DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ The secret to the huge 'Barbenheimer' box office take? FOMO
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Hannah Beier | The Washington Post | Getty Images'At a crossroads'The historic box office combination of Warner Bros.' "Barbie" and Universal's "Oppenheimer" arrived a time when even the most dependable franchise movies have failed to lure in audiences. Together "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" generated $244.5 million during their first three days in theaters — $162 million for "Barbie" and $82.5 million for "Oppenheimer." Adding ticket sales from Paramount's newest "Mission Impossible" film, Sony's "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" and Angel Studios' "The Sound of Freedom," the weekend box office topped $311 million, the fourth-highest weekend haul in history. watch nowThe FOMO effect"Barbenheimer's" historic weekend was also fueled by a sense of urgency, which the box office has been lacking in recent months. He noted that both films would have been box office hits regardless, but "the mystique of them opening on the same day elevated their profiles to an entirely new level."

Persons: Oppenheimer, Hannah Beier, , Indiana Jones, Shawn Robbins, Barbie, Robbins, shies Organizations: Colonial Theater, Washington Post, Getty, Warner Bros, Marvel, Angel Studios Locations: Phoenixville , Pennsylvania, ,

☆ Cool-girl brand Aritzia made employees rate each other's appearances, discriminated against Black salespeople, and fostered a culture of fear, some ex-staffers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Nichole Jankowski | Isabella Zavarise | Brianna Holt | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +27 min

They said 54% of Aritzia employees and 60% of retail employees identified as BIPOC but declined to provide a breakdown of those statistics. Insider spoke with 53 current and former Aritzia employees, several of whom said that while the world of fashion is notoriously cutthroat, working at Aritzia was particularly grueling. Aritzia's spokesperson said the company's success was a "direct result of its high-performance culture." (In a statement of defense filed with the court on July 5, the store manager and Aritzia denied all allegations. A former Ontario store manager said that shortly after she was hired, the manager of store operations asked if she had a boyfriend.

Persons: Brian Hill, Hill, Kendall Jenner, Meghan Markle, Jennifer Lopez, Aritzia, Lindsey Adelman, Melina, Isabel Slone, Max Mumby, Aritzia's, Carly Bishop, Brian, Jennifer Wong, who's, Wong, Robson, We're, George Pimentel, Heather McLean, Hill's, Tim Hortons, Kendalls, —, Todd Korol, Jessica Porter, weren't, Candace Jerry, Anyango Juma Miguna, Miguna, Hannah, Kaycelyn Pascual, Pascual, couldn't, Nadia Mahammed, Mahammed, she'd, George Floyd, they'd, Todd Ingledew Organizations: Aritzia, Euromonitor International, Aritzia's, Queen's University, Fashion, Globe, Toronto Star, Getty, SPH, Employees, British Columbia Human, Product, Estate Development, Business Locations: Toronto, Vancouver, Ontario, Aritzia, ascot, Canada, Aritzia's Vancouver, Canadian, New York City, Aritzia's Paramus , New Jersey, Newmarket , Ontario, British, New York

☆ Fanatics to launch live events business as it seeks to create a sports version of Comic-Con
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Yuheng Zhan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Fanatics will launch a new live events business that will look to recreate the Comic-Con experience for sports collectibles, the company said Thursday. The new venture, called Fanatics Events, will be a partnership with events and talent management giant IMG, which is part of Endeavor . Fanatics Events plans to organize global events through partnerships and acquisitions. Fanatics said Fanatics Events aims to start holding events next year. "Fanatics Events will be super-charged by the full power of Endeavor's flywheel, global network, and events expertise to deliver once-in-a-lifetime moments that fans will remember forever," said Paul Caine, president of On Location and IMG Events.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, DraftKings, Lance Fensterman, Fensterman, Paul Caine, –, Jessica Golden Organizations: Endeavor, Barclays, York Comic Con Locations: U.S

☆ Why this in-flight magazine is the fashion industry’s new must-read
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Nick Remsen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Model Ismael Savane pictured in an Air Afrique T-shirt during Paris Fashion Week Mens Spring-Summer 2023 on June 23, 2022 in Paris. “We want to revive the African transcendence that Air Afrique represented,” Lamine Diaoune, the founder and creative director of the Air Afrique collective, said in a statement. It really was about more than just flights.”An Air Afrique stewardess, pictured during training in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, in 1971. The cover of Air Afrique magazine's first issue, featuring the French rapper Tiakola (far right). (All members of the Air Afrique collective have backgrounds in creative fields; each also has projects outside of the group, too.)

