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What is a fiduciary financial advisor? Putting the client’s interest first at all times.Fiduciary. It sounds official, doesn’t it? Like those 19th century bankers in their three-piece suits and bowler hats. In a way, that’s not far off—minus the hats. In general, a fiduciary is a person or organization who acts on behalf of others. A...
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Investing in unknowns and don’t want to become a “bag holder?” Avoid these 10 mistakes Don’t be the greater fool.Are you familiar with the greater fool theory? It’s a money concept that describes choosing an investment not because of its fundamental value, but because the investor expects someone else (a “greater fool”) to pay an even higher price for it. The greater fools are those...
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Rat Pack Rat Pack, a group of close-knit Las Vegas entertainers who frequently performed together onstage and in films in the 1960s. The core members of the Rat Pack were Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr.. The Rat Pack became notorious for their wild carousing and acquired a legendary status...
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dog sports Dog sports are organized contests that provide physical exercise and mental stimulation for the animals, fun opportunities that allow dog owners to bond with their pets, and entertainment for spectators. There are numerous types of dog sports, as highlighted below. While some are better suited for...
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Investing in tech sector stocks: A beginner’s guide Today’s technology is always so yesterday.The information technology (IT) sector is perhaps the most expansive and progressive of the 11 Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) sectors in the stock market. It’s expansive because nearly every industry relies on technology products and...
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Bond funds: Where fixed-income markets meet diversification Putting stock in bonds.Bond funds are an efficient way to add an important fixed-income counterweight to the equities part of a diversified investment portfolio. Unlike holding single bonds, bond funds offer a low-cost and easy way to diversify because they hold many securities. Before you jump...
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Bond funds: Know the types before you choose Fixed income; flexible choices.Even if you’re at the very beginning of your investing journey, you’ve probably heard some form of the diversification argument. In particular, you may have heard about the importance of bonds and other fixed-income securities as a key part of diversifying your...
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Solange Solange is an American multidisciplinary artist, perhaps best known as a singer, songwriter, choreographer, and actress but also widely celebrated as a visual and performance artist. She began her career at age 14 as a backup dancer for Destiny’s Child, which her elder sister, Beyoncé, helped found...
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Chaz Bono Chaz Bono American actor and author known for his activism concerning LGBTQ+ rights. Bono is further known for his openness about his transition from female to male. Bono was born to singer and actress Cher and musician Sonny Bono and was named Chastity, for a film that starred Cher and was...
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Kyrie Irving Kyrie Irving is a professional basketball player who, with LeBron James, led the Cleveland Cavaliers to an NBA championship in 2016. Irving is known for his exceptional ball-handling skills, elite isolation shooting, and stylish finishes at the rim. However, his on-court achievements have at times...
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Meme stocks: More than a 2021 phenomenon Social media isn’t stock analysis.You’re probably familiar with memes—bits of cultural info spread by imitation—but what about meme stocks? A meme stock is one whose share price is being driven by Internet culture. As a concept, they’ve only been around for a few years, but meme stocks have caused...
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Sacred College of Cardinals Sacred College of Cardinals, the group of bishops and archbishops in the Roman Catholic Church who have been created cardinals by the pope. Its members serve as the pope’s key advisers and assistants in his administration of the church. According to the Code of Canon Law, the two most important...
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A voyage through the systems of the human body The human body is a complex structure made up of several systems that work together to enable it to function. Each system is made up of one or more organs, along with cells and tissues. These systems complement one another, each performing a critical function and, ultimately, sustaining a person’s...
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cardinal camerlengo Cardinal camerlengo, in Roman Catholicism, one of the cardinals and key prelates of the Vatican who is appointed by the pope and is tasked with a specific series of functions in the crucial time of transition from one pope to his successor, including verifying the vacating pope’s death. The role of...
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dairy cattle breeds Cattle, at the initial stages of their domestication, produced a relatively small amount of milk, sufficient only to rear their calves. Early cattle breeding focused largely on meat production, and the development of high milk yield in cows was a later development. Dairy cattle breeds were...
