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Mike Hodges, the British filmmaker who directed the hard-boiled gangster saga "Get Carter" and the campy space opera "Flash Gordon," died Saturday, according to his friend Mike Kaplan. "My middle-class eyes were forced to witness horrendous poverty and deprivation that I was previously unaware of," Hodges wrote in a letter published in The Guardian in May. "Get Carter" quickly entered the pantheon of British film classics. He replaced the acclaimed British director Nicolas Roeg ("Walkabout") on "Flash Gordon," a goofy project that has since attracted a cult following. I think that as a young man I probably did."

☆ Creator economy insiders share the 5 trends that could change the industry in 2023, from a flood of Gen X and millennial creators to a startup reckoning
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Amanda Perelli | Sydney Bradley | Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Insider asked creator economy industry professionals to share their predictions for 2023. We spoke with investors, influencer marketers, and industry experts, who shared their best predictions for the creator economy in 2023. Live shopping could finally have its moment in the USIndustry insiders may have been premature in declaring 2022 the year of social and live shopping. Some creator economy startups might close their doorsThis past year, layoffs have been rampant in the creator economy, as companies like Patreon and Jellysmack reacted to the economic slowdown by letting employees go. "Venture capitalists think this isn't the time to be betting on the creator economy, so the next nine months will be really tough."

☆ 'Ain't No Mo'' earns more time on Broadway but raises questions about gatekeeping
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Uwa Ede-Osifo | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Broadway play “Ain’t No Mo’” has been extended to Dec. 23 after its cast and fans mobilized online support to prevent the show from closing just two weeks after its debut at the Belasco Theatre. The traditional decision-makers around Broadway’s financing and marketing “don’t know what to do with your type of audience,” Cooper said. “Our stories are not niche.”Cooper said “Ain’t No Mo’” was not given a fair shot to establish an audience. “I’m trying to make a Broadway theater look like an HBCU homecoming,” he said. When plays such as “Ain’t No Mo’” struggle to fill seats, Shade, of Broadway Black, said the blame is cast onto Black people for not attending.

☆ Private-equity firms are coming around to the idea of using more data in the investment process. It's still an uphill battle.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Take Blackstone, which recently expanded a data tool it originally built for its real-estate business to be used across its PE portfolio. As recently as just a few years ago, PE firms were just starting to warm to the idea of building out data-science teams. But that tech has been a hard sell for PE firms as well, until recently. Many PE firms are just now waking up to the possibilities of the public cloud. To be fair to PE firms, figuring out how to incorporate data analysis into the investing process is no easy task.

☆ ‘Christmas Mubarak’: For many South Asian Americans, the holiday is a cultural celebration
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Zoya Wazir | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

For the Hazrati family, Christmas Day typically includes a lit-up tree, gifts and a dal lunch. While 69% of Americans identify as Christian, as much as 93% of Americans reported celebrating Christmas as of 2019. In an America that celebrates both a religious and secular Christmas, South Asian Americans from other faiths are finding ways to make the holiday their own. Despite Iqbal’s festive decor, her family still abstained from celebrating on Christmas Day because it wasn’t part of their religious traditions. But for some South Asian Americans, celebrating a holiday that isn’t part of their religious identity can feel disingenuous, especially when their own faith is filled with rich celebrations.

☆ 22 Unique Valentine’s Gifts for Men Who Have Everything
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +12 min

From the cocktail gadget that will level-up his drinks to the ultimate undershirts, these are presents you can purchase with confidence—no gift receipt required. This edition has a wood cabinet with metal plaques, die-cast metal houses and hotels, gold-foil stamping and money-holding drawers. Buy Side’s favorite automatic cocktail maker works with pre-measured pods and his favorite spirits to dispense cocktails at the push of a button. For more great gadget ideas, check out our roundup of the top gifts for your favorite techie. Even better, the jean material “came ready-to-wear with no awkward break-in period, plus a custom liner.”—Additional reporting by Leslie Yazel

☆ History-making Asian American soccer player describes his journey to self-acceptance
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The moment Team USA midfielder Kellyn Acosta’s feet touched the turf at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, he said he felt awash with gratitude. The label “Asian American” has been hard won. David S Bustamante / Getty Images“When you think about sports, and you think about my makeup, you think that’s the African American side of me that makes me excel. And he enjoyed the ride with the Asian American community on his mind. Kellyn Acosta during the World Cup Group match between the United States and Wales in Doha, Qatar, on Nov. 21.

