It could be game, set, match for tennis pro Tommy Paul’s newly listed $2.8 million Florida abode, which has found itself a buyer mere days after it was put on the market.
It could be game, set, match for tennis pro Tommy Paul’s newly listed $2.8 million Florida abode, which has found itself a buyer mere days after it was put on the market.
TLDRs; Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to keynote Computex Taipei in June, generating market anticipation. Talks continue over Nvidia’s Taiwan HQ amid valuation disagreements with Shin Kong Life. Nvidia expands GPU roadmap and NVLink interconnect, boosting AI infrastructure capabilities. Shares dip slightly as investors weigh announcements against competitive AI market pressures. 💥 Find the Next KnockoutS...
TLDRs; Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to keynote Computex Taipei in June, generating market anticipation. Talks continue over Nvidia’s Taiwan HQ amid valuation disagreements with Shin Kong Life. Nvidia expands GPU roadmap and NVLink interconnect, boosting AI infrastructure capabilities. Shares dip slightly as investors weigh announcements against competitive AI market pressures. 💥 Find the Next KnockoutStock! Get live prices, charts, and KO Scores from KnockoutStocks.com , the data-driven platform ranking every stock by quality and breakout potential. Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) shares edged slightly lower this week as investors awaited the company’s keynote announcement at Computex Taipei, scheduled for June. The cautious trading reflects market uncertainty ahead of potential updates on Nvidia’s GPU lineup, AI infrastructure strategy, and the progress of its planned Taiwan headquarters. NVIDIA Corporation, NVDA Huang Returns to Taiwan for Computex CEO Jensen Huang, who visited Taiwan during the Lunar New Year, confirmed his return in June to deliver a keynote at Computex Taipei. During his recent visit, Huang met with key Taiwanese suppliers, praising the local supply chain for its resilience and technological excellence. He specifically highlighted partnerships with semiconductor giant TSMC and electronics manufacturer Foxconn as critical to Nvidia’s operations. Huang also hinted that he might attend a signing ceremony for Nvidia’s new Taiwan headquarters, tentatively scheduled between February 10-15. Market watchers view these visits as a signal of the company’s long-term commitment to Taiwan, a central hub for semiconductor innovation. Taipei Headquarters Negotiations Continue Nvidia’s planned Taiwan headquarters, named Nvidia Constellation, is set to be located in the Beitou Shilin Technology Park in Taipei. However, finalizing the deal has been complex, as the land is currently held by Shin Kong Life Insurance Co. The insurance company has requested NT$10.7 bil...
China’s civil aviation authority has floated a regulatory change that would allow its home-grown passenger jet, the C919, to use narrow runways typically found in smaller airports, a move that could help the plane expand its presence at home and break into the Southeast Asian market. The Civil Aviation Administration of China announced on Friday that it had set “special conditions” for the C919 to...
China’s civil aviation authority has floated a regulatory change that would allow its home-grown passenger jet, the C919, to use narrow runways typically found in smaller airports, a move that could help the plane expand its presence at home and break into the Southeast Asian market. The Civil Aviation Administration of China announced on Friday that it had set “special conditions” for the C919 to use narrow runways based on the jet’s design features, releasing a draft proposal for a 10-working-day public comment period. The C919 – made by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) – was originally designed to be used on runways at least 45 metres (148 feet) across, which are standard in major airports. Advertisement But the newly proposed plan is set to reduce the minimum width to 30 metres to “meet market demands”, the regulator said in a document that clarifies how to calculate a minimum width and lays out related safety requirements. The reduction would enable the C919 to be used in most Chinese airports, helping it compete with similar models made by market leaders Boeing and Airbus. Narrower runways are used at some regional and general aviation airports in China. Advertisement The Chinese jet, which can fit up to 192 seats, is closest to the Beijing 737 and Airbus A320 families of aircraft in terms of specifications. Those Airbus and Boeing planes are already certified for use on narrow runways. The regulatory change would allow the C919 to “enter some markets dominated before by the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320”, said Li Hanming, an independent aviation analyst.
Saudi National Bank is considering a foray into the rapidly-growing market for significant risk transfers as it seeks fresh ways to maximize its capacity to bankroll the kingdom’s $2 trillion Vision 2030 agenda. Saudi Arabia ’s largest bank by assets has held preliminary talks with experts on the benefits of SRT transactions, which can help banks unlock capital tied up against existing loans, acco...
