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☆ Bob Marley and the Wailers’ ‘Catch a Fire’ Turns 50
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Marc Myers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jamaican music was hardly foreign to American ears or the U.S. pop charts in 1973. Starting with Harry Belafonte ’s recording of “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” in 1956, singles became hits using Jamaica’s brassy ska and mellow rocksteady styles. These included Millie Small’s “My Boy Lollipop” (1964), Johnny Nash ’s “Hold Me Tight” (1968) and “I Can See Clearly Now” (1972), the Beatles’ “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” (1968) and Desmond Dekker & the Aces’ “Israelites” (1968). Then, in February 1973, the Jamaican crime film “The Harder They Come,” starring singer Jimmy Cliff , was released in the U.S. along with the soundtrack album. Many Americans were exposed for the first time to reggae—a bass-heavy rhythmic style that emerged in 1968 with the Maytals’ “Do the Reggay.”

☆ CarMax speeds past quarterly profit estimates on cost cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Carmax Inc FollowAutoNation Inc FollowApril 11 (Reuters) - CarMax Inc (KMX.N) on Tuesday posted fourth-quarter profit above analysts' estimates as cost cutting measures helped the pre-owned car retailer soften the blow from a slowdown in demand for vehicles. Demand for used cars was dented over the past year due to higher borrowing costs and soaring commodity and gasoline prices, weighing on CarMax's results. That demand for vehicles and related services helped auto retailer AutoNation Inc (AN.N) post a better-than-expected quarterly profit when it reported earnings in February. CarMax's adjusted fourth-quarter profit came in at 44 cents per share, ahead of Refinitiv IBES estimates of 24 cents per share. Its quarterly revenue came in at $5.72 billion, below analysts' estimates of $6.04 billion, as affordability concerns impacted sales.

☆ U.S., European Police Shut Down Hacker Marketplace, Make 119 Arrests
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Kim S. Nash | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

The international action conducted Tuesday and Wednesday against Genesis Market, one of the largest so-called initial access brokers in the world, resulted in 119 arrests. The dismantling of Genesis Market follows the arrest last month of a man U.S. prosecutors say ran BreachForums, a site for buying and selling stolen data. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ Pro Cybersecurity Cybersecurity news, analysis and insights from WSJ's global team of reporters and editors. The Treasury Department on Wednesday sanctioned Genesis Market, a so-called initial access broker in operation since 2018. Genesis Market data was provided to the website Have I Been Pwned, so individuals can check whether their credentials have been compromised.

☆ Broad Pay Ranges Can Hamper Cybersecurity Hiring
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Kim S. Nash | Catherine Stupp | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Companies that list wide pay ranges in cybersecurity job descriptions risk setting false expectations and kindling unrest among existing staff. Seven other states have required pay transparency for the past few years. In cyber recruiting, in particular, broad scales can hamper hiring, said Joyce von Seldeneck, founder and chair of Philadelphia-based Diversified Search Group. The last thing a company wants is to go bring candidates through an entire process and disappoint them at the end.”Newsletter Sign-up WSJ Pro Cybersecurity Cybersecurity news, analysis and insights from WSJ's global team of reporters and editors. While some management consultants say pay transparency can light a fire under employees to work harder for higher compensation, Matthias Muhlert, chief information security officer at gummy-bear maker Haribo GmbH & Co., isn’t so sure.

☆ Beep! The barcode turns 50, who invented it?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Dayun Park | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The barcode, that rectangle of thick and thin parallel lines seen on seemingly every grocery product, package, prescription bottle and piece of luggage is turning 50 years old. There’s hardly any products now that don’t use a barcode for identification.”Who got there first? A replica of a package of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit Chewing Gum used in a Smithsonian museum exhibition. The Wall Street Journal, in a 2022 obituary of Collins, gives the nod of inventing the barcode to him. Years later, the Smithsonian had a replica of that Wrigley’s gum installed in a museum exhibition on the history of the barcode.

