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☆ Newly Published, From a Bayou Thriller to Drugs in America
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A young Colombian American grapples with injury, a fractured family and his personal identity in this transnational coming-of-age journey. QUICK FIXES: Drugs in America From Prohibition to the 21st Century Binge, by Benjamin Y. Fong. In this account, Fong examines America’s historical relationship to nine different drugs, highlighting the tension between an embrace of pharmaceuticals and the belligerence of the “war” on drugs. FRAGMENTED: A Doctor’s Quest to Piece Together American Health Care, by Ilana Yurkiewicz. Discontinuities caused by insurance companies, reliance on software and contemporary medical culture are the U.S. health care system’s “greatest problem,” writes Yurkiewicz.

Persons: Shumona Sinha, Teresa Lavender Fagan, GREGORIO PASOS, Rodrigo Restrepo Montoya, Benjamin Y, Fong, Ilana Yurkiewicz, ” Organizations: Health Locations: Paris, Colombian American, America, U.S

LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - UK law can accommodate crypto assets by creating a new category of personal property that would include digital assets, independent body the Law Commission said on Wednesday. The group also said the government should create a panel of experts to advise courts on legal issues involving digital assets. These steps would support the UK government's aim of becoming a global hub for crypto assets, the Law Commission said in a statement. “The use and importance of digital assets has grown significantly in the last few years," said Sarah Green, law commissioner for commercial and common law. He asked the Law Commission to review whether current laws can accommodate digital assets.

Persons: Sarah Green, Rishi Sunak, Adam Sanitt, Norton Rose Fulbright, Sanitt, Elizabeth Howcroft, Mark Potter Organizations: Commission, Norton Rose, Thomson Locations: England, Wales

☆ Sheldon Harnick, ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ Lyricist, Dies at 99
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Robert Berkvist | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Lady Bird: First Lady of the Land,” an opera about Lady Bird Johnson, for which he wrote the libretto and Henry Mollicone wrote the music, had its premiere in Texas in 2016 and has been performed in New York and elsewhere. In an interview with The Times, he said that he had no thoughts of retirement, and that he continued to attend every show on Broadway, as he had for many years. He added that he was working on a new show of his own. “I hope I live long enough to complete it,” he said. “I won’t tell you what idea I have, because you’ll steal it.”Robert Berkvist, a former New York Times arts editor, died in January.

Persons: Harnick, ”, Bizet’s “ Carmen, Jinks, Horse Marines ”, Jack Beeson, Norton Juster, Arnold Black, Bird, Lady Bird Johnson, Henry Mollicone, “, ” Robert Berkvist, Peter Keepnews Organizations: Horse Marines, The Times, New York Times Locations: Texas, New York, “ Dragons

☆ ‘Asteroid City’ Review: Our Town and Country
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Manohla Dargis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“Asteroid City,” the latest from Wes Anderson, is filled with the assiduous visuals, mythic faces and charming curiosities that you expect from this singular filmmaker. It’s partly set in 1955 in a fictional Southwest town, a lonely four corners with a diner, gas station and motor inn. Palm trees and cactuses stipple the town, and reddish buttes rise in the distance. It opens in black-and-white on an unnamed television host (Bryan Cranston, severe and mustachioed) in a studio. It looks like a film, a meticulous, detailed, visually balanced wide-screen Wes Anderson one.

Persons: Wes Anderson, Anderson, Bryan Cranston, that’s, Edward Norton, Thornton Wilder’s, John Deere, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda, Tom Hanks, Adrien Brody Organizations: Tilda Swinton Locations: Southwest, Asteroid

☆ The Federal Reserve paused its interest-rate hikes after 10 consecutive increases
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Federal Reserve announced it's pausing interest-rate hikes at its Wednesday meeting. This comes after 10 consecutive interest-rate increases in 15 months. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) announced it's holding interest rates steady at its Wednesday meeting, putting a pause on the central bank's 10 consecutive increases in 15 months. "Without a meaningful downside surprise in both jobs and inflation, a final interest-rate hike remains in the cards for July." Following the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank, credit conditions tightened, in part pushing the Fed to skip this month's rate hike amid a lending pullback.

