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☆ SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic executives urge senators to improve the FAA
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

With the pace of rocket launches accelerating, and competition from China rising, executives from top U.S. space companies on Wednesday urged senators to improve the Federal Aviation Administration's regulatory and licensing processes. The Senate Subcommittee on Space and Science heard from a trio of company representatives from SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic , as well as a pair of industry experts. Gerstenmaier emphasized that the FAA's commercial space office "needs at least twice the resources that they have today" for licensing rocket launches. Wayne Monteith — a retired Air Force brigadier general who also led the FAA's space office — said that Congress should consider consolidating space regulations. "I believe a more efficient one stop shop approach to authorizing and licensing space activities is necessary," Monteith said.

Persons: We've, Bill Gerstenmaier, Gerstenmaier, We're, Phil Joyce, New Shepard, Caryn Schenewerk, Wayne Monteith —, —, Monteith Organizations: SpaceX, NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Federal Aviation, Build, NASA, Virgin Galactic, FAA, CNBC, Blue, Air Force Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida, China

☆ An American Puzzle: Fitting Race in a Box
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( K.K. Rebecca Lai | Jennifer Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +18 min

1790 1850 1890 1950An American Puzzle: Fitting Race in a Box Census categories for race and ethnicity have shaped how the nation sees itself. Ever since the census began measuring the U.S. population, race has been central to the counting. Closer look at one of the pages from the 1790 census, with the race categories circled in red. Historically, some edits to census race boxes reflected changes in policy or public sentiment. 1790 census All other free persons Free white males Free white females Slaves All other free persons Free white females Free white males Slaves All other free persons Free white males Free white females Slaves Source: 1790 United States Federal Census: New YorkThe census counted each enslaved worker as three-fifths of a person, reflecting a compromise that granted enslavers more political representation.

Persons: —, Biden, ”, Roberto Ramirez, Mark X, Barack Obama, Naomi Mezey, enslavers, “, Ms, Mezey, Jeffrey S, Evan Shepard Organizations: U.S, Community, U.S . Census, Georgetown University, United, . Census, Census Bureau, Pacific Islanders, Puerto Ricans, Geographic, Pew Research Center, Latinos, Saudi Arabian, Biden administration’s, Management, Budget, Advocacy Foundation Locations: United States, America, China, Puerto Rican, U.S, Spanish, Kansas, Kenya, York, American, “, Alaska, Massachusetts, Japan, Korea, Asia, Hawaii, Mexico, Panama, Chile, Mexican, Southwest, Puerto, Northeast, Florida, Eastern, Algerian, Kurdish, Kuwaiti, Lebanese, Moroccan, North, Palestinian, Saudi, Somali, Sudanese, Syrian

His death has been memorialized as an egregious hate crime that helped fuel the LGBTQ+ rights movement over the ensuing years. In 2011, the military scrapped the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that kept gay, lesbian and bisexual service members in the closet. Several activists interviewed this week by The Associated Press evoked Matthew Shepard as they discussed broader developments. The act expanded the federal hate crime law to include crimes based on a victim’s sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It is a popular choice for high school theater productions but has faced opposition due to policies resembling Florida's “Don't Say Gay” law that have surfaced in various states and communities.

Persons: It's, Matthew Shepard, we've, Kevin Jennings, “, you've, they're, we’ve, ”, Ron DeSantis, “ We’re, ” Shannon Minter, Rodrigo Heng, Lehtinen, ” Heng, James Esseks, Esseks, ” Esseks, Kelley Robinson, —, James Byrd Jr, Barack Obama, Shepard, Shepard's, Judy, Matthew Shepard’s, Shelby Chestnut, Chestnut, Cathy Renna Organizations: of Wyoming, U.S, Supreme, Republican, Lambda, GOP, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Center for Transgender Equality, American Civil Liberties, HIV, Human Rights, Associated Press, Matthew Shepard Foundation, Transgender Law, New, National, Task Force Locations: Vermont, Texas, Colorado, Florida, Laramie , Wyoming, New York City

NEW YORK (AP) — It has been 25 years since the body of Matthew Shepard was discovered in Laramie, Wyoming. “The Laramie Project” is a poignant mix of real news reports, and actors portraying friends, family, police officers, killers and other Laramie residents. “The Laramie Project,” one of the most frequently performed plays in high schools, has been performed in more than 20 countries and translated into more than 13 languages. “Precisely because it wasn’t about Matthew Shepard, precisely because it was about the town of Laramie is why it continues to resonate,” says Kaufman. Hate crimes all over our nation are at much higher rates than they were when Matthew Shepard was killed."

