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 S40The US is struggling to handle an immigration surge - here's how Europe is dealing with its own influx   As record-high numbers of undocumented migrants cross the United States-Mexico border illegally, one key question is how the U.S. got into this situation, and what lessons can be learned from how other countries respond to border security and immigration problems. Having worked both inside the U.S. government and in the private sector, I have observed the growing importance of welcoming foreign citizens to one’s country for improving economic growth, scientific advancement, labor supply and cultural awareness.
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S48Putin wants to transform Russia's far east into a tourist hotspot - but history shows it won't be easy  Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has taken a trip to Russia’s untamed and isolated far east as part of a campaign to promote tourism in the region. This is the latest in a long list of largely unsuccessful attempts to regenerate the region that date back to the Soviet era.Throughout this period, the area was dominated by the defence industry and was home to more than 300,000 troops defending the border with China. Vladivostok, the second-largest city in Russia’s far east, was also a closed port. Territories in the region have always been used as a cash cow by the regime due to their vast energy and mineral resources.
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S62'Indiana Jones and the Great Circle' Looks Great, Except for One Annoying Thing  Dr. Henry Jones Jr. is ready to embark on an all-new adventure in Bethesda’s Indiana Jones and The Great Circle. The highly anticipated game finally pulled back the curtain during the Xbox DeveloperDirect on January 18, giving gamers a first look at gameplay. The trailer look was lengthy, giving us a treasure trove of information to dig through. But two features immediately stood out. The first has to do with a bold gameplay choice developer MachineGames is taking while the second is a more questionable casting choice for the iconic pulp hero.What the ten-minute slice of footage shown during the Developer Direct did make clear is that the vibes of The Great Circle are immaculate. It’s got Indiana Jones being a professor, Indiana Jones grabbing things with his whip, globetrotting, and — most importantly — a lot of Nazi punching. And the Nazi punching looks good! Indy is a real brawler in The Great Circle and Machine Games is really evolving the pulpy action of the Wolfenstein series.
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S47Why the 20-metre number plate eyesight test isn't fair  Less than half of UK motorists surveyed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) know they must be able to read a number plate from 20 metres away in order to drive safely. As a vision test, it’s quick and easy. It’s not difficult to find a number plate to conduct the eyesight test and the DVLA gives suggestions for approximating 20m - five car lengths or the width of eight parking bays. But is it a fair test of vision for driving?
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S56'Baldur's Gate 3' Director Exposes a Dark Truth About Xbox Game Pass  Subscription services have become an integral part of the gaming landscape in just a few short years. After Xbox Game Pass launched in 2017, it got a major boost when Microsoft made the streaming service a major part of its strategy for the Xbox Series X|S. In 2022, PlayStation expanded its own PS Plus to include a library of downloadable games as well. But while these services seem inevitable (and popular), the director of last year’s biggest RPG wants no part of them.“Whatever the future of games looks like, content will always be king,” Swen Vincke, director of Baldur’s Gate 3 wrote in a tweet. “But it’s going to be a lot harder to get good content if subscription becomes the dominant model and a select group gets to decide what goes to market and what not. Direct from developer to players is the way.”
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S46Germany's economy must be fixed  The latest figures on German gross domestic product (GDP) are far from reassuring. Output was 0.3% lower in 2023 than the year before, turning Germany into the worst-performing large economy in the world.By comparison, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)‘s latest calculations show the US economy growing 2.1% in 2023 and China 5%. The European Union as a whole achieved 0.7%, dragged down by Germany, its largest contributor.
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S43Face recognition technology follows a long analog history of surveillance and control based on identifying physical features  American Amara Majeed was accused of terrorism by the Sri Lankan police in 2019. Robert Williams was arrested outside his house in Detroit and detained in jail for 18 hours for allegedly stealing watches in 2020. Randal Reid spent six days in jail in 2022 for supposedly using stolen credit cards in a state he’d never even visited.In all three cases, the authorities had the wrong people. In all three, it was face recognition technology that told them they were right. Law enforcement officers in many U.S. states are not required to reveal that they used face recognition technology to identify suspects.
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S61How To Preorder Apple's Vision Pro Right Now  You can now preorder the highly-anticipated mixed-reality headset on Apple’s website, starting at $3,499. Although, Apple prefers it if you call it a “spatial computer.” While the preorders are open today, the wait isn’t quite over — Apple starts shipping the Vision Pro on February 2. Still, we’re expecting a lot of pent-up demand with this headset since it’s supposed to change how we work, watch movies, and even relive memories.
