Setting it straight

- A + A (Aug 12): Wall Street's main indexes rose on Friday, setting the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq for a fourth straight week of gains on increasing evidence that inflation may have peaked. The S&P 500 is up 16.8% from its mid-June low, with the latest boost coming from a slower-than-expected rise in consumer prices and a surprise drop in producer prices in July. The benchmark index crossed a closely watched technical level of 4,231 points, indicating it has recovered 50% of its bear market loss. It was headed for fourth straight week of gains, its best performance since November 2021. "We're seeing a market that is focusing on inflation peaking and so the rally is continuing, although volume is rather light," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities. "Investors are becoming more optimistic in terms of the Fed not being as aggressive as the market previously had expected." While policymakers remain firm about a further … [Read more...] about Wall St set for weekly gains on signs of cooling inflation

It might have a silly name, but pickleball is a serious sport. advertisement advertisement The paddleball game—similar to badminton but played with a perforated plastic ball—saw a surge in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating a lingering demand for court access and sporting recognition. The Sports and Fitness Industry Association reported some 4.8 million people are now playing pickleball globally, and it’s the fastest-growing sport in America. Regional pickleball headlines are almost as delightful as the sport’s name: “81-year-old duo wins pickleball national championship” and “Greenwich pickleball fans ‘crying’ for more space: ‘We don’t have enough courts.'” But the spike in interest is more than just a passing fad or a headline-writer’s dream. Washington State Governor Jay Inslee declared pickleball the official state sport this week. (While making the announcement, he expanded the “certain unalienable rights” of the … [Read more...] about How pickleball became America’s new favorite pastime

Windmill wants to solve one of summer’s most intractable problems: the blight of ugly air conditioners. The New York-based startup launched in 2020 with a 10,000-person waitlist for its $415 smart AC, a sleek window unit that has more in common, design-wise, with Apple’s HomePods than the hulking air conditioners of yore. The first run of units sold out within 48 hours. advertisement advertisement This April, Windmill’s wifi-enabled air conditioners got a mini makeover with the reveal of a smaller $365 unit —a 6,000-BTU AC that cools up to 250-sq ft., which makes it ideal for a city apartment or office space. (Compared to the original 8.3k BTU $415 unit that we reviewed last year.) The line expansion arrives alongside the announcement of a $10 million fundraising round and the addition of Walmart to the direct-to-consumer brand’s list of big-box retailers, which already includes Home Depot and P.C. Richard & Son . Founded by Ryan … [Read more...] about Need a new AC? This smart air conditioner is powerful and efficient

Cherie Gil True to Cherie Gil’s iconic line, “You’re nothing but a second-rate, trying hard copycat,” she’s a tough act to follow. The primera contrabida left a void in the biz that nobody else can fill. Bravo, Cherie, for a life well-lived and for being so well-loved. As my little tribute to Cherie, I asked some of her peers to share their fondest memory of the incredible Eigenmann woman. Vilma Santos Vilma Santos: I will always remember Cherie as a true friend, a very sincere person, a real artist, kalog at napakasayang kasama. Nabawasan tayo ng icon. Ricky Davao Ricky Davao: When I was 16, I would always go to the house of Tita Rosemarie Gil to spend the whole day with Michael and Mark. One time, I saw a very shy Cherie, who was around 13 years old at the time. Hindi pa kami nag-uusap nun, “hi, hello” lang, but she was now making these jokes on the set. She always shone bright, and I feel blessed to have this and so many other memories with her and her … [Read more...] about Tough act to follow: Celebs ’fond memories of Cherie Gil

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin With new exciting restaurants opening almost daily, Paris is still the world’s culinary capital. However, while many do serve top-of-the-range cuisine, not every restaurant delivers. This fall, I’ve been busy trying the seven new restaurants everyone’s talking about in Paris right now to bring you the lowdown. 1. Le Camondo, a historic gem with a country club atmosphere close to Monceau Park Le Camondo restaurant, Paris Le Camondo (c) Florian Corcos Dining options in the Monceau Park neighbourhood, an area composed primarily of offices, Haussmannian townhouses and embassies, are quite limited, so when Le Camondo opened with its pretty outdoor stone terrace, it was a blessing for locals. An upscale restaurant with a décor of cool and formality in equal measures, it's designed to please a mixed crowd ranging from business types to aristocrats. The restaurant adjoins the offbeat villa museum of … [Read more...] about Where To Eat In Paris: The 7 New Restaurants Everyone’s Talking About This Fall

