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  • Ukrainians say civilian-funded drones destroyed 3 high-value Russian air defense systems in a single day
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    A drone unit in Ukraine said it destroyed three prized Russian air defense systems in a single day.It posted clips of drone attacks, saying it hit a Tor-M2, a Buk-M2, and a Buk-M3.In its post on Saturday, the unit also highlighted that the drones were funded by civilians.The drone unit of a Ukrainian brigade in Zaporizhzhia said it destroyed three advanced Russian air defense systems in a single day.The Ronin company of the 65th Mechanized Rifle Brigade posted footage of the first-person view drone attacks on Saturday, saying it took out a Tor-M2, a Buk-M2, and a Buk-M3.Those are some of Moscow's most prized mobile surface-to-air missile systems, with the Tor-M2 lauded in Russian state media in 2023 as a "cutting-edge" weapon that can counter drone swarms on the move.With a range of about 7.5 miles, the Tor-M2 is designed to engage up to 48 targets at once at low to medium altitudes.The Buk-M3 is also one of Russia's newest air defenses. Russian state media outlet TASS compared it in 2016 to the Medium Extended Air Defense System, a Western-made system meant to replace the Patriot. Each Patriot system is estimated to cost about $1.1 billion.The clips posted by the "Ronin" company on Saturday showed first-person view drones closely approaching the air defense systems before their video feeds went dark. While the drones' flight trajectory and distance to the Russian defenses indicate a successful hit, Business Insider couldn't independently verify if the systems were actively deployed assets or were destroyed.But the videos show yet another example of how the fighting in Ukraine is increasingly relying on cheap loitering munitions, even to counter high-value targets.Drone makers in Ukraine usually tell BI that they sell or create exploding drones for $750 to $1,500 apiece, depending on the device's size.Meanwhile, it's difficult to pinpoint how much Russia spends on its air defense systems. The Ukrainian military has estimated that the Tor-M2 costs about $27 million per unit and that the Buk-M3 costs about $40 to $50 million per unit.The Ronin company's post on Saturday also indicated that the drones used in the attack weren't officially supplied but received through civilian donations."The sponsor of the defeat is the Sternenko community," the unit wrote on its social media channel, referring to the Ukrainian crowdfunding activist Serhii Sternenko.Sternenko, one of the biggest drone crowdfunders in Ukraine, acknowledged the attacks on Saturday, calling the drone unit "true masters of their craft" in a post on his Telegram channel."We provide them with drones upon individual requests specifically for performing such tasks," he wrote, adding that the air defense systems were positioned at the Russian rear.Drone warfare continues to evolve on the battlefield in Ukraine.For example, with loitering munitions becoming so ubiquitous, the war fronts have increasingly been reported to become saturated with jammers. That prompted Russian units to bring fiber-optic drones to the fight last year, and Ukrainian companies and brigades have been following suit in manufacturing their own versions.Russia's defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment sent by BI outside regular business hours.
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  • Twitter's former safety chief is now helping women avoid harassment from inappropriate messages on Hinge and Tinder
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    Yoel Roth is leading Match Group's initiative to curb inappropriate messages on dating apps.Match Group uses AI to flag abusive messages, promoting respectful dating interactions.Dating apps face user loss due to toxic behavior; Match Group focuses on safety improvements.Former Head of Trust and Safety at Twitter, Yoel Roth, is now spearheading an initiative at Match Group, the parent company of Tinder and Hinge, to tackle a persistent issue driving young women away from the apps: inappropriate messages."For men especially, a big part of our safety approach is focused on driving behavioral change so that we can make dating experiences safer and more respectful," Roth told the Financial Times.Roth formerly led the team that set rules for what was allowed on Twitter but quit shortly after Elon Musk took over the platform in 2022. He joined Match in February 2024 as its Vice President of Trust and Safety, responsible for overseeing content moderation across its dating apps.Despite other platforms, including Meta, moving toend fact-checkingand other safety programs, Roth, who dealt with online harassment himself afterspeaking out against Twitter, said Match would be "doubling down on safety" instead."We're not just doing it because we think it's the right thing to do morally," Roth told FT, "We're doing it because we know it's the right thing from a business perspective."Leveraging AI tools, Match can flag messages that could be perceived as abusive or overtly sexual, citing "a real need and opportunity to help people understand the norms and behaviors that go along with respectful and consensual dating," Roth said.So far, it has seen some success in nudging users toward more respectful interactions, with a fifth of users who receive prompts asking them to reconsider their message taking the advice, according to Match, as reported by FT.A 2023 survey by Match Making Company, which is not affiliated with Match Group,Due to dating app fatigue, women are also creating their own alternatives. A journalist with no previous event experience created theBored Of Dating Appsevents, where single people can meet in real life and form deeper connections, which quickly took off in both the UK and the US.Between May 2023 and the end of 2024, more than half a million users left Tinder, a report from UK-based online behavior research group Ofcom said. Bumble and Hinge also reported losing 368,000 and 131,000 users, respectively, in the same period.Match Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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  • My mom always told me I could call her anytime I needed her. I've done it throughout my life and she always shows up.
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    LaVina Hawkins is a 45-year-old who lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland.When she was 9, she went to her first sleepover and was teased by the other girls. She called her mom and asked if she'd come pick her up.This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with LaVina Hawkins. It has been edited for length and clarity.When I was 9, I got my first invitation to a sleepover. We had just moved from the Bronx to Virginia Beach. The birthday girl gave cute invitations to the girls in my class. I knew my mom wouldn't let me that I would be the only one who wouldn't be allowed to go.My mom had always been very strict about sleepovers. All my siblings knew it wasn't a question we were never allowed to stay at someone else's house. My mom had experienced things as a child, and she wanted to protect us from the same happening to us.When I told the birthday girl I knew I wouldn't be allowed to go, she said she could ask her mom to call my mom. The mom called my mom and said there would be no men or boys at the house for the sleepover. My mom conceded I could go. I was ecstatic. The invitation had a little list of what we would need, including a sleeping bag. Since I didn't have one, we bought one ready.I was so excited. I'd only heard about sleepovers and seen them on TV, and they looked really fun.Before I went, my mom told me I could call her if I didn't feel safe or just didn't want to be at the sleepover anymore. She'd be there right away to pick me up.I called her, and she came as promisedWhen I arrived, I knew most of the girls there, besides a few of the girl's family members. The mother ordered pizza, which was shaping up to be a good time.After the pizza, we went upstairs, and as I got to the top, the birthday girl's cousin pushed me into the wall. Then, she started talking about how my braids were ugly, asking me why I had them in my hair. Everyone else started following the cousin's lead in making fun of my hair. LaVina Hawkins has called her mom multiple times throughout her life when she needed help. Courtesy of LaVina Hawkins I didn't fight back but I did run downstairs and told the mother. She called all the girls downstairs and tried to handle it, but when I returned upstairs, it was radio silence. No one would speak to me. I'd become an outsider. It felt awful to be excluded after having been invited.All I could think to do was phone my mom.I went downstairs and used the home phone to call her."Mom, come get me," I said."I'm on my way," she replied.She didn't ask what happened she just said she was coming. I felt so safe.Minutes later, she knocked on the door, and I got my things and left with her.Once we were in the car, she asked what happened. She told me sometimes people are afraid of what they don't know. She said everything was OK that I was safe. We went out for ice cream and then watched movies together.She reminded me that she would always show up for me when neededThroughout our childhood, my mom kept saying the same thing to myself and my siblings that she would come to pick us up if ever we felt unsafe and needed her.I remember when I was in high school, I had been out with friends of friends and everyone had been drinking. One person said they would drive us. I said I would call my mom to come get me. The friend I was with didn't want me to, but I told her that it didn't matter where we were or what we were doing; my mom would come get us without asking a single question. Mom came and got me. The friends whose car I refused to get in ended up getting in a car accident that night. The driver died.Years later, when my second child was just a few months old, I was struggling with postpartum depression. I woke up one morning and felt awful, like checking out. I didn't want to feed my child.But I wasn't ashamed to call my mom. She wouldn't judge me. She would just come. "Mom, come get me," I told her over the phone. She knew from my voice something was off."I'm on the way," she said. She kept me on the phone until she got to my house.With my own five children, I've told them the same thing my mom used to tell me. They can always call me, and I will come get them, no matter where they are.
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  • A group fighting the fentanyl crisis says Trump's tariffs could make the problem worse
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    The Trump administration says tariffs on Mexico and Canada will curb fentanyl flow into the US.A harm reduction expert warns that tariffs may increase overdoses by disrupting drug supply.Canada plans retaliatory tariffs, targeting goods from Trump's political base.President Donald Trump introduced tariffs on Mexico and Canada as part of an effort to fight drug trafficking, but a harm reduction advocate says that stopping the regular flow of drugs could make overdoses spike.Trump announced on February 1 that he planned to place 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada. Trump said at the time that the tariffs were intended to crack down on drug and border policy, particularly to stop the flow of fentanyl into the US.Trump paused the tariffs for 30 days on February 3 after both countries agreed to tougher border control measures, but he still promised "reciprocal tariffs" on goods imported from any country that levies tariffs on the US.In posts on Truth Social, Trump has maintained that "drugs are pouring into our Country, mostly through Mexico, at levels never seen before."Laura Guzman, the executive director of the National Harm Reduction Coalition, told Business Insider that Trump's tariffs could make drug overdoses go up if they are successful in slowing the flow of illegal drugs into the country. Harm reduction generally refers to policies and practices that aim to minimize the negative health, social, and legal effects of drug abuse."The biggest fear I had when I saw the negotiation to postpone the tariffs, immediately, my reaction was, 'that is not going to be good for the folks that are impacted by both the war on drugs, but also by this tainted drug supply,'" Guzman told BI.Guzman said that while slowing the rate of fentanyl entering the country is a good idea, there is still a large amount of fentanyl that is produced inside the US that ends up on the streets. She said that disrupting the flow of drugs can create a situation where addicts are mixing drugs that they don't normally use, which can lead to health risks and death. She said mixing drugs can lead to drug contamination where people might take drugs they aren't familiar with or are unaware that they are taking. "What happens is more dangerous, because then the mixes, the kind of mixes, what it gets mixed with, puts people at risk of not just opiate overdoses, but also increase sedation that results in death," Guzman said.Guzman said that it is common for harm reduction workers to see spikes in overdose deaths in cities after local police do heavy drug takedowns."They do an interdiction, they start arresting, they say how much fentanyl have confiscated, and we very soon start seeing spikes of overdose deaths," Guzman said.Putting "all the eggs on interdiction" People walking past anti-fentanyl campaign posters in Mexico City. YURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty Images She was also critical of Mexico, saying that government needs to do more to recognize the ongoing fentanyl crisis impacting both countries. Guzman said that there is "a denial" from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's administration of "the influx of fentanyl from the border."Sheinbaum said in a statement on February 3 that Mexico rejected claims by the Trump administration that Mexico colluded with criminal organizations."If the United States government and its agencies wanted to address the serious consumption of fentanyl in their country, they can combat the sale of narcotics on the streets of their main cities, which they don't do," Sheinbaum said.Naloxone, a drug that is used to reverse opioid overdoses, is a controlled substance in Mexico, where it is considered a psychoactive drug. Guzman said the country's refusal to recognize naloxone as a life-saving drug shows that it is "putting all the eggs on interdiction and denies the fact that fentanyl is also taking lives on the other side of the border."Even as the Trump administration leans into fentanyl trafficking as a leading reason for its new tariffs, they have sometimes struggled to defend it.On NBC's "Meet the Press" on February 2, Kristin Welker asked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem why Canada had been hit with more severe tariffs than China."Why is the United States punishing Canada, one of its closest allies, more than China, where fentanyl originates?" Welker said."We have sent a message this week that we're not just going to enforce our southern border," Noem said. "We're going to put extra resources at that northern border as well. So Canada needs to come to the table."US Customs and Border Protection seized more than 21,000 pounds of fentanyl at the Mexican border last year, according to the agency. The agency seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced retaliatory tariffs if Trump's tariffs go into effect. Some tariffed goods target Trump's political base, covering items like Florida oranges and Kentucky bourbon.The White House did not immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider.
