DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Goldman Sachs is having an identity crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

I never thought I'd write this but … I miss the old Goldman Sachs. That was the voice of Goldman Sachs 2009 — the adamantine firm that managed to make its way through the crisis relatively unscathed. This sort of dry humor worked back then, but for today's Goldman Sachs, the joke just doesn't hit the same way. Van Praag — who was once dubbed "Goldman Sachs' Rococo PR prince" by The Observer — left the firm in 2012. It would be nice to see the old Goldman Sachs ferocity is still out there somewhere, even if it's not on Wall Street.

Persons: I'd, …, Goldman Sachs, Lucas van Praag, Goldman, van Praag, John F, David Solomon —, Solomon, boardrooms, today's Goldman Sachs, Lucas van Praag's Goldman, —, FactSet, JP Morgan, chuffs, DJ Sol, Van Praag —, Observer —, Jake Siewert, Lloyd Blankfein —, David Solomon's, Michael Kovac, Marcus —, DJ'ing, Goldman's, Lloyd Blankfein, Insider's Dakin Campbell, Kim Kardashian, Morgan Stanley, It's, Trump, Gary Cohn, mathlete who's, it's, Linette Lopez Organizations: Sunday Times of, Bloomberg, Refinitiv, Wealth Management, Observer, Treasury, Blankfein, Bank of America, Ivy League Locations: Wall, Sunday Times of London, New York City, Bahamas, Silicon

☆ A Poem About Dance and the Hard Work of Transcendence
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Dwight Garner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +37 min

)—achieved flight,that swift and serenemagnificence,before the earthremembered who we wereand brought us down. )—achieved flight,that swift and serenemagnificence,before the earthremembered who we wereand brought us down. )—achieved flight,that swift and serenemagnificence,before the earthremembered who we wereand brought us down. )—achieved flight,that swift and serenemagnificence,before the earthremembered who we wereand brought us down. )—achieved flight,that swift and serenemagnificence,before the earthremembered who we wereand brought us down.

Persons: Rita Dove, —, Paul Laurence Dunbar

It has been a heat wave that has given pause to many Phoenix residents, even to summer-tested veterans like Shields, who says he's been avoiding news reports about it. REUTERS/Liliana Salgado/File PhotoDespite the trend toward more very hot days, Phoenix residents have tended to shrug off the heat, he said. Phoenix is getting some of the worst of it, as the air mass is centered right over the Southwest. "This is not your typical summer heat." Asphalt temperatures can reach 160 degrees F (71 C) in the summer, the Arizona Humane Society wrote on its blog.

Persons: Michael Shields, Shields, he's, David Hondula, Adam Waltz, Waltz, Liliana Salgado, Zack Taylor, Taylor, Phoenix, It's, Emily Luberto, Cooper Burton, Sharon Bernstein, Rachel Nostrant, Rich McKay, Aurora Ellis, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: National Weather Service, Phoenix, Phoenix Parks, REUTERS, Center, Northern Arizona University, Arizona Humane Society, Thomson Locations: Phoenix, Arizona, Maricopa, Piestewa, Phoenix , Arizona, U.S, Oregon, West Coast, Texas, Alabama, College Park , Maryland, Vegas, Mesa, Flagstaff

It has been a heat wave that has given pause to many Phoenix residents, even to summer-tested veterans like Shields, who says he's been avoiding news reports about it. By 2050, they estimated, Phoenix residents are expected to see an average of 44 days per year over that temperature. REUTERS/Liliana SalgadoDespite the trend toward more very hot days, Phoenix residents have tended to shrug off the heat, he said. "This is not your typical summer heat." Asphalt temperatures can reach 160 degrees F (71 C) in the summer, the Arizona Humane Society wrote on its blog.

☆ Reports say China plans to set up a spy base in Cuba. The Pentagon says no, but it's closely watching what Beijing is up to.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

China is reportedly in talks with Cuba about setting up a spy base on the island roughly 100 miles from Florida. It's a move that would follow in the footsteps of the Soviet Union, which operated a spy base on the island for decades. The Soviet spy facility in Lourdes was operational until 2001, when it closed down. The Pentagon responded to the reports of China's plan for a spy facility in Cuba Thursday afternoon, with spokesman Brig. Update: 6/9/2023 — This article has been updated with new statements from the Pentagon, the White House National Security Council, Cuba, and China.

