Five Most well-known Archaeological Sites in Greece

Archaeological Sites in Greece: A Look at Their Timeless Majesty

The five most well-known archaeological sites in Greece. It’s like stepping into a colourful tapestry of history and myth when you visit one of Greece’s archaeological sites.

In the middle of beautiful landscapes and seas, these old gems give us a unique look into a time when society grew and tales were made.

The Acropolis in Athens and the strange ruins of Delphi are both places that tell stories about gods, heroes, and the start of Western culture.

As you walk through these ruins of old greatness, you not only see the buildings themselves, but you also feel the spirit of a time that shaped a lot of our modern world.

Greece Gives

Greece has a lot of history and culture to give, along with its beautiful beaches. Let’s go back in time and visit the five most visited historical sites. You can do interesting things and learn a lot about history there.

1. The Parthenon in Athens

The Acropolis comes first. This page is a must-see for anyone interested in old Greek art. There is a beautiful view of Athens from the Parthenon.

Are you ready to see how beautiful the Acropolis is? Read our full guide on how to get tickets to this famous spot, and then start making plans for your amazing trip to the heart of old Greece.

Click This welcome-greece.gr is the best Guide for buying Acropolis tickets online.

2. The Delphi

Next is Delphi. It is famous for its oracle and is linked to the story of Apollo. Unlike other old temples, it does a great job of combining nature and building.

3. The Knossos

It’s easy to spot Knossos on Crete. It shows off Minoan culture and stories from their past. In this way, it’s an important part of Greek past.

4. Olympian

As the site of the old Olympic Games, Olympia paints a strong picture of sporting success. There are beautiful building ruins and tournament spots in the area.

5. The constellation Epidaurus

And finally, Epidaurus. It takes care of one of the best old theatres, which is known all over the world for how well it sounds. People still come to see shows there.

Learn more about Greece’s beautiful sights! Check out welcome-greece.gr right now for in-depth guides and secret tips that will make your trip to Greece truly memorable. Start looking around today!

Thoughts and Stories

These ancient places tell stories and give people unique experiences. They help us learn about other cultures and stories and make links between the present and the past.

Athens: A Trip Through Time

The Acropolis, which stands over Athens, takes us back in time. It lets us feel the old power of the city.

The Oracle of Delphi

Delphi has an air of mystery about it. It’s amazing how old the technology and reading methods are.

Knossos: The Minoan Maze

We learn about Minoan stories at Knossos. By exploring the ruins, we can see how complicated this old society was.

Olympia: The Spirit of Athletics

When we visit Olympia, we feel like we’re back in the time of the Olympics and can feel the competition and spirit of old Greece.

Art and Health in Epidaurus

Epidaurus brings together art and health. The theatre, which is still used for shows, is a one-of-a-kind place to visit.

How to Help Visitors

Being ready is important. Here are some suggestions:
The best time to visit the Acropolis is
It’s not as busy in the morning. The view at sunset is beautiful.

Delphi: Learning About the Oracle

Spend some time getting to know the expert. When you go hiking, make sure your shoes are comfortable.

Visit Knossos to learn about Minoan culture.
To fully enjoy the place, you need to go on an organised walk. The paintings and maze are not to be missed.

Olympia: The History of Sports

Don’t miss the museum if you want to learn more about the past of the Games.
Epidaurus: How to Make a Play
Go to a show if you can for a unique theatre experience.

These places are part of Greek history and can take you back to the time of the Greeks. Plan your trip to find something you’ll never forget.

In short, each of these five historical places is different and offers a unique mix of history, culture, and myths. They are important stops on your trip through Greece.

Find these ancient gems and let history teach you its secrets.
Getting into the archaeological sites and getting tickets

Acropolis: How to Get In and When to Open

Tickets to see the Acropolis cost different amounts during different times of the year. Before you go, make sure you know when they’re open. The spot is open longer in the summer.

Delphi: Buy a ticket

You can buy tickets at Delphi right there. You can get a ticket that includes both the park and the museum.

How to Get Tickets to Knossos

You can buy tickets for Knossos both in person and online. Also, you should definitely go to the Heraklion Museum.

Olympia Tickets and Tours

At Olympia, you might want to buy your tickets ahead of time to skip the lines. Also, you have to go to the museum.

Access and Tickets for Epidaurus

You can buy tickets for Epidaurus both in person and online. For a unique experience, plan your trip for days when there are plays.

How to Get Tickets and Get in

Advice in General

Here are some general tips that can be used at any historical site:

  • Setting up: During the summer, more tourists come. Make plans to go early.

  • How to Buy Online: To skip the lines, many places let you buy seats online.

  • Deals of the Day: Shop around for deals or tickets that cover more than one spot.

  • Acropolis: A Smart Investment

  • Acropolis ticket options all in one

For the Acropolis, there is a ticket choice that covers other Athens ancient sites. This could be a good way to save money.

Days of Honour in Olympia and Epidaurus

Check to see if Olympia and Epidaurus have any event days or guided trips. These days, the site is easier to understand and connect with.

The trip starts.

There are glimpses into past societies at the 5 most visited historical sites in Greece. Every visit is a chance to learn something new and have a different experience. Get ready for a trip through time that will leave you with memories that you will never forget.

In the beginning, picking a location might seem hard. But each spot has its own past and charm. No matter what you decide, the experience will be one you’ll never forget. Learn about Greece through its ancient sites and let history teach you its secrets.

Taking in the Old World

Getting Lost in History
When you visit these places, you don’t just see ruins; you learn about how people lived in the past. Every rock, artefact, and ruin has a story to tell. You really feel like you’re in touch with the past when you walk through these spots.

Adding to culture

Going to these places will help you learn more about other cultures. Greece’s past is important to the whole of Western culture. These trips teach us about the myths, politics, art, and ideas that have changed the world.

Opportunities for education

There is a lot of information on these sites that is great for families, students, and history buffs. In addition to books and talks, they give people a real way to connect with history.

How to Plan Your Visit: Useful Advice

Thoughts on the Weather
It can get hot in Greece in the summer. Dress in loose clothes, hats, and sunscreen. Drink lots of water, especially when the sun is out.

Tour guides

Think about going on a guided tour for a more educational experience. It’s possible to learn things and hear stories from guides that you wouldn’t find on your own.
Take Care of the Sites

Don’t forget that these are important and old places. Follow the rules and don’t climb or touch the ruins. Keep these treasures safe for future generations.

Last Thoughts: A Journey Through Time

A Trip Through Time

When you walk through Greece’s ancient places, you feel like you’re in different times. It’s a trip that helps us learn more about the history of people and our place in it.

Memories That Last

These visits make an impact that lasts. It’s not just what you see; it’s also how you feel. You’ll come back home with stories, facts, and a deep respect for the old world.
Greece is ready.

So, Greece is ready for you to discover. Each historical spot shows us something different about the past. Enjoy the journey, learn about the past, and be inspired by Greece’s timeless treasures.

Finally, visiting Greece’s archaeological sites is more than just a trip; it’s an adventure that will stay with you forever in the birthplace of Western culture.

 

See the main attractions of Santorini

10 factors to choose the best web hosting

In cooperation with a web hosting provider, businesses can create their digital presence on the internet, without having to hire special staff, buy hardware or software, etc. It is enough to buy a web hosting package and a domain name. The professionals take care of the rest.

