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☆ Doing resistance training now helps older adults keep strength 4 years later, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

As people get older, their skeletal muscle function declines, according to the study published Tuesday in the journal BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine. It was up to the individuals whether they continued their strength training regimen or went back to their normal exercise level,Resistance training with heavy loads yielded the greatest long-lasting benefit in leg strength, the study showed. Edwin Tan/E+/Getty ImagesWhat counts as resistance training? You can think of resistance training as “exercises that improve strength by making muscles work against a force,” said CNN fitness contributor Dana Santas, a mind-body coach for professional athletes. “For older adults, resistance training is crucial for maintaining muscle mass, bone density, and mobility,” she said.

Persons: ”, Mads Bloch, John Batsis, Edwin Tan, Batsis, ” Batsis, Dana Santas, Bloch, Ibenfeldt, Santas Organizations: CNN, CNN’s, Exercise, Institute of Sports Medicine, Bispebjerg Hospital, University of North, School of Medicine, Geriatric, Gillings School of Global Public Health Locations: Copenhagen, Denmark, University of North Carolina

☆ AI e-commerce startup Constructor lands $25 million Series B led by Sapphire Ventures without actively fundraising. See the deck it used.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Finkelshteyn, who is Constructor's CEO and cofounder, said he told Dham he didn't have a formal pitch deck prepared. I was never much good at pitching investors and hadn't done it in years, so figured I'd probably get some good practice and some good feedback," Finkelshteyn told Business Insider. Sapphire led Constructor's $25 million Series B, which also included participation from existing investor Silversmith Capital Partners. E-commerce companies use Constructor's tech to serve customers search results based on their browsing history.

Persons: —, Eli Finkelshteyn wasn't, Rajeev Dham, Finkelshteyn, Dham, I'd, Sapphire, we've, there's Organizations: Service, Sapphire Ventures, Business, Capital Partners

☆ Rich tourists rejoice! Greece is finally doing something about the cruise ship problem.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-15 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewTourists headed to the expensive hotels of Mykonos and Santorini: rejoice! About 36 million people visited Greece last year, up 20.8% from 2022, according to data from the Bank of Greece. Advertisement"In Santorini, even tourists complain about the great number of tourists," Greece's ombudsman said in a report released on Thursday. In fact, Koru, the superyacht owned by Jeff Bezos, has already made its way to Greece for the summer.

Persons: —, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Louis Vuitton, Mykonos, Georgios Hatzimanolis, Jeff Bezos Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, Business, Bank of Greece, Bank of, Greek Tourism, Louis Locations: Mykonos, Santorini, Greece, Bank of Greece, Soho

☆ How Elon Musk's massive pay package stacks up against other CEOs
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The results of the Tesla shareholder vote on Elon Musk's pay package will be announced Thursday. And if the pay package does eventually get approved, it's hard to know exactly how much it will be worth when Musk, who is worth $198 billion, per Bloomberg, actually exercises the options. Musk's pay package was worth $2.3 billion when it was granted to him in 2018, though its value has sky-rocketed as the stock ballooned and the various tranches of options vested. "When you start seeing someone making a couple hundred million — $250 million, $220 million — it seems that's when questions and media coverage starts to happen," Schloetzer said. AdvertisementTo put Musk's pay package into perspective, we compared it to those of other CEOs.

Persons: Musk, Tesla, Jason Schloetzer, it's, hasn't, Schloetzer Organizations: Service, Elon, Barclays, Kering, Business, Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, Bloomberg Locations: Delaware, Iceland, Paraguay

☆ Tesla investors approve Elon Musk's $55 billion pay plan
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Grace Kay | Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Tesla announced investors approved Elon Musk's pay package. Tesla is hoping the shareholder ratification will make the judge's ruling moot, but it's not guaranteed. Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementIt's official — Tesla investors voted to approve Elon Musk's pay package.

