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Through the lens: the beauty of the Congo Basin and its fragile future
Environmentrfi-english19h ago

Through the lens: the beauty of the Congo Basin and its fragile future

The Congo Basin rainforest is the world’s largest carbon sink, absorbing more carbon dioxide than the Amazon. Often described as Africa’s “green lung”, it helps regulate the global climate, with peatlands that lock away huge amounts of carbon. But the region is under pressure from deforestation, industrial logging and plans for oil and gas drilling – even as the effects of climate change are already visible on the ground.

Steven Spielberg Flees California Amid Raging Wealth Tax Battle
Politicszerohedge2d ago

Steven Spielberg Flees California Amid Raging Wealth Tax Battle

Steven Spielberg Flees California Amid Raging Wealth Tax Battle Another day, another rich liberal leaving a state over policies they promoted.  In today's episode of modern hypocrisy, Steven Spielberg, director of blockbuster hits like Jaws, E.T., Poltergeist and Saving Private Ryan, has moved to Manhattan, according to the Los Angeles Times. A spokesperson for one of Hollywood’s most reliable Democrat Party donors was quick to insist the relocation has nothing to do with California’s highly controversial wealth tax proposal. “Steven’s move to the East Coast is both long-planned and driven purely by his and Kate Capshaw’s desire to be closer to their New York-based children and grandchildren,” spokeswoman Terry Press told the newspaper. Unsurprisingly, Press declined to say where Spielberg stands on the wealth tax when asked. California is now seriously considering a new wealth tax targeting billionaires, including a levy on unrealized gains. The idea has already spooked investors and contributed to several high-profile tech figures running for the exits. It’s a familiar pattern when progressive policies finally start to bite, a surprising number of billionaires discover a sudden deep affection for Florida, Texas, or even New York. Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin quietly began unwinding portions of their financial empires in California in the days leading up to Christmas, while Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg dropped $150 million on a Miami mansion. Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan had been looking for a home on Indian Creek Island, the ultra-exclusive, heavily guarded enclave nicknamed “Billionaire Bunker” that is already home to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, former NFL star quarterback Tom Brady, and Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. Even Jeffrey Epstein pal Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn co-founder and major Democratic donor, has taken aim at the billionaire tax proposal, slamming it as a "horrendous idea" that could drive tech founders and executives out of the state. Rep. Khanna reached out to me to discuss the proposed California wealth tax; and while I am against the proposed tax, I'm always open to dialogue with our elected leaders. The proposed CA wealth tax is badly designed in so many ways that a simple social post cannot cover all of… January 7, 2026 "The proposed CA wealth tax is badly designed in so many ways that a simple social post cannot cover all of the massive flaws. One well-documented example is the horrendous idea to tax illiquid stock in the proposal. Poorly designed taxes incentivize avoidance, capital flight, and distortions that ultimately raise less revenue," Hoffman said of the plan. Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, a longtime Democrat who voted for Trump in the 2024 election, warned that California is on a "path to self-destruction." California is on a path to self-destruction. Hollywood is already toast and now the most productive entrepreneurs will leave taking their tax revenues and job creation elsewhere. And then the Democrats highlight @CAgovernor Newsom as a great leader. Crazy. https://t.co/bFyLhARrNn December 27, 2025 "Hollywood is already toast, and now the most productive entrepreneurs will leave, taking their tax revenues and job creation elsewhere,” Ackman said. Our readers will recall that Tesla and SpaceX Ceo Elon Musk was one of the first big names to leave California years ago, citing the state’s punishing taxes and its embrace of radical left-wing governance. The list keeps growing. Buckle up, Newsom. Musk was the first and Spielberg won’t be the last. Tyler Durden Fri, 02/20/2026 - 16:40

This US state could be the new data center capital of the world by 2030
TechnologyBusiness Insider3d ago

