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☆ 'Atmospheric river' floods Northern California and may have contributed to at least 3 deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dennis-Romero-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Dennis Romero | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Sunday afternoon, mandatory evacuations were activated for residents of the Point Pleasant community south of the city of Sacramento, Sacramento County officials said. "Flooding in the area is imminent," the Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services said in a statement. NBC affiliate KCRA of Sacramento reported that dozens of motorists have been rescued from vehicles stranded in high waters in Sacramento County. Nearby Oakland, however, set its one-day record by scoring 4.75 inches of rain, the National Weather Service said. "Precipitation chances will ramp up again Monday and Tuesday as a series of Pacific Storm systems continues to impact the region," the National Weather Service said.

☆ RIP: Tech That Died in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Christopher Mims | Joanna Stern | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

As we look ahead to the tech trends we face in 2023, we should also spare a moment to reflect on the gadgets and software that headed into the sunset in 2022. Meta Portal 2018-2022Despite cool video-calling tricks, the Portal never found mass appeal—even during Covid-lockdown Zoom marathons. After Facebook became Meta and refocused on its core business and the metaverse, it pulled the Portal plug.

☆ 5 things wildly successful real-estate brokers do to get the most out of their days
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Fellow New York-based Douglas Elliman agent Lisa Simonsen also had a former career in fitness. As such, the agent who sold more than $100 million in 2022 makes sure she works out in her building's gym, usually on a spin bike, every morning. McKenzie RyanFormer Junior Olympian and real-estate wunderkind McKenzie Ryan used to compete on the national level in rhythmic gymnastics. Serhant gets a new SUV every year "just to update it," though he said he makes sure his car and clothes are never nicer than his clients'. The Douglas Elliman agent knows what she has to do to succeed: She was the top-selling agent in Miami in 2021 with $750 million in transactions.

☆ Weapons for Russia, anti-government protests and the nuclear deal: What lies ahead for Iran in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The Biden administration went from encouraging negotiations on reviving the Iranian nuclear deal to levying more sanctions on Tehran and condemning it for providing lethal weapons and training to Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. Iran's Foreign Ministry denies knowing about Iranian weapons transfers to Russia, despite evidence of Iranian-made drones wreaking havoc on Ukrainian cities. Sergei Savostyanov | AFP | Getty Images"2023 is going to be a pivotal year for Iran," Ali Vaez, Iran project director at non-profit Crisis Group, told CNBC. The nuclear deal: too far gone? Ukraine has blamed Iran for providing Russia with drones, which have been used to attack Kyiv.

The Buffalo Airport, which has been closed since Dec. 23, was expected to reopen on Wednesday morning, according to a tweet. A little more than 1,400 energy customers in New York state were without power Wednesday morning — amounting to only 0.02% of the state — according to PowerOutage.us. Storms to batter the West CoastMeanwhile, a total of five separate storm systems will impact the West through next Monday. Oregon State Parks announced emergency closures for Ecola and Cape Meares because of high winds and the potential for falling trees. Colusa and Mendocino counties had 650 and just over 700 power outages as of Wednesday morning, respectively, according to PowerOutage.us.

☆ Negative-Yielding Bonds Could Be Approaching Their Final Days
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Matt Grossman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Bank of Japan has held its benchmark interest rate below zero to stimulate growth, but rising prices are testing that strategy. Negative yields on government bonds look like they are about to ride off into the sunset. The worldwide sum of negative-yielding debt has almost completely evaporated, another effect of central bankers’ efforts to fight inflation around the world. It now stands at $271 billion, down from more than $18.4 trillion two years ago, according to Bloomberg index data accessed via FactSet.

Elon Musk's biggest fans: tech foundersLisa Blue/Philip Pacheco/Getty Images; Jenny Chang-Rodriguez/InsiderFrom the moment Elon Musk took control of Twitter, he has been moving fast, breaking things, and sparking outcry. This past week, he said he'd step down as CEO after a Twitter poll found most respondents wanted him to. For many Silicon Valley founders, Musk's approach to his Twitter takeover makes him a visionary. About 400 Pollen employees were camped out for five days to celebrate the UK-based events and travel company. But according to 31 former Pollen employees, the implosion was years in the making.