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beef cattle breeds All modern domestic cattle are believed to belong to the species Bos taurus (European breeds such as Shorthorn and Jersey) or Bos indicus (Zebu breeds such as Brahman) or to be crosses of these two (such as Santa Gertrudis). Beef cattle breeds as they are known today did not always exist, and many...
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paramilitary Paramilitary, group or organization that operates outside a country’s formal military structure. Paramilitaries are typically modeled after military organizations and may have similar training and equipment. These groups often have political or ideological aims and may be involved in activities...
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NREM sleep NREM sleep, one of two phases in the sleep cycle, considered the restful or quiet sleep phase. The other phase of the human sleep cycle is known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. A single sleep cycle, with both NREM and REM phases, lasts about 90 to 110 minutes; most adults complete the cycle four...
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Birkin bag Birkin bag, handbag produced by French luxury retailer Hermès and named after English model, actress, and singer Jane Birkin. First debuting in 1984, the Birkin bag (or simply “Birkin”) became a status symbol in the 1990s and has become known for its sizable price tag and its difficulty to...
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Havana syndrome Havana syndrome, largely discredited medical condition reported among U.S. diplomats and other government employees stationed internationally. Havana syndrome was first publicized in 2016 following reports of an unidentified condition in officials at the U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba. Reported...
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sheep breeds Sheep were first domesticated from wild species by at least 5000 bce and are raised for their fleece (wool), milk, and meat. The flesh of mature sheep is called mutton while that of immature animals is called lamb. Of more than 200 breeds of sheep in existence in the world, the majority are of...
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hardcore punk Hardcore punk, a genre of punk music defined by its speed and intensity, aggressive sound, and DIY (do-it-yourself) ethics. Hardcore came to the fore in a number of American cities during the late 1970s and early ’80s and spread to many other countries. It spawned several subcultures that subscribe...
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freshwater crocodile Freshwater crocodile, (Crocodylus johnsoni), moderately large species of crocodile inhabiting inland swamps, rivers, and other tropical freshwater environments in the northern parts of Queensland, Western Australia, and Australia’s Northern Territory. The species is distinguished from other...
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Taiwan Strait crises Taiwan Strait crises, a series of confrontations between the People’s Republic of China (P.R.C.) and the Republic of China (Taiwan; R.O.C.) across the Taiwan Strait that occurred from the 1950s through the early 2020s. These incidents involved the deployment, and in some cases active use, of...
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Where Bonnie and Clyde died—and still live on It is a strange thing to grow up in a town marked by killers and killing, a town in flight from its own infamy. I grew up in just such a place. A hamlet of hundreds, Gibsland, Louisiana, was not known for much until when, on May 23, 1934, Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow, the...
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1948 Arab-Israeli War 1948 Arab-Israeli War, an existential war fought between Israel and Arab forces from Egypt, Transjordan (Jordan), Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. The war formally began on May 15, 1948, and ended on July 20, 1949, although it followed a civil war that began after the passage of United Nations partition...
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Lisa Fernandez Lisa Fernandez is an American softball player who helped lead the U.S. women’s national softball team to three consecutive Olympic gold medals (1996, 2000, and 2004). Known for her great all-around ability, she set individual Olympic records as both a pitcher and a hitter and is considered one of...
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Linda Martell Linda Martell is a pioneering American country music singer who was the first Black female artist to perform at the venerable Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. She had a top 25 hit (“Color Him Father”) on Billboard’s country chart in 1969 but then faded into obscurity until a resurgence of interest in...
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America Ferrera America Ferrera is an American actress, producer, director, and activist who rose to fame with her portrayal of the upbeat, quirky, braces-wearing assistant to the editor in chief at a high-end fashion magazine in the hit series Ugly Betty (2006–10). For that role she became the first Latina and...
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sea lamprey Sea lamprey, (Petromyzon marinus), eel-like, jawless species of fish native to the North Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Adriatic, Baltic, and Mediterranean seas, along with their coastal estuaries and rivers. The species is considered to be among the most primitive of all living vertebrates....
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Wind, hail, floods, and more: How to insure your home against natural disasters Acts of God can exact a toll.Over the past two decades, weather-related natural disasters and ensuing insurance claims have risen significantly. The Eastern Seaboard in the U.S. is experiencing more frequent and fiercer hurricanes, while wildfires in the West are becoming larger and more...