Persons: Tesla, it's, —, Musk Organizations: Elon, Service, carmaker, Business Locations: Delaware

☆ Swapping TV for activity makes a big impact on how you age, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

For this study, researchers analyzed data from the Nurses’ Health Study of more than 45,000 people age 50 or older in 1992 who were also free of chronic disease, according to the study published Tuesday in the journal JAMA Network Open. On the other hand, adding two hours of light physical activity at work added a 6% increase in the odds of healthy aging. Replacing one hour of sitting to watch TV with light physical activity at home or work was associated with better chances of healthy aging, the study showed. More activity and less sitting while watching TV may give you a better chance at healthy aging, a new study showed. “You’re missing out on all that physical activity, which is truly an unbelievable way to reduce cardiovascular risk and blood pressure,” Freeman said.

Persons: ”, Molin Wang, T.H, Andrew Freeman, Freeman, “, ” Freeman, Time, “ You’re, that’s, they’re Organizations: CNN’s, CNN, of Public Health, Jewish Health, Nurses, JAMA Locations: Chan, Denver

☆ How to behave as a superyacht guest
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-09 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Meantime, Giorgio Armani held a party on his yacht for the likes of Sydney Sweeney and Kerry Washington. Being a guest on a superyacht is probably the best kind of guest to be — but the etiquette aboard the multimillion-dollar vessels comes with its own idiosyncrasies. The very few who need to know them — there are only about 5,800 yachts longer than 30 meters at sea, according to SuperYacht Times — already know them. The price to charter Triumph, a 65-meter superyacht, starts at $650,000 a week. According to the industry standard, owning a superyacht will cost 10% of its new-build price annually.

Persons: —, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Barry Diller, Bezos, Koru, Bill Gates, Ari Emanuel, Leonardo DiCaprio, Eos, Diane von Furstenberg, Candice Bergen, Emma Thompson, Jason Blum, Giorgio Armani, Sydney Sweeney, Kerry Washington, they're, Rich, Fraser, he'd, Superyachts Organizations: Service, Business, SuperYacht, Palm, Breed Media, Fraser Yachts, Lamborghini Locations: superyachts, Aden

☆ Shein wants to sell the supply-chain tech it used to disrupt online shopping. Retail experts say brands may have concerns.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Shein has also grown beyond its fashion roots, selling products in categories such as home goods, electronics, and office supplies. A Shein spokesperson said the company's success did not depend on the de minimis provision. The Shein spokesperson said the company had a "zero-tolerance policy for forced labor" and required its "contract manufacturers to only source cotton from approved regions." "Shein suppliers and third-party sellers are required to comply with company policy and certify their products do not infringe third-party IP." "Currently, Shein just sells the very low-cost products, but including various brands in its platform, it can sell products at various price ranges," he said.

Persons: —, Shein, Donald Tang, Evelyn Gong, who's, It's, confidentially, Prince Ghosh, Ghosh, Christophe Archambault, Gong, minimis, wouldn't, JADE GAO, hasn't, Anand Kumar Organizations: Chain Management, Service, Industry, Wall Street Journal, Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, Research, London Stock Exchange, Brands, Walmart, Walmart Commerce Technologies, Department of Homeland Security, Labor, CNBC, National Retail Federation, Coresight Research, Shein Locations: China, Singapore, Paris, minimis, Shein, Guangzhou

☆ OpenAI is facing controversy. Again.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In today's big story, we're looking at the latest controversy to embroil OpenAI amid a difficult few months for the startup . Their takeaway was simple: OpenAI wants to have it both ways regarding how it's perceived about safety and commercialization. It's structured as a "capped-profit" company governed by a nonprofit, and Altman doesn't hold equity directly in OpenAI. The result, the VC told me, is people feel OpenAI is talking out of both sides of its mouth. It doesn't help that some OpenAI employees joined when that split was closer to 80/20 and favored safety over business, they added.

Persons: —, we've, OpenAI Justin Sullivan, Chelsea Jia Feng, Anthropic signees, Scarlett Johansson, Elon, Madeline Berg, Sam Altman, Altman, Justin Sullivan, OpenAI, It's, Patrick McMullan, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, Izzy Englander's, Griffin's, Marko Kolanovic, ANDREW CABALLERO, REYNOLDS, youngs, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Keith Enright, Alyssa Powell, They've, Shopify, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Jack Sommers, George Glover, Annie Smith Organizations: Service, Business, Google, Millennium Management, Getty Images, Facebook, CNBC, BI, SpaceX Locations: OpenAI, Patrick, It's, Tesla, New York, London

☆ Shaving? Wax? At home laser? Experts share the best way to remove your hair for the summer
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —With hotter weather often comes more skin showing—and for many that means increased sense of pressure to get rid of body hair. Laser hair removal treatments are offered both at dermatologists’ offices and places like medical spas. At home devicesYou might have seen advertisements all over your social media pop up for devices marketed to be like at home laser hair removal. “They may get temporary hair removal, but it’s very difficult to get good permanent hair removal,” she said. Waxing, creams and shavingWaxing and shaving are time honored methods of hair removal, Hooper said.

