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☆ Warren Buffett's former deputy slams crypto and meme stocks, heralds AI's 'iPhone moment,' and flags big risks to commercial real estate. Here are the 6 best quotes from her annual letter.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Warren Buffett's ex-deputy blasts meme stocks and cryptos and welcomes a more sensible market. Tracy Britt Cool advises investors to be careful and touts ChatGPT as groundbreaking. Here are the six best quotes from Britt Cool and her Kanbrick cofounder in their annual letter. Tracy Britt Cool and her Kanbrick cofounder, Brian Humphrey, also jabbed at meme stocks and cryptocurrencies, and hailed artificial intelligence as a game-changing technology. (Britt Cool and Humphrey singled out commercial real estate, heavily indebted companies with floating-rate loans, and the mushrooming federal debt as areas of concern.)"

☆ A Florida Republican who sponsored an anti-drag bill 'can't answer' whether his wife's charity event featuring 'sultry performers' would be criminalized under his own law
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Florida Republican couldn't say whether his wife's charity event would flout his anti-drag bill. The wife of Rep. Randy Fine is hosting a gala featuring "sultry performers," and kids have attended in the past. The description for the event advertises an "evening filled with sultry performers." But the lawmaker could not ultimately answer whether such an event would be criminalized if his bill becomes law. "That said, whether this law passes or not, I would agree that children should not be invited to an event involving 'sultry performers,'" he added.

☆ Louisville to hold vigil as family says shooter had mental health issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 12 (Reuters) - Louisville will hold a vigil on Wednesday for those who were killed and wounded in this week's shooting at a downtown bank by an employee who his family said suffered from mental health issues they had been "actively addressing" before his rampage. In a statement released to a TV station in the Kentucky city, the family said there were "never any warning signs or indications he was capable" of carrying out a mass shooting. The station, Fox-affiliated WDRB, provided the statement on its website after receiving it from an attorney for the family on Tuesday evening. The nonprofit group defines a mass shooting as four or more shot or killed, not including the shooter. Police identified the shooter in Louisville as Connor Sturgeon, who was employed at the Old National Bank's downtown branch at the time of the shooting.

☆ Trump praised his family in his post-arraignment speech, but didn't mention Melania, who was nowhere to be seen
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Neither Melania nor Ivanka Trump were seen during Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago speech Tuesday. Donald Jr, Eric and Tiffany Trump all showed up to hear the former president speak. While Donald Jr, Eric and Tiffany Trump and their partners were seen in the ballroom, his wife and eldest daughter were notably absent. During his speech, Trump singled out several family members for praise, including Ivanka — but notably didn't mention his absent wife, a transcript of the speech shows. Speaking about the "fantastic job" his "great family" have done, he indicated Donald Jr, Eric, Ivanka, and Barron Trump, per the paper.

☆ Rep. Andy Ogles, who represents the Nashville district involved in deadly school shooting, posted a gun-toting family photo for Christmas
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rep. Andy Ogles represents the district where a school shooting happened in Nashville on Monday. In 2021, he posted a Christmas message with a photo of his family holding guns. "My family and I are devastated by the tragedy that took place at The Covenant School in Nashville this morning," he wrote. Dozens of Twitter users, however, responded to Ogles' statement by reposting the Christmas photo that he shared on Facebook in 2021. "This response is offensive given your Christmas family photo," wrote Tweets for Democracy.

☆ Congressman who represents the Nashville district involved in deadly school shooting posted a gun-toting family photo for Christmas in 2021
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rep. Andy Ogles represents the Nashville district where a school shooting happened on Monday. In 2021, he posted a Christmas message with a photo of his family holding guns. "My family and I are devastated by the tragedy that took place at The Covenant School in Nashville this morning," he wrote. Multiple Twitter users, however, responded to Ogles' statement with the Christmas photo of his family that he posted on Facebook in 2021. "This response is offensive given your Christmas family photo," wrote Tweets for Democracy.

