DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Opinion | Democrats and Republicans Are Living in Different Worlds
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Thomas B. Edsall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Competing partisan views on how we see men and masculinity are emerging as key factors in the run-up to the 2024 election. “No menace to this nation is greater than the collapse of American manhood,” he declares, placing full blame “on the American left. As for jobs, fewer and fewer young men have them. In advanced economies today, women are propelling themselves through life. Reeves and Hawley have quite dissimilar causal explanations for this phenomena — as do so many Republicans and Democrats.

Persons: Josh Hawley’s, Richard Reeves’s, Hawley, ”, “, ” Hawley, Reeves, ” Reeves, Let’s, Ipsos Organizations: Boys, Peace Corps, Democrats, Politico

☆ How to Pay Off Your Student Loans
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Rebecca Safier | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +13 min

Here’s how to pay off student loans in a way that works for your budget and goals. Look into specialized loan forgiveness programsWhile the Supreme Court hasn’t shared its ruling on Biden’s widespread forgiveness initiative yet, there are other options for loan discharge, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Teacher Loan Forgiveness. You can pay off federal student loans early, as there’s no student loan prepayment penalty. If you want to retain access to federal protections, it wouldn’t make sense to refinance your federal student loans. In the end, there’s no single right way to pay off student loans faster.

Persons: Rebecca Safier, Biden’s, ”, Robert Farrington, you’re, you’ve, Michael Lux, “, Farrington, Autopay, servicers, autopay, servicer Nelnet, hasn’t, Adam Minsky, You’ll, Mark Kantrowitz Organizations: Education Department, College Investor, millennials, Federal, Aid, Grad, Student Loan Sherpa, Student Aid, autopay, Peace Corps, Corinthian, Education Locations: “, SavingforCollege.com

☆ The Marine Corps might not get a confirmed leader for first time in 164 years due to standoff with Republican senator
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Rebecca Kheel | Konstantin Toropin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

On July 10, the Marine Corps may be led an acting commandant for the first time in 164 years. A GOP senator is blocking the next commandant's confirmation over the Pentagon's abortion leave policy. The Justice Department has already conducted a legal analysis of the Pentagon policy. Smith, then commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in September 2018. "It was a spirited discussion, and it took a long time," Kaine said about the committee's closed-door debate on the abortion policy.

Persons: —, David Berger, Jim Stenger, Military.com, Berger's, Eric Smith, Smith, Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Read, Stenger, Berger, Chip Somodevilla, Archibald Henderson, Tuberville, Andrew Jones, Joe Manchin, Joni Ernst, Tim Kaine, Kaine, Charles " C.Q, Brown, Mark Milley, James McConville, Mike Gilday, — Rebecca Kheel, — Konstantin Toropin Organizations: Marine Corps, GOP, Service, Corps, Defense Department, Senate, Senate Armed Services, Capitol, Armed Services Committee, stonewall, National Defense, Pentagon, Justice Department, Peace Corps, Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air, Iwakuni, US Marine Corps, Andrew Jones Senators, Marines, Air Force, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Twitter Locations: Iowa, Smith

☆ Opinion: In Ukraine, the Russian military response to the counteroffensive shows how it’s improved – and how it hasn’t
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Opinion Sébastien Roblin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The beginning of the much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia seems not to have been a resounding success for Kyiv. But they don’t mean that all is lost for Ukraine – or even that Ukraine is now losing. Russia’s artillery ammunition, missile stockpiles and most-modern ground combat vehicles were gravely depleted, so 60-year-old tanks have been withdrawn from storage. It was while attempting to breach a path through one such fortified minefield that the 47th Brigade’s vehicles bogged down last week. Notably, a parallel drive toward Mariupol at the same time as the 47th’s failed attack last week has made fast gains, compelling Russian forces to withdraw from several settlements.

Persons: Sébastien Roblin, Bradley, ” Sebastien Roblin, Sebastien Roblin, Putin, Biden, —, Jens Stoltenberg, ” Organizations: Popular Mechanics, NBC, Forbes.com, Georgetown University, Peace Corps, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine’s 47th Brigade, Ukraine, Red Army, 47th Brigade, NATO, Twitter, Facebook Locations: China, Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Kursk, Kherson, Normandy, Berdyansk, Crimea

☆ Opinion | Eric Adams and the Migrants in New York
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For a country that welcomed us, embraced us (literally and figuratively) and displayed such warmth and hospitality to each of us, it is heartbreaking and painful to read this piece. The Afghan people gave to each of us far more than we ever could have ever imagined. Jonathan GreenburgNorth Caldwell, N.J.To the Editor:I understand the impulse to pin the human tragedy for many Afghans on the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. I’m so sorry that Taiba and her family, featured in your article, and so many other Afghans are paying the terrible human cost. How about if next year the U.S. government owns up to its mistakes and welcomes 250,000 Afghans?