In this digital age, the website is the public face of most organizations. It is often how a business makes the first formal contact with a potential customer. Therefore it is extremely important to acquire and retain customers. If your business does not have a website, it operates at a serious disadvantage against the competition. Now, the website is considered a necessary tool in the operation process of every business.

Why is it difficult to make the right choice of a web hosting?

When choosing a web hosting service provider, there are dozens of factors and features to consider. Beyond that, choosing a web hosting service provider for your business essentially means choosing a new business partner. It is usually a long-term commitment and should never be made without serious and comprehensive research.

Below we will break down the 10 factors that will help you choose the best web hosting service for you.

1. Uptime

There is nothing more frustrating on the internet than clicking on a web page link and it not opening. This not only annoys the user but also Google itself, which starts giving less value to the organic search results for that address.

Everyone wants their website to be accessible or available 100% of the time. However, no web hosting provider can guarantee perfection. Therefore, before choosing a hosting provider for your website make sure that everything will run smoothly.

2. Security

The security of your data is perhaps one of the most determining factors in choosing the right web hosting service. Trusting the provider that hosts your website and therefore its entire content is not a simple matter. There are very few providers, even abroad, that will offer you real security. And all this, of course, in order to minimize their costs. Several customers of giant providers are often victims of data interception or attacks, often without their knowledge.

According to a report by the company SiteLock, in the second quarter of 2018 the average website of a small and medium business received 58 attacks per day. Small businesses, most of which already have limited resources, find it difficult to prevent mass attacks on their own.

For this reason a web hosting provider should have the means and resources to offer a secure and modernized infrastructure for your website, updated with the latest updates and patches and which will have active security protocols necessary to prevent attacks and malware. So, even with any natural or unexpected problems, your website will always be online and fully functional.

3. Backups

Despite all existing security measures, any website can “fall” at any time. Such problems can be caused by developer errors, server outages, or malicious actions. In most cases it turns out to be much easier not to fix the errors and damage, but to restore the working version from the website backup. Even if you have to rework some of the content you’ve worked on so far.

The problem is that not everyone knows how important or even mandatory a backup copy is for every activity. Unfortunately, even in this part, several providers operate at the expense of the customer. In order to save as much cost as possible, they provide insufficient security.

4. Customer support

While all the technical specifications a web hosting service provider offers are important in making a decision, the customer support and depth of relationship you can build with that particular provider is often the most motivating factor.

Consider being able to serve with a simple phone call or immediately with an email to any of your requests. However, the right support is not only based on speed of service but also on efficiency. In fact, some providers are unable to properly support various customer requests either due to lack of knowledge or systematic negligence.

5. Speeds

If you have dealt with SEO a little you will know everything what Google always prioritizes pages that load faster. Its goal is always to offer the best experience to its users. Therefore, before making any move, check if the provider you are looking for offers satisfactory speeds on the websites it hosts. It may seem like an insignificant difference in theory to many, but in practice it is the difference between the user who will stay active on your website and the one who will be annoyed by the delay and eventually leave.

6. Page Speed

But be careful! The speed of a website is not solely based on the provider, but also on its administrator – manufacturer. No matter how fast a provider offers, the incorrect construction or management of the website does not cease to significantly slow it down (e.g a large amount of photos, plugins, poorly written code).

7. Scalability

In addition to high speed requirements, some businesses require a web hosting service that can scale the performance of the website at any time and whenever it is requested. A retailer for example, may have seasons during the year where thousands of orders arrive in a few weeks. The provider must be able to increase or decrease the resources that the website commits at any time, depending on its needs. This is an advanced feature that not all providers can offer in a web hosting service.

8. Web hosting service prices

Cost should not completely guide your choice when it comes to the ideal purchase of a service. In general, in most markets the rule “you get what you pay for” applies. Especially when it comes to a web hosting service you must first understand exactly what kind of needs you have and accordingly look for the package that will cover you.

If you have a small website or a personal blog, usually the ideal and cheapest solution is offered in the so-called shared hosting packages, where users share the server’s resources. This low cost in price also means limiting the performance of your website. In addition, the users of these packages do not have access to all the features of the server as is the case with the larger packages.

On the contrary, for websites with traffic, e-shops and professionals, the semi dedicated packages are offered with improved features and capabilities, ideal to dynamically support your presence on the internet. It is worth mentioning that unlike the shared hosting packages, the users of the semi dedicated packages have exclusively their own resources (RAM, CPU cores, etc.).

Additional benefits of web hosting services

Since this is a highly competitive market, some providers to beat the competition usually offer some extra benefits. Especially in the larger and more expensive packages you will find unique features that incorporate new technologies, software and improved computing power.

Carefully read everything that each package offers you and look for their unique benefits. They may end up fitting your exact needs, be it security, extra speed, easier management, etc.

9. Ability to test web hosting services

Many web hosting service providers offer free trial periods of their services. Thus, the user can get to know the provider better and check if it has everything he needs. This period is necessary to find out whether it is worth buying a particular service, as well as to identify possible obstacles that you did not think about before putting your idea into practice.

This free trial period usually ranges from 1 week to 1 month. After its end, if the provider does not meet your expectations you can leave it without any cost.

10. Unlimited offers

Beware of the unlimited offers! Most web hosting providers offer so-called unlimited storage and bandwidth. But in reality it is not what it seems. It is very likely that there will be a reference in the terms of service that will allow your provider to either reduce the performance of your website, or to “take it down” after exceeding a certain usage limit.

Also, old or small processors, RAMs and disks can dramatically reduce the performance of your website. As for example your website cannot support the traffic you would expect and therefore you use minimal bandwidth. That’s why choosing the right web hosting service presupposes the study of all the features offered by the provider. Even the capital letters.

Conclusion

If you pay attention to those 10 factors, you will definitely be much more confident and knowledgeable when it comes time to choose the best web hosting service.

Choosing a web hosting provider is not that difficult. It is enough to deeply understand your needs to choose the package that best suits your profile. The good news is that providers themselves are increasingly understanding and aware of customer needs. So they offer packages aimed at different segments, with different needs.

If you still haven’t decided on the perfect website provider, or have any questions that we may not have covered in the article, don’t hesitate to contact us here. We will be more than happy to help you!

Read more about web hosting:

How to dress if you have small chest

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Somewhere between “Pamela Anderson breasts” and Hollywood’s mania and not only for large, rich breasts, a social division is made, somewhat effortlessly, among women. Those of us with small breasts are “called” to feel different. So we will see how to dress if you have small breasts (μπλούζες).

True self-acceptance is not an easy task

But what if you need more convincing? Or if “love yourself” isn’t enough for you? Or quite simply, if you have a large circumference or a small chest and you don’t know what to wear to highlight your body type? Something that will, of course, make you feel good about yourself? Being able to accept that we have small breasts or a big belly and learning how to highlight them through helpful tips, in my eyes, is the most correct way of inclusion.

Do you have small breasts? Celebrate by learning what suits you best to wear

So I believe that if you are a woman with small breasts, it is an “asset” when it comes to dressing. Today, we’re celebrating your small breasts and I’m telling you what, in my opinion, should make you feel good about having them. While, at the same time, I will give you some tips that may help you in dressing.

As a woman who doesn’t have bras, I always have to resort to other solutions if I want to wear clothes with a plunging neckline. I believe that women with small breasts can more easily achieve such a look without even wearing a bra. If despite all this, if you don’t feel comfortable not wearing a bra, there are the right bras for your breasts.