This US state could be the new data center capital of the world by 2030

Google executives meet with officials at a Google data center in Midlothian, Texas. Fortune via Reuters Connect Northern Virginia is home to the world's largest data center market. That could soon change, as Big Tech ramps up data center construction across the US. West Texas, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Ohio are emerging as key markets. The old saying "Everything is bigger in Texas" now applies to data centers. The Lone Star State is on track to unseat Virginia as the world's largest data center market by 2030, new research from Jones Lang LaSalle shows. The shift indicates how drastically the data center development boom has reshaped the US's digital infrastructure map and the landscape as a whole. Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Meta plan to spend more than $600 billion on AI infrastructure expansion in 2026 — a number so dizzyingly high that Wall Street is on high alert for signs of an AI bubble. More than half of all data center construction in the US now happens outside the industry's traditional hubs, according to JLL's North America Data Center Report — Year-End 2025. Tennessee, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Texas are now considered the top emerging markets for data centers. Texas alone has 6.5 gigawatts of data center capacity under construction. That amount of power is roughly equivalent to more than three Hoover Dams or over 17,000 Tesla Model 3s when using the US Department of Energy's standard, and it accounts for about one-fifth of the 35 gigawatts of data center capacity the US added to its pipeline. That 35 gigawatts is roughly equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of the UK or Italy, and adding it would nearly double the existing data center capacity in the US, according to JLL. Part of Texas's appeal is its sprawl. The state houses some of the most ambitious data center projects in the country. Oracle and OpenAI's flagship Stargate data center is in Abilene, Google is planning a $40 billion expansion in West Texas, and Meta is building a massive new site in El Paso, just to name a few. Texas also has abundant energy resources, which is good news for data center developers. The AI boom has driven electricity demand to new heights and strained the nation's power grid. In Texas, several data centers — including Stargate — are being built alongside on-site power plants. Northern Virginia has been the data center industry's central hub for more than 15 years, going back to the early days of cloud computing. That has changed rapidly as Big Tech spreads out across the country in search of available power, cheap land, and the best tax incentive packages for the coming wave of AI data centers. Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at ethomas@businessinsider.com or on Signal at 929-524-6964. Read the original article on Business Insider

ICE holds people in disgusting conditions. Now it’s turning warehouses into camps | Moira Donegan
PoliticsBBCNYTThe Guardian+1NPR5d ago4 sources

ICE holds people in disgusting conditions. Now it’s turning warehouses into camps | Moira Donegan

The Trump administration has bought warehouses across the US that could hold thousands. But resistance is growing There is a vast building, reportedly the size of seven football fields, in Surprise, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix; ICE bought it for $70m. Another building, along the southern border in San Antonio, Texas, was valued at $37m; it’s 640,000 sq ft. In January, ICE bought a warehouse in Upper Bern Township, Pennsylvania, not far outside of Philadelphia, for $87.4m. In Williamsport, Maryland, outside Hagerstown, the cost of a facility on a nearly 54-acre plot was $102m. These are massive, industrial spaces, built for holding goods to be shipped elsewhere. Warehouses are drafty and difficult to heat, hard-floored and high-ceilinged, not meant for human habitation. But the Trump administration is aiming to convert them into vast detention camps for immigrants. Some of the buildings could house as many as 9,000 people at a time. The rapid slew of new warehouse purchases by deportation agencies brings to mind the words of the ICE director, Todd Lyons, who told a conference last year that he wanted the effort to operate “like Amazon Prime, for human beings”. Continue reading...

‘4 Blocks’ Lead Kida Khodr Ramadan to Star in Nuran David Calis’ ‘GÖZ’ for Maze
Culturevariety6d ago

‘4 Blocks’ Lead Kida Khodr Ramadan to Star in Nuran David Calis’ ‘GÖZ’ for Maze

German-Lebanese thesp Kida Khodr Ramadan, the “4 Blocks” standout whose profile jumped internationally via Amazon Prime Video, is set to star in “GÖZ,” a radical contemporary reimagining of Goethe’s “Götz von Berlichingen” to be directed by Nuran David Calis, known for his modern-screen adaptation of Büchner’s “Woyzeck.” The film is in development at Munich and […]

The Catch-22 Behind Amazon's Big AI Spending Plans
BusinessYahoo7d ago

The Catch-22 Behind Amazon's Big AI Spending Plans

Reports highlight the complex 'Catch-22' situation surrounding Amazon's significant investment plans in artificial intelligence. The company's substantial AI spending is scrutinized for its potential implications and challenges.

Amazon Cloud Unit Taken Down Twice By Its Own AI Tools: Report
Technologyzerohedge2d ago

Amazon Cloud Unit Taken Down Twice By Its Own AI Tools: Report

Amazon Cloud Unit Taken Down Twice By Its Own AI Tools: Report Amazon’s cloud-computing arm suffered at least two recent service interruptions linked to the use of its own artificial intelligence coding assistants, prompting some internal concerns about the company’s rapid deployment of autonomous software agents inside production environments. In mid-December, Amazon engineers allowed the company’s Kiro AI coding tool to implement system changes that ultimately led to a roug...

Amazon beats Walmart to become No 1 company by sales, but why it need not 'worry’
BusinessTimes of India2d ago

Amazon beats Walmart to become No 1 company by sales, but why it need not 'worry’

Amazon has surpassed Walmart as the world's largest company by revenue, reporting $717 billion in sales for 2025. This milestone, however, is largely attributed to Amazon Web Services, a sector Walmart does not compete in. Analysts suggest this revenue gain doesn't signify a retail victory, as Walmart maintains its dominance in physical retail.