Persons: Matthew Shepard, Moisés Kaufman, Kaufman, Shepard, ” Kaufman, “, ”, James Byrd Jr, Barack Obama, ___ Mark Kennedy Organizations: Laramie, University of Wyoming, Cardinal High School, Putnam, Lansing Board of Education Locations: Laramie , Wyoming, York, Laramie, America, Florida, Middlefield , Ohio, Kansas

☆ Exclusive: Bezos' Blue Origin expects split on space station partnership -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A Blue Origin spokesperson said Sierra will remain a partner on Orbital Reef but declined to say in what capacity. Last week, Bezos told Blue Origin employees that longtime Amazon executive Dave Limp would replace Blue Origin's current CEO by year's end. In 2021, Blue Origin announced its partnership to build what it envisions as a "business park in space" with Sierra Space, a spinoff from defense contractor Sierra Nevada Corp. Blue Origin secured $3.4 billion from NASA this year for that lander as part of the agency's Artemis program. Blue Origin said at the time it planned to privately invest "well north" of that amount.

Persons: Shepard, Jeff Bezos's, Ivan Pierre Aguirre, Jeff Bezos, Sierra, Brent Sherwood, Sherwood, Bezos, Dave Limp, Glenn, Joey Roulette, Ben Klayman, David Gregorio, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Sierra Space, NASA, Space, CNBC, Blue Origin, Amazon, year's, Sierra Nevada Corp, Origin, Industry, Sierra, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Van Horn , Texas, U.S

☆ US FAA ends probe of Blue Origin's 2022 rocket mishap, needs engine redesign
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The space capsule of Blue Origin's rocket New Shepard, carrying six crew members, is seen before landing, on billionaire Jeff Bezos's company's fourth suborbital tourism flight, near Van Horn, Texas, U.S., March 31, 2022. REUTERS/Ivan Pierre Aguirre/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday it has closed a probe into Blue Origin's 2022 New Shepard rocket failure, forcing a redesign of the vehicle's engine and other fixes before the company can resume its suborbital launch business. Blue Origin must take 21 corrective actions before its reusable New Shepard rocket can return to flight, including a "redesign of engine and nozzle components to improve structural performance during operation as well as organizational changes," the FAA said. The FAA, which regulates launch site safety and oversees mishap investigations led by rocket companies, cited the same conclusion as Blue Origin's in its statement on Wednesday. Reporting by Joey Roulette; Editing by Leslie Adler, David Gregorio and Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Shepard, Jeff Bezos's, Ivan Pierre Aguirre, we've, uncrewed, Jeff Bezos, Joey Roulette, Leslie Adler, David Gregorio, Richard Chang Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Federal Aviation Administration, Shepard, FAA, NASA, Thomson Locations: Van Horn , Texas, U.S, Texas, New

☆ FAA closes investigation into Blue Origin rocket failure, requires 21 'corrective actions'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Federal Aviation Administration closed its investigation into last year's failed flight of a cargo mission by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, the regulator announced Wednesday. Blue Origin is required by the FAA to "implement 21 corrective actions," the regulator said in a statement. The FAA noted that Blue Origin will not be clear to launch New Shepard until after Blue Origin implements "all corrective actions that impact public safety" and receives an updated launch license. "We've received the FAA's letter and plan to fly soon," a Blue Origin spokesperson said in a statement. Earlier this year, Blue Origin said the source of the issue was an overheated part in the rocket engine's nozzle.

Persons: Shepard, Jeff Bezos, We've, New Shepard Organizations: Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Shepard, Origin, BE, Blue Locations: West Texas, Texas, New

☆ Spotify is launching an eerie new AI-led feature that mimics podcasters' voices and translates them into different languages
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Spotify is launching a new feature called "Voice Translations" powered by AI including ChatGPT. The feature will replicate the voices of podcasters and translate them into different languages. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAdvertisementSpotify is rolling out a new AI feature mimicking the original voice of podcasters and translating them into additional languages for a more "authentic listening experience," the company announced Monday in a blog post . AdvertisementAdvertisementSpotify is working with podcasters like Dax Shepard, Monica Padman, Lex Fridman, Bill Simmons and Steven Bartlett to produce voice translations for specific episodes in languages such as Spanish, French, and German.

