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☆ ‘Crossroads,’ Britney Spears and the Journey to Watch a DVD in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Melina Delkic | More About Melina Delkic | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

If you were a child of the early 2000s, there’s a good chance your Britney Spears fandom reached a fever pitch around 2002, when she was basking in the success of her third studio album, “Britney,” and, months after that VMA python moment, she starred in her first feature film: “Crossroads.”The film, written by Shonda Rhimes, follows Spears’s character and two friends, played by Zoe Saldaña and Taryn Manning, as they take a cross-country journey to find friendship, rock ’n’ roll and a maternal relationship. There is singing on the open road. There are giggly convenience store trips. There is a boy. I, turning 7 that year in Boise, Idaho, knew exactly what I wanted for my birthday: “Crossroads” on DVD, so I could watch it about 300 times.

Persons: there’s, Spears, Britney, Shonda Rhimes, Zoe Saldaña, Taryn Manning Locations: Boise , Idaho

☆ The giant sucking sound you hear is the gobs of capital being pulled away from emerging managers. Here's how one solo capitalist defied the slump.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Those who raised their first venture capital funds in the pandemic-era boom times are now struggling with their sophomore efforts. Despite the tailwinds, some emerging managers are defying the slump and raising new funds. He told Insider exclusively that he's now closed on $15 million for fund two from investors including Cendana Capital, Invesco Private Capital, and two dozen startup founders. And so in 2019, he reached into his network of founders and raised a $2 million fund to invest in software companies. Now, he's already gearing up for fund three, which Wan said he plans to launch in 2024.

Persons: Insider's Callum Burroughs, Jordan Wan, Wan, Zocdoc, Oliver Kharraz, it's, Alan Ni, Jake Cooper, Manoj Kanagaraj, Blackstone, Cooper didn't, Cooper, they've, Wolf Organizations: Sequoia, Partners, Cendana, Invesco, Capital, Oscar Insurance, Garner Health Locations: London, Denver , Colorado, Wan

☆ Hidden investors took over Corizon Health, a leading prison healthcare company. Then they deployed the Texas Two-Step.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Nicole Einbinder | Dakin Campbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +63 min

The nurse practitioner on duty that day was employed by Corizon Health, Inc., one of the nation's largest private prison healthcare providers. Under federal law, a bankruptcy judge may respond to evidence of self-dealing or perjury by appointing a trustee to take control of the bankrupt company, bankruptcy experts told Insider. Just six months before the Garcia family was scheduled to have their day in court, Corizon filed for bankruptcy. "The Corizon bankruptcy is presently in a court ordered mediation, and we are seeking a global resolution for all the parties involved." Goldberger's attorney, Joseph Haspel, responded to queries with a statement saying that "Mr. Goldberger is a passive investor" in Corizon, Tehum, YesCare, Perigrove, and Perigrove 1018.