☆ How drag was pushed back into the shadows in Tennessee
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Now, a Tennessee law restricting drag in front of minors is due to come into force on April 1. Several planned drag events were canceled over the winter after protests, and many venues felt forced to make previously family-friendly drag shows into adults-only events. Drag performers and venue owners say they are worried about their livelihoods and their rights of free expression. The Starbucks say there is no such thing as family-friendly drag; drag performers cite Bugs Bunny, Shakespeare's cross-dressing comedies and the Robin Williams film "Mrs. Doubtfire" among counterexamples. Outside of public Pride events, most Tennessee drag performers largely work in clubs and bars that admit only those over 18.

☆ Virgin Orbit raising $200 million from investor Matthew Brown, closing deal as soon as Thursday
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Virgin Orbit is in final talks to raise funds from Texas-based investor Matthew Brown, two people familiar with the deal told CNBC, amounting to an injection of $200 million. The deal comes as Virgin Orbit scrambles to rebuild its cash coffers and avoid a potential bankruptcy filing, CNBC earlier reported. Virgin Orbit did not respond to CNBC's request for comment. Shares of Virgin Orbit surged 50% in early trading Wednesday from the stock's previous close of 44 cents a share. Virgin Orbit has been looking for new funds for several months, with majority owner Richard Branson unwilling to fund the company further.

☆ Why Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is suing social media companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The lawsuit, which was filed in California federal court, said “the need is great” to continue to fund mental health outpatient programs, mobile crisis units, family-based mental health services, and in-school mental health programming and training to address the mental health of young people. Bucks County is joining a small but growing number of of school districts and families who have filed lawsuits against social media companies for their alleged impact on teen mental health. Some families have also filed wrongful death lawsuits against tech platforms, alleging their children’s social media addiction contributed to their suicides. Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, believes it will be “difficult” for counties and school districts to win lawsuits against social media companies. “There will be the issues of showing that the social media content was the cause of the harm that befell the children,” he said.

☆ Drag queens say they tweak their performances if they notice a kid in the crowd. Republicans have cast the performances as dangerous for children.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A Florida drag queen said performers adjust shows when there are children and families in the crowd. Republicans have targeted drag events for kids, introducing bills to restrict and prohibit attendance. Family-friendly drag events — such as Drag Queen Story Hour, which was established as a nonprofit in 2015 and has since become a national event — are under fire from Republican lawmakers. Bills prohibiting minors from attending drag queen events, banning drag performances in public, and classifying drag performances as adult-oriented businesses have been filed across the United States in recent months. Another drag queen, Venus Envy, told Insider that while they don't solely participate in family-friendly performances, they are accustomed to "tailoring my shows to my audiences."

☆ Chinese tourists are traveling again — but not the way they used to
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

That could mark a significant change in the international travel market, to which Chinese tourists are outsized contributors. In the first half of that year alone, their outbound travel spend surpassed $127.5 billion, a study from Chinese travel booking site Ctrip.com found. Chinese outbound travel is forecast to recover around two-thirds of its pre-pandemic levels in 2023. Leopatrizi | E+ | Getty ImagesBecause of those shortcomings, countries that can accommodate Chinese travelers' shifting needs have emerged as clear winners. Thailand, for instance, offers visas-on-arrival to fully vaccinated Chinese tourists who have travel insurance.

☆ 37.9 million Americans are living in poverty, according to the U.S. Census. But the problem could be far worse.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Juhohn Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

As of January 2021, 37.9 million Americans lived in poverty, accounting for 11.6% of the total population, according to the latest report from the United States Census Bureau. But the number reported by the Census Bureau is based on the official poverty measure, which has remained virtually unchanged since the mid-1960s. Grace Bonilla, president of United Way of New York City, said the official poverty measure doesn't take very obvious indicators into consideration. As a response, the Census Bureau developed the Supplemental Poverty Measure in 2011 as an improvement over the existing measure. The SPM rate for 2021 sat at 7.8%, compared with the official poverty measure rate of 11.6%, mainly due to government relief during the Covid-19 pandemic.