Persons: —, Dax Shepard, Monica Padman, Lex Fridman, Bill Simmons, Steven Bartlett, Drake's, Stephen Fry, Harry Potter Organizations: Spotify, Service

☆ Spotify tests voice translation feature for podcasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Spotify logo is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., May 3, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 25 (Reuters) - Spotify Technology (SPOT.N) is testing an AI-powered feature that will translate podcasts from the likes of Dax Shepard and Lex Fridman to other languages, the audio-streaming company said on Monday. The translated versions, powered by Microsoft-backed OpenAI's newly released voice generation technology, would mimic the original speaker's style and will be more natural than traditional dubbing, Spotify said. The company had also worked with other podcasters including Monica Padman, Bill Simmons and Steven Bartlett for the feature. The voice translations would be available in languages including Spanish, French and German for a select number of catalog episodes and future episode releases, said Spotify, which could expand the audience of the shows.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Dax Shepard, Lex Fridman, Monica Padman, Bill Simmons, Steven Bartlett, Jaspreet Singh, Shinjini Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Spotify Technology, Microsoft, Spotify, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Swedish, Bengaluru

☆ Blue Origin: Longtime Amazon executive to take over Jeff Bezos’ rocket company
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Jeff Bezos’ space tourism and rocket company is replacing its chief executive officer with a longtime Amazon executive. The current Blue Origin CEO, Bob Smith — a former Honeywell executive who took over the role in 2017 — will step down and make way for Dave Limp, the senior vice president of devices and services at Amazon, a spokesperson for Blue Origin said in a statement Monday. In the statement, Blue Origin said that Limp is “a proven innovator with a customer-first mindset. Blue Origin has several other high-profile projects in the works. Blue Origin struggled to deliver the BE-4 engines, encountering months of delays.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Bob Smith —, Dave Limp, Limp, Smith, ” Limp’s, Shepard, New Shepard, Glenn, Lockheed Martin, ULA, Artemis — Organizations: CNN, Amazon, Honeywell, Blue Origin, SpaceX, Vulcan, United Launch Alliance, Lockheed, Boeing, Blue, NASA, Origin

☆ Spotify will use AI to replicate podcasters' voices and translate them to other languages
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek joins author and comedian Trevor Noah to discuss the future of storytelling at Spotify Beach in Cannes, France, on June 20, 2023. Spotify on Monday announced a new artificial intelligence-powered feature that can translate podcasts into different languages using the host's own voice. The technology can create "realistic synthetic voices" from just a few seconds of speech, OpenAI said in a release. Spotify said it will help make the podcast listening experience more authentic and natural by maintaining podcasters' "distinctive speech characteristics." Spotify said it plans to make the feature accessible for more creators and languages in the future.

Persons: Daniel Ek, Trevor Noah, OpenAI, Dax Shepard, Lex Fridman, Monica Padman, Steven Bartlett, Bill Simmons, Trevor Noah's Organizations: Spotify Beach, Spotify Locations: Cannes, France

Limp joins Blue Origin at a key phase of the company's multiple space projects. Earlier this year Blue Origin won a $3.4 billion NASA contract to build a lunar lander for the agency's astronauts. However, Blue Origin has since hired aggressively. Read Bezos' message to Blue Origin employees on Monday:I'm excited to share that Dave Limp will join Blue starting December 4th as CEO, replacing Bob, who has elected to step aside on January 2. JeffRead Smith's message to Blue Origin employees:Team Blue, It's been about six years since I joined Blue Origin.

Persons: Limp, Shepard, Smith, Panos Panay, Bezos, Alexa, Limp's, Andy Jassy, Jeff Bezos, Blue, Bob Smith, Origin's, Glenn, –, Read, Dave Limp, Bob, I'd, we've, We've, I've, Dave, Jeff Read, It's, Jeff, I'm, Ferociter, Dave Limp's Organizations: Amazon, Alexa, CNBC, NASA, Blue Origin, Bloomberg, Microsoft, Billionaire, Blue Origin's, Origin, Honeywell, Shepard, Pentagon, U.S . Space Force, Elon, SpaceX, Blue, Amazon Devices, Services, Apple Locations: Van Horn , Texas, U.S, Alabama, Florida, California , Arizona, Colorado, Kent

☆ 'Learning period' for US commercial space regulations should be extended -US Sen. Cruz
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Go Nakamura/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - A federal moratorium on commercial spaceflight safety regulations should be extended to support more innovation in the space sector, U.S. The fast-growing sector since 2004 has been shielded from federal safety regulations by what is widely called a "learning period." "Now is not the time to impose new regulations on commercial space," Cruz said, speaking on the sidelines of an industry conference in Washington. The moratorium, established by the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004, was most recently extended in 2015. The law requires private space companies that send humans into space to have passengers sign "informed consent" documents acknowledging the absence of federal safety regulations.