Persons: Hector Garcia, Garcia, wriggling, Adria Malcom, Corizon, Bryan Baker, —, Doña Ana, Corizon ., Garcia's, Daniel Jimenez, Gina Macias, Belen Lowery, Hector Garcia , Jr, it's, Johnson, Tehum, Sen, Elizabeth Warren, I've, Isaac Lefkowitz, James Hyman, YesCare, Lefkowitz, Ian Cross, Lynn LoPucki, Tracey Grissom, William Kelly, Kelly, Hector Garcia Jr, Hector Jr, Ricky, he'd, Hector Garcia's, Ana County , New Mexico Hector Jr, Matt Coyte, Coyte, Hyman, didn't, Sara Tirschwell, Kholood, Tirschwell, Jason S, Ana County, Nick Tomecek, Christopher Atkinson, Wendy McGee, McGee, Stephanie Kiger, Anita Skipper, Atkinson, He's, Simche Steinberger, England, Steinberger's, Steinberger, Michael Flacks, Sylvia Jarrus, Cross, he's, David Gefner, Abraham Goldberger, Gefner, Perigrove, Terrence A, they'd, Oved, Goldberger, CHS Dana Anna, Flacks, Moneyman, Joel Landau, Joseph Haspel, Haspel, Andrew Levander, Landau, James Hyman's, It's, Genesis, David Harrington, Bill de Blasio, there'd, Hindenburg, David Paterson, Mark Roe, availing, Dick Durbin, Gefner . Lefkowitz, Tirschwell —, Davidson Kempner, Tim Hunter, Tirschwell's, catastrophically, Tirschwell's playbook, Jeff Sholey, Sholey, Steven Storch, Daniel's Organizations: Detention, Insider, Corizon Health, Inc, Housing, University of Missouri Health Care, Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, Senate Banking Committee, Court, Middle, University of Florida, Alabama, futon, Health Services, New, Arizona, BlueMountain Capital Management, Flacks, Revenue, Corizon, New York Times, Tehum Care Services, CHS, YesCare Holdings, Okaloosa, Wyoming Department of Corrections, University of West, YesCare, Public, Alabama Department of Corrections, . Alabama Department of Corrections, Tehum, US, University of Missouri, LinkedIn, Flacks Group, Consulate Health Care, Justice Department, YesCare Corp, United Staffing Solutions, Charlotte, CHS Okaloosa, United, Solutions, Pharmacorr, Trade Center, Securities and Exchange Commission, Hindenburg Research, Alabama Department, Corrections, Geneva Consulting, Genesis Healthcare, Trade, Geneva, New York Stock Exchange, Pinta Capital Partners, The, Pinta Capital, New York Gov, Staffing Solutions, DG Realty, Harvard Law School, ACLU, Public Justice, Lawyers, Seven Trade, World Trade, Gefner, Southern, Southern District of Texas, The Alabama Department of Corrections, Southern Poverty Law Center, Medicare, Services, Quest Turnaround Advisors, New York City, Republican, city's Campaign Finance, CFB, Campaign Finance, Finance Locations: Ana, Las Cruces , New Mexico, facility's, Doña, Jimenez's, Las Cruces, Houston, New, Rockland County, Texas, Middle District, Tennessee, Michigan, Virginia, New York, Oregon, Idaho, New Mexico, Ana County , New Mexico, Corizon, Florida, New York City, A, York, Nashville, Missouri, Brentwood , Tennessee, Delaware, Okaloosa, Florida's panhandle, Okaloosa County, Okaloosa County , Florida, University of West Florida, YesCare, Wyoming, Shawnee County , Kansas, Bernalillo County , New Mexico, Tehum, Perigrove, Suffern, Brooklyn, America, Manhattan, Suffern , New York, Geneva, nonpayment, United States, Rivington, Alabama, Southern District, Wexford, Maine, Corizon's Texas, Mexico, Tirschwell's, YesCare Corp

☆ Ed Sheeran, Lana Del Rey and more celebs are popping up in surprising spaces
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

So why are stars with the means to hide away suddenly out and about in unexpected public places? Something to sip on…David Letterman visits a Hy-Vee store in Iowa on Friday, July 21, 2023. From Hy-VeeDavid Letterman could totally have been forgiven for visiting Des Moines, Iowa, recently and staying in his hotel room. Instead, the former late-night host was bagging groceries at a Hy-Vee grocery store and using his famous voice on the store’s PA system. “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan has recruited some heavy hitters for his action thriller series “Special Ops: Lioness,” about a special forces unit led by a tougher-than-nails CIA operative named Joe played by Zoe Saldaña.

