DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Cate Blanchett dons habit in Australian director's conversion tale
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Alicia Powell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Newcomer Aswan Reid plays the titular 9-year-old New Boy in the film by Warwick Thornton based on his own experience of walking into a church for the first time at the age of 11. "That's a genesis for a great movie," Thornton told Reuters on Saturday, before joking: "You know, written by child and directed by a grumpy old man is probably how it worked." Blanchett's nun sets about trying to convert the boy, who can seemingly heal wounds with his touch and starts bleeding from his palms, in a magical-realist conflict of spirituality. Deborah Mailman, who plays another nun, told Reuters that the film helps viewers understand the emotional gravitas of colonization: "It actually emotionally pushes you to that point of going, 'This is what it is, this is what happened.'" Reporting by Alicia Powell Writing by Miranda Murray; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ In Ancient Egypt, Severed Hands Were Spoils of War
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Franz Lidz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Aristotle called the hand the “tool of tools”; Kant, “the visible part of the brain.” The earliest works of art were handprints on the walls of caves. Throughout history hand gestures have symbolized the range of human experience: power, tenderness, creativity, conflict, even (bravo, Michelangelo) the touch of the divine. The hands, along with numerous disarticulated fingers, were most likely buried during Egypt’s 15th dynasty, from 1640 B.C. Eventually, a few rose to power as the Hyksos, basing their power in Avaris. A recent study published in the journal Nature proposes that the Hyksos had a custom known as the Gold of Valor, which involved taking the hands of enemy combatants as war trophies.

☆ Tombs filled with severed hands suggest warriors in ancient Egypt mutilated their enemies to get war trophies
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Experts have analyzed a pile of severed hands found in a 3,500-year-old temple in ancient Egypt. Their study suggests soldiers took the hands of slain enemies and presented them to their ruler. But archaeological records have suggested that severed hands were presented to kings after big battles. The severed hands could prevent the soldiers from fighting in the netherworld, for instance, per Bietak. Hands were likely removed soon after deathA colorised images shows the hands in the soil.

☆ Mattel introduces first Barbie doll representing a person with Down syndrome
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Mattel on Tuesday introduced its first-ever version of the Barbie doll representing a person with Down syndrome. The new doll is part of Mattel Barbie Fashionistas line, which aims to offer kids more diverse representations of beauty and fight the stigma around physical disabilities. Mattel introduced its first Barbie doll representing a person with Down syndrome. The new Barbie is part of Mattel's Barbie Fashionista line of dolls which champions diverse representations of beauty and appearance. We are proud to introduce a Barbie doll with Down syndrome to better reflect the world around us and further our commitment to celebrating inclusion through play,” she said.

☆ Mattel introduces Barbie doll with Down's syndrome
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, April 25 (Reuters) - Toy maker Mattel (MAT.O) has introduced its first Barbie with Down's syndrome in a bid to make its famous doll range more inclusive. [1/3] French City Counsellor & Author Eleonore Laloux holds the new Barbie doll with Down's syndrome, in Paris, France April 19, 2023. Mattel/Matthieu Suprin/Handout via REUTERS 1 2 3"The doll’s palms even include a single line, a characteristic often associated with those with Down’s syndrome," Mattel said. The doll is dressed is a puff sleeved frock adorned with butterflies and flowers in yellow and blue - colours associated with Down’s syndrome awareness. “Our goal is to enable all children to see themselves in Barbie, while also encouraging children to play with dolls who do not look like themselves," Lisa McKnight, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Barbie & Dolls, Mattel, said in the statement.

☆ Five still critical after Alabama birthday party shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Brendan O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 17 (Reuters) - Five people remained in critical condition on Monday after a weekend shooting at a teenage birthday celebration in rural Alabama that left four dead, hospital authorities said. The shooting occurred during a "Sweet 16" party, authorities said. All four who were killed were high school seniors. One of the four people killed during the violence was a high school football player who was among those attending his sister's "Sweet 16" birthday party, the Montgomery Advertiser newspaper reported. The shooting follows separate outbreaks of deadly gun violence in Tennessee and Kentucky that prompted local leaders to call for tighter gun control measures.

Palm oil prices have fallen some 49% from last year's record, but the tight supply means they are expected to stay above pre-pandemic levels. Another palm oil giant, Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd (KLKK.KL), told Reuters it plans to replant 10,000 hectares this year, up from a lower-than-usual 6,000 hectares in 2022. The scheme targeted replanting of 2.4 million hectares but only managed to replant around 278,000 hectares by February, partly due to land legality issues. We are ageing faster than we are replanting," Malaysia Palm Oil Association chief executive Joseph Tek told Reuters. In Malaysia, replanting costs doubled to around $4,500 per hectare after the pandemic inflated prices of fertiliser and labour.

