All posts tagged: worries

My friend ranks his friendships in a league table – and it worries me | Friendship

My friend ranks his friendships in a league table – and it worries me | Friendship

Published by skeptic

Over a few drinks, a good friend of mine recently let slip that he keeps a spreadsheet of his friends, which he uses to rank them in tiers. Initially I laughed it off as drunken ramblings, but he then proceeded to show me the actual document, saved on his phone with comments next to people’s names. I learned that he keeps a running score of his friends based on how often they WhatsApp him, take the time to call him or go to the pub or on a trip abroad together. At first I found the whole idea amusing and was actually pleased to see I ranked quite highly in his “friendship matrix”, as he likes to call it. However, the more I thought about it, the more anxious and worried I became. I live abroad and don’t get to see my friend all that often, so now I’m slightly terrified I will be relegated to a lower rank and overtaken by other friends who might have more time for him. Is this a normal …

The Global Turn Away From Free-Market Policies Worries Economists

The Global Turn Away From Free-Market Policies Worries Economists

Published by Sam

Meeting outside Paris last week, top officials from France, Germany and Italy pledged to pursue a coordinated economic policy to counter stepped-up efforts by Washington and Beijing to protect their own homegrown businesses. The three European countries have joined the parade of others that are enthusiastically embracing industrial policies — the catchall term for a variety of measures like targeted subsidies, tax incentives, regulations and trade restrictions — meant to steer an economy. More than 2,500 industrial policies were introduced last year, roughly three times the number in 2019, according to a new study. And most were imposed by the richest, most advanced economies — many of which could previously be counted on to criticize such tactics. The measures are generally popular at home, but the trend is worrying some international leaders and economists who warn that such top-down economic interventions could end up slowing worldwide growth. The sharpened debate is sure to be on display at the economic lollapalooza that opens Wednesday in Washington — otherwise known as the annual spring meetings of the …

Shakira says she worries Barbie was ‘emasculating’ for her sons

Shakira says she worries Barbie was ‘emasculating’ for her sons

Published by Sam

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Shakira has revealed that her two sons “hated” last year’s blockbuster Barbie, saying: “They felt that it was emasculating. And I agree, to a certain extent.” The Colombian singer-songwriter, 47, has two children Milan, 11, and Sasha, nine, with her former partner ex-footballer Gerard Piqué, 37. Speaking to Allure in a new interview, Shakira said of Greta Gerwig’s record-breaking film: “My sons absolutely hated it. They felt that it was emasculating. And I agree, to a certain extent. I’m raising two boys. I want ‘em to feel powerful too [while] respecting women. “I like pop culture when it attempts to empower women without robbing men of their possibility to be men, to also protect and provide. I believe in giving women all the tools and the trust that we can do it all without losing our essence, without losing our femininity. “I think that men have a purpose in society …

South Korea consumer sentiment drops on worries about food inflation

South Korea consumer sentiment drops on worries about food inflation

Published by skeptic

SEOUL : South Korea’s consumer sentiment dropped in March on growing worries about higher agricultural prices, a central bank survey showed on Tuesday, two weeks ahead of the country’s legislative election. The consumer sentiment index fell to 100.7 in March from 101.9 in February, posting the biggest monthly drop since October, in the Bank of Korea’s monthly survey of consumers. The fall came as consumers’ inflation expectations for the next 12 months rose for the first time in five months, to 3.2 per cent from 3.0 per cent. In the survey, 63.4 per cent of respondents said agricultural prices would drive inflation in the next 12 months, sharply up from 51.5 per cent in the previous month. South Korea’s consumer inflation accelerated in February, after three months of easing, due to supply-side pressures, mostly from higher agricultural prices. Source link

Matt Gaetz worries House may “end up with a Democrat” speaker after MTG files to oust Mike Johnson

Matt Gaetz worries House may “end up with a Democrat” speaker after MTG files to oust Mike Johnson

Published by skeptic

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., on Friday filed a motion to oust Speaker Mike Johnson as the House voted to avoid a government shutdown, NBC News reports. Greene did not file the motion as privileged, which would force a vote within two days, but could notice it as privileged after the House returns from a two-week recess on April 9. Greene said she filed the motion because Johnson forced a vote on multiple continuing resolutions and funding bills to keep the government running. “This is a betrayal of the American people. This is a betrayal of Republican voters,” Greene told reporters. “I filed the motion to vacate today but it’s more of a warning and a pink slip … I do not wish to inflict pain on our conference and to throw the House in chaos but this is basically a warning and it’s time for us to go through the process, take our time, and find a new speaker of the House,” she said. Raj Shah, a spokesman for Johnson, told NBC News the …