Persons: Keyser, ”, David Letterman, Vee David Letterman, Letterman, Rahal Letterman Lanigan, Lana Del Ray, “, Ed Sheeran, Symoné, Rodin Eckenroth, Miranda Maday, Keke Palmer, Carly Rae Jepsen, Mike Pont, Carly Rae Jepsen’s, it’s, Jepsen, “ It’s, “ There’s, Can’t, … Zoe Saldana, Joe, Greg Lewis, Taylor Sheridan, Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman Organizations: CNN, Hy, Vee, Waffle, Air & Space Museum, Getty, Paramount, Yellowstone Locations: Iowa, Des Moines , Iowa, ”, Alabama, Nashville, Los Angeles , California, America, New York City

☆ Patrol dogs are terrorizing and mauling prisoners inside the United States
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Hannah Beckler | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +64 min

But prison patrol dogs aren't deployed for chases; they are used inside the prison walls. Tri-State Canines training facility, Warren, OhioVirginia Department of Corrections patrol dogs are typically Belgian Malinois, Czech shepherds, or German shepherds. Department patrol dogs are trained to bite once and hold to minimize flesh tears and lacerations. Patrol dog kennels, Virginia Department of CorrectionsThe patrol dog kennels are even smaller, at 6 feet by 10. A veterinary technician who treated patrol dogs at a clinic in Lebanon, Virginia, said she was told not to touch the patrol dogs in her care without their handler present.

Persons: Santos Cardona, Michael Smith, Smith, Marco, crouch, Mohammed Bollendia, protectively, Ashraf Abdullah Ahsy, Ivan L, Frederick II, Cardona, Abu, John Ketzer, Ketzer, Michael J, Donald Rumsfeld, Rumsfeld, Abu Ghraib, Lane McCotter, Gary DeLand, Terry Bartlett, Richard Billings, Larry DuBois, John Armstrong, Terry Stewart, Charles Ryan, Ryan, Stewart, Adrian Duran, cradled, Duran he'd, Duran, Blackie, growled, he'd, It's, extractions, they're, Jerko, Jeremy Defour, Bert, Antwon Whitten, Virginia, Peter C, Meade, —, Oikeutta eläimille, Dave Blosser, Blosser, Eli Hiller, he's, Matthew Johnson, Oscar, Johnson, Oscar growled, Boris, Cajos, Linwood Mathias, Lucas Pruitt, Mathias, Xavia Goodwyn, sicced Lojzo, Edris, Michael Watson, Watson, Thomas Rose, Rose, Goodwyn, Red, Rick White, Ron Angelone, Wallens, Tyler Parry, Charlton Yingling, Parry, Eugene, Bull, Connor, Bill Hudson, Yingling, Solomon Northup, Solomon, Walter Gadsden, Malcolm X, Michael Brown, Ferguson, They're, Jeffery, White, Curtis Garrett, Garrett, Kathleen Dennehy, Dennehy, Aaron Fedor, Jimmy Stanley, Dora Schriro, Schriro, Omar, Dionisio Paulino, Paulino, Robert Silva, Adrian Duran's, Adrian Duran Duran, Adrian, unwound, Sussex II, Whitten, Western District of Virginia Jeremy Defour, Defour, Kenneth Licklider, Chris Robbins, Rivan, she'd, They've, Stephen McReynolds, McReynolds, Daniel Clinton, Tom, Clinton, basketballs, Clinton's, Fuga, Jamie Elliott, Elliott, Duran couldn't, Bodhi, Jamie, Jawan Lee, Lee, Lee's Organizations: US, Business, Associated Press, Department of, Rights, Department, Justice, Department of Justice, Virginia Department of Corrections Police, Human Rights Watch, Virginia Department of Corrections, University of Virginia School of Law, Sussex II, Police, Kern Medical, Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, The Indiana Department of Correction, Delaware Department of Correction, South, New Jersey Department of Corrections, Tri, Warren , Ohio Virginia Department of Corrections, State Canine Services, Court, Western District of, Red, View Regional, Onion, North Correctional Center, Corrections, Goodwyn, FBI, Ku Klux Klan, Human Rights, University of Nevada, University of Louisville, AP, Breeders, Ferguson Police Department, Souza, Baranowski, Commonwealth, Baranowski Correctional, Prentice, Black, United States, District, Massachusetts, Housing, Virginia Commonwealth University Health, Virginia, Housing Unit, Patrol, Southwest, Southwest Virginia Veterinary Services Locations: Abu Ghraib, Iraq, Belgian, Baghdad, Abu, United States, New Mexico, Utah, DeLand, Billings, Bartlett, Arizona, DuBois, Massachusetts, Armstrong, Connecticut, Arizona , Connecticut, Delaware , Indiana , Iowa , Massachusetts , New Jersey, Virginia, Alexandria , Virginia, Los Angeles, backyards, Sussex, lunging, Indiana, Richmond , Virginia, Iowa, Augusta, Ridge, New Jersey, South Woods, Warren ,, Czech, Europe, , Virginia, Western District, Western District of Virginia, Warren , Ohio, Holland, Tri, Canton , Ohio, Wallens, Onion, Red Onion, View, Norton , Virginia, Portsmouth , Virginia, Kentucky, Birmingham , Alabama, Las Vegas, Americas, Caribbean, American, Ferguson , Missouri, Lancaster , Massachusetts, Richmond, Lebanon , Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Lebanon, Waverly , Virginia, chihuahua

