Redheads from 20 Countries Photographed to Show Their Natural Beauty

Kiev, Ukraine

Entertainment photographer Brian Dowling has photographed famous redheads like Julia Roberts, Julianne Moore, and Amy Adams, but his newest project focuses on the beauty of everyday female redheads. Dowling, an American photographer based in Berlin, spent three summers visiting 20 countries, where he shot portraits of more than 130 women with red hair.

His aim is to show the beauty and diversity in this rarest of hair colors. Just 2% of the population can claim this fiery hair color, which is caused by both parents having the recessive MC1R gene. Even with both parents carrying the gene, their offspring only have a 25% of being born with red hair.

Many associatered hair withScotland and Ireland, with 13% and 10% of the world's naturalredheads respectively, but Dowling's around the world jaunt proves they come from all nationalities. From dark auburn to golden copper, each woman proudly shows her locks, as well as other characteristics like the freckles and pale skin redheads are known for.

Dowling is pulling together his work into the art book,Redhead Beauty, which will be published after a successful Kickstarter campaign. The photographer notes that the photographs were shot without a makeup artist, special lighting, or excessive Photoshop. Dowling explains, I wanted it to be obvious these photos are real reflections of the model and for people to end their stereotypes of redheads.

Odessa, Ukraine

Brian Dowling: Website |Instagram | Kickstarterh/t: [Bored Panda]

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Redheads from 20 Countries Photographed to Show Their Natural Beauty

67 Of The Most Legendary Redheads Of All Time | HuffPost Life

We definitely don't need an excuse to celebrate the awesomeness of red hair -- but just in case we do, today is the day. Nov. 5 is National Love Your Red Hair Day.

According to NationalDayCalendar.com, the holiday was created this year to "empower redheads to feel confident, look amazing and rock their beauty" and encourage people to share photos of their hair on social media using the hashtag #LoveYourRedHairDay. It's a noble cause -- and one that everyone can get behind, whether you have red hair or not.

Full disclosure: our love for gingers runs deep. Real-life redheads like Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman make us want to run to the salon and go crimson. And we're head-over-heels for fictitious reds like Annie, The Little Mermaid and our all-time favorite, Anne Shirley aka "Anne of Green Gables."

Not only is their fiery hair swoon-worthy, but these folks have got the type of sass, success, and self-confidence to back up their standout looks. While they might not all be natural-born redheads, we still appreciate their ability to pull off a red-hot mane.

So, in celebration of National Love Your Red Hair Day we've rounded up 67 famous redheads that we absolutely adore. Check 'em out and let us know if we've missed anyone in the comments section below.

Julianne Moore

Lou Rocco via Getty Images

Prince Harry

WPA Pool via Getty Images

Grace Coddington

Jenny Anderson via Getty Images

Karen Elson

Venturelli via Getty Images

Nicole Kidman

C Flanigan via Getty Images

Shaun White

Araya Diaz via Getty Images

Kathy Griffin

Barry King via Getty Images

Christina Hendricks

Charley Gallay via Getty Images

Ron Howard

Jeffrey Mayer via Getty Images

Ann Margret

GAB Archive via Getty Images

Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Walter McBride via Getty Images

Maggie Rizer

Bryan Bedder via Getty Images

Angela Chase played by Claire Danes on "My So Called Life"

Mark Seliger via Getty Images

Shirley Manson

John Sciulli via Getty Images

Strawberry Shortcake

Courtesy

Jayma Mays

Gregg DeGuire via Getty Images

Damian Lewis

Joe Scarnici via Getty Images

Reba McEntire

Michael Buckner via Getty Images

Ellie Kemper

JB Lacroix via Getty Images

Michael Fassbender

George Pimentel via Getty Images

Raggedy Ann and Andy

Courtesy

Conan O'Brien

Tibrina Hobson via Getty Images

Isla Fisher

Jon Kopaloff via Getty Images

Chuck Norris

ROBYN BECK via Getty Images

Seth Green

JB Lacroix via Getty Images

Bryce Dallas Howard

Araya Diaz via Getty Images

Axl Rose

KMazur via Getty Images

Bella Thorne

Desiree Navarro via Getty Images

Dana Scully played by Gillian Anderson on "The X Files"

FOX via Getty Images

Debra Messing

D Dipasupil via Getty Images

Marg Helgenberger

Barry King via Getty Images

Marcia Cross

Allen Berezovsky via Getty Images

Kevin McKidd

Jason LaVeris via Getty Images

Lena Katina

Jerod Harris via Getty Images

Rose Leslie

Tristan Fewings via Getty Images

Blake Griffin

Angela Weiss via Getty Images

Felicity Merriman the American Girl doll

Courtesy

And we can't forgot our favorite resident redhead -- HuffPost executive food and lifestyle editor, Kristen Aiken.