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  • Your avocado toast with eggs may become a breakfast luxury rather than a tasty staple
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    Egg prices are high due to the bird flu.Avocados, already more pricy this year, may follow suit thanks to potential tariffs.Consumers are facing higher breakfast prices as a result.Savor the taste of that avocado toast with eggs because it is about to get more expensive.From avian diseases to tariffs, there are multiple forces at work driving the price increases on your breakfast.In January, the price of eggs hit a record high at an average of $4.95 for a dozen, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The price of eggs rose in part because of the bird flu outbreak that has spread to dairy cattle and, in some cases, to humans. As a result, millions of birds have been killed, making eggs not just more expensive but also harder to find on the shelves.Avocados are likely about to follow suit, though for different reasons.Some 90% of the avocados consumed in the US come from Mexico, a nation that President Donald Trump hit with a 25% tariff on February 1. He later announced the tariffs would be delayed by a month, after which he may still impose them.Tariffs are taxes on foreign goods imported to the US, and they prompt importers to raise their prices to compensate for the added tax and cover their bottom line. As a result, the consumer usually bears the brunt of the price increase.Even pre-tariff, avocados, at an average of $0.91 each, were already 17% more expensive in the first week of February than they were during the same period last year, according to the US Department of Agriculture.Gary Williams, an emeritus professor of agricultural economics at Texas A&M, said avocados are elastic goods, so people will buy them regardless of the price."A tariff on avocado imports is basically a tax on US avocado consumers and most tariff revenue would be paid by US consumers," Williams told BI.Price hikes on breakfast ingredients are already impacting consumers.In New York City, customers are paying more for their breakfast sandwich, the beloved bacon, egg, and cheese. Waffle House customers, meanwhile, will face a $0.50 surcharge for each egg they order.Though it's uncertain how long disease outbreaks and trade wars will last, one thing is certain: some of our favorite breakfasts may soon feel more like luxuries than daily staples.
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  • Herms will give staffers a $4,700 bonus as sales and revenue jump
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    Herms employees will receive a 4,500 euro bonus in response to the company's 2024 financial performance.Bonuses have steadily increased at Herms despite a luxury market slump.Herms earned over $15 billion in revenue last year.Herms employees are cashing in on the company's success.On Friday, Herms presented its 2024 financial report that showed better-than-expected sales. (Business Insider converted the euros to dollars based on currency rates as of Friday.)The French luxury group said that sales reached 4 billion euros ($4.1 billion) during the fourth quarter, an 18% increase at constant and current exchange rates. Additionally, Herms earned 15.2 billion euros ($15.9 billion) in revenue last year.In response, Herms employees are getting a 4,500 euro ($4,723) bonus. There are more than 25,000 staffers currently at Herms."True to its commitment as a responsible employer and its willingness to share the fruits of growth with all those who contribute to it daily, Herms will be giving out a bonus of 4,500 to all its employees worldwide at the beginning of the year in respect of 2024," the report said.Herms has made a habit of gifting year-end bonuses to its employees, but the amount has steadily increased over the last five years. The company offered a 1,250 euro ($1,312) bonus following its 2020 financial results, then handed out a 3,000 euro ($3,148) bonus the following year.The bonus was bumped to 4,000 euros ($4,198) following the company's 2022 and 2023 financial results."In 2024, in a more uncertain economic and geopolitical context, the solid performance of the results attests to the strength of the Herms model and the agility of the house's teams, whom I thank warmly," Axel Dumas, executive chairman of Herms, said in a statement on Friday.The company's financial results are a bright stop in the luxury industry, where some companies struggled to navigate a market slump in 2024. Share prices for LVMH, Burberry, and Kering all dropped last year.Would-be luxury shoppers in China cut back on spending amid an economic crisis, while inflation prompted many Americans to avoid pricey luxury goods. In Europe, uncertainty surrounding politics led shoppers to hesitate."50 million luxury consumers have either opted out of the luxury goods market or been forced out of it in the last two years," Claudia D'Arpizio of consulting firm Bain & Company said in a November report.Representatives for Herms did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider that was made outside regular business hours.
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  • ChatGPT is making homework a lot easier - for parents
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    Some parents are resorting to ChatGPT to find answers to their children's homework.Those who spoke with Business Insider said it makes learning more engaging and jump-starts assignments.AI tools like ChatGPT are debated for educational use, with concerns about critical thinking.Roughly two years ago, Phil Birchenall's 11-year-old daughter, Daisy, was having a hard time with math."She's a bright girl," Birchenall, an AI consultant based in a suburb of Manchester, England, told Business Insider. Yet her long division skills were stopping her from acing the standardized tests known as SATs, which are required for secondary school in the UK.Birchenall said he last learned math in the eighties, and problem-solving techniques have changed since then. He could have hired a tutor, but he resorted to what he felt was a more personal, and cost-effective approach. He built a GPT, a customizable version of ChatGPT, one evening to help his daughter get back on track. "I fed in all of the subject areas that Daisy was falling behind on. I added in that she was in the UK, and she was doing a SAT," he said. To keep her engaged, he gave it the personality of a dog, inspired by his daughter's love for their cocker spaniel. It didn't take more than a few weeks with the "tutor" for Daisy to get up to speed. "She smashed her SATs in the end," he said.Parents in the US can also share the stress of homework and exam preparation. Nearly 60% of parents said they struggle to help their children with homework, according to a September 2024 survey of 1,006 parents of students in kindergarten through eighth grade in the US, conducted by Prodigy, a maker of educational games.Math may be the most feared subject. Over 80% of parents said they avoid helping their children with it, while 20% of parents spurn science, and 19% steer clear of language arts. And they're turning to generative AI for help 44% of parents said they use ChatGPT to find answers to their children's homework.Data shows that students rely heavily on ChatGPT for homework, as visits often spike while school is in session. But the merits of the bot are still up for debate. Educators in support of it say it can make assignments more approachable, helping students get over their writer's block, or coaching them through math problems. Critics worry that it could foster a kind of mental inertia, with students outsourcing too much intellectual work to a chatbot.New skills for a new learning paradigmStephen Salaka, a software engineering director from Florida, and his 14-year-old son both identify as neurodivergent. They excel under clear directions, but tend to struggle with more open-ended, creative work. He said they turn to ChatGPT to work things out through the Socratic method."He'll get an assignment, it'll be like, hey, draw a poster about, you know, the Civil War or something. It's very nebulous," he told BI. The bot helps his son get organized, talk through his thoughts, and move forward with the assignment.As generative AI technology becomes more integrated into students' lives, Salaka encourages parents to help them cultivate new critical thinking skills. "At some point in time, AI work is going to be distinguishable from human sources, and because of that, there's no way for us to track the provenance of information," Salaka said. "So disinformation, deepfakes, all of these things are going to become much more prevalent as we move forward."Students, he said, should learn to start asking questions like: "Is that source valid? What is the rationale behind that source to say, hey, this is true? Are there other sources that corroborate?"For now, AI tools are beginning to display sources in their outputs. Earlier this month, OpenAI launched "deep research", a new agent that conducts extensive research online, synthesizes it, and documents its outputs with "clear citations and a summary of its thinking." In January, Anthropic launched Citations, an API feature that lets its chatbot, Claude, provide "detailed references to the exact sentences and passages it uses to generate responses." AI-powered search engine, Perplexity, also includes footnotes linking to original sources in every answer it generates.There are still many parents who are apprehensive about tools like ChatGPT, according to Audrey Wisch, cofounder of Curious Cardinals, a tutoring and mentorship network based in San Francisco. Over the past 20 months, Wisch has taught over 75 workshops for parents on how to use AI to optimize their productivity. Before the workshops, she asks parents to fill out a registration form detailing their AI anxieties, among other points, and has collected more than 2,000 responses to date."They have this anxiety that they're going to screw up their kids," she said. "So there's just so much fear and there's so much misunderstanding. I think some of the biggest fears are cutting corners will my kid not know how to write?"Curious Cardinals pairs students in kindergarten through 12th grade with mentors to help them with schoolwork, pursue passion projects, or provide career guidance, and has incorporated AI education into those services. Wisch said that a few parents have started asking for AI mentoring, too. "We have two mentors who are teaching moms AI one on one," she said. "What I love is seeing these women become very digitally empowered who otherwise are digitally insecure."
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  • Ukraine is making weapons 'faster and cheaper' than anywhere else in Europe — and that's a problem, Danish PM warns
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    Ukraine can make weaponry "faster and cheaper" than elsewhere in Europe, Denmark's prime minister said."We have a problem, friends, if a country at war can produce faster than the rest of us," Mette Frederiksen said at the Munich Security Conference.Europe's defense spending has soared in recent years, but problems remain.Denmark's prime minister has said Ukraine is able to produce weaponry "faster and cheaper" than anywhere else in Europe despite being at war, something she said should alarm the West.Speaking on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference, attended by Business Insider, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that Europe must ramp up production efforts going forward, working with the US to do so."We have a problem, friends, if a country at war can produce faster than the rest of us," she said. "I'm not saying we are at wartime, but we cannot say we are at peacetime anymore. So, we need to change our mindset."Frederiksen added that Europe needed "a sense of urgency" and must reduce legislation and bureaucracy to ensure Ukraine "will get what they need, but also to ensure that we are able to protect ourselves." Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at the Munich Security Conference. AP Photo/Matthias Schrader Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine has ramped up domestic arms production, producing increasing numbers of homemade products such as missiles, howitzers, and drones.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously said that 30% of the military equipment Ukraine used in 2024 was domestically made.Denmark has spearheaded a major project to make more weaponry in Ukraine, giving Frederiksen a particular insight into Ukraine's production efforts.While Frederiksen did not point to specific figures, Ukraine's defense industry has boomed, matching or even outpacing Europe in some areas.The widespread use of drones on the battlefield has seen Ukraine become a leader in drone production, with Kyiv saying the country produced more than 1.5 million first-person-view drones in 2024.Ukraine also said it made 2.5 million mortar and artillery shells from January to November 2024, while the EU said it would make around 2 million artillery shells in 2025. A Ukrainian drone operator. Typhoon drone unit/National Guard of Ukraine Europe has significantly increased defense spending and production in recent years, but some officials say much more needs to be done.Dovil akalien, the Lithuanian defense minister, told Business Insider in Munich that "Europe needs to up our defense spending very fast and very significantly to be able to stand on equal footing with the United States."Germany's defense minister, Boris Pistorius, also addressed the issue over the weekend, saying, "The critics are right that we have to do more and that we did too little in the years before, much too little."Mark Rutte, NATO's Secretary General, has also frequently called on European members of the alliance to boost military spending.Speaking in Munich, he said the US was "right" to think "we have to step up, we have to spend more."He added that both the US and Europe were "not producing nearly enough" and that Russia produces more ammunition in three months than NATO does in a year.But Vice President JD Vance, also appearing in Munich, seemed unmoved by Europe's pledges, and used his speech to attack what he called free speech violations in Europe. Vance said it was "great" that Europe was planning to boost defense spending but that he was more worried about the threat to Europe from "within" rather than Russia.For his part, Trump has long called for Europe to spend more on defense, threatening to leave NATO if that did not happen and even suggesting before he was re-elected that he would allow Russia to attack NATO members that don't spend enough on defense.Some countries have already taken big steps toward boosting spending. In 2024, Poland led the alliance in defense spending as a percentage of GDP, with Warsaw investing more than 4% of its economic output in defense.Lithuania and Estonia have also both pledged to increase their own defense spending to 5% of GDP, saying that while they agreed with Trump's demands, they were not taking that step solely because of the president but because of Russia's threat.But the future of the US-Europe alliance appears at risk over more than just defense spending. Trump's team in recent days suggested Europe could be sidelined in negotiations between Russia and the US on Ukraine and that it was "unrealistic" that Ukraine could get back all territory occupied by Russia.Despite rising tensions, many leaders said in Munich that there were still opportunities to keep working with the US to combat Moscow.Kristrn Mjll Frostadttir, the prime minister of Iceland, said that "it's easy to become very negative" about the US-Europe relationship and called the situation "uncomfortable" as Ukraine's sovereignty is at stake. But "that doesn't mean relations with the US have to be bad," she continued.akalien added that while Trump had "unique" and "unexpected" negotiating tactics, that wasn't necessarily a negative thing as "playing by the rules does not work with Russia."As many other European officials said over the weekend, the US also needs Europe and its capabilities as an ally, she went on.