☆ Monarch butterflies made a historic rebound this year, but my photos from 'Butterfly Town, USA' are disappointing and sad
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

California's monarch butterflies made a miraculous rebound from nearly disappearing in 2020. I visited Pacific Grove, AKA "Butterfly Town, USA," to see the monarch migration for the first time. Monarch butterflies fly at the Sierra Chincua butterfly sanctuary in Angangeo, Michoacan state, Mexico. Monarch butterflies fly at the Sierra Chincua butterfly sanctuary in Angangeo, Michoacan state, Mexico. When I was a child, I didn't see monarch butterflies, but they were already in decline.

☆ The 8 best real-estate reality TV shows to binge over the holidays
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A post-holiday party hangover calls for cozying up and binging some real estate TV. From the drama of selling a luxury unit to the joy of a new design, there's something for everyone. Here are the best shows to watch this holiday season and where you can stream them. Dramatic tales of what it takes to make millions selling luxury mansions, like "Selling Sunset," will motivate you to crush it at work in 2023. Here are eight of the top binge-worthy real estate TV shows to watch and how to watch them, categorized by four different types of real-estate TV watchers: interior design lovers, organization nerds, drama fiends, and home depot card holders.

☆ More women are traveling alone. The hospitality industry is meeting demand with offerings like 'Alonemoons' — no partner required.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Mark Ellwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

When she started traveling alone, she said, the trend was less common and locals were often surprised to see her without a companion. The Solo Female Travelers Club, a 190,000-member social network and tour operator, surveys 5,000 women annually on their habits and opinions. A Gili Lankanfushi representative told Insider six women traveling alone had booked the package in the past 18 months. "I think it's a wonderful, life-affirming experience to be a woman traveling solo and experience the nurturing care you can get from strangers. Meg Jerrard, a cofounder of the Solo Female Travelers Club, recently started a consulting division of her company to help guide other businesses as they reevaluate their offerings and staff in light of growing demand from solo female travelers.

☆ Analysis: Fed's balance sheet drawdown could sunset next year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Michael S. Derby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Analysts at investment bank Nomura see the Fed ending the balance sheet run-off in September of next year. The balance sheet drawdown, meanwhile, has been designed to run more or less on autopilot, in the background. Reuters GraphicsNomura said the U.S. central bank will likely get its balance sheet down to around $7 trillion, well above the pre-pandemic level. Reductions in the Fed balance sheet withdraw bank reserves from the system, in a regime that's dominated by many moving parts, swirling around each other unpredictably. It's something the Fed faced in September 2019, when it was in its latest chapter of balance sheet contraction.

The man accused of one of the most violent rampages on New York City's public transportation system in years is expected to plead guilty to terrorism charges in the Brooklyn subway shooting, authorities said. Frank James' lawyer filed paperwork Wednesday indicating he would enter a guilty plea in the April 12 attack, and a hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 3. Ten people were shot and 13 others were injured in the gunfire and smoke bomb attack on a Brooklyn subway, which shook the city and set off a 30-hour manhunt before James was arrested in Manhattan. “The defendant committed a premeditated mass shooting on the New York City subway system and then fled the scene, with a stockpile of ammunition and other dangerous items stowed in his storage unit,” the federal prosecutors wrote. James pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn federal court the same month.

☆ Trump thinks Elon Musk's poll about his future as the CEO of Twitter was a good exit strategy: 'I think that's a good way of stepping down'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump thinks Elon Musk knew he would lose the poll on whether he should remain the CEO of Twitter. On Tuesday, Musk tweeted that he'll step down as Twitter CEO when he finds someone "foolish" enough to replace him. When asked on One America News if he had any advice for Musk, Trump said Musk needs a replacement who wears "a lot of different hats." After Trump's comments, Musk tweeted that it might be time for Trump to give up on being president again. In November, Musk reinstated Trump's Twitter account.

