over the years. He has in the past signaled his faith in the company by buying additional stock out of his own pocket.

Persons: Jamie Dimon, Marco Bello Organizations: JPMorgan, Bloomberg, JPMorgan Chase

☆ Malan smashes 140, England amass 364-9 v Bangladesh
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DHARAMSALA, India, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Opener Dawid Malan smashed 140 and forged century-plus partnerships with Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root to help England rack up 364-9 against Bangladesh in their second match of the 50-overs World Cup on Tuesday. Malan combined with Bairstow in a 115-run opening stand to give England a terrific start after being put into bat by Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan. Even after Bairstow departed for 52, there was no respite for Bangladesh as Malan raised 151 runs with Root, whose 82 followed his 77 in the tournament opener against New Zealand. Malan clobbered five sixes and 16 fours in his 107-ball blitz before losing his off-stump to spinner Mahedi Hasan (4-71). England lost a clutch of wickets in quick successions and could not make the most of their final 10 overs.

Persons: Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Shakib Al Hasan, Bairstow, Root, Graham Gooch, England's, Malan clobbered, Mahedi Hasan, Jos Buttler, Liam Livingston, Sam Curran, Reece Topley, Moeen Ali, Amlan Chakraborty, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Bangladesh, Bairstow, New, England, New Zealand, Thomson Locations: DHARAMSALA, India, England, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Jos, New Delhi

☆ Mental strength sets England apart at World Cup - Vaughan
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

After following up their 2019 ODI title with victory in the Twenty20 World Cup last year, winning in India would mark England's "greatest period of sporting domination", Vaughan wrote in a Telegraph column on Wednesday. "They can do it because England are very tough mentally. "They generally blow teams away but when it gets spicy – such as the 2019 World Cup final and the must-win games in that tournament – they are mentally stronger than the rest." Vaughan said England have the "perfect" batting line-up, highlighting the even spread of right- and left-handers in their top order, but was worried about how the bowlers will adapt to the conditions. England begin their World Cup defence later on Thursday when they take on New Zealand in the tournament opener in Ahmedabad.

Persons: Jonathan Agnew, Michael Vaughan, Lee Smith, Vaughan, Chris Woakes, Curran, Aadi Nair, Peter Rutherford Organizations: England, Cricket, New Zealand, Thomson Locations: Pakistan, Leeds, Britain, India, England, New, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru

☆ Seaport Research upgrades this solar energy stock, says it can pop roughly 50%
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"Get there early to ensure you catch the sunrise" on Enphase Energy , said Seaport Research Partners. Enphase shares have tumbled more than 53% in 2023 amid a difficult year for the residential solar energy market in the U.S. California, which is the largest market for U.S. residential solar installers, also instituted a policy change that reduced a subsidy for solar panel owners for sending excess power into the grid — further impacting demand. However, Curran thinks the U.S. residential market could show an "incipient recovery" by the end of the second quarter next year. "By next June, we believe three positive factors will converge to form a rebound in U.S. home rooftop solar demand," said Curran.

Persons: Tom Curran, Curran, Enphase, ENPH, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Enphase Energy, Seaport Research Partners, U.S, 2H24 Locations: California, U.S, Europe, France, Benelux, Germany

☆ Amazon Alexa gets more human-like with generative AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Amazon’s Alexa is about to bring generative AI inside the house, as the company introduces sweeping changes to how its ubiquitous voice assistant both sounds and functions. The company announced a generative AI update for Alexa and, subsequently, of all Echo products dating back to 2014, at a press event Wednesday at its new campus in Arlington, Virginia. Generative AI refers to a type of artificial intelligence that can create new content, such as text and images, in response to user prompts. ‘Alexa, let’s chat’When Limp said “Alexa, let’s chat,” it launched a special mode that allowed for a back-and-forth exchange on various topics. Rowan Curran, an analyst at Forrester Research, said the news marks a major step forward in bringing generative AI to the home and allowing it to accomplish everyday tasks.

