San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
If you missed it ...
In a week when a dispute between a CEO and the National Enquirer was waaaay more interesting than the Super Bowl, this also happened: The nonprofit Unicode Consortium announced a new round of emoji that emphasizes inclusivity, including wheelchairs, hearing aids and prosthetic limbs. People will also be able to create a “holding hands” emoji to reflect their own relationship, selecting for the skin color and gender identity of each individual. Travel websites such as Expedia and Orbitz have quietly stopped selling airline tickets for Venezuela amid recent political turmoil, further isolating the socialist-run country after years of declining flight service.
Woody Allen sued Amazon, seeking at least $68 million and saying that the company’s streaming service had improperly backed out of a four-movie deal. The filing said Amazon had justified ending the deal by “referencing a 25-year old, baseless allegation against Mr. Allen,” presumably the accusation that he had molested his daughter, Dylan Farrow, in 1992, when she was 7. He has denied the allegations and was not charged with any crime. Long-term mortgage rates fell to a 10-month low of 4.41 percent. The average rate for 15year, fixed-rate loans declined to 3.84 percent.
Close your eyes and think of a unicorn: Meditation app Calm said it had raised $88 million in additional financing, making its current value $1 billion. Business Insider reported that it is the first unicorn to focus on meditation. Amazon named Starbucks Chief Operating Officer Rosalind Brewer to its board, making her the second black woman to ever sit on its board of directors. She has also been CEO of Sam’s Club, the warehouse club owned by Walmart.
Lyft passengers in Seattle will see a new option when hailing a ride: Green Mode, which lets them call a hybrid or electric vehicle. The service will expand to other cities later.