Saudi National Bank is considering a foray into the rapidly-growing market for significant risk transfers as it seeks fresh ways to maximize its capacity to bankroll the kingdom’s $2 trillion Vision 2030 agenda. Saudi Arabia ’s largest bank by assets has held preliminary talks with experts on the benefits of SRT transactions, which can help banks unlock capital tied up against existing loans, according to people familiar with the matter. Discussions are at an early stage and no specific deals have been shared with prospective investors, said the people, who asked not to be named because the matter is private. A decision on any such deal would likely come following approval by bank supervisors, one of the people said. A representative for SNB did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Though historically seen as strong lenders with ample liquidity, more onerous capital demands and slower growth in deposits at some Saudi banks have challenged their ability to finance a raft of expensive development projects across the country. The sector’s loan-to-deposit ratio rose to a record 108% as of November, according to an index compiled by the Saudi Central Bank. Saudi Arabia has ordered sweeping reviews of its project pipeline, which originally included the Asian Winter Games in 2029 and the FIFA World Cup in 2034. Though home to a $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund and 35 million people mostly under the age of 35, the country has been in fiscal shortfall since 2022 as revenues trail spending. Read more: Saudi Banks Set to Sell Bad Loans Ahead of Boom in Giga Projects SNB recently raised $1 billion by issuing perpetual securities , data compiled by Bloomberg show. The notes, which are eligible for the lender’s Additional Tier 1 buffers, were priced at a yield of 6.15% on Jan. 15, following earlier discussions with investors at around 6.625%, people familiar with the matter said at the time. The Riyadh-based bank last month posted full-year profit of 25.01 billion riyal...
格隆汇2月3日|新兴市场股市和货币周二反弹,结束此前连续三天的下跌,因美元走弱、贵金属市场波动趋缓。追踪新兴市场股票的MSCI指数一度上涨2.7%,为去年4月以来最大单日涨幅。亚洲科技股领涨,此前Palantir发布强劲的盈利前景指引。MSCI新兴市场货币指数上行,印度卢比涨幅创三年多来最大,此前美国表示将大幅下调对印度商品的关税。韩元走强,当地政府称正密切关注市场动向。在经历一轮震荡后,新兴市场正在逐步恢复。Gama资产管理全球宏观投资组合经理Rajeev De Mello表示,沃什的美联储主席提名对市场而言是正面因素。“他近期的观点集中在更低的政策利率以及缩表上。较低的政策利率将继续支撑新兴市场的股票和货币。”
19 Winter Olympic storylines we're watching (they're not just about sports) toggle caption Hans Bezard/Agence Zoom, Jonathan Kozub/NHLI , Maddie Meyer via Getty Images Want more Olympics updates? Get our behind-the-scenes newsletter for what it's like to be at these Games. There's no shortage of Winter Olympics storylines to watch — and we're not just talking about sports. Hundreds of athletes wil...
19 Winter Olympic storylines we're watching (they're not just about sports) toggle caption Hans Bezard/Agence Zoom, Jonathan Kozub/NHLI , Maddie Meyer via Getty Images Want more Olympics updates? Get our behind-the-scenes newsletter for what it's like to be at these Games. There's no shortage of Winter Olympics storylines to watch — and we're not just talking about sports. Hundreds of athletes will vie for medals in 16 different sports over the course of a jam-packed 2 1/2 weeks in the Milan Cortina Games. They will compete at venues spanning a nearly 9,000-square-mile swath of northern Italy, in front of in-person spectators (a welcome return after the COVID-19 restrictions in Beijing in 2022) and on an even bigger world stage. Sponsor Message Rising stars — and one new sport — are making their Olympic debuts, while familiar fan favorites are returning, some in pursuit of a comeback after many years away. Lifelong dreams are on the line, but there are also geopolitical tensions, environmental questions and so much more. Here are some of the threads we're following: 1. Iconic American women are chasing comebacks toggle caption Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images Legendary American athletes — many of them women — across multiple sports are returning to the Olympic stage after years away. They may include Lindsey Vonn, who retired as the winningest female skier in history in 2019 but returned to competition after a partial knee replacement in 2024. She qualified for the Games at age 41 amid a triumphant World Cup season, but hurt her knee in a crash just a week before the opening ceremony. Figure skater Alysa Liu reversed her teenage retirement and now brings a 2025 world title and renewed love of the sport to her second Olympics. Another former teenage phenom, halfpipe snowboarder Maddy Schaffrick, clinched a spot in her first Olympics at age 31, over a decade after retiring from burnout in 2015. And Alpine skier Breezy Johnson is aiming for redemption on the same ...
