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☆ Opinion: A blistering indictment of the Trump-Biden legacy in Afghanistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The withdrawal agreement was supposed to be predicated on the Taliban negotiating with the elected Afghan government about some kind of power-sharing arrangement and cutting their ties to terrorist groups like al Qaeda. Zawahiri was living in Kabul with the “awareness” of Taliban officials, according to a Biden senior administration official. Worrisomely, al Qaeda is “covertly rebuilding its external operations capability,” according to the UN, i.e., its ability to launch attacks outside of Afghanistan. Of these, an astonishing 35 hold cabinet-level positions in the de facto Afghan government, according to the report. In sum, “debacle” seems almost too kind a word to describe the Trump-Biden legacy in Afghanistan.

Persons: Peter Bergen, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, Biden, Zalmay Khalilzad, “, al Qaeda, Ayman al Zawahiri, Zawahiri, Hibatullah Akhundzada, Edmund Fitton, Brown, ”, Fitton Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, United, US, Afghan, Biden, Trump, US House Foreign Affairs Committee, Taliban, UN, ISIS, Pakistan, Twitter, “, NATO Locations: New America, United Nations, Afghanistan, al Qaeda, United States, Qaeda, Kabul, Pakistani, Afghan, Kandahar, America

☆ Make Way for the Bike Bus
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( John Surico | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On a recent Wednesday morning in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, parents and children met up in McCarren Park with all manner of wheels: electric cargo bikes, scooters, tricycles, classic cruisers. Along the way, other families, tracking the group’s location, joined the slow-moving peloton, also known as the “bike bus.”The bike bus is an increasingly popular way to get to school. Gradually, it made its way stateside and to the Metropolitan area. Some fans have nicknamed the movement “kidical mass,” a play on a cycling event where groups spontaneously take over the streets. When Drury Thorp, a teacher at Watchung Elementary School in Montclair, N.J., read an article about a “bike bus” in Portland, Ore., she reached out to a local cycling group, and they charted a route.

Persons: Pharrell Williams, Drury Thorp Organizations: Watchung Elementary School Locations: Williamsburg , Brooklyn, Brownsville , Brooklyn, Bergen Street, Rockaway, Boerum, Barcelona, Montclair , N.J, Portland ,

☆ Jane Fonda says director asked to sleep with her before filming sex scene
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“Was it a sloppy pass?” asked Andy Cohen, host of the show. “It was a beautiful moonlit night,” said Fonda, who described him as having been “skinny.”Garbo had dived into freezing cold water, Fonda recalled. As his first question, Cohen asked which of those nominations she felt was “most deserving” of the title. She chose the 1982 movie “On Golden Pond,” in which she starred alongside her father, Henry Fonda. Finally, Cohen asked: “After your decades working in the entertainment industry, who do you think is the biggest misogynist in Hollywood?”“Oh my God,” Fonda replied in mock horror.

☆ ‘Book Club: The Next Chapter’ Review: Cinema Pinot Grigio
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Amy Nicholson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The 2018 comedy “Book Club” had a simple, sturdy spine of a plot: Four longtime friends (Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen) power up their sexual prowess while panting over — and mocking — the best seller “Fifty Shades of Grey.” At some point during the brainstorming of “Book Club‌: The Next Chapter,” the returning director Bill Holderman and his co-screenwriter Erin Simms must have decided they could ditch the book gimmick. With a cast this beloved, who cares what they’re reading? This sequel opens with a formal quote from “The Alchemist” and, when pressed, mutters about how its author Paulo Coelho embraces fate. But that’s just a spaghetti-thin excuse to send the pals on a frenetic adventure through Italy with no time to crack open a paperback. Our close familiarity with the cast is the sole thing giving this fluff a sheen of emotional weight.

☆ N.Y. Congestion Pricing Plan Moves a Step Closer to Reality
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Ana Ley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Vehicles carrying people with disabilities and authorized emergency vehicles would be exempt from the tolls. will literally pilfer out of the pockets of Jersey families will go to the M.T.A.”Other critics include taxi drivers, as well as Lyft and Uber drivers. Manhattan residents who live north of the tolling zone have said they fear that motorists, to skirt the new charge, will cluster in their neighborhoods. To the disappointment of those who oppose the plan altogether, protests will most likely not stop transportation officials from moving ahead, though officials have made tweaks to ease concerns. What’s NextOpponents have threatened legal action if the plan continues to advance.

