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☆ Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers Are Getting Banned in Parts of the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Outsized pollution and noise from devices like gas-powered leaf blowers are driving the efforts. The gas-to-electric transition at the neoclassical landmark, which has stood for more than two centuries in Georgetown, came ahead of a ban on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers that went into effect in the nation's capital last year. California next year will ban the sale of new gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers, among other equipment, though the state will still allow existing devices to be used. That's in part because about 30% of the oil-and-gas mix that powers so-called two-stroke engines, which often run tools like leaf blowers and string trimmers, isn't burned. Whalley was already a proponent of ditching the gas-powered tools because she'd done so at her own home.

Persons: —, It's, Martha Washington, Allyson Whalley, isn't, Kalen Roach, Roach, Whalley Organizations: Service, California Air Resources Board, DC Sustainable Energy, Companies Locations: Washington , DC, Tudor, Georgetown, . California, Washington

☆ Why You Can’t Really Be a Gardener Without Mindfulness
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Margaret Roach | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Marc Hamer was “the gardener,” someone who — for a portion of each day, over a career’s worth of years — knelt for hire, often pulling weeds. He knew that his employers in the big house, wine glasses in hand, would look out and see him in his posture of humility and perhaps say, “The gardener is here,” as if he were nameless and this was his only purpose on earth. But no matter. “It felt like prayer; it felt like I was actually humbling myself, bowing to the universe.”A garden is a place of work, yes. But for anyone with the soul of a gardener — no matter their level of expertise — it is also something else.

Persons: Marc Hamer, ”, —, Hamer Locations: Cardiff , Wales, “

☆ 7 New Songs You Should Hear Now
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Silvana Estrada: “Milagro y Desastre”I always appreciate Jon Pareles keeping an ear out for new artists from a vast variety of cultures and musical traditions. Usually known for her sparse, guitar-driven folk songs, “Milagro y Desastre” — miracle and disaster — is something new for Estrada: a song composed largely with looped, layered fragments of her own voice. (See also: her recent, charming cover of Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner.”) The cooed, percussive notes that provide the song’s rhythmic backbone remind me a bit of Laurie Anderson’s “O Superman,” but Estrada’s impassioned singing and distinct ear for melody ultimately take “Milagro y Desastre” somewhere unique. Rob Moose featuring Phoebe Bridgers: “Wasted”What a name: Rob Moose. Blur: “The Narcissist”Regular Amplifier readers will know about this one already — in its honor, I composed an entire newsletter featuring some of my favorite Blur songs.

Persons: Anohni, —, ” Anohni, Silvana Estrada, “, Jon Pareles, Suzanne Vega’s, Laurie Anderson’s “, Rob Moose, Phoebe Bridgers, Bon Iver, Brittany Howard, Moose, Bridgers, Damon Albarn’s, Graham Coxon’s, Miya, Miya Folick’s, “ Roach Organizations: Spotify, Johnsons, YouTube, Estrada, British Locations: Mexican, Angeles

☆ Quiet, Please: You Are Not Alone in Your Garden
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Margaret Roach | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Spring unfolds each year in color, yes, but also in sound. And, regrettably, in noise — some of it emanating from our gardens. When Nancy Lawson, a Maryland-based naturalist and nature writer, speaks about the voices of frogs or birds, she uses the word “sound.” When she refers to humanity’s voice — the din of mowers, blowers and chain saws — she describes it as noise, specifically “anthropogenic noise.”Her definition: something that is “disrespectful of all the other sounds and runs roughshod over them,” she said, with “often unnecessary rudeness.”These days, we’re not just driving one another crazy with the racket that fills most neighborhoods. We’re “smothering some of the opportunities for animals to communicate through their senses,” she said, “to perceive the world through their senses.”

Persons: Nancy Lawson, ”, we’re, “ Locations: Maryland

☆ US consumer confidence dips to six-month low, labor market views soften
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The Conference Board's consumer confidence index slipped to 102.3 this month, the lowest level since last November, from an upwardly revised 103.7 in April. The cutoff date for the survey, which places more emphasis on the labor market, was May 22. The survey's so-called labor market differential, derived from data on respondents' views on whether jobs are plentiful or hard to get, fell to 31.0, the lowest since April 2021, from 36.9 in April, suggesting the labor market was loosening up. More timely data like first-time applications for state unemployment benefits suggests the labor market remains tight, but is gradually easing. "Investors should expect Friday's job report to reveal emerging cracks in the labor market."