☆ Harry Belafonte’s complicated relationship with the civil rights movement
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Nicquel Terry Ellis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

During the civil rights movement, he used his star power to fight against injustice, raising money for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the organization that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. cofounded and led. Dr. Martin Luther King, his wife Coretta Scott King, right, and Harry Belafonte at center marching near Montgomery, Alabama, on March 24, 1965. But his relationship with the civil rights movement wasn’t always simple. Archive Photos/Getty ImagesAfter King’s death in 1968, Belafonte expressed frustration in an interview with The Washington Post about his prominent role in the civil rights movement.

☆ Why a millennial with $134,000 in student debt hasn't made payments while living abroad for nearly a decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Todd Squitieri, 37, has $134,000 in student debt he's placed in forbearance for nearly a decade. He moved abroad and says he's much happier, but he couldn't leave the student debt behind. Even with $134,000 in student debt hanging over his head. But as Squitieri was traveling and not making payments on his student loans, the balance was growing, and leaving the country doesn't mean he can leave his student debt behind. Biden's student-loan forgiveness is 'token service'There could be relief on the horizon for millions of borrowers with federal student debt.

☆ How borrowers can keep their student loan payments on hold once bills resume
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

watch nowThe Education Department in November said student bills would resume 60 days after the litigation over its student loan forgiveness plan resolves. If you're unemployed when student loan payments resume, you can request an unemployment deferment with your servicer. The maximum time you can use an unemployment or hardship deferment is usually three years per type. Forbearances also keep bills on holdStudent loan borrowers who don't qualify for a deferment may request a forbearance. Kantrowitz provided an example: A $30,000 student loan with a 5% interest rate would increase by $1,500 a year under a forbearance.

☆ How unusually mild weather prevented what could've been the first aircraft carrier battle since World War II
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Sebastien Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Argentine jets were poised to strike when the usually turbulent South Atlantic winds took a mild turn. Few of the half-dozen Argentine aviators expected to survive the attack, dubbed "Banzai Night" after the famous Japanese battle cry. Government of ArgentinaIronically, the Veinticinco de Mayo was originally a British carrier named the HMS Venerable launched by the Cammell Laird shipyard near the end of World War II. After a damaging boiler-room fire, the Karel was sold in 1969 to the Argentine Navy which extensively modernized and rebuilt the 25-year-old vessel. The Harrier and the Sea DartSea Harrier jump jets aboard HMS Hermes in the South Atlantic on May 1, 1982.

☆ A Swedish-made fighter jet could tip the scales against Russia in Ukraine, but it might not get there any time soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Sebastien Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Ukraine's air force remains in the fight almost a year after Russia's shambolic invasion. Sooner or later, Ukraine must induct new jet fighters into service — and they sure aren't buying them from Russia. JAS-39 Gripen: background and capabilitiesA Swedish JAS 39 Gripen at Bobo, Norway in October 2018. A Hungarian Air Force JAS-39 Gripen in August 2010. JAS-39 Gripen vs. F-16A US Air Force F-16 takes off from Aviano Air Base in Italy in June 2020.

☆ U.S. opens embassy in Solomon Islands to counter China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An aerial view of ships and boats anchored at the harbour in Honiara, Solomon Islands. Gilmore Tana | iStock | Getty ImagesThe United States opened an embassy in the Solomon Islands on Thursday in its latest move to counter China's push into the Pacific. The embassy in the capital, Honiara, is starting small, with a chargé d'affaires, a couple of State Department staff and a handful of local employees. The U.S. State Department notified lawmakers early last year that China's growing influence in the region made reopening the Solomon Islands embassy a priority. The Solomon Islands switched allegiance from the self-ruled island of Taiwan to Beijing in 2019, threatening the close ties with the U.S. that date to World War II.

☆ The US's powerful Abrams tanks are heading to Ukraine, but generals disagree over how hard it'll be to use them on the battlefield
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Sebastien Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

The US has pledged to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine, joining a bevy of Western-made tanks. Here comes the M1 Abrams for UkraineA M1A2 Abrams tank fires at a target during an exercise. The same day, word spread that US President Joe Biden would announce he was sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. But Hertling disagreed that withholding the M1 Abrams was a "political decision" and didn't find the examples of non-US Abrams operators persuasive. M1 Abrams: training and sustainmentAn M1A2 Abrams drives into the woods during an exercise in Hohenfels, Germany.