Bralettes are your friend

If there’s one thing 2021 fashion has taught us, it’s that it’s OK to wear a nice, sexy bra/bralette out and about. Bralettes are an undergarment that you can perfectly support, combining them with oversized jackets and high-waisted pants, or wearing them over t-shirts, with plunging tops, etc.

If you still don’t feel comfortable wearing such a look, then a good alternative is crop tops. They emphasize the breasts beautifully, and offer a subtly sexy effect to an appearance, as well as bralettes.

Say yes to open dresses

If you have a small chest, open back dresses aka “open” back dresses are ideal for you. Because of the size, you don’t necessarily need to wear a bra or support them with tape. So you can enjoy them to the fullest, without bothering with hacks on how to wear them.

However, if you feel that you need support, you can use a bra or a breast lift band and make it look fuller and “fuller”. If, again, you feel insecure leaving your eyes uncovered, you can also place a piece of tape on them.

Halter, yes!

One of the ideal necklines that, in my opinion, “celebrate” small breasts and highlight them to the fullest, are halters. Tops and dresses that tie to the chest, “hug” it beautifully, offering support and making it look more “full”. The best thing is that you don’t need to wear a bra, but if you still feel that you need support, you can use a lifting tape here as well.

The sideboob trend is for you

Sideboob is the new cleavage and it doesn’t matter if you wear an A cup or a DD cup. You can fully support it, without the fear that your breasts will look “saggy” or “small”. You can support this style in several ways. Either with bands and support stickers (if it makes you feel more confident wearing them), or with the appropriate necklines. One in a halter line, as we said, will perfectly match the size of your chest or, respectively, one with a high collar, will offer the same effect. You can use tape in any case if you want to stabilize the fabric from moving.

Tips and necklines that, in addition to you, will also “celebrate” your small breasts

Generally speaking, there are certain necklines that fit your small chest perfectly. Ruffles, pussy bows, patterned clothing, cruise dresses and tops, off shoulders and draped elements they’re all fantastic options for you who want to make your breasts look more “rich” (no judgment on that, obviously). Also, sleeves with bold shoulders or puffed sleeves draw attention away from the rest of the ensemble, so it doesn’t all fall on your chest. The high-waisted lines on the pants and skirt emphasize the waist – and therefore also the chest – and offer a fuller bust.

Whether it makes you feel good to wear a bra with reinforcement, whether it’s wearing the most ideal clothes for your body type or you like your small breasts au naturel, we’ve got you covered. Wear what makes you happy. Life is too short.

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See the main attractions of Santorini

In Santorini, everything looks like paradise, as if they came from a painting. You can see every corner of Santorini with Santorini Private Tour whenever you want.

Oia

Oia, the first settlement to be declared a protected area (1976), is without a doubt one of the most photographed places in Greece. Its sunset has been a source of inspiration for inexperienced artists, while its alleys function as magnets that invite you to get lost in their well-hidden secrets.

Oia, which is about 40 minutes drive from Fira, will enchant you, because it is truly irresistible. The main road divides it into two areas: one, towards the caldera, has impressive cave buildings, the other is decorated with captain’s houses. Do not be surprised by the infinite domes that appear in every corner, since in Oia there are more than 60 churches.

At the end of the settlement is the Castle, with the pieces that have been preserved to offer a unique view, but also a charming journey into the past. Quality is synonymous with the region, which is without a doubt one of the most interesting experiences in Santorini. The restaurants and café bars of Oia will satisfy you completely, while the minimal suggestions for shopping (apart from the tourist businesses) will put you in a consumer temptation.

Do not forget to go down the 214 steps that separate Oia from the picturesque Ammoudi, where you will enjoy guaranteed fresh fish. Also, in Oia is the Maritime Museum (tel. +30 22860 71156), which is worth your visit.

Firostefani

You can reach Firostefani from Fira, following the “eyebrow” of the caldera and covering a distance of about 10 minutes on foot. Firostefani, which has always been the favorite stop of every visitor to the island, owes its name to the fact that it “crowns” Fira. The view of the caldera is simply unbeatable, with the cliff being so steep that many times your heart will beat louder.

In Firostefani you will find several remarkable suggestions for food, in restaurants and taverns that have as their main feature the relaxing atmosphere. Tip: On the way to Imerovigli you will find the monastery of Agios Nikolaos, built in 1651 by the Gyzi family. It is considered the border between the two settlements, and it is really worth your visit.
Imerovigli

Imerovigli occupies the most privileged position and has the most breathtaking view of the caldera and Thirasia. It is famous for the luxurious hotels that offer their guests a “natural balcony” in the caldera, calm atmosphere and super relaxing landscape. Anogi restaurant, in the central square, gives you the opportunity to write the ideal epilogue of your day, introducing you in the best way to the gastronomy of Santorini and the authentic Greek hospitality. Tip: Visit the church of Panagia Malteza with the imposing wood-carved iconostasis and the icon of the Virgin, which is said to have been found in Malta.

Ammoudi

You can reach Ammoudi, a picturesque port that is a must see of Santorini, going down the 214 steps that separate it from Oia. The commercial port of the 19th century today welcomes mainly lovers of sea fruits, who want to enjoy fresh fish and seafood. In Ammoudi you can go either by road or downhill (on foot or with donkeys) 214 steps from Oia.

Journey into History

The tiny island of Santorini has an incredible array of well-preserved remnants of ancient times. From the city of Akrotiri (4,000 years old), which was buried under the volcanic ash during the eruption of the 17th century BC. and it is one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in the world and certainly the largest in the Eastern Mediterranean, to the magnificent site of Ancient Thira, there is plenty of history that will impress you.

Akrotiri is a picturesque village in the southwestern part of the island, about 10 km from Fira. The most important attraction in Akrotiri is the prehistoric settlement, which was first inhabited around 4500 BC. and came to light after the systematic excavations that began in 1967.

A visit to the museum of Prehistoric Thira, but also to the archeological one is like a dip in the long history of the island. The first houses finds from excavations in Akrotiri, such as furniture molds, bronze utensils and the only golden chamois figurine. The Archaeological Museum, again, houses collections of sculptures and inscriptions from the Archaic to the Roman period.

It is also worth a visit to the Byzantine monuments of the island, such as Panagia tis Mesa Gonia, the nunnery of Agios Nikolaos and the nunnery of Profitis Ilias with the ecclesiastical folklore museum. Santorini is undoubtedly a magical place, which evokes in all visitors intense emotion and indelible memories.

More about Santorini Private Tour:

iPhone 13: reseña de una actualización sin sorpresas


La realidad es que los teléfonos inteligentes alcanzaron punto máximo hace ya algunos años.

Después de tantos avances, las computadoras miniatura han alcanzado velocidades increíbles, sus pantallas se han vuelto más grandes y brillantes y sus cámaras producen imágenes que logran que los fotógrafos aficionados parezcan magos.

El problema con tanta innovación genial es que las actualizaciones ahora son tan iterativas que se ha vuelto difícil saber qué escribir sobre ellas cada año. Ese es especialmente el caso del Apple iphone 13 de Apple, que podría ser la actualización más modesta del Iphone hasta la fecha.