☆ Chaos cooking is taking over the dining room as restaurants unleash ambitious culinary concoctions from Big Mac pizzas to masala mac & cheese
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But now restaurants and TikTok are elevating food mashups to a level dubbed chaos cooking. Ambitious culinary concoctions range from Big Mac pizzas to curry-fajitas sold at TGI Fridays. Indie restaurants and chains are unleashing ambitious and improbable culinary concoctions, from Big Mac pizzas at a Washington DC restaurant to curry fajitas at TGI Fridays. On Instagram and TikTok, chaos cooking is showing up in different forms: a pizza slathered with refried beans, zucchini fettuccine, and a vegan peppermint pattie cake. The article asked: Is chaos cooking a pathway to inner peace?

MONTREAL/BOGOTA Dec 16 (Reuters) - Latin America is drawing early investment for jet fuel produced from materials like forest residues and palm oil as emission-conscious airlines scour emerging markets for less-polluting fuel to power flights, industry executives say. While most sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, is produced in the United States, Europe, and Singapore, Latin America is emerging as a budding market. "Latin America right now is really a hot spot for Honeywell." Producing and distributing SAF in regions with faster-growing traffic like Latin America is key to meeting industry targets, said Landon Loomis, Latin America president for U.S. planemaker Boeing (BA.N). And Vibra Energia (VBBR3.SA) is working with Brasil BioFuels (BBF) to produce palm oil-based jet fuel in 2025.

☆ Russia's Urals oil averaged $57.49/bbl in past month, below price cap
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Urals price was sharply lower than $80 per barrel for the international Brent benchmark . According to Reuters data, the Urals price for delivery from the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk on a FOB basis is currently $48.69 per barrel. Market sources said Urals crude has been sold at deeper discounts this month following a European ban on Russian oil imports, and dominant buyer India has bought barrels at well below the West's $60 price cap. Since Russia sent its troops into Ukraine in February, India has become the main outlet for seaborne cargoes of Urals crude. The spread, or difference, between Urals and dated Brent - the price of physical, light North Sea crude oil, - has risen sharply from early February, when it stood at around minus $1.

☆ Twitter's real problem is that the constant string of Elon Musk scandals is making it boring
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

InsiderThe only thing anyone talks about on Twitter these days is Elon Musk. Since Elon Musk acquired the company in October, there's been a new scandal every week. But as many have already pointed out, Twitter only has one main character now, and that's Elon Musk. The 51-year-old Tesla CEO is firmly centered at the heart of the platform's discourse, day after day. Twitter users who built their brand on the so-called #Resistance against President Donald Trump's administration have pivoted with glee to railing against Musk.

☆ India to remain top buyer of Russia's Urals crude in Dec -sources, data
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Dec 16 (Reuters) - India is taking most of Russia's Urals crude oil loading in December as it remains top buyer for a second month in a row, according to traders and Refinitiv data. India is buying the Urals crude at deeper discounts this month well below $60, four market sources said. Bulgaria, which was excluded from EU oil ban, may become the second largest destination for Urals crude in December with shipments of up to 800,000 tonnes. Urals loadings bound for China remain low with only one Urals cargo of 140,000 tonnes sent as of Dec. 16, but traders expect more Urals supply to China to emerge this month. Turkey, which actively bought Russian oil in 2022, has taken just one December cargo of 140,000 tonnes.