☆ Tennessee governor will sign bills restricting drag, transgender youth treatment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said he would sign into law bills that passed the legislature last week banning gender-affirming treatment for transgender youth and restricting drag performances in public. Lee said the drag bill, which comes into effect April 1, would protect children from being "potentially exposed to sexualized entertainment, to obscenity." Modern drag performances, which have long flourished in LGBT venues before becoming a more mainstream entertainment in recent years, typically do not involve nudity. One of the bills Lee will sign bans doctors from providing gender-affirming medical treatment, such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery, for transgender minors. The Tennessee bills are part of an upswing in recent months in Republican efforts to regulate the conduct of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people.

watch nowThe way in which you and your soon-to-be-ex approach your divorce will have a big impact on the final price tag. If your divorce is contested or your partner isn’t cooperative, it’s important to prepare your financial mindset accordingly. Know the tax consequencesIf you’ve previously enjoyed tax savings from joint filing and/or claiming child-related tax benefits, your first “single” tax bill may be very different from what you’re used to. Many child-related tax benefits such as dependent or education credits can only be claimed by one filer, so you may want to plan ahead and address this in your settlement agreement. Your divorce attorney can work with financial and tax advisors so you are clear on the tax implications and how you can plan ahead.

☆ Salesforce's Marc Benioff has revised a plan to stack rank a bottom 5% and ordered employees back to the office, according to leaked messages
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Ellen Thomas | Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has made revisions to the company's annual strategic plan, including return-to-office mandates and policies that would have implemented stack ranking, according to an internal Slack message viewed by Insider. "He's still pushing performance culture," a Salesforce employee who read the revised draft told Insider. It currently requires three days a week in the office for non-remote employees and four days a week for employees in "non-remote" and "customer-facing" roles. Revenue for fiscal 2022 grew 25%, to $26.5 billion, according to the company's annual report. Or, as an employee previously posted in a Slack channel, "Can execs commit to never referring to Salesforce employees as 'family' again?

☆ Why thinking of your work as a family can be so toxic and what you can do instead
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

As layoffs sweep through the tech sector, it's become more clear: Work isn't your family. The workplace family "works as a means to distract and compel workers to ignore their own exploitation," they added. For some people, like Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, striving for an even distribution of work and personal life doesn't work — he prefers work-life integration instead. But continuing to learn and grow is crucial and often falls by the wayside, Bonilla Zizumbo said. Nurture your professional relationshipsNetworking is another thing that can fall by the wayside when we make work our whole lives, Bonilla Zizumbo said.

As we all find ourselves traveling more, travel insurance continues to be worth considering. Make sure you note whether your travel insurance requires receipts or a doctor's note. Travel insurance reimbursed meAfter our period of isolation and recovery, we finally made it home and I filed a claim with Allianz travel insurance, which I had reluctantly added on when purchasing my flights. It was a good thing we went to the clinic, as I later re-read the travel insurance COVID policy about needing an official medical diagnosis. I spent $54.26 on travel insurance and got reimbursed $555.03, which covered most of our additional expenses from COVID isolation.

☆ 17 products that are worth buying at Dollar Tree — and 15 more you should skip
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

We consulted a shopping expert and several blogs and online reviews to find the best and worst products at Dollar Tree. Here are 15 products to buy at Dollar Tree and 15 to consider skipping. Today, Dollar Tree — which includes its namesake brand as well as Family Dollar and Dollar Tree Canada — has more than 16,000 stores in North America and consistently posts increasing sales. Plus, in addition to using Dollar Tree coupons, you can also use manufacturer coupons to maximize discounts, she added. With that in mind, here are 17 items to buy at Dollar Tree and 15 items to skip.