The CEO of a startup building robots for factories explains how US manufacturing is at a crossroads
BusinessBusiness Insider2d ago

The CEO of a startup building robots for factories explains how US manufacturing is at a crossroads

Machina Labs This post originally appeared in the Business Insider Today newsletter. You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here. The US manufacturing industry is at a crossroads: try catching the leaders where they are or beat them to where the industry is headed. Edward Mehr sits firmly in the second camp. The thesis of his robotics-enabled manufacturing startup, Machina Labs, is that America's reindustrialization needs to be distributed and flexible. Trying to build the centralized, traditional factories China has perfected is a lost cause. "It's going to be a miracle to catch up if you want to replicate what they have," Mehr told me. "It's just not the right chess move. We need to try to see if we can leapfrog and then do the next generation." We're still in the early stages of robotics in factories. Mehr said the industry is still five years away from a major, ChatGPT-like breakthrough. But there's no shortage of companies giving it a go, including giants such as Tesla and Amazon. The opportunity is huge, with the manufacturing industry accounting for trillions of dollars. It's also a brutal business to break into. If a robot doesn't immediately help you cut costs or improve efficiencies, there's not much point pursuing it any further. (Example: Amazon's recent "Blue Jay" warehouse robot.) Machina Labs, which specializes in producing complex metal structures for the defense, aerospace, and automotive industries, sees its value-add on two fronts. Its robots can switch between different manufacturing operations, saving the time it would take to retool a factory to produce a new product. It's also portable, meaning there's no need to custom-design factories for specific productions. The space is crowded, and Mehr acknowledged that competitors are also pursuing portability or flexibility, but typically not both. "We're almost rethinking a lot of the manufacturing processes from scratch," he said. "If you go to our factory, things are being built in a way that you cannot see in any other place." Like many robotics players, Machina Labs now needs to prove its thesis at scale. The company raised a $124 million Series C round earlier this month from investors including Lockheed Martin Ventures and Toyota's venture arm. It'll use that cash to build a new 200,000-square-foot factory. The factory will feature 50 robots and initially serve Lockheed Martin. The goal is to produce a few thousand structures every year. That's a significant step up from its current factory, which runs 10 robots and has an annual production of a few hundred. But what about the humans? Tensions are already high around AI's impact on white-collar jobs. Are blue-collar workers headed to a similar fate? Machina Labs' new factory will include about 150 human workers, which Mehr said is roughly equivalent to the number of humans who'd work at a robot-free factory. The work is different, but no one seems to be complaining. Mehr said a recent internal survey found that employees' interest level in the job was exceptionally high. (So much for AI fatigue!) "You're working with robots. You're working with software. Compared to previously, you had these instructions. You'd follow it daily, over and over again," he said. "Now, you almost feel like you're playing a game." Read the original article on Business Insider

State Musk wants everyone to move to, may become world's new data center capital
TechnologyTimes of India2d ago

State Musk wants everyone to move to, may become world's new data center capital

Texas is poised to become the world's data center capital, surpassing Virginia by 2030. Driven by massive AI infrastructure expansion from tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Meta, the Lone Star State boasts a significant construction pipeline. Abundant energy, land, and tax incentives are fueling this growth, positioning Texas at the forefront of digital infrastructure.

Whole Foods Ditching Its "Dystopian" Pay-By-Palm Biometric Payment Option
Businesszerohedge3d ago

Whole Foods Ditching Its "Dystopian" Pay-By-Palm Biometric Payment Option

Whole Foods Ditching Its "Dystopian" Pay-By-Palm Biometric Payment Option Whole Foods Market is shutting down its palm-scan payment system nationwide, removing the devices from more than 500 stores by June 3 after shoppers largely ignored them. The chain, owned by Amazon, had pitched the feature as a frictionless way to pay. Instead, it became an experiment few customers embraced, according to The Daily Mail. The program, called Amazon One, allowed shoppers to link their Amazon accounts to a scan of their palm and check out with a wave of the hand. Amazon says it processes more than a million biometric authentications each month across locations where the service operates, but a spokesperson said weak adoption at Whole Foods drove the decision to discontinue it there. In interviews at a Union Square store in Manhattan, none of the dozen customers surveyed had used the scanners. Several said they had never seen anyone else try. “I haven’t [used palm payment], and I haven't seen anyone use it before,” said Priscilla Flete. After learning how the system worked, she added, “It’s a bit invasive.” The Daily Mail writes that privacy worries were a common refrain. “I don't want to give my biometric data to nobody,” said Santiago Tieguec, who questioned the need for the service given that “Nowadays we have our cards in our phones.” Nusrat Abdullah, who hadn’t heard of the feature before, said, “It might be convenient, but I think your information is sensitive... I don't think paying with your hands is very safe.” Others expressed outright distrust. Gavin McGinn said, “I wouldn't trust them to have that kind of information about people, because who would they sell it to?” Brayden Stephenson, who once tested the scanner out of curiosity, was skeptical that data would truly disappear: “A lot of the time, ‘delete’ is just archive and sell off to somebody else.” Amazon disputes those fears, saying biometric data is encrypted, stored securely in the cloud and not shared with third parties. The company added that once the rollout ends, all associated customer information—including palm data—will be permanently deleted. Retail analysts say the technology’s retreat underscores a basic reality: contactless cards and mobile wallets are already fast and easy. Without a clear benefit, many shoppers saw little reason to trade more personal data for the same checkout experience. As Stephenson put it, “I already have a card. I'm not getting anything out of that.” Tyler Durden Thu, 02/19/2026 - 13:05

The Daily Star Reports on AI
TechnologywsjBusiness InsiderYahoo+1Daily Star BD4d ago4 sources

The Daily Star Reports on AI

The Daily Star publishes an article simply titled 'AI', indicating general coverage of artificial intelligence.