The Biden administration's November proposal would make it possible for electric vehicles charged using power generated by biofuels to receive credits. The proposal would boost benefits for electric vehicle manufacturers such as Tesla (TSLA.O). Adding the electric vehicle industry to the standard will introduce a new set of stakeholders into an already unwieldy situation. The United States has been using biofuel credits to reduce carbon emissions for years, but its effect has been unclear. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which administers the program, will sort through stakeholder comments in 2023 to finalize a rule.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is introducing legislation Wednesday aimed at cracking down on money laundering in cryptocurrency. The Senate Banking Committee, which includes Warren, is holding a hearing Wednesday on the FTX debacle and aftermath. The bill would designate providers of digital asset wallets as money service businesses, bringing them under the authorities of the Bank Secrecy Act, which fights money laundering in the financial system. Further, it would prohibit financial institutions from dealing with services that blend the cryptocurrencies of users together, obscuring their origins. Warren has been an outspoken critic of FTX prior to Bankman-Fried’s indictment.

☆ Did That Hit Arrive in 2022 or 1987? This Year, It Was Hard to Tell.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Jon Caramanica | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

Turns out it’s the same sample, a sleight of ear designed to trigger warm nostalgia, and also maybe a little confusion. Even its video is optimized for recognition, with Santana doing the same stomp Beyoncé does in hers, in an almost identical outfit. Throughout 2022, that gambit has been deployed again and again — by pop singers and rappers, established stars and newbies. Here, old songs — hip-hop classics, pop novelties and more — are scrunched and stretched sometimes to the point of absurdity. These songs are concessions that say the quiet part out loud — everyone has always been borrowing voraciously, from everyone else, constantly.

☆ 8 best flat irons to shop in 2022, according to experts
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Mili Godio | Mili Godio Is An Associate Reporter For Select On Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +13 min

We also gathered their recommendations for the best flat irons to shop. Ceramic vs. tourmaline vs. titanium flat ironsThe three most common flat iron plates are ceramic, tourmaline and titanium. When the metal beneath — usually aluminum — is exposed, it can cause damage to your hair, according to Bertin. Best flat irons to shop in 2022We consulted experts about what to look for when shopping for a good flat iron and highlighted their recommendations below with varying plate types and sizes for different hair types and textures. Our experts agreed that flat irons should equip a button or knob that easily displays the temperature you’re using, rather than limited settings.

☆ I tried Taco Bell's Beyond Meat quesadilla at the only place it's available in the US. The meatless 'steak' could've fooled me, and I now want to try it on everything.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Cassy Crabtree | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

I tried Taco Bell's Beyond Meat quesadilla at the only place it's available in the US. Cassy Crabtree tried Taco Bell's Beyond Carne Asada Steak Quesadilla. Cassy Crabtree On October 13, Taco Bell introduced its new Beyond Meat Carne Asada Steak Quesadilla. Taco Bell I visited my local Taco Bell in Tipp City, Ohio (a suburb of Dayton). I tried Taco Bell's Beyond Carne Asada Steak Quesadilla.

☆ AI-designed face paint inspired by Juggalos could potentially fool the 15,000 facial recognition cameras at the Qatar World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A team at Camoflags wanted to see if face paint designs could outsmart facial recognition cameras. The design, which uses concepts from Juggalo makeup, was designed by an AI program. A team known as Camoflags sought to answer that question with AI-generated, Juggalo-inspired face paint designs that could be used to evade facial recognition cameras. The experiment is uniquely suited to the World Cup, as face paint is a common feature at soccer matches for fans showing support for their teams. Face paint of the Tunisian flag stylized as Juggalo make up Courtesy of CamoflagsThe idea of using face makeup to try to fool facial recognition algorithms is not new.

☆ From bloody Balkan war to World Cup heavyweight: the making of Croatia as a soccer nation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Croatia’s World Cup pedigree is an altogether different story. Štimac challenges Clarence Seedorf of the Netherlands during the 1998 World Cup third place playoff match, which Croatia won 2-1. The Croatia players celebrate a goal against France in the 1998 World Cup semifinals. Having been appointed after the team’s qualification for the 2018 World Cup, Dalić came with pressure on his shoulders. Antonio Bronic/Reuters“There is no place in the national team dressing room of Croatia for big egos, and everyone knows that.