Persons: Michel Renaudeau, Côte, Senegal —, Ismael Savane, Melodie Jeng, ” Lamine Diaoune, ”, Djibi Kébé, ” Kébé, “, Côte d’Ivoire, they’ve, Bottega, Tiakola, Lamine Diaoune, Djiby Kébé, Jeremy Konko, Amandine Nana, Zhedy Nuentsa, Bamba Thiam, Axel Pelletanche, ” Nana, Paul Kodjo, Marie, Hélène Tusiama, Tusiama, ’ ” Pope Jean, Paul II, Jean, Claude Delafosse, Pope Jean, Abdel El Tayeb, El Tayeb, Matthieu Blazy, El Tayeb’s Organizations: France CNN, Afrique, Air, Central African, Paris, Centre Pompidou, Air Afrique, “, Air Afrique Air Afrique’s, Franco, El Locations: Paris, France, New York City, Mauritania, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Niger, Republic of, Congo, Senegal, West Africa, New York, Abu Dhabi, Europe, Abidjan, Côte, Dakar, West, Africa, Ivory Coast, ”, ‘, Sudanese, El

☆ Cancel Culture Comes for Philly’s Weirdest Museum
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Stanley Goldfarb | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-mutter-museum-weirdness-goes-woke-philly-research-exhibit-native-americans-9473e659

Persons: Dow Jones, 9473e659

REUTERS/John Sibley/File PhotoLONDON, June 15 (Reuters) - Odey Asset Management is in advanced talks to move funds and staff to other asset managers as it grapples with the fallout of sexual misconduct allegations against its founder Crispin Odey. A spokesperson for the hedge fund declined further comment on Thursday. Hedge funds such as OAM rely on leverage from prime brokerage service providers to make their market bets. Without a prime broker, a hedge fund which needs to borrow stocks cannot function. A spokesperson for OAM also declined to comment on whether the moves signalled that the hedge fund would close.

Persons: Crispin Odey, John Sibley, Odey, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, James Hanbury, Harriett Baldwin, Nell Mackenzie, Sinead Cruise, Dhara Ranasignhe, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, Odey, Management, Financial Times, Tortoise Media, Reuters, UBS, Authority, Asset Management, FCA, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Westminster, London, Britain

☆ Opinion | In India’s Gang Rape Culture, All Women Are Victims
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Vidya Krishnan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

GOA, India — My niece was just 4 years old when she turned to my sister-in-law in a packed movie theater in Mumbai and asked about gang rape for the first time. We were watching the latest Bollywood blockbuster about vigilante justice, nationalistic fervor and, of course, gang rape. Didi’s gang rape took place offscreen, but it didn’t need to be shown. You may wonder, “Why take a 4-year-old to such a movie?” But there is no escaping India’s rape culture; sexual terrorism is treated as the norm. India’s favorite profanities are about having sex with women without their consent.

Persons: Didi Organizations: . Society Locations: GOA, India, Mumbai

☆ Opinion | If You’re Reading This, You’re Probably ‘WEIRD’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( The Ezra Klein Show | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +83 min

You’re probably very weird, and not just for all the obvious reasons you’re thinking of. Because, obviously, there’s going to be some overlap in the curve here. How you’re going to behave with your professor is quite different than how you’re going to behave with your friends. But it’s really kind of faceless, and you’re not really helping anybody you know. I think things are dynamic, and directions are changing, and that sort of thing.

☆ Biden bets DeSantis’ ‘Florida blueprint’ will help him flip the Sunshine State and win reelection
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Edward-Isaac Dovere | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Shevrin Jones, a Florida state senator and member of the Biden campaign’s advisory board of elected officials, said he’s eager to tell the country the story of what he’s seen under DeSantis’ leadership. Biden and DeSantis and their wives walk to meet with local residents affected by Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers, Florida, on October 5, 2022. The voter registration advantage Florida Democrats had when President Barack Obama narrowly won the state in 2012 has flipped to Republicans. An adviser to the former New York City mayor told CNN that so far, there has been no outreach to Bloomberg’s operation from either the Biden campaign or the DNC. There was also a fleeting belief that they could push Biden over the top in Florida – though Trump ended up carrying the state by 3 points.

☆ Palestinian-American authors bring their culture to the heart of children's books
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Alaa Elassar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Today, Moushabeck, 36, is part of a burgeoning movement of Palestinian-American authors publishing children’s books in English with Palestinians as the main characters. Letting Palestinian children be childrenDespite recent strides in the arts, Palestinian-Americans, along with other Arab-Americans, are still woefully underrepresented in books. Between 2018 to 2022, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Education found that less than 1% of children’s and young adult books released by US publishers were about Arabs. The books also feature activities related to Palestinian culture, including a recipe for hummus and a tutorial for tatreez, traditional Palestinian embroidery. Bishara, whose own family was expelled from the Galilee in 1948, says it’s important to teach Palestinian children raised in diaspora about every aspect of Palestinian culture and history, including those that cause great pain.