Persons: Ted Cruz, Artemis, Go Nakamura, Cruz, Doug Ligor, Ligor, Kelvin Coleman, it'll, Elon, Jeff Bezos, Joey Roulette, Chris Reese, Leslie Adler, Daniel Wallis Organizations: NASA, REUTERS, Rights, Federal Aviation Administration, RAND Corporation, RAND, FAA, Spaceflight, Senate, SpaceX, Origin, Shepard, Virgin Galactic, Thomson Locations: Houston , Texas, U.S, Washington, American, Texas, Van Horn

☆ Airbnb CEO shares the No. 1 thing people get wrong about success: I thought 'everything in my life would be fixed'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Even as Airbnb's popularity and private valuation soared throughout the 2010s, Chesky didn't feel successful, he said — and he thought taking the company public would help. The Airbnb CEO originally moved to Silicon Valley and started his company in 2008 with co-founders Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk. In response, Chesky dedicated all his energy to making Airbnb more successful, hoping it'd fulfill him, he said. The ongoing research, which started in 1938, has found that career and financial success don't make participants feel more content. Six months later, the company launched its Airbnb Rooms service, which allows hosts to rent out individual bedrooms in their homes.

Persons: Brian Chesky, Dax Shepard's, Chesky, —, Joe Gebbia, Nathan Blecharczyk, it'd, Marc Schulz, Warren Buffett Organizations: Harvard University, Reuters, San Locations: Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Airbnb

The decision by EPA Administrator Michael Regan means that one of the agency's most important air quality regulations will not be updated until well after the 2024 presidential election. Political Cartoons View All 1145 ImagesThe delay marks the second time in 12 years that a Democratic administration has put off a new ozone standard prior to an election year. Former President Barack Obama shut down plans to tighten ozone standards in 2011, leading to four-year delay before the standards were updated in 2015. "Unfortunately we’ve seen the process for updating the ozone standards repeatedly swept up in political games that risk lives,'' the lawmakers said in an Aug. 7 letter to EPA. Lianne Sheppard, a University of Washington biostatistics professor who chairs the scientific advisory panel, said Regan's decision was “his alone” to make.

Persons: Michael Regan, “, Regan, ”, Barack Obama, Paul Billings, Raul Garcia, ” Garcia, Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse, we’ve, Conor Bernstein, EPA’s, Donald Trump, Bernstein, Andrea Woods, —, Lianne Sheppard, Richard Moore, Peggy Shepard, Moore, Sheppard, Tomas Carbonell, Carbonell Organizations: WASHINGTON, Environmental Protection Agency, Republicans, Democratic, American Lung Association, National Mining Association, American Petroleum Institute, Scientific Advisory, White, Environmental, EPA, University of Washington, E, White House, Los Jardines Institute, WE ACT, Environmental Justice, Air Locations: Billings, Albuquerque , New Mexico, New York City

☆ Trump raked in $9.4 million as his campaign sold tens of thousands of mugshot t-shirts and coffee mugs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump's campaign has raked in $9.4 million since his historic mugshot was released. The former president's campaign has sold over $1 million in t-shirts emblazoned with the mugshot. Of that special merchandise, they sold 36,000 T-shirts for more than $1.7 million. The campaign also sold 8,600 mugshot posters for another $352,000. Trump's 2020 campaign even made just shy of $500,000 by trolling liberals who wanted to ban plastic straws.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Trump, Obama, Hope, Shepard, Cortez, Michael Cohen's, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy Organizations: Service, Sheriff's, Trump, Fox News, Florida Gov, GOP Locations: Wall, Silicon, Fulton County, Fulton, Alexandria

☆ The Texas town where James Byrd Jr. was dragged to his death in 1998, sparking national outrage and new federal hate crime legislation, wants to 'move on'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

People in Jasper are in many ways still dealing with the aftermath of James Byrd Jr.'s 1998 murder. Louvon Byrd Harris, Byrd's younger sister, told The Post that many people simply "want to forget what happened." A section of Huff Creek Road in Jasper, Texas, where James Byrd Jr., was dragged to his death. While Byrd's murder prompted the Texas legislature's 2001 passage of the James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act, along with the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr.