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin You’re certainly spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing where to eat in Paris , so you can imagine how difficult it is for me, a local for the last 11 years, to answer the unavoidable question from friends and family about the best new restaurants to try. Well, without further ado, for those of you who are wondering where to eat in Paris right now, here are 11 places that have opened or have welcomed new chefs in the last few months , each with its own spark, and where you can’t go wrong. Beefbar Paris - a historic restaurant near the Champs Elysées The Beefbar' restaurant's Art Nouveau interiors in Paris near the Champs Elysées. Beefbar Paris It’s sleek, it’s got the historic Parisian pazzazz (a jaw-dropping Art Nouveau glass ceiling inherited from its 1898 Fermette Marboeuf restaurant days), and if you're a meat fan, then it won’t let you down. In true Beefbar fashion (and those who … [Read more...] about Where to Eat in Paris: 11 Restaurants to Try Right Now

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Ice volcanoes – or cryovolcanoes – are in the news again. Recently, a mysterious pyramid on the dwarf planet Ceres was found to actually be one of these chilly, violent peaks. What really baffled researchers, however, was that it appeared to be alone, the only volcano of its kind on Ceres. As it turns out, the others may have “deflated” and flattened out over time as the mechanical structure of the mountains slowly weakened . The idea of melting ice volcanoes is trippy enough, but I suspect that most people don’t know what a cryovolcano really is in the first place. Fear not, dear readers – I have come to your intellectual assistance. Cryovolcanic activity on Saturn's moon Enceladus. (Credit: NASA) Volcanoes require a few things to work: a pressure difference between the subsurface and the surface or a similar difference in temperature. Either creates a difference in densities, and the universe runs on … [Read more...] about This Is The Wonderfully Weird Science Behind Ice Volcanoes

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Upside Investing represents a revolution in investment/spending strategy. It lets you set a living standard floor that only rises as a result of investing in stocks and other risky assets. The higher your floor, the lower your upside and vice versa. The stock market is, once again, going nuts — dropping relentlessly, then bouncing back, only to plunge again, but then recovering, well, kind of, and … This is, in short, excruciating times for those counting on the market to see them through retirement. Stocks have always been a high-reward, high-risk ride. But since the Great Recession, the market seemed reliable. No longer. Today’s economic and geopolitical world is crazzzy and the stock market doesn’t like crazzzy . We now face raging inflation, round three of COVID, lingering supply-chain disruptions, on-again-off-again Chinese production, global energy and food shortages (curtesy of Vladimir the Excrement), … [Read more...] about Finally, A Safe Way To Play The Market — Upside Investing

George Soros’s investment firm bolstered its stakes in Amazon.com Inc, Salesforce Inc and Alphabet Inc, among other large technology companies. (File pic by Reuters) - A + A (Aug 13): Soros Fund Management increased its holdings of big tech stocks ahead of their sharp rally in recent weeks, while adding more than US$200 million in shares of American Campus Communities Inc. George Soros’s investment firm bolstered its stakes in Amazon.com Inc, Salesforce Inc and Alphabet Inc, among other large technology companies. All three rank among its top 10 holdings as of the end of June, according to a regulatory filing Friday. The New York-based firm also added a new US$20 million position in Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc, though that represents only about 0.4% of Soros’s US$4.6 billion US equities portfolio, which fell US$664 million in the second quarter. Other new additions included US$168 million of Alleghany Corp stock and US$201.5 million in shares of American Campus, which … [Read more...] about Soros reloads on big tech with Amazon, Google and new Tesla bet

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Ultra Music Festival. Courtesy of aLIVE Coverage. aLIVE Coverage Ultra Music Festival will return to Miami March 29 through March 31 for three days of performances by some of of the top acts in electronic dance music across a broad spectrum of genres.  The highly-regarded music festival is often considered one of the indicators of music festival season starting. For the first time in the festival’s history, Ultra will take place in Virginia Key instead of downtown Miami. Though the twenty-first rendition of the event is sure to have some changs as a result, it will still deliver its high-quality main stage production along with its visual art installations, live art and performances. Four DJs and producers who will be performing at this year’s event have shared with Forbes their packing essentials, favorite Ultra memories, must-see artists and more to help both seasoned veterans and first-time … [Read more...] about Nicky Romero, NGHTMRE, SLANDER And Party Favor’s Guides To Ultra Music Festival