El Apple iphone más nuevo es solo diez por ciento más rápido que los modelos del año pasado (para tener contexto, en 2015, el Apple iphone 6S fue más del 70 por ciento más rápido que su predecesor, el Apple iphone 6). Su característica más llamativa, una mayor “tasa de actualización” de la pantalla en los modelos superiores a los 1000 dólares, hace que el movimiento luzca más fluido al abrir aplicaciones y deslizar texto. Eso está lejos de ser revolucionario.

Las innovaciones en las cámaras de los teléfonos también parece que se están estancando. Los ejecutivos de Apple describieron las cámaras del Iphone 13 como “dramáticamente más poderosas” y “las más avanzadas” del Iphone hasta el momento, en gran parte porque pueden capturar más luz y reducir el ruido. Pero según mis pruebas, las mejoras fueron mínimas.

Todo esto me hace afirmar que la actualización anual de los teléfonos, que compañías como Apple y Samsung promocionan con enormes eventos de mercadeo y campañas publicitarias a fin de aumentar sus ventas en la temporada de compras navideñas, se ha convertido en un espejismo de innovación tecnológica. En realidad, las actualizaciones son ahora una celebración del capitalismo en forma de un despiadado incrementalismo.

¿Qué mejor manera de ilustrar esa lenta marcha que con fotos tomadas por teléfonos inteligentes? Para poner a prueba las cámaras del Apple iphone 13, compré un trípode especial para sostener dos teléfonos uno al lado del otro y así poder capturar casi las mismas imágenes de mis perros al mismo tiempo. Comparé fotos tomadas con los nuevos iPhones, el Apple iphone 12 del año pasado y un Apple iphone XS de hace tres años.

Cuando obtuve los resultados quedé genuinamente sorprendido del buen desempeño de la cámara del Iphone XS frente a los modelos más nuevos. La cámara del Apple iphone 13 fue solo un poco mejor que la del Apple iphone 12.

Basta de palabras. Deja que las fotos de mis perros te guíen por el último Iphone.

Para comparar fotos tomadas a la luz del día, me llevé todos los teléfonos y a mis perros Max (un corgi) y Mochi (una labradora marrón) a un parque en Richmond, California. En una foto de prueba de los dos perros sentados lado a lado bajo la sombra, las fotos del Apple iphone 13 y 12 apenas se podían distinguir una de la otra. El Apple iphone 13 fue ligeramente superior capturando las sombras.

En una prueba de comparación entre el Iphone 13 Pro de 1000 dólares y el Apple iphone XS, el modelo de 1000 dólares lanzado en 2018, ambas fotos de los perros a la luz del sol se vieron claras y detalladas. Admito que el Apple iphone 13 Professional produjo imágenes con colores más vivos.

Pero en una prueba en un sendero sombreado en medio del bosque, la foto tomada con el Apple iphone 13 hizo que Mochi luciera deslumbrado por la luz del sol las sombras y la iluminación capturada por el Apple iphone tres años más viejo lucieron más naturales. Apple no estuvo de acuerdo con mi evaluación. (Juzguen ustedes).

Las mejoras en las cámaras del nuevo Apple iphone fueron más evidentes en las fotos con poca luz tomadas con el modo Noche, que captura varias imágenes y luego las fusiona mientras realiza ajustes de colour y contraste. Las tomas con poca luz de Max posando en un balcón justo después de la puesta del sol se vieron más claras con el Iphone 13 Professional que con el Apple iphone 12.

Credit…Brian X. Chen / The New York Situations

En las fotos con poca luz el Iphone XS de tres años de antigüedad no tuvo un buen desempeño, porque su cámara carece de modo Noche. En la misma prueba, Max quedó envuelto en oscuridad, a excepción de su hermosa melena blanca.

Las cámaras del Iphone 13 también tienen una nueva función de video clip bautizada como modo cinemático, que utiliza algoritmos para enfocar de forma automática los rostros —incluso los de mis perros— en movimiento. Me cuesta imaginar por qué una persona sin ambiciones de convertirse en cineasta usaría este modo, pero se me ocurren algunos usuarios de TikTok a quienes les podría gustar.

En resumen, las cámaras del Iphone 13 son ligeramente mejores que las de los Apple iphone del año pasado. Incluso en comparación con los iPhones de hace tres años, las cámaras son mucho mejores solo si te preocupas por hacer buenas fotos en la oscuridad.

¿Qué importancia tiene la fotografía nocturna? Se lo pregunté a Jim Wilson, fotógrafo de The New York Times desde hace mucho tiempo, mientras tomaba fotos de los nuevos iPhones para esta reseña. Dijo que sería una característica important para gente como él, pero no tan importante para los fotógrafos ocasionales.

“A veces espero a la noche para hacer que una escena ordinaria parezca diferente y emocionante”, dijo. “Pero para la mayoría de las personas que no son fotógrafos profesionales, esto no tiene importancia”.

El hecho de que los teléfonos inteligentes se hayan estancado no es algo negativo. Significa que vas a poder disfrutar durante los próximos años del que ya tienes sin perderte de nada relevante. Y cuando sientas que es hora de actualizar, te encontrarás con una pieza de tecnología madura que será paulatinamente —aunque no de manera dramática— top-quality.

Brian X. Chen es columnista de tecnología de consumo. Reseña productos y escribe Tech Correct, una columna sobre cómo resolver problemas relacionados con la tecnología. Antes de unirse al Occasions en 2011, reporteó sobre Apple y la industria inalámbrica para Wired. @bxchen





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Retailers Rethink Pandemic-Battered Manhattan – The New York Times


In the heart of Manhattan’s garment district, a after-active Starbucks on a corner of Eighth Avenue and 39th Street sits empty. Just down the block, a Dos Toros Taqueria that opened just a few yrs back is now closed. And Wok to Stroll, which as soon as served steaming containers of noodles combined with chicken and veggies to a bustling lunch crowd, is also shuttered.

Whilst the Delta variant of the coronavirus has once more delayed plans by many firms to convey workforce back to offices en masse, workers who have been trickling into Midtown are discovering that several of their favorite haunts for a swift cup of coffee and a muffin in the morning or sandwich or salad at lunchtime have disappeared. A range of people that are open up are functioning at minimized hrs or with limited menus.

With the pandemic holding tens of millions of New York City workplace workers dwelling for the previous 12 months, restaurants, espresso shops, attire merchants and others struggled to keep afloat.

By the conclusion of 2020, the number of chain stores in Manhattan — every thing from drugstores to clothes merchants to restaurants — experienced fallen by a lot more than 17 per cent from 2019, according to the Middle for an Urban Upcoming, a nonprofit exploration and policy group.

Throughout Manhattan, the number of offered ground-floor retailers, commonly the area of occupied eating places and clothes stores, has soared. A quarter of the ground-flooring storefronts in Reduce Manhattan are out there for lease, whilst about a 3rd are out there in Herald Sq., according to a report by the real estate business Cushman & Wakefield.

Starbucks has forever shut 44 retailers in Manhattan considering the fact that March of very last year. Pret a Manger has reopened only 50 percent of the 60 spots it experienced in New York Metropolis ahead of the pandemic. Several delicatessens, independent dining places and more compact neighborhood chains have absent darkish.

“Midtown plainly has been the most difficult strike of any of the regions of Manhattan,” claimed Jeffrey Roseman, a veteran retail true estate broker with Newmark. “If you believe of other office environment-centric regions, irrespective of whether all the way downtown or Flatiron or Hudson Yards, there is a ton of household encompassing these regions that aided maintain all those marketplaces. Midtown, for the most element, is a a single-trick pony.