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  • Photos show how Air Force One has changed through the years
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    President Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first president to travel on a jet aircraft in 1959.Air Force One taking off. Terry Fincher/Mirrorpix/Getty Images Eisenhower's Boeing 707 Stratoliner, nicknamed "Queenie," featured a section for telecommunications, room for 40 passengers, a conference area, and a stateroom, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.John F. Kennedy was the first to use a jet specifically designed for the US president. It had the tail number 26000.President John F. Kennedy's pilot and copilot in Air Force One's cockpit. John Rous The Boeing 707 included a living room, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen.Raymond Loewy designed theplane's blue-and-white exterior.President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in San Antonio. Kennedy Library Archives/Newsmakers/Getty Images The plane's design featured an American flag on the tail and presidential seals on the nose.After Kennedy's assassination in 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in on Air Force One.President Lyndon Baines Johnson took the oath of office on Air Force One. Universal History Archive/Getty Images It marked the first and only time a presidential swearing-in ceremony took place on an airplane.Johnson met with Cabinet members on the presidential aircraft in 1966 in a small seating area.President Lyndon Johnson met with Cabinet members on Air Force One. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images The small alcove was decorated with a globe decal on the wall and curtains lining the windows.In 1972, Richard Nixon was the first president to use the Boeing 707 plane with tail number 27000 as Air Force One.President Richard Nixon aboard Air Force One. Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images Nixon stood behind the plane's bar while meeting with military and civilian leaders en route to Vietnam.When President Gerald Ford took office after Nixon resigned, seats in the rear cabin were upholstered with striped fabric.President Gerald Ford held a mini news conference aboard Air Force One. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images Presidents would occasionally make their way back to the rear cabin to chat with reporters.Ford's office, just off the stateroom, also featured striped furniture.President Gerald Ford with Candice Bergen on Air Force One. David Hume Kennerly/ Getty Images Ford is pictured with Candice Bergen, the first female photographer to shoot a behind-the-scenes story on an American president.President Jimmy Carter outfitted the press area with blue carpeting.President Jimmy Carter spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images Carter talked to reporters on his way back from a trip to Europe in 1978.President Ronald Reagan used 27000 as his primary presidential aircraft.President Ronal Reagan met with advisors aboard Air Force One. Bill Fitz-Patrick - White House via CNP/Getty Images In 1983, Reagan met with Secretary of State George P. Shultz and the national-security advisor designate Robert McFarlane in a meeting space that featured a magazine rack, teal chair, wood-grain table, and photos of him and the first lady, Nancy Reagan.Reagan also hung pictures of himself in Air Force One's rear cabin.President Ronald Reagan with reporters aboard Air Force One. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images The photos showed Reagan toasting with a champagne glass and waving while boarding Air Force One.New blue-striped curtains matched the blue carpeting and furniture in another meeting area.President Ronald Reagan with staff aboard Air Force One. CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images The meeting room also included a television set.In 1990, George H. W. Bush began using new Boeing 747 planes with tail numbers 28000 and 29000 as Air Force One.The presidential office of Air Force One. Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images The presidential office was updated with a stately desk, gray carpeting, and leather chairs.The staff and secretarial area was decorated with neutral whites and grays.The staff and secretarial area of Air Force One. Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images The staff area featured plenty of phones for official business. Air Force One is also known as the "flying Oval Office."The new plane's annex could also be configured for medical use.The annex of Air Force One. Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images The annex is pictured in executive configuration, with seating for meetings.The new planes featured over 4,000 square feet of space, which President Bill Clinton often used to hold meetings.President Bill Clinton in a meeting aboard Air Force One. LUKE FRAZZA/AFP via Getty Images Clinton met with a delegation from North and South Dakota in 1997 to address flooding in the area.In the guest area, Clinton's Air Force One featured tan chairs and blue carpeting.President Bill Clinton on Air Force One. DAVID SCULL/AFP via Getty Images Clinton met with members of Congress to discuss nuclear-waste management in 1999.President George W. Bush flew 27000 one last time in August 2001 before it was retired to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush aboard Air Force One on the plane's last mission. Rick Wilking/Getty Images The plane flew 444 missions and logged over 1 million miles, according to the Bush White House.When the World Trade Center and Pentagon were attacked on September 11, 2001, the Secret Service kept Bush in the air aboard the new Air Force One.President George W. Bush on the telephone on September 11, 2001, as senior staff huddled in his office aboard Air Force One. Eric Draper, Courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library/Getty Images Bush insisted on returning to Washington, but the Secret Service refused since they were unsure if more attacks were coming.In a 2016 interview with Politico, Bush's assistant White House press secretary Gordon Johndroe described Air Force One that day as "the safest and most dangerous place in the world at the exact same time."Bush conferred with his chief of staff, Andy Card, in the stateroom, designed by Nancy Reagan.President George W. Bush and Andy Card on September 11, 2001. Eric Draper, Courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library/Getty Images The president's suite included a small bed, light-pink couch and carpeting, and a desk with a brown leather chair.Bush walked down a hallway arm-in-arm with Harriet Miers, the assistant to the president and staff secretary.President George W. Bush and Harriet Miers on September 11, 2001. Eric Draper, Courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library/Getty Images The hallway was lined with a beige couch with side tables and lamps on either side.When President Barack Obama took office in 2009, Air Force One's conference room had been updated with a TV screen and leather chairs.President Barack Obama talks with his staff aboard Air Force One. Pete Souza/White House via Getty Images The plane has 85 phone lines as well as encryption and scrambling devices to ensure secure communication, CNBC reported.On the other side of the conference room, a decal that read "Air Force One" was displayed on wood paneling.President Barack Obama on the phone aboard Air Force One. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza Food and drinks are provided by the plane's galley kitchen.The plane's senior staff room featured more phones, a coat closet, and leather chairs.President Barack Obama with senior staff and President Bill Clinton on Air Force One. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza Obama met with his chief of staff, Jack Lew, his senior advisors David Axelrod and David Plouffe, and former President Bill Clinton in the senior staff room in 2012.The presidential office furniture was also updated, with mahogany chairs and sofas replacing the gray.President Barack Obama with staff on Air Force One. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza The carpeting was updated to a subtle star pattern, which also appeared in the conference room.The plane's guest section was reserved for special visitors like members of Congress.President Barack Obama with a congressional delegation aboard Air Force One. Official White House photo by Pete Souza The chairs featured a subtle polka-dot pattern, and the tables folded down to make more space.The rear cabin for press looked like a standard commercial airliner.President Barack Obama briefed journalists on Air Force One. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images Journalists can wander the rear cabin freely, but they aren't allowed to walk forward to speak to the president the president has to come back to them.President Donald Trump proposed new paint colors for the exterior of Air Force One in 2019.A model of the proposed paint scheme of the next generation of Air Force One. Alex Wong/Getty Images As part of the Air Force's Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization program to update Air Force One planes, Trump proposed a red, white, and navy-blue color scheme for the new models.The Air Force ultimately rejected Trump's proposed color scheme because it would have been more costly and caused engineering issues.Air Force One in February. Brittany Murray/MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram via Getty Images The darker paint color would have caused overheating issues and been too costly. Instead, President Joe Biden selected a baby-blue color scheme similar to the current model.The new VC-25B Air Force One planes are expected to be ready by 2027, according to the Air Force. The project has already cost Boeing over $2 million due to various manufacturing and supply-chain issues.In President Joe Biden's Air Force One, the conference room had the same star carpeting as the plane's presidential office.President Joe Biden met with staff aboard Air Force One. Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz Plain beige carpeting continued down the hallway.The placard in the conference room was updated to read "Aboard Air Force One" with an image of the iconic aircraft.
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  • I moved from Russia to Tennessee. I tried to become the perfect Southern mother without losing my Russian culture.
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    I moved from Russia to the US as a teen for college and loved Southern culture.When I became a mother, I mixed my Russian culture with Southern ideals.It wasn't until I became a single mother that I saw how great the South truly is.It was the summer of 1994. I was only 19 and leaving Russia to start college in America. I grew up in the most amazing family that loved art, culture, and cooking.Sunday brunches, fun Friday dinners with cousins, and dance parties at my grandmother's house after a big meal were always a big hit. My family has been there for me at every school event, dance recital, theater production, and math competition. They threw me a big surprise party and invited my friends and family to send me to America.A few days later, I began my journey to the US. After almost 10 hours of travel, I landed in New York. My next stop was Nashville, a land of country music, the best church potluck meals in the South, and high humidity.It did not take long to dive into the charming southern culture. The little town in western Tennessee Henderson where I went to college was everything I thought it would be.The people I met there shaped me into the mother I am today, with old-fashioned values and a pantry room full of southern cooking recipe books but I never forgot my Russian roots.My parenting became a mix of Russian culture and Southern idealsLike many girls in the 90s, I married young at the age of 21 in a small church outside Nashville. By the time I turned 30, I was a mom of two amazing sons.My life was more than baking cornbread and biscuits and serving sweet tea for Sunday lunches. I embraced my upbringing and was quite excited to introduce my Russian traditions, which had been passed from my grandparents to my parents.Being a Russian mom to me meant staying home and raising my kids. It meant throwing big birthday parties and inviting all your adult Russian friends and their kids. Being a Russian parent was about teaching my kids about my home country's cuisine and accepting that they might not like it. It meant teaching my kids everything about Russian art, music, and books just how my mom raised me.Even though I left my parents and everything I knew to start a new life in America, I took a piece of my heart with me to America.Still, I wanted to be a perfect Southern Mom. After 20 years of living in the US, I learned to speak English with a little drawl, make cornbread and chili for potluck meals, and bake homemade cookies. I eventually mastered the art of Southern hospitality, kids' sleepovers, and pizza nights.I still took my kids to church because everyone in the South seemingly went to church on Sunday. Sometimes, I felt like a Russian soul operating in the body of an American Southern mother.Going through a divorce showed me a new side of the SouthJust before Christmas in 2014, I became a single divorced mom and started my life over again in Nashville. I was overwhelmed. I had to adjust my lifestyle, thinking, and career choices.I had to become the most fearless mother. I also had to figure out how to continue living my life as if nothing had changed so my kids could weather the storm.Thankfully, the community I built in Tennessee helped me along the way. That's when I learned the Southern way of welcoming people was more than an accent and sharing a recipe. Some people truly opened their hearts to me and helped me care for my children independently. They were there for me. They helped my family and me through a challenging time.That's when I saw the real soul of the South.After 20 years of living in America, I proudly carry the title of a perfect Southern Mom, but when I became a single mother, I finally learned what it meant to be a true Southerner.
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  • I want my daughters to be best friends, but I also have to accept they might never be
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    I have two daughters, ages 4.5 and 1.5 years old. I wanted one kid, but my husband felt we should give our oldest a sibling. I want them to be friends and maybe I'm projecting the relationship I wanted to have with my brother."Can you hold your sister's hand?" I ask my oldest as we walk through the crowded airport.I decided to fly solo with both kids for a long weekend. In doing so, though, I also put a lot of trust in my 4.5 and 1.5-year-old daughters to get through the airport as a unified team."Her hand is sweaty," Maeve said, shaking her little sister off."Please," I try again. "She's your little sister and best friend." It's hard to mask the pleading in my eyes as I roll two carry-on suitcases and have absolutely zero free hands."Ugh, fine," Maeve said. Gemma smiles when her big sister grabs her hand again. And I smile, too.My husband and I disagreed on the number of kids we should haveMy husband, an only child, had felt a bit lonely growing up, whereas I'd had a little brother and knew friendship wasn't guaranteed. While I was happy with one, he wanted our daughter to have a sibling. He figured they'd be best friends. I told him we didn't know if that was the case. They could very well hate each other. My brother and I are only 18 months apart. I remember being inseparable as little kids we looked out for each other, spent hours riding bikes together, and would put on elaborate plays for our parents. Today, though? We have a fraught relationship. It was a divide that began when I was in middle school and has continued well into adulthood, thanks to a combination of differing personalities and the competitive atmosphere my parents unintentionally fostered.I want my kids to be friendsNow that I have two daughters who are three years apart, I've made it a goal that they not only have a strong relationship but are also friends maybe even best friends."You and your brother are best friends?" I once asked a coworker when I was pregnant with my second daughter. She'd told me she was traveling with her brother something I could never imagine doing. "How did that happen?"She said that her mom just kept telling them they were best friends, and so that's what they became. Could it really be that simple? Almost immediately, I started telling my oldest that her new little sister would be her best friend.As it turned out, it's obviously not that simple. When Gemma was born, Maeve was (understandably) upset that this screaming potato with eyes had come in and taken her mom's attention. It wasn't until the six-month mark that Maeve seemed to finally accept that Gemma wasn't going anywhere. And then, at around eight months, Maeve made Gemma laugh. Which seemed to give Maeve just enough satisfaction to try to make her laugh again.Their relationship has ups and downsAlmost two years into being siblings, I watch their relationship ebb and flow sometimes hugging and giggling, other times crying and screaming. The book "Siblings Without Rivalry" told me to set expectations low they don't need to be friends, the goal should be for them to have a good relationship.Still, I want them to be friends. I know that I'm projecting the relationship I wish I'd had with my brother onto them. But I can't help it I don't want them to grow up and not be able to rely on each other. While I know I can't force them to willingly spend time together (they may very well end up like my brother and I), there are some things I can control.So, for now, I try to plan activities they both like to do together. I occasionally remind them they're built-in best friends. And when something good happens for one of them (like my daughter's holiday recital), I make sure her sister cheers her on from the crowd. Soon enough, I won't be able to dictate how they spend their time, and it will be up to them to decide their future relationship. Selfishly, I hope that relationship is friendly, and I have to hold on to that.