☆ He Saved His Father’s Rare Car From the Junkyard, and Built a Museum Around It
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( A.J. Baime | Photographs David Williams For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Terry Gale , 62, a retired restaurant and maintenance company owner living in Elizabeth, Colo., on his 1954 Nash Ambassador, as told to A.J. When I was growing up, my dad worked at a Nash car dealership in Price, Utah, where our family lived. In 1971, he traded in his car for a Nash Ambassador, paying an additional $50. He drove the car for a few years, then, one day, my sister-in-law was driving it and the oil pump went out. We had the car towed to our farm and it sat there for 18 years.

☆ Drug developer 89Bio soars as NASH drug succeeds in mid-stage study
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 22 (Reuters) - Drug developer 89Bio Inc <ETNB.O> said on Wednesday its experimental treatment for liver disease NASH met the main goals of a small mid-stage study, sending its shares 30% higher. The drug, pegozafermin, helped reduce liver scarring known as fibrosis as measured on two different scales in patients with NASH, or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, trial data showed. 89Bio said the drug, administered both weekly and every two weeks in the trial, had a safety profile similar to older trials. In the trial, the drug helped significantly reduce fibrosis or liver scarring without the worsening of NASH, compared to a placebo. NASH, a form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, is characterized by the organ developing fibrosis or scarring, which can progress to cirrhosis and liver failure.

☆ ChatGPT Helped Win a Hackathon
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Kim S. Nash | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

The ChatGPT AI bot has spurred speculation about how hackers might use it and similar tools to attack faster and more effectively, though the more damaging exploits so far have been in laboratories. In its current form, the ChatGPT bot from OpenAI, an artificial-intelligence startup backed by billions of dollars from Microsoft Corp., is mainly trained to digest and generate text. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ Pro Cybersecurity Cybersecurity news, analysis and insights from WSJ's global team of reporters and editors. PREVIEWTwo security researchers from cybersecurity company Claroty Ltd. said ChatGPT helped them win the Zero Day Initiative’s hack-a-thon in Miami last month. At the contest, Mr. Moshe and his partner succeeded all 10 times they tried, winning $123,000.

☆ Wall Street analysts say $30 billion lifeline to First Republic should temper future bank runs, boost confidence in sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The move by major banks on Thursday to extend a much needed lifeline to First Republic should help reignite confidence in the sector after a difficult week, Wall Street says. "We view the move by the industry as a positive step to stem contagion amid the regional bank crisis," wrote Evercore ISI's John Pancari in a Thursday note. "We believe the move sends a message of broader stability for the sector and should help further temper depositor fears," and enables the "bank to fight another day." First Republic shares have plummeted 58% this week, after the failure of Silicon Valley Bank triggered a massive selloff among regional bank stocks and panic deposit flight from customers. "It is also a sly vote of confidence in the contributing banks," he said.

☆ Dangers from Hacks Stretch Beyond Broken Computer Systems
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( James Rundle | Kim S. Nash | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Newsletter Sign-up WSJ Pro Cybersecurity Cybersecurity news, analysis and insights from WSJ's global team of reporters and editors. Part of the delay, he said, was in getting details from the cloud company, which he declined to name. Cybersecurity companies should be held to a higher standard than others in relaying information about hacks quickly and thoroughly, Mr. Toubba said. The lessons learned from cyberattacks can be just as important as how a company responds to a breach, security chiefs say. LastPass has also rolled out several security tools in its infrastructure, data center and cloud systems, Mr. Toubba said.

