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☆ Fugees rapper Pras Michel was 'willing to break any laws necessary to get paid' in alleged international fraud scheme, prosecutor said
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The conspiracy and fraud trial of American rapper Pras Michel kicked off on Thursday. Prosecutors alleged that Michel was involved in an international scheme to influence the US government. Michel is accused of working with Malaysian businessman and fugitive Jho Low. "Low had money to burn and the defendant was willing to cash in at any turn," Lockhart said. McMaster, casino mogul Steve Wynn, and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who starred in the 2013 film "The Wolf Of Wall Street" that Low helped fund.

[1/5] Grammy award-winning Fugees rapper Prakazrel (Pras) Michel, who is facing criminal charges in an alleged illegal lobbying campaign, arrives for opening arguments in his trial at U.S. District Court in Washington, U.S., March 30, 2023. "This is a case about foreign money, influence and concealment," Lockhart said during her opening statement in Washington on Thursday. "Through this scheme, the defendant duped the Obama campaign," Lockhart told the jury. For his work on these two lobbying campaigns on behalf of Low and China, prosecutors said Michel was paid $70 million. Low remains a fugitive in the Michel case.

☆ Rapper Pras Michel Is Unlikely Defendant in Case of International Skulduggery
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Former Fugees rap star Pras Michel is trying to beat a case related to one of the largest financial scandals in history, one that has already toppled a prime minister and tarnished the reputation of Goldman Sachs Group Inc.Actor Leonardo DiCaprio , casino mogul Steve Wynn and senior Trump administration officials are among those expected to testify in the Hollywood-meets-Washington trial opening this week against Mr. Michel, who faces numerous criminal charges related to his business relationship with the alleged mastermind of the 1MDB fraud.

☆ Memorable Oscars speeches
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Dave Lucas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"Making The Revenant was about man's relationship to the natural world. A world that we collectively felt in 2015 as the hottest year in recorded history. Our production needed to move to the southern tip of this planet just to be able to find snow. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species, and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating. For our children's children, and for those people out there whose voices have been drowned out by the politics of greed.

☆ ExodusPoint is on the comeback trail after a rocky 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

It's the beginning of the month, which means a chance to see how the top hedge funds are performing. But the top dog among large multi-strategy hedge funds was ExodusPoint. Click here to check out the performance of top hedge funds like Citadel, Millennium, and Point72. Working on Wall Street is so bad this woman left to clean up crime scenes. Stacey Foyster detailed how after a decade on Wall Street in risk analysis, she opted for a career change.

☆ Scientists named a fungicide after Keanu Reeves because it's extremely effective at killing — just like his characters
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Scientists discovered a compound in pseudomonas bacteria that can effectively kill certain fungi. The fungus killer was named after actor Keanu Reeves by German researchers. Researchers at the Leibniz Institute in Germany found certain bacteria naturally contained compounds effective at killing fungi that affect plants and humans. The scientists named them keanumycins A, B, and C — after actor Keanu Reeves. The keanumycins were most effective at killing Botrytis cinerea — a fungus that produces gray mold rot.

☆ Leonardo DiCaprio was interviewed by the FBI over his relationship with a Malaysian businessman involved with the 1MDB scandal, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kim Kardashian were interviewed by the FBI in 2018 and 2019, Bloomberg reported. The stars had received gifts from Jho Low, who is accused of masterminding the 1MDB scandal. Earlier, DiCaprio had to return a number of gifts given to him by Low, including an Oscar won by Marlon Brando. On Thursday, Bloomberg revealed previously undisclosed documents which show the FBI interviewing DiCaprio in 2018 about his relationship with Low. Representatives for Kardashian and DiCaprio did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, sent outside normal working hours.

☆ J. R. R. Tolkien now shares his name with a mystical stream frog found in Ecuador — a country in the literal middle of the earth
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

One researcher told Insider that he could imagine the frog living in Fangorn forest. "The encounter of this frog was very surprising," Sánchez-Nivicela told Insider in an email interview. Because only one Hyloscirtus tolkieni has been discovered thus far, there is still much to learn about how many exist and in what regions they live. Habitat of Hyloscirtus tolkieni (red arrow pointing to collection site); and at the collection site inside the forest (below). The stream frog will take its place among other amphibians that could exist in Middle Earth — including a stubby, wood-loving frog named after Bilbo Baggins that lives on the other side of the Atlantic.