☆ December is the month for eating all the cookies
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Casey Barber | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Editor’s Note: Food writer Casey Barber says December is the month for baking cookies. Freezing cookies can also help save time in the long run by allowing you to start your holiday baking early. Lin makes cookies weeks in advance of his parties and thaws them at room temperature up to two days before an event. If you are short on timeBar cookies are Lin’s secret weapon when it comes to holiday baking. Many cookies, such as Lin’s red velvet crackle cookies, require that the dough be chilled before portioning and rolling, so it’s key to take that into consideration.

☆ Tumblr Shoots for a Comeback With Users and Advertisers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Katie Deighton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Wireless company Verizon Communications Inc., which bought Yahoo in 2017, saw Tumblr users nosedive when it banned adult content, including nudity, in 2018. Tumblr users in the past month have depicted anthropomorphized versions of the Tumblr and Twitter logos, for example, having a quasiromantic relationship. And in April, it introduced Tumblr Blaze, which offers users, including brand accounts, wider exposure for their posts. Advertisers that create custom campaigns using the parlance popular among Tumblr users to appeal to particular communities usually see the best engagement, according to Tumblr’s chief marketing officer, Matthew Ryan. Some of the most active advertisers on Tumblr are movie and television studios that create Tumblr campaigns for die-hard fans of genres or series, Mr. Ryan said.

☆ How a hybrid work model can offer multiple advantages to the small businesses willing to take the leap
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Dell Technologies | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Many small businesses could benefit from hybrid work, but are discouraged by concerns about productivity, security, and IT capacity. A number of tools from Microsoft and Dell Technologies can be tailored to provide support. Of course, no two small businesses are exactly alike, and each one will have slightly different needs, priorities, and goals for their day-to-day operations as we enter the post-covid era. Find out more about how Dell and Microsoft can help your hybrid work solution. This post was created by Insider Studios with Dell Technologies

☆ North Korea Wants Dollars. It’s a Sign of Trouble.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Choe Sang-Hun | Pablo Robles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +18 min

Media Korean Studies 2016 2008 New Finished New buildings Repainted TAEDONG RIVER TAEDONG RIVER Pyongyang in 2008. Media Korean Studies 2008 2016 New Finished New buildings Repainted TAEDONG RIVER TAEDONG RIVER Pyongyang in 2008. Under Mr. Kim, North Korea has opened a new terminal at the city’s international airport, renovated subway stations and opened new amusement parks. Missile tests this year alone cost North Korea hundreds of millions of dollars, according to estimates by South Korean and American researchers. An array of cell phones, assembled in North Korea with components imported from China, is on sale and advertised on state TV.

Pantone recently announced its 2023 Color of the Year: Viva Magenta. SKIP AHEAD Viva Magenta home products | Viva Magenta kitchen products | Viva Magenta beauty products | Viva Magenta apparel and accessoriesAs many sought to do with the 2022 Color of the Year, Very Peri, you may be interested in incorporating Viva Magenta into your wardrobe or home. Viva Magenta home productsThis expert-recommended rowing machine from Hydrow has a Viva Magenta option available for pre-order that is set to ship in February 2023, according to the brand. Pets can get in on the Viva Magenta trend with this plush bed, available in a color close to the new Pantone Color of the Year. Viva Magenta apparel and accessoriesPantone offers a handful of products in Viva Magenta, including this long keychain.

Companies TC Energy Corp FollowBENGALURU/WINNIPEG, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Canada's TC Energy on Thursday said it shut its giant Keystone pipeline due to an oil spill into a Kansas creek, and it is unclear how long the line will be closed. The 622,000 barrel-per-day Keystone line is the primary artery shipping heavy Canadian crude from Alberta to refiners in the U.S. Midwest and the Gulf Coast. Keystone shut the line at about 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday (2 a.m. Thursday GMT) after alarms went off and system pressure dropped, the company said in a release. "The system remains shut down as our crews actively respond and work to contain and recover the oil," the release said. Two Keystone shippers said TC had not yet notified them how long the pipeline may be shut down.

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