A feng shui-obsessed Chinese woman who kept repositioning a traffic mirror caused multiple accidents in her residential compound. Residents of a Shanghai community were troubled by frequent road accidents at a sharp turn for the past two months. People believed that a traffic mirror positioned since the compound opened for use in 2012 was being constantly moved, compromising public safety. Adverti...
A feng shui-obsessed Chinese woman who kept repositioning a traffic mirror caused multiple accidents in her residential compound. Residents of a Shanghai community were troubled by frequent road accidents at a sharp turn for the past two months. People believed that a traffic mirror positioned since the compound opened for use in 2012 was being constantly moved, compromising public safety. Advertisement The property management company adjusted it many times, but the problem persisted. One of the mirrors which reflects a sharp turn and is designed to help drivers navigate it. Photo: QQ.com An investigation revealed that a woman resident, who lives opposite the mirror, kept adjusting its to protect her home’s feng shui.
One month ago, a White House meeting between Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, would have been unthinkable. The US raid on Caracas to capture the Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro, brought already heated relations between them to a boil, with Trump warning the leftist Colombian leader “could be next”, claiming Petro was a “sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it t...
One month ago, a White House meeting between Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, would have been unthinkable. The US raid on Caracas to capture the Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro, brought already heated relations between them to a boil, with Trump warning the leftist Colombian leader “could be next”, claiming Petro was a “sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States”. Petro, a former guerrilla who demobilised in the 1990s, responded defiantly: “I swore not to touch a weapon again … but for the homeland I will.” Then, a 7 January phone call, frantically coordinated by diplomats in both countries, put the brakes on the fiery tit-for-tat and ended with Trump’s invitation to Tuesday’s meeting in the Oval Office. What may come of the encounter is uncertain. “It’s hard to predict because you’re dealing with two very erratic, temperamental presidents,” said Michael Shifter, an expert on Latin American geopolitics and professor at Georgetown University. “They could be their usual controversial confrontational selves. That wouldn’t shock anybody, though; they are in the mood for detente.” Victor Mijares, a political science professor at Bogotá’s Universidad de los Andes, said a lot would depend on whether Petro arrives at the White House prioritising his personal agenda over a national one. “He has a two-pronged agenda,” said Mijares. On the national front, problems of drug trafficking, regional security, trade and migration top the list. Petro’s personal agenda includes giving Trump reassurances that he is, in fact, neither directly nor indirectly involved in his country’s narco-trafficking as the US president has suggested publicly, without evidence. Even so, in October, the US slapped Petro, his wife and the interior minister, Armando Benedetti, with sanctions for what the treasury department claimed was “their involvement in the global illicit drug trade”. It also revoked his visa after Petro stood on a New York street, ...
When the New England Patriots faced off against the Denver Broncos in this season’s AFC championship, Malcolm Butler was at home in Houston. He had considered attending the game in Denver or watching on TV in a No 21 Patriots jersey, which he wore in Foxboro for four seasons through the mid-to-late 2010s, but feared he might jinx the outcome. In the end, it was just him and his nerves for company....
When the New England Patriots faced off against the Denver Broncos in this season’s AFC championship, Malcolm Butler was at home in Houston. He had considered attending the game in Denver or watching on TV in a No 21 Patriots jersey, which he wore in Foxboro for four seasons through the mid-to-late 2010s, but feared he might jinx the outcome. In the end, it was just him and his nerves for company. Just as Butler was feeling somewhat at peace with that setup, and the Patriots’ prospects, a bad omen intruded: His wifi glitched, delaying the broadcast as the Patriots clung on to a three-point lead in the fourth-quarter. “I was lagging bad,” Butler tells the Guardian. “But I did get the wifi back working. And as soon as I did my phone was ringing like crazy, so I knew something was going right. It’s crazy that we’re back.” With a 10-7 victory, New England booked their 10th Super Bowl appearance in the past 24 years and the team’s 12th overall. On Sunday, they’ll face Seattle in a rematch of the Patriots’ 28-24 victory over the Seahawks in 2015’s Super Bowl XLIX. Victory this Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, would break the Patriots’ stalemate with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowl victories by a franchise ever, at seven. And New England’s success story couldn’t be told without Butler. Two years into retirement, the 36-year-old remains one of football’s biggest emotional triggers – the defensive back who reshaped legacies and kindled a lasting firestorm on one mind-bending play. “It’s most definitely been life-changing,” he says. “It’s one of the best plays ever made in Super Bowl history – in NFL history.” For those who somehow missed it: in Super Bowl XLIX, Seattle were four points behind against New England with a minute left. They had four cracks to all but win the game from the Patriots’ five-yard line. After Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch gained four yards to set up second-and-goal from England’s one-yard line, most assumed the Seahawks ...