Persons: —, Laura Richardson, Mike Waltz, Brig, Pat Ryder, he'd, John Kirby, Kirby Organizations: Pentagon, Service, Privacy, Department of Defense, White, Politico, Central Command, Cape Canaveral, Wall Street Journal, CNN, The New York Times, Senior, US Southern Command, Florida Republican, House Intelligence, Armed Services, Chinese Communist Party, Soviet Union, National Security, Cuban, White House National Security Council Locations: China, Cuba, Florida, Soviet Union, Beijing, Havana, Cape, America, Soviet, Lourdes

☆ China's working on a secret deal with Cuba to set up a spy base about 100 miles off the coast of Florida: reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China is reportedly in talks with Cuba about setting up a spy base on the island roughly 100 miles from Florida. The Soviet Union operated a signals intelligence base in Cuba for decades. It's a move that would follow in the footsteps of the Soviet Union, which operated a spy base on the island for decades. US officials told The Wall Street Journal that China and Cuba have reached a multi-billion-dollar agreement in principle on the establishment of the base. China officially only has one overseas military base, an installation in Djibouti that it has expanded since it first opened in 2017.

Persons: —, Laura Richardson, Mike Waltz, China's Organizations: Soviet Union, Service, Privacy, Politico, US Central Command, Cape Canaveral, Wall Street Journal, Senior, US Southern Command, Florida Republican, House Intelligence, Armed Services, Chinese Communist Party, CIA, State Department, National Security Locations: China, Cuba, Florida, Soviet Union, Beijing, Havana, Cape, America, Soviet, Lourdes, Djibouti, Cuban, People's Republic, United States

☆ What Your Therapist Doesn't Tell You
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Amy X. Wang | Illustrations Liana Finck | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

What Your Therapist Doesn’t Tell You A dozen counselors on what it’s really like to sit in the other armchair. “ ‘I need to pee so bad.’ Clients don’t realize that we have five minutes between sessions and sometimes making it to the bathroom is not possible.” — Jessa White, L.M.H.C.A. You can’t do psychotherapy if a person doesn’t feel safe — there’s no way that’s going to happen. But it’s frustrating too, because as a therapist, you feel you can’t really offer what you signed up for.” — Gabriela Sehinkman, Ph.D., L.I.S.W.-S. To me, therapy is very much like dating, except, you know, obviously you don’t really want to date the person.” — Thien Pham, L.M.F.T.

☆ Ron DeSantis' month from hell just got even worse thanks to Disney's legal team
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Already this month, DeSantis has seen more fellow Florida Republicans back Trump instead of him. April was supposed to be the crescendo for the Florida governor before his widely expected presidential announcement. Instead, DeSantis has been pummeled on all sides, including by many of his fellow Florida Republicans. "Floridians want him focused on Florida," Rep. Greg Steube, yet another Florida Republican who endorsed Trump, told Politico, "which is the job they elected him to do." Last month, DeSantis began to punch back at Trump in a feisty Piers Morgan interview where he stressed that he was a "winner."

☆ Tucker Carlson is gone but Fox News' politics remain the same
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Fox News had plenty of reasons to get rid of Tucker Carlson. CNN’s Allison Morrow notes that Fox will need a Carlson upgrade of some kind because upstart conservative networks want into the same space. ET hour on Fox, and if it is any indication, there won’t be much new in the politics that are pushed on Fox’s viewers. On-screen, the words were “Biden’s Legacy: Crime in the Cities.”Related: Here’s a CNN Fact Check on the crime in Manhattan, which far below record levels. Biden legacy 2After declaring crime to be Biden’s legacy, Kilmeade transitioned.

☆ The Military Should Reject DEI and CRT
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Patrick H. Brady | Mike Waltz | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The U.S. military faces a self-inflicted threat to its preparedness to deter, fight and win wars. An essential, battle-tested element of military culture—colorblindness—is being undermined. Unless the trend is reversed, our national security will be at increased risk. The reversal could be done at no cost, requiring only a policy decision and the reorientation of relevant training. In the Army and Marines, sayings such as “We’re all green” or “We all bleed red” were part of training that transformed millions of diverse civilians into war fighters.

☆ The U.S. Must Defeat Mexico’s Drug Cartels
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( William P. Barr | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

America can no longer tolerate narco-terrorist cartels. Operating from havens in Mexico, their production of deadly drugs on an industrial scale is flooding our country with this poison. Reps. Dan Crenshaw (R., Texas) and Michael Waltz (R., Fla.) have proposed a joint resolution giving the president authority to use the U.S. military against these cartels in Mexico. Overdose deaths every year—more than 100,000—exceed the number of Americans killed in action during the bloodiest year of World War II. Given the explosion in illicit drug deaths since then, this estimate now seems conservative.