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67 Of The Most Legendary Redheads Of All Time | HuffPost Life

Stunning Red Heads With Blue Eyes Will Take Your Breath Away

Now Youve Seen Some Stunning Blue Eyed Red Heads, Here Are More Red Head Facts!

How gorgeous are all the ladies here? We think that youll agree theyre beautiful. But what about some more facts about people with this stunning hair colour? Now you know that ginger people with blue eyes are the rarest on earth, here are some more facts you probably didnt know about those with this beautiful, unique hair colour!

So, weve established by now that blue eyed red heads are super rare. All the more reason to love them, right? But what about people in the world of celebrity? Do any famous people have red hair and gorgeous blue eyes? They certainly do! Heres a list of some of your favourite celebrities that have those gorgeous traits you lust after

Want to know when they were born? Click here to skip to our table of celebrities with blue eyes and red hair and their birthdays!

We hope that this article has shown you just how stunning people with ginger hair and blue eyes are. So much so that you may now be looking to find your own partner who has these attractive qualities. If so, we dont blame you! Here at Redhead Dates.com, were here to help you do just that! We have new people joining our site every day, so theres plenty of people to choose from. So, whether youre a redhead yourself, or just a lover of those with ginger hair, there is truly something for everyone on our site. Need a bit more convincing to sign up? Weve put together our top reasons why you should join us and start searching for red heads with blue eyes today! Just click here to go to our homepage when youre ready to sign up- its free, easy, and quick!

Sounds tempting? Dont forget to sign up today! We have red heads with blue eyes (and all the other eye colours too) just waiting to meet you TODAY!

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Stunning Red Heads With Blue Eyes Will Take Your Breath Away

The Truth About Redheads – TheList.com

The mutation on theMC1Rgene that gives gingers their unique coloring doesn't just affect the way they look. In a curious twist, gingers also feel pain and respond to painkilling agents differently than their blonde and brunette counterparts.

For one, redheads are more sensitive to certain kinds of pain (thermal pain, which we'll discuss later), according to a study by the National Institutes of Health. In addition to that, the study also concluded that redheads are more resistant to lidocaine, a local anesthetic, than the rest of us. Plus, they need more anesthetic on the operating table, according to another study. So redheads aren't lying or being dramatic about the pain of medical and dental procedures they're legit wired a little bit differently, and science proves it!

And that's not all, either. Apparently our redheaded sisters respond better to opiates than both men and non-ginger ladies, according to Science Daily. Who knew gingers had all kind of magic going on?

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The Truth About Redheads - TheList.com

70 Incredible Facts About Redheads: How Much Do You Know About … – Kidadl

Although red is the rarest natural hair color, it certainly gets the people who have it talked about.

We all like to know what makes us, us. It might be our eye color or our star sign, or maybe it's the hobbies we choose or the way we spend our downtime.

Lots of people are fascinated by red hair, so if you're one of them, check out our list of fascinating facts about this beautiful shade. For more interesting facts, take a look at Scorpio facts and hazel eyes facts.

Do redheads have less hair? Do blue eyes and red hair really go together? Find out with these true facts about redheads.

1. Red is the rarest hair color - only between 1-2% of the world's population are redheads.

2. If you're a redhead with blue eyes, you're a unicorn. Less than a million people have this rarest combination of eye and hair colors.

3. Redheads have less hair, with only 90 000 strands compared with an average 110 000 for blondes and 140 000 for brunettes. But don't worry...

4. ....Each strand of red hair is thicker than strands of other colours, so although redheads have fewer strands, they still have plenty of hair.