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Calculating position size in trading: The key to risk management And the foundation of long-term trading success.Position sizing is a crucial, yet often overlooked, aspect of risk management that determines how much of a particular asset—whether it’s stocks, options, or even cryptocurrency—you should buy or sell per trade. Position sizing involves calculating...
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A Quiet Place A Quiet Place, American science-fiction–horror film series that uses sound and silence in innovative ways to tell the postapocalyptic story of a family trying to survive after Earth has been invaded by blind extraterrestrial creatures that hunt humans by sound. The films are noted for their...
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colossal squid Colossal squid, (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni), a massive, elusive cephalopod species inhabiting cold, deep regions of the Southern Ocean at depths ranging from 20 to 2,000 meters (66 to 6,562 feet). Biologists consider the colossal squid either the largest or second largest invertebrate in the...
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Jensen Huang Jensen Huang is a Taiwan-born American entrepreneur who cofounded the American semiconductor company NVIDIA Corporation. Under Huang’s leadership, NVIDIA has become one of the leading providers of graphics processing units (GPUs) and has taken center stage in the current artificial intelligence...
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history of sneakers Trainers, gym shoes, runners, tennis shoes. No matter what you call them, sneakers seem to be everywhere. But what’s the story behind these ubiquitous shoes? Read our timeline to discover how these simple shoes launched a multibillion-dollar industry and became a central part of daily life. • 1839:...
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The paradox of thrift: Understanding economic behavior in recessions Individually great; collectively painful.The paradox of thrift is a concept developed by legendary economist John Maynard Keynes. He noted that, during a recession, individuals tend to save money so they can manage through a tough time—when what the economy needs is for people to spend and invest....
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How to choose a health care proxy Don’t leave your wishes up to chance.A health care proxy, sometimes known as a health care agent or surrogate, is someone you trust to make medical decisions on your behalf when you can’t. Appointing a health care proxy requires that you set up a durable power of attorney for health care. Although...
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Winning college scholarships: From need-based to merit The less student debt, the better.You’ve done a lot of prep work to narrow down your list of colleges and get those applications submitted. The next step in preparing for college is figuring out how to pay for tuition and other expenses. One way is through scholarships—money that you don’t have to...
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Ayo Edebiri Ayo Edebiri is an American actress, comedian, and writer whose breakthrough role was the earnest sous chef Sydney Adamu in the FX hit series The Bear. For her performance in the series’ second season, she won a Golden Globe for best actress in a TV comedy, an Emmy for best supporting actress in a...
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list of U.S. presidents who experienced chronic health problems while in office The job of president of the United States is one of the most challenging in the world and can take a heavy toll on the physical and mental well-being of those who call the White House home. Many presidents have experienced sudden health crises or chronic ailments while in office. Some of their...
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family therapy Family therapy, type of group psychotherapy (or talk therapy) designed to improve relationships among family members by addressing issues that affect family dynamics and mental well-being. In family therapy, a group is considered any set of people who share in a caring relationship and describe...
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South African national election of 2024 South Africa is holding national and provincial elections on May 29, 2024. Significantly, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the country’s 1994 election, which was the first to be held after the fall of legislated apartheid and the first to be held by universal suffrage. The national election...
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Vajiralongkorn Vajiralongkorn is the 10th king of Thailand’s Chakri Dynasty. He formally accepted the throne on December 1, 2016, although his reign officially began following the death of his father, Bhumibol Adulyadej, on October 13, 2016. Vajiralongkorn’s coronation was held on May 4, 2019. Early in his reign,...
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What is news literacy (and why does it matter)? News literacy is the ability to determine the credibility of news and other information using the standards of quality journalism. It involves “thinking like a journalist” to determine what information to trust, share, and act on. News literacy teaches people how to think critically about timely...
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list of the world’s largest cities by population With more than 70 million inhabitants, Guangzhou, China, is far and away the world’s largest city. But, what defines a city? When you are comparing developments with tens of millions of people located in countries across the globe, a unified definition is tricky—one needs to consider a variety of...