Persons: —, Jerome Powell, Powell, Seema Shah, Shah, Thomas Simons, Simons, Marta Norton, Kathy Gramling, Gramling, Norton, there's, Price Organizations: Federal Reserve, Service, Market, Fed, Asset Management, Jefferies, Valley Bank, First Republic Bank, Morningstar Wealth's America, EY, Consumer, Morningstar Wealth, Norton

☆ The Fed just paused on raising interest rates. Here's what it means for jobs, prices, and your bank account this summer.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Bartie Scott | Andy Kiersz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it would not raise interest rates this month. It's important to note that a one-time pause doesn't mean interest rates won't rise any more at future meetings, but the committee signaled that an end is in sight. The decision included a projection of two more 25 basis point rate hikes before the end of the year. Critics of the Fed's aggressive rate hikes over the last year have said they risk putting Americans out of work by squeezing businesses. The Fed needs to slow down on these extreme rate hikes and remember its dual mandate of price stability and maximum employment.

Persons: —, Jerome Powell, Noah Sheidlower, Jobs, Massachusetts Sen, Elizabeth Warren, Powell, it's, Joe Brusuelas, Brusuelas, Kathy Gramling, Marta Norton, Norton Organizations: Federal Reserve, Service, Fed, Capital Economics, Food, RSM, EY, Morningstar Wealth's America, Silicon Valley Bank, First, FDIC Locations: Massachusetts, EY Americas, Silicon, First Republic

☆ Canada on track for its worst-ever wildfire season
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Smoke billows upwards from a planned ignition by firefighters tackling the Donnie Creek Complex wildfire south of Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada June 3, 2023. OTTAWA, June 5 (Reuters) - Canada is on track for its worst-ever year of wildfire destruction as warm and dry conditions are forecast to persist through to the end of the summer after an unprecedented start to the fire season, officials said on Monday. "The rate of increase of area burned is also high ... if this rate continues, we could hit record levels for area burned this year," he said. "Over the last 20 years, we have never seen such a large area burned so early in the season," said Yan Boulanger, a researcher with Natural Resources Canada. "Partially because of climate change, we're seeing trends toward increasing burned area throughout Canada."

Persons: Michael Norton, Norton, Yan Boulanger, Justin Trudeau, Trudeau, Ismail Shakil, Alistair Bell Organizations: Wildfire Service, REUTERS, Natural Resources, Flames, Wallbridge Mining Company, Thomson Locations: Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada, OTTAWA, Quebec, Atlantic, of Nova Scotia, Natural Resources Canada, Alberta, United States, Ottawa

☆ All the ways cars suck, according to the guy who wrote the book about it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Knowles told Insider why Americans, and the world, love cars so much, despite the downsides. One person even wrote to The New York Times, suggesting that pedestrians crossing their street should point their guns at anyone driving in self-defense, Knowles wrote. Now, thanks to lobbying efforts by the automotive industry to move pedestrians off the roads and into cars, Americans view cars much differently, he said. Cars suck because they blow — chemicals and particulate matter, that is, Knowles wrote. Despite this, Knowles wrote, cars persist.

☆ The Cannes Film Festival
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Melissa Kirsch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Cannes Film Festival began this week with Maïwenn’s “Jeanne du Barry,” starring Johnny Depp as Louis XV, and ends on May 27 with a new Pixar film, “Elemental.” In between, there will be many screenings, many awkward standing ovations, many awards bestowed. Wes Anderson also has a new one, “Asteroid City,” about a junior stargazing convention. It features many members of the Andersonian repertory — Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody and others. In “Firebrand,” from the Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz, Alicia Vikander plays Catherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII, who’s played by Jude Law. Hirokazu Kore-eda, whose film “Shoplifters” won the Palme d’Or in 2018, has a new film, “Monster.” It stars Sakura Ando from “Shoplifters,” and the composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who died last month, did the score.