DoorDash's CEO says he's got an edge on Amazon in groceries
BusinessmarketwatchBusiness Insider4d ago2 sources

DoorDash's CEO says he's got an edge on Amazon in groceries

DoorDash reported worse-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday. Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images DoorDash has a key advantage over Amazon in grocery delivery, CEO Tony Xu said Wednesday. The delivery service offers a wider variety owing to its myriad partnerships with grocers, Xu said. Amazon is ramping up its grocery delivery, creating more competition for DoorDash and Instacart. DoorDash CEO Tony Xu says that his company's grocery offering has a key advantage over Amazon: choice. Amazon is doubling down on grocery delivery, especially perishables like produce and ice cream. The retail and tech giant said last month that it's expanding same- and next-day grocery delivery to more parts of the US this year, adding to the thousands of towns and cities it already serves — news that sent shares of Instacart and DoorDash tumbling at the time. DoorDash, though, has something that shoppers want and that Amazon isn't replicating, Xu said on the company's fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday. Unlike Amazon, which owns Whole Foods and several of its own food brands, DoorDash works with existing grocery chains. The delivery service has struck deals in recent years. Last year, it expanded its partnership with Kroger and signed new deals with regional chains, including Schnucks in the Midwest. Few customers complete all their grocery shopping at a single chain, Xu said. Many stop at multiple stores each week, especially to find specific fresh groceries, such as produce, meat, and seafood. "Consumers prefer choice," Xu said on the call, adding that he expects there to "continue to be very strong interest in the DoorDash product" as a result. DoorDash is also expanding its services for retailers, such as fulfillment through its DashMarts, convenience store-sized retail spaces designed for picking and delivering orders. Xu said DoorDash is "doing that for every single grocer so that they have the capability to compete against companies like Amazon." DoorDash shares rose as much as 14% in after-market trading on Wednesday, despite disappointing fourth-quarter earnings and guidance for 2026. The company's stock took its biggest one-day hit in November after it unveiled plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on tech improvements. While DoorDash has become known for restaurant deliveries, its gig workers are increasingly making grocery deliveries — many of which make more financial sense for DoorDash. Xu said DoorDash has attracted more big grocery orders from customers, not just small fill-in trips. That matters in the grocery industry, where grocers tend to make more money when customers buy a wider range of goods. "People use us for both the quick runs as well as the stock-up use cases," he said. Ravi Inukonda, DoorDash's CFO, said on the call that DoorDash's retail and grocery business expects to "be unit-economic positive" in the second half of 2026. Have a tip? Contact this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com or via encrypted messaging app Signal at 808-854-4501. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely. Read the original article on Business Insider

John Malkovich Joins Joel Kinnaman in Amazon Cop Drama Series ‘Bishop’
Culturevarietydeadline4d ago2 sources

John Malkovich Joins Joel Kinnaman in Amazon Cop Drama Series ‘Bishop’

John Malkovich will star opposite Joel Kinnaman in the upcoming Amazon Prime Video series “Bishop,” Variety has confirmed. The show was picked up at Prime Video in September 2025. Per the official logline, “Homicide detective Bishop Graves (Kinnaman) – brilliant, battle-scarred – will put all of his skills to the test in the hunt for […]

Tech stocks that Warren Buffett sold during his last days as Berkshire CEO
FinanceTimes of India4d ago

Tech stocks that Warren Buffett sold during his last days as Berkshire CEO

Warren Buffett significantly reduced his stakes in major tech companies Amazon and Apple in his final quarter as Berkshire Hathaway CEO. The filings reveal substantial sales of both Amazon and Apple shares, continuing a trend of Berkshire being a net seller of stocks. Buffett also divested a large portion of his Bank of America holdings before his retirement.

'Dress for the job you want' is dead. Now, it's 'dress for the job you want to keep.'
CultureBusiness Insider5d ago

'Dress for the job you want' is dead. Now, it's 'dress for the job you want to keep.'