☆ ‘The Consultant’ Review: Waltzing Into Corporate Headquarters
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( John Anderson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Time, job markets and Elon Musk have made Bentley Little’s “The Consultant” even more of an allegory than it was when the novel was first published in 2015, although its vision of workplace horror is probably timeless: In the wake of a violent upheaval at a midsize tech company, a “consultant” arrives, moves into the boss’s office, starts trimming the staff, selling the furniture, reshaping a business he knows nothing about and warning that the end is near. No employee has the authority to throw him out—or, for that matter, the courage. Having Christoph Waltz play the ostensible villain in writer-developer Tony Basgallop ’s eight-part adaptation of Mr. Little’s book is to make use of the actor’s unnervingly precise Teutonic presence, which has been a mischievous and elastic feature in such films as “Inglourious Basterds” and “Django Unchained” (both of which won him Oscars). His intent can be good or bad, but is always vaguely ironic. As such, it is a mixed blessing in what is essentially a mystery in slow motion that keeps tilting toward comedy.

☆ Get paid up to $10,000 to move? That's great for remote workers, but economists say it's not a good investment for the cities footing the bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

The more than 2,000 people who received Tulsa Remote grants have a median income of more than $85,000. For starters, he found the income generated by recipients of the Tulsa Remote program was just a sliver of the $80 billion the 468,000-plus workers in the Tulsa metro area generated in 2021. A Brookings Institution analysis of the Tulsa Remote program published in September found that the program was generally effective at bringing high-skilled labor to the area. He compared the impact of the incentive program to the opening of a Honda manufacturing plant in Greensburg in 2007. A previous audit from Hoffer's office in 2019 identified two major flaws in the Think Vermont program.

☆ George Santos signs onto abortion, guns, term limits, and impeachment bills as he attempts to make friends on Capitol Hill
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Freshman Rep. George Santos is still finding his way on Capitol Hill after a rough start. In his first off-the-rails month on Capitol Hill, Santos has signed onto bills dealing with abortion rights, guns, the global social media phenomenon TikTok, congressional term limits, and even articles of impeachment. He signed onto bills promoting term limits and calling for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, a top priority for the MAGA wing. "The congressman seeks to work with everyone, and has developed relationships with Republican members, as well as those across the aisle," a Santos spokesperson said. Republican Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida introduced that legislation to block Americans from doing business with Venezuela.

[1/2] The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Randall HillWASHINGTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Sunday it is searching for remnants of the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon it shot down the previous day, in a dramatic spy saga that has further strained American-Chinese relations. A successful recovery could potentially give the United States insight into China's spying capabilities, though U.S. officials have downplayed the balloon's impact on national security. Democrats said Biden's decision to wait to shoot down the balloon until it had passed over the United States protected civilians from debris crashing to Earth. The Pentagon will brief senators on the balloon and Chinese surveillance on Feb. 15, Schumer said.

WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - A senior U.S. general responsible for bringing down a Chinese spy balloon said on Monday the military had not detected previous spy balloons before the one that appeared on Jan. 28 over the United States and called it an "awareness gap." The Pentagon said over the weekend that Chinese spy balloons had briefly flown over the United States at least three times during President Donald Trump's administration and one previously under President Joe Biden. He did not provide details on previous balloons, including where over the United States they flew. Senior U.S. officials have offered to brief individuals from the previous administration on the details of previous balloons overflights when Trump was president. A U.S. Air Force fighter jet shot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon off the South Carolina coast on Saturday, a week after it first entered U.S. airspace and triggered a dramatic -- and public -- spying saga that worsened Sino-U.S. relations.

Donald Trump told the GOP to leave Medicare and Social Security cuts out of debt ceiling negotiations. But former President Donald Trump is warning the GOP to keep social spending programs out of it. "Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security," Trump said in the video. However, in the lead-up to Trump's 2020 run, the former president embraced abandoning a payroll tax that helps fund Social Security. Republicans and Democrats have sparred over Medicare and Social Security for years, with Republicans routinely looking to cut benefits for both programs.

WASHINGTON — Many House Republicans are furious with a band of far-right rebels who they say are holding the party hostage by repeatedly rejecting its nominee for speaker. The unwillingness of most House Republicans to cut a deal with Democrats to pick a speaker weakens their leverage in the showdown with a group of 20 right-wing lawmakers who want to defeat Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who is backed by 90% of the GOP caucus. As Bacon and other McCarthy allies dangle the possibility of a bipartisan speaker to secure the votes to make him speaker, the anti-McCarthy faction is calling their bluff. Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., who has voted against McCarthy all six times, said he doesn’t believe any Republicans would go around the House Freedom Caucus and team up with Democrats to pick a speaker. Democrats open door to consensus speakerSome Democrats say they’re open to negotiating a consensus speaker.