☆ Honoring Tradition, and Personal Choice, With a Persian Wedding Custom
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Jenny Block | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Weddings are steeped in tradition, but where do those rituals come from? “Traditions,” a new column, explores the origins of various wedding customs from around the world. Ever since Mandana Ansari was a little girl, she knew she wanted to recognize her Iranian heritage by having a “Sofreh Aghd” on her wedding day. “I’ve always loved the symbolism and the meaning of the Sofreh — new life, new beginnings, fertility,” Ms. Ansari said. The word “Aghd,” Ms. Ghahramani added, means “to connect, to tie together,” like a knot.

Persons: Mandana Ansari, ”, “ I’ve, Ms, Ansari, Mitra Ghahramani, Mitra, Ghahramani Organizations: Designs

☆ 5 US cities seeing the biggest home price gains and the 5 suffering the steepest declines as some pockets of the market become red-hot again, according to Redfin data
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

US home prices are now down only 0.9% from this time last year, Redfin reports. The housing market continues its momentum, with home prices up every month since February. After falling 5% between June 2022 and January 2023, home price are now down just 0.9% year-over-year, according to Redfin data published Thursday. "Home-price declines are shrinking," said Dana Anderson, a data journalist at Redfin, in the report. Below, we've listed the five cities that have seen the biggest year-over-year price growth, as well as the five cities that have seen the steepest declines, according to Redfin.

Persons: Dana Anderson Organizations: Cincinnati, NSA Locations: Providence , Milwaukee, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Redfin, U.S

☆ Exclusive: How this under-the-radar VC landed a $27 million third fund and bets in some of the buzziest startups like Jasper and Motherduck
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Essence VC has raised its third fund of $27 million from LPs like Cendana and Sapphire Ventures. The fund has bet on buzzy startups like generative AI darling Jasper and a16z-backed Motherduck. And now, his firm Essence VC has just raised its $27 million third fund. The latest fund, backed by VC firms and funds of funds including Cendana Capital, Vintage Investment Partners, Sapphire Ventures, Level Ventures, and Crossover, follows a $7 million and $1 million fund. However, the "first-mover advantage" for startups also holds true in the land of VC, Chen says.

Persons: Jasper, Tim Chen, you've, Liz O'Sullivan, Vera, Chen, Scott Shi, —, Chi Zhang, Tim, Zhang, funder Chen, Christos Kozyrakis, Michael Huang, They're, it's, Ben Van Roo, Van Roo, Chen wasn't Organizations: Sapphire Ventures, Cendana, Vintage Investment Partners, Level Ventures, Founders, Stanford, Cloudera, Google Locations: a16z

Eastern Ukraine CNN —As their country fights to repel Russia’s forces, Ukrainian women are taking on roles and responsibilities previously unavailable to them, often in challenging and dangerous circumstances. In their absence, Ukrainian women are stepping up. Underground mining, forging hot metals, and operating heavy machinery – these are just a few of the jobs Ukrainian women weren’t previously permitted to do. Tetiana was one of the first to raise her hand when the miining company asked for female volunteers to work underground. When hundreds of miners were conscripted into the military, Tetiana’s mining company asked for female volunteers to work underground.