Brands like Toteme are becoming more popular as investment dressing resurges. Edward Berthelot/Getty Images Workwear is recalibrating to styles that balance comfort with a more polished look. The tightening job market and return-to-office mandates have chipped away at pandemic casualness. Employees may also be using more polished workwear to create a boundary between work and home. Dress for the job you want to… keep? In a job market where power has shifted toward employers, at least one thing remains within an employee's control: how they choose to show up to work. With layoffs and slow hiring shaping the labor market and RTO mandates pulling employees back into offices, experts say workers are dressing more carefully to project competence. In periods of uncertainty, clothing is less about comfort and self-expression, and more about job security, Lizzy Bowring, a creative strategist and trend forecaster, told Business Insider. "Dressing smarter serves as career risk management," she said. The business casual era gave way to full-on casual Business casual had an era — a long one. Over the past 30 years, suits and ties have given way to blazers and sweaters in many white-collar industries. By the early 2000s, the casual look was ubiquitous in tech. Think Mark Zuckerberg's signature gray T-shirt, hoodie, and jeans. Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers the opening keynote address at the f8 Developer Conference April 21, 2010 Justin Sullivan/Getty Images When the pandemic hit, casual dressing went from trend to default. There was no need to dress up for your living room. But times are different now. Workers are being called back into the office, and the franzied "Great Resignation" period post-pandemic, when employers were scrambling to retain staff and thrust into bidding wars to scoop up talent, is well behind us. The balance of power has shifted from employee to employer. US businesses are hiring at one of the slowest rates since 2013, and the early impact of AI is beginning to show up. Last month saw more layoffs than any January since 2009, as big companies like Amazon and Citi announced plans to cut thousands of jobs. Because of this, "employees are becoming more conscious of how they present themselves, not because they're being told to, but because uncertainty changes behaviour," Frances Li, founder and director of Biscuit Recruitment, a boutique recruitment agency based in London and New York, told Business Insider. Recalibration, not return An example of a more tailored silhouette is the oversized blazer, pictured here on content creator and writer Alba Garavito Torre. Edward Berthelot/Getty Images Still, experts say we aren't seeing a full return to suits and straight-cut dresses. Trend forecaster Lizzy Bowring describes this as an "'intentional recalibration' — blending comfort with sharper silhouettes, structured tailoring and more deliberate styling." The jacket you once wore over a T-shirt to look smarter for a Zoom meeting is now shifting to a more tailored look, said Bowring. Think oversized blazers and fitted dresses. Fashion's messaging is reflecting this. There's a focus on tailoring and silhouette-forming pieces across luxury brands like Prada, Saint Laurent, and Bottega Veneta, she said. A model walks the runway at Bottega Veneta's Spring/Summer 2026 fashion show at Milan Fashion Week in September. Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images Economic uncertainty has also revived interest in investment dressing: wardrobe staples that work in the office and beyond, cut with precision and built to last. Brands like The Row and Toteme have gained cultural relevance by positioning their pieces as investments, reinforcing the appeal of clothing "that communicates stability, longevity and professional credibility," Bowring added. TikTok content about what to wear to the office and why it matters has also grown in popularity. Younger members of Gen Z, entering office settings for the first time, are questioning how to balance their personal style with work-appropriate attire. Grace McCarrick, a content creator who delivers soft skills training to companies such as Uber and Spotify, said her TikTok videos on being intentional with your appearance at work have been some of her most viral — garnering hundreds of thousands of views. @graceforpersonalityhires The cheat no one is telling you about- you don’t have to look super polished if you look rich. In the north east, the look tends to be a bit dull lol but do what feels right for you ♬ original sound - grace mccarrick "It is so complicated to move up and get noticed in the workforce today," she said. The idea of 'dressing for success' is one of the only levers you can control to help you progress at work, she added. "People who put in the effort stand out like neon signs. They've upped their charisma factor by simply not being as schlubby as everyone else. They could be the most awkward person, but because they look good in a sea of wrinkled khakis with black sneaker 'dress shoes,' they're magnetic," she said. Setting boundaries Formal dress is also a way for employees to clearly distinguish between work and home life. "Work wear cues a performance state, whereas home wear signals a relaxation state," Hajo Adam, an organizational psychologist and professor at the University of Bath, told Business Insider. This separation might help people to actually switch off when work finishes. So, once the clock strikes 5 p.m. — go ahead, loosen up, and hang up your blazer, whether your desk is in the office or in your living room. Read the original article on Business Insider

Paris Hilton Birthday Finds on Amazon
Culturetmz6d ago

Paris Hilton Birthday Finds on Amazon

TMZ may collect a share of sales or other compensation from links on this page. The one and only "infinite icon" Paris Hilton is turning 46 and it's safe to say she knows a thing or two about sliving. And the heiress-turned-entrepreneur wants to…

'America's Next Top Model' star Jay Manuel says he asked to be excused from the infamous race-swapping photo shoot, but was denied
CultureBusiness Insider6d ago

'America's Next Top Model' star Jay Manuel says he asked to be excused from the infamous race-swapping photo shoot, but was denied