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S24Davos 2024: The future of sustainable business is 'regeneration'  From lethal heat waves to city-stopping floods, the harms of climate change are becoming increasingly clear around the world. So, too, is whom the public holds responsible: industries and corporations.In the US, for example, 52% of respondents to an October 2023 Pew Research Center survey said they believe large businesses and corporations can do "a lot" to reduce the effects of climate change, and 55% said the same of the energy industry. Just 27% responded that individual Americans had the same power.
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S37Old forests are critically important for slowing climate change and merit immediate protection from logging  Forests are an essential part of Earth’s operating system. They reduce the buildup of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from fossil fuel combustion, deforestation and land degradation by 30% each year. This slows global temperature increases and the resulting changes to the climate. In the U.S., forests take up 12% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions annually and store the carbon long term in trees and soils.Mature and old-growth forests, with larger trees than younger forests, play an outsized role in accumulating carbon and keeping it out of the atmosphere. These forests are especially resistant to wildfires and other natural disturbances as the climate warms.
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S31Emotional problems in young people were rising rapidly even before the pandemic  Adolescence is an age when people are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems, which may then continue into adulthood. Studies have highlighted concerning trends showing a steep rise in mental health issues in recent decades. However, the reasons most frequently given for this rise, such as changes in family life, school factors and social media, do not fully explain all the issues.
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S60Astrophysicists Aren't Quite Sure What This Mysterious Space Object Is  Astronomers recently discovered the remains of a dead star that definitely set a record, even if they’re not sure which one.At somewhere between 2.09 and 2.71 times the mass of our Sun, the recently discovered object could be the most massive neutron star ever discovered; then again, it could also be the tiniest black hole. Either way, it could shed light on the details of a giant star’s final moments, when the star’s burned-out core collapses into a densely-packed ball of extreme physics. And this particular object has a wild, gloriously morbid backstory that may be the key to the whole cosmic mystery.
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S59Jeep's First EV in the U.S. Will Be a Total Beast  Turns out that Jeep hasn’t forgotten about the U.S. market when it comes to all-electric EVs.More than a year after the surprising decision from Jeep to make its first-ever fully-electric vehicle exclusive to Europe, the automaker officially announced its debut EV for American customers called the Wagoneer S.
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S30The Sopranos at 25: mafia tale of murder, mayhem and family created a golden age of television  Twenty-five years after its debut on HBO, The Sopranos consistently sits at the top of lists of the greatest TV shows of all time. The pressures of being number one was not something that its creator, David Chase, had ever entertained.A somewhat dour producer/writer (The Rockford Files, Northern Exposure), Chase had inadvertently ascended the ranks to become a sought-after TV talent who nevertheless aspired to a film career. Still, in pitching the concept of a mobster mired in internal conflict, he found an appetite for change amongst the networks he was working for.
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S52Six surprising things about placebos everyone should know  Placebos have been studied more than any treatment in the history of medicine, yet they remain mysterious. I’ve been studying placebos for 20 years and I’ve done some of the key studies that have advanced the scientific knowledge in this area. Here are six facts about this strange effect that still fascinate me.
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S63This Adorable Dog Just Made One of 2024's Best RPGs Even Better  Indiana Jones may have been the headlining star of January’s Xbox Developer Direct, but a surprise guest stole the show as soon as he appeared on screen. That’s right, I’m talking about the beautiful dog from Visions of Mana.Technically called a pikul (which is an objectively great name for a dog) Visions of Mana’s best new character serves as the player’s mount in the game, and is just the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen. I’m a cat person myself, but even I’m powerless to resist the charms of this fluffy hero.
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S68The 4 Types of Ineffective Apologies  When I was growing up, one of my favorite television shows was Happy Days, and my favorite character on that show was Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli — or “The Fonz” — who was the epitome of cool. He could tap a vending machine, and free sodas would appear. He could change music on a jukebox just by snapping his fingers.
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S69What Deaf People Can Teach Others About Virtual Communication  Virtual meetings are filled with challenges. It’s difficult to maintain continuity, connection, and coherence. We are prone to speak too little or too much, repeating things unnecessarily. Our attention wanders, and we tune out. Most of all, we’re losing nonverbal data that can make our conversations more effective.