REUTERS/Lisa Marie DavidANTIPOLO, Philippines, April 2 (Reuters) - Thousands of Filipino Catholics attending church on Palm Sunday marked the beginning of Holy Week with prayers for the health of Pope Francis as they presented palm fronds to be blessed. At a church in Antipolo City about 20 km (12.4 miles) east of Manila, hundreds of devotees attended morning mass and waved palm fronds as a sign of discipleship and remembrance of Jesus Christ. Filipino Catholics this year offered prayers for Pope Francis, who was hospitalised on Wednesday after complaining of difficulty breathing. The pope was discharged from hospital on Saturday after successful treatment for a severe bout of bronchitis and attended a Palm Sunday service in St Peter's Square. "We should all continue praying for our Pope Francis this Lenten season.

☆ I've been a fortune teller since I was 4 years old. I've had plenty of skeptics — but for me, it's not about predicting the future.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Melissa Petro | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Jezmina Von Thiel is a fortune teller from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Von Thiel began her training as a fortune teller at age 4, and started working professionally at 16. I started my fortune teller training when I was just 4 years oldRoma are a diasporic ethnic group originally from Northern India around the 10th century. Courtesy of Jezmina Von ThielMy grandmother taught me that fortune telling was something that I could always fall back on if needed. Fortune telling is an undeniable part of the history, culture, and achievements of our people.

☆ Gen Z wants to run your company. 'Shadow boards' give them a say without handing them the keys.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Oliver Wyman says its shadow board helped contribute to a 30% reduction in attrition in 2022. Andrew Pérez started at the management-consulting company Oliver Wyman three years ago. Oliver Wyman started its shadow board in 2021. Oliver Wyman's executive team tends to be older, while the shadow board skews younger and more diverse. She was eager to join the shadow board last year.

☆ Ukraine's tank force shouldn't stand a chance against Russia's on paper, but dumb mistakes keep tipping the scales
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Russia has more tanks than Ukraine, more updated tanks than Ukraine, and more tank options. All three Western tank models are larger than most Russian tanks and are "quite survivable" thanks to their advanced armor, according to Edmonds. It's still unclear when the Western tanks will arrive or what role they will ultimately play in Ukraine's future offensives. "This stalemated frontline where we are right now, this is not a good environment for tanks," Cancian said. But the number of incoming Western tanks — less than 150 — is unlikely to change the tides of war.

☆ Panera Bread to start using handprints to greet you by name and suggest menu items
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Aidan Pollard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Panera Bread will allow customers to link their handprints to loyalty accounts, the company announced. Panera will use handprints to greet customers by name and suggest menu items based on preferences. It allows Panera employees to greet customers by name and suggest menu items based on their preferences, a company press release said Wednesday. Go customers have the option of linking their palm print to their Amazon accounts, or using a credit card or app. The use of Amazon One technology will be optional at Panera Bread, the company stressed, and private data obtained through the new technology will be protected by security controls.

☆ Amazon has rolled out contactless tech to 200 locations including Panera cafes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Jeffrey Dastin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The e-commerce and cloud-computing giant is widening deployment of its contactless technology with existing customers, Vice President Dilip Kumar said in an interview. Amazon declined to provide growth figures, but in June 2022 the company said more than 69 locations in the U.S. and UK had such technology. On Wednesday the U.S. cafe chain Panera Bread unveiled Amazon One devices, which let customers scan their palms to pay, for two locations in greater St. Louis. Nearly 150,000 employees at tech companies have faced cuts this year alone, according to industry tracker Layoffs.fyi. "It wasn't as bad" for tech companies in the 2008 financial crisis.

☆ BlackRock's Rieder says more volatility could 'play through the financial system'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"My sense is there's still some volatility that's going to play through the financial system." "You've got clearly some additional economic contraction coming from a banking system that is going to pull back on some lending." I think spreads got too tight and I think the market was a little overzealous in all assets," Rieder said. Prior to the failure of Silicon Valley and Signature Bank, Rieder had anticipated the yield would range between 3.50% and 4.25%. Rieder expects the Fed will raise rates by a quarter point and could hike again by another 25 basis points before stopping.

☆ Amazon sued for not telling New York store customers about facial recognition
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Kevin Collier | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

People shop at the newly opened Amazon Go Store on May 07, 2019 in New York City. The cashier-less store, the first of this type of store, called Amazon Go, accepts cash and is the 12th such store in the United States located at Brookfield Place in downtown New York. Amazon did not alert its New York City customers that they were being monitored by facial recognition technology, a lawsuit filed Thursday alleges. The lawsuit says that Amazon only recently put up signs informing New York customers of its use of facial recognition technology, more than a year after the disclosure law went into effect. Perez is represented by the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, a legal advocacy group devoted to New York privacy protections.

☆ The Most Soothing ‘Vacation’ You’ll Take in 2023 Is Only 20 Minutes Long
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Donna Bulseco | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The poet’s palm garden is one of the finest in the world, with over 2,740 palm varieties, representing 400 taxonomic species. Merwin—a future U.S. poet laureate—bought a parcel of land in Ha’iku, on the northeast coast of Maui, Hawaii. Stripped of nutrients by farmers trying (and failing) to grow pineapples, the volcanic-clay topsoil was gone. But the poet and his wife as of 1983, Paula, built a house and went about nurturing the nearly 19 acres back to life. Today, the fruits of their labors—a rustling, sprawling garden of uncommon palms—offer succor to travelers who can wend its paths in real life or via their laptop screens.

