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☆ 92NY Halts Literary Series After Pulling Author Critical of Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Jennifer Schuessler | More About Jennifer Schuessler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

The reading, organized by 92NY’s Unterberg Poetry Center, instead moved to a bookstore in downtown Manhattan, without any sponsorship from the Y. 92NY confirmed afterward that the decision not to go ahead with the event stemmed from Nguyen’s public statements about Israel. On Saturday, as news of the cancellation of Nguyen’s event spread, writers began announcing they would withdraw from upcoming appearances. The poet Paisley Rekdal and the critic Andrea Long Chu also wrote on X that they were pulling out of their events. The turmoil at the Y is part of continuing cultural repercussions over the war between Israel and Hamas.

Persons: Viet Thanh Nguyen, 92NY’s, 92NY, ”, Israel, “, Dylan Thomas, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Philip Roth, Salman Rushdie, Toni Morrison, Richard Ford, John Edgar Wideman, Roxane Gay, Christina Sharpe, Saidiya Hartman, Dionne Brand, Paisley Rekdal, Andrea Long Chu, ” Rekdal, ” Chu, Chu, Sarah Chihaya, Sophie Herron, Nguyen, Min Jin Lee, Bernard Schwartz, Schwartz Organizations: Young, Hebrew, Jewish, Yorkers, Academy of American, London, divesting, McNally Jackson Locations: Israel, Manhattan, States, Gaza, Lower Manhattan

☆ George R. R. Martin, Jodi Picoult and other famous writers join Authors Guild in class action lawsuit against OpenAI
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —A group of famous fiction writers joined the Authors Guild in filing a class action suit against OpenAI on Wednesday, alleging the company’s technology is illegally using their copyrighted work. Martin, Jodi Picoult, John Grisham and Jonathan Franzen are among the 17 prominent authors who joined the suit led by the Authors Guild, a professional organization that protects writers’ rights. “Generative AI threatens to decimate the author profession,” the Authors Guild wrote in a press release Wednesday. Two other authors sued OpenAI in June over the company’s alleged misuse of their works to train ChatGPT. Authors should have the right to decide when their works are used to ‘train’ AI,” author Jonathan Franzen said in the release on Wednesday.

Persons: OpenAI, George R.R, Martin, Jodi Picoult, John Grisham, Jonathan Franzen, Mary Rasenberger, “, Sarah Silverman, Silverman –, ” Sam Altman, Rasenberger, James Patterson, Roxane Gay, Margaret Atwood —, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, OpenAI, Authors, of, CNN, Amazon, Meta, San, Microsoft Locations: New York, Southern, of New York, San Francisco federal

☆ Should I Worry About My Co-Workers Smoking Weed on Break?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Roxane Gay | More About Roxane Gay | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

The point of work leave is to leave. A Distinct AromaI recently smelled pot smoke on an associate coming back after a break. I do not smoke weed and never have, so I am not very familiar with the new techniques and forms for smoking it and what it may or may not smell like. I foolishly asked a fellow employee (we have fewer than 10) if he thought the guy smelled like pot smoke. Am I naïve, and uncool in thinking it’s unacceptable to smoke weed during coffee breaks at work?

Persons: don’t, — Locations: imploding, Florida

☆ Time to Expose the Liar at Work?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Roxane Gay | More About Roxane Gay | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

It is getting to the point that I’ve considered firing them as a client, but I love their mission — and the work itself is very interesting. You can also tactfully share your concerns with your main contact, outlining how the transitional chaos is complicating your work. I consistently encounter one employee wearing her lab coat completely unbuttoned and wearing a cropped tube top underneath. Safety policies exist for a reason, and asking someone to follow those policies is ensuring that the workplace stays safe and helps to avoid sanctions and/or fines. Part of your job is to pay attention to how your team is adhering to safety policies.

Persons: rashly, you’ve, I’m, You’ve Locations: Boston

☆ An author says AI is ‘writing’ unauthorized books being sold under her name on Amazon
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Others have said they don’t want their work being used to train AI models, which could then be used to imitate them. Amazon removed the fake books being sold under Friedman’s name and said its policies prohibit such imitation. Author Jane Friedman found several books being sold under her name on Amazon, only she didn't write them — she suspects artificial intelligence did. The Authors Guild has been working with Amazon since this past winter to address the issue of books written by AI, Rasenberger said. And, she said, companies and publishers should continue investing in creative work made by humans, even if AI appears more convenient.

Persons: Jane Friedman, I’ve, ” Friedman, —, ” Mary Rasenberger, Rasenberger, James Patterson, Roxane Gay, Margaret Atwood —, OpenAI, Friedman, they’d, Ashley Vanicek, ”, Suzanne Skyvara Organizations: New, New York CNN, Amazon, CNN, Authors, Microsoft, Twitter Locations: New York

☆ My Boss Made Me Post This
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Roxane Gay | More About Roxane Gay | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

As the weeks passed, I never received an official offer letter or had a discussion about a raise. Nearly two months later, I received my official offer, with no increase in salary, bonus or deferred structure. I still haven’t signed the offer letter. Do you like your job enough to sign the offer letter and see what happens? If your employer can afford to pay everyone else in your organization a full-time salary for working 30 hours a week, they can afford to pay you a full-time salary for working 30 hours a week.