Persons: Alexa, Dave Limp, Limp, Rowan Curran, Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana, ChatGPT, “ We’re, ” Organizations: CNN, Alexa, Amazon, BMW, Forrester Research, Big Tech Locations: Arlington , Virginia

☆ Malan ton leads England to series victory over NZ
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( John Mehaffey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Good run, especially scoring some runs here at the home of cricket and leading into a World Cup. It was a bit slow, when they built pressure I found it hard to score," Malan said. We had to get off to a good start with the ball and we did that.”Butler said his team were in a good position for the World Cup. England's victory will give them a boost ahead of their World Cup title defence. The teams will then meet in the opening match of the 50-overs World Cup in India on Oct. 5.

Persons: England's Dawid Malan, Matthew Childs, Dawid Malan, Moeen Ali, Malan, Jos Buttler, Devon Conway, Buttler, Henry Nicholls, Moeen snuffed, Rachin Ravindra, Sam Curran's, Tim Southee, He'll, Tom Latham, Joe Root, Liam Livingstone, " Malan, I've, Captain Buttler, ” Butler, ” Ravindra, Root, Harry Brook, Aadi Nair, John Mehaffey, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: New Zealand, England, Thomson Locations: England, New, London, Britain, New Zealand, Moeen, Ireland, Bangladesh, India, Bengaluru

New Delhi CNN —India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is close to fulfilling a decade-old election promise months out from nationwide polls with the announcement that a controversial new Hindu temple will open on disputed land in January. Hindu fundamentalists demolish the wall of the 16th century Babri Masjid mosque in the city of Ayodhya in 1992. But many Hindus believe the Babri Masjid was built on the ruins of a Hindu temple, which was allegedly destroyed by Babar, the first Mughal emperor of South Asia. Disputed landThe site of the temple, previously claimed by both Hindus and Muslims, has long been the center of controversy. Hindu fundamentalists climb the dome of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya to demolish the structure on December 6, 1992.

Persons: New Delhi CNN —, Narendra Modi, Nripendra Misra, Douglas E, Curran, Lord Ram, Babar, Misra, ”, Sondeep Shankar, Modi, “, ” Modi, Madir, Larsen, Toubro, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, Yogi Adityanath Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, New Delhi CNN — India’s, Getty, BJP, India’s, CNN, Pradesh’s BJP Locations: New Delhi, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, South Asia, Babri, India, Pradesh’s

Illinois' Pretrial Fairness Act, which abolishes cash bail as a condition of pretrial release, will take effect Sept. 18, making Illinois the first state to end cash bail and a testing ground for whether — and how — it works on a large scale. Critics say cash bail policies are especially unfair to Black people and other people of color. In 2017, New Jersey essentially replaced its cash bail system with a risk assessment process that gauged the potential danger a released defendant could pose to the community. But cash bail is still allowed in some instances in that state and others that have curtailed the practice, such as New York and Alaska. California has made several efforts to reform its cash bail system, but lawmakers balked at sweeping reform.

Persons: Shannon Ross, Ross, Ross couldn’t, “, ”, Sharone Mitchell Jr, John Curran, he’s, “ I’ve, ” Curran, Jim Kaitschuk, Kaitschuk, Mitchell, ” Mitchell, Nikuya Brooks ’, Brooks, didn't, I’m, “ I’m, ” Brooks, “ You’re, you’re, ” Ross, ___ Savage Organizations: CHICAGO, Associated Press, Illinois, Commission, Civil, Illinois Sheriffs ’ Association, Police, Scout, Chicago Community Bond Fund, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Chicago, Illinois, Cook, United States, New Jersey, New York, Alaska . California, DuPage County

☆ War-traumatized Ukrainian bear to be adopted by Scottish zoo
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —An Asiatic black bear, which endured severe trauma in a zoo in Russian-occupied Ukraine, is set to be adopted by a zoo in Scotland. In October 2022, according to posts on a Ukrainian rescue center’s social media, Ukrainian soldiers entered the abandoned zoo in the village of Yampil, Donetsk, which had been under Russian occupation. They found that almost all of the 200 animals at the zoo had been killed. It’s often forgotten that it’s traumatic for animals as well,” Romain Pizzi, Five Sisters’ head veterinarian, told CNN. Yampil is a “gentle bear,” Pizzi has observed so far, adding that the staff at the zoo are hopeful that they can give him a good life in Scotland, where he can become “a happy, normal bear.”

