March 27, 2024

Broadway Joe

March 27, 2024

Amazon loses EU court bid to delay digital rules on online ads

Tech giant said it is “disappointed with this decision.”

https://www.politico.eu/article/amazon-loses-eu-court-bid-to-delay-digital-rules-on-online-ads/



Amazon lost a legal bid to delay obeying part of the European Union's new content moderation law. The U.S. online marketplace had claimed that the Digital Services Act (DSA)'s requirement to make its online advertisement library publicly available would hurt its fundamental rights to privacy and the freedom to conduct a business.

Court of Justice Vice President Lars Bay Larsen rejected the company's request to suspend the DSA until its main legal challenge had been ruled on, saying this would delay the effect of the law "potentially for several years," risking efforts to make online platforms safer, according to a press release issued on Wednesday.

Amazon wants to overturn a European Commission decision that it is a very large online platform that should face extra obligations to tackle illegal content such as counterfeit and dangerous products, and harmful content. The company had also asked the court to pause two obligations on its ads library and recommendation algorithms. Amazon spokesperson James Lewis said the company maintains that Amazon isn't a very large online platform and should not have been designated as one.

“We are disappointed with this decision," he said. “Customer safety is a top priority for us at Amazon, and we continue to work closely with the [Commission] with regard to our obligations under the DSA.” The EU's lower court previously turned down Amazon's request for a pause on its recommendation algorithm but agreed to suspend the ads library rule. The European Commission appealed the suspension. The case is C-639/23 P(R) Commission vs. Amazon Services Europe.

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March 27, 2024

Gen Z embraces side hustles because 'loyalty is dead'

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/25/gen-z-side-hustles/

https://archive.is/TXEen



Natalie Fischer is obsessed with making money online. Even though the 25-year-old has a master’s degree and landed a data analytics job that paid six figures, the Seattle-area resident has always had online side hustles. At one point, she was working up to an extra 30 hours a week by offering tips on personal finance as well as promoting products and brands across social media. In July, she quit her corporate job to become a full-time side hustler. “You just can’t rely on one income anymore,” said Fischer, who notes that she’s on track to make more money than her corporate job by end of year and expects that to increase “exponentially” in the years to come.

A growing number of young workers like Fischer are taking on side hustles to make extra cash, develop their skills, build their relationships and release creative energy by selling online tutorials, products and services and influencing on social media. Gen Zers — those born after 1996 — grew up with access to digital devices and the internet their entire lives, and many are keen on using them to make money. For many, the 2008 financial crisis arrived during their adolescence, and they spent some of their formative years of school during pandemic shutdowns and saw companies lay off thousands of workers in the aftermath.



Digital side hustles have low entry barriers to make additional income, and they’re often aspirational for young people who grew up watching social media influencers, academics who study business and entrepreneurship said. “Now you can easily spin something up,” said Aaron McDaniel, adjunct professor of entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. “Platforms … help you take a creative outlet and make money.”

https://www.tiktok.com/@investwithnat/video/7337504262425103621

Fischer found her niche posting content on personal finance — something she initially did for fun. She loved the idea of someday being her own boss and had taken a few social media marketing and entrepreneurship courses online. But when she started posting on Instagram about her journey as a first-time investor in the stock market during the coronavirus pandemic, she quickly attracted an audience. She turned inbound questions into TikToks and gained more than 56,000 followers there, allowing her to get sponsorships and create content for brands.

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March 27, 2024

Florida Bill Would Purge State Laws of Climate Change Mentions

The bill, which awaits Ron DeSantis’ signature, would also ban offshore wind farms.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/03/florida-bill-would-purge-state-laws-of-climate-change-mentions/

https://archive.is/ebMRz



In Florida, the effects of climate change are hard to ignore, no matter your politics. It’s the hottest state—Miami spent a record 46 days above a heat index of 100 degrees last summer—and many homes and businesses are clustered along beachfront areas threatened by rising seas and hurricanes. The Republican-led legislature has responded with more than $640 million for resilience projects to adapt to coastal threats. But the same politicians don’t seem ready to acknowledge the root cause of these problems. A bill awaiting signature from Governor Ron DeSantis, who dropped out of the Republican presidential race in January, would ban offshore wind energy, relax regulations on natural gas pipelines, and delete the majority of mentions of climate change from existing state laws.



