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☆ A Twitter engineer says the company is 'like a building where all the pieces are on fire'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Twitter engineer told the BBC that the company is "like a building where all the pieces are on fire." "There are so many things broken and there's nobody taking care of it," the engineer told the BBC. "When you look at it from the outside, the façade looks fine, but I can see that nothing is working," the engineer said. Twitter's layoffs have resulted in an extensive reorganization of remaining workers, the engineer told the BBC. "There are so many things broken and there's nobody taking care of it," the engineer told the BBC.

☆ Genetics study lays bare Ice Age drama for humans in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Tom Bjoerklund/Handout via REUTERSMarch 1 (Reuters) - Europe was no balmy paradise during the Ice Age, with the vast glaciers that blanketed large parts of the continent rendering wide swathes inhospitable for humans. While some populations hunkered down and survived in relatively warmer parts of Europe, including France, Spain and Portugal, others died out on the Italian peninsula, the study showed. "It refreshes our knowledge of how human beings survived the Ice Age," added paleogeneticist and study co-author He Yu of Peking University in China. Homo sapiens arose roughly 300,000 years ago in Africa, then spread worldwide, reaching Europe at least 45,000 years ago. The only people who survived this harshest period in Europe were hunter-gatherers who had found refuge in portions of France and the Iberian peninsula, the study found.

☆ A Metaverse Room, Snow Spa and Lazy River Are Some of the Crazy Amenities Planned for This $75 Million Arizona Mansion
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Libertina Brandt | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Be the first to know about the biggest and best luxury home sales and listings by signing up for our Mansion Deals email alert. In Paradise Valley, Ariz., developers are betting big on the local market by listing a not-yet-built residential compound for $75 million.

☆ I asked ChatGPT to help me plan a vacation. Here’s what happened next
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | Chris Dwyer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

So the idea that artificial intelligence chatbots, such as ChatGPT and Bing, can research travel destinations and create itineraries is intriguing. I went to the developer's website, clicked on the word "ChatGPT," registered for an account — and started chatting. "All of the places I recommended have great online reviews," ChatGPT replied, providing ratings from Tripadvisor, Booking.com and Google for each hotel. But ChatGPT couldn't show photographs of the hotels or help book them — although it did provide ample instructions on how to do both. Every city I asked ChatGPT about resulted in the bot praising the local food scene.

☆ Why Goldman’s consumer ambitions failed, and what it means for CEO David Solomon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Hugh Son | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

That's because many of the decisions Solomon made over the next four years — along with aspects of the firm's hard-charging, ego-driven culture — ultimately led to the collapse of Goldman's consumer ambitions, according to a dozen people with knowledge of the matter. Goldman executives were eager to seal the deal with the tech giant, which happened before Solomon became CEO, they added. The rapid growth of the card, which was launched in 2019, is one reason the consumer division saw mounting financial losses. Within months, Ismail left Goldman, sending shock waves through the consumer division and deeply angering Solomon. Goldman should plow some of those volatile earnings into more durable consumer banking revenues, the thinking went.

☆ Former Google staffer says she's gone from viewing the company culture as 'paradise' to 'quite grim'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ex-Googler Claire Stapleton said her perspective on Google's culture has shifted dramatically over the years. Stapleton said she was once a "cheerleader" for Google, but now she sees its culture as "quite grim." In 2018, Stapleton, organized a protest, walking off the job along with about 20,000 Google workers in response to the company's handling of sexual harassment allegations. Now nearly four years later, Stapleton says she sees Google's culture as "quite grim," especially since the company laid off about 12,000 employees in February. Stapleton is one of several former Google workers to speak out against the company in recent months.

☆ Golf Course Living Is Paradise—Except for the 651 Balls Pelting Your House and Yard
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( James Fanelli | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Erik and Athina Tenczar in 2017 bought what they thought was their forever home in Kingston, Mass., a four-bedroom colonial that sits near a left-hand dogleg on the 15th hole of the Indian Pond Country Club. To their dismay, the Tenczars soon learned that ambitious golfers regularly attempted to cut the corner, putting their house in the line of fire.