5. Redheads don't go gray. Their hair naturally keeps its pigment longer than most colors, before eventually fading to white.

6. Redheads are twice as likely to develop Parkinson's disease. It's to do with the way the brain releases chemicals like dopamine that control emotions and thoughts.

7. If you're a brunette but find yourself suddenly going red, check your diet. Dark hair turning red can be a sign of protein deficiency.

8. Bees like redheads more than people with other hair colors. Scientists think the bright color reminds them of flowers.

9. Red hair's pigment is so strong, it has to be bleached repeatedly before it can be dyed, damaging the hair.

10. Redheads on average need about 20% more anaesthetic when they go into the hospital for surgery.

11. Redheads can sense changes in temperature more quickly than people with other hair colors.

From the gene mutation that causes red hair to whether or not redheads are really more likely to get skin cancer, you'll find all the biological facts about redheads in this section.

12. There are six main shades: strawberry-blonde, ginger, classic red, deep red, auburn and deep auburn.

13. Red hair is caused by mutation in a gene called MC1R, which controls hair color.

14. The genetics of red hair mean for a child to be a redhead, both their parents must have the mutated MC1R gene.

15. If two redheads have a baby, the child will always have red hair.

16. People with ginger hair have a greater chance of being left-handed.

17. People of any ethnicity can have red hair. However, it's most common in people of Northern European descent.

18. Redheads naturally produce their own vitamin D, which is essential for good health and proper bone development.

19. The gene that controls hair color also controls production of melanin, the skin pigment that makes people tan.

20. Because the MC1R mutation means they have less melanin, redheads are more likely to develop the skin cancer melanoma.

21. The MC1R gene also controls pain response, meaning redheads may be less sensitive to pain like stings and injections.

From Helen of Troy to Winston Churchill, redheads have made their mark. Find out how with these interesting facts about redheads through history.

22. Scientists have found evidence that Neanderthals had a similar gene to the one that gives humans red hair.

23. Founding Father and third President of the US Thomas Jefferson was a redhead.

24. Romans thought red headed people were wild and warlike, especially the Celts.

25. Ancient Greeks believed that people with red hair could turn into vampires after they died.

26. The Ancient Greeks also thought Helen of Troy and the goddess of beauty, Aphrodite, had natural ginger hair.

27. Mummies with red hair have been found as far afield as Peru and Egypt.

28. Pharaoh Ramses II, one of Ancient Egypt's greatest pharaohs, was thought to have been a redhead.

29. Romans valued slaves with ginger hair more highly. In fact, some used to dye their hair red on purpose.

30. Celtic warrior queen Boudicca had a red hair. Maybe that's where all those "fierce redhead" myths come from.

31. Hitler made it illegal for redheads to get married. He said their children would be "deviant".

32. Redheads can be very creative: painter Vincent Van Gogh, classical music composer Vivaldi and writer Mark Twain were all redheads.

33. Russia just might be named after a redhead: the name is thought to come from a Viking called Rurik, meaning 'red'.

Supernatural redhead facts from myth and legend to astonish and intrigue you.

34. Lilith, said in some religions to be the first wife of Adam, is commonly shown with red hair.

35. Some theologists think it was Adam who was the redhead, as his name means "red" in Hebrew.

36. The Ancient Egyptian god of the desert, Set, was frequently depicted with red hair.

37. In ancient Gaul, the Merovingians thought redheads had special supernatural powers and abilities.

38. Irish leprechauns are usually pictured with red hair as well as their classic green suit.

39. Spanish people used to believe that redheads' hair colour came from stealing flames from the devil.

40. During the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe, hundreds of women with red hair were accused of witchcraft.

41. Even today, people still think redheads have supernatural powers. Some pagans even dye their hair red on purpose using henna.

42. In Irish myth, the mystical races of the Tuatha de Danaan and the Sithe are both said to have ginger hair.

43. In medieval times, a writer suggested that redheads' blood was an essential ingredient in a paint called Spanish Gold.

These "facts" about red hair are more like myths. None of them are proven: these ones are just for fun.