“It’s generally workplaces and accommodations, which also took a hit from the downturn in tourism.”

The turmoil has arrived at farther downtown, while. Final week, the luxurious home furnishings retailer ABC Carpet & Home — whose flagship retailer has been a fixture of the Union Sq. place — filed for personal bankruptcy defense, in element mainly because of “a mass exodus of recent and prospective customers leaving the metropolis.”

Still, with so substantially uncertainty about when staff members may perhaps entirely return to Midtown offices, some companies are proceeding very carefully. The espresso store Bluestone Lane had plans to broaden aggressively into Manhattan in advance of the pandemic and is even now thinking about areas in Midtown. But it has now turned its emphasis to opening in extra residential neighborhoods like Battery Park Metropolis, Hudson Yards and TriBeCa.

“We deliberately selected city residential places for our new cafes so we are not dependent on our locals returning to a actual physical workplace area, and are very well positioned for the potential of hybrid do the job,” Nick Stone, the founder and main executive of Bluestone Lane, mentioned in an emailed assertion.

And some chain places to eat that by now have reopened in Midtown are altering their tactics to address what they feel are the shifting wants of prospects in a publish-Covid world.

On a the latest weekday, a handful of buyers were being nibbling on salads and sandwiches at the Bryant Park location of Le Ache Quotidien. The very long, communal tables that the moment dominated the front of the restaurant are long gone for now, although refrigerated circumstances for a collection of get-and-go drinks, salads and sandwiches will be expanded upcoming calendar year as component of a transforming. A new app to preorder and choose up food became offered in Might.

Even though the new technologies do the job for some clients, other folks extensive for the previous.

Because early 2020, Starbucks has permanently shut 44 of its 235 areas in Manhattan. But it is introducing cell pickup parts in quite a few merchants and incorporating more pickup-only locations. The company says it expects to have internet new retail outlet progress in Manhattan in the up coming few yrs.

Right before the pandemic, Starbucks operated a few outlets close to the Columbus Circle place. It shut them and this year opened just one massive cafe. Now runners from Central Park choose up their preordered drinks from a cellular counter and head out once more, though other prospects stand in line to spot their orders and can sit at close by tables.

“We had been likely to construct the concept out and evolve more than time,” stated John Culver, the president of North The united states and chief functioning officer for Starbucks. “What we’ve carried out is taken the prospect that the pandemic has introduced and accelerated the transformation of our portfolio of stores. Shopper behaviors in the course of the pandemic have accelerated at levels that no one particular predicted.”



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4 Fast Mobile Camera Tips That Help You Get the Shot


Have you at any time missed capturing the great picture or movie possibility mainly because you got hung up having to your smartphone’s digital camera app in time? Your telephone probable has a range of shortcuts designed into its software program and settings, despite the fact that some may be less obvious than other folks. Here’s a speedy guideline to finding the speed you want so you do not overlook your minute.

Have to have the digicam now? With most current iPhones managing iOS 14, just swipe remaining from the lock monitor to go straight to the camera app. Pressing the camera icon in the base-correct corner of the lock display also opens the application.

Credit rating…Apple

On quite a few Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy phones operating Android 11, you can open up your default digital camera application by swiftly pressing the phone’s power button or Side essential twice. (If not, open up the Android process options and verify the Gestures options, or affirm that Samsung’s Facet critical settings have the Speedy Start aspect enabled for the digicam.)



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Why Facebook Shelved an Earlier Report on Popular Posts


When Fb this 7 days unveiled its first quarterly report about the most considered posts in the United States, Dude Rosen, its vice president of integrity, explained the social community had undertaken “a very long journey” to be “by considerably the most transparent platform on the internet.” The record confirmed that the posts with the most attain tended to be innocuous articles like recipes and cute animals.

Facebook experienced organized a identical report for the initial 3 months of the calendar year, but executives in no way shared it with the community mainly because of fears that it would appear bad for the corporation, in accordance to interior e-mails despatched by executives and shared with The New York Situations.

In that report, a duplicate of which was presented to The Periods, the most-viewed backlink was a information write-up with a headline suggesting that the coronavirus vaccine was at fault for the loss of life of a Florida medical professional. The report also confirmed that a Facebook web site for The Epoch Periods, an anti-China newspaper that spreads suitable-wing conspiracy theories, was the 19th-most-well-liked web site on the platform for the 1st a few months of 2021.

The report was nearing public launch when some executives, such as Alex Schultz, Facebook’s vice president of analytics and chief marketing officer, debated no matter whether it would result in a public relations challenge, in accordance to the inside e-mail. The corporation determined to shelve it.

“We thought of producing the report general public before,” stated Andy Stone, a Facebook spokesman, “but given that we realized the notice it would garner, particularly as we saw this week, there were fixes to the method we needed to make.”

Mr. Stone stated Mr. Schultz had advocated releasing the authentic report but inevitably agreed with the advice to hold off. Fb produced the report on Saturday following the publication of this tale.

Fb did not say why it resolved to deliver a acceptance report, but it has faced raising scrutiny in excess of the knowledge it shares with the federal government and the public, specially over misinformation about the virus and vaccines. The criticism has escalated as cases from the Delta variant of the coronavirus surged. The White Dwelling has known as on the enterprise to share much more details about wrong and deceptive facts on the site, and to do a improved work of halting its spread. Last thirty day period, President Biden accused the company of “killing people” by allowing untrue facts to flow into broadly, a statement the White Home afterwards softened. Other federal businesses have accused Facebook of withholding crucial facts.

Facebook has pushed back, publicly accusing the White Home of scapegoating the enterprise for the administration’s failure to access its vaccination ambitions. Executives at Facebook, together with Mark Zuckerberg, its chief executive, have claimed the system has been aggressively removing Covid-19 misinformation due to the fact the commence of the pandemic. The organization explained it experienced taken out over 18 million pieces of misinformation in that time period.

But Brian Boland, a former vice president of products advertising and marketing at Fb, mentioned there was a good deal of explanation to be skeptical about knowledge gathered and introduced by a company that has experienced a background of preserving its very own interests.

“You can not have confidence in a report that is curated by a company and made to beat a push narrative alternatively than actual significant transparency,” Mr. Boland claimed. “It’s up to regulators and govt officials to provide us that transparency.”

In this week’s report, which covered public content considered in Facebook’s Information Feed from April 1 to June 30, well known backlinks integrated neighborhood information stories, a cat GIF and a Environmentally friendly Bay Packers alumni site. Well known posts, which were being found by tens of millions of accounts, included viral query-and-remedy prompts and memes.

Most of the company’s draft report, like the a person Fb released on Wednesday, confirmed that the 20 most-viewed inbound links on Fb in the United States had been to nonpolitical written content, like recipe websites and stories about the United Nations Children’s Fund.

But the turned down report also included the posting about the doctor’s dying in Florida. The headline of the report, from The South Florida Sunshine Sentinel and republished by The Chicago Tribune: “A ‘healthy’ health practitioner died two weeks immediately after finding a COVID-19 vaccine CDC is investigating why.”

This backlink was viewed by practically 54 million Facebook accounts in the United States. A lot of commenters on the publish elevated thoughts about the vaccines’ security. Six of the prime 20 sharers arrived from general public Facebook internet pages that often publish anti-vaccination content on Fb, according to knowledge from CrowdTangle, a social media analytics firm owned by Fb. Other best sharers of the story included Filipino Fb internet pages supporting President Rodrigo Duterte, a pro-Israel Fb group and a web site termed “Just the Facts,” which described by itself as “putting out the Truth even when the media won’t.”