Persons: Yampil, –, Yampil –, ” Romain Pizzi, Gary Curran, “, ” Pizzi, ” Curran, Pizzi, ” Organizations: CNN, Five Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Scotland, Yampil, Donetsk, Belgium, Scottish, Poland, Edinburgh, … Scotland, Natuurhulpcentrum

☆ Democrats Want to Flip N.Y. House Seats. But There’s a Primary Problem.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Nicholas Fandos | More About Nicholas Fandos | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There is time for leaders like Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the top House Democrat and a New Yorker, to intervene if they want to. While the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee rarely interferes in open primaries, there is a tradition of less direct maneuvering to boost preferred candidates and edge others out. The leader’s allies argue that the competition will strengthen their nominees and brush off concerns that Democrats will be short on funds. “Leader Jeffries has no plan to endorse in any Democratic primary in New York,” said Christie Stephenson, his spokeswoman. “He is confident that whoever emerges in these competitive districts will be strongly positioned to defeat the extreme MAGA Republican crowd.”

Persons: Hakeem Jeffries, Jeffries, Michelle Hinchey, Laura Curran, Tom Suozzi, George Santos, —, ”, Christie Stephenson Organizations: Democrat, New Yorker, Democratic Congressional, Mr, Democratic, PAC, New, “, Republican Locations: New, Hudson, Nassau County, Long, New York, Torrey Pines, Calif

☆ CloudKitchens, ghost restaurant news and updates
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Meghan Morris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In 2021, Kalanick raised $850 million at a $15 billion valuation from backers including Microsoft. One, a physical ghost kitchen arm called CloudKitchens in the US, transforms mainly warehouses into private kitchen spaces that big companies and mom-and-pops alike can rent. 2021 fundraiseTravis Kalanick Theo Wargo/WireImageIn late 2021, CloudKitchens' parent company raised $850 million at a $15 billion valuation, Insider exclusively reported. Some entry-level sales employees have struggled at Otter, Insider reported. CloudKitchens US locationsA 2021 Insider analysis showed how CloudKitchens (and competitor Reef) snapped up properties across the US.

Persons: Travis, Kalanick, Travis Kalanick, Uber, –, fundraise Travis Kalanick Theo Wargo, CloudKitchens, John Curran, they're, Sawyer, Meghan Morris Organizations: Microsoft, Morning, Storage Systems, CSS, Investors, Uber, Financial, City Storage Systems, Wall Street, Amazon, CIA, Otter Locations: Los Angeles, Saudi, Miami

☆ The death toll rises to 80 in Maui wildfires as survivors begin returning to communities in ruins
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Maui residents John Rey Serrano and Lexie Lara look from a road above Lahaina Town in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on August 11, 2023. Maui County raised the number of confirmed deaths to 80 in a 9 p.m. statement Friday. Cadaver-sniffing dogs were deployed to search for the dead, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. said. Maui County's hazard mitigation plan updated in 2020 identified Lahaina and other West Maui communities as having frequent wildfires and several buildings at risk. The report also noted West Maui had the island's second-highest rate of households without a vehicle and the highest rate of non-English speakers.

Persons: John Rey Serrano, Lexie Lara, Anthony Garcia, Garcia, I'm, Josh Green, Green, Richard Bissen Jr, Anne Lopez, Lopez, Lynn Robinson, Kyle Scharnhorst, Gilles Gerling, Karen Clark, Bobby Lee, Andrew Whelton, Lana Vierra, Riley Curran, Curran, I've Organizations: roosters, Gov, Hawaii News, Associated Press, Iniki, Karen Clark & Company, Hawaii Firefighters Association, Purdue University Locations: Maui, Lahaina, Hawaii, Maui County, Kaanapali, West Maui, U.S, California, Paradise, Molokai, Kula

