2023: Black Entrepreneurs Face a Heavy Drop in VC Funds

Black entrepreneurs – Being an entrepreneur has never been easy, but for people of color it could be particularly challenging.

Black entrepreneurs have had trouble obtaining funding throughout the years.

Instead, a lot of people rely on venture capital investment, which is only available to diverse entrepreneurs.

While seeking VC funding over the years, Black entrepreneurs and Black-led enterprises have encountered prejudice, despite the fact that many of them were successful.

Annually, Black entrepreneurs generally receive less than 2% of total VC financing.

However, the percentage of Black women-owned enterprises is barely 1%. Source: https://marketdaily.com/black-entrepreneurs-hit-heavy-vc-funds-drop-2023/

Keanu Reeves Takes a Stand Against Deepfakes Movies

Keanu Reeves has become known for his role as Neo in the Matrix trilogy, where he played a character who discovers that he is living in a simulation and fights to break free from it.

In real life, however, Reeves has expressed that he does not want to live in a simulation, even in the form of a deepfake.

“They added a tear to my face, and I was just like, ‘Huh?!’ It was like, ‘I don’t even have to be here.’”

Deepfakes have become increasingly prevalent in recent years, with the popularity of artificial intelligence and machine learning technology.

While some may see deepfakes as a harmless form of entertainment or a way to create realistic special effects, others are concerned about their potential for abuse and manipulation.

Reeves, for his part, has taken steps to protect himself from the possibility of having his performances manipulated without his consent. In his contracts, he includes a clause that prohibits performance manipulation, such as adding or removing elements without his approval.

The actor shared a personal experience that motivated him to take this precaution. He recounted an instance in which a tear was added to his face in a film edit without his consent, causing him to question the need for his physical presence in the film at all.

This incident highlights the potential for deepfakes toerode the authenticity of an actor’s performance and raises important questions about the ethical use of AI in entertainment. Source: https://famoustimes.com/keanu-reeves-takes-a-stand-against-deepfakes-movie/

POV you are a some kind of demon or perhaps cambion

i don’t use tumblr a whole lot, but here’s my mostly-finished dainix!! @comicaurora

new year, new me(ntal illness)

why is no one petting my head or scratching my chin like a kitty cat. its literally pride month

✨The Full Queentober✨

Would you all rise for Margaret in her halter top, please?

Crack fic idea where instead of dogfight football, Mav makes the dagger squad do an obstacle course like on the game show Wipeout

matthew asking keith not to talk to the media about him isn't new information (the athletic, 5/10/2023), and as the lede of that story makes clear, keith honored that request:

Matthew Tkachuk put his father in “timeout.” That’s why Keith Tkachuk, an 18-year veteran of the NHL and one of the league’s best American-born players, wasn’t available to talk about his son’s remarkable run that has taken the Panthers from “biggest disappointment” to one win from the Eastern Conference finals. [...] Now, there’s no time for distractions, and Matthew wants to keep a lid on his pops, who informed The Athletic of his “timeout” via text.

that article goes on to quote matthew's mother, sister, family friends, teammates, and coaches and mentors at various levels, so it's safe to say that keith's exclusion is a notable one.

as far as i can recall, the interview last night is the first keith has talked about matthew publicly since, and it wasn't a comment on matthew's performance or his team's play. should keith have said on the broadcast that matthew gave him the silent treatment? hard to say from the outside! i don't think "he didn't talk to me for a bit" gives us any meaningful new information* since we could already infer that he was mad, but i can understand why someone else might want to keep that particular detail private.

i don't bring this up a lot in my fannish posts and comments on tumblr because it's a little bit peeking behind the veil, but the tkachuks have very clearly made being a family the brand. now, that was a low hanging fruit for sure, because the nhl loves father-son narratives and fraternal narratives, but they absolutely lean into it. as a consequence, we know a lot about the family, and can often infer even more. (think brady not quite saying it but boy was it clear that he didn't appreciate matthew interfering with his contract stuff.) they can't just not talk about each other at all, because the story they've woven about themselves requires it. there's no version of this where keith never gets asked about matthew again. i think it's quite impressive how long he's managed to go without commenting on matthew's play. did he even say anything during the conference final?

look, i think there's plenty of things to point to if you want to construct a narrative about matthew and keith not always getting along (especially since no one gets along with each other all the time, perhaps especially not their parents). and there's plenty to dislike or find grating about keith! i also have my own beliefs about where in their relationship there's most likely to be tension, which i'm happy to get into on request but aren't the point of what i'm saying here. and if you're just here to play around with the idea of really contentious father-son relationship and have picked matthew and keith as your paper dolls for this purpose, then who am i to stop you? as one of my dear friends always says, all rpf characterization is fake.

but for me at least, the leap from the information we have to "keith hates and/or disrespects matthew" is a big one.

With a Grim Announcement, Bed Bath & Beyond Takes Another Hit

Bed Bath & Beyond: After experiencing yet another huge setback on Thursday, Bed Bath & Beyond announced a developing crisis.

The firm claimed that it lacked the money to pay its debts in full.

A dreadful bankruptcy notice was issued as a result of the company failing to make payments on its JPMorgan credit line.

Later on Thursday after hours, shares of Bed Bath & Beyond dropped, momentarily halting trading.

The market value of the shares dropped by 22% to close at about $295 million.

The news

In a securities filing, Bed Bath & Beyond stated that it lacked the funds to repay the debts secured by the Credit Facilities.

Without sufficient resources, the company might need to consider other options.

One of its options is to restructure its obligations in line with the US Bankruptcy Code.

Bed Bath & Beyond is now working to cut costs by doing a range of actions, like:

Closing stores

Lowering capital expenditures

Negotiating lease deals with landlords

The company did issue a warning, noting that the measures might not be successful.

Choreographer Dexter Da Rocha discusses “As It Was” performance at Grammys

Harry Styles and his talented dancers had to overcome a unique challenge during their performance at the Grammys on Sunday.

The stage was supposed to rotate during the performance of “As It Was”, but due to a technical glitch, the stage rotated in the opposite direction.

The dancers managed to adjust to the situation and perform the routine in reverse despite this unanticipated turn, impressing the audience with their quick thinking and impressive abilities.

Despite their hard work and preparation, the dancers faced new challenges on the night of the performance but were able to rise to the occasion and perform with grace and composure.

Dancer Brandon Mathis expressed his surprise at the unexpected turn of events in an Instagram Story, saying, “There was nothing we could do to stop it. “Despite the unexpected difficulty, the performance received praise for its original twist and the skill of the dancers, who continued to perform with vigor and skill.

“To switch all those patterns around on the spot, having not even walked in that direction, it sounds easy,” Da Rocha stated in TikTok.

“Since it’s circular, it pulls you in different directions and is such a special type of balance. We got accustomed to one way, and it was the opposite way. Luckily we worked together and did our best and got to one cool formation in time for the overhead shot, but had to change the rest.” Source: https://famoustimes.com/unique-challenge-at-grammy-performance-as-it-was/

Fellow Honest? In 2024? It’s more likely than you think 🦊💕

He is not impressed…(by my bank account? ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´ω`ﾟ)ﾟ｡)

sailor captains (and tuxedo suga!)

based on an AU by my friend jared and i (link to the fic in the replies!)

more snoopy and top gun pls pls pls

snoopy x top gun part 3! anything for you. anything for you. anything for you. loml. top gun x snoopy with that one icemav pic that i adore and think about daily.

snoopy joined the US military NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

-- o, this sweet love!! o, this divine grief.