☆ Florida Great Displacement: Climate Change Forces Residents to Leave State
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Jake Bittle | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

The Keys are also the first flock of canaries in the coal mine of climate change. The hurricane made undeniable what previous floods had only suggested: that climate change will someday make life in the archipelago impossible to sustain. The decision to leave, on the other hand, which once signified surrender, now looks more like acceptance of the inevitable. It's this messiness that is reflected in the word "displacement": the migratory shifts caused by climate change are as chaotic as the weather events that cause them. This is an excerpt adapted from THE GREAT DISPLACEMENT: Climate Change and the Next American Migration by Jake Bittle.

☆ Huge winter storm churns across northern U.S., threatening record snowfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Brendan O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

CHICAGO, Feb 21 (Reuters) - A massive winter storm spreading across the U.S. West into the Northern Plains and Midwest on Tuesday could produce blizzards, brutal cold, and record snowfall, making road travel treacherous and disrupting air travel. The National Weather Service issued winter storm, blizzard and high-wind advisories for a broad swath of the western and north-central United States. Some spots in the South may have temperatures that are over 100 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than some places in the Northern Plains, the forecast showed. While the U.S. East has experienced a relatively mild winter, the Northern Plains has had an extreme winter in terms of snowfall and temperatures, NWS meteorologist Matthew Bunkers in South Dakota said. Although the snow storm could wreak havoc on daily life, it was welcomed by skiers.

☆ Winter storm threatens record snowfall in parts of US
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Brendan O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] Waves come to shore along the coastline as a winter storm approaches Oceanside, California, U.S., February 21, 2023. REUTERS/Mike BlakeCHICAGO, Feb 21 (Reuters) - A winter storm spreading across the U.S. West into the Northern Plains and Midwest on Tuesday could produce blizzards, brutal cold, and record snowfall, making roads treacherous and disrupting air travel. The National Weather Service issued winter storm, blizzard and high-wind advisories for large parts of the western and north-central United States. The agency said these areas will also be under a winter storm warning until Friday and advised people against traveling. Although the snow storm could wreak havoc on daily life, it was welcomed by skiers.

☆ Ron DeSantis styles himself a culture warrior for God. But his push to expand the death penalty is 'deeply concerning' to the Catholic Church.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Catholic Church is speaking out against a GOP push to expand the death penalty. Making it "easier to impose death is deeply concerning," Michael Sheedy of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops told Insider. 'Deeply concerning'Any effort to expand the death penalty in Florida will face obstacles: the state and US constitutions. "An execution represents a judgment by fallible human beings that a person is beyond redemption – a judgment the Catholic Church rejects," they said. Tony Argiz, right, recalled how the Catholic Church helped him when he came to the US from Cuba as an unaccompanied minor.

☆ Turkey rages at shoddy construction after 'earthquake-proof' homes topple
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Ali Kucukgocmen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/5] A cat stands on a destroyed street, in the aftermath of the deadly earthquake, in Antakya, Turkey February 17, 2023. It was said to be earthquake safe, but you can see the result," said 47-year-old jeweller Hamza Alpaslan. Turkey's Urbanisation Ministry estimates 84,700 buildings have collapsed or are severely damaged. The Urbanisation Ministry said documents would be moved to the ministry archive in the city and were stored digitally. BUILDING AMNESTYSector officials have said some 50% of the total 20 million buildings in Turkey contravene building codes.

☆ Premarket stocks: SpinCos are the new SPACs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The parent company may distribute the new company’s stock to its shareholders, allowing them to own shares in both. These smaller, newly formed companies are still in the process of establishing themselves in the market and often have lower profit margins than their parent company. It costs a lot to borrow these days and investors are looking for high profits and value stocks, writes Goldman. The Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes have added significantly to the cost of government debt. “As we add trillion after trillion to our debt, the problem only gets worse and compounds.

