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☆ Opinion: How to fight back against the ‘anti-woke’ movement
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Opinion Khalil Gibran Muhammad | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Several states across the country have imposed bans on books, K-12 educational curricula and diversity programs in recent months. And even where statewide bans are not in place, restrictive measures are being enacted by local school boards. The mere mention of structural racism or gender discrimination or sexuality can potentially cost educators and librarians their jobs. The beginnings of this national movement to defend the freedom to learn is rekindling relationships between college students and civil rights activists and inspiring new ones between college faculty and K-12 teachers and librarians. With such formidable alliances among students, teachers, organizers and academics being forged in communities across the country, we finally have an answer to reverse the swelling tide of injustice and authoritarianism.

☆ Treasury proposes new process to spot risks after SVB, Signature Bank failures
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Secretary of the Treasury testifies before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services March 22, 2023 in Washington, DC. The Financial Stability Oversight Council voted to approve a framework on financial stability for public feedback. "This framework outlines common vulnerabilities and transmission channels through which shocks can propagate through the financial system. Yellen said that in trying to prevent problems in the financial system, the council does not "broadly prioritize one type of tool over another." "Addressing the diverse range of financial vulnerabilities that exist today – and that may arise tomorrow – requires a broad set of flexible tools."

☆ Why this rusting industrial city could be Greece’s next tourism hotspot
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Elinda Labropoulou | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

For 2023, it’s been given the title as a Cultural Capital of Europe – a title it shares with Timisoara in Romania and Veszprem in Hungary. Sergio Tsitakis / Design Farm ProductionsFor the occasion, the city’s magnificent archaeological site has been overhauled, improving its accessibility. Being a Cultural Capital has helped dozens of cities that have previously held the title to foster urban regeneration and find a spot on the travel radar. Among upcoming highlights this summer is a play, “Ma,” by Italian director and playwright Romeo Castellucci, a performance specially created to be staged in Eleusis’ archaeological site. And with the majority of international flights landing in Athens, Eleusis is perfectly located as an easy-to-reach destination.

☆ 10 fascinating theme parks that have closed forever
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

In April, we’re taking a thrilling ride into the world of theme parks. “We think of amusement parks as vibrant, colorful, noisy, cheerful places,” says Jim Futrell of the National Amusement Park Historical Association. Pripyat Amusement Park (Ukraine)The Pripyat Amusement Park was built right before the Chernobyl disaster. Yongma Land (South Korea)Once in a blue moon, abandoned theme parks find new life by adopting totally new functions. Faced with increased competition from Orlando’s modern theme parks, Cypress Gardens closed in 2009 and was eventually absorbed into LEGOLAND Florida.

CNN —Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the anti-vaccine activist and environmental lawyer, described himself as a truth-teller who will “end the division” as he launched his bid for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination on Wednesday in Boston. Some Kennedy family members have denounced his views on vaccines. Kennedy lives in Los Angeles, but he chose Boston as a nod to his family’s deep political roots in the city, even though his father, Robert F. Kennedy, declared his presidential ambitions in the Senate Caucus Room on Capitol Hill in 1968, the same place his uncle, John F. Kennedy, launched his presidential campaign in 1960. “I’m a lifelong Democrat, but I will not be voting for Robert Kennedy Jr. because I cannot stomach the anti-vaccine thing,” said Tyson Humble of Portland, Oregon, who was visiting the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of former President Kennedy, is currently the US ambassador to Australia.

☆ BoE's Bailey says bank reforms worked but questions about liquidity buffers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Today I do not believe we face a systemic banking crisis. Bailey, however, echoed calls from his predecessor Mark Carney by saying there might be questions over the size of liquidity buffers required of banks in order to tide them over short-term shocks. This must beg the question of what are appropriate and desired liquidity buffers that create the time needed to take action to solve the problem." Data from the European Central Bank on Wednesday showed a slight weakening in liquidity buffers at banks it regulates, though they are still well above minimum requirements. Banks' holdings of liquidity have more than doubled since the global financial crisis, helping to contain fallout from the recent banking turmoil, de Cos said.