Tyra Banks and Jay Manuel at the finale party for "America's Next Top Model" season two. Gregg DeGuire/WireImage Netflix's new three-part docuseries explores the legacy of "America's Next Top Model." One of the show's stars, Jay Manuel, says he objected to season four's race-swapping photo shoot. Tyra Banks says she didn't think it was controversial because she was in her "own little bubble." In a new documentary, Tyra Banks responds to criticism of "America's Next Top Model" with a familiar refrain: "Hindsight is 20/20." But for her former costar, Jay Manuel, one controversial moment was troubling from the start. Netflix's three-part documentary "Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model" explores the TV show's legacy, from its peak popularity in the early aughts to the divisive reactions from current viewers. Perhaps the most infamous photo shoot in "Top Model" history aired in 2005, when the season four contestants were told by Manuel, "We're actually going to switch your ethnicities." Several of the models' faces and bodies were painted with dark makeup: Christina Murphy, Brittany Brower, and Noelle Staggers were assigned the roles of "East Indian," "African American," and "traditionally African woman," respectively. "The challenge here really is taking on the persona of that other ethnicity while in the photograph, and owning it," Manuel tells the models in the episode. Brittany Brower in season four of "America's Next Top Model." UPN/Amazon Prime Many viewers and critics have since condemned the photo shoot as blackface, an offensive practice that dates back to racist minstrel shows in the 1830s. In the documentary, Manuel says he was uncomfortable with the concept from the start, especially given his family's history with racial segregation. "The shoot that I had the most difficult time with was this race-swapping shoot. My parents are from South Africa. They grew up during apartheid. I am very aware of that history," he tells the camera. However, he says his objections were brushed off by Banks. "I first asked to be excused from the photo shoot," Manuel continues. "And Tyra said to me, 'I will handle this on camera with the girls at judging, just go and do your job.' I recognized that my role was starting to have limitations. That shoot was happening regardless." The documentary includes clips from the episode, including several of Manuel, who was billed as the "art director of photo shoots," coaching the models behind the camera. "If you really look for it, you can see it on my face. Especially the setup for the day, where I tell the girls what we're doing. I could tell I was just, like, double swallowing," he recalls. "But I just had to do my job." Tyra Banks says she didn't anticipate backlash to the race-swapping photo shoot Tyra Banks and her fellow judges on season four, episode five of "America's Next Top Model." UPN/Amazon Prime Banks, who created "Top Model" and hosted the reality show for 12 years, says she "didn't think it was controversial" at the time to paint the models' skin. "I was in my own little bubble, in my own little head, that this was my way of showing the world that brown and Black is beautiful," she says in the documentary. "But then we put it out there, and the world was like, 'Are you crazy? Have you lost your mind?'" "Looking at the show now, through the 2020 lens, it's an issue, and I understand 100% why," Banks adds. "Top Model" became a surprise hit for UPN when it premiered in 2003. Banks worked with producer Ken Mok to develop a competition show that blended the performative elements of "American Idol" with the behind-the-scenes drama of "The Real World." It made for irresistible TV, and "Top Model" drew millions of viewers. However, Banks and Manuel both recall pressure to pump up the drama on "Top Model" as its audience continued to grow. "It was a time in the world where there was a show, 'Fear Factor,' and 'Survivor,' and all of these things of, like, pushing the limits and all of that," Banks says. "And so we kept pushing, and we kept creating more and more and more. You guys were demanding it." Dawn Ostroff, then-president of UPN, says there was a constant push to raise the stakes, even as contestants were having emotional breakdowns or health emergencies on camera. Season three contestant Rebecca Epley fainted in the middle of judging, for example, and season seven winner CariDee English developed hypothermia during a photo shoot in a swimming pool. "How do you get that, 'I can't believe they're doing that' moment again? You have to keep one-upping yourself," she says in the documentary. "I never thought about, you know, 'Can we air it? Can't we air it?' Good television is good television." Nicole Fox on season 13, episode nine of "America's Next Top Model." The CW/Amazon Prime Although Manuel was originally cast as a creative director and occasional judge, he says the content of the challenges and photo shoots was largely out of his control, especially as the show got bigger. Eventually, his role was narrowed to "on-camera talent." "There was a time when the creative of the show started to shift. We were supposed to be showing the behind-the-scenes of what the fashion world was, helping change the industry. But the show had evolved in a way I'd never expected," Manuel says. "I really struggled over some of the things that happened. And that was something that was slowly depleting me, chipping away at my soul." He adds, "Tyra would always reinforce, 'We need to keep it entertaining. We need to keep people watching.'" In "Top Model" season 13, which aired on The CW in 2009, the models were tasked with yet another race-swapping shoot. This time, Banks was the photographer. Representatives for Ostroff and Banks did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider. Read the original article on Business Insider

As amazon loses $450 bn, what Bezos told shareholders after 2000 crash
BusinessbloombergTimes of India6d ago2 sources

As amazon loses $450 bn, what Bezos told shareholders after 2000 crash

Amazon's stock experienced its longest daily losing streak in nearly two decades, with shares dropping 18% over 10 days. Amidst this market downturn, an old letter from founder Jeff Bezos resurfaced, reminding shareholders of the company's resilience during the dot-com bubble.