44. Redheads are often said to have a hot temper because red is associated with fire and danger.

45. Some people think that because red hair is carried by a recessive gene, redheads might be going extinct.

46. Some people believe rubbing a redhead's hair brings good luck.

47. In Russia, ginger hair is believed to be a sign of having a hot temper and being a bit of a wild child.

48. Britain has a tradition that says if the first call you receive on New Year's Day is from a redhead, then you'll have bad luck all year.

49. British legend foretold a red-haired leader would save the country from peril. Interestingly, King Arthur, Queen Elizabeth I and Winston Churchill all had red hair.

50. In Poland, legend has it that if you see three redheads at once, you'll win the State Lottery.

51. In Ancient Egypt, it's said that people with red hair were sacrificed as being unlucky.

52. People in Corsica believed that if you pass a redhead walking down the street, you have to spit and spin round to ward off bad luck.

53. Some people say redheads bruise easily, but this may just be down to redheads' pale skin showing bruises more clearly.

54. There is a common belief that redheads are smarter than people with other hair colors.

55. Some people say that redheads' freckles are the marks left by kisses from angels.

56. A lot of people think redheads have more adventurous and outgoing personalities than other hair colors.

Fun and lighthearted red hair facts to keep you entertained.

57. About 30% of people who dye their hair at home choose to go red.

58. The USA has a National Redhead Day, celebrated on 5 November. It's also known as Love Your Red Hair Day.

59. National Redhead Day was created in 2015 by Stephanie and Adrienne Vendetti, two red-headed sisters who wanted to celebrate their beautiful hair.

60. Americans aren't the only ones who like to celebrate their fiery locks. 26 May is World Redhead Day.

61. The USA has the highest redhead population of any country in the world, boasting between 6 and 18 million redheaded citizens.

62. In the Netherlands, there's a two- day summer festival in early September devoted to celebrating reed hair. It's called Redhead Day.

63. Mark Twain once said that while most humans are descended from apes, people with red hair come from cats. We'd say that was catty, but it turns out Twain was a redhead himself.

64. Legend says that the origins of red hair was Prince Idon of Mu, who got it on a visit to the mythical drowned city of Atlantis.

65. Another redhead origin story says redheads are descended from Vulcan, the Greek god of the forge.

66. The most common surname in Italy, Rossi, means redhead.

67. Scotland has the highest percentage of redheads in the world, at 13% of the population.

68. Lots of English-language surnames are inspired by redheads. Names like Flannery, Reid and Russell can all trace their origin to red hair.

69. 1 in 10 Irish people has red hair, making them second in the world after Scotland for number of redheads per capita.

70. One of the first women's professional basketball teams, the All-American Redheads, was named after the fact all its members had red hair.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for incredible facts about redheads, then why not take a look at Love facts, or Capricorn facts.

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70 Incredible Facts About Redheads: How Much Do You Know About ... - Kidadl

Red hair – Wikipedia

ModernNorthern and Western Europe

Red hair is most commonly found at the northern and western fringes of Europe;[4] it is centred around populations in the British Isles and is particularly associated with the Celtic nations.[4]

Ireland has the highest number of red-haired people per capita in the world with the percentage of those with red hair at around 10%.[5]

Great Britain also has a high percentage of people with red hair. In Scotland around 6% of the population has red hair, with the highest concentration of red head carriers in the world found in Edinburgh, making it the red head capital of the world.[6][7] In 1907, the largest ever study of hair colour in Scotland, which analysed over 500,000 people, found the percentage of Scots with red hair to be 5.3%.[8] A 1956 study of hair colour among British Army recruits also found high levels of red hair in Wales and in the Scottish border counties of England.[fn 1][9]

Byzantine writers, Jordanes and Procopius described the early Slavic peoples as having ruddy hair and skin tone.[10][11] Later by the 10th century, Southern Slavic populations would have darker hair and skin tone, as the Slavs assimilated the indigenous inhabitants of the Balkans, including Greek and Illyrian peoples.[12]

In the late 18th century, ethnographers considered the Udmurt people of the Volga Region in Russia to be "the most red-headed men in the world".[13] The Volga region still has one of the highest percentages of redheaded people.[14]

Red hair is also found amongst the Ashkenazi Jewish populations.[15] In 1903, 5.6% of Polish Jews had red hair.[16] Other studies have found that 3.69% of Jewish women overall were found to have red hair, but around 10.9% of all Jewish men have red beards.[17] The stereotype that red hair is Jewish remains in parts of Eastern Europe and Russia.[18]