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Growing recession fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

(Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. "Any crisis that damages Americans' trust in their banks damages all banks," he said – calling on regulators to keep better taps on banks' risk management. If the jobs market proves more resilient than that, the Federal Reserve has room to hike even further. Subscribe here to get this report sent directly to your inbox each morning before markets open.

☆ The awe-inspiring titanosaur, one of the biggest dinosaurs that ever lived, goes on display
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A cast of the Patagotitan mayorum dinosaur is being displayed at London's Natural History Museum. The dinosaur giant lived on Earth about 100 million years ago and weighed as much as 57 tons. The new exhibit features a cast of the giant Patagotitan mayorum — a gargantuan dinosaur belonging to a group known as titanosaurs — visitors can touch, walk under, and appreciate its massive size. Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London"The replica is a composite – it incorporates bones from at least six different individuals found at the site," Sinead Marron, exhibition and interpretation manager at the museum, told CNN. "There is nothing that comes close to Patagotitan walking the Earth today – so in this case, seeing is believing.

That number includes both rocket launches and capsule reentries, and has been steadily climbing. A Falcon Heavy rocket launches the USSF-67 mission on January 15, 2023 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "Air space is going to be a critical, critical issue," Isom said, calling on new industries to contribute to the cost of air traffic control. A graph of FAA-licensed or permitted commercial space launches (excludes launches licensed by other U.S. government agencies, such as NASA or the Department of Defense). Together they create a moving target for space launches and the commercial airlines eyeing the same air space.

☆ Zoom's CEO will take a $10,000 salary this year, a 98% pay cut, after laying off 1,300 workers because of 'mistakes' he made growing the company
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Zoom CEO Eric Yuan is taking a pay cut of 98%, and will earn just $10,000 in salary this year. This would bring Yuan's salary down to $10,000, Zoom wrote in a regulatory filing. Yuan wrote in the email that other members of the executive leadership team would reduce their base salaries by 20% in the coming year and forfeit their corporate bonuses. "Within 24 months, Zoom grew 3x in size to manage this demand while enabling continued innovation," Yuan wrote. Zoom said in its filing that the layoffs and resultant restructuring would cost it between $50 million and $68 million.

☆ Bernstein says tech stocks could face another lost decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

After outperforming by 8.6% on average every year for the previous eight years, tech performance reversed dramatically in 2022. That could mean tech is entering a new period of tepid growth, Toni Sacconaghi, senior research analyst at Bernstein, said in a note Monday. "We worry that relative stock performance for tech over the next several years risks being more muted, akin to the lost decade following the tech bubble bursting," he said. But as in the "lost decade," the market found fresh leaders to drive the next big rally in tech and it may need to do so again in this new period, Sacconaghi said. "And it took time for a new era of tech leaders to emerge."

☆ A woman is going viral on TikTok for calling out objectifying comments after a prospective work client accidentally shared his Zoom screen
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

On Zoom, prospective clients accidentally shared their screens with objectifying messages about Sharpe. She called them out in a viral TikTok, and is using her newfound virality to spark conversation. "If we're going to continue to work together, I want to work with a woman sales representative," Sharpe said in the TikTok video, which has 7.5 million views. Sharpe told Insider she let the meeting run on for 15 minutes before she decided to call out the comments. Sharpe shared a screenshot of the apology in a follow-up TikTok, which stated that the vendor could not provide a "skilled enough" woman to assist her.

☆ I left Manhattan for LA. It's easier to make friends, my cost of living is lower, and I'm so much happier here.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Daniel Zahler | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

I got the full New York City experienceI lived in Manhattan for 12 years. In 2015, I decided to sublet my West Village pad and spend the winter in Santa Monica. Santa Monica is one of the priciest areas of California, but it's still cheaper than Manhattan. Today I'm paying $3,000 a month for a spacious apartment in the heart of Santa Monica with amazing views of mountains and palm trees. New York City is unrivaled in its energy and diversity and is the major league of cities — truly world-class.