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A Letter Concerning Toleration A Letter Concerning Toleration, in the history of political philosophy, an important essay by the English philosopher John Locke, originally written in Latin (Epistola de Tolerantia) in 1685 while Locke was in exile in Holland and first published anonymously in both Latin and English (in a...
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Harry F. Byrd Harry F. Byrd American newspaper publisher, farmer, and prominent Democratic politician in the state of Virginia for more than 40 years. Elected governor of the state in 1925 and appointed U.S. senator in 1933, he embraced low taxes, minimal government services, administrative efficiency, and white...
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Dream Team Dream Team, nickname given to the 1992 U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team, which went undefeated in eight games at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona. It was the first U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team to include professional basketball players from the NBA. In 1989 FIBA, the international...
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Pro and Con: Alternative Energy To access extended pro and con arguments, sources, and discussion questions about whether alternative energy can effectively replace fossil fuels, go to ProCon.org. Whether alternative energy can meet energy demands effectively enough to phase out finite fossil fuels (such as coal, oil, and natural...
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iron lung Iron lung, mechanical medical device, sufficiently large to enclose most of an individual’s body, used to maintain respiration in persons who are unable to breathe on their own. An iron lung, the main portion of which consists of a horizontal metal cylinder, essentially acts as a mechanical...
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particulate matter Particulate matter is a type of air pollution that consists of airborne suspensions of extremely small solid or liquid particles, such as soot, dust, smokes, fumes, and mists. Particulate matter—especially those particulates less than 10 micrometers (μm; millionths of a meter) in diameter—are...
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Understanding the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Regulation Z Borrowers need protections.If you’ve ever implicitly trusted that the terms you receive from a lender are accurate and legally binding, then you may have the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Regulation Z to thank for that. TILA and Reg Z sound like TikTok slang, but are actually highly specific...
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Loud budgeting: How to crank up the personal finance volume Talk about money, right out loud.What’s loud budgeting? It’s about being loud and proud and achieving your financial goals in the process. Loud budgeting is the opposite of feeling any kind of shame about your personal finances. You might say the world needs more loud budgeters. Let’s make...
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U.S. invasion of Grenada U.S. invasion of Grenada, (October 25, 1983), U.S.-led invasion of the Caribbean country of Grenada to overthrow a military government that had taken power in a bloody coup days earlier. Grenada achieved independence from the United Kingdom on February 7, 1974, and the transition was marked by...
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Vision of the Sermon Vision of the Sermon, an oil-on-canvas painting created by French artist Paul Gauguin in 1888 during the year he worked closely with the younger artist Émile Bernard in Pont-Aven in the Brittany region of France. The painting is an example of the new decorative style Gauguin developed during this...
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Lenny Kravitz Lenny Kravitz is an American musician known for his unique blend of rock, psychedelia, soul, funk, and hip-hop. From 1999 to 2002 Kravitz won four consecutive Grammy Awards for best male rock vocal performance—the most wins ever in the category. He is also known for his appearances in several films...
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nitrogen dioxide Nitrogen dioxide, inorganic compound, a highly reactive and poisonous gas. Nitrogen dioxide is one of several nitrogen oxides (NOx), including nitrous acid and nitric acid, and is often used as an indicator for the larger group of nitrogen oxides. Pungent and extremely volatile, the gas is a...
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Indian Institutes of Technology Indian Institutes of Technology, a group of highly selective engineering and technology institutes in India, with two new campuses added outside India in the 2020s. The acceptance rates of applicants for admission to some of the IITs are known to be lower than those of Ivy League colleges. Governed...
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Ewha Womans University Ewha Womans University, private institution of higher learning in Seoul. It was one of Asia’s earliest institutions dedicated to women’s higher education. Located in the Seodaemun district of Seoul, it remains one of South Korea’s most prestigious universities and a significant institution in the...
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nightmare Nightmare, disturbing dream that provokes a strong negative emotional reaction. Nightmares differ from other dreams in that they typically cause the sleeper to awaken because of emotional distress. An upsetting dream that does not cause the dreamer to awaken is usually not considered a nightmare....