☆ New York bike path attacker spared death penalty after jury deadlocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Jane RosenbergNEW YORK, March 13 (Reuters) - Sayfullo Saipov, the man convicted of killing eight people in an attack on a Manhattan bike path in 2017, was spared the death penalty on Monday after a federal jury deadlocked on whether he should be executed. Saipov's case is the first federal death penalty trial since President Joe Biden, a Democrat, took office in 2021 after pledging during his campaign to abolish capital punishment. Jurors agreed that other aggravating factors weighed in favor of the death penalty, including that Saipov planned his attack in advance and carried it out to support Islamic State. Patton said in his closing argument that the death penalty was "not necessary to do justice." Prosecutors sought the death penalty despite U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland's July 2021 moratorium on federal executions so the Department of Justice could review its use of the punishment.

☆ Bath & Body Works adds director, Third Point backs off proxy fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Shoppers wait in line outside a Bath and Body Works retail store in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., December 8, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoNEW YORK, March 6 (Reuters) - Bath & Body Works Inc (BBWI.N) on Monday named veteran financial executive and board member Thomas Kuhn as a new director, ending a potential challenge from billionaire investor Daniel Loeb's hedge fund Third Point. "Tom’s 35 year history as a respected financial and legal advisor, including working with consumer companies, will bring an important perspective to Bath & Body Works as it focuses on its key strategic initiatives to maximize shareholder value," Bath & Body Works board chair Sarah Nash said in a statement. Bath & Body Works, which is valued at roughly $10 billion, has been operating as a standalone company since 2021. At Bath & Body Works the company was advised by law firm Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz, financial services company J.P. Morgan Chase & Co, proxy solicitor Innisfree M&A Inc and public relations firm Joele Frank.

☆ IRS commissioner nomination advances amid debate over $80 billion agency funding
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Kate Dore | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., speaks during a Senate Finance Committee nomination hearing on Feb. 23, 2021. Greg Nash | Pool | ReutersThe Senate Finance Committee this week voted to advance Daniel Werfel's nomination to become IRS commissioner amid fierce debate over the agency's $80 billion in funding. Following a confirmation hearing on Feb. 15, the bipartisan committee vote was the final step before a full Senate vote for confirmation. Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said Werfel's February testimony demonstrated he's a "rule follower" who will work with "both sides of the Committee." Oversight of IRS funding is a priority for RepublicansThe Senate Finance Committee vote comes amid continued scrutiny of the $80 billion in IRS funding allocated in August through the Inflation Reduction Act.

☆ EVs are billed as the future. But a potential skills gap is sparking concerns about cost and safety
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Thanks to growing concerns about emissions from road-based transportation, several big economies are gearing up for another huge change: the mass rollout of electric vehicles. There are concerns, however, that a skills gap may emerge in the near future, creating a big headache for both the automotive sector and drivers. "Aligned to Auto Trader Insight predictions, this suggests the skills gap — when there won't be enough technicians to service the electrified vehicle parc — will appear in 2029," it added. "But fundamentally, electric vehicles are totally different to internal combustion engine vehicles," he said. 'Chipping away at the skills gap'

☆ Third Point’s Dan Loeb pens a pointed letter to Bath & Body Works – What could happen next
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Kenneth Squire | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

As an example, in April 2019, ABB chairman Peter Voser stepped in as interim CEO of ABB. She would receive this $18 million regardless of how long she served as interim CEO. Ultimately, she served as interim CEO for a full seven months for the $18 million. The Nash-led BBWI board is now doing whatever it can to protect itself from having a shareholder representative on the board. If this goes the distance, we believe Third Point will show the BBWI board how powerful a good argument is.

☆ Third Point's Loeb plans proxy contest at Bath & Body Works
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Bath & Body Works said in a statement late on Wednesday, "The Board strongly disagrees with the views expressed in Third Point's letter." However, it said it would review and consider Third Point's proposed board nominations. Third Point followed through and announced its board challenge hours after Bath & Body Works on Tuesday said that it was adding a second new board member, possibly to assuage the hedge fund's criticisms. Bath & Body Works is valued at roughly $10 billion. This marks Third Point's first proxy fight since 2018 when it challenged Campbell Soup Co.