☆ Justice Jackson working on a memoir, titled ‘Lovely One’
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is working on a memoir. Jackson, the first Black woman appointed to the court, is calling the book “Lovely One.”“Mine has been an unlikely journey,” Jackson said in a statement released Thursday by Random House. This memoir marries the public record of my life with what is less known. Jackson joined the court last year after President Joe Biden named her to succeed the retiring Stephen Breyer. Justice Amy Coney Barrett has a deal with the Penguin Random House imprint Sentinel.

☆ Remembering Gary Strieker, who helped establish CNN's presence in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Tricia Escobedo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Gary Strieker had every reason to be a pessimist. Gary Strieker, who passed away in July 2022, helped establish CNN's presence in Africa. Courtesy Strieker family Born in the tiny Illinois farm town of Breese in 1944, Gary Gerard Strieker moved to San Diego, California at a young age. Courtesy Strieker family Strieker is remembered by his family and colleagues as a quiet, humble man who never lost his optimistic spirit or tireless energy for making the world a better place. Courtesy Strieker family Strieker was the network's only correspondent on the African continent for some time, covering the AIDs epidemic in the 1980s and other major moments in history, including the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

☆ This Is Your Brain on ‘Deep Reading.’ It’s Pretty Magnificent. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( The Ezra Klein Show | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +57 min

But if over time, we have begun to elaborate this brain so that it includes deep reading, the unnatural apex of the achievement of reading is what deep reading provides. And every time I get off of a plane, I say to myself, I’m going to do that more. I’m going to sit and I’m going to have quiet time with a book. I’m going to bring this to me in a second, so I’m not just putting this on little kids. maryanne wolfThe first thing I do is understand the purpose of whatever I’m reading.

Persons: ezra klein, Ezra Klein, Maryanne Wolf, “ Proust, she’s, screeds, Ezra, maryanne, ” ezra klein, McLuhan, ”, ezra klein Well, Nicholas Carr, ezra klein I’m, I’m, Walter Ong, Postman, It’s, we’ve, Proust, it’s, Aristotle, Hermann Hesse’s Magister Ludi, Rilke, Hermann Hesse, Ludi, Magister Ludi, —, I’d, we’re, don’t, Barry Zuckerman, John Hutton, One’s, I’ll, he’s, Walter Benjamin, Walter Benjamin’s, isn’t, I’ve, Naomi Baron, You’ve, you’ve, you’re, ezra klein It’s, Socrates, Ong, ezra klein —, Nicholas Carr’s, Sam Bankman, Fried, ezra klein FTX, languish, Let’s, Montaigne, Wendell Berry, Marcus Aurelius, they’re, Lorca, Tami Katzir, Marina Bers, Annie, that’s Marilynne Robinson, ” “ Lila, Jack, Marilynne Robinson, Emily Dickinson’s, Gish Jen, Wendell Berry’s “, John Dunne Organizations: U.C.L.A . School of Education, Information Studies, New York Times, Corps, Reggio Emilia, Boston College, ” Locations: what’s, Norway, signposting, Cincinnati, Oxford, —, ”, Korean, Italy, Israel, “, Boston

☆ Trump's White House blocked government websites aimed at helping Americans vote, fighting human trafficking, easing homelessness, and stopping fraud, federal records show
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Federal agencies asked the Trump White House to approve dozens of new ".gov" websites. Such custom ".gov" website domains enhance government agencies' ability to effectively provide and market services to an American public that's all but universally connected to the internet. On December 23, 2019, the CIA asked Trump's White House to approve the website domain DataTransport.gov. Chiu/APBlock and delayIn at least one case, Trump's White House denied a website request — the United States Agency for International Development-sponsored ProsperAfrica.gov — that Biden's White House later approved. In March 2021, Office Management and Budget officials denied Insider's FOIA request, stating that "no responsive records were located."

☆ Patrick Haggerty, trailblazing gay country star, dies at 78
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —When Patrick Haggerty was gearing up to record his very first country music album, he had a choice to make. He chose the latter, and 1973’s “Lavender Country,” Haggerty’s first album recorded under the same name, is now widely considered the first country album recorded by an out gay musician. He became a country music star after all. That call with Greaves was the first step to reintroducing Haggerty and Lavender Country to new listeners, many of whom had been hungry for an out gay country star. “My life changed completely and forever that day.”He became a country star his wayAs more people heard “Lavender Country” and learned Haggerty’s story, his contributions to country music were acknowledged and appreciated more widely.

☆ Bidens celebrate their first Halloween at the White House
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden distribute Halloween candy to visiting children at the South Portico of the White House in Washington, U.S., October 31, 2022. REUTERS/Leah MillisWASHINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden welcomed trick-or-treaters to the White House to celebrate Halloween on Monday, their first time hosting such a celebration since taking office. Treats were also distributed by representatives from the Department of Education, Department of Transportation, NASA, United States Secret Service, Peace Corps, White House Fire Brigade and White House staff among others. The South Portico of the White House was decorated with fall colors, pumpkins, various shades of autumn, and songs such as "Ring of Fire," "Psycho" and "Hall of the Mountain King" set the mood. Halloween has been celebrated at the White House since the mid-20th century, according to the White House Historical Association.