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - Rural electric cooperatives, utilities, and other energy providers will soon be able to apply for nearly $11 billion in grants and loans for clean energy projects, funded by the $430 billion Inflation Reduction Act signed into law last August, the Biden administration said on Tuesday. Expanding clean energy to rural communities is critical to meeting the administration's goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, officials told reporters on a Monday press call. Rural electric cooperatives will be eligible to apply beginning July 31 for $9.7 billion in grants for deploying renewable energy, zero-emission, and carbon capture systems, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) said. Rural electric cooperatives serve 42 million people and draw about 22% of their energy from renewable sources, according to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). The new funds will help rural electric cooperatives reach parity with private utility companies who have already begun significant investment in clean energy, Vilsack told reporters.

☆ Kentucky Republicans to choose challenger to Democratic Governor Beshear
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

May 16 (Reuters) - Republican voters in Kentucky were casting ballots on Tuesday to choose their party's challenger to Democratic Governor Andy Beshear, setting up one of the most closely watched elections of the year. The winner will face Beshear, who enjoys high approval ratings despite being a Democrat in a strongly Republican state, in the November general election. Trump won Kentucky in the 2020 election against Democrat Joe Biden by more than 25 percentage points. While Cameron has Trump's official endorsement, other candidates have sought to claim the mantle of Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement. One Republican challenger, Stephen Knipper, has echoed Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was rigged and endorsed conspiracy theories about voting machines.

☆ As part of the ‘cocktail culture,' consumers are still splurging on dinner and drinks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"Sticker shock" has taken a toll, the report found, with consumers more likely to walk away from a purchase because the price is too high. Further, when it comes to discretionary spending, adults are more likely to treat themselves to dinner out or premium spirits rather than cosmetics. Consumers in the U.S. are four times more likely to have said their latest splurge purchase was food and beverages over personal care, Deloitte found. "Despite the tough economy, consumers continued to enjoy premium spirits and fine cocktails," Chris Swonger, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, said in a statement. "Cocktail culture continues to thrive in the United States," Swonger said.

☆ Hasbro, Mattel shares rise as toymakers announce multiyear licensing agreement, increased IP focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Barbie maker Mattel posted first-quarter results after markets closed on Wednesday that beat revenue expectations but fell short of expectations on the bottom line. Other toy stocks, including Hasbro competitor Mattel and pop culture consumer company Funko , also jumped on Thursday. Toymaker stocks rallied Thursday after rivals Hasbro and Mattel posted quarterly results and offered optimistic comments about how their intellectual property will boost their businesses. Amid the challenging toy and game market, both Hasbro and Mattel are eyeing a future increasingly focused on intellectual property. Hasbro's "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" from Paramount is slated for a June 9 release, while Mattel's much-hyped "Barbie" movie from Warner Bros. is scheduled for a July 21 release.

☆ Opinion | Let’s Protect Children at Least as Well as We Protect Ducks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Dan Ashe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

President Biden could borrow from the nation’s success in protecting ducks. The executive branch has plenty of discretionary authority to regulate federal lands, including the ability to restrict firearms possession in many areas (a power it now uses to restrict guns in courthouses, post offices and many national parks and on other federal lands). It can and should prohibit shooting assault weapons or any firearms capable of shooting more than five or 10 rounds, without reloading, on federal land, or at any public shooting range that receives federal funding or is under federal license. The challenge for the president will be to overcome a gun culture that permeates federal land-managing agencies and their state counterparts. He can also ask the major hunting, fishing and conservation organizations, like the Boone and Crockett Club, Ducks Unlimited and the National Wildlife Federation, to urge state wildlife agencies to ban assault weapons for any hunting.

☆ From one of Britain's most popular toys to the target of police raids: how a children's doll became a symbol of racism
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A police raid on a bar just outside of London renewed a debate over racist dolls. But despite the long history of the racist trope, the debate over the doll's place in British culture continues. Revellers take part in the Children's Parade at Notting Hill Carnival in London, Britain, August 28, 2022. But it does appear that there is some gradual shift in public opinion happening with the dolls. Nevertheless, the enduring popularity of the blackface doll creates the impression "that we live in a post-racial society," Scott said.

☆ ChatGPT is strengthening the case for a 4-day workweek
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Such a productivity boost could make a four-day workweek more possible. Calls for implementing a four-day workweek have picked up steam over the past year as pilot programs have described promising results. "Any technology that increases productivity, ChatGPT included, makes a shorter workweek more feasible," Carl Benedikt Frey, an Oxford economist, told Insider. 'The workweek length is up for grabs'Rep. Mark Takano, a Democrat from California, is among those advocating a four-day workweek. "Yes, ChatGPT might make a four-day workweek more feasible in principle," Frey said.