Persons: Deirdre Hooper, Suzanne Kilmer, ” Hooper, Hopper, ” Kilmer, Hooper, “ You’re, Kilmer, “, ”, haven’t Organizations: CNN, Audubon Dermatology, Surgery, Northern, University of California, Davis Medical, IPL –, IPL Locations: New Orleans, Northern California, Davis , California

☆ It's all unraveling at OpenAI (again)
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

In a statement to Business Insider, an OpenAI spokesperson reiterated the company's commitment to safety, highlighting an "anonymous integrity hotline" for employees to voice their concerns and the company's safety and security committee. Safety second (or third)A common theme of the complaints is that, at OpenAI, safety isn't first — growth and profits are. (In a responding op-ed, current OpenAI board members Bret Taylor and Larry Summers defended Altman and the company's safety standards.) "I have been disagreeing with OpenAI leadership about the company's core priorities for quite some time, until we finally reached a breaking point." (Altman and OpenAI said he recused himself from these deals.)

Persons: —, Sam Altman, Daniel Kokotajlo, OpenAI, Altman, Helen Toner, Tasha McCauley, Toner, McCauley, Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, Kokotajlo, Jan Leike, Ilya Sutskever, Leike, Stuart Russell, NDAs, Scarlett Johansson, lawyered, Johansson, " Johansson, I've, Sam Altman — Organizations: Service, New York Times, Business, Times, Twitter, Microsoft, The New York Times, BI, Street, OpenAI, OpenAI's, Apple Locations: OpenAI, Russian, Reddit

☆ Shopify will stop reimbursing employees for internet costs while remaining a remote-first company
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Shopify told employees late last week that, as of July 1, the company will no longer allow certain types of expense reimbursements. Those expenses include a benefit that allows employees to be reimbursed for up to $55 in monthly internet costs. "The Internet expense was set up to fill a need as the pandemic hit and we transitioned to remote work. AdvertisementThe policy will continue in certain countries and US states where regulations require employers to provide reimbursement for remote work costs. AdvertisementRepresentatives for Shopify did not return BI's request for comment on the changes to its expense policy.

Persons: Shopify Organizations: Service, Business, BI, Employees Locations: Canada, Shopify, mstone@businessinsider.com

☆ Amazon's Shopify killer got off to a slow start, according to sellers and internal emails
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Madeline Stone | Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Rainier...)," Larsen wrote in the email, referring to a snowcapped peak near Seattle, where Amazon is headquartered. Months later, Amazon struck a deal with Shopify that put Buy with Prime on the Shopify merchant marketplace, extending the tool's reach with sellers. Advertisement"When merchants push that metric to >75%, it'll be a good indication that we've found product-market fit," Larsen wrote. To use Buy with Prime, Amazon charges merchants a 3% Prime service fee in addition to fulfillment fees and payment processing fees. However, Piiparinen said the 3% service fee is less than the referral fees merchants pay when selling on Amazon.com.

Persons: —, Craig Leslie, Leslie, It's, Peter Larsen, Andy Jassy, Larsen, Santos, Anders Piiparinen, who's, doesn't, Piiparinen, Amazon's, Smart, ZOA, GreatCircleUS.com, Madeline Stone Organizations: Service, Amazon, Business, Bean Coffee Company, Shoppers, Ekrin Athletics, BI, Prime Locations: . Rainier, ., Seattle, Piiparinen, mstone@businessinsider.com

☆ Don’t drink before your nap on the plane. It could hurt you now and later
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The “fasten seat belt” sign is off, and the time for a nap on your flight is on. On the nights with alcohol, researchers saw a lowered amount of oxygen and an increased heart rate, the study showed. Alcohol gets you sleep — but not good sleepThe study authors didn’t just collect data on heart strain. Alcohol may help you get to sleep, but the quality isn’t as good as sleep while sober, he said. “Many people have witnessed when people drink heavily, their snoring and the sleep apnea is much more severe,” Freeman said.