☆ Opinion: From Woody Woodpecker to Mickey Mouse
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. The term is credited to animator Walter Lantz, the creator of Woody Woodpecker. “While I would love to see a progressive in the White House, I am terrified of another Donald Trump presidency. Mickey Mouse warBill Bramhall/Tribune Content Agency“President Franklin Roosevelt launched a war against the Great Depression,” noted Julian Zelizer. “Women still have less access to the internet, with men being 21% more likely to be online than women globally.

☆ Opinion: What happens when you knock on a door
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. In Kansas City, Andrew Lester, an 84-year-old White homeowner shot Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager who rang his doorbell. And, “with Trump as the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, Fox has resumed coverage of him which often veers into the free-advertisement category. Neither Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who announced his candidacy last week, nor Marianne Williamson represents a serious threat, Axelrod noted. “The calendar reads 2023,” wrote the Republican former lieutenant governor of Georgia, Geoff Duncan, “but it feels like 2016 all over again.

☆ Touching the sky: A rare solar eclipse and a new hotel in the clouds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Courtesy Amelia Earhart Hangar MuseumAmelia Earhart wasn’t just the first woman to fly solo over the Atlantic. Camelot Theme Park (England): Set in the leafy Lancashire countryside, the Magic Kingdom of Camelot resurrected tales of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Scott Audette/AP Pripyat Amusement Park (Ukraine): This theme park was orphaned in 1986 following the Chernobyl meltdown just five kilometers (three miles) away. Considered the first theme park in Southeast Asia, it featured an artificial lake, huge swimming pool with giant water slides and a Prehistoric Animal Kingdom. Anne Jones/Alamy Stock Photo 10 fascinating theme parks that have closed forever Prev NextThat’s the question posed by these no-longer-in-operation theme parks around the world.

☆ An Extreme Risk of Taking Ozempic: Malnutrition
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Dani Blum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Almost immediately after starting Ozempic, a diabetes medication known for inducing weight loss, Renata Lavach-Savy, 37, a medical writer in North Bergen, N.J., was left without any semblance of appetite. She was so exhausted that even after 10 hours of sleep, she would collapse onto her couch after work, unable to move. Ms. Lavach-Savy was shocked. She stopped taking Ozempic last fall. Her doctor originally recommended Ozempic because Ms. Lavach-Savy had polycystic ovary syndrome, a hormonal condition that often occurs alongside insulin resistance.

☆ Opinion: The untold story about Anne Frank’s hiding place
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Opinion Roy Schwartz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

British actors Bel Powley and Joe Cole play Miep and Jan, with Liev Schreiber as Otto Frank. Only Otto Frank survived. Anne Frank's (1929-1945) world famous diary charts two years of her life from 1942 to 1944, when her family were hiding in Amsterdam from German Nazis. Anne Frank has particularly been in the zeitgeist in recent years, with the 2021 French animated film “Where Is Anne Frank,” a magical retelling of her story loosely based on the 2018 graphic novel; the 2022 Dutch Netflix movie “My Best Friend Anne Frank,” based on the book “Memories of Anne Frank: Reflections of a Childhood Friend”; the controversial, eventually pulled 2022 book “The Betrayal of Anne Frank”; and “After the Annex: Anne Frank, Auschwitz and Beyond,” coming out in May. While 89% have heard of Anne Frank, 32% don’t know she died in a concentration camp.

☆ ‘World’s longest’ purpose-built cycling tunnel opens in Norway
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

A three-kilometer-long (1.8-mile) cycling and pedestrian tunnel has been blasted through the base of Løvstakken mountain and its makers say it’s the longest purpose-built tunnel of its kind. Ronny Turøy/Bybanen UtbyggingIt takes a little under 10 minutes to whizz through the tunnel by bike and around 40 if strolling by foot. “This makes it more pleasant to use than if one would just walk on asphalt.”The tunnel was constructed in parallel with a new tram line. NCC/Bybanen UtbyggingThe new tunnel came about as a byproduct of Bergen’s second Bybanen tram line, which opened in November 2022. The tram line through the mountain required a parallel evacuation tunnel, so the developers decided to make the new tunnel multipurpose.