☆ Leonardo DiCaprio's Regeneration VC fills $1.6 million funding gap in AI recycling startup Greyparrot after key investor falls short on commitment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Leonardo DiCaprio's Regeneration VC has plugged a $1.6 million funding gap in Greyparrot. But Una Terra, one of its key backers, was unable the fulfill the entirety of its promised investment. Leonardo DiCaprio-backed fund Regeneration VC has plugged a $1.6. million funding gap in recycling analytics startup Greyparrot after one of its key backers fell short on a promised investment. The founder expects continued growth in waste data, analytics, and reporting as industries are forced to green up.

☆ Biologists found 5 new species of snakes and Leonardo DiCaprio named one that produces a 'musky and distasteful odor' after his mom
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

One of the snakes was named by actor Leonardo DiCaprio in honor of his mother, Irmelin Indenbirken. The snakes are being threatened by mining operations in the country, scientists noted. Biologist Alejandro Arteaga examining a preserved snail-eating snake in a museum Jorge CastilloOf the five species, one — a red-orange snake with large, glowing orange eyes — is called DiCaprio's snail-eating snake. "When threatened, individuals may hide the head among body coils and produce a musky and distasteful odor," the study read. Alejandro ArteagaThe four other snakes include the canopy snail-eating snake, Marley's snail-eating snake — named after the daughter of billionaire Brian Sheth — as well as Vieira's snail-eating snake, and Welborn's snail-eating snake.

☆ Everything coming to — and leaving — Netflix next month, from 'You' season 4 to new episodes of 'Outer Banks'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Netflix just released the list of TV shows and movies that are coming to and leaving the site next month. New seasons of "You" and "Outer Banks" will be added, as will all three "Lord of the Rings" movies. But some titles, including "Scream 4" and "Shutter Island," will be removed in February. NetflixAvailable 2/10/23"10 Days of a Good Man" — Netflix Film"Love is Blind: After the Altar Season 3" — Netflix Series"Love to Hate You" — Netflix Series"Your Place or Mine" — Netflix FilmAvailable 2/13/23"Squared Love All Over Again" — Netflix Film"VINLAND SAGA: Season 2" (new episodes)Available 2/14/23"All the Places" — Netflix Film"A Sunday Affair" — Netflix Film"In Love All Over Again" — Netflix Series"Jim Jefferies: High n' Dry" — Netflix Comedy"Pasión de Gavilanes: Seasons 1-2""Perfect Match" — Netflix Series"Re/Member" — Netflix FilmAvailable 2/15/23"#NoFilter" — Netflix Series"African Queens: Njinga" — Netflix Documentary"CoComelon: Season 7""Eva Lasting" — Netflix Series"Full Swing" — Netflix Documentary"The Law According to Lidia Poët" — Netflix Series"Red Rose" — Netflix SeriesAvailable 2/16/23"47 Meters Down: Uncaged""Ouija""The Upshaws: Part 3" — Netflix SeriesAvailable 2/17/23"A Girl and an Astronaut" — Netflix Series"Community Squad" — Netflix Series"Ganglands: Season 2" — Netflix Series"Unlocked" — Netflix FilmAvailable 2/19/23"Whindersson Nunes: Preaching to the Choir" — Netflix ComedyAvailable 2/20/23"Operation Finale""VINLAND SAGA: Season 2" (new episodes)Available 2/21/23"Perfect Match" — Netflix Series (new episodes)Available 2/22/23"Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal" — Netflix Documentary"The Strays" — Netflix Film"Triptych" — Netflix SeriesAvailable 2/23/23"Call Me Chihiro" — Netflix Film"Outer Banks: Season 3" — Netflix SeriesAvailable 2/24/23"Formula 1: Drive to Survive: Season 5" — Netflix Documentary"Oddballs: Season 2" — Netflix Family"Married at First Sight: Season 12""Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series: Part 2" — Netflix Family"The Real World: Season 12""We Have a Ghost" — Netflix Film"Who Were We Running From?" — Netflix SeriesAvailable 2/27/23"VINLAND SAGA: Season 2" (new episodes)Available 2/28/23"A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou" — Netflix Comedy"American Pickers: Season 15""Perfect Match" — Netflix Series (new episodes)"Too Hot to Handle: Germany" — Netflix SeriesEmma Roberts in "Scream 4."

☆ Streaming services are spending bank on big-budget movies. That's not buying Oscar nods.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Streaming services came up short at this year's Oscar nominations, announced on Tuesday. This year, it only has 15 — nine of which were for its one best-picture contender, "All Quiet on the Western Front." But the nominations also reflect the shifting streaming priorities for media and tech companies coming out of the pandemic. Only one of those four movies got an Oscar nomination — an adapted screenplay nod for "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery." Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone in "Killers of the Flower Moon," an Oscar contender for next year.