Persons: ”, Eva, Maria Elmenhorst, Andrew Freeman, didn’t, —, Freeman, ” Freeman, Shalini Paruthi, Paruthi, “ I’ve, “, Shalini Organizations: CNN, DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Jewish Health, Alcohol, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, American Academy of Sleep, Foods Locations: Cologne, Germany, Denver

☆ Rare Hermès Birkin Bags Are up for Auction and May Fetch Over $100,000
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-01 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewIf you're in the market for a Hermès bag that doubles as a doll house, you're in luck — as long as you have $100,000 or so to spare. A new Birkin bag starts at about $10,000 and can cost well into the six figures depending on material, size, and rarity. Since 2022, Hermès bags sold at Christie's auctions have gone for an average of 141% of the lowest estimated price, Christie's said. "Hermès Birkin and Kelly bags, especially the Faubourg bag, for example, are iconic symbols of luxury and status, coveted by collectors worldwide." Courtesy of Christie'sAs the auction demonstrates, luxury handbags — particularly those made by tightly controlled brands like Hermès — are increasingly worthy investments.

Persons: —, Christie's, Birkin —, handmake, Hitha Herzog, Hermès, Faubourg Birkin, Birkin, Nicole Pollard Bayme, Hermès Birkin, Kelly, Chanel, Alexis Clarbour, Louis Vuitton, Yayoi, Dior, Loewe, Roger Vivier Organizations: Service, Business, Rue du Faubourg Saint, Deloitte, Credit Suisse, Madison Avenue Couture Locations: Birkins, Rue, Paris, retails

☆ A Sequoia partner announced he's backing Donald Trump following his felony conviction, highlighting a political shift in Silicon Valley
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. While Silicon Valley has long been a liberal hub, Trump has been courting the big-pocketed tech executives and venture capitalists there. Others, like venture capitalist Marc Andreeson and Rabois, have not announced their support for Trump but have criticized Biden. The members of the monied West Coast class throwing their support behind Trump are mirroring some Wall Street counterparts. AdvertisementOf course, the growing number of influential Silicon Valley voices supporting Trump — Sacks and Palihapitiya have their popular podcast, Musk has his an entire social media platform — are not representative of many of the area's wealthy inhabitants.

Persons: —, Shaun Maguire, Donald Trump —, Maguire, Hilary Clinton, David Sacks, Elon Musk, Keith Rabois, Trump, Chamath, Sacks, week's Trump, Biden, Musk, Marc Andreeson, Steve Schwarzman, he'd, Bill Ackman, Trump — Sacks, Palihapitiya, Marissa Mayer, Vinod Khosla Organizations: Service, Trump, Business, Silicon Valley, Big Tech, Blackstone, Biden Locations: Sequoia

☆ Shopify COO says in leaked memo that the Shopify Plus brand has 'outlived its usefulness' and will no longer be used
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewShopify plans to stop referring to its Shopify Plus offering as a stand-alone brand, according to an internal post viewed by Business Insider. By deprecating the Shopify Plus brand, Shopify could be signaling that it no longer needs or wants to differentiate between its various customer segments. To make this obvious, we started a product line called Shopify Plus and built entire marketing campaigns around the Shopify Plus brand. We built Plus brand as a counter-position to the Shopify brand. Shopify Plus will have all the same brand equity as Shopify Advanced or Shopify Basic.