Months afterwards, the health care examiner’s report explained there wasn’t ample evidence to say regardless of whether the vaccine contributed to the doctor’s demise. Significantly less individuals on Facebook noticed that update.



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What to Know About the Newest iPhone and Android Software


As the pandemic recedes across the place, a whole lot has transformed about how we perform and are living. Some of us are now organizing on returning to the place of work, while some others will keep on doing the job from household. Several of us will do each.

The computer software on our phones, which have been our most necessary instruments in the pandemic, is also evolving for this new actuality. The changes are courtesy of Apple and Google, which a short while ago unveiled their newest cellphone software program designed for this Covid-accelerated period of hybrid distant function.

This week, Apple confirmed iOS 15, its up coming running procedure for iPhones. The software program presents product homeowners new resources to attract boundaries for hybrid work, like a standing message that allows others know you are occupied before they message you. FaceTime, Apple’s videoconferencing software package, will also get its biggest growth considering the fact that its debut extra than a 10 years back. The assistance will last but not least be opened to non-Apple gadgets, such as Android telephones, and has been enhanced so movie sessions seem and audio far better.

Last month, Google launched Android 12, its most current operating procedure for mobile products. The firm targeted on streamlining the structure of its software to enable folks get their work performed additional proficiently, such as a menu of shortcuts to get to their most loved equipment a lot more rapidly.

To Carolina Milanesi, a shopper know-how analyst for Imaginative Strategies, the modifications in iOS 15 and Android 12 — primarily Apple’s device for placing electronic boundaries — reflect the way our lives and perform are shifting once again as we test to go away the pandemic behind.

“That minor prompt that states men and women really don’t want to be disturbed is going to be actually critical,” she said. “Maybe you’ll get ready your concept on the weekend, but you never strike send out right until Monday morning, so that way you really don’t press other people today to do the job on a weekend. It can take the stress absent.”

Apple and Google walked me by the highlights of their new mobile running methods, which also consist of new privateness controls and enhancements to cellular phone cameras. Both systems are established for launch this tumble.

Here’s what you need to know.

Stuck at household for most of the previous calendar year, many of us grew to become glued to our cell phone screens, chatting on video phone calls and messaging liked types amid doomscrolling classes. For some, that produced it come to feel difficult to keep focused on a solitary task.

In response, Apple’s new computer software offers Apple iphone homeowners with tools to lower interruptions, when Google has additional buttons to enable folks conduct tasks on the mobile phone additional promptly.

Take into consideration one particular new feature from Apple, called Emphasis. Aim can be utilised to set dividing lines for distinctive sections of your day. You can split up your day into classes like individual daily life, operate and rest. For every of all those, you then determine which people and applications can trigger notifications to look on your phone.

Throughout do the job, you can established the cell phone so that only your boss’s messages look as notifications other notifications will be muted. If you want to keep focused on your own existence, you could permit notifications only from family members and close friends. You can also set the cell phone to Do Not Disturb and have a standing information like “On deadline” or “At the motion pictures.” Persons attempting to concept you will see that status and may consider messaging you later on.

Google’s adjustments are more cosmetic. It redesigned the controls in Android to include things like significant rectangular buttons for simple obtain to functions this kind of as the flashlight, world-wide-web options and the audio recorder.

Videoconferencing has come to be a ubiquitous interaction medium for business meetings, pleased hrs and yoga periods. Now Apple’s FaceTime is receiving a big revamp, with extra functions and the means to function with non-Apple units. These improvements place it much more on a par with Zoom, the No. 1 videoconferencing application.

For the first time with iOS 15, FaceTime will be obtainable by an world-wide-web browser. That implies Android and Home windows users can use their browsers to movie chat with Apple iphone buyers in a FaceTime session by clicking on a link.

But the most impressive new options for FaceTime stay distinctive to Apple people. SharePlay will enable Apple iphone proprietors on a FaceTime get in touch with to use an application with each other. If you stream a film and hit the SharePlay button, the other person on the phone will be able to stream the movie at the same time. If an Android person is on the FaceTime simply call, while, the SharePlay functionality won’t function at all.

For decades, Apple and Google have competed head to head in presenting cell phone cameras that create excellent pictures. But Apple’s camera program has lagged Google’s software package, which is driven by synthetic intelligence. In iOS 15, Apple is having actions to make its camera software smarter.

With a feature that Apple calls Live Text, Iphone users can before long do extra with the camera’s capacity to functionality as a document scanner. If you snapped a picture of a cafe receipt, for instance, you will be equipped to use Live Textual content to tap on the cell phone selection in the photo to call the cafe. Or if you issue the digital camera at a tracking label, you can tap on the monitoring range to instantly keep track of the offer — no typing demanded.

Apple product homeowners will also be ready to pull up these styles of images later on with a search phrase search. So if you took a picture of a handwritten recipe, you could open up your photo album and variety the identify of the recipe to search for the picture. At that place, you could also change the scribbled notes from the handwritten recipe into text and transfer it to a digital notepad.

The know-how powering this is recognised as optical picture recognition, blended with some synthetic intelligence. Android’s image app has had a similar feature, Lens, for about four many years.

Apple has built waves around the last number of years with equipment to protect person privateness, such as a button that permits Iphone owners to ask apps not to observe and share their routines with third events like marketers.

Google, whose revenue relies principally on serving digital advertisements, has not responded with a comparable prompt for folks to conveniently decide out of tracking. But Android 12 will give people today a lot more transparency into the details that applications are amassing and present new controls to prohibit an app’s entry to info.

Just one resource, which Google phone calls a privacy dashboard, demonstrates a timeline of applications that have accessibility to different parts of the cellular phone in the course of the day. It could show that a social media application tapped your digital camera at 1 p.m. and that a weather application utilised your location at 3 p.m.

Google has also additional some buttons like eliminate switches to shut off an app’s access to the phone’s microphone and camera. That could be valuable in sensitive circumstances, like when you go to a physician and want to make sure an app is not listening in on the conversation.

Apple also explained this 7 days that additional privacy controls were being arriving for iPhones, together with a so-termed app privateness report that functions similarly to Google’s privacy dashboard. In addition to revealing what knowledge is being tapped by just about every app, the privateness report will present the domains, or website addresses, that the apps are calling. That could give perception into what firms an application is sharing data with though you use it.



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The F.T.C. asks for an extension to refile its Facebook antitrust suit.


Daily Business Briefing

July 23, 2021, 11:15 p.m. ET

July 23, 2021, 11:15 p.m. ET

The Federal Trade Commission on Friday asked a federal judge to give it more time to refile an antitrust suit against Facebook that is the agency’s biggest test in reining in the power of big tech.

In a filing with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the agency asked for a three-week extension, or until Aug. 19, to amend a lawsuit that the court dismissed last month. The F.T.C. said in its request that it had reached an agreement with Facebook over the proposed extension.

Last month, Judge James E. Boasberg of the federal court knocked down a core argument made by the F.T.C., saying prosecutors had failed to provide enough persuasive facts to back up the claim — that Facebook holds a monopoly over social networking. But the judge gave the F.T.C. a 30-day window to refile its lawsuit.

The new lawsuit will be the first major action by Lina Khan, the new chair of the F.T.C. and a critic of Facebook, Google and Amazon who has advocated for the breakup of the digital platforms.