☆ Amazon Union President Chris Smalls Seen Fighting Worker in Video
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Katherine Long | Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +27 min

On the night of December 5, the president of the Amazon Labor Union pummeled another union member. Some longtime Amazon Labor Union organizers decided to begin organizing on their own, without Smalls. All three said they believe in Smalls' mission and support the goals of the Amazon Labor Union, but worry about Smalls' ability to lead. Amazon Labor Union members consoled each other after the union lost the vote at its second warehouse, LDJ5, last April. One purpose of the organization appears to be to raise funds for the Amazon Labor Union, according to its certificate of incorporation.

☆ German Leopard 2 tanks have reached Ukraine -security source
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, March 27 (Reuters) - The 18 Leopard 2 battle tanks pledged by Germany to support Ukraine in its war against Russia have arrived in Ukraine, a security source said on Monday, confirming a report by Spiegel news magazine. Besides the 18 main battle tanks, 40 German Marder infantry fighting vehicles, and two armoured recovery vehicles had also reached Ukraine, the security source said. The German army trained the Ukrainian tank crews as well as the troops assigned to operate the Marder vehicles for several weeks on training grounds in Muenster and Bergen in northern Germany. Beyond the German vehicles, three Leopard tanks donated by Portugal also reached Ukraine, according to the security source. Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Rachel More, Editing by Friederike Heine and Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Equinor sees "a lot of interest" in long-term gas deals, CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Nora Buli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Equinor ASA FollowBERGEN, Norway, March 17 (Reuters) - Equinor (EQNR.OL) has seen significant interest among gas buyers in Europe for entering into long-term supply contracts lasting between three and 10 years, the Norwegian company's CEO told Reuters on Friday. "Long-term contracts for us means three to 10 years and we see that there is a lot of interest for long-term contracts at the moment," Equinor CEO Anders Opedal told Reuters. The visit underlines the importance of the relationship between the European Union and non-EU Norway when it comes to energy, Opedal said. "It shows how important it is that we focus both on security of supply and the security on the installations," he said. Troll alone supplies 11% of all gas consumed in the EU, according to Equinor.

TORONTO, March 13 (Reuters) - Last week's sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) could choke funding for Canada's technology start-ups and place them in the hands of domestic lenders who may be more selective in financing new ventures, financiers told Reuters. Companies including Shopify Inc (SHOP.TO) were examples of Canada's tech success story, which helped pull more investments into the sector. Benjamin Bergen, president at Council of Canadian Innovators, a lobby group for Canadian technology companies, agreed. "Before SVB went down, accessing capital was increasingly becoming tighter and tighter for Canadians for startups for scale ups," he said. Aside from the banks, the federal government also has a Venture Capital Catalyst Initiative program that invests in promising Canadian technology companies.

☆ Returning to frontline, Ukrainian Leopard crews see their 'cat' as game-changer
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

FIGHTING ALONGSIDE THE 'CAT'In Bergen, the German trainers were happy with the Ukrainians' performance over their six-week crash course. Of course, they are not heading for the training ground but directly into battle. One of the Ukrainian gunners rejected any talk of fear but warned the Russians to brace for the arrival of the Leopard. "The Leopard tanks will enable us to make the breakthroughs that we need. And other Ukrainian units will feel safer, too, when they fight alongside the cat."

☆ I was an early YouTube creator. Here's how CEO Susan Wojcicki improved the site in 10 years, helping me make money and even find a community of close friends.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Thomas Maxwell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki is stepping down after nearly ten years at the helm. Under her leadership, the video platform cemented itself as a favorite of online creators. YouTube Shorts, the company's direct competitor to TikTok, recently surpassed 50 billion daily views and opened up monetization to creators. Still, under Wojcicki's tenure the video platform was rarely mentioned in discussions about the ills of social media, and the CEO was not regularly hauled in front of Congress like other tech leaders. Under Wojcicki's tenure, YouTube expanded monetization and released a slew of new ways to make money, like a merchandise shop.