☆ Biden to Cement Overhaul of Student Loan Forgiveness Program for Public Service Workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Gabriel T. Rubin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Biden administration is moving to make its overhaul of a student-loan forgiveness program for public-service workers permanent, allowing borrowers in professions such as teaching, nursing and public-interest law to get debt relief after 10 years of monthly payments. The changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, set to take effect in July, will allow future borrowers to stay on track for forgiveness even for monthly payments that are partial or late. They will also make it easier for borrowers whose payment plans are paused due to a military deployment, service in the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps, or are experiencing a period of economic hardship.

☆ Patricia M. Cloherty, Venture-Capital Star, Started Her Career From Scratch
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( James R. Hagerty | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

When Patricia M. Cloherty was offered a job at a venture-capital firm in 1969, she had to ask friends what that business, little known at the time, was all about. She concluded it was a David vs. Goliath affair, using small amounts of capital to fund startups that could take on corporate behemoths. As a former Peace Corps volunteer, she had aspired to work for an international development agency but concluded that those institutions were unlikely to send a woman overseas. So she decided to accept the offer of a research job at a venture-capital firm headed by Alan Patricof .

☆ How a tank the Soviets tried to keep secret became an icon of Ukraine's resistance against Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Sebastian Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

An Afghan soldier fighting for the Soviets sits on a Soviet-made T-64 tank near the Salang Pass on August 17, 1989. However, these systems were mostly exported, and it's unclear whether either is currently operational on Ukrainian tanks. Defending Ukraine, 2014-2015A Ukrainian tank in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slavyansk in July 2014. A burned Ukrainian tank in Uglegorsk, on the frontline near Debaltseve, in February 2015. A pro-Russian separatist stands guard near a T-64 tank in Donetsk in July 2014.

"U.S. prosperity and security depend on the Pacific region remaining free and open," it said, noting that Pacific island countries faced urgent challenges, most notably from the climate crisis, but also heightened geopolitical tensions. Leaders and representatives from 14 Pacific island states are taking part in the summit. read moreThe official also said Biden would designate career diplomat Frankie Reed as the first U.S. envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum. The U.S. strategy document says the United States would partner with Pacific islands to help them adapt to and manage the climate crisis, an "existential threat" to their lives, health, and livelihoods. Strategic competition in the Pacific intensified dramatically this year after China signed a security agreement with the Solomons, prompting warnings of militarization of the region.

Perkins loans that aren't held by the US government do not qualify for Biden's new student-loan forgiveness. To qualify for up to $20,000 in forgiveness, you must consolidate your loans into Direct loans. This may not be the best option for everyone, since some Perkins loans are forgiven after five years. Unlike federal student loans, some Perkins loans are serviced by the school you attended, but the federal government pays for interest accrued while you're still in school. studentaid.govOnly consolidate loans that are not Direct loans.

To qualify for forgiveness, FFEL and Perkins loan borrowers can consolidate into a Direct loan. Student loan expert Sonia Lewis, who has worked with over 20,000 clients to help them navigate their student loans via the Student Loan Doctor LLC, says most people don't know their loan type in the first place. studentaid.govHere's a list of all the different loan types, and whether or not they qualify for student loan forgiveness. If you have privately-held FFEL loans, you must consolidate your FFEL loans into a Direct loan to qualify for Biden's student-loan forgiveness plan. Additionally, if you refinanced your federal student loans with a private lender, those loans are no longer eligible for Biden's student-loan forgiveness plan.

☆ 2 of Russia's most modern multi-role fighters are leading Putin's air war over Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Sebastian Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Two of Russia's most modern fighters have led its air war over Ukraine: the Su-30SM and the Su-35S. Two of Russia's most modern multi-role fighters have spearheaded Moscow's air war over Ukraine: the two-seat Sukhoi Su-30SM (code-named Flanker-H by NATO) and its successor, the single-seat Su-35S Flanker-E. Su-35S units active in UkraineSu-35S jet fighter of the Russian Air Force taking off, Kubinka, Russia. Artyom Anikeev/Stocktrek Images via Getty ImagesThe Russian Air Force (VKS) is currently receiving the last of 128 Su-35s ordered, most now committed to the war in Ukraine. Russia evidently lacks enough longer-range/endurance surveillance and combat drones to hunt Ukrainian air defense assets through laborious optical scanning.

Search resuls for: "Peace Corps"

25 mentions found