☆ A document circulated by Googlers explains the 'hidden force' that has caused the company to become slow and bureaucratic: slime mold
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An internal Google document laid out a theory for why the company has become so slow. Komoroske compared Google's bottom-up organizational structure to a slime mold: single-cell organisms that can work independently but also form together to create a larger network. "Google is basically a slime mold," wrote Komoroske, placing Google on a sliding scale from top-down to bottom-up structures. The last update on the internal document was made in 2019. "I believe they are not specific to any one context, but rather emerge inherently any time there are individuals with autonomy who care deeply," wrote Komoroske.

☆ Nurses at Mount Sinai Morningside and West reach tentative agreement as thousands of nurses still due to strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Celina Tebor Vanessa Yurkevich Ramishah Maruf Samantha Beech | Celina Tebor | Vanessa Yurkevich | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Nurses at two other area hospitals, Mount Sinai Hospital and Montefiore Bronx, are still due to strike after not reaching agreements. The new tentative agreement at Morningside and West brings the anticipated number of nurses to strike down from 8,700 to about 7,125. A Mount Sinai spokesperson told CNN on Saturday the hospital system is actively bargaining with the Mount Sinai Morningside and West campuses under separate union agreements. Another six will be transferred Sunday from the NICUs at Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai West, the spokesperson said. “In addition, we have transferred close to 100 patients from the affected hospitals – The Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai Morningside – to unaffected hospitals within the Mount Sinai system and partner hospitals in NYC and we continue to safely discharge patients who were schedule to go home.” All elective surgeries have been postponed, the spokesperson said.

☆ A brother and sister had to stop 6 times in 1 day to charge their rented Tesla in cold weather because the battery drained so quickly
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A brother and sister rented a Tesla and found they had to stop six times in one day to charge it. However, it got to the point that the "battery would drain faster than it would charge," Xavier told Insider. When they set off they could drive for at least two and a half hours before needing to charge the Tesla. A spokesperson for Hertz told Insider: "We have not experienced a significant increase in communication from customers about the battery of their EV rentals. Xaviar said Hertz told him to go to the closest branch to get a new car.

☆ Angelo Badalamenti, ‘Twin Peaks’ composer, dies at 85
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Angelo Badalamenti, the composer behind several beloved soundtracks, including David Lynch’s cult hit “Twin Peaks,” has died at 85. Badalamenti and Lynch worked together for decadesBefore he was a film composer, the Brooklyn-born Badalamenti was a musical jack-of-all-trades. “I tried to make the music have a haunting feeling,” Badalamenti said in 2019 of his “Twin Peaks” score. Film writer Scott Tobias remembered the immediate impact of watching “Twin Peaks” for the first time and recognizing it was something special. “One of the greatest.”Kyle MacLachlan, who played the unusual, coffee-loving Agent Dale Cooper on “Twin Peaks,” called Badalamenti a “brilliant and talented maestro who was a master at setting a mood.

☆ Markets in 2023 will face 'extreme volatility' as the economy navigates 1940s-style boom-bust inflation cycle, Morgan Stanley's Mike Wilson says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Next year will see extreme volatility as the economy grapples with the boom-bust inflation cycle, Morgan Stanley's Mike Wilson said. Sign up for our newsletter to get the inside scoop on what traders are talking about — delivered daily to your inbox. He compared the current inflation cycle to the demand-driven inflation that took root in the economy after World War II. Sticky inflation spells trouble for the Federal Reserve, which has been scrambling to hike rates and rein in high prices. But it creates probably a lot more dispersion, quite frankly, across the stock market," Wilson said, warning investors of mixed corporate earnings results next year.