☆ U.S. composer Burt Bacharach dies at age 94
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Bill Trott | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Bacharach and David had 30 Top-40 hits in the '60s alone. I'd hear his melodies and I'd hear lyrics. I'd hear rhymes, I'd hear thoughts and I'd hear it almost immediately." Bacharach and David scored the Neil Simon Broadway musical "Promises, Promises," which won them two Tonys and a Grammy. While star performers made his songs hits, Bacharach said he also enjoyed performing himself and making a personal connection with smaller audiences.

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow a couple making $123,000 in North Bergen, NJ spends their moneyLucas Bononi, 31, is a full-time painter bringing in as much as $18,000 per piece. And his wife, Yana Bononi, 29, a full-time fashion influencer, lands deals with brands making her up to $5,000 a post to her 110,000 Instagram followers. The New Jersey-based couple view themselves 'as one' when it comes to their financial habits. This is an installment of CNBC Make It's Millennial Money series, which profiles people across the globe and details how they earn, spend and save their money.

This story is part of CNBC Make It's Millennial Money series, which profiles people around the world and details how they earn, spend and save their money. Lucas and Yana Bononi in New York City. CNBC Make It"I always was very ambitious and saw this as the place for me," Yana tells CNBC Make It. Lucas and Yana Bononi at an art exhibition. Yana Bononi filming a fashion shoot.

☆ Bright lights and snazzy mannequins: Walmart rolls out sleek new store designs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Melissa Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

In company surveys, he said nearly every shopper said the store's displays and mannequins encouraged them to browse longer. Walmart's new store design includes displays that show off how a customer could decorate a nursery or kitchen. Melissa Repko | CNBCWashington declined to share data about Walmart's store traffic and sales at its Springdale store and other flagships that have opened in recent months. Visits to its Walmart store in Springdale, Ark. Victor Millan, of Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, makes weekly shopping trips to the Walmart in Teterboro for groceries and other items.

But a new survey suggests a “disturbing” lack of awareness about the Holocaust in the Netherlands, where she and her family hid for years before being discovered and deported to a Nazi concentration camp. Equally disturbing is the trend toward Holocaust denial and distortion,” Claims Conference President Gideon Taylor said in a press release accompanying the survey. Some of them, a small part, do not even know about the Holocaust,” Dutch Holocaust survivor Max Arpels Lezer, 86, told NBC News by video call from his home in Amsterdam. A memorial at the Westerbork transit camp in the Netherlands, where Dutch Jews were kept before being sent to concentration camps. In 1961, Lezer married Sofia, now 86, who as a child had been hidden by a Dutch family during the war.

☆ 'Rage applying' isn't new — but is it effective? Here's what workplace experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

The 27-year-old is among many young workers who identify with "rage applying," a term that recently went viral on TikTok. Rage applying is a "more aggressive evolution" of what frustrated workers are doing following the "quiet quitting" phenomenon, Zimmerman added. When I was rage applying, it was a way for me to feel like I had control over my life. That is no doubt a major draw for professionals who were or want to be part of "the big quit" and "rage applying." Benefits of rage applyingNevertheless, apart from potential financial gains, rage applying and going for interviews — should you secure any — could be beneficial, said Bergen.

Still, many Germans feel Scholz is not doing a very good job of explaining his thinking. Scholz has so far neither said he would give the green light nor if he would send tanks from Germany. A main reason given is that Russia could see the deliveries of tanks as tantamount to Germany becoming a party to conflict. The Kremlin would be less inclined to retaliate if another nuclear power such as the United States also sent tanks. Already, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has forced Germany to overcome taboos such as exporting arms to war zones.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology removes CO2 emissions from the atmosphere and stores them underground. * Smeaheia, a project by Equinor to develop a storage site in the North Sea with a potential to inject up to 20 mtpa from 2027/2028. The project plans to transport CO2 via pipelines to a storage site some 145 km offshore in the southern North Sea. ICELAND* The Coda Terminal will be a cross-border carbon transport and storage hub in Straumsvík, operated by Icelandic carbon storage firm Carbfix. The full capture, transport and storage chain will handle up to 100,000 mtpa of CO2.

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