☆ Australian economy on edge as fixed-rate mortgage pain looms in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The cost of paying your mortgage is literally going up for everyone by thousands of dollars," said the 31-year-old Lemon. Australia's big four banks - Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA.AX), Westpac (WBC.AX), National Australia Bank (NAB.AX) and ANZ (ANZ.AX) - account for 75% of the country's mortgage market. read moreThe RBA fears 15% of the borrowers on variable rates could see their cash flows turn negative, assuming that interest rates rise to 3.6% in line with market expectations. Buyers' agent Lloyd Edge says some cautious mortgage holders have been selling up before their fixed-rate loans expire. Hundreds of thousands of Australians took advantage of the ultra low rates during the COVID pandemic to enter one of the world's least affordable housing markets.

☆ 'Selling Sunset' star Jason Oppenheim shares what he looks for when buying a new home and his top advice for buyers in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Dorothy Cucci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

He says low inventory won't change anytime soon and that homes sitting on the market are often hidden gems. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jason Oppenheim, president and founder of The Oppenheim Group and star of Netflix's 'Selling Sunset.' Low inventory plus high demand equals higher prices; low inventory plus low demand (which we have now) creates a balance. In a low inventory market, you usually have to give up a few items on your wish list. If you're a seller in a big city, you're gonna have to be patient, but there's going to be decent demand.

☆ A couple with 22 active Airbnb properties that bring in $1.3 million in annual revenue said on YouTube that they're planning to 'quit' the platform because they want 'more control'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sara and Tony Robinson told their 30,000 YouTube followers they wanted to "quit" Airbnb. They won't pull their 22 active properties off Airbnb, but they'll try to increase direct bookings. The couple added that they will not delist their 22 active properties from Airbnb entirely, but rather embark on an aggressive push to lure direct bookings. Airbnb prohibits hosts from giving guests who book via Airbnb a direct-booking link, and bans moving conversations off the platform or embedding any links in instruction manuals. More YouTube channels: The Robinsons want to create additional YouTube accounts with content showing off activities in the local markets for their properties.

☆ 11 ancient sites that are mysteriously aligned with the sun on the winter solstice, in photos.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Archaeologists have found many ancient sites that line up with the winter solstice sun. Here are 11 sites that line up with the winter solstice, and what experts think about them. Newgrange, County Meath, IrelandPeople celebrating the sunrise at Newgrange on the morning of the winter solstice in 2018. ShutterstockOne of the most famous examples of ancient architecture lining up with the winter solstice is in Machu Picchu, Peru. "From the winter solstice the days are longer, which was a metaphor of the rebirth of the deceased," he said.

☆ Investing in Space: Coopetition
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. Left without rides to space, OneWeb and Northrop turned to one of their biggest rivals in satellite broadband and space cargo delivery, respectively. Space – and the perspective it brings of a single, fragile planet floating in the dark – is often seen as unifying. I've often seen how tight-knit the space industry is – but that doesn't mean competitors are flying off into the sunset together. A programming note: Investing in Space will be taking the next week off for holiday travel.

"If all goes well, we should be able to finish an omnibus appropriations package by Dec. 23," Shelby said in a statement. The full-year "omnibus" bill is also expected to contain new emergency funds to aid Ukraine in its battle against Russian forces. It also is expected to fold in an unrelated bill reforming the way Congress certifies U.S. presidential elections. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had said his Republicans want work on the omnibus bill wrapped up by Dec. 22. Any negotiations on the funding bill would get more complicated next year, when Republicans take majority control of the House.