☆ Sony's movie chief talks China censorship, upcoming game adaptation 'Gran Turismo,' and how his studio is preparing for a potential Hollywood writers' strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

It was a long-term deal so I don't think we have to confront that yet, but it's gone terrifically for us, actually. If you don't want to compete, don't come in. Can you talk about the synergy with the Whitney Houston movie — she was a Sony Music artist — or "Gran Turismo," a Playstation game? Do you wish HBO Max's "The Last of Us," which is also based on a Sony Playstation game, had been a movie? A lot of big movies come out of it.

☆ North Korea's Kim launches housing and greenhouse projects amid economic woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Feb 16 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has broken ground on a large greenhouse project and the development of 10,000 apartments, state media reported on Thursday, highlighting the construction projects amid foreign suspicion of food shortages. Neighbouring South Korea said on Wednesday that a food crisis appeared to be worsening in the North, and the South's DongA Ibo newspaper reported that North Korea had cut rations to its soldiers for the first time in more than two decades. The housing development, meanwhile, would be "another luxurious street of socialism full of the people's happiness", KCNA said in a separate report. In recent months North Korea has reopened freight rail services with China and Russia, and on Thursday, Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported that trucks had also begun crossing between the Chinese city of Hunchun and North Korea's Rason. Reporting by Josh Smith; Additional reporting by Eduardo Baptista in Beijing; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore, Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Tuesday Morning says it wants to close 265 stores as part of its bankruptcy filing. See if your local store is on the list.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +30 min

Camarillo: Camarillo Village Square, 2450 Las Posas Road, Ste HCamarillo Village Square, 2450 Las Posas Road, Ste H Roseville: Fairway Commons Shopping Center, 5771A Five Star Blvd. San Diego: Pacific Plaza Shopping Center, 1772‐D Garnet AvenuePacific Plaza Shopping Center, 1772‐D Garnet Avenue Woodland Hills: Pride Shopping Center, 22950 Victory Blvd. Winston-Salem: Whitaker Square Shopping Center, 1947 North Pease Haven Road, Space #1947Whitaker Square Shopping Center, 1947 North Pease Haven Road, Space #1947 Matthews: Windsor Square Shopping Center, 9945 E. Independence Blvd. ; Westhill Village Shopping Center, 7525 WestheimerWeslayan Plaza West Shopping Center, 5442‐A Weslayan Street; Westheimer Commons, 12568 Westheimer Rd. ; Westhill Village Shopping Center, 7525 Westheimer El Paso: West Towne Marketplace, 6450 N. Desert Blvd., Ste.

☆ This 52-year-old early retiree left the U.S. for Portugal—a look at his typical weekend: 'I spend less than $40'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Alex Trias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

On weekends when I'm out and about, I spend less than $40 a day:Start the day with coffee and breakfastPrice per person: $6.31 Lisbon is paradise for breakfast lovers. Take a train to the seashore and rent bikesPrice per person: $11.34 A one-hour train ride from Lisbon's historic Cais do Sodré station to the fishing village of Cascais costs $4.92 (round trip). We like to stop by on weekends, and it is conveniently located on the train ride back from Cascais. Our daughter loves bargain hunting at the Feira da Ladra, a popular flea market located within the Alfama district of Lisbon. Photo: Alex TriasI also enjoy the weekend flea market in Principé Real, where you'll find plenty of delicious artisanal honey, cheese and cured sausages.

☆ A disappointing 2022 has led some Goldman Sachs partners to ask: Is it time for a change at the top?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

On tap, we've got stories on why not-so-flashy land is actually the hottest investment on Wall Street, the firms minting money by navigating FTX's bankruptcy, and the coolest houses on Airbnb. It's only February, but the Ides of March might be coming to Goldman Sachs. We've talked at length over how people are looking to pin the blame on Solomon as things have soured at Goldman. Certain issues have been easier to overlook than others, but the bank recently broke a cardinal rule of Wall Street: Don't mess with bankers' compensation. Forget beachfront, the hottest real estate for Wall Street is industrial land.

☆ California’s Marijuana Paradise Lost
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Marijuana advocates told us that legalizing the drug would curb the black market. The opposite has happened in California, where a glut of illegal weed is undercutting legal purveyors. Now progressives are proposing an interstate compact to export their pot and rescue the industry. California voters in 2016 approved a ballot measure allowing the cultivation, sale and possession of pot for recreational use. Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act, which means it has a high potential for abuse and is illegal to possess, manufacture and sell under federal law.