☆ What Biden's executive order means for U.S. investors in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Chris Hondros | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesBEIJING — The Biden administration's long-awaited executive order on U.S. investments in Chinese companies leaves open plenty of questions on how it will be implemented. "The executive order obviously gives an outline of what the program's scope is going to be like," said Brian P. Curran, a partner, global regulatory at law firm Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C. "It's not even a proposed rule. U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order aimed at restricting U.S. investments into Chinese semiconductor, quantum computing and artificial intelligence companies over national security concerns. This week's announcements don't explicitly prohibit U.S. investments into Chinese businesses, but the documents indicate what policymakers are focused on. But the Treasury said it may request information about transactions completed or agreed to since the issuance of the executive order.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Chris Hondros, Biden, Brian P, Curran, Hogan Lovells, It's, Joe Biden, Janet Yellen, Winston Ma, what's, We've, Anne Salladin, Jonathan Levy, Pitchbook Organizations: U.S, Getty, Wednesday, Treasury Department, NYU Law, CIC, Treasury, University, Bank, Global, University of Chicago, China VC, China Locations: New York, BEIJING, Washington ,, China, U.S, Greenfield, United States, Pitchbook

☆ ‘The Half-God of Rainfall’ Review: Basketball Under the Heavens
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Juan A. Ramírez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Turning verse into action is tricky, especially with ideas as lofty as the ones in Inua Ellams’s epic poem “The Half-God of Rainfall,” now appearing in theatrical guise at New York Theater Workshop. The poem is a melodious, sky-high tale of a basketball superstar born as a result of a celestial contest between the Greek and Yoruba gods of thunder, Zeus and Sango. But the stage adaptation, which opened on Monday, runs into some flaws that, while not fatal, strand this Nigerian writer’s work in the mortal realm. To Hera’s (Kelley Curran) defeated disdain, Zeus rapes Modúpé (Jennifer Mogbock), a Nigerian woman, and soon the mixed-race half-god Demi (Mister Fitzgerald) is born. Demi’s growing celebrity eventually lands him face to face with Zeus, providing a chance to avenge his mother.

Persons: Jason Bowen, Michael Laurence, Kelley Curran, Modúpé, Jennifer Mogbock, Demi, Mister Fitzgerald Organizations: New York Theater, Golden State Warriors Locations: Nigerian

☆ Meta starts process to end news access in Canada over law on paying publishers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Morning commute traffic streams past the Meta sign outside the headquarters of Facebook parent company Meta Platforms Inc in Mountain View, California, U.S. November 9, 2022. REUTERS/Peter DaSilva/File PhotoAug 1 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms (META.O) has begun the process to end access to news on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada, it said on Tuesday, in response to a legislation requiring internet giants to pay news publishers. The Online News Act, passed by the Canadian parliament, would force platforms like Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL.O) and Meta to negotiate commercial deals with Canadian news publishers for their content. Canada's legislation is similar to a ground-breaking law that Australia passed in 2021 and had triggered threats from Google and Facebook to curtail their services. But on the Canadian law, Google has argued that it is broader than those enacted in Australia and Europe as it puts a price on news story links displayed in search results and can apply to outlets that do not produce news.

Persons: Peter DaSilva, Rachel Curran, Meta's, Pascale St, Meta, Justin Trudeau, Chavi Mehta, David Ljunggren, Ismail Shakil, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Facebook, Meta, REUTERS, Canadian Heritage, Google, Canadian, Thomson Locations: Mountain View , California, U.S, Canada, Australia, Europe, Bengaluru, Montreal, Ontario

☆ AI is a concern for writers. But actors could have even more to fear
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —How many actors does it take to make the movies and shows produced by studios and streaming services? SAG-AFTRA, the actors union that has had 160,000 members on strike since last week, is afraid that artificial intelligence will lead to far fewer employed actors in the future. And winning limits on AI is an issue for the Writers Guild of America, which has been on strike against the same studios and streaming services since May 2. The fight over virtual actors and performancesComputer-generated imagery, or CGI, to create virtual actors and extras is somewhat old hat in Hollywood. “The actors and writers, they’re kind of a canary in the coal mine,” said David Gunkel, a communications professor at Northern Illinois University who tracks AI in media and entertainment.