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  • I've been traveling to Ireland for decades. Here are my top 5 places to visit that aren't Dublin.
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    2025-02-16T12:26:01Z Read in app There ar plenty of places to explore in Ireland outside Dublin. Eibhlis Gale-Coleman This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? My family is from Ireland, and I've been visiting the country for decades.Dublin is great, but there's so much more to explore, like Galway and Cork.Nature lovers need to check out Newcastle, and Dingle is just plain fun.I'm of Irish descent (as my name might give away), and I've visited so many times that I know the country like the back of my hand.My dad's family comes from County Offaly, right in the boggy heart of the Emerald Isle, and reconnecting with scattered relatives there was often our go-to family vacation. I've accrued decades of Irish travel tales and tips for both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.Here are five places in Ireland outside Dublin that I think everyone should visit. It's hard not to fall in love with Galway.The Long Walk is one of the most famous views in Galway. Luca Fabbian/Shutterstock No surprises here Galway is a well-known tourist rival to Ireland's capital city. However, the seafront town feels less metropolitan than Dublin.Music, art, language, and hospitality boom in Galway, from the cobbled streets of its historic Latin Quarter to the bustling crowds on Shop Street.Its buildings are lined with colorful art, and the endangered Irish language is spoken openly.I love that the language is everywhere, from street signs to the trad music in the pubs. The coffee shop Plms even offers customers discounted drinks if they order in Irish.Moreover, Galway is the gateway to the iconic Wild Atlantic Way, a 1,600-mile scenic route that runs along the country's perimeter.While you're in town, I recommend detouring to the nearby Aran Islands and plotting a road trip through Connemara National Park. Some of my fondest memories are peering out at the Twelve Bens mountain range from the back of my dad's pick-up and horseback riding across beaches with The Point Trekking Centre.Cork is close to many beautiful attractions.I love the vibes in Cork. Nam Chau Ngo/Shutterstock It seems like Cork is up-and-coming on the tourist scene after bagging a spot on National Geographic's list of the best places to travel in 2025.It'll be interesting to see what extra excitement the new tourism investments bring to Ireland's second-largest city.Although Dublin has more historical attractions the gravity of spots like the Kilmainham Gaol and the General Post Office is hard to match I like Cork for its day trip potential. It's a great starting city to book if you want to do a lot of exploring during your stay.The town provides easy access to colorful Kinsale or Cobh, the Titanic's final port of call. There's also a local bus that goes straight to Blarney Castle, where brave souls can hang upside down to kiss the Blarney Stone.Dingle is like something out of a movie.Dingle is a beautiful part of southwest Ireland. D Anderson/Shutterstock The western port town of Dingle built its reputation on the tale of a lone dolphin called Fungie if that isn't a charming enough reason to visit, I don't know what is.There's a statue of Fungie by the harbor, and the town still runs dolphin-watching tours even though the famed mammal hasn't been spotted since 2020.I love the town's close-knit coastal vibe, and it's worth cruising Slea Head Drive around the broader Dingle Peninsula to see stunning spots like Inch Beach.If you have time to visit Northern Ireland, go to Belfast.There's an amazing Titanic museum in Belfast. elxeneize/Shutterstock Dublin and Belfast are both capitals of their respective parts of Ireland, but it's worth noting their historical differences. Dublin's political attractions revolve heavily around the Easter Rising of 1916, whereas Belfast's tells the story of The Troubles, an intense sectarian conflict lasting from the 1960s to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.I have a soft spot for Belfast after living in its eastern suburb of Dundonald.It may seem like an obvious choice for anyone wanting to visit Northern Ireland instead of the Republic. However, it has a lot to offer, from the Titanic Experience and Stormont to the atmospheric St George's Market.It's worth booking at least a few days in the northern city, and a black-taxi tour of the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods is an absolute must. You can also easily take a day trip to see the impressive Giant's Causeway Nature Preserve.Newcastle is my favorite place to hike up north.I loved hiking in the Mourne Mountains. Eibhlis Gale-Coleman For hikers and nature lovers, Newcastle tops metropolitan Dublin any day.The coastal town sits directly under Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland's tallest mountain. A path to the summit starts in the town's main car park.Newcastle itself has a bit of a cheesy seaside aesthetic, but I love it.Its location within the 12 peaks of the Mourne Mountains could provide visitors with weeks of hiking trails. There's also the neighboring Tollymore Forest Park, where multiple scenes of "Game of Thrones" were shot.I'd recommend visiting distilleries to sample poitn, a traditional moonshine that was illegally distributed for hundreds of years. It certainly comes in handy after all that hiking.
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  • My 14-year-old son taught himself to be independent in the kitchen. Watching him learn to bake has been humbling.
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    Stepping back from baking empowered my son to take charge in the kitchen and learn responsibility.He's discovered a love of creating baked goods, and our family gets to enjoy them.He's also become more self-sufficient, and it's a win for everyone.When my 11-year-old announced his school's upcoming bake sale, I braced for a request I wasn't prepared for baking. "You know I don't enjoy baking," I reminded him, expecting disappointment.But instead of pushing back, he had a plan: "I don't need you to bake," he said. He knew his older brother, 14, would handle it. "I just need you to help with managing the cash at the counter."At that moment, I realized something powerful by stepping back, I had unintentionally pushed my son toward self-sufficiency.Letting my eldest take the lead has been a lesson for both of usAll my life, I saw cooking as a basic survival skill, not a passion, unlike my grandpa, mom, and sister who all loved to spend time in the kitchen cooking. I can manage boiling, sauting, roasting, and deep-frying, I never explored baking; it was an intimidating mystery. But my two children, drawn to the cakes and pizzas they loved, took matters into their own hands.When we moved from India to Canada four years ago, my eldest started small ready-to-bake cookie mixes from the grocery store. But soon, he was watching YouTube tutorials, baking from scratch, tweaking recipes, and even experimenting with his own versions. His most recent creation was a brownie loaded with chocolate chips, chewy candies, M&Ms, and Oreos making it almost intolerably sweet. But hey, they're kids; don't they all love to overdo it on sugar?He's made mistakes rock-hard cookies, overly salty cakes but each failure became a learning moment. Each time something went wrong, he retraced his steps to identify what needed to change. He hasn't mastered icing yet and still uses store-bought options, but he's determined to figure it out. His short-term goal? Learn the right temperature to ice a cake and eventually create his own frosting flavors, inspired by the "Is It Cake?" show.His love of baking has shifted our family's food traditionsIndian festivals are deeply tied to food, with special dishes prepared for each celebration many of them sweets. My son has now taken charge of making the festive desserts, though his versions often come in cake form. He adds his own twist by decorating them with the festival's name in icing.What's even more surprising is how this shift is changing our family dynamics for the better. My younger son, who was once the biggest escapist when it came to chores, has slowly started helping. Seeing his older brother take responsibility has motivated him to pitch in whether it's setting the table, cleaning up, or assisting in the kitchen. Without realizing it, our home is becoming more balanced, with everyone contributing in their own way.I never imagined that my reluctance to bake would lead him down this path. But it became even more evident how much he had grown when, during a brutal migraine episode that confined me to a dark, silent room, he stepped up. With my partner busy cleaning the house, my son took full responsibility for lunch.He prepared a meal with a salad, perfectly roasted potato wedges (his younger brother's favorite), and taquitos filled with spiced tofu. I was overwhelmed with gratitude. On a day when I couldn't function, he took charge proving not only his skills in the kitchen but his thoughtfulness and sense of responsibility.Watching him step into this role has been humbling and inspiring. It's a reminder that children often rise to challenges when given the space to do so. Sometimes, the best way to teach is to step aside and let them figure things out on their own. This experience has reshaped my parenting approach I now see that letting go a little can empower them to grow in ways I never expected.And while I still have no desire to bake, I'm more than happy to enjoy the results of his newfound passion.
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  • Elon Musk says xAI's 'scary smart' Grok 3 chatbot will be released on Monday
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    Elon Musk said xAI's Grok 3 chatbot will be unveiled with a live demo on Monday.In a post on X, Musk called the chatbot the "smartest AI on Earth."It comes after China's DeepSeek sent shockwaves through markets in January.Elon Musk has said that xAI's Grok 3 chatbot, which he called the "smartest AI on Earth," will be unveiled on Monday.The billionaire made the announcement in a post on X, saying the bot would be released with a live demo at 8 p.m. PT.Speaking by video link at the World Government Summit in Dubai earlier this week, Musk suggested they were still "a week or two" away from releasing the product and that he didn't want to be "hasty" in order to provide the best user experience possible.But it seems he has decided to press ahead with an earlier release, writing on X that he would be "honing product with the team all weekend" and that he would be "offline until then."Teasing Grok 3 to the crowd in Dubai, Musk said it had been "outperforming anything that's been released" in tests, adding that he thought the technology was "scary smart."The bot was trained on synthetic data and could review this to achieve logical consistency, he said."So if it's got data that is wrong, it'll actually reflect upon that and remove the data that is wrong," he said. "Its base reasoning is very good."It comes after Chinese AI startup DeepSeek sent shockwaves through markets in January after the release of its new flagship AI model, R1, which it says matches the reasoning capabilities of US models such as OpenAI's o1 but at a fraction of the cost.Musk's AI startup, xAI, was founded in 2023 and released its Grok 2 language model in August 2024.Three xAI employees recently told Business Insider that the company planned to hire thousands of people this year to help train its chatbot.
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  • My parents have been married for 52 years. While they have a loving relationship, I'm not following their example.