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The big 3 credit bureaus and the info they gather about you Know your credit score—and who’s keeping it.Credit reporting agencies exert a major influence on consumers’ lives in the United States. The big three credit bureaus—Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax—and the credit scores they calculate affect your economic fate in numerous ways, including which...
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7 benefits of good credit for your financial well-being Beyond borrowing money.You’ve probably heard that having a good credit score is important if you want access to favorable mortgage terms or hope to get a better rate on your next auto loan. But the benefits of a good credit score go beyond borrowing money to meet financial and life milestones. Your...
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assassination of Yitzhak Rabin Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, mortal shooting of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin following a mass peace rally on November 4, 1995 in Tel Aviv’s Kings of Israel Square (later renamed Rabin Square). Rabin was killed by a Jewish extremist, Yigal Amir, who was angry about the Oslo Accords, in...
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Interactive Periodic Table of the Elements Above is an interactive periodic table of the elements. Clicking on one of the types of elements at the top will emphasize those elements in the table and give some information about what those elements have in common. Clicking on one of the elements will bring up a larger tile with that element’s...
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Small credit agencies that sell your information to service providers Small players, big impact.One of the more sobering things about adulthood is learning about the credit reporting system and how it can impact such a large part of your finances. And it might be even more tangled than you think. Even if you’ve heard of the three major credit bureaus—Equifax,...
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Titan submersible implosion More than 100 years after sinking, the Titanic continues to capture the public’s imagination. It has inspired numerous books, TV shows, and films—as well as a highly lucrative tourism industry. For hundreds of thousands of dollars, Titanic enthusiasts can travel in submersible vehicles to the...
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art and cultural property repatriation Art and cultural property repatriation, the return of art or other cultural objects to their country or culture of origin. It differs from art restitution, which is typically used to describe instances in which a piece of art or other cultural object is returned to an individual, rather than to a...
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Deaths in 2024 Below is a list of notable deaths in 2024, arranged in chronological order. (The age of the individual is in...
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Jeffrey Gibson Jeffrey Gibson is an American multidisciplinary artist of Choctaw and Cherokee descent, whose art explores the changeability of identity using narratives, materials, abstract contemporary forms, and motifs from Native American history and queer culture. Pieces include powwow regalia, geometric...
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Khmer empire Khmer empire, ancient Cambodian state that ruled vast areas of mainland Southeast Asia from about 802 ce to 1431, reaching its peak between the 11th and 13th centuries. Also known as the kingdom of Angkor, it was the successor state of the earlier kingdoms of Funan and Chenla, and it shaped much of...
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Kaʿiulani Kaʿiulani was the final heir apparent to the Hawaiian throne. Princess Kaʿiulani was the only child of Scottish businessman Archibald Scott Cleghorn and Princess Miriam Likelike. Likelike was the sister of King Kalakaua and of the future queen Liliuokalani, both of whom were childless, making it...
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John Steenhuisen John Steenhuisen is a South African politician who since 2019 has led the Democratic Alliance (DA), the country’s leading opposition party. Steenhuisen grew up in Durban, in what was then the province of Natal (now part of KwaZulu-Natal). He attended Chelsea Drive Senior Primary and then Northwood...
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biometrics Biometrics, measures of individuals’ unique physical characteristics or behavioral traits that are typically used in automated recognition technology to verify personal identity. Physical characteristics used include fingerprints, faces, retinas, and voice patterns. Biometric authentication may be...
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chemical castration Chemical castration, the use of drugs to suppress the production of sex hormones. Chemical castration differs from surgical castration in that it is reversible and its effects typically stop when the drugs are ceased. Chemical castration is used in the treatment of certain types of cancer, and in...
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Wall Street’s winged icons: How hawks and doves shape the economy Hawks remove the punch bowl; doves spike the punch. Bulls and bears may be the classic icons on Wall Street, but circling above the broader landscape are two avians whose economic powers may be far greater: Hawks and doves. In finance-speak, “hawkish” and “dovish” represent two distinct approaches...