The problem Once you tumble down a houseplant rabbit hole online, suddenly everything in your kitchen starts to look like fertiliser. Using oats and Epsom salts sounds wholesome, thrifty; breakfast for you, breakfast for your plants. But does it help? The hack The idea is that oats break down and enrich the soil, while Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) top up magnesium to keep leaves green and glos...
The problem Once you tumble down a houseplant rabbit hole online, suddenly everything in your kitchen starts to look like fertiliser. Using oats and Epsom salts sounds wholesome, thrifty; breakfast for you, breakfast for your plants. But does it help? The hack The idea is that oats break down and enrich the soil, while Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) top up magnesium to keep leaves green and glossy. Social media says a spoonful of each will pep up tired plants without the need for proper feed. The method The hack says unpot your plant and mix the old soil with 1–2 tablespoons of dry oats, a sprinkle of Epsom salts and a bit of fresh compost. Then pop the plant back in the pot, firm it around the roots and water it in. Sounds simple enough. The test I tried it on one plant and left its twin with normal feed. Within a couple of weeks, the “breakfast” pot had developed a fuzzy white film on the surface, smelled off and was attracting fungus gnats. Growth wasn’t better. It was just messier. The verdict Oats rot, encouraging mould, gnats and sour smells long before they do anything remotely helpful. Epsom salts can be useful if you know there’s a magnesium deficiency, but throwing them in “just in case” risks salt buildup and knocks other nutrients out of balance. If you want to do something kind for your plants, stick to peat-free compost and a balanced liquid fertiliser – and leave TikTok “soil superfoods” in the kitchen cupboard.
Outside it’s raining so hard that the sandwich board sign for BJ’s pie and mash (“All pies are made on the premises”) is folded up inside. The pavement along Barking Road in Plaistow is a blur through the front windows and deserted, and there are only two customers in the shop. Another sign – this one on the counter – says “CASH ONLY”. Card machine companies often tell proprietor Nathan Jacobi tha...
Outside it’s raining so hard that the sandwich board sign for BJ’s pie and mash (“All pies are made on the premises”) is folded up inside. The pavement along Barking Road in Plaistow is a blur through the front windows and deserted, and there are only two customers in the shop. Another sign – this one on the counter – says “CASH ONLY”. Card machine companies often tell proprietor Nathan Jacobi that he’s missing out by not catering to customers who favour cashless transactions. “They’re the ones missing out,” he says. “Cos they ain’t getting pie and mash.” London’s pie and mash shops, once threatened with extinction, seem to be experiencing a kind of resurgence. “London’s original fast food, ‘pie and mash’ is making a surprise comeback in the British capital …” announced the Washington Post in a recent article. “This renewed demand for hearty ‘cockney cuisine’, so-called for its working-class East End roots, has been observed across the city.” The revival is said in part to be down to the TikTok generation’s fascination with these bygone establishments and their obscure customs. M Manze’s in Bermondsey – London’s oldest surviving pie and mash shop, founded in 1902 – has never been busier. At Goddards at Greenwich, the Post reported, there are queues down the street every weekend. View image in fullscreen The menu at BJ’s Pie and Mash cafe. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian But behind this flurry of enthusiasm is a backstory of unrelenting decline. There are now just more than 30 pie and mash shops in London, where once there were hundreds. On its website the Pie and Mash Club lists five closures in Greater London in 2025 alone, including another Manze’s in Deptford High Street, which shut this time last year after more than a century in business. There was a queue down the street that day, not because it was suddenly cool; it was the end of an era. But that still isn’t the whole story. Alongside the closures, a few new pie shops have appeared. Barney’s in Waltha...