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    My parents have been married for 52 years. I'm not following their example in my own relationship. They mostly followed traditional roles, but my husband and I are aiming for a balanced partnership.A fair division of labor and open communication are important to me. I first met my husband on spring break when I was 17. I fell hard and fast despite him living in another state, quickly declaring I wanted to marry him. It was easy to imagine marriage at such a young age since my parents were married when they were both 20. When we finally said "I do," I was 24. I'll admit, I didn't know a lot about marriage except for what I'd witnessed through my own parents' relationship. They're now in their early 70s and going on 52 years of marriage. While they are very much in love, they haven't always demonstrated a union I'd like to emulate. From dinnertime to communication to division of labor, I intentionally follow different guidelines in my own day-to-day life. Is it wrong to say I don't want my marriage to be like my parents' marriage?It starts with dinnerMy mom has stressed about cooking dinner for my dad for more than 50 years. We can even be away on vacation without my dad and she still makes sure his 5 p.m. meal is all planned out every single day. For quite some time I thought this was normal a wife ensuring her husband never missed dinner. I even tried to be just like my mom early on in my own marriage, until one day when I had an infant on my hip and a toddler on my leg I declared the inconvenience of it all. My husband could cook too. He could reheat leftovers. He could pick up takeout. I didn't have to do it all.It's not to say one day I just stopped making dinner for my husband, there was a conversation first. In our marriage we prefer to talk about stuff because there is nothing more unsettling than an elephant in the room. I know because I grew up with one in my house. My parents rarely communicated what felt uncomfortable. They would rather not speak for weeks than peacefully admit why they're mad about something or someone.I have always known I didn't want that level of silence in my marriage because I can't ignore bad feelings. There is nothing like a good argument to clear the air, but it's not to say in the twenty years my husband and I have been together we have never gone to bed angry. When you have three children in the home, communication and transparency is extremely important.A fair division of labor is important to meI was raised in a home in which both parents worked two jobs each, yet only one parent truly did it all. School conferences and dentist appointments, laundry and cleaning, there was no equal division of household responsibilities. As a child I did not realize my mother never stopped working, even when her office hours were over.It's important in my marriage for my spouse and I to be teammates, sharing the workload for parenting and household. However it was not until the pandemic that our team was tested. When I was very sick for months, my husband had to do it all. He will say the forced responsibilities gave him purpose and power. Now he actively takes a part in everything our daughters do not only because equality is important, but also because he wants to.There are some things I'd like to emulateNow that I have torn apart my parents' marriage, I'd like to piece it back together by celebrating the good stuff. Fifty years is a long time to stay with one person and their loyalty is admirable. The number of hardships and the tragedies they've faced, all while taking care of me and my siblings, could have been reason enough to tear them apart. Instead, it bonded my parents so tightly. To this day my parents work together to give their children and grandchildren everything we could want and need. The love and pride they have for the family they built is a remarkable and aspirational aspect of their marriage. My husband and I would be so lucky to have our own children describe our marriage in such a way someday, even if we are doing it our own way.
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  • Japan has figured out how to build resilient housing in disaster-prone places — here's what the US can learn
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    Japan has taken steps to make its buildings more resilient to seismic activity.Strategic planning, updating building codes, and a culture of preparedness have driven progress.Japan's approach could offer lessons for the US, where many communities are vulnerable to disasters.Prone to major earthquakes that trigger fires and tsunamis, Japan has become a world leader in building disaster-resilient communities.Three experts in public policy and urban development told Business Insider that, over many decades, strategic planning, a culture of disaster preparedness, and regularly updated building codes have helped Japan produce neighborhoods and cities that can better withstand seismic shocks and other disasters.While Japan experiences more regular and severe seismic activity than most of the US, the country's approach to disaster resilience could offer a model for American communities prone to major fires, floods, earthquakes, and other destructive events, especially asincrease in frequency."Each disaster has served as a catalyst for deeper reflection and adaptation, and this continuous cycle of learning and adjusting is one key reason why Japan has been so proactive in addressing disaster risk," Christian Dimmer, an associate professor of urban studies at Waseda University in Tokyo, told Business Insider.After major seismic events, Japan updates its national building codes based on what it learned from the earthquakes. Older buildings quickly become non-compliant and less attractive to renters and buyers, so they're often torn down and replaced with safer modern buildings. In America, the average age of a demolished building is 67 years, while in Japan, it's 32, per Jiro Yoshida, a business professor at Pennsylvania State University. This isn't just a result of building code reform: Japan lost a significant portion of its homes during World War II, and those that were rapidly built to replace them were often poor quality."Japan has gradually cranked up the expectations on housing," Daniel Aldrich, professor of political science and public policy at Northeastern University, told BI. "So a house built in the 2020s is much safer than one built in the early 1990s, than one built in the '70s, than one built in the '50s."Strategic land-use planning can reduce deaths and destructionNew construction is both built to be more disaster-resistant and sometimes used to protect older, more vulnerable buildings. In one such case, a 15-building concrete Tokyo apartment complex, complete with steel shutters and a sprinkler system, was erected in a way that strategically protected a neighborhood of mostly wooden homes, creating a 1.2-kilometer-long firewall.Additionally, Japan has developed various land-use strategies to reduce casualties and damage from earthquakes, fires, and other disasters. Officials identify neighborhoods and regions that are particularly vulnerable and create firebreaks around rivers, railroads, and roadways to prevent fires from jumping from one area to another, Dimmer said. Cities have created new greenspaces, including pocket parks featuring emergency water stores and rations, widened some of their extremely narrow streets, and phased out dead-end streets."What stands out in Japan's approach is the institutionalized mechanism of learning from disasters and translating those lessons into concrete, actionable policies," Dimmer said.After the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, which also triggered massive fires and a major tsunami that devastated Tokyo and Yokohama, the country learned that green spaces are critical fire breaks and to act as evacuation zones, Dimmer said.In the wake of Japan's 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident, the country invested in coastal infrastructure, including massive seawalls, and relocated residents out of particularly vulnerable areas."There are efforts to bring people closer to the city centers, reduce sprawl, and then also if you have built in a place that you shouldn't have built or is deemed unsafe, then there are subsidies to help you move," said Miho Mazereeuw, an associate professor of architecture and director of the Urban Risk Lab at MIT who's writing a book entitled "Design Before Disaster: Japan's Culture of Preparedness."A 'culture of preparedness' braces residentsIn Japan, schoolchildren are required toeducated in disaster response. And, in 2015, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government produced a post-disaster survival manual, the Bosai book."There is this culture of preparedness that's been ingrained in every level of society, from what children are taught in schools, to organizations that are community-level," said Mazereeuw. Communities are asked "to really think through both the city design and then also how the community members interact with each other, support each other through these kinds of events."Dimmer said this culture is based on the understanding that building a more disaster-resilient society requires collective action and major investments."Adequate financial resources, building civic structures, and empowering individuals to exercise foresight are crucial," Dimmer added. "Equally important, however, is addressing the underlying cultural mindset that views these efforts as essential for the greater good, rather than seeing them as burdensome or unnecessary."Building more resilient structures can keep people safeGovernment officials in Japan have worked to keep people safe from disasters like tsunamis and volcanoes by consistently pushing construction firms to improve resiliency. And so far, it's been working.When a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula in the central prefecture of Ishikawa, Japan, in January 2024, at least 57 people were killed and hundreds of homes were destroyed. Robert Geller, professor emeritus of seismology at the University of Tokyo, told CNN that modern buildings fared better than older houses.When a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Kahramanmaras, Turkey in February 2023, at least 230,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed, and more than 4,800 people died. Damage from earthquakes can vary significantly depending on where they occur, which makes it difficult to compare two events. However, experts told BI that Japan's resiliency measures have helped the country reduce building damage and save lives.To be sure, Japan's approach to disasters isn't foolproof. Big earthquakes in recent decades have damaged or destroyed many buildings and had high death tolls. There are also high environmental costs of tearing down older structures and rebuilding as much as Japan does, such as creating significant carbon emissions and waste that can be detrimental to the environment. There are also cultural costs. Many older, often wooden buildings in Japan have been demolished in order to rebuild more disaster-resilient structures."Of course, I believe in human safety being the most important thing, but I lament a bit the loss of many more traditional homes," Mazereeuw said,Aldrich said the US may struggle with this strategy without first reforming its "patchwork" building codes that are different across cities and states. In comparison, he said Japan's national government has made changes to building codes that apply to the entire country, a model that he said the US should take some lessons from."The US should work to create updated federal standards for designing built structures both residential and commercial that can withstand floods and fires," he said.
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  • Meet the millionaires with no plans to retire, even into their 80s: 'I wanted to keep my mind alive'
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    Many older Americans continue working into their retirement years, even though they're millionaires.Americans are working later in their lives than ever, many for financial reasons.Older Americans told BI they could retire but want to keep their minds fresh and social lives full.Jack Bishop, 81, can comfortably retire after five decades in the restaurant industry. However, he has no plans to.The Air Force veteran opened restaurants in Panama City Beach over the course of over 50 years, weathering hurricanes and a fire. He still operates two locations of a seafood buffet.Bishop, a father of two, said he often sacrificed vacations for his business, though he's taken joy in training student workers, many of whom he's paid tuition for. He's paid his managers and core staff for the months the business closes for the season, which he said reduced his turnover rate.Bishop could retire he's worth a few million dollars but he said his connections to many restaurant providers and community members hold him back from retiring. Jack Bishop still runs restaurants in his 80s. Jack Bishop "My plan was to be retired at 55, but I felt like I was in my prime, and we were doing great," Bishop said, adding he waited until 70 to take his $4,000 monthly Social Security checks. "I wanted to keep my mind alive."Are you an older American working past the US retirement age of 67? Email this reporter at nsheidlower@businessinsider.com.Bishop is one of about two dozen older Americans who responded to Business Insider reader surveys on work and aging and said that even though they can retire, they have no desire to stop. For this story,Some said work gives them purpose and a social life, while others said they have peace of mind that they can afford large emergency costs or long-term care. Though many older Americans told BI they retired early and relish not being in an office, some who chose not to retire have millions in the bank but said they wouldn't know how to enjoy retirement.Deb Whitman, AARP's chief public policy officer, said the number of people 55 and older who work or seek work is twice as high as in the 1990s, with Americans overall working longer."One thing you're seeing about people working longer is this fear of holding onto the job that they have because they might have lost one before or fear that they'll be pushed out any day," Whitman said, adding that many older Americans experience age discrimination.Working with seven figures in the bankMichael Mosher, 74, worked as a lawyer, but his income was inconsistent over the years he made $850,000 one year and lost $10,000 the next. He said much of his low seven-figure net worth came from real estate deals.When the pandemic hit, Mosher lowered his caseload but didn't retire. He said he sometimes takes a month or two off work to travel, and he owns about 300 acres of pasture land with three dozen cows. He still lives frugally: He pays $500 monthly rent for his office, and his other expenses are about $1,000 monthly. Michael Mosher bought farmland when he moved to Texas. Michael Mosher Mosher said if he were to retire, he would live comfortably on about $50,000 a year from Social Security and $50,000 to $75,000 from investments. He's considered downsizing his ranch, which would sell for between $2 million and $3 million. Still, he said he would only quit law once his brain starts going, adding he wants to preserve his reason for getting up every morning."You need to do something productive that engages your mind and body," Mosher said. "As long as my brain holds up and my back and knees don't go away, I'll be a lawyer or rancher. I have the ability now to control my docket with the lawyer part so that I can run the ranch and not vegetate."Retiring, then unretiringAnne Sallee, 68, thought she would enjoy her retirement. But after two years, she decided to go back to work."I consulted for free and volunteered in my community, but I can vividly remember the first time the doctor's office asked me if I was retired, and I said yes. It was a painful moment," Sallee said.Sallee, who lives in Winter Park, Florida, worked as a jeweler and paralegal while raising her three children. She said she hadn't planned for retirement until the mid-1990s, but by the decade's end, she could support her children, pay rent, and save. After a divorce, she married a financial advisor and joined a women's investment club that taught her the basics. Anne Sallee returned to work after a brief retirement. Anne Sallee After working up to a six-figure salary, she spent four years in local government roles in Oakland Park, Florida. After holding various other hospitality management roles, she retired at 65."I decided this was it. I was going to retire. But I quickly found myself bored," Sallee said, adding she had enough in savings to live comfortably for years. "I started doing a lot of volunteer work in my immediate community, helping people with whatever problems I thought I might have a solution for."Sallee said she wanted to "see in people's eyes" how her work has helped them, prompting her to return to work. She had accepted the city's economic development coordinator position, which paid half of her last one. She said she didn't need the money, as she has over a million dollars in retirement savings. Sallee said she might retire in a few years if her job stops giving her excitement, but she suspects she will always be involved in something."I had to be up and dressed at a desk at 8 every morning, which was a shock to my system," Sallee said. "I was used to a little more flexibility in my day, but I've been here now two years, and I absolutely love it."Reaching retirement age but in it for the long runJames Sullivan, 61, an infectious disease doctor in Chicago, said he has "every reason in the world to be carried out of the office dead."Sullivan, who went into private practice in 1996 working with HIV patients, said he has about 500 patients, many of whom he's treated for decades. He said at one point, he worked 12 to 16 hours every day. James Sullivan said he has no plans to retire. James Sullivan Sullivan lived very frugally throughout his career. In medical school, he lived with six roommates, paid off his student loans within six months, and bought cheaper primary homes in up-and-coming areas. He prioritized dividend stocks and index funds. He also never had children."I did well financially because I liked what I was doing," Sullivan said. "I enjoyed every minute of what I did, no matter how sad or how hard it was."Despite some frustrations with how corporatized medicine has become, Sullivan said he cherishes spending an hour with each patient. He spends time with family at dinners, but he frequently works holidays and rarely takes vacations. Sullivan has about $10 million in assets, including a house and an investment property, and he invests in his partner's medical education and training and his siblings' families.Sullivan said as someone who frequently interacts with lower-income patients, he wishes lower-income people could retire comfortably with good Social Security. Still, he plans to work until 75, if not later."When I get asked to see somebody in the hospital, and it's an interesting case, I get to deal with other smart people. We get to talk about it. We get to look things up constantly and learn," Sullivan said. "I'm not looking for weeks of quiet time. I'm not even sure I'd know what to do with that."