Amazon van gets stuck on Britain’s ‘most dangerous’ mudflat path
BusinessThe Guardian6d ago

Amazon van gets stuck on Britain’s ‘most dangerous’ mudflat path

GPS led driver on to the Broomway in the Thames estuary, where dozens of people are known to have died An Amazon delivery van got stuck trying to drive along one of Britain’s most dangerous coastal paths as the driver followed GPS directions on to mudflats to try to get to an island in the Thames estuary used by the military, the coastguard has said. Rescuers were called to reports the van had been driven out on to the Broomway – a 600-year-old pathway across the flats to Foulness Island that has been called the deadliest in the country. Continue reading...

Stock Market Investment Strategies and Top Picks
FinanceReutersFTmarketwatch+3YahooTimes of Indiaadvisor-perspectives7d ago6 sources

Stock Market Investment Strategies and Top Picks

Analysts and financial experts offer advice on navigating the stock market, including recommendations for dividend stocks, high-performing companies, and long-term investment opportunities.

PwC engineers built an AI agent to tackle the corporate world's least sexy task: spreadsheets
TechnologyBusiness Insider2d ago

PwC engineers built an AI agent to tackle the corporate world's least sexy task: spreadsheets

PwC, like many consulting firms, is investing heavily in engineering talent. Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images PwC's engineers have created a new AI agent to tackle enterprise-grade spreadsheets. Spreadsheets are unsexy, but crucial to corporate operations, PwC exec Matt Wood told Business Insider. Traditional AIs "just kind of shrug and give up" when they meet a big spreadsheet, Wood said. The real way to judge a company's AI expertise isn't in the flashy headlines, but by looking at the "unsexy" work rolling out behind the scenes, Matt Wood, PwC's global and US commercial technology and innovation officer, told Business Insider. If Wood's theory holds — that real AI prowess shows up in unglamorous advances — PwC's latest launch is certainly notable. After all, what could be less sexy than spreadsheets? The Big Four firm announced this week that it has developed a "frontier AI agent" capable of reasoning over vast, enterprise-grade spreadsheets — something that conventional AI systems struggle with because of their complexity, size, and interdependencies. The agent can understand and navigate spreadsheets, mimicking "how experienced practitioners work: scanning, searching, jumping across tabs, integrating charts and receipts, and reasoning," PwC said in a press release. Why spreadsheets matter Wood, who joined PwC in 2024 from a role as vice president of AI at Amazon Web Services, said that when he started, he'd noticed the wraparound, ultra-wide monitors filled with spreadsheets: "That's all anybody was working on," he said. But these were not "your school soccer team budget spreadsheet," said Wood. The spreadsheets that power large enterprises are enormously complex, often containing millions of cells, charts, graphs, images, receipts, and dozens of interlinked workbooks. "They are more like financial engines than they are spreadsheets," he told Business Insider. These files often underpin business-critical decisions, yet PwC "found that even today's modern AI was very poorly suited to managing these big enterprise spreadsheets," Wood said. "They just kind of shrug and give up for want of a better word." Matt Wood, PwC's global and US commercial technology and innovation officer. PwC Creating an AI capable of understanding and reasoning across large, complicated spreadsheet applications is what PwC's engineers set out to solve. Their solution was a "genuine advance in the field," Wood said. The agent has unlocked use cases across assurance, advisory, and tax, and boosts time saving on some tasks "from literally days to hours," said Wood. He gave the example of audit walkthroughs, where teams previously spent weeks manually gathering and validating evidence across numerous complex spreadsheets that existing AI tools couldn't handle. Now, users simply upload the files, and the frontier agent automatically maps their structure, extracts relevant data, and performs validation and consistency checks — tasks that would otherwise require combing through millions of rows by hand. The result is faster meetings, less back-and-forth with clients, and cleaner, structured data ready for deeper AI-driven analysis, he said. Consulting powered by engineers PwC's AI spreadsheet agent was built in-house by engineers — a function the firm has been rapidly expanding as it shifts beyond the traditional roles associated with the Big Four. In January, PwC launched a dedicated tech engineering career track to attract more technical talent, saying it wants to become "a destination for top engineering talent." Previously, the firm offered only consulting and accounting career paths. Wood told Business Insider that adding the engineering track is "a signpost" of its future plans. At the same time, PwC is retraining non-technical employees. The US branch of the firm recently announced a companywide workplace learning strategy focused on knowledge sharing and on developing a mix of human and AI skills needed for the future. Wood described the work engineers do at PwC as having two modes: "transforming today" and "building for tomorrow." The first focuses on improving current workflows — reducing back-and-forth with clients, increasing trust, and delivering work more efficiently. The second reimagines professional services from scratch: "If you were to start from a blank piece of paper, what would professional services look like in an AI agent world?" said Wood. PwC engineers also work directly on client engagements, building AI systems tailored to specific projects. For example, they help organizations reorganize and redesign their finance functions from the ground up using agents, Wood said. Many of the consulting industry's top players are pursuing similar investments in technical talent as AI reshapes the work they do. Accenture, already one of consulting's most technically sophisticated players, has added nearly 40,000 AI and data professionals in the last two years. They now account for roughly 10% of its global headcount. EY, another Big Four firm, has added 61,000 technologists since 2023, according to its latest annual report. Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at pthompson@businessinsider.com or Signal at Polly_Thompson.89. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely. Read the original article on Business Insider