Wall Street notched a fresh record on Friday as a number of strong corporate earnings reports helped investors overcome worries about the rapidly spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus.

The S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite both crossed into record territory, with gains of 1 percent.

Tech stocks such as Facebook and Alphabet, the parent company of Google, led the gains, as investors took strong corporate profits from Twitter and Snap as a reason to expect similar results from other tech giants next week. Twitter rose 3.1 percent on Friday, and Snap gained 23.3 percent. Facebook climbed 5.3 percent, while Alphabet rose 3.6 percent.

The parade of second-quarter results, which began earlier this month, has been supportive for stocks for a simple reason: Companies are making more money than Wall Street analysts expected, even after accounting for the easy comparisons with last year, when earnings cratered during the worst of the Covid shutdowns.

So far, roughly 86 percent of the S&P 500 companies that have reported second-quarter results have beat the expectations of Wall Street analysts. (It’s true that companies do often beat expectations, but during a typical quarter, the share of better-than-expected results is closer to 75 percent.)

Those profits — and the fact that many companies are raising the guidance they give analysts about what to expect for the remainder of the year — have helped stocks overcome their brief crisis of confidence earlier this week.

On Monday, the S&P 500 had its worst drop since May, on growing concerns about the Delta variant. But it has steadily climbed since and ended the week with a gain of 2 percent. The Nasdaq composite rose 2.8 percent for the week.

Stocks in Europe were also higher on Friday after a new survey showed the pace of expansion of business activity in the eurozone hit a 21-year high in July. The first reading of the Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 60.6, up from 59.5 the previous month.

Across the region, the services industry got a boost from looser pandemic restrictions and higher vaccination rates that have encouraged tourism.

Manufacturing is still being restrained by shortages of critical products, which is causing input prices to rise. Analysts at IHS Markit, which published the report, also noted that business confidence had slipped to its lowest level since February as the Delta variant continued to spread.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index jumped 1.1 percent, while the FTSE 100 rose 0.9 percent.

Credit…Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

General Motors is recalling nearly 51,000 Chevrolet electric cars in the United States whose battery modules have been found to be at risk of catching fire.

The recall covers Chevrolet Bolts from the 2017 to 2019 model years and comes after an earlier recall to add software designed to prevent the cars’ batteries from overheating. Two fires have been reported since the initial recall, including one in a Bolt that had the updated software.

The recalled Bolts use battery packs made in South Korea by LG Chem, a close partner in G.M.’s electric vehicle strategy.

G.M. and LG Chem linked the fires to two manufacturing defects that on rare occasions can be present in cells in the Bolt’s battery pack, the automaker said in a statement. G.M. plans to replace battery modules that have defective cells.

Until replacement modules are available, the company has advised owners to avoid parking the cars in garages or near buildings, and to avoid fully charging the battery packs.

“Experts from G.M. and LG have identified the simultaneous presence of two rare manufacturing defects in the same battery cell as the root cause of battery fires in certain Chevrolet Bolt E.V.s,” the company said. “As part of this recall, G.M. will replace defective battery modules in the recall population. We will notify customers when replacement parts are ready.”

G.M. is moving to ramp up production of electric vehicles. It plans to introduce more than two dozen models in the U.S. market over the next few years, and is building several battery plants in a joint venture with LG. G.M. has said it is hoping sales of electric vehicles will take off and surpass sales of gasoline-powered cars and light trucks within about a decade.

The company has set a goal of ending production of internal combustion vehicles by 2035.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration originally opened an investigation into fires involving the Bolt last fall and issued a new alert last week. The original recall was issued in November.

Tony Podesta, who had stepped away from lobbying in 2017 amid a federal investigation that rendered him toxic, is now representing new clients.
Credit…Alyssa Schukar for The New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei has hired the veteran Democratic lobbyist Tony Podesta as part of an expanded campaign to improve relations with the Biden administration.

Mr. Podesta has deep connections inside the White House, including to President Biden and his close counselor Steve Ricchetti. But Mr. Podesta has been out of lobbying since late 2017, when his $42-million-a-year lobbying and public relations firm collapsed amid a federal investigation that rendered him toxic.

He turned to his vast modern art collection for income, but in recent weeks, he began exploring a return to lobbying, holding talks with prospective clients around the world.

Mr. Podesta signed an agreement with Huawei a couple weeks ago, and this week he signed a deal to represent a Bulgarian energy company seeking to do business with American companies, according to a person familiar with his efforts.

His hiring by Huawei, which was reported by Politico on Friday, comes as the company tries to smooth over tensions with the U.S. government and make inroads into U.S. markets.

Huawei was branded a national security threat by the Trump administration, which argued that the Chinese government could use its communications technology for spying. The company has denied that, but it has suffered from a sustained American campaign to bar it from using U.S. technology and software, and to keep its equipment from being used in new 5G networks around the world.

The company and two of its subsidiaries are also facing federal charges of racketeering and conspiring to steal trade secrets from American companies.

Huawei has hired a number of new lawyers and lobbyists with connections to both parties in recent months, increasing its lobbying spending to more than $1 million in the last three months from $180,000 in the first three months of the year, according to congressional lobbying disclosures.

Huawei did not respond to a request for comment.

Mr. Podesta, 77, was once a dominant figure in Washington, raising millions of dollars for Democratic candidates and party committees, while building his firm, the Podesta Group, into one of the highest-earning shops on K Street.

The firm disintegrated after it became ensnared in one strand of the special counsel’s investigation into President Donald J. Trump, his campaign and its ties to Russia. The firm had taken on a client involved in Ukrainian politics that was linked to two figures central to the investigation: the Republican lobbyists Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, who had worked in Ukraine before joining the Trump campaign.

Mr. Podesta’s firm initially failed to register the work under Justice Department foreign lobbying rules, and investigators spent months looking into the Podesta Group’s work, but ultimately decided not to bring charges.

Mr. Podesta’s return to lobbying is starting off more modestly.

He is working mostly by himself and intends to use the corporate name Podesta.com, the person familiar with his efforts said, in part because the Podesta Group’s email accounts and website were compromised after Chinese cyberthieves launched a wide-ranging phishing campaign using one of his domain names.

He is consulting with a lawyer about whether to disclose his lobbying arrangement with Huawei under congressional lobbying rules or the more detailed Justice Department foreign lobbying rules, the person said.

Adam Selipsky, chief executive of Amazon Web Services, spoke to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, last month.
Credit…Albert Gea/Reuters

Amazon has hired a law firm to investigate claims of widespread gender discrimination in part of its cloud computing division, the company said in an email to employees late last week.

The investigation is a response to a petition filed by a group of employees in Amazon Web Services’ Professional Services group, known as ProServ, which helps companies adopt cloud computing. In the petition, the employees alleged gender bias and bullying in the department. The Washington Post, which first reported the investigation, said more than 550 employees had signed the petition.

Adam Selipsky, the new chief executive of AWS, responded with the email, which was addressed to the leaders of the petition.

“We have retained an outside firm to investigate and understand any inappropriate conduct that you or others may have experienced or witnessed,” he wrote. “This firm is experienced and objective, and I personally will review their independent findings, which will help guide any further actions.”

Amazon has been hiring heavily in AWS, which is the largest provider of cloud computing. The industry has largely been dominated by men. About 23 percent of Amazon’s senior leaders are female, company data show.