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  • Elon Musk says the biggest ROI from AI will be humanoid robots
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    Elon Musk said in a recent panel that humanoid robots will unlock "quasi-infinite" services.The Tesla CEO said he wasn't sure if money would have much value by then.Tesla is starting production of its Optimus robots in 2025, according to Musk.Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in a recent interview with Dubai's World Governments Summit that the economic returns of artificial intelligence investments will be seen in humanoid robots.Speaking to the UAE's AI minister, Omar Sultan Al Olama, in a video call on Thursday, Musk said that humanoid robots and deep intelligence will unlock the global economy's potential by providing "quasi-infinite products and services."Musk was responding to Al Olama's question on where he believes the "biggest economic returns" of AI models will come from."You can produce any product, provide any service," Musk said of humanoid robots. "There's really no limit to the economy at that point. You can make anything."The billionaire said that money may not carry much value by then."Will money even be meaningful? I don't know; it might not be," he said, adding that robots could create a "universal high-income situation" because anyone will have the ability to make as many goods and services as they want.Musk's bullishness on humanoid robots comes as no surprise. The CEO said during an earnings call on January 29 that Tesla will begin production of "several thousand" Optimus robots by the end of 2025."It's one of those things where I think, long term, Optimus has the potential to be north of $10 trillion in revenue," he said during the call. "Like, it's really bananas."Musk has been known to overshoot timelines for delivery dates, including on the Cybercab robotaxis. The CEO once said that Tesla would have a million robotaxis on the road by 2020. Then in 2022, he pushed that timeline to 2023.While Musk said in the company'sTesla isn't the only player betting on humanoid robots.Meta is creating a product group focused on robots and announced on Friday that former Cruise CEO Marc Whitten would spearhead the team, according to an internal memo obtained by Business Insider.A Tesla spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
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  • Sam Altman says ChatGPT 4o is the 'best search product on the web' in a cheeky exchange with Perplexity CEO
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    Sam Altman says OpenAI's ChatGPT 4o is the "best search product on the web."Altman had a cheeky exchange Saturday with Aravind Srinivas, CEO of AI search startup Perplexity.Altman added that ChatGPT 4o, which was recently updated, would "get much better" soon.Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, said the company's latest update to ChatGPT 4o makes it the "best search product on the web."ChatGPT 4o is "pretty good" and is "soon going to get much better," Altman said in a post on X on Saturday. He retweeted posts complimenting the chatbot's writing skills as "unbelievably good" and "human like."The GPT-4o model (with an "o" that stands for omni) was initially released in May and impressed users with its ability to handle text, audio, and images as inputs and outputs.OpenAI recently touted GPT 4o's "smarter model" that offers "more relevant, current, and contextually accurate responses, especially for questions involving cultural and social trends."It wasn't immediately clear if Altman was referring to a new ChatGPT 4o update or the one outlined by the company on January 29. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Altman's comments about GPT 4o's search capabilities came during a cheeky exchange with Aravind Srinivas, the founder and CEO of Perplexity, a search-focused AI startup.Srinivas, who previously worked at OpenAI, replied to Altman's post about a GPT 4o update, saying, "sorry what's the update?"Altman responded that "among many other things, it's the best search product on the web" and suggested Srinivas "check it out."Srinivas replied that his company had just released a deep research agent.In Altman's response, he told Srinivas to "keep cooking out there," and that he was "proud."ChatGPT's search market share rose from June to November 2024, challenging Google's dominance in the lucrative space, according to research from Evercore ISI.
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  • Woman accusing Jay-Z and Sean 'Diddy' Combs of sexual assault drops case
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    Rapper Jay-Z was named in a civil lawsuit against Sean "Diddy" Combs in December.The lawsuit accused both entertainment moguls of sexually assaulting a minor.The attorney for the Jane Doe plaintiff who filed the suit dropped the case on Friday.A lawsuit that tangled rapper Jay-Z into a legal battle concerning sexual assault allegations against Sean 'Diddy' Combs was dropped on Friday, court documents showed.In a notice filed Friday in Manhattan federal court, attorneys representing the "Jane Doe" plaintiff who brought forward the lawsuit against the two music moguls said the case was "voluntarily dismissed with prejudice."Tony Buzbee, a high-profile lawyer representing the plaintiff, declined to comment.Combs' legal team told Business Insider in an email that the "complete dismissal" of the lawsuit was "yet another confirmation that these lawsuits are built on falsehoods, not facts."In their statement, Combs' attorneys denied that their client ever committed sexual assault or was involved in human trafficking.Dropping the lawsuit with prejudice means the plaintiff will not be allowed to bring the same case back to court, Neama Rahmani, a personal injury attorney and president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, told BI.Dozens of legal cases have been brought against Combs, one of the most influential figures in hip-hop history, containing allegations of sexual assault, physical abuse, or sex trafficking.On September 16, a federal grand jury indicted Combs on felony charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering. Combs, who has denied the charges, has remained at a detention center in Brooklyn since his arrest that month.A separate lawsuit, unrelated to the grand jury indictment, was filed in October by a Jane Doe. The lawsuit accused Combs of drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl at a house party. Attorneys wrote in the suit that the plaintiff sought damages to be determined at a trial.The initial filing contained references to "another male celebrity, Celebrity A," who was also accused, in the lawsuit, of engaging in the sexual assault of a minor.In December, attorneys representing the plaintiff revealed in an amended complaint that that celebrity was Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter."The pleading speaks for itself," Buzbee said in a statement at the time. "This is a very serious matter that will be litigated in court."Carter denied the allegations and, in a personal statement posted on social media, said Buzbee was blackmailing him into settling out of court."These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree? These alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case," the statement said.The state of New York passed the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act in 2022, which gives aGiven that the lookback window is closing and the Jane Doe's attorneys filed to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice, Rahmani said the case is "pretty much dead in the water."In a legal filing from January, Carter sought to dismiss the lawsuit and place monetary sanctions against Buzbee. ThatThe lawsuit, for example, said that the 13-year-old was picked up from the after-party where she was assaulted. Her father said he had no memory of picking up his young daughter from the event.Rahmani said the plaintiff's attorneys' move to dismiss the lawsuit involving Carter"I don't think it's gonna move the needle," he said.
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  • Reddit's CEO says paywalled forums are coming to the platform soon. Here's what we know.
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    Reddit plans to introduce paywalls for exclusive content this year.The company discussed creating paid subreddits and an e-commerce system during a Q4 earnings AMA.CEO Steve Huffman said the paywalled forums are still a "work in progress."Reddit CEO Steve Huffman says paywalls are coming to the popular forum discussion platform this year.Reddit hosted an AMA this week and took user questions about its fourth-quarter earnings.One Reddit user asked Huffman if the company had made any progress on creating paid subreddits or "content that only paid members can see.""It's a work in progress right now," Huffman said. "So that one's coming. We're working on it as we speak."A second user asked Huffman if Reddit planned to introduce paid subreddits or a "system of marketplaces" in 2025."Paid subreddits, yes," Huffman said. "A marketplace, probably not, though we'll be laying the foundation for it."Huffman first mentioned the idea of paid subreddits during a second-quarter earnings call in August, during which he said the company was considering forums with "exclusive content or private areas."During the AMA, another user asked Huffman if Reddit would add features to further monetize e-commerce, like letting users pay on the site instead of through a third-party app like PayPal. Huffman said Reddit was considering those kinds of features in the long term but was currently focused on other priorities.Reddit's shares dropped by 15% on Thursday after the company announced its fourth-quarter earnings, which showed user growth below analysts' expectations.Over the past year, Reddit has generally gained ground on Google in the internet's search market. Reddit also struck a deal with Google and OpenAI in February to train their respective AI models using Reddit comments.Huffman has repeatedly said that more people are searching on Google with the term "Reddit" included in the search.However, in the fourth-quarter earnings call, Huffman told investors that the company saw "volatility" in traffic last quarter after Google tweaked its search algorithm.In the AMA, a Reddit user asked Huffman how Reddit would prevent being "dependent on Google for traffic."Huffman called Reddit's relationship with Google "long, deep, and symbiotic." He said Reddit gets "a lot" of traffic from Google and that the company "appreciates that traffic " but is not "dependant on Google for traffic.""Reddit stands on its own as an independent platform with majority direct traffic," he added. "That's how we've grown."On the earnings call, Huffman said that the volatility in the fourth quarter didn't concern him and didn't impact revenue.
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  • I'm a naming consultant, and sibling set names are hot right now. Here's what I recommend — and when to change course.
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    Colleen Slagen is a mom of three and a name consultant.She said social media has increased the emphasis on sibling sets.Themes and styles can guide name selection, but going too similar can be cheesy, she says.This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Colleen Slagen, author of "Naming Bebe: An interactive guide to choosing a baby name you love." It has been edited for length and clarity.The idea of giving siblings matching names isn't anything new, but social media has helped the idea spread far and wide. As a name consultant who's active on Instagram and TikTok, I hear from lots of parents who are concerned about creating a perfect sibling set of names. Parents believe names can create family cohesion and unity.Creating a sibling set can be fun but can also create stress for parents. Here's what to think of when you're creating a sibling set, and how to know when to change course which is something I had to do while naming my own three children.Remember that sibling sets aren't the end-allI worked with a mother who intensely regretted one of her children's names. It wasn't that she didn't like the name she just didn't think it matched with the names of her other children. She was even considering changing her child's name.I reminded her that a sibling set of names isn't the end-all-be-all. Our children are going to spend most of their lives existing independent of their sibling set. I never want parents to get too caught up in how cohesive their children's names are.Decide what unites your sibling setThe easiest way to create a sibling set of names is to think about a style category of names that you like. If you're into classic names like John, they'll always go well with other classics, like Dorothy.Or, you can focus on name meanings. Nature-inspired names like Sky and Juniper can make good sibling sets, for example.Another option is to think about length. I find that four-letter names often go well together. At the same time, it's OK to put together short and long names if they have a similar style. I love the sibling set Ada and Bernadette, for example.Subtlety goes a long wayWhen I worked with baby company JoJo Maman Bb on the do's and don'ts of sibling sets, I reminded parents that subtlety goes a long way. If your theme is too niche, it can come across as cheesy.I would never name sisters Goldie, Violet, and Scarlett, or brothers Bear and Fox that's a little too on the nose for me. The same can happen with names that sound too similar, like Banks and Brooks, or Adeline and Caroline. If there are multiple letters shared between the names, they may be too close.Don't be afraid to change courseI named my oldest child Rory, envisioning a sibling set of traditional Irish names. But as I got to know more kids and families in my hometown outside Boston, I realized that the Irish names I liked were too common for my taste. So, I pivoted to more traditional English names and now have Rory, Janie, and George.I see that parents are very concerned about equality in naming and worry about a child feeling left out. That thinking can box parents into a specific naming pattern. If you start with two J names, you might find yourself following in the Duggar's footsteps and giving all your children J monikers. But remember, you're not obligated to continue any patterns, and personally I don't think your children will mind.Don't fight true loveThinking about a sibling set can help guide you as you pick a name for your second, third, or sixth child. Yet occasionally, you'll discover a name that's just right for your new addition even if it doesn't match their siblings.I see this a lot with celebrities. Actor Ashley Tinsdale, for example, has two daughters named Jupiter (which feels hyper-modern, majestic, and rare) and Emerson (which is much more mainstream). Sometimes, you can't fight the name that feels right.