☆ Hydrow's compact, affordable rowing machine is perfect for holiday gifting
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Maria Cassano | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Designed by rowing experts, made for everyoneA Hydrow rowing machine has two main components. Then there’s the crystal-clear display, which immerses you in scenes of actual waterways from around the world and brings you rowing workouts led by world-class athletes and Olympians. This holiday season, there are plenty of sales and freebies to get either rowing machine in a loved one’s home (or your own) for less. Until Dec. 23, each Hydrow Wave comes with free Jaybird headphones, a free Polar heart rate monitor and free standard delivery (a $240 value). Check out the two Hydrow rowing machines below.

☆ From Disney to Target to Boeing, retirement is a thing of the past for CEOs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Bob Woods | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 13: (L-R) Bob Iger, chairman and chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company, Dick Costolo, former chief executive officer of Twitter, Lachlan Murdoch, co-chairman of Twenty-First Century Fox, Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer of Google, and Randall Stephenson, chief executive officer of AT&T, mingle during the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, July 13, 2018 in Sun Valley, Idaho. The average tenure for departing CEOs during that same time period was about 11 years, up from nine years in 2020. That's not surprising, because of the impact of the pandemic and [other] crises, where boards put CEO succession on hold," Anterasian said. "In our research, boards put CEO succession on hold during crises," Anterasian said. At Disney, Iger has said he will only stay on for two years before a successor takes over.

☆ A sneaky photo taken the last time a stealth bomber was unveiled shows why some parts of the new B-21 are still under wraps
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

On December 2, the US Air Force revealed its new stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider. That may have been an effort to avoid what happened the last time a stealth bomber was unveiled. One reason for that may be what happened the last time the Air Force unveiled a stealth bomber. Scott told Aviation Week in an article about the photo scoop published on the same day as the B-21's rollout. A US Air Force B-2 stealth bomber.

☆ 'The White Lotus' season finale review: 'Arrivederci' says goodbye to a brilliant second season (SPOILERS)
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers about “The White Lotus” season finale, “Arrivederci.”CNN —It started with floating bodies, and finally brought home its various threads with a sly nod to the fact that the sex in this visit to “The White Lotus” tended to be transactional. In between, the second installment proved almost as engrossing, uncomfortable and meme-worthy as its Emmy-winning predecessor, which is no small accomplishment for writer-director Mike White. Tanya, however, wasn’t the only character being manipulated for money or advantage, which is what connected the show’s various threads. Discovery), but thanks to “The White Lotus,” it’s home to one of the best things on television, and as anthology-style concepts go, potentially one of the most durable. So now that everyone obsessed with the show has said “Arrivederci” to Sicily, the only real question is, “Where are we going next?”

☆ 2023 Zero DSR/X: An ‘Adventure’ Bike That’s More Appropriate for Commuters
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Dan Neil | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LOST WEEKEND The 2023 Zero DSR/X is the California-based company’s dual-sport variant, set up for on-road and soft-road terrain. The DRS/X has a stated highway range of 85 miles (at 70 mph) and up to 180 miles in the city. WHEN THE representative for Zero Motorcycles pinged to ask if I wanted to ride their new trail-ready electric motorcycle, the DSR/X, he had me at hello. I’ve been watching a lot of solo winter camping videos on YouTube, with growing envy. The Zero offer sounded like they were asking if I wanted to drop everything, pack a tent and ride off into the sunset.

☆ What next for Stadium 974, the World Cup's first 'fully-demountable' arena?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Rohith Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Expensive World Cup stadiums have often proven to be white elephants for the host country but the temporary arena that is Stadium 974, unveiled in November last year, has done its job and its prefabricated pieces will soon be dismantled. Described as the "first fully-demountable tournament venue" in World Cup history, the arena will also host a fashion show on Dec. 16 - two days before the final - with several music artists set to perform. METAL ARENAStadium 974 is the first stadium fans arriving in Qatar see when they land at the airport and travel into central Doha. The 44,089-capacity stadium is named after the number of containers of various bright colours used to build the arena, while 974 is also Qatar's international dialling code. Stadium 974 is also the only one of eight World Cup arenas in Qatar without air conditioning, which meant all seven games it hosted could only be played after sunset.

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