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☆ Chokehold death of homeless man on New York subway ruled a homicide
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

May 4 (Reuters) - The death of a man who was placed in a chokehold by a fellow passenger on a New York City subway train earlier this week has been ruled a homicide by the city's medical examiner as calls for an arrest in the incident have intensified. A video of the incident that has circulated on social media showed an unidentified passenger applying a chokehold to a man identified as Neely on the floor of a subway train for more than three minutes. The altercation occurred after he boarded the train and began saying he was hungry and ready to die, the New York Times reported, citing police. The 24-year-old former Marine who placed Neely in the chokehold was questioned by police and released on Monday, local media reported. Democratic U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose district includes neighborhoods in the New York City boroughs of the Bronx and Queens, said Neely was murdered.

☆ In Deadly Subway Encounter, Questions of Mental Illness and Use of Force
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Maria Cramer | Chelsia Rose Marcius | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Most frequent riders of the New York City subway have seen people acting erratically on trains. Usually, they ignore them, move away from them or switch to another car. On Monday, one rider went up to Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old Michael Jackson impersonator who had been homeless for several years and was screaming that he was hungry and ready to die. Kathy Hochul said she needed to review the incident more closely but called the man’s death troubling. The incident comes as the city grapples with how to reduce both crime and the number of people with mental illness living on the streets, while also respecting the rights of its most vulnerable residents.

☆ Twitter is hiding who paid for a blue check mark while users keep dunking on Elon Musk
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Twitter is hiding who paid for a blue check mark, now noting that the account is simply "verified." The old blue check mark message said the user had "subscribed to Twitter Blue." Elon Musk's social media app is now hiding who paid for its derided Twitter Blue service. Twitter also applied blue check marks to accounts of famous dead people, saying they were Twitter Blue subscribers even though they were very much deceased. As the blue check mark lost its luster, verified power users quickly tried to distance themselves from Musk's push for Blue subscriptions.

☆ Tony Awards Nominations 2023: The Complete List
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Rachel Sherman | Gabe Cohn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Follow our live updates on the Tony Awards nominations. Nominations for the 2023 Tony Awards were announced Tuesday by the actress Lea Michele, who is currently in “Funny Girl” on Broadway, and Myles Frost, who won a 2022 Tony Award for his portrayal of Michael Jackson in the Broadway musical “MJ.” Some categories were read live on CBS at 8:30 a.m. Eastern; others were unveiled through a livestream on the Tony Awards YouTube page. A total of 38 shows were vying for Tony nominations this year. “Some Like It Hot,” a Broadway musical version of the Billy Wilder film, picked up the most nominations of any show, with 13 in all. The musicals “& Juliet,” “New York, New York” and “Shucked” each followed with nine nominations.

☆ Tony Nominations 2023 Live Updates: How to Watch the Announcement
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Michael Paulson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

ETImage Ariana DeBose will return this year after hosting last year’s Tony Awards ceremony. Credit... Sara Krulwich/The New York TimesNominations for this year’s Tony Awards, which honor plays and musicals performed on Broadway, are being announced on Tuesday morning in New York. There are 26 competitive categories, and the Tonys hand out some noncompetitive awards as well. The Tony Awards ceremony, presented by the Broadway League and the American Theater Wing, will be on June 11. To be eligible for this year’s Tony Awards, shows must have opened between April 29, 2022, and April 27, 2023.

☆ Harry Belafonte, who mixed music, acting, and activism, dies at 96
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Bill Trott | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Belafonte was born in New York City's borough of Manhattan but spent his early childhood in his family's native Jamaica. A few weeks before the launch, Belafonte told Rolling Stone magazine that singing was a way for him to express injustices in the world. "We were instructed to never capitulate, to never yield, to always resist oppression," Belafonte told Yes! "The Navy came as a place of relief for me," Belafonte told Yes! Belafonte was the first Black performer to win a major Emmy in 1960 with his appearance on a television variety special.

☆ Factbox: Facts about actor-activist Harry Belafonte
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

* Belafonte received a Tony Award in 1954 for his role in Broadway's "Almanac" and became the first Black actor to win an Emmy for a 1959 television variety special. * Belafonte received three Grammys, including a Lifetime Achievement Award. * Although Belafonte and co-star Dorothy Dandridge were accomplished singers, their vocals in the 1954 movie "Carmen Jones" were sung by LeVern Hutcherson and Marilyn Horne. * Belafonte's movies often had racial themes. * Belafonte produced the 1984 movie "Beat Street," one of the first movies about break-dancing and hip-hop culture.

CNN —Harry Belafonte, the dashing singer, actor and activist who became an indispensable supporter of the civil rights movement, has died, his publicist Ken Sunshine told CNN. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Belafonte, left, plays a school principal in a scene from the film "See How They Run" in 1952. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Belafonte poses with the Emmy Award he won in 1960 for the musical special "Tonight With Belafonte." Fred Sabine/NBCU/Getty Images Belafonte and other recipients of Albert Einstein Commemorative Awards display their medallions after being honored in 1972. He is survived by his wife Pamela, his children Adrienne Belafonte Biesemeyer, Shari Belafonte, Gina Belafonte, David Belafonte, two stepchildren Sarah Frank and Lindsey Frank and eight grandchildren.