Persons: Christopher Rupkey, Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy, Jeffrey Roach, Nicole Bachaud, Lucia Mutikani, Chizu Nomiyama, Andrea Ricci, Paul Simao Organizations: Labor, Conference, Social Security, Medicare, Reuters, University of, Republican U.S . House, Sunday, U.S . Labor Department, LPL, Treasury, Federal Reserve, National Association of Realtors, Federal Housing Finance Agency, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, New York, North Carolina, U.S, Seattle

☆ The music industry is freaking out about AI — but this artist is embracing the 'new tools'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Jyoti Mann | Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The legality of commercializing AI-generated music is a gray area, experts say. AI music is divisiveAI-generated music is booming — but many people aren't happy about it. He said that although it's important to address concerns about deep fake songs made in the likeness of other artists, AI tools also offer the potential for increased accessibility. Commercializing AI-generated content is complicatedThere's been mounting anxiety over the legality of AI-generated content across creative industries. Weston said that for AI-generated music to be protected, a creator must do something significant with the output.

☆ 'Jeopardy' host Ken Jennings zinged embattled Rep. George Santos after the congressman was the correct answer in a category on the game show
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"Jeopardy" host Ken Jennings zinged George Santos after the GOP Rep. was featured in a clue. "I don't get to say this very much but George Santos is correct," he said during the episode. "Who is George Santos?" "I don't get to say this very much but George Santos is correct," Jennings said in a swipe at the Republican lawmaker. Earlier this month, federal prosecutors charged Santos with wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds, part of a 13-count indictment.

☆ What Makes a Garden a Work of Art? Piet Oudolf Explains.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Margaret Roach | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

There is a transcendent quality to the gardens of the Dutch designer Piet Oudolf, which overtake us with the sense that we have arrived at a place where we would like — and very much need — to spend more time. Drawn into the complex textural mosaic of muted colors, we can exhale. And yet, Mr. Oudolf is quick to point out, his work is the art and craft of garden making. It is not ecological landscape restoration. His medium is naturalistic, yes, but it is not nature.

☆ ‘Compost Happens’ and Other Common-Sense Advice From Experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Margaret Roach | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When it comes to composting, where things break down — or don’t — is often where we get in our own way. We make the whole process too hard by fixating on details instead of the big picture. Commercial composting operations rely on those rules, and the science behind them, to produce material that is consistent and meets regulatory guidelines. We backyard composters can go a little easier on ourselves and still have great results, producing soil-improving bounty from our organic waste. Ms. Novak, who is also the founder and director of Growing Chefs, a field-to-fork food-education program, lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where she composts in her backyard, too.

☆ If You Stop Mowing This May, Will Your Lawn Turn Into a Meadow?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Margaret Roach | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

It’s No Mow May, time for the annual campaign that advocates just what it says: Skip mowing the lawn this month, in the name of providing additional resources for early-season pollinators. One day during the first week of May is the only time all year that I actually do mow several increasingly large swaths of my property. I started growing my first little meadow about 30 years ago, and since then I have stopped cutting a few other areas, too, except for that one day a year. They’re not all desirable, admittedly, as I have made very clear repeatedly, in rude language, to the brambles encroaching on the oldest, largest area. They fight back in their own way, their thorns drawing blood.

☆ US manufacturing contacts again in April but pulls off 3-year low
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The ISM said its manufacturing PMI increased to 47.1 last month from 46.3 in March, which was the lowest reading since May 2020. It was the sixth straight month that the PMI remained below the 50 threshold, which indicates contraction in manufacturing. The proportion of manufacturing GDP with a composite PMI calculation at or below 45 percent - a good barometer of overall manufacturing weakness - was 12 percent in April, compared to 25 percent in March, said Timothy Fiore, chair of the ISM Manufacturing Business Survey Committee. Only two of the six biggest manufacturing industries, petroleum and coal products as well as transportation equipment, reported growth last month. The ISM survey's forward-looking new orders sub-index rose to 45.7 last month from 44.3 in March.