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  • Sheryl Crow says goodbye to her Tesla and donates to NPR: 'You have to decide who you are willing to align with'
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    Singer Sheryl Crow shared an Instagram post on Friday showing her waving goodbye to her Tesla.Crow said her decision stemmed from her feelings toward Tesla CEO Elon Musk.She added that she'd donated money to NPR, which has faced recent government scrutiny.Sheryl Crow says she's done with Tesla.The "Soak Up the Sun" singer shared an Instagram video on Friday that showed her waving goodbye to her black Tesla."My parents always said you are who you hang out with," Crow wrote in the caption. "There comes a time when you have to decide who you are willing to align with. So long Tesla."Tesla's CEO Elon Musk is leading the Department of Government Efficiency, which is focused on reducing federal spending under President Donald Trump. The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has singled out agencies like the Department of Education and the Federal Aviation Administration in addition to targeting DEI initiatives.Musk's presence among Trump's allies has garnered criticism from Democrats and galvanized rally-goers. Critics have filed several lawsuits opposing the Department of Government Efficiency's efforts. Musk is simultaneously leading Tesla, which reported its fourth-quarter earnings in January with results falling below Wall Street's estimates. Elon Musk is leading the Department of Government Efficiency. The Washington Post/The Washington Post via Getty Images In her caption, Crow also said she was donating money to NPR."Money donated to @npr, which is under threat by President Musk, in hopes that the truth will continue to find its way to those willing to know the truth," Crow's caption read.NPR has recently drawn political scrutiny from Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and others.Greene, chairwoman of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, has called the CEOs of NPR and PBS to testify in a March hearing. In her letter to the media agencies, Greene referenced NPR's coverage of the Hunter Biden laptop story and PBS's coverage of a gesture Musk made during an Inauguration Day event.The Federal Communications Commission has also set its sights on NPR and PBS. Trump-backed FCC Chairman Brendan Carr ordered an investigation into the media agencies over concerns they could be "violating federal law by airing commercials," per a letter obtained by The New York Times.Carr reposted Crow's video to his X account on Saturday, along with some commentary."I know celebrities are hesitant to weigh in on hot button issues, so I appreciate Sheryl Crow making an argument herenot through words alone, but through her actions that Congress should not force taxpayers to subsidize NPR. Bravo," the post said.Representatives for Tesla and Crow did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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  • Trump and Musk connect with working-class voters because they 'understand the consumer,' Sen. Ruben Gallego says
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    Ruben Gallego said the 2024 election proved Trump and Musk's understanding of working-class voters."They actually understand the consumer," the senator told The New York Times.Gallego won his Senate seat on the same ballot where Trump flipped Arizona back into the GOP column.President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk have found a way to connect with working-class voters because they are "engaged every day" with them, Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona said in a recent New York Times interview."They actually understand the consumer," Gallego said. "They are engaged every day, one way or the other, in trying to talk to the consumer, and in this case it's the voter."Gallego said the2024 general election results"proved" the strength of Trump's appeal with theworking-class voters Democrats have also sought to win over.When Gallego was asked why many voters concerned about the economy seemingly had little issue with an administration filled with the ultrawealthy, the Arizona lawmaker said personal wealth is aspirational for many voters."People that are working class, poor, don't necessarily look at the ultrarich as their competitors," he said. "They want to be rich someday."He said those voters would give Trump, Musk, and their allies the benefit of the doubt until they were personally impacted by governmental actions.Gallego also predicted that Trump would face political backlash over the GOP's long-sought tax bill, which could include $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and potential spending reductions for programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program."That's when you're going to see people saying, 'No, no, no, that's not what I want,'" he said.Gallego has only been in the Senate for a few weeks, but he's no stranger to Washington. He served in the House for a decade, representing a Democratic-heavy district anchored in Phoenix.When Gallego jumped into his state's Senate race, it was unclear whether then-Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema would also run. This had the potential to create a three-way race, which could have made it easier for the GOP to win the seat. However, Sinema eventually declined a reelection bid, and Gallego faced Republican Kari Lake, a staunch Trump political ally.Gallego defeated Lake last November even as Trump flipped Arizona red in his victory over then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the key swing state.The first Latino to represent Arizona in the Senate, Gallego outpaced Harris with Latino voters and male voters. The lawmaker attributed his success to his work to engage with voters everywhere, especially as it related to their economic concerns.
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  • I worked in a children's secondhand store. Here's what you should know before donating.
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    I worked for a year at a secondhand store selling used clothing and toys.We had to reject many donated items based on their condition.I want people to be more mindful of what they donate instead. I worked at a consignment store in my final year of high school. Each shift, customers would bring bags of old clothing for us to sort through to determine if it was acceptable to sell. Being a consignment store, customers would get a percentage of the profits if their items were sold. If the items were unacceptable, we would put them aside in a bag to donate to local charities.While working there, I must've sorted through hundreds of pieces of clothing, many of which we couldn't sell. This should not be surprising, given that only about 15% of clothes donated to secondhand stores are resold or reused. Most items I rejected had obvious imperfections: visible stains, holes, or tears, making it extremely unlikely anyone else would want to wear them. We would even receive items our store didn't sell, such as used underwear. It was frustrating to constantly receive donations so evidently unfit to sell, making me feel as if people were just using our store to get rid of clothing they no longer wanted without thinking about where it would end up.We had to ship rejected clothes to charitiesThe clothing we rejected was donated to local charities, but we didn't track what happened to it after it left the store. It's likely that the clothing will get thrown out somewhere down the line, becoming part of the EPA estimate in 2018 that 11.3 million tons of textiles were sent to landfills, comprising 7.7% of all landfilled waste.In the past decade, there's been increasing awareness of the harms of the fast-fashion industry and the mass production of cheap, low-quality clothing, leading people to look to secondhand clothing stores as a more sustainable alternative. It can be especially appealing to parents of young children who are constantly outgrowing their clothes. All this to say, I want people to be more mindful of what they do with their old clothing and take a good look at the items they're giving away to ask themselves, honestly, if anyone else would want to use it.There are other alternatives for kids' stuffIt's also important to consider other alternatives before donating clothing to secondhand stores. Do you have friends with younger children? Maybe they would appreciate your child's old clothes (if it's not in good enough condition for your friends, secondhand stores probably don't want it either). I personally try to mend or upcycle my clothes to extend their life as much as possible. If clothing is in really bad shape, you can look into textile recycling programs in your area or repurpose them as household items such as cleaning rags.Addressing this as individuals starts with being intentional about what we buy. Before buying clothes, reflect on whether you or your child really needs them and where they might end up once you finish them. Talk to family and friends about appropriate gifts for your child sometimes, non-material gifts, such as experiences, can be more meaningful. These changes may seem small, but they could make a difference in how we treat our old clothes in the long term.
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  • A German drone manufacturer backed by Peter Thiel says it will double its production capacity in Ukraine in 2025
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    German drone maker Quantum Systems says it will double its production capacity in Ukraine in 2025.The company has supplied Ukraine with drones since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.Billionaire Peter Thiel is one of the investors backing the startup.German drone manufacturer Quantum Systems has said it will double its production capacity in Ukraine in 2025.In a press release on Friday, the Peter Thiel-backed startup said the planned expansion reflected its "unwavering commitment" to ensure Kyiv gets the technology it needs amid its ongoing war with Russia.Quantum, which has already established two facilities in Ukraine, produces several uncrewed aerial systems used by Kyiv, including the "Vector" reconnaissance drone and the "Trinity" mapping drone. Since the start of the invasion, Ukraine has ordered hundreds of these systems from the company.Quantum's Vector drone is primarily used for target identification and surveillance.It can fly for up to 180 minutes, allows for real-time video streaming over a range of 35 kilometers (almost 22 miles), and has vertical take-off and landing capability, the company says. The "rucksack portable" drone weighs just 18 pounds and is equipped with on-board AI.The Munich-based company also produces the "Trinity Pro" and "Trinity Tactical," which are used for mapping and surveying.These drones can cover an area of 700 hectares in one flight and can fly for 90 minutes, Quantum says. They can use a variety of sensors to gather data, such as multi-spectral cameras and LiDAR scanners.They can be deployed to help with environmental and battle damage assessments, as well as surveying and mapping key infrastructure and terrain, among other things.Founded in 2015, Quantum has raised more than $200 million, per Crunchbase.Billionaire and PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel is one of the investors to have pumped money into the company, taking part in a financing round alongside Project A and Sanno Capital in 2022.Speaking at the time, Thiel said: "The future of UAS is in neither software nor hardware alone, but in the intelligent synthesis of the two.""With that understanding, Quantum-Systems is a leap ahead of its competition," he added.Quantum's CEO Florian Seibel previously told Business Insider that the company planned to gain an edge on competitors by taking what he called a "Tesla approach.""You have to do everything from A to Z," he said. "You are a hardware company, you are a manufacturing company, you are a data service company. That makes it a very complex business case, but that also makes it very defendable."Drones have played a crucial role in shaping the conflict in Ukraine, providing both sides with standoff weapons and improved surveillance abilities.Their prominence on the battlefield has led Kyiv to significantly ramp up domestic production efforts and imports.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in early 2024 the creation of a separate branch of the country's armed forces dedicated solely to uncrewed systems.Ukraine's defense ministry said in January that its armed forces would also get an additional UAH 2.5 billion (almost $60 million) a month to procure new drones, in a move designed to enable brigades to purchase the equipment they need directly.
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  • I spotted Facebook pages full of AI-generated recipes. So I just had to try one.