Persons: James Byrd Jr, Byrd's, Byrd, George Floyd's, haven't, Louvon Byrd Harris, Poor Jasper, David Shultz, Jasper, Anderson, Juan Lozano, Betty Lane, Matthew Shepard, Tod Lawlis Organizations: Post, Service, Washington, Lone Star State, Historical Museum, Jasper City Council, Anderson Land, AP, Congress, Byrd Foundation, Racial, Byrd Locations: Jasper, Wall, Silicon, East Texas, Minneapolis, Huff, Jasper , Texas, Texas, Austin

☆ Winnie the Pooh sketch found in drawer could sell for $38,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —An original black and white sketch of Winnie the Pooh and his good friend Piglet which languished for decades in a drawer is expected to fetch thousands when it goes under the hammer next month. According to Dominic Winter Auctioneers, which is handling the sale, the pen and ink drawing is the same as one of the final illustrations in A.A. Milne’s first book about Winnie the Pooh, published in 1926. The picture, the same as the final drawing in the first Winnie the Pooh book, languished for years in a drawer. In a press release issued by the auctioneers, Albury said the sketch is “more valuable than the majority of books on proud display in the fine [Christopher Foyle] library” – which are also available to buy. Christina Foyle was Christopher Foyle’s aunt, and daughter of bookshop founder William Foyle.

Persons: Winnie, Pooh, Piglet, Dominic Winter Auctioneers, Milne’s, E.H, Shepard, Christopher Foyle, William Foyle, Dominic Winter, Chris Albury, Christopher Foyle’s, Catherine –, ”, “, Albury, it’s, Christina Foyle’s “, Christina Foyle, ” Albury, Christopher Organizations: London CNN, CNN, Disney, Albury Locations: A.A, British, Albury

☆ William Shatner, Star Trek's Captain Kirk, takes on an AI chatbot
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Rollo Ross | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLOS ANGELES, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Legendary "Star Trek" actor William Shatner has been spending time exploring the new frontier of artificial intelligence. The actor best known for playing Captain Kirk on "Star Trek" talked with ProtoBot, a device that combines holographic visuals with conversational AI, and grappled with philosophical and ethical questions about the technology. Can ProtoBot understand sentience? The ProtoBot device was developed by hologram technology provider Proto Inc with conversational AI developer CodeBaby. It will be released on Sept. 8 and available free to owners of Proto M or Proto Epic hologram units.

Persons: William Shatner, Shepard, Mike Blake, Captain Kirk, ProtoBot, Shatner, Raffi Kryszek, We're, Rollo Ross, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Lawmakers, Thomson Locations: Van Horn , Texas, U.S

☆ What we can expect from season 3 of 'Euphoria'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Olivia Singh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

In early February 2022, amid a bonkers and wildly memed second season, HBO announced that "Euphoria" was renewed for a third season. AdvertisementBarbie Ferreira won't be returning as Kat HernandezBarbie Ferreira as Kat on season two of "Euphoria." "But I really think that the fans are really passionate and I do appreciate that because 'Euphoria' has really impacted so many people," she continued. Levinson envisions season 3 as 'film noir'Zendaya as Rue on season two, episode one of "Euphoria." 'Euphoria' may not return until 2025Zendaya as Rue on season two of "Euphoria."

Persons: Sam Levinson's, Barbie Ferreira, Kat Hernandez, —, Sam Levinson, Rue Bennet, Zendaya, Kat Hernandez Barbie Ferreira, Kat, Eddy Chen, HBO Ferreira, Hunter Schafer, katherine hernandez, Ferreira, Dax Shepard, Eric Dane, Cal Jacobs, Dane, Cal, Nate, Jacob Elordi, Nate Jacobs, Heidi Bivens, they're, Dorothy's, It'll, who's, Elordi, Jimmy Fallon, Levinson, Bivens, Francesca Orsi, Max, Casey Bloys, Bloys Organizations: HBO, Service, Variety, Cal, Vogue, Hollywood, TheWrap Locations: Kansas, Rue

☆ Even actor Dax Shepard feels ‘out-of-hand financial insecurity.’ Here’s how one advisor says you should handle that kind of stress
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Dax Shepard at the grand opening of a Hello Bello distribution and manufacturing center on Oct. 26, 2021 in Waco, Texas. Not even Hollywood's A-list is immune from financial anxiety. Dax Shepard is a successful actor with countless credits under his belt, and he's married to TV and film staple Kristen Bell, of "Frozen" fame. But despite living in what many would consider the abundant two-income household that such success affords, Shepard admits he, too, experiences extreme financial stress. "It's not related to reality; it's from growing up poor," Shepard said.