In Italy, red hair is found at a frequency of 0.57% of the total population, without variation in frequency across the different regions of the country.[19] In Sardinia, red hair is found at a frequency of 0.24% of the population.[19] In Italy, red hair was associated with Italian Jews, and Judas was traditionally depicted as red-haired in Italian and Spanish art.[20] In European culture, before the 20th century, red hair was often seen as a stereotypically Jewish trait: during the Spanish Inquisition, all those with red hair were identified as Jewish.[21]

The Berber populations of Morocco[22] and northern Algeria have occasional redheads. Red hair frequency is especially significant among the Riffians from Morocco and Kabyles from Algeria,[23][24][25] respectively.

In Asia, red hair can be found among some peoples of Afghan,[26][27] Arab, Iranian, East Indians, Mongolian, Turkic, Miao, and Hmong descent.[citation needed]

Several preserved samples of human hair have been obtained from an Iron Age cemetery in Khakassia, South Siberia. Many of the hair samples appear red in color, and one skull from the cemetery had a preserved red moustache.[28]

Ancient human remains described as having red or auburn hair have been discovered in various parts of Asia including the Tarim mummies of Xinjiang, China.[29] In Chinese sources, ancient Kyrgyz people were described as fair-skinned, green- or blue-eyed and red-haired people with a mixture of European and East Asian features.[30] In the Book of Wei, Chinese author Wei Shou notes that Liu Yuan was over 6 feet tall and had red strands of hair in his long beard.[31] The ethnic Miao people of China are recorded with red hair. According to F.M Savina of the Paris Foreign Missionary Society, the appearance of the Miao was pale yellow in their skin complexion, almost white, their hair color often being light or dark brown, sometimes even red or corn-silk blond, and a few of them even have pale blue eyes.[32] A phenotype study of Hmong People show they are sometimes born with red hair.[33]

There are other examples of red hair among early Turkic people. Muqan Qaghan, the third Qaghan of the Turkic Khaganate, was said to have red hair and blue eyes.[34] The Kipchak people were a Turkic ethnic group from central Asia who served in the Golden Horde military forces after being conquered by the Mongols. In the Chinese historical document Kang mu, the Kipchak people are described as red haired and blue eyed.[35][36]

Reddish-brown (auburn) hair is also found amongst some Polynesians, and is especially common in some tribes and family groups. In Polynesian culture reddish hair has traditionally been seen as a sign of descent from high-ranking ancestors and a mark of rulership.[38][39] Emigration from Europe has increased the population of red haired humans in the Americas, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Several accounts by Greek writers mention redheaded people. A fragment by the poet Xenophanes describes the Thracians as blue-eyed and red-haired.[40] The ancient peoples Budini and Sarmatians are also reported by Greek author to be blue-eyed and red-haired, and the latter even owe their names to it.[41][42]

In Asia, red or auburn hair has been found among the ancient Tocharians, who occupied the Tarim Basin in what is now the northwesternmost province of China. Tarim mummies have been found with red hair dating to the 2nd millennium BC.[43]

In certain Biblical accounts, Hebrew and Israelite individuals were described as having ruddy hair. For example, Esau and David (Gen. 25:25; 1 Sam. 16:12, 17:42.), are described as "admoni", meaning red or ruddy.[44]

The pigment pheomelanin gives red hair its distinctive color. Red hair has far more of the pigment pheomelanin than it has of the dark pigment eumelanin.

The genetics of red hair appear to be associated with the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R), which is found on chromosome 16. In 1995, Valverde, et al. identified aleles on MC1R associated with red hair. The number of alleles linked to red hair has since been expanded by other authors, and these variants are now identified as the RHC alleles. Eighty percent of redheads have an MC1R gene variant within the RHC.[45][2] Red hair is also associated with fair skin color because the MC1R mutation also results in low concentrations of eumelanin throughout the body. The lower melanin concentration in skin confers the advantage that a sufficient concentration of important Vitamin D can be produced under low light conditions. However, when UV-radiation is strong (as in regions close to the equator) the lower concentration of melanin leads to several medical disadvantages, such as a higher risk of skin cancer. The MC1R variant gene that gives people red hair generally results in skin that is difficult or impossible to tan. Because of the natural tanning reaction to the sun's ultraviolet light and high amounts of pheomelanin in the skin, freckles are a common but not universal feature of red-haired people.