Persons: —, Kaz Nejatian, Nejatian, Harley Finkelstein, Shopify, Bobby Morrison, Adrianna Burrows Organizations: Service, Business, Shopify, Manhattan Associates Locations: Shopify's, mstone@businessinsider.com

☆ Kids are starting menstruation earlier, study shows. Here is what that means for their health
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Younger generations are getting their first periods earlier, and the length of time it takes to become regular is changing — which could point to later health problems, according to a new study. But other research has documented the trend in first menstrual cycles starting at earlier ages over time. Earlier periods might be associated with high body mass index, or BMI, during childhood, Wang said. “This implies that childhood obesity, which has been increasing in the US, might be contributing to people getting their periods earlier,” Wang added. Physicians should evaluate children with early periods or a long duration of irregular cycles to make sure there isn’t an underlying problem, Feinberg said.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Zifan Wang, Harvard University’s T.H, Wang, ” Wang, Eve Feinberg, ” Feinberg, Feinberg, Shruthi Mahalingaiah, T.H Organizations: CNN, Harvard University’s, of Public Health, Apple, Apple Health, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, ”, BMI, T.H Chan, Physicians Locations: Chan, Chicago

☆ Opinion: Trump trial verdict now hinges on these three questions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Opinion Norman Eisen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —On Tuesday, we at last came to closing arguments in the Manhattan criminal trial of former President Donald Trump after 20 days of trial, testimony from 22 witnesses and over 200 exhibits. Were the 34 allegedly false records actually false? The first pivot point is whether the 34 business records at the heart of the case actually contain false information. And Steinglass pushed back on Blanche’s emphasis on the much-discussed October 24, 2016, Cohen call to Trump’s bodyguard, Keith Schiller. Indeed, Blanche continued, Trump repeatedly disclosed the reimbursement — including on Twitter, a 1099 form to the IRS and a federal financial disclosure form.

Persons: Donald Trump, Todd Blanche, Joshua Steinglass, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Michael Cohen, Blanche, Daniels, ”, Norm Eisen, Madame Tussaud’s, Cohen, Steinglass, Keith Schiller, Schiller, Allen Weisselberg, “, ” Steinglass, …, ” Blanche, Hope Hicks, Madeline Westerhout, Cohen — Organizations: CNN, Trump, Trump Foundation, Trump Organization, Twitter, IRS, New, White House, Facebook Locations: Manhattan, New York

☆ Pregnancy takes 50,000 more calories over 9 months, study shows. That’s 164 Snickers bars
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

In fact, over the course of a pregnancy, creating and carrying a little one takes 49,753 dietary calories — the equivalent of 164 Snickers candy bars, said Dr. Dustin Marshall, a coauthor of the study published May 16 in the journal Science. You can think of it as an additional substantial snack or mini meal in your day around the second trimester, Mokari said. “That’s pretty monumental.”What to eatHow you eat will depend on your pregnancy, Mokari said. Get some sleepThis study also suggests that sleep is probably especially important during pregnancy, Feinberg said. “If you feel tired, go to sleep, and really understand that you’re not being a wimp, that you’re exhausted in pregnancy,” Feinberg said.

Persons: Dustin Marshall, Marshall, ”, Samuel Ginther, ” Marshall, Eve Feinberg, …, dietitian Natalie Mokari, Mokari, “, you’ve, ” Mokari, ” Feinberg, Feinberg Organizations: CNN, Monash University, intuit, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine Locations: Melbourne, Australia, Chicago, Charlotte , North Carolina

☆ Homes on billionaire hot spot Nantucket are falling into the ocean at an alarming rate — but the wealthy won't stop buying
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Madeline Berg | Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Over the past two centuries, Nantucket has gone from a whaling town to a hippie refuge to a holiday hot spot for billionaires. "To use a well-worn phrase, come hell or high water, people are still buying multimillion-dollar homes on Nantucket." Between 2030 and 2100, the number of structures exposed to coastal erosion is expected to go from 113 to 860. "Without erosion, this would be an extremely valuable area," Baxter Road resident Joshua Posner told BI. "It's not inexpensive, but it is worth doing," Posner told BI.