☆ ‘Happy Valley’ Review: The End of the Hero’s Journey
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Mike Hale | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

She’s a contemporary knight errant, upholding a code of decency against the terrors of modern life. “Happy Valley,” whose final season premieres on Monday (streaming on Acorn TV and AMC+, broadcast on BBC America), is a pocket-size, prosaic saga — a hero’s tale contained in three six-episode seasons and embedded in a family drama. Like all mythical heroes, Cawood has an antagonist, the psychopathic rapist and killer Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton), who is the father of her grandson. In its structure, “Happy Valley” is very much a traditional British crime series, with seemingly unconnected plot strands and investigations that wind themselves together against a backdrop of cop-shop politics. In the new season’s major subplot, a less-than-sympathetic female character is caught between two seemingly more capable men whose weaknesses run deeper than hers.

May 14 (Reuters) - ONEOK Inc (OKE.N) agreed on Sunday to buy U.S. pipeline operator Magellan Midstream Partners (MMP.N) in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $18.8 billion including debt, bringing natural gas-focused ONEOK into transporting refined products and oil. The deal will give ONEOK, until now a transporter of natural gas liquids and natural gas, access to Magellan's refined products and crude oil transportation business. The combined company will have 44% of its business in NGLs, and 21% in refined products, according to a presentation. The deal comes as U.S. natural gas prices have struggled this year because of oversupply concerns. Crude prices have traded off in 2023 on potential recession fears, although not as badly has natural gas.

☆ ONEOK to buy Magellan Midstream Partners in deal valued at $18.8 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

May 14 (Reuters) - ONEOK Inc (OKE.N) agreed to buy Magellan Midstream Partners (MMP.N) in a cash and stock deal valued at around $18.8 billion including assumed debt to diversify in the midstream oil and gas industry, the company said on Sunday. ONEOK will pay $25 and 0.6670 shares of ONEOK common stock for each outstanding Magellan common unit. The deal is expected to be accretive to earnings per share beginning in 2024, with EPS accretion of 3% to 7% per year from 2025 through 2027, ONEOK said in a statement. Magellan will be merged into a wholly owned subsidiary of ONEOK, with ONEOK CEO Pierce Norton continuing to serve as chief executive officer of the combined company. Reporting by Jyoti Narayan in Bengaluru; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

LIVERPOOL, England, May 13 (Reuters) - The grand final of Eurovision 2023 kicked off on Saturday with last year's winner Kalush Orchestra performing on video in Ukraine and live in Liverpool, the northern English city hosting on behalf of the country that is fighting Russia's invasion. The 26 acts that qualified for the grand final span musical styles from ballads to heavy rock to rap, starting with Austria's Teya & Salena performing "Who The Hell is Edgar? [1/6] Mimicat from Portugal performs during the grand final of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, Britain, May 13, 2023. Pam Minto, a 37-year-old support worker from Liverpool, said she was proud of her city and hoped it was doing Ukraine proud. Ukrainian Anastasiia Iovova, a 31-year-old teacher who is currently living in Leeds, northern England, said Liverpool felt like home abroad.

☆ Factbox: When are the Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals and final?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LIVERPOOL, England, May 9 (Reuters) - Eurovision 2023 has kicked off in Liverpool, northern England, where acts from 37 countries are competing to win the 67th edition of the song contest. There are 37 countries taking part with 31 competing in two semi-finals and 10 going through to the Grand Final. Ukraine, as the previous winner, automatically progresses to the Grand Final, along with the "big five", comprising the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. Semi-final 1: viewers in the 15 countries taking part are eligible to vote, alongside France, Germany, and Italy. Semi-final 2: Viewers in the 16 countries taking part are eligible to vote, alongside Spain, Ukraine, and the UK.

Introduction to Visa Signature BenefitsVisa Signature benefits are a premium offering for cardholders seeking more from their credit experience. Always cross reference Visa Signature benefits with your specific cardholder agreement to ensure that a benefit applies to your card. How to Maximize Your Visa Signature BenefitsMaximizing your Visa Signature benefits means understanding how to leverage every feature. FAQsCan Visa Signature benefits vary by card issuer? Furthermore, Visa Signature cards often come with no foreign transaction fees, which means you can make purchases abroad without incurring additional charges.