☆ I tried 25 of Trader Joe's award-winning foods, and would buy at least 21 of them again
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Savanna Swain-Wilson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +42 min

I hit up my local Trader Joe's and bought as many award-winning foods as I could to see which ones deserved their hype. In other words, I agree with the many customers who have dubbed this their favorite Trader Joe's snack. As long as I live within reasonable driving distance of a Trader Joe's, I will continue to buy this loaf. Trader Joe's butter chicken with basmati rice is a satisfyingly spicy comfort meal for oneTrader Joe's butter chicken with basmati rice had a delicious sauce. Trader Joe's cheddar with caramelized onions offers a memorable balance of savory, salty, and sweetThe cheddar smelled like caramelized onions.

Persons: —, Monterey Jack, burrito, Savanna, Wilson, didn't, I've, It's, Joe's, I'm, they're, chorizo, I'd, Butter, they'd, Joe's cashiers, who's, fryer, Swain Wilson Organizations: Service, of Fame, Business, I'd, Wilson, panini Locations: Monterey, Monterey Jack, skillet, Savanna, Peru, treacly, San Francisco

☆ Vermont man arrested and charged with assaulting police officers on Jan. 6 in attack that left one officer 'screaming in pain'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Prosecutors say William Arthur Nichols Jr. hit police officers with a shield during the attack. Nichols' scuttle with one officer left them "screaming in pain," according to court documents. In one video clip, Nichols grabbed an officer's helmet from behind and pulled him backward, causing him to stumble, according to investigators. The officer and Nichols then wrestled over the shield and Nichols forcefully pushed the officer and tried to hold on to the shield. Body-worn footage shows other officers attempting to subdue Nichols and going to rescue the officer involved in the scuttle who was left "screaming in pain" from an injury sustained in the attack, according to court documents.

He has a net worth of $67.6 billion, according to Forbes, and spends much of it on charity. But he also pours money into real estate, especially in Hawaii, and cars. The Meta founder and CEO's fortune surpassed $100 billion last year, making him one of 10 centi-billionaires on the planet. Zuckerberg mostly keeps a low profile, but he does splurge on real estate — especially in the tropical paradise that is Hawaii. Here's how the tech mogul spends his billions, from cars to properties to charity.

☆ A Floridian is leaving for Portugal because he said pollution, traffic, and overcrowding have turned his home of 20 years into a rotten paradise
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Victor Zubriski, 74, is leaving the Boca Raton area after 20 years and moving to Portugal. According to Redfin, the median sale price in Boca Raton is $585,000, an increase of nearly 17% from this time last year. The median rent in Boca Raton has increased $339 from the same time last year to a median of $3,675, according to Zillow. That's 75% higher than the national median rent of $2,097. Miami Herald/Getty Images"The essential factor down here in Boca Raton is overcrowding," he said.

☆ Taking a secret 'hush trip' could help with burnout — but might land your company a surprise tax bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

More remote workers are traveling without their employer's permission, also known as "hush trips." "Anybody loves the opportunity to be productive in paradise rather than in their home office," Pokora told Insider. "I think as long as remote work stays an option and working from home in general we're going to see more of this." Hush trips are the most recent addition to the growing lexicon at the intersection of work and travel, joining longtime favorites "bleisure," "workation" and "digital nomad." On the employer's side, hush trips can cause tax and legal headaches if they go on for too long, Courtney Leyes, a partner at the law firm Fisher Phillips, told Insider.

☆ DC's slate for its new movie and TV universe is bizarre, risky, and a bit confusing — but still promising
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

DC Studios announced the first wave of movies and TV shows for the new DC universe. There are also aspects of the old DC movie universe — but it still shows promise. The slate, titled "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters," is, to put it plainly, bizarre — and even a bit risky. If anything, it's still a bit of the old DC Extended Universe. If Gunn and Safran wanted to keep any aspects of the old DC movie universe, they picked the right ones.

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