Persons: haven’t, I’m Locations: New York

☆ If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say, Don’t Be a Reference
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Roxane Gay | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

I’m beginning to feel pretty isolated in a workplace I used to feel was quite congenial. Salaries aren’t high, but we get a 2-to-1 match on our retirement plan contributions, which is significant. HR blames the company that administers our retirement plan and says it is working on a fix. Unless they chase that payment, your former colleagues will never see that money, which I’m sure the organization knows. You have to calibrate how upset you get about this and how much you escalate the issue, with how much you care.

Persons: I’m, we’d, It’s, they’ll, Roxane Gay

☆ Some fans have turned on Lana Del Rey. Here's a complete timeline of how the singer soured her own reputation.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Callie Ahlgrim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +32 min

May 2020: Del Rey posted an unprompted public statement about her own reputationIt all began on May 21, four months after she attended the 2020 Grammys, when Del Rey shared a lengthy open letter on Instagram. —Lana Del Rey (@LanaDelRey) January 12, 2021—Lana Del Rey (@LanaDelRey) January 12, 2021Hardly one to stifle momentum, Del Rey also responded to the Australian blog Tone Deaf, which had published an article criticizing the defense of her album cover. —Lana Del Rey (@LanaDelRey) January 12, 2021—Lana Del Rey (@LanaDelRey) January 12, 2021Del Rey continued tweeting about her BBC interview, clarifying that she meant to criticize Trump's "significant lack of empathy" and "the issue of sociopathy and narcissism in America." Advertisement—Lana Del Rey (@LanaDelRey) January 12, 2021—Lana Del Rey (@LanaDelRey) January 12, 2021She also expressed disdain for negative publicity, citing her "long term relationship" with magazines like Complex and Rolling Stone, calling the former "pathetic." June 24, 2023: Del Rey arrived 30 minutes late to the stage at Glastonbury, telling the crowd, 'My hair takes so long to do'Lana Del Rey performs at Glastonbury Festival.

Persons: Lana Del Rey, Del Rey, —, Norman, Rockwell, Del Rey's, Del, she's, Ariana, Camila, Cardi, Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé, Lizzy Grant, Fader, Helen Brown, Brown, Christine Capetola, Lana, Ashley Reese, YouTuber D'Angelo Wallace, Lana Del, that's, Karen, Wallace, Nichole Perkins, Roxane Gay, Ariana Grande, Cat, Pence, It's, Magdalene, George Floyd, Kehlani, Tinashe, Violet, Noble, lana, frick, preemptively, I'm, Annie Mac, Trump, Donald Trump, Lana stans, Mac, Biden, I've, tweeting, Trump's, Steven Hyden, Ann Powers, Powers, they'd, Judah Smith, megachurch Churchome, Smith, Jack Antonoff, God, desirs, Marie Claire, Chris Pratt, Justin Bieber, Judah, Coleman Spilde, Joseph Okpako, WireImage Del, who's, Let's Organizations: Service, Pitchfork, Independent, Tulane, Trump, Twitter, Country, Billboard, Barnes, CDC, ppl, Michigan, YouTube, Capitol, NPR, Hall of Fame, BBC, Hillsong, Daily, Catholic Church, Glastonbury, Glastonbury Festival Locations: Los Angeles, America, Del Rey's, Del Rey, Churchome, y'all, WireImage Del Rey, Glastonbury

What do you think queer literature specifically has to say with its hybrid forms? Gay: I don’t think you can overlook nonfiction in talking about queer literature. Queer and trans people have, amazingly, taken that demand and subverted it, and that’s why those kinds of stories are so important. Also, Roxane, the point you were making about how some of the greatest truths of queer culture and activism have been done in nonfiction … Oddly enough, queer fiction writers have long hidden behind persona and character to write about queer culture and about themselves. I remember interviewing Galgut once and saying, “Your character Damon” — and he stopped me and said, “No, that’s not a character, that’s me.” I thought to myself, “I’m trying to protect you here,” which is a very quaint protectiveness on my part.

Persons: …, Adrienne Rich, “, ” Lorde, Lorde, ” — Tomi Obaro Soller, Roxane, I’m, we’d, Edmund White, Marcel, Proust, André Gide, Ernest, Hemingway’s, Hemingway, Ed, Gide — White, Willa Cather, Mukherjee, Damon Galgut, Damon, Galgut, Damon ” —, ”, “ I’m

☆ Pride at Work Is Priceless, but It’s Nice to Be Paid
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Roxane Gay | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Pronoun EtiquetteIs it OK when first talking alone with a new colleague to ask pronouns to ensure you are referring to them correctly, if it hasn’t already been broached? Asking about pronouns simply removes any ambiguity and ensures that you’re always referring to your colleagues in the manner they prefer. They should value your safety and ensure that you work in an environment that doesn’t tolerate discrimination of any kind. I wish at least some of the time they would affirm my they/them pronouns, which help me feel seen and known. Am I making this too hard for my colleagues by not making a firm request to always use they/them?