Red hair can originate from several changes on the MC1R-gene. If one of these changes is present on both chromosomes then the respective individual is likely to have red hair. This type of inheritance is described as an autosomal recessive. Even if both parents do not have red hair themselves, both can be carriers for the gene and have a redheaded child.

Genetic studies of dizygotic (fraternal) twins indicate that the MC1R gene is not solely responsible for the red hair phenotype; unidentified modifier genes exist, making variance in the MC1R gene necessary, but not sufficient, for red hair production.[46]

The alleles Arg151Cys, Arg160Trp, Asp294His, and Arg142His on MC1R are shown to be recessives for the red hair phenotype.[48] The gene HCL2 on chromosome 4 may also be related to red hair.[49][50] There are at least 8 genetic differences associated with red hair color.[51][52]

In species other than primates, red hair has different genetic origins and mechanisms.

The genes responsible for red hair can express themselves to different extents in different people. One consequence of this is that a number of people have both dark hair and red beards. This may reflect the presence of a single copy of the MC1R gene, leading to differential expression in the beard versus the scalp hair. However, some red-bearded people lack MC1R genes.[53][54]

Red hair is the rarest natural hair color in humans. The non-tanning skin associated with red hair may have been advantageous in far-northern climates where sunlight is scarce. Studies by Bodmer and Cavalli-Sforza (1976) hypothesized that lighter skin pigmentation prevents rickets in colder climates by encouraging higher levels of vitamin D production and also allows the individual to retain heat better than someone with darker skin.[55] In 2000, Harding et al. concluded that red hair is not the result of positive selection but of a lack of negative selection. In Africa, for example, red hair is selected against because high levels of sun harm pale skin. However, in Northern Europe this does not happen, so redheads can become more common through genetic drift.[48]

Estimates on the original occurrence of the currently active gene for red hair vary from 20,000 to 100,000 years ago.[56][57]

A DNA study has concluded that some Neanderthals also had red hair, although the mutation responsible for this differs from that which causes red hair in modern humans.[58]

A 2007 report in The Courier-Mail, which cited the National Geographic magazine and unnamed "geneticists", said that red hair is likely to die out in the near future.[59] Other blogs and news sources ran similar stories that attributed the research to the magazine or the "Oxford Hair Foundation". However, a HowStuffWorks article says that the foundation was funded by hair-dye maker Procter & Gamble, and that other experts had dismissed the research as either lacking in evidence or simply bogus. The National Geographic article in fact states "while redheads may decline, the potential for red isn't going away".[60]

Red hair is caused by a relatively rare recessive allele, the expression of which can skip generations. It is not likely to disappear at any time in the foreseeable future.[60]

In various times and cultures, red hair has been prized, feared, and ridiculed.

A common belief about redheads is that they have fiery tempers and sharp tongues. In Anne of Green Gables, a character says of Anne Shirley, the redheaded heroine, that "her temper matches her hair", while in The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield remarks that "People with red hair are supposed to get mad very easily, but Allie [his dead brother] never did, and he had very red hair."

During the early stages of modern medicine, red hair was thought to be a sign of a sanguine temperament.[80] In the Indian medicinal practice of Ayurveda, redheads are seen as most likely to have a Pitta temperament.

Another belief is that redheads are highly sexed; for example, Jonathan Swift satirizes redhead stereotypes in part four of Gulliver's Travels, "A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms," when he writes that: "It is observed that the red-haired of both sexes are more libidinous and mischievous than the rest, whom yet they much exceed in strength and activity." Swift goes on to write that "neither was the hair of this brute [a Yahoo] of a red colour (which might have been some excuse for an appetite a little irregular) but black as a sloe".[81] Such beliefs were given a veneer of scientific credibility in the 19th century by Cesare Lombroso and Guglielmo Ferrero. They concluded that red hair was associated with crimes of lust, and claimed that 48% of "criminal women" were redheads.[82]