☆ US manufacturing contracts again in April, but pace slows
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The ISM said its manufacturing PMI increased to 47.1 last month from 46.3 in March, which was the lowest reading since May 2020. The ISM said 73% of manufacturing gross domestic product was contracting, up from 70% in March. "The proportion of manufacturing GDP with a composite PMI calculation at or below 45 percent - a good barometer of overall manufacturing weakness - was 12 percent in April, compared to 25 percent in March," said Timothy Fiore, chair of the ISM Manufacturing Business Survey Committee. Only two of the six biggest manufacturing industries, petroleum and coal products as well as transportation equipment, reported growth. Higher prices align with government data showing wages and salaries in the manufacturing industry growing solidly in the first quarter.

☆ U.S. GDP rose at a 1.1% pace in the first quarter as signs build that the economy is slowing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Gross domestic product, a measure of all goods and services produced for the period, rose at a 1.1% annualized pace in the first quarter, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. The growth rate followed a fourth quarter in which GDP climbed 2.6%, part of a year that saw a 2.1% increase. High inflation and slow growth is sometimes described as "stagflation," which characterized the late 1970s and early '80s U.S. economy. The GDP report comes as the Federal Reserve is seeking to slow an economy burdened by inflation that had been running at its highest level in more than 40 years. In a policy tightening regime that began in March 2022, the central bank has raised its benchmark interest rate by 4.75 percentage points, taking it to the highest level in nearly 16 years.

☆ How to Grow Dahlias? A Ceramist Has Some Advice for You
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Margaret Roach | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

It’s time to unpack the dahlias, and Frances Palmer finds herself surrounded by 25 sizable cardboard cartons full of tubers that she dug up and then stored last fall in the frost-proof cellar of her barn. To complete the coals-to-Newcastle scene: Several boxes of new tubers she ordered have just arrived, too. Who could have resisted ordering them, even when already in possession of a massive overwintered inventory? Not Ms. Palmer, a ceramist based in Weston, Conn., whose art and garden have intertwined and grown together over three decades. Dahlias to the max — apparently there can be no such thing as too many dahlias.

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.

☆ Disney and DeSantis have been in a year-long feud that began after the company spoke out against a controversial bill. Here's a timeline of the events.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The feud began after the entertainment giant spoke out last March against a controversial piece of legislation critics have called the Don't Say Gay bill. The state Board of Education voted on Wednesday to expand that law to cover grades 4 to 12. The new district board also is considering more inspection regulations, building workforce affordable housing on land that borders the resort and theme park, and selling the district-owned utilities. It was the first time the board met since the revelation of the agreement between the prior district board members and Disney. On April 19, the state board approved a ban on classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity for all grades, including grades 4-12.

☆ Disney and DeSantis have been in a yearlong feud that began after the company spoke out against a controversial bill. Here's a timeline of the events.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Lloyd Lee | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

After a yearlong feud, Disney sued DeSantis on Wednesday, alleging that the Florida governor tried to "weaponize government power" over the company. The state Board of Education voted on Wednesday to expand that law to cover grades four to 12. Under the leadership of Governor DeSantis, our state has seen record growth in jobs, GDP, and net domestic in-migration. It was the first time the board met since the revelation of the agreement between the prior district board members and Disney. On April 19, the state board approved a ban on classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity for all grades, including grades four through 12.

☆ US stocks fall as weakening data suggests recession coming for the economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

US stocks fell on Thursday after a slew of economic data suggested a recession is coming. Disappointing earnings from Tesla and AT&T led to a 11% sell-off for both stocks. AT&T also reported earnings that fell flat with investors, sending the stock down as much as 11%. And the Philadelphia Fed Factory index reported another contraction in April, representing the eighth consecutive month of declines in manufacturing activity. A recession is all but certain, so the more important question is if markets will hit new lows as the economy contracts.