Persons: I’m, I’ve, “, ”, Roxane Gay

☆ Smile! We’ll Remember This Forced Fun Forever
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Roxane Gay | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

They are buying everyone matching company T-shirt and taking various group photos to use on social media. I am a very private person and don’t use social media, but many friends, colleagues and clients do. Group photos in matching T-shirts feels silly and unprofessional (and frankly, embarrassing). Now, I hate having my picture taken, and I’m not a fan of mandatory fun, so I don’t judge your distaste for a group picture. If you don’t want to take the group picture, don’t.

☆ You Can Ignore the Bridezilla in the Breakroom
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Roxane Gay | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

My colleagues plan to host a lunch and purchase a wedding gift for her. My budget is extremely tight and I bring my lunch to work every day because I don’t have any extra money. I’ve decided to ignore the email and avoid work that day. You clearly don’t like this person, so don’t contribute to her wedding gift or lunch and don’t give that choice a second thought. It’s easy to buy into the idea that if you’re human, if you can’t work yourself into the ground without consequence, you are failing.

☆ Opinion | The Killing of a Homeless Man on the Subway
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “Subway Killing Both Stuns City and Divides It” (front page, May 5):Politicians and ordinary New Yorkers are pouncing on a debate as to whether or not a subway passenger who put Jordan Neely, a distressed, screaming homeless man, into a chokehold, killing him, should face legal repercussions. Meanwhile, they continue to sit on their hands and not make meaningful investments in solutions that might fundamentally address the city’s crisis of mental illness and homelessness. Jordan Neely is forcing us to ponder that in many ways, we all share some responsibility in his tragic death. In fact, I have always considered that, though our city has its share of bigotry, New Yorkers come together to help each other. Now, in the wake of subway passengers harming and killing another passenger, a homeless man, I am at a loss.

☆ Jordan Neely Was Killed - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Roxane Gay | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

A former marine held Mr. Neely in a chokehold for several minutes, killing the man. News reports keep saying Mr. Neely died, which is a passive thing. No one appears to have intervened during those minutes to help Mr. Neely, though two men apparently tried to help the former marine. Did anyone ask the former marine to release Mr. Neely from his chokehold? Now that it’s too late, there are haunting, heartbreaking images of Mr. Neely, helpless and pinned, still being choked.

☆ Must Love Dogs Was Not in the Job Description
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Roxane Gay | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

I love dogs. Bringing dogs into the workplace only works if the dogs are well behaved and well managed by their humans. One or two or more people bringing their dogs to work shouldn’t mean they become everyone’s problem, because not everyone loves dogs! And even if you do love dogs, you don’t necessarily love having your workday interrupted by baby-talking humans or a dog (obviously a good boy) that barks too much and roams the office to share its vocal enthusiasm. I’m afraid the baby talking is an incurable condition, but can you speak with your colleagues about managing their dogs’ barking?

Skillshare has over 34,000 online video courses, most taught by experts in their fields. Below is an overview of the Skillshare platform, FAQ, and 15 great online courses to take. It has over 34,000 video courses taught by experts in the field, including high-profile names like bestselling author Roxane Gay. Skillshare Annual Subscription Skillshare offers more than 25,000 online classesHow does Skillshare work? Other than the free trial, Skillshare doesn't offer free courses or any certificates to add to your LinkedIn for employers to see.

REUTERS/Eva Plevier/File PhotoWINNIPEG, Manitoba, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Netherlands-based Rabobank NA (RABOVR.UL) is aiming to grab 10-15% of the Canadian farm lending market within 15 years, as it aims to shake up a sector dominated by government and domestic banks, its new Canadian agricultural head told Reuters on Wednesday. It took Rabobank a decade before deciding to expand into Canadian farm lending, taking a methodical approach, Lieverse said. Rabobank expects Canadian farm lending to be profitable from the start and plans to announce hiring plans shortly, she said. Rabobank did not release its estimate of the value of the Canadian farm lending market, but government agency Statistics Canada pegged 2021 farm debt at a record-high C$129 billion ($96.1 billion), with chartered banks accounting for 37%. Farm Credit Canada, owned by the Canadian government, is the biggest agricultural lender, controlling a market share of about one-third, Lieverse said.

Skillshare has over 35,000 online video courses, most taught by experts in their fields. Below is an overview of the Skillshare platform, FAQ, and 15 great online courses to take. It has over 34,000 video courses taught by experts in the field, including high-profile names like bestselling author Roxane Gay. Skillshare Annual Subscription Skillshare offers more than 25,000 online classesHow does Skillshare work? Other than the free trial, Skillshare doesn't offer free courses or any certificates to add to your LinkedIn for employers to see.

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