Queen Elizabeth I of England was a redhead, and during the Elizabethan era in England, red hair was fashionable for women. In modern times, red hair is subject to fashion trends; celebrities such as Nicole Kidman, Alyson Hannigan, Marcia Cross, Christina Hendricks, Emma Stone and Geri Halliwell can boost sales of red hair dye.[citation needed]

Sometimes, red hair darkens as people get older, becoming a more brownish color or losing some of its vividness. This leads some to associate red hair with youthfulness, a quality that is generally considered desirable. In several countries such as India, Iran, Bangladesh and Pakistan, henna and saffron are used on hair to give it a bright red appearance.[83]

Many painters have exhibited a fascination with red hair. The hair color "Titian" takes its name from the artist Titian, who often painted women with red hair. Early Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli's famous painting The Birth of Venus depicts the mythological goddess Venus as a redhead. Other painters notable for their redheads include the Pre-Raphaelites, Edmund Leighton, Modigliani,[84] and Gustav Klimt.[85]

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story "The Red-Headed League" (1891) involves a man who is asked to become a member of a mysterious group of red-headed people. The 1943 film DuBarry Was a Lady featured red-heads Lucille Ball and Red Skelton in Technicolor.

Notable comic book characters with red hair include Jean Grey, Red Sonja, Mystique, and Poison Ivy.[86]

A book of photographs of red haired people was published in 2020, Gingers by Kieran Dodds (2020).[87]

Red hair was thought to be a mark of a beastly sexual desire and moral degeneration. A savage red-haired man is portrayed in the fable by Grimm brothers (Der Eisenhans) as the spirit of the forest of iron. Theophilus Presbyter describes how the blood of a red-haired young man is necessary to create gold from copper, in a mixture with the ashes of a basilisk.[88]

According to Montague Summers, red hair and green eyes were thought to be the sign of a witch, a werewolf or a vampire during the Middle Ages:

Those whose hair is red, of a certain peculiar shade, are unmistakably vampires. It is significant that in ancient Egypt, as Manetho tells us, human sacrifices were offered at the grave of Osiris, and the victims were red-haired men who were burned, their ashes being scattered far and wide by winnowing-fans. It is held by some authorities that this was done to fertilize the fields and produce a bounteous harvest, red-hair symbolizing the golden wealth of the corn. But these men were called Typhonians, and were representatives not of Osiris but of his evil rival Typhon, whose hair was red.

During the Spanish Inquisition, people of red hair were identified as Jewish and isolated for persecution.[21] In Medieval Italy and Spain, red hair was associated with the heretical nature of Jews and their rejection of Jesus, and thus Judas Iscariot was commonly depicted as red-haired in Italian and Spanish art.[20] Writers from Shakespeare to Dickens would identify Jewish characters by giving them red hair, such as the villainous Jewish characters Shylock and Fagin.[89] The antisemitic association persisted into modern times in Soviet Russia.[18] The medieval prejudice against red-hair may have derived from the Ancient biblical tradition, in relation to biblical figures such as Esau and King David. The Ancient historian Josephus would mistranslate the Hebrew Torah to describe the more positive figure of King David as 'golden haired', in contrast to the negative figure of Esau, even though the original Hebrew Torah implies that both King David and Esau had 'fiery red hair'.[90]

In his 1885 book I Say No, Wilkie Collins wrote "The prejudice against habitual silence, among the lower order of the people, is almost as inveterate as the prejudice against red hair."

In his 1895 memoir and history The Gurneys of Earlham, Augustus John Cuthbert Hare described an incident of harassment:"The second son, John, was born in 1750. As a boy he had bright red hair, and it is amusingly recorded that one day in the streets of Norwich a number of boys followed him, pointing to his red locks and saying, "Look at that boy; he's got a bonfire on the top of his head," and that John Gurney was so disgusted that he went to a barber's, had his head shaved, and went home in a wig. He grew up, however, a remarkably attractive-looking young man."[91]