US Military Commander Worries China Could Launch Attack From Moon

US Military Commander Worries China Could Launch Attack From Moon

Published by skeptic

Uh oh. Loony Landing As the lunar space race heats up, the United States is growing increasingly concerned about its chief adversary using the Moon to launch attacks. As the military website Defense One reports, Space Force’s Anthony Mastalir, a brigadier general who commands the off-planet security force’s Indo-Pacific section, seemed worried that China might not honor the decades-old space treaty that requires all countries to use space only to benefit all humankind. “From a military perspective,” Mastalir pondered, “I am curious about, are there attack vectors that we haven’t considered or that we need to consider?” He went on to refer to two main areas of concern: beyond geostationary orbit or “xGEO,” which is an area of space past where conventional satellites operate, and cislunar space, which is the space between Earth and the Moon. Given how many satellites the US military and countless other public and private entities have floating outside the atmosphere, it’s legitimate to be worried that someone might attack them. Who’s the Baddie? Indeed, the brigadier general said that because …

Blinken in Philippines to bolster ties amid China worries

Blinken in Philippines to bolster ties amid China worries

Published by Sam

MANILA — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed Chinese security risks on Tuesday with senior Philippine leaders, as Washington and Manila seek to bolster ties in the face of increasingly aggressive Chinese action against Philippine targets in the South China Sea. The visit was the latest effort by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to fortify his nation against Beijing, as he steers Manila toward a much more assertive stance toward China than his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte once declared it was “time to say goodbye” to Washington and cultivated closer relations with China. Marcos, by contrast, has built up a network of global security allies to help defend against Chinese naval aggression in disputed waters and plans to visit Washington next month for the first joint summit with U.S. and Japanese leaders. Blinken’s visit — coming in the middle of a longer swing through Europe, Asia and the Middle East — was the latest in an intense parade of high-level U.S. visits to Manila. Just last week, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo came to the …

Channing Tatum Jokingly Worries for Humanity After Lenny Kravitz’s Thirst Trap Pic

Channing Tatum Jokingly Worries for Humanity After Lenny Kravitz’s Thirst Trap Pic

Published by Sam

Lenny Kravitz‘s shirtless pic had quite the effect on everyone. As in Channing Tatum and the rest of the world had to suddenly figure out how to pick up their jaws from the floor. In what could easily be billed as the thirst trap of all thirst traps, Lenny took to Instagram to kick off the weekend with a shirtless photo that showcased his chiseled abs. In the pic, the rock star stands with his hands slightly tucked into his jeans while he stares into the distance and soaks up some rays. Lenny donned nothing but shades, jeans and a brown leather belt. Usually these kinds of pics have spectacular backdrops, but on this particular day the “American Woman” singer stole the spotlight. And just about everyone lost their minds at the sight of a 59-year-old who glistened and proved that aging like fine wine’s actually a thing. The photo also proved inspirational. TV personality and podcaster Touré commented, “You are making 50something look amazing!!!???? ????????.” The pic also had Kelly Rowland ready to bust a sweat. She commented, …

‘Don’t make panicked cuts’: proposed Royal Mail shake-up worries businesses | Royal Mail

‘Don’t make panicked cuts’: proposed Royal Mail shake-up worries businesses | Royal Mail

Published by skeptic

David Falkner may spend his days selling pop-up cards of Star Wars stormtrooper helmets and Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, but he’s intent on ensuring his industry is taken seriously. “We punch well above our weight,” said the co-founder of Cardology, of the £1.5bn greetings card industry. Falkner and a cluster of fellow card retailers gathered in London this week to voice concerns over proposals to cut back Britain’s postal service. In late January, the communications regulator, Ofcom, set out a series of options for the future of the service, namely creating a slower, more reliable service or cutting the number of days on which Royal Mail delivers letters, from six days a week to five or even three. A costly next-day service would be retained. The consultation is expected to ultimately lead to a reform of the universal service obligation (USO) – the company’s mandate to deliver to every address in the UK at a fixed price, six days a week. Greetings cards makers worry about the future of the postal service. Photograph: Alex Segre/Alamy Royal …

Wall Street slips further away from records amid inflation worries

Wall Street slips further away from records amid inflation worries

Published by skeptic

BEIJING —  Wall Street closed out its second straight losing week Friday, giving back some of the gains that helped push the stock market to an all-time high earlier in the week. The Standard & Poor’s 500 fell 0.6%, its third straight loss. The benchmark index hit a record high on Tuesday but mostly wavered in the days that followed. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 0.5%, while the Nasdaq composite ended 1% lower. Technology stocks were the biggest weights on the market. Software maker Adobe slumped 13.7% after giving investors a weak revenue forecast. Microsoft fell 2.1% and Broadcom lost 2.1%. Communication services stocks also helped pull the market lower. Meta Platforms fell 1.6% and Google parent Alphabet fell 1.3%. All told, the S&P 500 fell 33.39 points to 5,117.09. The Dow dropped 190.89 points to 38,714.77, and the Nasdaq gave up 155.36 points to close at 15,973.17. The latest pullback for stocks came as traders reviewed several reports showing that inflation, though broadly cooling, remains stubborn. A closely watched report from the University of …