The close friendship that Noam Chomsky maintained with Jeffrey Epstein continued being detailed extensively among millions of investigative records pertaining to the late convicted sex offender recently released by the US justice department, including Chomsky “fantasizing about the Caribbean island”. In Friday’s tranche of the so-called Epstein files, which built upon earlier disclosures of their ...
The close friendship that Noam Chomsky maintained with Jeffrey Epstein continued being detailed extensively among millions of investigative records pertaining to the late convicted sex offender recently released by the US justice department, including Chomsky “fantasizing about the Caribbean island”. In Friday’s tranche of the so-called Epstein files, which built upon earlier disclosures of their close social ties, there is no indication that the famed academic and linguist was referring to his friend’s private Caribbean island where children were sexually abused. But the personal familiarity between the two men in that exchange is palpable, as it is in numerous other emails between Chomsky and Epstein aimed at planning more mundane social gatherings. There additionally was an exchange in which Chomsky wrote to Steve Bannon, the rightwing chief White House strategist during Donald Trump’s first presidency, requesting an introductory meeting. “Lots to talk about,” Chomsky wrote, adding that he had been provided Bannon’s contact information by Epstein, a former friend of Trump. Former Epstein girlfriend Karyna Shuliak at one point emailed a third party whose identity was redacted that she and her boyfriend wanted to send the Chomsky and his wife two genetic testing kits. Perhaps most strikingly, in late February 2019, Epstein represented to an associate that he had gotten advice from Chomsky over how to navigate “the horrible way you are being treated in the press and public”. That was 11 years after Epstein had pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor – and months before he would reportedly die by suicide while in federal custody awaiting sex-trafficking charges. “The best way to proceed is to ignore it,” Chomsky wrote, according to text signed under his first name that Epstein sent to a lawyer and publicist. “That’s particularly true now with the hysteria that has developed about abuse of women, which has reached the point that even questioning a charg...
Fusion startup Avalanche Energy Inc. has raised $29 million to develop reactors small enough to sit on a desk that it hopes can one day power satellites, underwater drones and remote bases. The oversubscribed funding round was led by RA Capital Management and joined by new investor Overlay Capital and existing backers Congruent Ventures and Lowercarbon Capital. Fusion offers the promise of abundan...
Fusion startup Avalanche Energy Inc. has raised $29 million to develop reactors small enough to sit on a desk that it hopes can one day power satellites, underwater drones and remote bases. The oversubscribed funding round was led by RA Capital Management and joined by new investor Overlay Capital and existing backers Congruent Ventures and Lowercarbon Capital. Fusion offers the promise of abundant, clean energy, but the technical and engineering obstacles remain daunting, particularly to build reactors at such a small scale. While the funding round is modest, it’s another sign that investors are willing to pour money into the elusive technology . The industry has attracted more than $9.7 billion, according to the Fusion Industry Association’s 2025 report , including $2.6 billion invested in the 12 months ending in June 2025. Companies including Avalanche say they are making steady progress toward developing systems that will tap the energy created by fusing atoms — the same reaction in stars — but none have successfully demonstrated a viable commercial system. Avalanche Chief Executive Officer Robin Langtry said investors’ interest in the technology is driven by surging electricity consumption, especially from data centers. “We have an energy shortage coming in the next few years,” he said. Avalanche is pursuing magneto-electrostatic fusion, an approach that uses powerful magnets and high voltage to confine a cloud of plasma. There are technical barriers that make it difficult to scale the technology to large power plants, though Langtry said the design is well-suited for mass production in factories, a strategy that will eventually bring down costs. The startup is initially focused on specific applications that don’t require huge amounts of energy, but are willing to pay a premium for clean power that’s available around the clock and won’t require frequent refueling. That includes remote military bases, disaster relief missions and space exploration. Avalanche exp...
Governments Can Fix Money Fast. Here Is Why They Will Not Do It... Authored by Daniel Lacalle, The markets have been rocked by news of a possible intervention to control the Japanese yen slump, after it reached a forty-year low relative to the US dollar. Fixing the yen and any other fiat currency is simple: Implement an Austrian approach; eliminate constant deficit spending and monetization of gov...