Persons: Norton, it's Organizations: Chase, Security, Visa Locations: Chevron

SummarySummary Law Firms Naomi Moore joins from Akin Gump to head DLA Piper's APAC restructuring practiceMoore will split her time between the firm's Hong Kong and Sydney officesMay 2 (Reuters) - Law firm DLA Piper has hired a partner from U.S.-founded rival Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in Hong Kong to serve as its new restructuring practice leader for the Asia Pacific region, the firm said Tuesday. Naomi Moore, who has been on sabbatical since she left Akin Gump in January, will divide her time between DLA Piper’s Sydney and Hong Kong offices, the firm said in a statement. In Hong Kong, Moore joins Trinh Hoang, DLA Piper’s only other restructuring-focused partner in the office, who joined the firm from Linklaters in October last year. Linklaters added a restructuring head in Hong Kong from Allen & Overy in October. An Akin Gump spokesperson wished Moore well on her new role.

☆ Tart cherry juice is a key ingredient in TikTok's 'Sleepy Girl Mocktail'—but can it actually improve your sleep?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The concoction, which consists of magnesium, prebiotic soda and, the key ingredient, tart cherry juice, first blew up when wellness influencer Gracie Norton said it gave her the best sleep of her life. Tart cherry juice is often touted for its positive impact on sleep, but how true are those claims? Can tart cherry juice actually improve your sleep? Tart cherry juice has many different health benefits, and sleep can be one of them. Azizi Seixas Sleep and Circadian Sciences Expert at the University of Miami Miller School of MedicineBut that isn't the only reason why tart cherry juice may positively affect sleep, he says.

☆ U.S. airline loyalty programs can provide buffer from possible recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Rajesh Kumar Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A United Airlines Boeing 737-900ER plane takes off from Los Angeles International airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, California, U.S. March 28, 2018. REUTERS/Mike BlakeCHICAGO, April 4 (Reuters) - U.S. airlines relied on loyalty programs for revenue during the pandemic, and industry executives and experts said income from them should hold up if the economy slips into a recession. Non-flying activities now account for more than half of all miles earned in major loyalty programs, noted Evert de Boer, managing partner at consulting firm On Point Loyalty, making airlines more resilient to economic swings. People curtailed flying during the pandemic, but still spent on airline loyalty credit cards, said JetBlue (JBLU.O) vice president Chris Buckner. Airline loyalty programs are also highly profitable.

☆ It's not easy being a bicyclist in the US. Better infrastructure could help.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Eliza Relman | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Advocates are asking for more funding for bike safety measures, in addition to e-bike tax credits. The best way to address biking safety concerns, advocates say, is to build better bike infrastructure, including a robust system of bike lanes. If passed, the law wouldn't directly address the most pressing safety and infrastructure concerns facing bicyclists, but advocates say it could help. At the same time, this growing community of new bicyclists would likely demand better bike lanes and other infrastructure. Ultimately, advocates say it's about return on investment: More bikes, and better bike infrastructure, could lead to big savings for commuters and a rethinking of how everyone navigates their landscape.

☆ Republicans are reveling in House Democrats' frustrations with Biden after he withholds veto yet again
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

House Democrats are annoyed with President Joe Biden and Republicans can't get enough of it. In the last month, Biden has twice withheld vetoes on GOP-led bills that most House Democrats opposed – and after the White House signaled that Biden opposed them, too. However, before a Senate vote Wednesday night, the White House put out the word that Biden wouldn't veto the bill. House Republicans' campaign arm on Wednesday is seizing on the schism, including a popcorn emoji in an email highlighting such quotes from House Democrats. "House Democrats remain rip-roaring angry at the White House for once again exposing their extremism to voters," said Will Reinert, of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

☆ What would a federal expansion of deposit insurance look like?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

That’s the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s standard limit, meaning any bank deposits up to that amount are protected by the independent government agency. But now there’s growing support for raising that insurance cap. A higher insurance cap doesn’t automatically mean banks will be subject to tighter regulations, Dollar noted, but there could be some call for it. The FDIC insurance limit has been raised seven times since 1950 — and $250,000 also isn’t a calculated number, Collins said. In 2008, the FDIC used the same system for temporary unlimited deposit insurance guarantee on certain accounts.