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Inside the corporate bond market: A comprehensive overview Company debt comes in many varieties.When it comes to raising money to fund operations and/or strategic initiatives, companies have two basic choices (aside from just generating profits and plowing them back into the company): Here’s how the bond market works: A bond buyer hands over money in...
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Mount Takahe Mount Takahe, snow-covered shield volcano located in Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica, near the edge of the Thwaites Glacier. Mount Takahe, whose summit sits 11,352 feet (3,460 meters) above sea level, is roughly conical in shape, extending approximately 18 miles (29 km) across. The volcano’s...
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air quality index Air quality index (AQI), an online, color-coded index created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that communicates whether the relative air quality and air pollution level in a given area is healthy or unhealthy. Maps of local AQI values are updated every 8 or 24 hours, depending on...
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Mastercard, Inc. Mastercard, Inc. is an international payment card services corporation established in 1966. It provides various financial services in more than 210 countries and territories, and its branded credit cards and debit cards are accepted by more than 37 million businesses worldwide. The company is...
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Considering self-employment? Things to think about before quitting your day job Plan your home business carefully.Many people dream of leaving the rat race and working for themselves. After all, you gain the ability to set your own schedule, the ability to charge what you think you’re worth, and the freedom to wear what you like. But consider the things you might give up, such...
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The six criteria air pollutants Empowered by the Clean Air Act of 1970, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) quickly established air quality standards to protect public health and the environment. Focusing on six “criteria” air pollutants—sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone, and...
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The Bear The Bear, American television dramedy about Carmen (“Carmy”) Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a fine-dining chef who returns to Chicago to help run his family’s Italian beef sandwich shop. Since its 2022 premiere, it has been among the most popular broadcast shows. It is produced by FX and appears on...
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Bill May Bill May is an artistic swimmer who specializes in mixed duet performances. He has won numerous national and international competitions in spite of being excluded for much of his career from events in which men were not allowed to compete. Artistic swimming was known as synchronized swimming prior...
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Aam Aadmi Party Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), political party in India formed by Arvind Kejriwal in November 2012, in the wake of the 2011 anti-corruption movement in India. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP; “Common Man’s Party”) is headquartered in New Delhi. It has served as the ruling party in the national capital territory...
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Robert Anderson Robert Anderson was a career U.S. Army officer who fought for the Union during the American Civil War. Anderson was the commander of the Federal garrison at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces under P.G.T. Beauregard opened fire on his position. This marked the beginning of the...
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Boy in a Red Waistcoat Boy in a Red Waistcoat, an oil-on-canvas painting by Paul Cézanne created between 1888 and 1890, one of four oil paintings and two watercolors of this red-vested model. The work reflects the French painter’s distinctive style—a mix of Impressionism with Classicism and an intense...
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Fight Club Fight Club, American drama film, released in 1999, that was directed by David Fincher and adapted from Chuck Palahniuk’s 1996 novel of the same name. The film tells the story of an alienated office worker and a charismatic nihilist who start an underground club at which disaffected young men...
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Old City of Jerusalem The Old City of Jerusalem, adorned with its ancient stone structures and garnished with gray and gold-plated domes, is a mosaic of the communities that through history have viewed the city as one of the most sacred meeting points between heaven and earth. For Jews, the city’s Mount Zion was...
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James McBride James McBride is an American author and musician known for his acclaimed works of historical fiction and autobiography, including the best-selling memoir The Color of Water (1996) and the National Book Award-winning novel The Good Lord Bird (2013). McBride was the eighth child of an interracial and...
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Osborn’s dwarf crocodile Osborn’s dwarf crocodile, (Osteolaemus osborni), small crocodile species that inhabits the tropical forests and wetlands of Africa’s Congo River basin. The geographic range of Osborn’s dwarf crocodile extends from southeastern Cameroon and southwestern Central African Republic southward to the...
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12 Essential Brat Pack Flicks What defines a classic Brat Pack flick? Is it a plot involving teenage rebellion or angsty young adulthood? MTV-style film editing or a screenplay penned by John Hughes, the great bard of 1980s teen movies? Maybe it’s all about the cast. In 1985 journalist David Blum coined the term Brat Pack to...
