CNN entertainment | How a kind gesture and a strand of Christmas lights connected a community

(CNN) – In Towson, Maryland, there is a street called Dunkirk Road. There are 32 homes on Dunkirk, where families of various races, religions, and political views live. The neighbors are all close friends.

So when Matt Riggs, who lives on the block with his wife Kerry, found out his neighbor across the street was struggling with depression in December of 2020, he decided to spread some holiday cheer. Riggs, who had been having a hard time himself during the pandemic, hung his Christmas lights early because he needed some joy. He managed to get one of the strands across the street, over a tree, and connected it to his neighbor’s house.  –read more– 

CNN World | 70 historic moments from the 1970s

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CNN style Fashion | Celebrities gracing the ‘green’ carpet show Oscar-worthy sustainable dresses can still be glamorous

A Little over a decade ago, sustainability in fashion was a fringe issue. But today, it has become a major talking point — even at important red carpet events

Last year, many celebrities revisited old outfits in a bid to reduce waste. At the 2020 Oscars, Joaquin Phoenix wore the same Stella McCartney tuxedo he had sported at the Golden Globes, Baftas and several other award shows; Saoirse Ronan appeared in a Gucci gown with a bodice made using the surplus fabric from her Baftas look; and costume designer Arianne Phillips was in an upcycled version of the Moschino dress she first wore at the 2012 Academy Awards.  –read more– 

CNN entertainment | Betty White is turning 100 and we’re all invited

(CNN) – Betty White is about to turn 100 and she’ll celebrate in a big way.

White, former Golden Girl and national treasure, turns 100 on Jan. 17 and is inviting fans to celebrate with her in a special movie event called “Betty White: 100 Years Young—A Birthday Celebration.”

The movie, made by Steve Boettcher and Mike Trinklein, follows White in her day-to-day life, including behind-the-scenes on sets, working with her office staff, entertaining at home, lending her voice as an animal advocate and, take viewers to her actual birthday party.  –read more– 

CNN BUSINESS | Black tech entrepreneurs struggle to find funding in Britain. Now they’re looking abroad

London (CNN Business) – Black tech entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom say they have to rely on foreign investors to get their businesses off the ground.

More than a year after the Black Lives Matter protests prompted the UK government to investigate discrimination against Black business owners, British venture capital firms continue to neglect Black and ethnic minority founders despite a booming startup scene.

“It is clear that the UK is not the place to try and get funding for your startup,” says Rich Serunjogi, founder of Business Score, which matches e-commerce companies with working capital financing. “Only the very best [UK] VCs are interested. The second-tier funds tend to ignore Black founders and give excuses such as the business’ market size not being big enough or the idea being ‘too niche’.”  –read more–

HGTV | Interior Designers Forecast 2022 Design Trends

Some of the nation’s top interior designers share what they expect to be trending in 2022. Check out these ideas and see how you can incorporate them into your own home’s design.  –view gallery– 

CNN politics | US warns hundreds of millions of devices at risk from newly revealed software vulnerability

Washington (CNN) – Hundreds of millions of devices around the world could be exposed to a newly revealed software vulnerability, as a senior Biden administration cyber official warned executives from major US industries Monday that they need to take action to address “one of the most serious” flaws she has seen in her career.

As major tech firms struggle to contain the fallout from the incident, US officials held a call with industry executives warning that hackers are actively exploiting the vulnerability.  –read more–

F1 | Brilliant Verstappen claims maiden title after victory in Abu Dhabi season finale following late Safety Car drama

Max Verstappen secured his maiden World Championship with victory in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton finishing second as the race ended in a nail-biting one-lap sprint after a late Safety Car. The result, which saw Valtteri Bottas finish sixth and Sergio Perez retire, means Mercedes have clinched a record eighth consecutive constructors’ championship.

Medium-tyred Hamilton jumped soft-shod Verstappen at the start, while the Dutchman came back in Turn 6, nudging him wide and over the run-off, but the Mercedes driver continued in the lead. Stewards decided not to investigate. The pit window opened when Verstappen came in on Lap 13, Hamilton a lap later, leaving Sergio Perez in the lead with the mission to hold off Hamilton.  –read more– 

watch: Race Highlights | 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

CNN US | James Brown said the CIA spied on him. The CIA won’t say

(CNN) – James Brown did a lot of living in his 73 years. He threw knuckleballs from the pitcher’s mound and hard left jabs in the boxing ring. He survived beatings from an uncle and a near-electrocution by sadistic White men in the Jim Crow South. He was the Godfather of Soul, the Hardest Working Man in Show Business, a drug user and a domestic abuser whose death in 2006 remains mysterious today. And, according to Brown himself, he was spied on by the Central Intelligence Agency.  –read more– 

CNN BUSINESS  | A Black couple had a White friend show their home and its appraisal rose by nearly half a million dollars

(CNN) – Tenisha Tate-Austin and her husband became suspicious when the Northern California home they spent years renovating was valued by an appraiser far lower than they expected.

So when they asked for a second opinion last year, a White friend pretended to own their home and they removed all artwork and photos that could show that it actually belonged to a Black family.

The new appraisal for their home in Marin County was more than $1.4 million and nearly half a million dollars higher than the previous estimate, they said.  –read more–