Persons: Dax Shepard, Bello, he's, Kristen Bell, Shepard, there's, I'm Organizations: Finance, Alliance, Television Producers, Screen, American Federation of Television, Radio Artists, Writers Guild of America Locations: Waco , Texas

☆ Opinion | The Lines Between Red and Blue America Are Blurring, Not Hardening
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Jesse Nathan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

We canned our own tomatoes and turned ice cream by hand but also traveled to the East Coast for b’nai mitzvah. This summer a little town of a few thousand near my family’s farm held a Pride parade — for the fourth time. There’s even a small queer community at the little high school I attended. These so-called red states are their home, and many of them will raise families there. Kansas was, after all, the first state to reject — resoundingly — an effort to roll back abortion access after Roe was struck down.

Persons: peck, —, John Prine, “, George Eliot, Rosa Luxemburg, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Angela Davis, Pete Seeger, I’d, Matthew Shepard’s, Kris Kobach, Roe Organizations: University of California, Columbia Law School, United Farm Workers, Oakland, Mennonite, for Rural Culture Locations: Oakland, Berkeley, Kansas, California, East Coast, There’s, Kansas , Texas , Ohio, New York

☆ ‘I’ve had this black cloud looming over me’: How private lenders have left millions of college students with no hope for the future
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

We both do DoorDash, and probably when those federal student loans start up, it'll be more of a necessity to do that." While private debt makes up just about 10% of the $1.7 trillion student-debt mountain in the US — about $136 billion — the industry has exploded over the past decade: the amount of outstanding private debt has jumped an estimated 47% since 2014. "Regardless, the student loan debt that was supposed to be an investment in their futures is dragging them down." To be sure, some private servicers do disclose benefits private borrowers could lose should they choose to refinance. Moran said he didn't regret taking out private student loans because it allowed him to pursue his desired nursing career.

Persons: Brianne Jones, Jones, she's, We're, it'll, Michele Shepard, they've, it's, Shepard, Suzanne Martindale, —, Anna Anderson, you've, It's, Navient, Martindale, Ryan Moran, Moran, Moran isn't, Joe Biden, I've, Anderson, forbearance, Steve Cohen, didn't Organizations: Eastern Michigan University, West, Federal Direct Loan Program, Institute for College, California's Department of Financial Protection, National Consumer Law Center, Consumer Financial, Bureau, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, — Maryland Locations: Florida, —, California

☆ Virgin Galactic's first space tourism flight took off this week. Here are the players taking civilians to space.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Virgin Galactic launched its first space tourism flight for paying customers on August 10. It marks a new era in space tourism for the company, with monthly flights expected to follow. Seats on a Virgin Galactic flight cost $450,000 each. This week, Virgin Galactic's first space tourism flight successfully launched from New Mexico, taking three passengers who weren't traditional astronauts, to the edge of space and back. Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson's commercial space venture, was established in 2004 and completed its first commercial spaceflight in June.

Persons: Virgin Galactic's, Keisha Schahaff, Anastatia, Jon Goodwin, Richard Branson's, Goodwin, Jeff Bezos, Shepard, There's, Jared Issacman Organizations: Virgin Galactic, Virgin, Caribbean, Galactic, Italian Air Force, National Research Council, Origin, Amazon, SpaceX, Elon Musk's, SpaceX's, Space, International Locations: New Mexico

☆ Space tourists will probably have sex up there, but they shouldn't get pregnant, researchers warn
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

If someone gets pregnant in space, the radiation could harm them or their embryo, scientists say. Space companies could end up with lawsuits and bad press if they don't talk to tourists about this. SpaceXIt may not even be possible to get pregnant in space, but it's probably not worth taking the chance. That's partly because space research has long been dominated by government agencies. Their findings may not be applicable to humans at all, but they offer hints that reproductive functions could be affected by space radiation and microgravity.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, Origin's, Yusaku Maezawa, Dennis Tito, Sharon, Marc Hagle, Kris Lehnhardt, Lehnhardt, it's, hasn't, Sally Ride, Walter Villadei, Elon Musk, Ludovic Marin, We're, David Cullen, Cullen, Gonzalo Fuentes Organizations: Service, Shepard, Virgin, SpaceX, NASA, Engineers, Virgin Galactic, Chateau, Cranfield University, Reuters Locations: Wall, Silicon, Boca Chica , Texas, Versailles, Paris

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