☆ Bath & Body Works adds second new director amid pressure from Third Point
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Last week Bath & Body Works added Lucy Brady, a senior executive at Conagra Brands (CAG.N) and consumer products veteran to the board, expanding the group to 11 from 10 members. Voskuil and Brady's appointments come weeks after Third Point, which owns a 6% stake in the company, hinted it might push for board seats. In December Third Point announced its stake in a regulatoryfiling and criticized the company's high costs, includinggenerous executive pay. Bath & Body Works, best known for selling soaps, candles andlotions, is valued at $10 billion. Third Point spent an average of $38.16 per share on thestock which is now trading at $40.76.

☆ 2023’s ‘It’ Marble: Six Affordable Ways to Work Calacatta Viola Into Your Decor
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Elizabeth Sweet | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

FOR MOST OF the 2000s, white Calacatta and Carrara marble, with their subtle colorations, reigned as interior design’s status stones. “Everyone” craved the gray and gold hints of color that ran through the marbles popular then, recalled Gabriela Cruz, vice president of operations with Nash Stone Group in Farmingdale, N.Y.What no one would have guessed at the time was that a marble shot through with wine-red veining would dethrone white marbles so handily in the 2020s. But Calacatta Viola, with its rivulets of aubergine and burgundy, has done just that. Today customers want marble with color and life, notes Ms. Cruz, who theorizes that a post-Covid desire for vibrancy is driving the passion for the stone. Chicago designer Caroline Turner, who recently installed a kitchen worktop and backsplash in the material, says demand for Viola has reached a “fever pitch.”

☆ Low-income renters are frustrated by Biden's new plan to make housing more affordable because they don't think it does enough to combat surging rents
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The White House outlined actions it's taking to protect tenants amid rising rents and evictions. Tenants' groups told Insider that they wanted decisive legal and financial action from the president. In addition to that, the White House also published a "Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights," endorsing fair housing practices and a tenants' right to organize. "On the one hand, we are encouraged that the White House has released this Blueprint as a statement of values," Martin said. "As a blueprint, the document's statements don't do anything to materially help improve conditions for renters," he said.

☆ NBA roundup: LeBron James' triple-double sinks Knicks in OT
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Jan 31, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) controls the ball against the New York Knicks during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. James, who missed Los Angeles' Monday defeat to the Brooklyn Nets with a sore left ankle and left foot, finished with 28 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Adebayo grabbed 11 rebounds and Martin hauled in 10 for the Heat, who won for the fourth time in five games. Evan Mobley led Cleveland with 19 points while Jarrett Allen had 14 points and 11 rebounds. Los Angeles capitalized on 20 Chicago turnovers to improve to 2-1 on a six-game road trip and win for the sixth time in seven games.

Nash - one of the United States´ best-known contemporary jazz performers, will lead a project called Jazz X. He and several Cuban musicians will compose new works inspired by visual art in Cuba´s National Museum of Fine Arts, then present them together to the public in several sessions. Well-known Cuban musicians Alejandro Falcón, Arnulfo Guerra y Ruy López Nussa will perform alongside Nash. The project, Nash said, brings together musicians from the two countries, and art of different forms, in a fusion of creativity across cultures and mediums. The U.S. economic embargo on Cuba has for decades restricted most travel and official collaboration between the two countries.

David Crosby, the legendary singer-songwriter and founding member of the Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, has died, a source close to the musician confirmed Thursday. The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee died after a long illness, his wife said in a statement to Variety. "David was fearless in life and in music," Nash said. Crosby, Stills & Nash — later known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young when joined by musician Neil Young — were founded the following year and released a series of hits with "Marrakesh Express," "Just a Song Before I Go," "Woodstock" and others. From left, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills & Nash in San Francisco, on Nov. 23 1991.