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online predator Online predator, individual who uses the Internet to commit sexual abuse or harassment, specifically of children and of teenagers younger than the legal age of consent. Each day about 500,000 online predators establish contact with and groom victims (that is, build relationships with victims to...
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green anaconda Green anaconda, common name for what are generally considered to be two species of nonvenomous semiaquatic boa (family Boidae) native to South America. Green anacondas are known for their immense size, some recorded specimens measuring as long as 9 meters (30 feet) and weighing more than 250 kg...
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An alchemy of assets: Understanding the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet Your Fed balance sheet cheat sheet.If you’re an investor who happens to be a “Fedwatcher” type, then you’re likely to hear about two key topics: First, whether the central bank is going to raise, lower, or maintain its Fed funds interest rate target; and second, whether it’s planning on shrinking...
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West African crocodile West African crocodile, (Crocodylus suchus), large species of crocodile inhabiting forested swamps, marshes, freshwater rivers and streams, and even some arid regions of western and central Africa. The West African crocodile is found from Senegal and The Gambia eastward to Somalia and from Chad,...
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Jesse Plemons Jesse Plemons is an American actor known for an understated, natural acting style that has made him popular with fans and critics alike. Plemons is typically cast in character roles, and his notable credits include the TV shows Friday Night Lights, Breaking Bad, and Fargo and the movies The...
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George Clinton George Clinton is a highly influential funk music singer, songwriter, and musician who organized and produced Parliament-Funkadelic, a genre-bending theatrical collective of performers who defined funk music in the 1970s. Clinton grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey. In 1955, while working at a...
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uMkhonto weSizwe Party UMkhonto weSizwe Party, South African political party formed in 2023. It is commonly referred to as the MK Party. The party takes its name from Umkhonto we Sizwe (“Spear of the Nation”), the apartheid-era military wing of the African National Congress (ANC) liberation movement and, later, political...
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Natalia Grossman Natalia Grossman is a multidiscipline sport climber who is considered one of the leading competitors in bouldering. A standout from an early age, Grossman won her first world championship in 2021 at age 20. She also has excelled in lead climbing and competes in combined and speed events. Grossman...
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We Are the World On January 28, 1985, more than 45 of the era’s most popular singers and songwriters gathered to record a song to raise funds for the charity USA for Africa. The song, “We Are the World,” released on March 7 that year, was an immediate media sensation. It sold an astonishing 800,000 copies in three...
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5 ethical questions about artificial intelligence There will be consequences.Are you wondering about the ethical implications of artificial intelligence? You’re not alone. AI is an innovative, powerful tool that many fear could produce significant consequences—some positive, some negative, and some downright dangerous. Ethical concerns about an...
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5 ways that artificial intelligence is changing how we work Is AI threatening or empowering?Artificial intelligence may be transforming industries by changing how people do their jobs. Generative AI is creating the most buzz because it’s the most user-friendly—and perhaps you’re already exploring how you can use AI at work. Tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and...
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What to know about artificial intelligence and regulation It’s still early days.Whether you’re excited about artificial intelligence (AI), frightened by it, or a little bit of both—you may be wondering how AI is regulated, and whether regulators are keeping up with the rapid pace of advancement. Regulation matters for all stakeholders of an AI system,...
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Roger Waters Roger Waters is a British musician and songwriter, best known as the former songwriter and bassist of the rock band Pink Floyd. Waters was one of the founding members of Pink Floyd and set the conceptual direction for the band from 1968 to 1985, when he departed to embark on a solo career. Waters’s...
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Making a blended family estate plan? These 7 steps will help Complex matters need simple solutions.Blended families, in which spouses have remarried and bring children from previous marriages into the new family, face unique challenges in estate planning. Remarried spouses may have different assumptions about allocating expenses, managing individual debt,...
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Dev Patel Dev Patel is a multifaceted English actor of Indian descent who rose to international fame after starring in Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and has continued to enjoy an award-winning film career. Patel was born and raised in Harrow, an outer borough of London. His parents, of Gujarati descent,...
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The Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon, comedic and deliberately offensive stage musical by Robert Lopez, Trey Parker, and Matt Stone that satirizes religious belief in general and the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in particular. The show premiered on Broadway at the Eugene O’Neill...