Persons: Steve Schwarzman, Eric Schmidt, Barry Sternlicht, Elizabeth Gibson, David L, Ryan, Bruce Percelay, Edward Sanford's, he'd, Percelay, Greg Mckechnie, you'd, Barry Sternlicht's, Suzanne Kreiter, Shelly Lockwood, who's, I'm, Joshua Posner, Jack Welch, Bill Belichick, —, Sanford, Lockwood, Nature, Yorker Brendan Maddigan, Maddigan, Mckechnie, Schwarzman, She's, Posner, he's, Helmut Weymar, Anne Atherton Organizations: Resilience, Business, Boston Globe, Getty, Estate, Nantucket, Coastal, Nantucket's Cisco, Cisco, Beach, Patriots, Yorker, Preservation Fund, Baxter, Conservation, Conservancy, The New York Times, Conservation Commission, Nature Locations: Nantucket, England, Cape Cod, Nantucket's, Madaket, Sconset, Brant, Baxter

☆ One fun fact you've never learned about each of the 50 states
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Madeline Diamond | Mykenna Maniece | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

You probably learned basic facts about your home state like its flower or bird. But there are many more fun facts you might not know. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementThanks to elementary school projects and random trivia games, you probably remember a few fun facts about your home state like the official bird, flower, or dessert. But there are plenty of more obscure fun facts about each of the 50 states that may surprise you.

Persons: — Organizations: Service Locations: Kentucky, New York, Hawaii

☆ Blue Origin launch of tourism rocket will end nearly 2-year hiatus
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Deblina Chakraborty | Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Blue Origin’s tourism rocket is poised to launch passengers to the edge of space for the first time in nearly two years, ending a hiatus prompted by a failed uncrewed test flight. The New Shepard rocket and capsule are set to lift off during a window that opens at 8:30 a.m. CT (9:30 a.m. New Shepard’s 2022 failureA New Shepard rocket and spacecraft were set to launch a batch of science instruments on September 12, 2022. The New Shepard capsule, which rides atop the rocket, then initiated its launch abort system — firing up a small engine to blast itself safely away from the malfunctioning rocket. Blue OriginNo injuries were reported on the ground, and Blue Origin said the science payloads and the capsule could be flown again.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Mason Angel, Sylvain Chiron, Kenneth L, Hess, Carol Schaller, Gopi Thotakura, Ed Dwight, John F, Kennedy, Dwight, “, ” Dwight, Bob Levey, Shepard program’s, Max Q, Shepard, New Shepard, Lex Fridman, Bezos, ”, William Shatner, Michael Strahan, Madeline Holcombe Organizations: CNN, Shepard, US Air Force, Aerospace Research Pilot School, Air Force, NASA, Corps, Geographic, Origin, New, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, U.S Export Control, New Shepard, “, America Locations: West Texas, Houston, New

☆ Toxic Political Culture Has Even Some Slovaks Calling Country ‘a Black Hole.’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than a quarter century has passed since the United States called Slovakia a “black hole in the center of Europe” — an island of autocratic malaise surrounded by spry new democracies. The insult, leveled in 1997 by Secretary of State Madeline Albright against a country that has since joined NATO and the European Union, still stings. “We are back in a black hole; I’m not sure we ever got out of it,” said Roman Kvasnica, a prominent Slovak lawyer who denounces a political culture in which threats and personal insults are routine. In his own legal work he has faced numerous threats, including a warning that he would get a “bullet in the head” from a tycoon charged with ordering the 2018 murder of an investigative journalist digging into government corruption. Mr. Havel served as the first president of post-communist Czechoslovakia, the state that in 1993 split amicably into the Czech Republic and the Republic of Slovakia.

Persons: spry, Madeline Albright, Robert Fico, Albright, ”, Roman Kvasnica, Vaclav Havel, Havel Organizations: NATO, European Union, Central, Mr Locations: United States, Slovakia, Europe, Central European, Slovak, Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic, Republic of Slovakia

☆ We asked ChatGPT to be a juror in Donald Trump's hush-money trial. It said it would find him guilty.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Madeline Berg | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewIt will be a jury of 12 ordinary New Yorkers that will decide the fate of former President Donald Trump in his ongoing Manhattan hush-money trial. Using that document, we asked various AI chatbots whether they found Trump guilty. They were told to "choose now whether you would find him guilty or not guilty." AdvertisementBut OpenAI's ChatGPT and Perplexity weighed in — and both said they'd find Trump guilty. "I would vote guilty on the charges of falsifying business records," Perplexity responded definitively.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Trump, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Perplexity, they'd, ChatGPT, Trump's, Cohen, David Pecker, Juan Merchan, chatbots Organizations: Service, Business, Prosecutors, New York, Trump, National Enquirer Locations: Manhattan, —, Trump

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