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☆ Here's some of the best memes about Elon Musk's Twitter Blue chaos
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Jyoti Mann | Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

He started removing all legacy blue checkmarks this week — but it seems to have backfired. Here are some of the best memes to have come from the social-media chaos. Twitter started removing legacy blue checkmarks on Thursday, as Elon Musk targeted what he described as a "deeply corrupted," "lords & peasants" system. Musk is even paying for certain celebrities to stay on Twitter Blue, including Stephen King, LeBron James, and William Shatner — all of whom either criticized the new arrangement or refused to pay. Insider browsed the social-media app for some of the best memes to have come out of the chaos.

☆ Twitter is adding verified check marks to the accounts of dead celebrities, making them look like paid Twitter Blue subscribers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Twitter added verified checks to accounts of dead celebrities to promote Twitter Blue subscriptions. Their accounts said they'd bought a Twitter Blue subscription and verified their phone numbers. Chadwick Boseman's Twitter account, with Twitter Blue subscription badge added posthumously. Anthony Bourdain's Twitter account, with Twitter Blue subscription badge added posthumously. InsiderHowever, the posthumous Twitter Blue badges may run afoul of laws protecting consumers from false endorsements.

☆ The lucky breaks that built Nike
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Fittingly as "Air" hits theaters, Nike will release an Air Jordan in "lucky green." "Luck plays a big role," Nike cofounder Phil Knight wrote in the closing of his 2016 memoir, "Shoe Dog." Athletes get lucky, poets get lucky, businesses get lucky." Knight wrote. Next Wednesday, Nike will release the "Black and Lucky Green" Air Jordan 1.

☆ Meet Sonny Vaccaro, the executive credited with signing Michael Jordan in Ben Affleck's new movie 'Air' and the self-proclaimed 'savior of Nike'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Vaccaro, 83, was a key figure in Nike's push to sign Michael Jordan in 1984. No one in his family went to college, Vaccaro said in an interview over a pancake breakfast in 2021. Matt Damon plays Sonny Vaccaro in the new "Air" movie about how Nike signed Michael Jordan. "The signing of Michael Jordan, yeah, success has a thousand fathers, and failure is an orphan," Knight told USA Today in 2015. "A lot of people want to take credit for signing Michael Jordan, most obviously Sonny Vaccaro."

☆ Michael Jordan sneakers, Kobe Bryant gear lead blockbuster Sotheby's auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Michael Jordans 1998 NBA Finals Air Jordan XIIIs sneakers are displayed during a press preview in New York on April 6, 2023 at Sothebys for the upcoming auction Victoriam, a special two-part curated collection of sports artifacts. Michael Jordan's shoes from Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals could be yours — if you have a couple million dollars to spare. Sotheby's is hosting a two-part auction of game-worn sports memorabilia, with Jordan's signed sneakers serving as the cornerstone for an stacked lineup of rare items. The game-worn Air Jordans are estimated to sell for somewhere between $2 million to $4 million. When Kanye West's Air Yeezy samples sold for $1.8 million in a private sale in 2021, they were estimated to be the most expensive sneakers sold to date.

☆ 'Black wealth matters': How a millennial is helping his community build wealth through education
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Kamaron Mcnair | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Learning the tricks of the tradeMac's wake-up call to start investing came early in his undergraduate career. "That was the one thing that opened my eyes and my curiosity and made me say, 'OK, I want to start investing.'" His interest in investing and wealth management eventually led him to a career on Wall Street. Making music as the "Wall Street Rapper," Mac began fusing the worlds he'd come to know so well: Black and urban hip-hop culture with Wall Street financial know-how. Mac adopted the slogan "Black wealth matters" to bring attention to the idea that economic empowerment is a major step toward equality for Black Americans.