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list of Summer Olympic athletes When sports fans look back and remember the Olympics of years gone by, it is not only their favorite sports that they remember but also the dynamic, talented, and inspiring athletes that made the Games worth watching. Below are select past and future Summer Olympic Games competitors and the...
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U.S. marijuana laws by state Since California’s legalization of medical marijuana in 1996, there has been a growing movement in the United States to decriminalize weed—for both medicinal and recreational uses. As of early 2024, 24 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for adult recreational use, the most...
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principal Principal, also known as par value or face value in the bond market, is the amount of money the issuer will return to bondholders at maturity. The principal is separate from the interest payments (known as coupon payments) the bond issuer makes to the bondholder. The value of a bond investment can...
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Community solar programs: Are they worth it? Power from the sun with less hassle.Solar power is a popular form of clean energy that can help reduce carbon emissions and electricity costs for households and businesses. But the cost of going solar can be sky-high—with some solar panel installations easily costing over $20,000. Community solar...
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classism Classism, a form of personal bias or prejudice or a pattern of institutional discrimination based on social class and typically directed against persons or groups of a lower socioeconomic status. In keeping with its different senses, the term can be used to characterize the attitudes and behavior...
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Yuto Horigome Yuto Horigome is a Japanese professional skateboarder who is the first-ever Olympic gold medalist in the men’s street skateboarding event, which debuted at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Horigome’s father, Ryota Horigome, a taxi driver and former street skateboarder, introduced his son to the sport...
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Arvind Kejriwal Arvind Kejriwal is a social activist and politician, best known for being the founder and leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP; “Common Man’s Party”). A former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer turned activist, he founded the AAP in 2012 and led it to a landslide victory in the 2015 Delhi...
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Juche Juche, state ideology of North Korea and official ideology of the Workers Party of Korea. Typically translated as “self-reliance,” Juche was developed by the founder of the North Korean state and its “eternal president,” Kim Il-Sung, and expounded upon by his son Kim Jong Il. Originally derived...
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How to donate your vehicle so everybody wins Give your old car a new mission.Advertisements for donating that unused car you just happen to have sitting around seem to be everywhere. Whether it’s a public radio station or your favorite charity, lots of organizations have gotten into the “give us your unwanted car” game. And there’s good...
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What is insurance and how does it work? Premiums, payouts, and possibly profits.What a year you had! You broke your leg right before your beach vacation (which you had to cancel), your sore tooth needed a crown, and your fender bender necessitated major car repairs. Luckily you had medical, dental, auto, and even trip insurance. The...
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Kathy Hochul Kathy Hochul is an American politician and attorney who has served as the governor of New York since 2021. She is the state’s first female governor. Hochul previously served as Erie county clerk (2007–11), U.S. representative for New York’s 26th congressional district (2011–13), and lieutenant...
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coupon In the bond market, the coupon, also known as the coupon payment, is the interest payment that a bond issuer promises to pay a bondholder regularly until the bond reaches maturity. The coupon rate, or coupon yield, is a bond’s coupon expressed as an annual percentage of the bondholder’s principal....
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present value Present value (PV) is the value of an expected sum of money discounted by compounding interest rates to the present day. The idea of present value is based on the time value of money, which states that money today is more valuable than the same amount of money in the future, because today’s money...
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future value Future value (FV) is the estimated value of a current asset at a specified future date, based on the interest rate of investment and inflation. The future value of a given sum of money includes the present value in addition to any earnings generated from compounding interest rates. Inflation can...
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Fat Man Fat Man, atomic bomb dropped on the city of Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, 1945. Its use was the second and last time that nuclear weapons were employed in war. Fat Man was a plutonium implosion-type bomb. It had a spherical core of plutonium-239 surrounded by high explosives, the force of which...
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Gilles Brassard Gilles Brassard is a Canadian computer scientist known for his work in quantum cryptography and quantum teleportation. Brassard received bachelor’s (1972) and master’s (1975) degrees in computer science from the University of Montreal and then a doctorate (1979) in theoretical computer science from...