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    AI-generated recipes are popping up all over Facebook and real people are making them.Some people don't realize they're making a dish from a recipe written by a robot.I had to try making one myself, just to see how it would turn out.AI-generated recipes are popping up all over Facebook circulating from pages that pump out eerie-looking images of food by the hour.Unlike the "Shrimp Jesus" type of AI-generated slop, this food-centered stuff flies under the radar because it looks so much like an existing genre that's already all over social media: gooey cheese-pull style food porn.So, while an image of an old woman standing next to a crocheted tank is obviously fake, no one is going to bat an eye at a recipe for a healthy weeknight dinner.I looked into a few Facebook pages that are posting what appear to be AI-generated recipes with AI-generated images. (How'd I come to suspect? The images had telltale signs of AI, like disappearing tines on a fork or weirdly shaped fingers or distorted edges.)What I found most surprising: People are actually cooking these AI-generated recipes. Sometimes, they're even enjoying the results.So I had to get in on the kitchen action myself. I made one of the salmon dishes let's call it "SalmonGPT."One popular Facebook page pumps out recipes each hour The "Lora Chef" Facebook page has photo after photo of recipes featuring the same sauce. Screengrab/Lora Chef Facebook page I focused on Lora Chef, a Facebook page with more than 150,000 followers. It's one of many similar recipe pages with some telltale AI features that are proliferating across the platform. The page's profile picture features an attractive brunette woman. It also links out to a website, which offers a signup for an email recipe newsletter.The phone number on the Lora Chef Facebook page didn't work when I tried multiple times over several days. I emailed the contact address listed and initially got a reply "hi, how can I help you?" but the account didn't respond to subsequent emails with my questions, like who was behind the page and to confirm it was using AI. I also sent a Facebook direct message and didn't get a reply. According to the page's "about" section, its managers are located in Morocco and Turkey.In theory, AI-generated images are supposed to be labeled on Meta platforms, but it's a tricky task, and let's be honest: AI chicken parm isn't going to destabilize democracy. Meta pointed to this policy and declined to comment further.Lora Chef has lately been posting a new recipe to Facebook about once an hour, which means there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of recipes. (I gave up scrolling when I got as far back as December, but the page was created in July 2024.)The images all have a similar appearance. Specifically, almost all the dishes have the same beige sauce oozing out over the food usually from a spoon, fork, chopsticks, or some other utensil that only AI could dream up. The sauce looks oddly similar in all the dishes, but in their titles, the recipes refer to it as a garlic sauce, white sauce, cream sauce, garlic aioli dipping sauce, etc. (Even the desserts have the same-looking sauce.)The dishes look reasonably appealing, and a lot of them have comments from real people expressing things like "yummy!" or saying they'd like to try it. Very commonly, people tag a friend in the comments perhaps suggesting it to a spouse for dinner.A food writer in Omaha, Nebraska, told me that AI recipes are latching onto something."I can see the interest people have in the recipes, which all feature trendy ingredients like cottage cheese or heavily featuring protein, and all with very bright, appealing photos," said Sarah Baker Hansen, who runs a food website and writes for the nonprofit Flatwater Free Press. "It seems designed for clicks, shares, and comments."Still, she said, when looking at recipes across lots of different Facebook pages, "I think it's pretty obvious which posts are computer-generated and which are actual recipes made by humans, with photographs taken by humans."These people actually cooked the recipesIn the comments on the Lora Chef page for a vegetables and tzatziki dip, Lizzy Mimzy said the sauce ended up tasting exactly like ranch. When I chatted with her, she said she had made several other dishes from the page but hadn't realized it was AI. "I was wondering why the pictures looked like all similar colors and textures," she said."AI-generated kinda takes away from the real love people put in their food," Mimzy said.Jacq Dolittle commented that her boyfriend had made the "grilled chicken and broccoli bowl with creamy garlic sauce" one of the page's most popular posts, with more than 2,600 comments and 25,000 shares on Facebook. She told me it turned out a little bland but still good. "I have heard AI recipes are always a bit off, LOL," she wrote.Other dishes seemed to have some problems.On a popular Parmesan-crusted chicken recipe, several comments mentioned that the chicken needed to be pan-fried, not baked, to achieve the kind of brown crust in the image. One comment read: "I didn't realize this was AI-generated until after I made it, and I'm disappointed in myself. The sauce isn't too bad aside from being watery, and the chicken itself tastes like nothing LOL."I made AI salmon with avocado crema and lime The raw ingredients for my AI-generated salmon dish. Katie Notopoulos/BI I had to test out one of these recipes for myself. I'm no stranger to trying AI-suggested food I once made pizza with glue in the sauce because Google's AI answers suggested it.From the Lora Chef page, I picked a recent recipe for salmon with a you guessed it white sauce because it seemed relatively easy, and I needed it easy because I am a very, very bad cook.The cream sauce called for a food processor, which I wasn't entirely happy to have to drag out of the cupboard, but OK.The salmon called for some spices on top and then pan-frying in olive oil. My husband, the chef of the family, remarked that canola oil would typically be preferred because of its higher smoke point. (Perhaps this was an AI mistake.)In the end, I served it over rice, and it was ... fine. Somewhat bland, both the fish and the sauce. But I ate the AI food and lived. The final product: My AI-spawned salmon. Bon appetit! Katie Notopoulos/BI AI, it seems, is capable of generating acceptable recipes for common dishes. This makes sense there's a lot about cooking that is replicated over and over, and the same steps tend to follow each other in the process. This is perfect for AI.But even though generative AI can do some things capably, it doesn't always do things well. Real recipe writing is nuanced and difficult work cooks test out each step and use their knowledge to avoid pitfalls. For example, my salmon called for sesame seeds on top (I skipped them), but those seeds probably would've burned in the pan (although they would have been good for baked or roasted salmon). A human recipe writer would've intuitively known this.On the scale of what harm AI-generated content flooding Facebook might do, recipes are certainly not like political misinformation or a financial scam.But unlike other AI-generated stuff, which might just elicit a comment or a "like" from an unsuspecting person, there are actually people out there spending their evenings cooking and eating these recipes.
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  • Australian authorities 'won't let up' trying to recoup Belle Gibson's fine
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    Australian authorities are still pursuing Belle Gibson for the unpaid fine she owes from 2017.Gibson was ordered to pay a fine of A$410,000 after being found to have broken consumer law.A new Netflix series tells a fictionalized account of how she lied to followers about having and curing cancer.Following the release of Netflix's "Apple Cider Vinegar," Australian authorities are continuing their efforts to recoup hundreds of thousands of dollars in outstanding fines, penalties, and interest from former wellness guru Belle Gibson."Apple Cider Vinegar," which debuted earlier this month, tells a fictionalized version of how Gibson lied to friends, online followers, and major corporations like Apple and publisher Penguin about curing what she said was her terminal brain cancer through healthy eating and alternative therapies.Gibson, who admitted not having cancer following an investigation into her business by Melbourne newspaper The Age in 2015, was found guilty of five breaches of Australian consumer law in 2017.Court documents viewed by Business Insider show that an Australian Federal Court judge ordered Gibson to pay a fine of A$410,000 (around $260,000), plus A$30,000 (about $19,000) in legal costs at the time.However, Gibson said in subsequent court appearances that she was unable to pay the money, ABC reported.Although Gibson's case appeared to have been marked as finalized and abandoned in 2021, Jacinta Allan, the Premier of the Australian state of Victoria, has confirmed that local authorities are still working to recover the fine."Behind the TV stories, behind the dramatisation, are real people who have had their lives devastated by the actions of this individual," Allan said, per The Guardian. "Consumer Affairs Victoria is continuing to pursue this, particularly in the context of the orders that have been made by the court."Allan added that she was "disappointed" the matter still had not been resolved but that Consumer Affairs Victoria "won't let up." Kaitlyn Dever as Belle Gibson in "Apple Cider Vinegar." Netflix The current outstanding balance that Gibson owes has not been disclosed. Consumer Affairs Victoria did not immediately respond to BI's request for clarification, which was sent outside regular working hours.But after officers raided Gibson's home in Melbourne in 2021, it was reported that the fine amounted to more than A$500,000 (around $317,000), including penalties and interest.Gibson's case has been thrust back into the spotlight following the release of the six-part Netflix series, which has been viewed by more than 3.8 million people since its release on February 6, according to the streamer's own data.Gibson became a global influencer in the mid-2010s as she amassed more than 200,000 followers on Instagram. She went on to create a nutrition app called "The Whole Pantry" and later a cookbook of the same name.Following her confession to Australian Women's Weekly in 2015 that she had falsified her cancer diagnosis, Gibson has mostly kept a low profile, with the exception of her now infamous "60 Minutes Australia" interview.
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  • My son just graduated from high school and is preparing for college. It's difficult to watch him make life-changing decisions without me.
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    My son just graduated from high school and is heading to college.He's making life-changing decisions, like what he wants to major in and where he wants to live.I'm excited for him, but it's scary watching my kid make such huge decisions. Dominic, my oldest son, is 17 years old. He recently graduated from high school, finishing his senior year a semester early. He also recently learned that his ACT score and GPA earned him a great scholarship offer at the University of Nevada right here in our hometown.We're four kids into this parenting journey, and most of our parenting "firsts" teething and ER visits and navigating the terrible twos and the even more terrible tween stage have happened with Dom. He's our "learner" kid, the one with whom we largely figured out how we navigate this whole parenting thing. And now, we're learning again.This time, it's how to parent an almost college student poised to spread his wings and make his way into the world. Forget sleep training this is one of the most unnerving things we've experienced as parents.The stakes are so much higher as my son prepares for his futureI've always been open to letting my kids fail. But letting a little kid struggle as they learn how to tie their shoes, pour their own cereal, or ride a bike is one thing. Standing back as your almost-of-legal-age son makes decisions that could affect the rest of his life is something else entirely.Dom is in the middle of making some big decisions. He wants to pursue an engineering degree in computer science, possibly with a minor in electrical engineering, so that he can make enough money to fund his love of backpacking, climbing, and generally being outdoors.He's thinking about living in the dorms, how to balance his job at a local hardware store with his classes, and whether he can make a semester abroad work with such a demanding major. Really, he's making plans to go and grow up on us, and I'm as proud as I am stricken.The stakes are so much higher now. The decisions he'll be facing in the not-too-distant future have big implications. The idea of him living in a dorm or, my goodness, halfway across the world is equally thrilling and terrifying.On the one hand, I think, "What an incredible opportunity!" On the other, I think, "He's only a kid!"I want my son to enjoy college, but I have to let go firstI think back to my own college experience and the questionable choices I made at times. I lived, I learned, and I have hilarious stories to tell. But picturing my son in those situations kicks my protective parenting instincts into overdrive. I want him to have funny stories that he can look back on in equal parts amusement and disbelief. But I also want to keep him safe and protected and home with me forever even though I know that's neither doable nor what's best for him (or me, to be perfectly honest).I keep coming back to the same thing: He's a good kid with a good head on his shoulders. He's serious, kind, and empathetic. He's scarily driven when he's focused on something. He repeats the advice we've given him time and time again: Do the right thing, even when it's not the easy thing.Wherever he's living and whatever choices he's making, all I can do is trust that the skills we've worked so hard to impart resilience, work ethic, and a strong sense of who he is are enough. When I think about it like that, all those big decisions he's going to make don't seem quite as scary.
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  • I tried 'Depression cake,' a recipe from the Great Depression with no eggs or dairy. It's my new favorite dessert.
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    To make Depression cake, I gathered the necessary ingredients.Ingredients for Depression cake. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider The ingredients for Depression cake are as follows:1/4 cup cocoa powder1 cup hot coffee or boiling water, or a mix of the two2/3 cup granulated sugar1/3 cup light brown sugar1/3 cup neutral oil1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon kosher saltI already had most of the ingredients in my pantry, but I did run out to buy all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and a foil pan to bake the cake in. Additionally, I substituted dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar since I already had some on hand.I spent $17.15 on ingredients. The cake yields nine servings, bringing my total cost to about $1.90 per serving.The average price of a dozen eggs in the first quarter of 2025 is $4.80, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture, but this recipe didn't require me to use any.I preheated my oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and sprayed a foil pan with cooking spray.Preheating the oven. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider The recipe called for an 8-inch square pan.Next, I bloomed the cocoa powder with boiling water to enhance its flavor.Blooming the cocoa powder. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider I used hot water since I'm not a fan of coffee. The smell of hot chocolate wafted from the bowl.I added the rest of the wet ingredients to the bowl, including a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.Apple cider vinegar was an odd ingredient. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider I was skeptical about adding apple cider vinegar to a chocolate cake, but I dutifully followed the recipe and added it along with the granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla.Once the wet ingredients were combined, I mixed the dry ingredients.The wet and dry ingredients. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider The flour, salt, and baking soda all went into a separate bowl.When I added the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, the batter immediately began to fizz and bubble.Bubbles in the batter. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider The chemical reaction of the baking soda and vinegar filled the batter with bubbles, which would help the cake become light and fluffy without using eggs.I poured the batter into the pan and put it into the oven to bake.Baking Depression cake. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider The recipe said to bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes.While the cake was baking, I started working on the accompanying chocolate glaze.Ingredients for the chocolate glaze. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider The glaze called for 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 to 2 tablespoons of coffee or water, and a pinch of salt.I measured out the ingredients and mixed the glaze.The chocolate glaze in progress. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider Once again, I used water instead of coffee.After a few additional tablespoons of water, the chocolate glaze reached the perfect drizzly consistency.The chocolate glaze. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider I sampled a bit of the glaze and enjoyed the sweet, chocolate flavor.In my oven, the cake needed a little more time than the prescribed 30 minutes to cook all the way through.The cake passed the toothpick test. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider After a few toothpick tests, I pulled the cake out of the oven after around 45 minutes, when the toothpick emerged clean of batter.From the outside, Depression cake looked just like any other chocolate cake.The finished cake. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider The only difference I noticed is that the top of the cake had baked into a slightly crispy shell, which I haven't encountered before while baking with eggs and butter.As I cut into the cake, I noticed its spongey texture.Cutting into the cake. Coren Feldman The baking soda and vinegar worked their magic.I drizzled some chocolate glaze on top and marveled at how good it looked.Depression cake. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider I couldn't believe that this cake didn't have any eggs or dairy in it.The flavor of the cake struck the perfect balance of sweetness and richness, and the glaze added even more chocolate goodness.Trying the Depression cake. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider As an experiment, I offered a slice of cake to my partner but didn't reveal that it was dairy-free and egg-free. My partner said they appreciated how it "wasn't sickly sweet" and went back for seconds.After I shared the "wacky" nature of the recipe, they said they'd never have guessed it didn't have dairy or eggs.I found Depression cake to be anything but depressing.The remnants of a slice of Depression cake. Talia Lakritz/Business Insider As the price of eggs continues to skyrocket a dozen eggs cost $10 at my local Manhattan grocery store last time I checked I'm grateful for timeless recipes like Depression cake that have allowed generations of penny-pinchers to have their cake and eat it too.
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