☆ The High Seas Treaty, Explained
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Haphazard Authority On Ocean Resources | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Global News Changing Tides The first international agreement to protect the world's oceans aims to create “international parks” in the high seas. The high seas represent 95% of the world’s total habitat by volume, but the nautical world remains largely unexplored. “A sentiment we often encountered was that there’s not much in terms of biodiversity out there in the high seas,” he said. MPAs that already exist mostly occupy exclusive economic zones and only make up about 3% of the high seas. A 2016 Pew study on mapping governance in the high seas showed 19 governing bodies with a high seas mandate.

☆ It’s not just your imagination. More places are asking you to tip
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —More stores now offer customers the option to tip, from coffee shops to ice cream stores. They are also overwhelmed with the number of places that give them the option to tip with a card on an iPad, leading people to be less generous. Although consumers are accustomed to tipping waiters, bartenders and other service workers, tipping a barista or cashier may be a new phenomenon for many shoppers. Some customers tip no matter what. Others feel guilty if they don’t tip or embarrassed if their tip is stingy.

☆ Deel Speed: The inside story of a $12 billion HR startup's breakneck growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +32 min

Insider spoke with more than 30 current or former Deel workers about the HR company's extraordinary rise, and the unconventional tactics that made it possible. "I think if you talk to anyone, they would say that Alex is the face but all decisions run through Phillipe," one former Deel worker told Insider. "They lose every employment and labor protection," Valerio De Stefano, a professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, said of independent contractors. Alex Bouaziz, Deel on Centre Stage during day two of Collision 2022 at Enercare Centre in Toronto, Canada. The company didn't have an internal human-resources team until sometime in 2021, by which point it had grown to hundreds of people.

☆ Brands like Pepsi, Ally, Mondelēz, and Coty reveal how they've scored big returns by advertising in video games
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Ryan Joe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

More than half the US population plays video games, and advertisers are pouring billions into the space. Brands as diverse as Pepsi, Ally, Mondelēz, and Coty have all been successfully using video games as an advertising medium to drive big results. Advertising in video games represents a big opportunity for brands to get in front of a large, engaged audience. Video game advertising requires a lot of collaborationOne of the biggest challenges brands face when advertising in video games is getting alignment across the company. Another difficulty brands face is developing a video game campaign that's not just a one-off.

☆ 7 things to do in Austin that will make your 'work trip' to SXSW unforgettable
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Elizabeth Wood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Austin is home to SXSW, the annual tech and culture conference that attracts thousands. If you're going for work, tack on a few days and enjoy some local fun. Many companies send their employees to SXSW on business. If you're one of them, why not take the opportunity to get out and see Austin when your work day is done? Here's a guide to some of Austin's hidden gems to help you unwind and turn your work trip into "workation."

☆ A small Japanese town charges visitors to learn its baby-making tips
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The birth rate in Japan has been falling for three decades, and hit an all-time low last year. But in one small town, parents are electing to have more kids, The Wall Street Journal reported. For a second child, parents pay a maximum of $210, and aren't charged for any kids they have after that. Additionally, parents in Nagi receive a stipend of $1,000 annually for each child they have enrolled in high school. "We'd like to make policies like this," Kang Mu-seung, a South Korean official visiting Nagi, told The Journal.

☆ High Food Prices, Chinese Demand Boost Prospects of U.S. Agriculture Companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Patrick Thomas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Farmers are forecast to increase planting this year to make the most of high grain prices and offset their higher costs. The U.S. agriculture industry is projecting another strong year, with elevated crop prices and China’s rebound from Covid-19 expected to boost farmers, chemical suppliers and grain traders. Grain-trading middlemen, including Archer Daniels Midland Co. and Bunge Ltd., said demand for crops, vegetable oils and livestock feed will remain strong in 2023. China is also expected to increase its crop imports as Covid-19 restrictions in the country ease, executives said. Seed and pesticide sellers said those forces should support crop prices and keep farmers flush with cash, enabling them to shell out for higher-priced supplies.

☆ John Fetterman's picture-taking, buddy-making, convention-breaking first month on Capitol Hill
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Delegation-mate Sen. Bob Casey told Insider that Fetterman is “off to a great start.”Top editors give you the stories you want — delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Insider spoke to Fetterman's colleagues, his staff, and congressional reporters about the newcomer's first month in Washington, and what to expect from him as Congress gets rolling. "I know Sen. Fetterman is interested in nutrition, and I share his concerns there, so I look forward to collaborating to get things done for folks in Pennsylvania and Vermont," Welch said. Food issues definitely fall under their purview as newly minted members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. 'Off to a great start'Sen. Casey told Insider that Fetterman has already hit the ground running.

Search resuls for: "Culture Co"

25 mentions found