Jan 19 (Reuters) - David Crosby, one of the most influential rock singers of the 1960s and '70s with the Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY) has died at the age of 81, Variety reported on Thursday, citing a statement from Crosby's wife. "I don’t know what to say other than I’m heartbroken to hear about David Crosby. He fell "as low as a human being can go," Crosby told the Times. In the 2019 documentary "David Crosby: Remember My Name," he made clear he hoped they could work together again but conceded the others "really dislike me, strongly." After his release, Crosby told People magazine he had beaten his addictions.

☆ 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' takes Best Picture at Critics Choice Awards
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Top movie nominee "Everything Everywhere All at Once" won big at the 28th Critics Choice Awards on Sunday night in Los Angeles, taking home honors for Best Picture as well as directing, screenplay, editing and best supporting actor. The top TV series awards went to "Better Call Saul" for Best Drama and "Abbott Elementary," for Best Comedy. Special awards were presented to Janelle Monáe, who received the #SeeHer award, and Jeff Bridges was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Read the full winners list below. Best Picture“Everything Everywhere All at Once”Best ActressCate Blanchett — “Tár”Best ActorBrendan Fraser — “The Whale”Best DirectorDaniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert — “Everything Everywhere All at Once”Best Limited Series“The Dropout”Best Drama Series“Better Call Saul”Best Young Actor/ActressGabriel LaBelle — “The Fabelmans”Best Comedy“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”Best Acting Ensemble“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”Best Comedy Special“Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special”Best Foreign Language Series“Pachinko”Best Animated Series“Harley Quinn”Best Movie Made for Television“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”Best Actress in a Drama SeriesZendaya — “Euphoria”Best Actor in a Drama SeriesBob Odenkirk — “Better Call Saul”Best Hair and Makeup“Elvis”Best Visual Effects“Avatar: The Way of Water”Best EditingPaul Rogers — “Everything Everywhere All at Once”Best Production DesignFlorencia Martin, Anthony Carlino —Best CinematographyClaudio Miranda — “Top Gun: Maverick”Best Comedy Series“Abbott Elementary”Best Actress in a Comedy SeriesJean Smart — “Hacks”Best Actor in a Comedy SeriesJeremy Allen White — “The Bear”#SeeHer AwardJanelle MonáeLifetime Achievement AwardJeff BridgesBest Animated Feature“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for TelevisionDaniel Radcliffe — “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”Best Costume DesignRuth E. Carter — “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”Best Song“Naatu Naatu” — “RRR”Best ScoreHildur Guðnadóttir — “Tár”Best Original ScreenplayDaniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert — “Everything Everywhere All at Once”Best Adapted ScreenplaySarah Polley — “Women Talking”Best Supporting ActressAngela Bassett — “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”Best Supporting ActorKe Huy Quan — “Everything Everywhere All at Once”Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy SeriesHenry Winkler — “Barry”Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy SeriesSheryl Lee Ralph — “Abbott Elementary”Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for TelevisionPaul Walter Hauser — “Black Bird”Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for TelevisionNiecy Nash-Betts — “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”Best Supporting Actor in a Drama SeriesGiancarlo Esposito — “Better Call Saul”Best Supporting Actress in a Drama SeriesJennifer Coolidge — “The White Lotus”Best Foreign Language Film“RRR”Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made For TelevisionAmanda Seyfried — The Dropout

☆ A Virginia bill would allow a pregnant driver to use the HOV lane by counting the fetus as a person, proving that despite recent failures the fight for fetal personhood is far from over
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Virginia bill would grant a fetus personhood to permit a pregnant driver to use the high-occupancy lane. It follows a similar case where a Texas woman fought a traffic ticket for driving while pregnant in the HOV. The fight over fetal personhood is far from overIn October, the US Supreme Court declined an appeal on the question of whether fetuses have constitutional rights, according to Reuters. The movement to establish fetal personhood began in 1973 following the Roe decision, and US lawmakers were trying as early as 1983 to establish fetal personhood at the national level, according to ProPublica. As of now, Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, and Missouri have some kind of fetal personhood laws on the books, PBS and NPR-affiliate GPB News reported.

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