☆ Here's some of the best memes about Elon Musk's Twitter Blue chaos
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Jyoti Mann | Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

He started removing all legacy blue checkmarks this week — but it seems to have backfired. Here are some of the best memes to have come from the social-media chaos. Twitter started removing legacy blue checkmarks on Thursday, as Elon Musk targeted what he described as a "deeply corrupted," "lords & peasants" system. Musk is even paying for certain celebrities to stay on Twitter Blue, including Stephen King, LeBron James, and William Shatner — all of whom either criticized the new arrangement or refused to pay. Insider browsed the social-media app for some of the best memes to have come out of the chaos.

☆ Twitter is adding verified check marks to the accounts of dead celebrities, making them look like paid Twitter Blue subscribers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Twitter added verified checks to accounts of dead celebrities to promote Twitter Blue subscriptions. Their accounts said they'd bought a Twitter Blue subscription and verified their phone numbers. Chadwick Boseman's Twitter account, with Twitter Blue subscription badge added posthumously. Anthony Bourdain's Twitter account, with Twitter Blue subscription badge added posthumously. InsiderHowever, the posthumous Twitter Blue badges may run afoul of laws protecting consumers from false endorsements.

☆ Trump isn't the only former president to be embroiled in a hush-money scandal. Here are 10 public figures, including 3 US presidents, who have been accused of making payments to keep people quiet.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( James Pasley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Donald Trump was indicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying documents related to alleged hush-money payments. Several public figures also have similar scandals, including Harvey Weinstein, Michael Jackson, and Bill O'Reilly. US presidents Thomas Jefferson, Warren Harding, and Richard Nixon were all involved in hush money scandals. Other notable politicians who made hush money payments include former treasury secretary Alexander Hamilton and former Sen. John Edwards. Outside of politics, there have been several public figures who made hush money payments including Harvey Weinstein, Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby, Jerry Falwell Jr., and Bill O'Reilly.

☆ I'm a full-time male stripper who makes up to $4,000 a week performing around Australia. Fans have asked me some wild things, but this really is my passion.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Perri Ormont Blumberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Jaxon Human is a full-time male stripper who works for Magic Men Australia. I'm a male entertainer with Magic Men Australia. In 2012, I started my journey as a male stripper with Magic Men Australia, and I'm now a full-time stripper. I applied for Magic Men Australia when I was 18Human performing. My shifts at Magic Men Australia varyThe typical length of a shift varies because of many factors.

☆ Employees at the $2 billion e-commerce startup Rokt once saw a photo of a colleague in blackface during a company Zoom meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Jack Newsham | Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An employee at e-commerce firm Rokt shared a photo of a colleague in blackface, shocking colleagues. An employee shared the photo, from an event in 2012, that appeared to show another employee in blackface and dressed as Michael Jackson. recalled one of more than a half-dozen former employees who told Insider they saw the photo. Rokt said that both employees completed a session of unconscious bias training with an expert facilitator, who also held a session for the whole company. Rokt"We were all, in America, like, 'We don't need to learn about blackface from you,'" the second former employee said.

☆ Current and former Rokt employees told Insider about blackface, booze, and blurred lines
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

They told my colleague Jordan Pandy that Charlotte seemed affordable and diverse on paper. The photo was shown at a company-wide meeting to highlight how "fun" working at $2 billion ad-tech startup Rokt was, an Insider investigation reveals. He said blackface isn't a big deal in Australia, where the company was founded and where the photo was taken. But more than 30 current and former employees told my colleagues Jack Newsham and Madeline Stone that they had a different experience. Come behind the scenes of Rokt with us, where Insider reports that booze and blurred lines flow rampantly.

☆ Blackface, booze, and blurred lines at the $2 billion tech firm Rokt
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Jack Newsham | Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

A cropped version of an image shared with Rokt employees at the 2020 meeting. Buchanan told Insider. "We think it's important that we stand up and fight it," he told Insider when asked about that message. In an email, Viles told Insider that he hasn't had any day-to-day involvement with Rokt since 2020, when he did some contract work. Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesOne employee told Insider they were encouraged to post the photos and proclaim 2023 to be Rokt's "best year yet."

☆ Rise of 'zombie' VCs haunts tech investors as plunging valuations hammer the industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Startup investors are increasingly warning of an apocalyptic scenario in the VC world — namely, the emergence of "zombie" VC firms that are struggling to raise their next fund. Life becomes harder for zombie firms in a higher interest rate environment, as it increases their borrowing costs. Investors expect this gloomy economic backdrop to create a horde of zombie funds that, no longer producing returns, instead focus on managing their existing portfolios — while preparing to eventually wind down. "There are definitely zombie VC firms out there. "We're going to see a lot more zombie venture capital firms this year," Steve Saraccino, founder of VC firm Activant Capital, told CNBC.