“Florida is on the front lines of the warming climate crisis, and the fact that we’re going to erase that sends the wrong message,” said Yoca Arditi-Rocha, the executive director of the CLEO Institute, a climate education and advocacy nonprofit in Florida. “It sends the message, at least to me and to a good majority of Floridians, that this is not a priority for the state.” As climate change has been swept into the country’s culture wars, it’s created a particularly sticky situation in Florida. Republicans associate “climate change” with Democrats—and see it as a pretext for pushing a progressive agenda—so they generally try to distance themselves from the issue. When a reporter asked DeSantis what he was doing to address the climate crisis in 2021, DeSantis dodged the question, replying, “We’re not doing any left-wing stuff.” In practice, this approach has consisted of trying to manage the effects of climate change while ignoring what’s behind them.

The bill, sponsored by state Representative Bobby Payne, a Republican from Palatka in north-central Florida, would strike eight references to climate change in current state laws, leaving just seven references untouched, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Some of the bill’s proposed language tweaks are minor, but others repeal whole sections of laws. For example, it would eliminate a “green government grant” program that helps cities and school districts cut their carbon emissions. A 2008 policy stating that Florida is at the front lines of climate change and can reduce those impacts by cutting emissions would be replaced with a new goal: providing “an adequate, reliable, and cost-effective supply of energy for the state in a manner that promotes the health and welfare of the public and economic growth.”



Florida politicians have a history of attempting to silence conversations about the fossil fuel emissions driving sea level rise, heavier floods, and worsening toxic algae blooms. When Rick Scott was the Republican governor of the state between 2011 and 2019, state officials were ordered to avoid using the phrases “climate change” or “global warming” in communications, emails, and reports, according to the Miami Herald. It foreshadowed what would happen at the federal level after President Donald Trump took office in 2017. The phrase “climate change” started disappearing from the websites of federal environmental agencies, with the term’s use going down 38 percent between 2016 and 2020. “Sorry, but this web page is not available for viewing right now,” the Environmental Protection Agency’s climate change site said during Trump’s term.

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March 27, 2024

Krispy Kreme doughnuts are coming to McDonald's

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/27/mcdonalds-krispy-kreme-doughnuts-partnership/

https://archive.is/eFoOI



McDonald’s will offer Krispy Kreme doughnuts across the United States by the end of 2026, after a “successful test” at more than 160 of its restaurants in Kentucky and Indiana, the two companies said. The announcement propelled Krispy Kreme stocks upward by almost 40 percent from the previous day to $17.35 per share by end of trading Tuesday. That marked the highest share price since January 2022. McDonald’s shares stayed flat at around $278 per share.

The partnership adds to a list of fast-food chains teaming up with snack makers. Wendy’s and Cinnabon introduced a new dessert in February, while Subway partnered with Cinnabon and Auntie Anne’s to add new snacks to its menu in January. The move will more than double the locations at which fresh Krispy Kreme doughnuts or cookies can be purchased, the company said in a news release. A phased rollout will begin in the second half of this year, expanding to participating McDonald’s locations nationwide by 2026.

McDonald’s has about 13,500 U.S. locations, 95 percent of them operated by independent owners. Krispy Kreme chief executive Josh Charlesworth told investors last month that the company could serve 6,000 McDonald’s restaurants with its existing supply chain network. In sharing news of the collaboration, Krispy Kreme said it will seek to build up that infrastructure. Krispy Kreme’s Original Glazed, Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles and Chocolate Iced Kreme Filled doughnuts will be delivered to McDonald’s locations daily, according to Krispy Kreme.

Doughnuts will be available all day, sold individually or in a box of six, according to Guillaume Huin, a senior marketing director at McDonald’s. “I 100% plan to make Krispy Kreme Doughnut x McDonald’s shake combo a thing,” Huin said on social media. Krispy Kreme and McDonald’s launched a limited partnership in October 2022 to run a “small-scale test” to sell Krispy Kreme doughnuts at more than 160 McDonald’s locations in the Louisville and Lexington, Ky., areas. The locations will continue to serve Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Krispy Kreme has also been conducting a similar test run with Costco in international markets, the company told investors last year.

https://twitter.com/HuinGuillaume/status/1772613547190628356
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March 27, 2024

Anthony Comstock, the anti-abortion movement's new hero, explained

A 19th-century anti-sex crusader is the “pro-life” movement’s new best friend

Anthony Comstock, the 19th-century scourge of art and sex, is suddenly relevant again thanks to Donald Trump’s worst judge.

https://www.vox.com/politics/23678636/supreme-court-anthony-comstock-abortion-mifepristone-matthew-kacsmaryk



By Ian Millhiser Apr 12, 2023

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An obscure shopkeeper became one of the most powerful censors in American history

Anthony Comstock saw the devil in everything.