This year brought a fascinating and eclectic number of books by Latino authors to store shelves and online selections, spanning different genres and earning high praise from readers and reviewers alike. Below is our list of 10 very distinctive works by U.S. Latino authors. The compelling novel has been recognized as one of the top 10 books of 2022 by The New York Times and The Washington Post and as one of the best books of 2022 by Time, NPR, Vogue, Oprah Daily and others. Although Villanueva's life took a different turn, many of his followers and their children, known as "Inca Jews," are still in Israel. She writes about how an abortion saved her life and candidly details her experiences dealing with suicidal thoughts and depression.

☆ I started the Elf on the Shelf with my mom and sister. We self-published a book and took on credit-card debt to turn our family tradition into a business.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Taayoo Murray | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Christa Pitts is the co-CEO of the Lumistella Company, the manufacturer for the Elf on the Shelf. Her family started the business in 2005 after being inspired by their own Christmas family tradition. Facebook / The Elf on the ShelfIn 2005, my mom and Chanda wrote "The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition." In 2020, the company rebranded to the Lumistella Company to better reflect our portfolio of products, entertainment, and experiences. We also started Scout Elf Productions, our own production company, and began developing content around our brands.

☆ These twins started companies together and other cofounders can learn a lot from them about rivalries, comparisons and being close to your business partner
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Having a business partner you are personally close to can be a huge benefit, they said. Torsten Pieper, an academic at UNC Charlotte, told Insider that twins having distinct roles in a business can be beneficial. Research from the Institute for Family Business showed companies that promote themselves as family-run can gain greater trust and are better placed to attract talent. Phan said family businesses inherently care about their communities, because their identity is often attached to the community where they work. As long as we're together, that's greatAll the twins said their businesses have changed the nature of their relationships.

EL PASO, Texas — At a downtown convenience store, María paced anxiously in the cold scanning people arriving at a nearby bus station to find her husband. Migrants who have crossed the border and have been released by Border Patrol wait at the airport in El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday. Erika Angulo / NBC News“There is no capacity in El Paso” shelters, said Fernando García, executive director for the Border Network for Human Rights. When they are processed by Border Patrol, migrants are given paperwork with instructions to show up in 90 days at a specific immigration court. Gabe Gutierrez and Erika Angulo reported from El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and Suzanne Gamboa reported from San Antonio, Texas.

Prosecutors said Wu, through a Berklee-focused WeChat group whose 300-plus members included the activist, demanded that any fliers be torn down and said he was reporting the activist to the public security agency in China. "I already called the tip-off line in the country, the public security agency will go greet your family," Wu wrote, according to a criminal complaint. Prosecutors said Wu in a later WeChat post asked for help determining where the unnamed civic activist lived. "You should wash dishes for the capitalist dogs," Wu wrote, according to the complaint. Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Richard Chang and Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Paul Silas, 3-time NBA champion, longtime coach, dies at 79
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Silas, whose son, Stephen Silas, is coach of the Houston Rockets, was 79. “We mourn the passing of former NBA All-Star and head coach Paul Silas,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “Paul’s lasting contributions to the game are seen through the many players and coaches he inspired, including his son, Rockets head coach Stephen Silas. “I coached LeBron for two years, his first two years, and LeBron was unbelievable,” Paul Silas said. “I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Creighton legend Paul Silas,” Bluejays coach Greg McDermott said.

☆ I called out my aunt, Rep. Vicky Hartzler, after she made a homophobic speech in tears. Since surviving conversion therapy, I want people to know they don't have to accept the hateful rhetoric of thos
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Andrew Hartzler spent years in conversion therapy and attended a religious institution. He called out his aunt, Rep. Vicky Hartzler, after she spoke out against the Respect for Marriage Act. During my second year of college, however, my perspective changed when I came across a HuffPost article that revealed my aunt hosted a conversion therapy group at the US Capitol in 2019. Attending a religious university and experiencing conversion therapy led me to a life of advocating for LGBTQ peopleThe first time I went to conversion therapy, I was 14 going on 15. Conversion therapy makes you feel like you're using 50% of your mind to hide a fundamental part of who you are, and you're told to hate that part of yourself.

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