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S26Fondue Chinoise: Switzerland's Asian-inspired hot pot  While Italian-Americans may celebrate the holiday season with the feast of the seven fishes and Swedes and Norwegians spread the festive table with seafood to make their julbord (Christmas Smorgasbord), the Swiss gather around a fondue pot in an activity of unity and friendship. However, it's not the cheese fondue you might expect – instead, they celebrate the end of the year by preparing fondue Chinoise (Chinese fondue), an Asian-inspired hot pot made with a fragrant, salty broth in lieu of cheese, and tender, melt-in-your-mouth ribeye steak for dipping, instead of bread. Dating to the 17th Century, the history of cheese fondue, unlike fondue Chinoise, has been well-documented. It originated in western Switzerland, where farmers made hard cheese from a surplus of milk during the winter and it was ultimately eaten in the most delicious way possible: melted in a pot.
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S6550 weird things under $20 on Amazon that are legitimately amazing  Life in 2024 has its perks — modern medicine, travel options, and (of course) online shopping. Amazon is full of quirky yet inexpensive products that can significantly improve your day-to-day life, and you’ll find an exciting roundup right here. Whether you’re a pet parent or a gourmet chef, there’s something weird (yet amazing) on this list for everyone, all for just $20 or less.Store headphones of all sizes on this headset stand, so you’ll always know where to find them. With its aluminum alloy pole and nonslip base, it’s sturdy enough to support your headphones for years to come. The best part? It’s equipped with a wireless charging pad, so you can power up your phone between levels of your favorite game.
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S67Decisions Don't Start with Data  I recently worked with an executive keen to persuade his colleagues that their company should drop a long-time vendor in favor of a new one. He knew that members of the executive team opposed the idea (in part because of their well-established relationships with the vendor) but he didn’t want to confront them directly, so he put together a PowerPoint presentation full of stats and charts showing the cost savings that might be achieved by the change.
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S6644 Years Ago, a Revolutionary Sci-Fi Movie Ushered in a New Golden Age For the Genre  Imagine a world where scientists are banned from and even persecuted for practicing their research in technological advancement. This was the reality in China during Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976. Fueled by a desire to remove all forms of capitalism from their society, Mao’s followers destroyed laboratories and burned any literature related to science — including science fiction.Science fiction author Enzheng Tong wrote Death Ray on Coral Island in 1964 but hid it for fear of being persecuted due to the belief that the genre was created by the West to corrupt the people of China. It wasn’t until 1978, under Xiaoping Deng’s reign, that science and technology became a national priority for the country and Tong published his short story. In 1980, director Hongmei Zhang took this opportunity to adapt Tong’s story into a film — keeping the original’s sense of nationalistic pride while taking other liberties to address the scientific failure of Mao’s rule.
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S70How to Avoid Impossible Assignments If you’re burning out, undoubtedly you’re aware of it. Burnout occurs when you expend more internal resources and energy than you take in. It’s not just a matter of working hard, which at the best of times can feel exciting and motivating. Burnout is exhausting — whether you are working hard or not.
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S2S3What Makes Innovation Partnerships Succeed  Increasingly, companies today are aggressively pursuing breakthrough innovations. But to succeed in a significant, cost-efficient, and timely way they need to partner with other companies who have their own special interests and concerns, which turns out to be very hard. Partnerships are especially important in the tech sector, which moves fast with innovation as its fuel. In this article, the authors report on the efforts that Meta has made in establishing successful innovation partnerships with other companies, and they share guidance for leaders who wish to do the same.
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S4Are People Analytics Dehumanizing Your Employees?  More than ever, companies are using data to both measure and shape employees’ workdays. People analytics uses statistical methods and intelligent technologies (e.g., sensors, digital devices) to create and analyze digital records of employee behavior and employ an evidence-based approach to increase the organization’s efficiency and productivity. While the goal of this approach is to increase productivity, increased monitoring can also increase stress, reduce trust, and even cause employees to act less ethically. Even so, adoption of employee monitoring tools is rapidly accelerating. Companies that want to ethically and successfully deploy people analytics should do three things: 1) Make clear that analytics aren’t a step towards automation, 2) Seek holistic applications that encourage employee growth rather than focusing on narrow productivity metrics, and 3) Avoid labeling or treating employees as pieces of data.
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S5Who's Afraid of Data-Driven Management?  From a management perspective, making decisions based on data is a clear win. Yet it’s often difficult to adopt a data-informed culture. In every organization, there are teams and employees who embrace this transition, and those who undermine it. To convert your biggest data skeptics, the first step is to understand the psychology of their resistance.