Governments Can Fix Money Fast. Here Is Why They Will Not Do It... Authored by Daniel Lacalle, The markets have been rocked by news of a possible intervention to control the Japanese yen slump, after it reached a forty-year low relative to the US dollar. Fixing the yen and any other fiat currency is simple: Implement an Austrian approach; eliminate constant deficit spending and monetization of government outlays; and implement clear, sound money policies that support the purchasing power of the currency. Letting rates float and having zero deficit would help. However, no government seems to want to control spending and eliminate constant artificial currency creation, even knowing that, by doing so, they would limit the risk of financial crises, excessive risk-taking, and erosion of citizens’ wage purchasing power. The best a citizen can expect today is a mild form of Keynesianism that aims for lower taxes, relatively lower spending, and a constant expansion of money supply as the driver of economic growth. Even this “lesser evil” approach ends with malinvestment, financial crises, and more politicians demanding “public investment” as the solution. Governments avoid sound money and controlling spending because these choices can hurt them politically right away, while using inflation and interventionist methods allows them to take a lot of wealth from citizens and give it to themselves and their favored industries. Governments refer to the constant issuance of new currency that exceeds private sector demand as the “social use of money.” Inflationism is a tool to create dependency and limit individuals’ financial freedom. Inflation is not an accident; it is a policy. The erosion of the purchasing power of the currency makes governments more powerful; they present themselves as the solution to the problems their policies create, and citizens have fewer tools to gain financial independence. Governments and their “experts” constantly try to blame inflation on anything exc...
Privatizing Fannie Mae is risky. Would it be a win for taxpayers or Trump's donors? toggle caption J. David Ake/AP After a turbulent first year of President Trump's return to the White House, 2026 could bring something singularly disruptive in the housing and mortgage markets: a partial sale of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-controlled mortgage giants that underpin roughly 70% of U.S. ...
Privatizing Fannie Mae is risky. Would it be a win for taxpayers or Trump's donors? toggle caption J. David Ake/AP After a turbulent first year of President Trump's return to the White House, 2026 could bring something singularly disruptive in the housing and mortgage markets: a partial sale of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-controlled mortgage giants that underpin roughly 70% of U.S. home loans. The idea, promoted by Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte and Trump himself, has alarmed critics, who warn that unwinding the 17-year federal conservatorship of the two firms could rattle financial markets and drive up mortgage rates, while potentially generating billions of dollars for key Trump supporters. Pulte has said the administration is "looking to extract … value from [Fannie and Freddie] for the benefit of the U.S. taxpayers." Sponsor Message Economists point out that there also could be significant risks for taxpayers and that the government would be giving up something of value that it currently controls and effectively owns. What are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? The Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. (Freddie Mac) sit at the core of the $13 trillion U.S. housing finance system, guaranteeing mortgages to keep credit flowing and homeownership accessible to more people. Buying a home is the biggest purchase most Americans ever make. And fronting all that money to people is a risky proposition for lenders. So loan guarantees provided by Fannie and Freddie remove some of the risk for mortgage companies, which makes them more willing to make home loans and brings down the cost of borrowing for homebuyers. Formed more than 50 years ago as government-sponsored enterprises, Fannie and Freddie were owned by private stockholders before the 2008 housing crash, when the government took them over to prevent their collapse. Since then, Congress and previous administrations have deferred ...
Can't wait for Olympic curling? Trying its Southern cousin: skillet curling toggle caption Aileen Perilla for NPR When you put a downhome spin on an Olympic sport, you're bound to change the lingo a bit. Consider this description of skillet curling, a twist on traditional curling. "You throw the bacon, and then throw the skillet kind of like you're bowling, trying to get closest to the bacon," exp...
Can't wait for Olympic curling? Trying its Southern cousin: skillet curling toggle caption Aileen Perilla for NPR When you put a downhome spin on an Olympic sport, you're bound to change the lingo a bit. Consider this description of skillet curling, a twist on traditional curling. "You throw the bacon, and then throw the skillet kind of like you're bowling, trying to get closest to the bacon," explains Emily Rasmussen. She was part of one of the 32 teams that competed in the Skillet Curling Championship in Chattanooga, Tenn., over the weekend. Instead of the stationary bullseye that is the target for regular curlers, in this niche sport, the "bacon" is the players' target — a grill press, to keep it culinary — that is hurled down the ice before each round. Then teams take turns launching iron skillets in hopes of getting them bacon-adjacent, and also blocking the other team's skillets. toggle caption Aileen Perilla for NPR That might seem a bit technical, but the Chattanooga tournament, which started in 2019 and is one of a handful of similar events in the U.S., is a charity event that aims to combine "equal parts skill, luck, and hilarity." Sponsor Message "It's like a Mardi Gras sport, in a way," says competitor Alvaro Victoria. "It's flamboyant, it's fun, it's social." Throwing turtles, in hopes of a stovetop Scoring is similar to traditional curling, which awards points at the end of each round for stones that remain closer to the target than any opposing pieces. In skillet curling, a team scoring four points – the maximum possible in each round – is a "stovetop." Skillet curling is a bit like bocce on ice, Rasmussen says. But while it might seem inelegant to yeet iron skillets across an ice rink, the sport does involve technique. toggle caption Aileen Perilla for NPR Traditional curling has won fans with intense athletes who famously get very low and slide themselves forward before releasing a stone. Most skillet curlers simply stoop a bit before sending a fryi...