☆ Michael Jackson's nephew to play 'King of Pop' in biopic
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Danielle Broadway | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LOS ANGELES, Jan 30 (Reuters) - The late pop singer Michael Jackson will be portrayed by his 26-year-old nephew, Jaafar Jackson, in the biographical movie “Michael," the Lionsgate studio said on Monday. "Michael" will explore “the complicated man who became the King of Pop,” Lionsgate said in a statement. The Jackson family denied those accusations and the Michael Jackson estate won its appeal that year. Jaafar Jackson is the son of Michael Jackson’s older brother, Jermaine Jackson, who is also a singer and producer. “Jaafar embodies my son," said Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson, in the news release.

[1/10] A Boeing E-4B "Doomsday Plane" military aircraft takes off at Joint Base Andrews, in Maryland, U.S., May 11, 2022. But it was in the seemingly endless rows at the back of the new jumbo that the 747 transformed travel. "This was THE airplane that introduced flying for the middle class in the U.S.," said Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith. "Prior to the 747 your average family couldn't fly from the U.S. to Europe affordably," Smith told Reuters. Now, two previously delivered 747s are being fitted to replace U.S. presidential jets known globally as Air Force One.

☆ Mourners gather at Graceland for Lisa Marie Presley memorial
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A sign is seen as music fans pay their respect in memory of singer Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of the "King of Rock 'n' Roll," Elvis Presley, outside of Graceland, at her birthplace in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. January 13, 2023. REUTERS/Karen Pulfer FochtJan 22 (Reuters) - Mourners were heading to Graceland on Sunday morning to pay their respects to singer Lisa Marie Presley at the Memphis, Tennessee, mansion she inherited from her father, rock legend Elvis Presley. Presley died on Jan. 12 at the age of 54. Elvis Presley and other members of his family are buried at Graceland's Meditation Garden. After the burial, a public memorial service is scheduled to take place on the front lawn of Graceland at 9 a.m. CST (1500 GMT), followed by a procession past Lisa Marie Presley's grave.

☆ Lisa Marie Presley, Daughter of Elvis Presley, Dies at 54
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Talal Ansari | Joseph De Avila | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lisa Marie Presley, a singer and recording artist who was the only child of Elvis Presley and was married to pop superstar Michael Jackson, died on Thursday. She was 54. “It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” her mother, Priscilla Presley, said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. “She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known.”

☆ Lisa Marie Presley, the Daughter of Elvis Presley, Dies at 54
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Talal Ansari | Joseph De Avila | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lisa Marie Presley, a singer who was the daughter of Elvis Presley and was the former wife of Michael Jackson, has died. She was 54. “It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” her mother, Priscilla Presley, said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. “She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known.”

☆ How 'Real Housewife' Jen Shah's fabulous life came crashing down
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Stephanie Clifford | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +43 min

The woman wrote to the judge overseeing Shah's case that she'd had to remortgage her house, almost divorced, and "thought about ending my own life." The couple decided that he should get his degree while Jen Shah dropped out of college to work. (Shah told a judge at her 2022 plea hearing that she had been treated for "alcohol and depression" two years prior. Koa Johnson, Jen Shah's former fashion designerWhen Sharrieff Shah did participate in filming, he quickly became a fan favorite, calm and sensible. Once the show aired and Jen Shah developed a fan base, her behavior became more dramatic, Johnson said.

☆ Final farewell: From Sidney Poitier to Pope Emeritus Benedict a look back at the influential figures who died in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +55 min

Other world leaders who died in 2022 include former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died in August. The final days of 2022 saw the loss of some exceptionally notable figures, including Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2022 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___Dan Reeves, 77. A Cuban-born artist whose radiant color palette and geometric paintings were overlooked for decades before the art world took notice. A prolific character actor best known for playing villains and tough guys in “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Ocean’s Eleven” and other films.

☆ I've been a cab driver in London for 20 years. Graveyard shifts were the best — you never know what'll happen in the back of a cab.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Olivia Atkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Asher Moses completed The Knowledge, a memory test, and became a London black-cab driver in 1989. He said the test was very challenging and that he loved the excitement of graveyard shifts. London is the most incredible capital in the world, and I've been a cab driver in the city since 1989. Learning London's road map committed me to become a taxi driver. Memorizing the 46,000 London streets in the 6-mile radius around Charing Cross was one of the most challenging things I've ever done.

☆ Equatorial Guinea president wins re-election, VP says on Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DAKAR, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema has won re-election with 95% of the Nov. 20 vote, his son Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue said on Twitter on Saturday. "The definitive results prove us right again," the vice president tweeted. The West African country of around 1.5 million people has had only two presidents since independence from Spain in 1968. Obiang has always been elected with more than 90% of the vote in polls that international observers have questioned. Critics say Obiang has done little to drag the country out of poverty despite great personal wealth.

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