☆ We asked Broadway actors which audience behaviors annoy them most — here are their 8 theater-etiquette rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Iris Dorbian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Insider asked Broadway and off-Broadway experts about their top etiquette tips for watching a show. Recently, Insider spoke to a number of Broadway and off-Broadway experts to ask about proper theater etiquette. Below are eight tips to follow the next time you're in a Broadway theater. Robin Rothstein, a playwright and former director of operations at touring-show producer Broadway Across America, told Insider: "The Broadway theaters are old and seats are small. Now that you know the eight rules of proper Broadway etiquette, buy a ticket and enjoy a show.

☆ FanDuel's Amy Howe tries to balance pragmatism, humility, and profitability — all while being a trailblazer in a male-dominated industry
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

As the CEO of FanDuel, Amy Howe accomplished a feat this year that so far no other US sports-betting platform has been able to achieve: profitability. Seeking constant innovationThis year Howe launched FanDuel TV, a 24-hour television network, which features a mix of studio programming and live sports. She also sealed deals with the WNBA and the New York Yankees, making FanDuel the official sportsbook partner and official daily fantasy partner for the league and team. At the SBC Summit North America trade show and conference this year, she described the female market as an "untapped opportunity" and detailed a number of FanDuel's initiatives to bring more women bettors into the fold. "We're always a little bit paranoid about making sure that we can continue to maintain that position," Howe told Insider last year.

Stephen "tWitch" Boss was a thoroughly modern dancer. He lit up the stage of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" for nearly a decade. He was so classy," Boss told The Associated Press in 2014, the year he joined the "Ellen" show. Stephen "tWitch" Boss on "Ellen's Game of Games." Stephen "tWitch" Boss and Ellen DeGeneres on "Ellen's Game of Games".

☆ Despite GOP criticism of the prisoner swap that freed Brittney Griner, Fiona Hill said Trump was 'not particularly interested' in freeing Paul Whelan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Critics, including Trump, asked why Brittney Griner was freed while Paul Whelan remains jailed. Hill said Trump wasn't "particularly interested in Paul [Whelan]'s case" while in office. "If I made that deal the Dems would chant, RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA!" "I also have to say here that President Trump wasn't especially interested in engaging in that swap for Paul Whelan," Hill said. However, she added, Whelan, Griner, and Reed were all caught up in what she called "political games" while doing things that "seemed completely ordinary."

☆ Biden chose humanity over geopolitics with Griner release
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

But President Joe Biden’s decision to exchange WNBA star Brittney Griner for Viktor Bout goes beyond the exchange’s bottom line. And it prompted top Republicans to charge that he had prioritized a basketball superstar over an ex-marine who benefited from a vocal political pressure campaign on Biden. This adds another layer of complication for Biden as he seeks to get Whelan free, since it involves another government and would require German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to potentially agree to supersede his country’s own legal system. While Biden is being castigated by some political opponents in Washington for doing a bad deal, administration officials insisted that he got the best one on offer. It was a choice between bringing home one particular American, Brittney Griner, or bringing home none,” a senior administration official told reporters on Thursday.

The stop-motion musical reimagines the classic tale through the unique lens of filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. How to watch 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio'You can watch "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio" at home exclusively on Netflix. Is 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio' worth watching? "Guillermo del Toro's "Pinocchio" has received critical acclaim. What is 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio' based on?

☆ 'Pinocchio' review: A reimagined story is beautiful but comes with too many strings attached
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The mere title “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” announces that this stop-motion animated movie reflects the keen eye and visual style of the directing auteur, with a healthy dose of revisionism and reimagining baked into that. Yet despite its beauty, several of those narrative touches don’t fully work, leaving behind a movie that’s aesthetically lovely but narratively uneven. Perhaps foremost, del Toro makes the ill-advised decision to incorporate songs into the story, although he keeps interrupting them, which might speak to a certain lack of conviction about that particular aspect. It’s around that point where del Toro (who shares directing credit with animator Mark Gustafson) appears determined to connect this “Pinocchio” to larger and more ambitious themes. “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” premieres December 9 on Netflix.

Search resuls for: "Waltz"

25 mentions found