Here's why people say they're using 'Are You Dead?' and apps like it toggle caption Felice Rosa/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images Each day, after feeding his cat and tidying up his home, Johnny Miller has one more task left on his to-do list: confirm on his phone that he is indeed still alive. He does this through a Chinese app called Sileme, which is Mandarin for "Are You Dead?" Its function is in ...
Here's why people say they're using 'Are You Dead?' and apps like it toggle caption Felice Rosa/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images Each day, after feeding his cat and tidying up his home, Johnny Miller has one more task left on his to-do list: confirm on his phone that he is indeed still alive. He does this through a Chinese app called Sileme, which is Mandarin for "Are You Dead?" Its function is in its morbid name: Users check in with the app daily. If they miss a number of check-ins, the app notifies a designated emergency contact. "It's kind of nice. It's almost like someone cares," said Miller, 57, a former IT analyst from Seguin, Texas. While part of the app's appeal is its dark humor, many people who live alone have signed up for its practicality and to relieve a very serious fear of dying unbeknownst to anyone for days or weeks. Sponsor Message Soon after its release last summer, the app went viral — first among young people in China — sparking discourse about the country's grueling work culture, dwindling marriage rates and a shift toward individualism. Then, this January, the app found international appeal, becoming a top paid download in the Apple Store in Australia, Spain, and the U.S. (The app recently changed its English name to "Demumu" which is a combination of death and the plush toy Labubu, according to Wired. ) In many countries around the world, more people are living by themselves. That includes the U.S., where over a quarter of all households comprise one person — more than double the share in 1960, according to 2020 Census data. The nation's trend toward physical solitude also parallels rates of loneliness and social isolation. Demumu is one of many safety apps that have popped up over the years, designed for people living solo. Their demand reflects broader changes within modern society, such as a decline in face-to-face social interaction and an erosion of mutual reliance, according to Julianne Holt-Lunstad, director of the Social Connection & H...
Energy Star has emerged stronger after Trump's EPA tried to end it toggle caption Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America The Trump administration tried to end the government's Energy Star program last year, but now Congress has passed — and President Trump has signed into law — bipartisan budget legislation that has the potential to strengthen the energy efficiency program by giving it dedicated fu...
Energy Star has emerged stronger after Trump's EPA tried to end it toggle caption Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America The Trump administration tried to end the government's Energy Star program last year, but now Congress has passed — and President Trump has signed into law — bipartisan budget legislation that has the potential to strengthen the energy efficiency program by giving it dedicated funding. Such policy reversals have so far been rare for the Trump administration. But pushback against killing Energy Star came from a broad swath of stakeholders, including industries like real estate and construction, to which President Trump has longstanding ties. More than 1,000 manufacturers, home builders, advocacy groups and local governments signed a letter last April asking the administration to keep the program. Sponsor Message "What it shows very clearly is that Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, strongly support Energy Star and want to see it continued," says Ben Evans, federal legislative director for the U.S. Green Building Council, which advocated for saving the program. Lawmakers allocated just over $33 million to the Environmental Protection Agency for Energy Star, slightly more than the 2024 fiscal year. That also reverses a decade-long trend, since the first Trump administration, of reducing the program's budget, according to the Congressional Research Service. That leaves the program financially healthy, though it still faces staffing challenges. Most Americans probably haven't noticed changes in the program yet, because previously approved products are still available in stores. But advocates say the program's work has been disrupted — and that could have lingering effects. "Getting new products certified as Energy Star has been slowed with the loss of staff capacity," Evans says, and his group plans to watch closely to see how the EPA manages the program in coming months with the new funding. The campaign to end Energy Star Almost 90% of American...