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S6What Innovators Who Create New Markets Do Differently  Nondisruptive creation is when you create a new market without needing to tear down or displace others or your own business. There are no failed companies, lost jobs, or destroyed markets in its wake, opening a path to innovation where business and society can better thrive together. It offers the immense potential to innovate new markets where none existed before: Think of the billion-dollar industry the Square credit card reader unlocked, for example. This excerpt from Beyond Disruption: Innovate and Achieve Growth Without Displacing Industries, Companies, or Jobs details three mindsets to generate this kind of innovation and growth.
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S7How to Be a Better Leader Amid Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity  More than three decades ago, the U.S. Army War College developed a framework for understanding how leaders succeed during times of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. The framework, known as VUCA, has been widely discussed and adopted since, but it turns out to be better at describing what successful leaders do than teaching all leaders how to succeed. The authors present an updated approach that has generated positive outcomes in military, business, and sports contexts.
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S8Get Ready for Your Next Assignment Your next internal assignment is your next chance to create results—for your organization and for your career—and a smart investment of time and effort up front can mark the difference between getting by and truly excelling. A key factor in your transition will be knowledge—not only substantive information about the project or field, but an understanding of how others inside and outside the organization have tackled similar assignments, what challenges and opportunities lie ahead, what resources are available, and how to mobilize those resources to overcome any obstacles you may encounter. The authors provide practical steps that will help you not only get smart for your next assignment but also stay smart, building knowledge capital to excel in new roles throughout your career. They then expand on those steps, which they call phase zero, learning tour, and affinity groups.
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S9What Makes Health Care Workers Stay in Their Jobs?  Health care organizations continue to struggle to stop the wave of resignations by caregivers of all types and to recruit people to fill vacancies. Yes, competitive pay and other support options are essential to recruiting caregivers, but organizational culture, including a commitment to excellence, is what makes them stay, according to data from Press Ganey. What does drive loyalty and resilience among caregivers? As is true in other industries during these difficult times, getting back to basics is crucial — and in health care that means focusing organizational culture on the noble cause of reducing patients’ suffering and then supporting caregivers in that work.
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S10Design Your Organization to Match Your Strategy  An organization is nothing more than a living embodiment of a strategy. That means its “organizational hardware” (i.e., structures, processes, technologies, and governance) and its “organizational software” (i.e., values, norms, culture, leadership, and employee skills and aspirations) must be designed exclusively in the service of a specific strategy. Research suggests that only 10% of organizations are successful at aligning their strategy with their organization design. Some of the problem is a gross misunderstanding of what the word “alignment” actually means in this context. When it comes to executing strategy, alignment means configuring all of the organization’s assets in the service of your stated strategy and making sure there is no confusion about what each part of the organization does to bring it to life. If you’re embarking on executing your company’s strategy, here are six ways to make sure your organization is designed to do it successfully.
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S11New Business with the New Military Virtually all aspects of the military are changing to ensure it can fight unpredictable threats while sustaining the infrastructure needed to support and train forces. The military is turning to nontraditional business partners to meet a wide range of needs, from health care to housing to information technology. The Defense Department is yielding its monopoly on every aspect of national security and adopting a more businesslike model in which the military’s warfighting capabilities are supported through outsourcing and business alliances.
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S12S13Creating New Growth Platforms Sooner or later, most companies can’t attain the growth rates expected by their boards and CEOs and demanded by investors. To some extent, such businesses are victims of their own successes. Many were able to sustain high growth rates for a long time because they were in high-growth industries. But once those industries slowed down, the businesses could no longer deliver the performance that investors had come to take for granted.
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S14Make Your Emotions Work for You in Negotiations  Your emotions matter in negotiations. They fuel your behaviors, energize you, and allow you to strengthen—or distance and damage—relationships with the people you’re negotiating with. But too often, people refuse to acknowledge their full range of feelings because they’re afraid of losing the ability to think rationally and act strategically. So researchers and experts in the fields of psychology and business have offered solutions to help people manage, defeat, or even ignore their emotions.
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S15Five Questions to Identify Key Stakeholders Suppose you’re meeting with a group of managers and staff members to determine who your key stakeholders are. (It’s an important task, because with limited resources, your organization or unit can’t do everything for everyone.) People will submit their ideas, and in no time at all you’ll have a large list — and potentially a nightmare. If you don’t focus on the relationships that matter most, management and staff will be running in all directions, not meeting anyone’s needs very well.
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