☆ Coors Light created a nail polish for drinkers to temperature check its beer
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

With the holiday party season already in full swing, Coors Light has invented a new way for beer drinkers to temperature check their glass of beer to avoid an unpleasant surprise. Coors Light debuts color changing nail polish to enable beer drinkers to temperature-check their glass of beer ina fun way. “We’ve brought our cold-activated technology to nail polish to ensure your pint of beer is just the right temp for drinking.”The company co-developed the $7 Chill polish with San Francisco-based nail polish brand Le Chat and launched it on Tuesday for sale on its website while supplies last. Coors Light, is targeting “any beer drinkers” who prefer cold to warm brew. After all, plenty of younger men wear nail polish today – thank you Harry Styles and Machine Gun Kelly, both of whom have their own nail polish brands.

☆ VIEW Bank of Canada surprises with smaller-than-expected interest rate increase
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The central bank, in a regular decision, increased its policy rate to 3.75% from 3.25% and has now lifted rates by 350-bp since March. JIMMY JEAN, CHIEF ECONOMIST, DESJARDINS GROUP"It's surprising to see the Bank of Canada going against market and consensus expectations on the dovish side. But I think it says that they're now moving to that place where they're going to acknowledge the impact that they're already seeing. I think it was a close call between 50 and 75 (bps rate hike). Clearly, the Bank of Canada believes it's getting close to the so called terminal rate and I think they wanted to leave a few more options open."

☆ Jeffrey Dahmer is the Netflix its 'star' of the month with 'Monster' and "Conversations With a Killer'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

But its current leading man, its MVP for the month, is Jeffrey Dahmer, the notorious serial killer who died in 1994. “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” is currently Netflix’s most-watched title, according to its self-reported data released September 27, amassing more than 196 million viewing hours in the past week. And in case that hasn’t satisfied interest in all things Dahmer, that will be followed Oct. 7 by “Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes,” the latest installment in that docuseries franchise, which in the past has featured Ted Bundy and most recently John Wayne Gacy. While “Monster” might have sought to anticipate certain criticisms, that’s one that Netflix – and indeed, the entertainment industry – hasn’t resolved. “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” is currently playing on Netflix, and “Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes” will premiere Oct. 7.

☆ Walmart's leading position in grocery provides 'bupkus' in profit. Analysts say the retailer needs to do more to succeed in the high-margin furniture space.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Walmart became the largest food retailer in the US in 2001 with grocery sales raking in $56 billion. Today the retailer mixes sales of high-margin items like electronics and furniture with those same groceries. But times have changed, particularly for the value-conscious customers Walmart caters to. While net-profit margins for furniture items sold in the US can be as high as 50% to 60%, according to analysts, that total usually hovers around 1% to 3% for grocery items. He did not specify how much Walmart earned in revenue or profits from furniture sales in 2021.

☆ 'Deadly drop': Hotel housekeeper faces avalanche of laundry showing desperate hotel labor shortage in viral TikTok posts
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-21 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

One housekeeper uses TikTok to show how much laundry she must fold in an 8-plus hour shift. Zeiber's TikTok videos showing what she calls "deadly drops" from a linen chute into the hotel's laundry room, have gone viral, shocking viewers. In the comments section of her account, Zeiber clarified that she is not the only housekeeper at the hotel, but she's the only person responsible for laundry. Sometimes her workdays last beyond eight hours and include more than just laundry, according to Zeiber. Kasea Zeiber is the only housekeeper responsible for folding laundry in an 126-room hotel in the Pittsburgh area.

But to fully understand why rising bond yields make stocks less attractive, we need to look at what those yields mean in the real world and why they move. Why should we care about bond yields Bond yields, which move inversely to bond prices, have been going up in the current environment because inflation is bad for bonds and we've got tons of inflation. Doing so provides us with an earnings yield. Flip that and we get 1/20 or a 5% earnings yield. Now, an investor may have been happy to receive a 5% earnings yield when the risk-free yield was 1%.

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