☆ Turkey Election Maps: Why Erdogan Is Headed For a Runoff
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Lauren Leatherby | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Central Turkey, a stronghold for Mr. Erdogan, voted mostly in the president’s favor. Mr. Erdogan appeared to have the edge as he heads into the runoff on May 28. 2023 Erdogan vote share compared to 2018 Lower Erdogan vote share Higher Erdogan vote share Mersin Diyarbakır Antalya Kayseri Gaziantep Izmir Bursa Samsun Konya Adana Ankara Istanbul In the areas hit hardest by the earthquake in February, most provinces shifted away from Mr. Erdogan. Presidential election results by year Candidates need 50 percent of vote to avoid a runoff election 2014 Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan 51.8% Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu Ihsanoglu 38.4% Selahattin Demirtas Demirtas 9.8% 2018 Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan 52.6% Muharrem Ince Ince 30.6% Selahattin Demirtas Demirtas 8.4% Meral Aksener Aksener 7.3% 2023 Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan 49.5% Kemal Kilicdaroglu Kilicdaroglu 44.9% Sinan Ogan Ogan 5.2% Sources: Supreme Election Council, Anadolu Agency (unofficial election results). The vote was in many ways a referendum on the performance of Mr. Erdogan, Turkey’s dominant politician for 20 years.

☆ How a Military Base’s New Name Honors a Military Spouse and Mother
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Arin Yoon | Photographs | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Dana Abella and her husband, John, have moved 11 times and gone through four deployments. Maj. Bernard Wheeler delayed a deployment several days to see his daughter’s birth in 2018. When he returned, it took her months to get used to his presence. Her younger sister, Juliana, has been through four deployments and four moves. For the first time last week, a military base was named in honor of a spouse, recognizing the full experience of military families.

☆ Erdogan's future is in doubt, but Turkey's ties to Russia and tensions with the US aren't going anywhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Matthew Mai | Defense Priorities | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Western observers dislike Erdogan's foreign policy, but a different leader is unlikely to change course. Critics charge that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's foreign policy is a direct outgrowth of his illiberal posture at home rather than shrewd geopolitics. Whether Erdogan or his challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, wins, the interests guiding Turkey's foreign policy will require the same balancing act that eschews alignment with any great-power bloc and maximizes Ankara's freedom of action. Locals applaud as a convoy of Turkish trucks carrying tanks near Turkey's border with Syria in October 2019. By prioritizing independence and autonomy, foreign policy under a prospective Kilicdaroglu administration will embody a significant degree of continuity from his predecessor.

[1/5] Cast member Chris Pratt attends the premiere of 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. Pratt had seen one or two short unfinished sequences of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," but at the premiere he took the time to savor the entirety of the swan song in Marvel’s “Guardians” trilogy. “I wanted to be swept away on the journey alongside my friends, my family, all of the fans in the audience, the cast and crew. While that wasn’t the actual moment that Pratt and Gunn had, the two recalled feeling the emotional weight of saying goodbye to the “Guardians” movies together.

☆ Buying a home is only going to get harder this spring as hopeful house hunters get thwarted by fewer options and still-high prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But buyers won't have many homes to pick from, which can lead to competition that keeps prices high. Owners are reluctant to sell because they would have to give up locked-in low mortgage rates. Considering growing expectations that the Federal Reserve will stop, or even reverse, its benchmark rate hikes this year, mortgage rates may fall further in the weeks to come. Owners happy with their homes and low, locked-in mortgage rates, aren't moving much. More competition, or demand, for a smaller number of homes, or supply, usually keeps prices high.