☆ Meat cultivated from cow cells is kosher, Israel's chief rabbi rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Ari Rabinovitch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] People prepare Aleph Farms' cultivated thin-cut beef steaks in this handout image taken November 9, 2022. Cultivated meat, grown from animal cells in a lab or manufacturing plant, has been getting a lot of attention as a way to sidestep the environmental toll of the meat industry and address concerns over animal welfare. Jewish dietary law designates kosher meat as having come from a cow slaughtered in accordance with ritual - and requires that it be kept and consumed separately from dairy. Aleph Farms says it collects sample cells from a living animal and then grows more in a cultivator that mimics conditions in the animal's body. While the decision was specific for Aleph Farm's process, it sets a foundation for others.

☆ 18 movies with valuable entrepreneurial lessons: From 'Startup.com' to 'Becoming Warren Buffett'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Vikas Jha | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

Takeaway: This movie shows the effect money, greed and power can have on relationships. "The Social Network" (2010)"The Social Network" shows us that business success requires more than just a great idea. "Becoming Warren Buffett" (2017)In this documentary, Warren Buffett reveals his day-to-day, and his two most important investing rules. Takeaway: This movie shows how two young men were pitted against each other, striving to grow in a cut-throat business. I've found myself feeling motivated after watching a great film with lessons I can transpose to my entrepreneurial journey.

☆ Davos 2023: Brazil lacking world aid to fight climate change, Silva says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

She said Brazil has regained the trust of the European Parliament with regards to resistance to the EU trade deal with South America's Mercosur bloc. Speaking at the World Economic Forum (WEF), Silva said Brazil's new government that took office on Jan. 1, was rebuilding Brazil's environmental agencies and policies that were "completely dismantled" by the previous administration. Silva said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had offered to hold the COP30 climate summit in the Amazon region in 2025 to show its commitment towards curbing in climate change. Silva and Finance Minister Fernando Haddad represented Brazil at the WEF and discussed the country's economic, social and environmental roadmap in a panel. Reporting by Alessandra Galloni in Davos, Anthony Boadle and Eduardo Simoes in Brazil; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ From a Deepfaked Elon Musk to RadioShack’s NSFW Tweets, CMO Today’s Twenty-Two Most-Read Stories of 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Nat Ives | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Our report on deepfakes was the most-read CMO Today story in 2022. Prepare for what’s coming with this list of CMO Today’s most-read coverage in 2022, presented in order of popularity. How NSFW Tweets Plug Into RadioShack’s New Marketing StrategyAbel Czupor, who leads RadioShack’s newly edgy marketing. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CMO Today CMO Today delivers the most important news of the day for media and marketing professionals. Photo: KayakA hospitality empire decided to try its hand at ad sales, too.

☆ The Caregiver's Lament: How to handle the costs of care
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Chris Taylor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

In fact, the United States has 53 million unpaid caregivers, according to a study by the National Alliance for Caregiving and the AARP. No wonder 62% of caregivers for loved ones with disabilities or special needs report being overwhelmed by financial stress, according to Fidelity. However, “programs do exist at the federal and state level to help families and caregivers,” said Dyvonne Body, author of the Aspen Institute report. “In our surveys, 46% of caregivers don’t even think to ask about benefits like that,” said Fidelity’s Stoddard. Long-term care insurance helps with issues like home healthcare and nursing homes, with policy premiums generally cheaper the earlier you secure coverage.

☆ Margot Robbie says tequila shots helped her film nude ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ scenes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —According to Margot Robbie, she needed a little bit of liquid courage to film a now-famous scene in “The Wolf of Wall Street.”The Daily Mirror reported that during remarks at a BAFTA: A Life In Pictures recording, the Australian actress shared some of what happened behind the scenes when she starred as Naomi Lapaglia in the 2013 film opposite Leonardo DiCaprio as real-life stockbroker Jordan Belfort. The pair had a pretty racy nude scene together, and Robbie reportedly said she reached for some tequila to prepare. Margot Robbie and Leonardo Dicaprio in "The Wolf Of Wall Street." Appian Way/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock“I’m not going to lie, I had a couple of shots of tequila before that scene because I was nervous - very, very nervous,” she said. The film went on to be pretty big, unlike what Robbie had imagined.