In his 1883 book Traps for the Young, Comstock wrote that newspapers, magazines, novels, and even fine art were snares used by Satan “to capture our youth and secure the ruin of immortal souls.” To fight the devil, Comstock claimed, Christians must eradicate the very words that encourage lust and licentiousness. There is “no more active agent employed by Satan,” Comstock wrote, than “EVIL READING.” Yet, as a young man just a few years out of a Civil War stint in the Union Army, Comstock seemed unlikely to someday turn his censorious vision into a reality. Working at a dry goods shop in postwar Manhattan, Comstock complained often to local authorities about nearby saloons and publishers of sexually explicit materials, and was frequently ignored. “Crime stalketh abroad by daylight,” he complained in his diary, “and Public officers wink at it.”

The turning point in Comstock’s life came after he wrote a letter to an official at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), complaining that he had pushed for criminal prosecutions against the smut peddlers he perceived around him but could not secure convictions. At the time, the YMCA was known less for the network of affordable suburban gyms where many modern-day children play, and more for its efforts at vice suppression. Leaders of the Y in New York City successfully lobbied for state legislation banning obscene art and literature, and they needed an investigator to sniff out violations of this law and bring the violators to justice. Anthony Comstock was the man for this job.

It was this alliance with many of New York’s wealthiest and most prudish men that powered Comstock’s career as an anti-vice crusader. Working first under the auspices of the YMCA, and then later under the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice, Comstock led a multi-state effort to find sexual materials, destroy them, and arrest anyone responsible for distributing them. As art historian Amy Werbel writes in Lust on Trial: Censorship and the Rise of American Obscenity in the Age of Anthony Comstock, in seven years of work for the YMCA, Comstock played a key role in “seizing and destroying 134,000 pounds of books, 194,000 ‘bad pictures and photographs,’ [...] and 60,300 ‘articles made of rubber for immoral purposes, and used by both sexes.’” His work also led to 106 arrests across the states of New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.

Comstock’s most consequential accomplishment, however, was the federal legislation formally titled “A bill for the suppression of trade in, and circulation of, obscene literature and articles of immoral use” — the law now widely known as the Comstock Act. The law that bears Comstock’s name was not drafted by Comstock himself. But it was Anthony Comstock who successfully lobbied Congress to pass the bill by setting up an exhibition of sexualized art and other material he acquired as the YMCA’s anti-vice detective in Vice President Schuyler Colfax’s room in the United States Capitol. Two months later, the New York legislature incorporated the NYSSV, which would employ Comstock for the remainder of his life. The new organization’s official logo left little doubt about its purpose. It is bifurcated, with an image of a man being led off by a police officer on the one side, as another man burns a pile of books on the other.

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March 27, 2024

A Calm & Considered Home In Belfast

Renovating a property in a conservation area has its challenges, but architect and interior designer Craig Hutchinson of HUTCH Design managed to create a holistic, cohesive and considered home to serve the needs of the family that lives there. Here’s how he did it…

https://slman.com/life/calm-considered-home-in-belfast







The Property

This family home, for a professional couple and their three children, is in a residential suburb in Belfast – specifically a Conservation Area of special architectural and historic interest. This meant the house was subject to stricter planning laws for any external modifications. Constructed in the early 20th century, the original house is over 120 years old, sited on a raised private plot, and set within high mature trees and hedging. The three-storey building was originally constructed in red brick, signature of the area, with three pronounced chimneys (all of which had to be taken down and rebuilt), a front bay window with decorative cornicing and timber sash windows. In the 1950s, the house was converted into three flats by the previous owner, spoiling many of the original Victorian features and the layout. We were tasked with a full renovation including: part demolition; architectural and structural alterations to the building; interior design; and decoration, including sourcing furniture, sculptures and lighting. It was both an architectural and interior design project, with significant structural changes to the building and new layouts on every level.







The Brief

The brief was to restore the building to its original purpose as a family residence, while simultaneously reviving and preserving the few remaining Victorian elements. In parallel, it needed to be adapted for contemporary family living, addressing both the requirements of a young family and the challenges posed by the building’s cramped rooms and dark, damp conditions. This entailed reworking the entire layout on every floor – creating flexible, open living spaces with ample storage, alongside quieter, more private spaces. It was clear the kitchen was important to our clients, so we made this the focal point of the ground-floor living-dining-kitchen area. We also selected materials that were not only robust enough to withstand the rigours of family life, but also comfortable, with a sense of enduring quality to them.