☆ This $38 million LA palace — and many others — are in a rush to be sold this week to avoid millions in the new California 'Mansion Tax'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A new "mansion tax" approved by voters in November goes into effect April 1. LA voters approved Proposition ULA, commonly referred to as the "mansion tax," by a 58% to 42% margin. The Star Resort, lit up from the perspective of the 70-foot infinity pool. Yann Ippolito/Ikon AdvisorsThe Star Resort features a Kobe Bryant-themed half basketball court. Yann Ippolito/Ikon Advisors

☆ Inside the $38 million mansion the seller wants to unload before April 1
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Ray Parisi | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The owner, who wants to sell before April 1, is prepared to lose millions on it. Here's why: He bought the home less than two years ago for $44 million, then tried to sell the house a year later for $48 million. But those potential losses go even higher on April 1 when the city of LA enacts a 5.5% mansion tax on all real estate deals over $10 million. If the residence doesn't sell soon that new tax will add a $2.1 million tax bill to the deal, which could bring the seller's losses to just over $8.1 million. And near the end of the tour Malka openly discusses the home's dramatic price cuts, and why he wants to get it sold before April Fool's Day.

☆ This LA mansion is staring down an April 1 deadline before the seller loses millions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Ray Parisi | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

EstateLuxShootTrying to unload an expensive mansion in the midst of a banking crisis with the LA real estate market softening and uncertainty looming large isn't exactly great timing. Feinberg, like all luxury mansion sellers in LA, is also contending with the new mansion tax approved by voters in November. Yann IppolitoFor homes priced between $5 million and $10 million, sellers will have to pay the city 4% of the total sale price. According to his calculations, all of those sellers combined would have racked up a mansion tax bill of almost $131 million. "When New York implemented the mansion tax in 2019, there was a surge in closings just short of the July 1 start date and a void of sales in the following months," he said.

☆ NCAA Tournament roundup: Fairleigh Dickinson makes history against Purdue
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Kobe Johnson supplied 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while the Trojans' usual leading scorer, Boogie Ellis, was held to six points. Vermont (23-11) was led by Robin Duncan, Dylan Penn and Matt Veretto who each scored 11 points. Jamarius Burton added 11 points and Greg Elliott had 10, as the Panthers advanced to face No. Jordan Hawkins chipped in 13 points, Donovan Clingan posted 12 and Andre Jackson Jr. supplied 10. Adrian Baldwin Jr. paced the Rams (27-8) with 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting.

☆ Japan's Nidec lines up five execs as chairman contenders
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, March 13 (Reuters) - Japanese electric motor company Nidec Corp (6594.T) on Monday lined up five contenders to eventually take the reins as chairman from the firm's no-nonsense 78-year-old founder, Shigenobu Nagamori. Nidec said its board of directors had on Friday decided to name five people Executive Vice Presidents (EVP) from April 1. After serving four years as President, this person will be appointed as Chairman, Nidec said, as it seeks to bring an end to the saga. "I will gradually move away from work after that," Nagamori told reporters during an online news conference on Monday. Toshiyuki Otsuka, Tatsuya Nishimoto, Yoshihisa Kita, Toshihiko Koseki and Mitsuya Kishida were the five named as EVPs.

☆ Vanessa Bryant Reaches Nearly $29 Million Settlement Over Kobe Bryant Crash Photos
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Alyssa Lukpat | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant’s widow, had sued county officials in 2020 over photos taken of the helicopter crash. Los Angeles County agreed to pay nearly $29 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Kobe Bryant ’s family over pictures sheriff’s deputies had taken at the scene of a fatal helicopter crash, according to lawyers and court records. Vanessa Bryant sued county officials months after Mr. Bryant, the basketball star, and their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, died on their way to a basketball tournament in January 2020. Some first responders had taken pictures of their bodies at the crash site in the hills near Calabasas, Calif., which she alleged were shared. The crash, which killed all eight passengers and the pilot, stunned basketball fans around the world.