☆ Egypt's foreign minister to visit Syria, Turkey on Monday
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 26 (Reuters) - Egypt's Sameh Shoukry will travel to Damascus on Monday in the first visit by an Egyptian foreign minister since Syria's conflict erupted in 2011, according to a statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry. Shoukry will visit Turkey and Syria - both hit hard by a deadly earthquake on Feb. 6 - to "convey a message of solidarity from Egypt with the two countries" according to the foreign ministry statement. Turkey's foreign ministry confirmed the visit, saying Shoukry will hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu and visit the southern province of Adana and the port of Mersin, where an Egyptian aid ship is set to arrive. Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi spoke with Assad by phone for the first time on Feb. 7 and on Sunday, a delegation of top parliamentarians from around the region - including Egypt's parliament speaker - met Assad in Damascus. Relations began thawing in 2021, part of a push by Turkey to ease tensions with several regional powers.

☆ Death toll rises after fresh earthquake hits Turkey-Syria border
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

View of damaged buildings after an earthquake on February 20, 2023 in Hatay, Türkiye, two weeks after a larger quake in the area killed more than 47,000 people. Six people were killed in an earthquake which struck the border region of Turkey and Syria, CNN Turk reported on Tuesday, two weeks after a larger quake killed more than 47,000 people and damaged or destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes. It said the quake struck while people were in the already damaged building to retrieve possessions before it was demolished. Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said 294 people were injured in Monday evening's earthquake, with 18 seriously hurt and transported to hospitals in Adana and Dortyol. Muna Al Omar said she was in a tent in a park in central Antakya when the ground started heaving again.

☆ E.ON: supply region of Turkish JV Enerjisa affected by earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FRANKFURT, Feb 8 (Reuters) - E.ON (EONGn.DE) on Wednesday said the devastating earthquake in southern Turkey has affected the supply area of local power grid operator Enerjisa Enerji (ENJSA.IS), in which the German group owns 40%, adding that repair work was currently underway. "The supply area of our Turkish joint venture Enerjisa is also affected," the spokesperson said, adding the company mourned the loss of four employees while others were wounded, some in a critical condition. Enerjisa, in which Sabanci Holding (SAHOL.IS) also owns 40%, has more than 10 million customers in 14 Turkish provinces, including Adana and the surrounding region, which are among the affected parts of Turkey. Around 2,500 transformers - key components of long-distance power transmission - are still out of operation and 380,000 people are without electricity in Enerjisa's supply region, the spokesperson said, adding this was already down from 1 million shortly after the earthquake. Repairwork has started, the spokesperson said, adding that technical teams from less affected regions were providing support.

☆ Chinese earthquake rescue team arrives in Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Feb 8 (Reuters) - An earthquake rescue team dispatched by China's government arrived in Turkey's Adana Airport early on Wednesday, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Wednesday. The team, comprised of 82 members, brought 20 tonnes of medical and other rescue supplies and equipment, as well as four search-and-rescue dogs, according to CCTV. China has already committed to give a first tranche of 40 million yuan ($5.9 million) in emergency aid to Turkey. The death toll of the devastating earthquake in southern Turkey and Syria jumped to more than 7,800 people on Tuesday. read more($1 = 6.7781 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A laid-off Microsoft software engineer on an H1-B visa said she wonders 'where will I be living' with just 60 days to find a new job
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Microsoft software engineer said in a LinkedIn post she had many unanswered questions after being laid off. Maydana is on an H-1B visa – she has a grace period of 60 days before she needs to depart the US. Her next challenge: finding out if she can get another job within the next 60 days of her grace period. Maydana is among thousands of other employees who have had their life upended amid mass layoffs sweeping across the tech industry. A Google engineer found out she had been laid off when her boss sent her a LinkedIn message while she was on vacation.