It was also important to enhance the connection with the garden. Passing through a concealed arched door and barrel-vaulted entrance, you step into an expansive double-height living, dining and kitchen area. We strategically positioned this space to offer our clients a sweeping view from the front to the back of the building, providing views of both the new front terrace and rear courtyard garden. For entry to the rear courtyard garden, we designed large floor-to-ceiling, custom-made sliding timber doors, with timber-framed glazing and a canopy. For the new limestone front terrace, we added French doors and new sash windows to connect the living area to this outdoor space. Practically, the home was stripped and restored with a retiled roof, new sash windows, repointed façades and internal insulation throughout.





The Colours & Materials

We took a consistent and cohesive approach throughout the home, with calming, neutral tones and a simple but textured palette of materials. The natural qualities of the materials juxtapose with bolder touches throughout the furnishings, decorative objects, sculptures and artwork. To create a sense of calm and relaxation, we used Bauwerk’s textured lime paint colours ‘Bone’ and ‘Stone’, both of which were chosen for their texture and depth, and how the subtle brushstroke variations caught the light. Textured marble and natural stone filters through the home in custom-designed joinery such as crafted vanities and fireplaces – the Rosa Antico, Crema Diana and Viola marbles work well against the more minimal brassware.







Upstairs, in the kids’ bedrooms and shower room, we used more refreshing pinks and blues, as well as sage green tiles. The natural oak flooring on the ground floor was sourced from local supplier Trunk. On the upper floors, we restored the original Victorian floorboards, before treating them with an off-white natural oil to enhance their character. The design is a delicate mix of softer touches and classic modern styles, balancing contemporary Scandinavian minimalism with traditional elements and signature furniture pieces to elevate the space. Finally, we took great care in sourcing and curating a diverse and bold selection of art, sculptures and furnishings. We sourced from local and international artisans, styling everything with iconic pieces of the past and contemporary pieces of today.

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March 26, 2024

Alpha Blondy - Apartheid Is Nazism (Full Album) 1985

Apartheid Is Nazism is a 1985 album by the Ivorian musician Alpha Blondy. The title track was a hit; the album, as an import, was a success in the United States prior to its Shanachie release. Blondy supported the album with a North American tour. The album was recorded in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Blondy was backed by members of the Solar System Band, his touring group. Blondy sang in French, Arabic, English, African patois, and Hebrew, among other languages.

Label: Pathé – 2404491
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: France
Released: 1985
Genre: Reggae
Style: Reggae

TRACKLIST :

00:00:00 1. Afriki
00:05:04 2. Jah Houphouët
00:10:26 3. Apartheid Is Nazism
00:15:13 4. Idjidja
00:20:12 5. Sahel
00:24:20 6. Seba Allah Y'e
00:29:04 7. Kiti
00:34:18 8. Come Back Jesus
00:39:51 9. Djinamory

March 26, 2024

The Best of World Music Volume 1: World Vocal (Official Putumayo Version)

Label: Putumayo World Music – PUTU 103
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1993
Genre: Folk, World, & Country

Track Listing:

1 Juan Luis Guerra Y 440 - “Ojala Que Llueva Cafe” 0:00
2 Jorge Ben - “Fio Maravilha” 4:13
3 Bhundu Boys - “Magumede” 6:29
4 Miriam Makeba - “Pata Pata” 10:30
5 Filé - “Chanson De Mardi Gras” 14:24
6 Gilberto Gil - “Soy Loco Por Ti America” 19:01
7 Majek Fashek - “So Long” 23:40
8 Johnny Clegg & Savuka - “Walima 'Mbele” 29:02
9 Rossy - “Mbola Tsara” 33:01
10 Gregory Isaacs - “Let Off Supm” 35:23
11 Samite - “Munomuno” 40:08
12 The Jolly Boys - “Never Find A Lover Like Me” 45:44
13 Strunz & Farah - “Americas” 50:25
14 Kotoja - “Semi Jeje” 56:00

March 26, 2024

Dan Rather: I'd like to weigh in on NBC news' recent decision to hire Ronna McDaniel.

https://twitter.com/DanRather/status/1772399351664451921