REUTERS/Lucy NicholsonFeb 28 (Reuters) - Los Angeles County will pay the wife of late basketball star Kobe Bryant nearly $29 million to settle a lawsuit over allegations that sheriff officers and firefighters shared gruesome photos of the helicopter crash that killed Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter. "Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant's courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct," said Luis Li, attorney for Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant's wife. Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other people died in the crash in Calabasas, Calif., on Jan. 26, 2020. Kobe Bryant was 41 when he died. The Los Angeles Lakers great and 18-time All-Star won five NBA championships and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2020.

☆ Vanessa Bryant reaches $28.85 million settlement with L.A. County over helicopter crash photos
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Phil Helsel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Vanessa Bryant, the widow of late NBA legend Kobe Bryant, has reached an almost $30 million settlement with Los Angeles County over photos taken of the scene of the deadly 2020 helicopter crash, an attorney for the county said. The settlement is for $28.85 million and resolves all claims involving the county, Mira Hashmall, lead trial counsel for Los Angeles County in the case, said in a statement. Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant, 41; his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant; and seven other people died in the crash in Calabasas, near the Southern California coast, northwest of Los Angeles. The almost $30 million settlement includes the $15 million awarded to Vanessa Bryant by a jury in August, Hashmall said. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved the settlement, she said.

☆ 6 sneakers Michael Jordan wore during game-clinching NBA Finals games are about to go on sale — and the price could set a record
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sotheby's this week will put up for sale a collection of six Air Jordan sneakers. Each of the six sneakers was worn by Michael Jordan during an NBA Finals game. Auction house Sotheby's on Tuesday will unveil a collection of six Air Jordan sneakers in Dubai. For perspective, a jersey Jordan wore during the 1998 NBA Finals sold last year for $10.1 million. "This set represents the most valuable and significant collection of Air Jordan sneakers ever brought to market," Sotheby's said, in a listing.

☆ The week in Asian football
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Michael Church | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Talking points from the week in Asian football:RONALDO'S SAUDI SCORING STREAK CONTINUES WITH HAT-TRICKCristiano Ronaldo's scoring run continued on Saturday as the Portuguese attacker netted all three goals in Al Nassr's 3-0 victory over Damak. The 38-year-old capped the scoring a minute before halftime when he side-footed home after Ayman Yahya cut the ball back towards the penalty spot. The goal was Ronaldo's eighth in five league games since joining Al Nassr after the World Cup. The defeat was the second in a row for new Urawa coach Maciej Skorza and the Pole's team are bottom of the standings. JANKOVIC APPOINTED NEW CHINA COACHSerbian Aleksandar Jankovic has been named coach of the China national team for next year's Asian Cup and the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

☆ NBA roundup: Damian Lillard erupts for 71 in Blazers' win
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Jerami Grant added 13 points and Nassir Little scored 11 for Portland, which connected on 54.5 percent of its field goal attempts and was 20 of 39 from 3-point range. Doncic scored 26 points with nine rebounds, while Irving had 21 points and 11 assists. Ayton also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds and blocked three shots. Nikola Vucevic added 16 points and 13 rebounds for his 39th double-double of the season, third most in the NBA. Jakob Poeltl added 13 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors, who were coming off a win over the host Detroit Pistons on Saturday.

☆ Jayson Tatum Still Plays Like Kobe. He Got Better By Playing Beyond Kobe.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Robert O'Connell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The NBA’s All-Star Game MVP award, named after Kobe Bryant, may be the only honor in the league that a player can win simply by wanting it more than anyone else. In Sunday night’s installment of the game, a defense-free affair in which players took turns bouncing passes to themselves off the backboards and launching increasingly long-range and low-percentage 3-pointers, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics earned the trophy. His methods were straightforward: he shot his triples mostly from the arc, not the half-court stripe. His motivation was obvious, too.