☆ Yale expert: This is how you build 1 trait highly successful people share
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The key lies in a simple trait that highly successful people share: self-awareness. For Gendler, who studies how insights from ancient scholars can solve modern problems, building the trait involves tapping into your inner Socrates. Start doing the same for any belief you're trying to unlearn. People on the unstable bridge reported that they felt more attracted to the person alongside them. "Imagine having an inner Socrates with you on the bridge," Gendler said.

☆ Relics found in 23 lead boxes in Mexico City cathedral
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY — Experts restoring the interior of Mexico City’s Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral said Friday they found 23 lead boxes containing religious inscriptions and relics like small paintings and wood or palm crosses. The lead containers are about the size of a mint box, and had written inscriptions dedicated to particular saints. The National Institute of Anthropology and History said they may have been placed there to provide divine protection for the cathedral or the city. The institute said that once they were catalogued, the boxes and their contents would be returned to their niches and re-covered with plaster. A perfectly preserved parchment found in the box described the time capsule’s contents, including 23 medals, 5 coins, and five small crosses made of palms.

☆ I asked 300,000 people to share the tiny habits that changed their lives. Here are the 4 most popular answers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Julian Sarafian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Recently, I asked them: "What small, non-negotiable habit has changed your life the most?" Deeply inhale as you curl your spine, tilting your pelvis up in "cow" position. Then deeply exhale as you arch your spine, tilting your pelvis down in "cat." Deeply inhale as you curl your spine, tilting your pelvis up in "cow" position. Then deeply exhale as you arch your spine, tilting your pelvis down in "cat."

This story is part of Select's New & Notable column, where we highlight our favorite product launches, major sales, what we're buying and some of our latest recommendations and advice. This week, we’ve highlighted Harry’s new razor handle, Parachute’s Spanish-inspired leather chair, Starface’s latest pimple patches, a new towel collection from Onsen and more. Starface, a Select favorite pimple patch brand, launched Micro-Cloud pimple patches. The towels are made from Turkish-grown aegean cotton and come in four sizes: Bath sheet, bath towel, hand towel and face towel. New users who purchase a Fiture mirror between Jan. 1 and Jan. 31 can get a one-year membership for free.

☆ BMW teases a talking car that shifts colors like a chameleon
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Joseph White | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BMW plans to launch a new lineup of electric vehicles, which it is calling the Neue Klasse, or new class. The BMW concept was very much a show car, with elements that could be challenging to put into mass production at competitive prices. But Zipse told a packed theater at the Palms Casino that BMW "will bring this technology into our Neue Klasse ... in serious production." Playing on its long-time slogan "the ultimate driving machine," BMW said the "Dee" technology could make future cars the "ultimate companion." The i Vision Dee car has 240 separate color cells that can change individually.

☆ Iranian Government Relies on Loyal Supporters as Bulwark Against Protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Benoit Faucon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

When Revolutionary Guard member Mohammed Zareh Mowaydi was killed fighting Iranian protesters last month, the military broadcast footage of his body, with a cleric holding up the dead man’s right hand—rough from years as a farmer. “Show us your palms,” the cleric shouted, addressing protest supporters. “You, who claim to free our people, are your palms covered in calluses, too?”

☆ Inside Malibu's largest home for sale: $58.8 million
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Ray Parisi | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The Bali-inspired residence at 11870 Ellice St is perched above the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu is on the market for $58,808,000. The modern glass-and-concrete architecture, called the Kaizen House, is built around an open-air courtyard with lush palms and a koi-filled pond at its center. CNBC's Ray Parisi tours the six-bedroom-ten-bath mansion with co-listing agent Branden Williams president and co-founder of the Beverly Hills Estates Group.

☆ Inside the largest mansion for sale in Malibu, going for $58.8 million
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Ray Parisi | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

watch nowThis $58,808,000 mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean is one of the largest homes for sale in Malibu. The hot neighborhood's top sale closed in October commanding just over $2,500 per square foot, according to public records, way above average for Malibu. After completing the Kaizen House, he listed it in March for $74.8 million — or more than $4,500 a square foot. Here's a look around the $58.8 million Kaizen House:The home's dramatic entrance delivers fire, water, and intricately carved Belgian bluestone walls Simon BerlynHalliday infused the mansion with Indonesian influences that are evident even before stepping inside. Simon BerlynPrimary suite Simon BerlynThe home's upper level includes six ensuite bedrooms, each with its own terrace.

☆ Cameroon strike late to stun Brazil's second-string team 1-0
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Simon Jennings | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

They will face Group H runners-up South Korea, who beat Portugal 2-1, in the next round. Brazil's first-ever defeat to an African opponent at a World Cup will, however, no doubt sting as their reserve players were left to rue the fact they did not take the chance handed to them by their coach. "It's a warning signal," said the 39-year-old Dani Alves, one of the players brought in for the game. Cameroon, whose last win at the World Cup was in 2002 against Saudi Arabia, were on the back foot for most of the match but sprung to life at the death. But in the end it was Cameroon who got the only statistic that actually counted.

Search resuls for: "Palms"

25 mentions found