In May, five women, including one who worked in ProServ, sued the company, accusing it of various forms of racial and gender discrimination, claims the company has denied.

Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen at the White House in May.
Credit…Erin Scott for The New York Times

Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen warned Congress on Friday that the U.S. economy faced “irreparable harm” if lawmakers failed to raise or suspend the nation’s borrowing cap and that the Treasury Department would begin taking “extraordinary measures” to avoid breaching the so-called debt limit.

In a letter to Congress, Ms. Yellen said that the nation’s debt will hit its statutory limit on Aug. 1 and that it is possible that soon after lawmakers return from their August recess the United States could face the dire prospect of defaulting on its obligations. Urging Congress to act, she recalled that in 2011 the threat of default caused nation’s credit rating to be downgraded.

“Even the threat of failing to meet those obligations has caused detrimental impacts in the past, including the sole credit rating downgrade in the history of the nation in 2011,” Ms. Yellen wrote. “This is why no president or Treasury secretary of either party has ever countenanced even the suggestion of a default on any obligation of the United States.”

Ms. Yellen also warned that the pandemic had made it difficult for the Treasury to predict how long it could delay breaching the debt ceiling given uncertainty around the timing of government payments and tax receipts.

The Treasury often takes what it calls “extraordinary measures” to avoid breaching the debt limit, which is a cap on how much the government can borrow. Those measures include suspending investments of the Exchange Stabilization Fund and suspending the issuing of new securities for the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund and the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated this week that the Treasury Department could run out of cash by October or November.

Ms. Yellen noted that the government was required to make a payment of $150 billion for a Department of Defense-related retirement and health care investment on Oct. 1, which will deplete its cash reserves.

Brinkmanship over the debt limit has become common in Washington. Republicans have traditionally resisted raising or suspending the debt limit when Democrats control the White House. They backed a two-year suspension of the debt limit in 2019 as part of a spending agreement with Democrats while President Donald J. Trump was in office.

Senator Mitch McConnell, the minority leader, suggested this week that Republican senators would not back a debt ceiling increase and that Democrats would have to deal with it on their own.

White House officials said they remained hopeful that lawmakers would work together to avert a debt limit crisis.

“We certainly expect Congress to act in a bipartisan manner as they did three times under the prior administration to raise the debt limit,” Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, said on Friday.

Ms. Yellen said in her letter that suspending or increasing the debt limit did not authorize future spending but, in fact, allowed the Treasury Department to pay for expenses that Congress had already approved.

“The current level of debt reflects the cumulative effect of all prior spending and tax decisions, which have been made by administrations and Congresses of both parties over time,” Ms. Yellen wrote.

The yield on 10-year Treasuries has been dropping for months and remains at just under 1.3 percent.
Credit…Frank Franklin Ii/Associated Press

The fear that the economic recovery is faltering, in part because of the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, appears to have receded among stock investors.

Bond buyers, though, are still spooked. The yield on 10-year Treasuries has been dropping for months and remains at just under 1.3 percent, near the lowest it has been since February, when the prospects for the economy were much shakier.

The DealBook newsletter asks: Who to believe?

A drop in yields usually signals slower growth ahead, which seems at odds with what’s happening. Yes, the Delta variant has delayed some reopening plans, but the economy generally appears to be expanding rather quickly. Most economists think 2021 growth will be the strongest since the mid-1980s.

10-year U.S. government bond yield

That’s led some Wall Street strategists to conclude that the bond market is broken:

  • The long-held belief that bonds are somehow better able to predict the economy than stocks doesn’t make sense in our current situation, said Vincent Deluard, a global macrostrategist at the institutional brokerage firm StoneX. The Federal Reserve’s pandemic stimulus included a heavy dose of bond buying, distorting the market. And the popularity of target date funds, which balance stocks and bonds based on investors’ projected date of retirement, is also moving bonds for reasons unrelated to the economy. “I find it hard to take seriously that the bond market is saying that we are not going to have inflation and a hot economy,” Mr. Deluard said.

  • There is another possibility: Economic rebounds have been getting successively slower, said Tom Atteberry, who runs the FPA New Income bond fund, one of the most conservative funds around. Growth peaked around 5 percent in the 1990s, 4 percent in the mid-2000s and 3 percent before the pandemic.

The big difference this time is that the government has spent trillions to pull the economy out of a deep recession. What if that masks something fundamentally awry? What if growth has already peaked? What if the new long-term ceiling is even lower than before? Mr. Atteberry considered this, “but then I come back to ‘nah,’” he said. “Rates are going to rise and the economy is going to do a lot better than it is now.”

  • Amazon told customers this week that it would no longer require them to resolve their legal complaints involving the technology giant through arbitration, a significant retreat from a strategy that often helps companies avoid liability. In a brief email to customers, Amazon said anyone using its products would now have to pursue disputes with the company in federal court, rather than go through the private and secretive arbitration process, which critics say puts consumers at a huge disadvantage. The five-sentence note informing Amazon’s customers about its updated “conditions of use” did not explain the reasons for dropping arbitration. When asked about the reasoning, a company spokeswoman did not elaborate.

  • Felicia Sonmez, a Washington Post reporter, filed a discrimination lawsuit against the newspaper and some of its top editors on Wednesday, claiming they had discriminated against her by barring her from covering stories related to sexual assault after she went public as a victim of assault. Ms. Sonmez said in the lawsuit that after she publicly stated in 2018 that she had been assaulted by a fellow journalist while living in Beijing, The Post had barred her from covering Christine Blasey Ford’s sexual misconduct allegations against the Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. After an article in Reason magazine on allegations against the journalist came out a year later, Ms. Sonmez said, The Post again subjected her to a coverage ban. She added that her editors had “disciplined” her for publicly requesting a correction to the article.

Movers in New York last summer. “In the short run, prices are going to continue to soar,” said Igor Popov, an economist at Apartment List.
Credit…OK McCausland for The New York Times

The rental market, which slumped during the pandemic, has snapped back more quickly than many economists predicted, and renters across the country are facing sticker shock.

Demand for apartments and single-family rentals is rebounding — and even looking hot in some places, Coral Murphy Marcos, Jeanna Smialek and Jim Tankersley report for The New York Times.

If rents continue to take off, it could be bad news both for those seeking housing and for the nation’s inflation outlook. Rental costs play an outsize role in the Consumer Price Index, so a meaningful rise in rent could help keep that closely watched government price gauge, which has picked up sharply, higher for longer.

  • Rents last month rose 7 percent nationally from a year earlier, Zillow data shows. That was measured against a weak June 2020, but the gain was also a robust 1.8 percent from May.

  • Measures of rent and “owners’ equivalent rent” — which uses rental data to try to put a price on how much owners would pay for their housing if they hadn’t bought a home — make up nearly one-third of the Consumer Price Index. Both tend to move slowly, but are defying expectations that they would take time to bounce back.

  • The rental experience diverges across markets. Rents have appreciated rapidly in places like Boise, Idaho; Spokane, Wash.; and Phoenix, while big cities on the coasts have lagged, based on Zillow data. Rents in New York and San Francisco are recovering quickly but remain cheaper than two years ago.

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CreditCredit…Nick Little

Today in the On Tech newsletter, Shira Ovide writes that it feels as if we’re in the middle of reimagining both what a “video game” is and what online idle time can be — more engaging and social, perhaps, and a little less passive doomscrolling.



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