☆ James Cameron almost didn’t choose Leonardo DiCaprio or Kate Winslet to star in ‘Titanic’
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —James Cameron is sharing some surprising details from the making of his blockbuster hit “Titanic,” which celebrates 25 years of being released next month. In a new video interview with GQ, the iconic director revealed that he almost didn’t end up casting Leonardo DiCaprio or Kate Winslet – his two romantic leads whose careers as major Hollywood movie stars were cemented by the landmark Oscar-winning film. “He came in, he thought it was another meeting to meet Kate,” Cameron described. Cameron remembered how the actor “lit up” and “became Jack,” creating electric chemistry with Winslet later seen plainly in the film itself. “Titanic” sailed into theaters on December 19, 1997 and eventually went on to win 11 Academy Awards, including best director for Cameron.

☆ Jennifer Lawrence says Adele warned her not to do misfire movie ‘Passengers’
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Rumor has it, Adele isn’t just a great singer – she’s also great at career advice. That is, at least, according to Jennifer Lawrence. Regarding her 2016 movie “Passengers,” which co-starred Chris Pratt and stands as one of the less acclaimed films of her decorated career, Lawrence said, “Adele told me not to do it! “I was like, ‘Oh no, you guys are here because I’m here, and I’m here because you’re here. Wait, who decided that this was a good movie?’” the actress told the Times.

The Musk video by reAlpha included “robust disclaimers” establishing it as satire, said Christie Currie, chief marketing officer. The first Musk video went live days after reAlpha launched a public offering under regulation A+ in 2021. But the ease of creating deepfakes means some celebrities could soon be deluged by ads featuring their unauthorized, but very convincing likenesses, Mr. Moss said. At the same time, the language in contracts written years before the technology existed may be vague enough to allow marketers to use existing footage to create new deepfake videos. Companies most often request celebrity deepfake videos to use internally for training, communications, parties or other purposes—but not for ads, said Daynen Biggs, owner of Slack Shack Films, which produced the Elon Musk videos.

☆ Feds plan to call Leonardo DiCaprio and former Trump White House chief of staff John Kelly at trial of Fugees rapper Pras Michel
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Pras Michel, a founding member of the Fugees hip-hop group, is standing trial in DC next month. He's accused of illegally lobbying Trump officials to resolve an inquiry into the 1MDB scandal. In a court filing Sunday, prosecutors revealed a witness list that includes DiCaprio and top Trump administration officials, including former White House chief of staff John Kelly and former national security advisor H.R. As part of the scheme, prosecutors said, Michel recruited about 20 so-called "straw donors" who made campaign contributions with Low's money. Michel is charged with violating both FARA and that other statute, known as 951, in his alleged lobbying schemes.

☆ Vishal Garg wants you to understand why he's still Better's CEO, even after getting ridiculed for brutally laying off 900 people via Zoom
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-03 | by ( Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Vishal Garg, the CEO of Better, spoke out nine months after laying off hundreds of people over Zoom. "I would regularly tell my team that I think I'm the right founder for this company," Garg said. For his younger employees, Queens might be known as a hip borough with diverse populations and menus. But to Garg, Queens was something to be embarrassed by, leading him to pour even more energy into his work. Now at the helm of a slimmed-down Better, Garg is firmly looking forward to the future, SPAC or no SPAC.

☆ Don’t look up: Close encounters of the disaster movie kind
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Gene Seymour | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The latter movie, whose threat was, as with “Don’t Look Up,” a comet, was a more earnest, conscientiously assembled and far less flustered variation on this theme. By the way, I bet you’re wondering whether a feature-length “Chicken Little” movie was ever made. All I’ll say here is that it sounds a lot more interesting than the movie turned out to be. The title character in 2005's animated "Chicken Little" faces ridicule after warning that the sky is falling. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the movies will altogether abandon “Chicken Little” themes.

☆ Leonardo DiCaprio's Regeneration VC backed on-site rental startup Tulu's $25 million Series A after seeing this 12-slide pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US startup hopes people will rent items instead of buying them – shifting to a circular economy. Check out the 12-slide pitch deck it used to secure funding from Leonard DiCaprio's Regeneration VC. A startup banking on a consumer shift from ownership to rental has just topped up its Series A to $25 million, with new backing from Leonard DiCaprio-funded firm Regeneration VC. You need to clean, you need to cook, you need to host; what are the items that you need for that?" Tulu kiosks are in 19 cities in the US, UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and Israel, the company said.

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