☆ 'Kindred' review: Hulu adapts Octavia E. Butler's novel into another time-travel tale that takes its sweet time
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —After starting out well, “Kindred” gets lost in a maze of its own making, adapting Octavia E. Butler’s time-traveling novel into an eight-part Hulu series that spends far too much time spinning its wheels. The series does begin promisingly enough, as Dana (Mallori Johnson) moves into a new house in Los Angeles and begins to experience a series of eerie visions. Mallori Johnson (left) in the Hulu series "Kindred." Brace yourself, in other words, for a lengthier commitment to glean greater insight into how all of this works. “Kindred” premieres December 13 on Hulu.

☆ 'Avatar' sequel finally premieres 13 years after original
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Hanna Rantala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Actor Zoe Saldana arrives at the world premiere of 'Avatar: The Way of Water' in London, Britain December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Toby MelvilleLONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Thirteen years after James Cameron released the highest-grossing film of all time, "Avatar", the filmmaker finally premiered its long-awaited sequel in London on Tuesday. "Avatar: The Way of Water" takes audiences back to the enchanting world of Pandora, where in the first film the native blue Na'vi people battled human colonists for the moon’s natural resources. To protect their family and their tribe, Sully, Neytiri and their children flee to a far-flung territory and seek refuge with the oceanic Metkayina clan. Released in 2009, "Avatar" ranks as the top-grossing film of all time with more than $2.9 billion in global ticket sales.

☆ India's first private rocket company looks to slash satellite costs
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Nivedita Bhattacharjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Employees pose in front of Vikram-S rocket, India?s first private rocket developed by Skyroot, an Indian Space-Tech startup, at a spaceport in Sriharikota, India, November 18, 2022. The Hyderabad-based company, backed by Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, GIC, says the $68 million it has raised will fund its next two launches. Skyroot faces both established and up-and-coming rocket launch rivals that also promise to bring down costs. India opened the door to private space companies in 2020 with a regulatory overhaul and a new agency to boost private-sector launches. The Skyroot rocket that reached 89.5 kilometers altitude in last week's test launch used carbon-fibre components and 3D-printed parts, including the thrusters.

☆ 'Avatar: The Way of Water' new trailer previews more adventure
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Marianne Garvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —“Avatar: The Way of Water,” the long-awaited sequel to “Avatar,” looks full of underwater adventure. “Avatar” stars Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana are back for the film, set to open Dec. 16. with tickets already on sale. Avatar: The Way of Water | New TrailerThe 2009 film remains the highest-grossing movie of all time, hitting more than $2.7 billion at the global box office. Cameron, who has been working on “The Way of the Water” since 2013, told GQ that in order for the film to be profitable, it will “have to be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history. An untitled third “Avatar” film is set for release Dec. 20, 2024.

☆ The Visions of Octavia Butler
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Lynell George | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +27 min

As a science fiction writer, Butler forged a new path and envisioned bold possibilities. Mural with a portrait of Octavia Butler and her name, composed of dots of various densities in 3-D space. In 1995, she became the first science fiction writer to be awarded a MacArthur “genius” grant. “‘Kindred’ was a story of ordinary people trapped in fantastic circumstances,” Butler wrote in a 1988 notebook. Her point of view was one not traditionally found in science fiction and, simply by writing, she demanded a larger world.

☆ Sri Lanka holds debt restructuring talks with bilateral creditors
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Uditha Jayasinghe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The IMF programme and economic reform agenda will reconstitute Sri Lanka's financial buffers," Weerasinghe said in the emailed statement. "I thank the official creditors for joining this productive meeting where we were able to discuss Sri Lanka's current financial position and progress on reforms." Sri Lanka defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time in May. Japan, India and China are Sri Lanka's largest bilateral creditors, while China's EximBank accounts for about $3.8 billion in loans extended to Colombo to fund large scale infrastructure projects. Earlier on Thursday, S&P Global Ratings lowered ratings on multiple Sri Lanka bonds to its lowest rating "D", from "CC", following missed interest payments on Sept. 14 and 28.

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