☆ How Do You Create a Container Garden? Start Here.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Margaret Roach | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

It’s a spring ritual: shopping for plants to fill this year’s pots. The first plant I grab always involves a bit of a ritual, too, aimed at preventing impulse buys that won’t add up to anything visually coherent once I’m back home. I start with a plant with multicolored leaves — an especially showy Coleus, a fancy-leaf begonia houseplant or maybe a copperleaf plant (Acalypha). The color scheme in the plant’s leaves becomes my inspiration as I look to make pleasing combinations from the options lining the garden-center benches. I latched onto this strategy years ago after I heard Bob Hyland suggest it to a group of gardeners at his former nursery in the Hudson Valley — one of various ideas he shared to help focus their container planning.

☆ This clothing stock can jump more than 20% on new products, strong management strategy, Goldman Sachs says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Goldman Sachs thinks VF Corp 's latest strategic moves will boost the stock. The firm double upgraded the parent company of Vans and The North Face to buy from sell with a new price target of $27 per share. "Looking ahead, we believe strategic initiatives now in place to improve execution will drive relative outperformance in the stock," Roach said. Budrul Chukrut | LightRocket | Getty ImagesGoldman Sachs thinks VF Corp 's latest strategic moves will boost the stock. VF Corp VFC ANALYST CONSENSUS 22 Ratings Hold 2 Strong Buy 2 Strong Buy 5 Buy 5 Buy 11 Hold 11 Hold 4 Underperform 4 Underperform 0 Sell 0 Sell 38.00 Highest Price Target Upside (32.22%) 28.85 Average Price Target 18.00 Lowest Price Target

☆ Inflation rises just 0.1% in March and 5% from a year ago as Fed rate hikes take hold
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Inflation cooled in March as the Federal Reserve's interest rate increases showed more impact, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. The data showed that while inflation is still well above where the Fed feels comfortable, it is at least showing continuing signs of decelerating. Policymakers target inflation around 2% as a healthy and sustainable growth level. A 0.6% increase in shelter costs was the smallest gain since November, but still resulted in prices rising 8.2% on an annual basis. Excluding shelter, CPI rose 3.4% from a year ago, according to Jeffrey Roach, chief U.S. economist at LPL Financial.

☆ An indicator with a 94% accuracy rate says stocks will finish 2023 positive, according to $1 trillion LPL. Here's their top pick for where to put your money right now — and 5 other areas of the market
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The December Low Indicator just signaled stocks should finish 2023 in the green. The indicator also shows the S&P 500 could return well above 10% this year. A stock-market signal with a 94% accuracy rate just delivered good news: there's a high chance stocks finish positive in 2023. The S&P 500 returned more than 7% in the first quarter, so it's well on its way to a double-digit year." The Vanguard Industrials ETF (VIS) and the iShares S&P 500 Value ETF (IVE) offer exposure to the above areas of the market.

☆ The US is pushing China to a 'red line' and companies that do business in the country need to come up with a 'plan B,' Yale economist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

US-China tensions are nearing a "red-line," according to Yale economist Stephen Roach. Roach said the US's support for Taiwan could spell trouble for firms that do big business in China. He warned of a potential conflict between the two nations, and said US firms need to come up with a "plan B." Sign up for our newsletter to get the inside scoop on what traders are talking about — delivered daily to your inbox. "All multinationals who have made such a massive commitment to China want at least to begin to work hard on a plan B here," he added.

☆ U.S. is pushing China to its own red line, Fmr. Morgan Stanley Asia Chairman Stephen Roach warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Melissa Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailU.S. is pushing China to its own red line, Fmr. Morgan Stanley Asia Chairman Stephen Roach warnsStephen Roach, Fmr. Morgan Stanley Asia Chairman, on U.S.-China relations with CNBC's Melissa Lee and the Fast Money traders.

☆ Job openings tumbled below 10 million in February for the first time in nearly two years
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Job openings fell below 10 million in February for the first time in nearly two years, in a sign that the Federal Reserve's efforts to slow the labor market may be having some impact. Available positions totaled 9.93 million, a drop of 632,000 from January's downwardly revised number, the Labor Department reported Tuesday in its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. Prior to the February data, job openings had been outnumbering available workers by nearly 2 to 1. "The labor market is starting to loosen as the number of job openings declined in most sectors. Professional and business services saw a slide of 278,000 job openings on the month, while trade, transportation and utilities decreased 210,000.

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