I've been selling on Amazon for a year. After storage fees bled me dry, I'm pivoting my e-comm strategy away from it.
BusinessReutersBusiness Insider3d ago2 sources

I've been selling on Amazon for a year. After storage fees bled me dry, I'm pivoting my e-comm strategy away from it.

After writing about Amazon sellers for years, the author decided to try e-commerce for herself. Kathleen Elkins In early 2025, a friend and I launched a pickleball paddle company with about $10,000. We haven't yet cracked the Amazon code, and the learning curve has gotten expensive. After paying hundreds of dollars in long-term storage fees, we removed a bunch of inventory from Amazon. When Amazon tried to charge my business account $288.56 last month, the payment didn't go through. Instead, I got an "insufficient funds" notification on my phone. Turns out, it's expensive to let inventory — especially "aged inventory" — sit in an Amazon warehouse. The "aged inventory surcharge" quite literally bled my business partner and me dry. By February 2026, our business bank account balance sat just above $6. Kathleen Elkins Let me back up. In 2024, inspired by the successful e-commerce entrepreneurs and Amazon sellers I write about, I decided to start my own business. I convinced a friend to join me, and we each put in $5,000 from our own savings to launch a pickleball paddle company. We hired my high school English teacher to design our logo, we worked with a sourcing company to find a manufacturer, and we spent about a year developing our paddle before placing our first inventory order in early 2025. The minimum order quantity was 500 units. We shipped 250 paddles to ourselves in Los Angeles and sent the other 250 to Amazon. The plan was to run a hybrid Shopify-Amazon model while we figured out who our typical customer was. That was advice from an e-commerce industry veteran. He told us that, on Shopify, we'd earn better margins because there are fewer platform fees, but we'd have to generate our own traffic through social media, ads, and word of mouth. On Amazon, we'd sacrifice margin, but gain visibility. As he put it: "Amazon is guaranteed traffic. There's a guaranteed flow of people who are going to see your product every single day." After a year, we haven't cracked the Amazon code, and the learning curve has gotten expensive. Among the various Amazon seller fees is an "aged inventory surcharge." It's charged on units stored in its fulfillment network for 181 days or more, in addition to its standard monthly storage fees. The surcharge increases the longer your inventory sits. Items aged 181 to 210 days cost $0.50 per cubic foot. At 211 to 240 days, it jumps to $1 per cubic foot. Our inventory, sitting in the 331- to 365-day range, costs $5.90 per cubic foot. We didn't fully understand the cost structure until it started hitting our bank account. Here's a screenshot from our Amazon seller account showing our service fees between November 2025 and February 2026. Kathleen Elkins Last month, we owed nearly $300 in service fees — much more than we were bringing in in sales. Rather than continue to see that number climb (items aged 456 days or more would cost us $7.90 per cubic foot or $0.35 per unit, whichever is greater), we decided to pull most of our inventory out of Amazon. The removal process took five minutes. We submitted a removal order for about 200 paddles, and were surprised when 40 of our units arrived on my doorstep the next day. According to Amazon's website, removal orders can take 90 days or more to process before leaving a fulfillment center, plus another two weeks for delivery. We're still waiting on the rest of the inventory, and we haven't fully escaped fees. There's a removal fee, which is charged per unit and based on the unit's shipping weight, that we expect to show up on our next statement. Plus, the 30 or so paddles that we left in Amazon's warehouse will trigger storage fees. We don't want to abandon Amazon entirely; we just don't have the time and resources to dedicate to figuring out that sales channel. For now, we're shifting our focus to Shopify, in-person events, and wholesale partnerships. If we hit another sales dry spell, at least we won't be paying hundreds of dollars a month just to store our own product. We're not discouraged. It's just one more lesson in our crash course in e-commerce, but it's a big one: Understand the fees. On Amazon, unsold product isn't harmless. It's expensive. Read the original article on Business Insider

US authorities return 11 Mexican parrots seized at border
WorldMexico News4d ago

US authorities return 11 Mexican parrots seized at border

Protections in Mexico go further for parrots and related birds, such as macaws, cockatoos, amazons and lovebirds, forbidding their removal from the wild except for scientific purposes. The post US authorities return 11 Mexican parrots seized at border appeared first on Mexico News Daily