☆ The CIO of Morningstar Wealth's Americas unit explains why investors focused on the next recession are missing the point — and shares the market areas to buy now for profits in any economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Marta Norton believes that investors hyper-focused on the next recession are missing the point. A glance at the current US economy certainly doesn't paint a very rosy picture for investors. "Very long term return prospects across equities and fixed income are better today than they were a year ago, but markets still aren't priced to really attractive levels," she added. Globally, Norton is also bullish on the communication services due to the sector's attractive valuations and diversification benefits, since some companies have both value and growth characteristics. Norton is also overweight healthcare and consumer staples, two defensive sectors that are more resilient to market volatility and earnings declines.

☆ Democrats are venting over Biden's 'very infuriating' position on DC crime law
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Democrats are "disappointed" and angry with Biden's position on a GOP move to block a DC crime law. "If the President supports DC statehood, he should govern like it," tweeted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. "If the President supports DC statehood, he should govern like it," she tweeted. The resolution's passage would mark the first time the federal government has voted to overrule DC legislation in decades and undermines the campaign for DC statehood. Asked about Biden's decision, Bowman said police unions are powerful.

☆ Rise in Canadian shareholder activism faces test next month with new rules in place
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Maiya Keidan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The country has lagged the rising trend of activism seen globally, but that could be about to change, lawyers say. Some 53 Canadian companies faced activism campaigns in 2022, a 17.8% rise over the previous year, compared with a 10.6% rise in the U.S to 511, showed data from Insightia, a Diligent brand. Previously, shareholders could only vote 'for' a candidate or 'withhold' their vote, meaning a majority was not legally a necessity. While not enshrined in law, majority voting was often adopted by companies in their policy, prior to the change. And oil and mining companies could continue to be the sector that faces activism, say market participants.

☆ Every year, ‘Invasion Day’ forces Australia to confront some painful truths
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Victoria’s state government called time on Melbourne’s Australia Day parade after two years of Covid cancellations, and Kmart, a normal go-to for party supplies, announced it wouldn’t be stocking traditional Australia Day merchandise – clothing, plates, napkins and other memorabilia draped in the Australian flag. Cooper is among a growing band of Indigenous allies who now refer to Australia Day as Invasion Day or Survival Day, after learning more about the nation’s history from those who suffered. Every year, Australia Day – or Invasion Day – forces a difficult conversation about those left behind, and what role everyone can play in finding a way forward. And it really is for many.”The Australia Day Live 2023 concert at Sydney Opera House on January 26, 2023. In the far western Queensland town of Boulia, Beck Britton had been worried that her attempts to throw an Australia Day party could fall flat.

Persons: Fred Leone, ” Leone, ”, Leone, Hilary Whiteman, Union Jack, Kate Darian, Smith, “ It’s, Christine Cooper, she’s, “, Cooper, ” Cooper, Cooper’s, they’re, ” Darian, Karlie Brand, Don Arnold, WireImage, Tracey Hanshaw, Aunties, Beck Britton, Britton, there’s, Jan Norton, wasn’t, Anthony Albanese, ” Albanese, Lidia Thorpe, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, Darian, Justice Aunties, “ We’ve Organizations: Australia CNN, CNN, Union, University of Tasmania, Kmart, Facebook, University of Newcastle, It’s, Nations, Invasion, Australia, First Nations, National, Day Council, Sydney Opera House, ”, Torres Strait Islander, Australian, Aboriginal, Torres Strait, ” Greens, Voice, Commonwealth, Heart Locations: Brisbane, Australia, Musgrave Park, Sydney Cove, Sydney, Musgrave, Brisbane’s, Newcastle, New South Wales, Queensland, Boulia, Britton’s, Melbourne, “

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