Persons: ”, Fran Drescher, AFTRA, Tom, “, Duncan Crabtree, AMPTP, don’t, Anthony Palomba, wasn’t, Nancy Marchand, Tony Soprano’s, HBO’s, Rowan Curran, Forrester, Joshua Glick, Bard, University of Virginia’s Palomba, “ I’m, Andrea Schneider, Goldman Sachs, David Gunkel Organizations: New, New York CNN, SAG, Writers Guild of America, Alliance, Motion Pictures, Television Producers, University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, University of Virginia’s, Cardozo Law School, Northern Illinois University, UPS Locations: New York, Hollywood, Ireland

But investors, burned by previous reforms that ultimately proved hollow, say it will take time to build trust and listed myriad questions over the final shape of the economy. Tinubu is from the same party as predecessor Muhammadu Buhari, dubbed "Baba Go-slow" for his pottering pace - taking six months to appoint cabinet members. Nigeria's international dollar bonds and the country's stock market have been boosted by the speedy reforms. Reuters GraphicsInvestors also worry about low tax receipts and falling oil output - structural reforms that will take far longer to sort. Meanwhile interest rates, which Tinubu has said he would like to see fall, were hiked by 50 bps last month to 18.5%.

Persons: Bola, Temilade, Bola Tinubu's, Tunde Ajileye, Muhammadu Buhari, Godwin Emefiele, Goldman Sachs, Andrew Matheny, John Mumo, Joe Delvaux, Amundi, Delvaux, Tinubu, Patrick Curran, Rachel Savage, Libby George, Karin Strohecker, Nick Macfie Organizations: Nigeria's, REUTERS, Central Bank, Reuters, Reuters Graphics, Tellimer, Thomson Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, JOHANNESBURG, LONDON, Lagos, Blakeney, Africa

☆ Why Ted Lasso’s Shoe Game Is So Strong
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Sarah Bahr | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

There’s a reason that Ted Lasso, the fictional, sunny, mustachioed American hired to manage an English football club in the Apple TV+ series of the same name, is a sneakerhead. “It was rooted in my own enthusiasm for sneakers and sneaker culture,” said Jason Sudeikis, who has sported more than a dozen pairs of blue, orange and even red paisley Air Jordans as the show’s titular coach. In a recent call from London, Mr. Sudeikis said that Ted’s affinity for footwear was also inspired, in part, by his longtime friend Brendan Curran, a fellow sneaker enthusiast and high school basketball coach in Lenexa, Kan., who connected with his students over this shared interest. “It was this bit of unspoken respect and camaraderie among him and his players and his students,” Mr. Sudeikis, 47, said of Mr. Curran and his team.

In 2017, with Mr. Connors’ help, Mr. Maichle started his own company, Precision Compliance Consulting. ‘Boss Man’Mr. Connors, Mr. Lewis and Mr. Maichle were all active in college conservative politics in Wisconsin about 15 years ago, when Mr. Connors was the leader of campus Republicans at Marquette University. Of that, about $102,000 went to Campaign Now, the firm started by Mr. Connors, and another $112,000 to companies where Mr. Connors, Mr. Maichle or Mr. Lewis was either the owner or a partner, tax records show. Most of the money — more than $4.4 million — went to fund-raising companies via tens of thousands of small payments. Most of the money — more than $4.4 million — went to fund-raising companies via tens of thousands of small payments.

☆ Facebook is wrong to say news lacks economic value, says Canada PM Trudeau
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Speaking to a parliamentary committee about the Trudeau government's legislation on Monday, a Meta official said news has a social value, but not an economic value to the company. "If we are being asked to compensate these publishers for material that has no economic value to us, that's where the problem is," Meta's head of public policy in Canada, Rachel Curran, told the committee. Facebook's stance against paying news content "shows how deeply irresponsible and out of touch they are," Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa. Their main objection is paying for links to news articles posted on their websites that they say would be unsustainable for their businesses. "Someone reporting on the horrors in Bucha (in Ukraine) is not trying to get likes on their Facebook page," Trudeau said.

☆ Using Forensic Evidence to Solve Crimes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Amanda Foreman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Historian Amanda Foreman searches the past for the origins of today’s world. Read previous columns here. In February, police in Burlington, Vt., announced they had solved the city’s oldest cold case, the 1971 murder of 24-year-old schoolteacher Rita Curran. Taking advantage of genetic genealogy using DNA databases—the latest addition to the forensic science toolbox—the police were able to prove that the killer was a neighbor in Curran’s apartment building, William DeRoos.

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