☆ Kobe Bryant's jersey from MVP season sold for $5.8 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 10 (Reuters) - A Los Angeles Lakers jersey worn by Kobe Bryant during his only MVP season in 2007-08 fetched $5.8 million at an auction on Thursday, becoming the second-most expensive basketball jersey ever sold, auction house Sotheby's said. Michael Jordan's jersey from the opening game of the 1998 NBA Finals holds the record for the most expensive piece of game-worn sports memorabilia in history after it sold for over $10 million in September also via Sotheby's. Bryant, an 18-times All Star and five-times NBA champion, died in a January 2020 helicopter crash that also killed his daughter and seven others. Sotheby's website said the jersey was signed by Bryant and worn by him in 25 of his 82 games that season, including six playoff games. "(It) has become a symbol of his fierce determination and passion that has resonated with audiences across the world."

☆ Iconic Kobe Bryant jersey sells for record $5.8 million at auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Jessica Golden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A jersey that belonged to late basketball star Kobe Bryant, expected to fetch between 5-7 million USD, is displayed at Sotheby's auction house in New York on February 1, 2023. An iconic Kobe Bryant jersey from his MVP season sold for $5.8 million on Thursday, setting a new record. The previous sale record for any item of Kobe Bryant sports memorabilia was set by a game-worn and autographed basketball jersey from the 1996-1997 season, which sold for $3.7 million in 2021. Sotheby's previously estimated the jersey would sell for between $5 million and $7 million. Sotheby's in September sold Michael Jordan's 1998 "Last Dance" jersey for $10.1 million, a record-breaking auction in its own right.

☆ Factbox: Profile of all-time top scorer LeBron James
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 7 (Reuters) - Factbox on LeBron James, who became the NBA's all-time leading scorer on Tuesday. * Averages 20.9 points a game in his debut season to become the first Cavaliers player to win the Rookie of the Year award. * The following year he takes his revenge on the Spurs in the final as the Heat win back-to-back titles. * The Lakers win the 2020 championship title - their first since 2010. * In January 2023, two weeks after his 38th birthday, James becomes only the second player to score 38,000 career points.

☆ The 'Chosen One' fulfils destiny as James claims scoring record
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/3] Feb 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) celebrates after breaking the all-time scoring record in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. For almost four decades fellow Lakers great Abdul-Jabbar had owned the mark and watched as James climbed the scoring table. The Chosen One, now widely referred to as "King James," finished the night with 38 points, bringing his career total to 38,390. The scoring record adds new fuel to the debate over who is the greatest basketball player ever, James or Jordan. "Me personally, I'm going to take myself against anybody that has ever played this game," said James after setting the record.

☆ Abdul-Jabbar blames himself for lack of relationship with James
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 8 (Reuters) - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reflected on the complicated relationship he has with LeBron James a day after sitting courtside to watch the Los Angeles Lakers forward break the NBA career scoring record he set nearly 40 years ago. Not for anything I did, but perhaps for not making more of an effort to reach out to him," Abdul-Jabbar wrote in a Substack blog post on Wednesday. "When he started to make a name for himself, I was already pretty removed from the NBA world," wrote the 75-year-old Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar also said he is happy that James broke his record. His winning in no way affects my winning," Abdul-Jabbar wrote.

James needs 36 points to eclipse Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record of 38,387 points and will get his first chance to do so at home on Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tickets for that game start at $284, 50% higher than the team's season average, according to ticket retailer StubHub. "This might be one of those things that helps endear him to L.A.," said longtime Lakers fan Mike DeMars. "For me it's hard to compare different eras because the game was different back in the 80s and 90s," said Ellis. Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The art of the buffet: Cruise chef of two decades explains how ships feed thousands of passengers at sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Marco Goetz has worked on some of the world's largest cruise ships as an executive chef. "On land, your daily routines are more organized — you know what is coming," Goetz told Insider. The art of the buffetGuests are served food in the Marketplace buffet onboard the cruise ship MSC Virtuosa. Throughout the cruise, buffet options are adjusted in accordance with guests' nationalities, Goetz told Insider. But, cruise ship workers receive living quarters (most chefs have their own cabin) and meals for free.

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