In British English, the word "ginger" is sometimes used to describe red-headed people (at times in an insulting manner),[92] with terms such as "gingerphobia"[93] and "gingerism"[94] used by the British media. In Britain, redheads are also sometimes referred to disparagingly as "carrot tops" and "carrot heads". (The comedian "Carrot Top" uses this stage name.) "Gingerism" has been compared to racism, although this is widely disputed, and bodies such as the UK Commission for Racial Equality do not monitor cases of discrimination and hate crimes against redheads.[94]

Nonetheless, individuals and families in Britain are targeted for harassment and violence because of their hair colour. In 2003, a 20-year-old was stabbed in the back for "being ginger".[95] In 2007, a UK woman won an award from a tribunal after being sexually harassed and receiving abuse because of her red hair;[96] in the same year, a family in Newcastle upon Tyne, was forced to move twice after being targeted for abuse and hate crime on account of their red hair.[97] In May 2009, a schoolboy committed suicide after being bullied for having red hair.[98] In 2013, a fourteen-year-old boy in Lincoln had his right arm broken and his head stamped on by three men who attacked him "just because he had red hair". The three men were subsequently jailed for a combined total of ten years and one month for the attack.[99] A possible fringe theory explaining the historical and modern mistreatment of red-heads supposedly stems from subjugation and consequent persecution of Celtic Nations.

This prejudice has been satirised on a number of TV shows. English comedian Catherine Tate (herself a redhead) appeared as a red-haired character in a running sketch of her series The Catherine Tate Show. The sketch saw fictional character Sandra Kemp, who was forced to seek solace in a refuge for ginger people because she had been ostracised from society.[100] The British comedy Bo' Selecta! (starring redhead Leigh Francis) featured a spoof documentary which involved a caricature of Mick Hucknall presenting a show in which celebrities (played by themselves) dyed their hair red for a day and went about daily life being insulted by people.(Hucknall, who says that he has repeatedly faced prejudice or been described as ugly on account of his hair colour, argues that Gingerism should be described as a form of racism.[101]) Comedian Tim Minchin, himself a redhead, also covered the topic in his song "Prejudice".[102]

The pejorative use of the word "ginger" and related discrimination was used to illustrate a point about racism and prejudice in the "Ginger Kids", "Le Petit Tourette", "It's a Jersey Thing" and "Fatbeard" episodes of South Park.

Film and television programmes often portray school bullies as having red hair.[103] However, children with red hair are often themselves targeted by bullies; "Somebody with ginger hair will stand out from the crowd," says anti-bullying expert Louise Burfitt-Dons.[104]

In Australian slang, redheads are often nicknamed "Blue" or "Bluey".[105] More recently, they have been referred to as "rangas" (a word derived from the red-haired ape, the orangutan), sometimes with derogatory connotations.[106] The word "rufus" has been used in both Australian and British slang to refer to red-headed people;[107] based on a variant of rufous, a reddish-brown color.

In November 2008 social networking website Facebook received criticism after a 'Kick a Ginger' group, which aimed to establish a "National Kick a Ginger Day" on 20 November, acquired almost 5,000 members. A 14-year-old boy from Vancouver who ran the Facebook group was subjected to an investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for possible hate crimes.[108]

In December 2009 British supermarket chain Tesco withdrew a Christmas card which had the image of a child with red hair sitting on the lap of Father Christmas, and the words: "Santa loves all kids. Even ginger ones" after customers complained the card was offensive.[109]

In October 2010, Harriet Harman, the former Equality Minister in the British government under Labour, faced accusations of prejudice after she described the red-haired Treasury secretary Danny Alexander as a "ginger rodent".[110] Alexander responded to the insult by stating that he was "proud to be ginger".[111] Harman was subsequently forced to apologise for the comment, after facing criticism for prejudice against a minority group.[112]

In September 2011, Cryos International, one of the world's largest sperm banks, announced that it would no longer accept donations from red-haired men due to low demand from women seeking artificial insemination.[113]

The term ang mo (Chinese: ; pinyin: hng mo; Peh-e-j: ng-mo) in Hokkien (Min Nan) Chinese, meaning "red-haired",[114] is used in Malaysia and Singapore, although it refers to all white people, never exclusively people with red hair. The epithet is sometimes rendered as ang mo kui () meaning "red-haired devil", similar to the Cantonese term gweilo ("foreign devil"). Thus it is viewed as racist and derogatory by some people.[115] Others, however, maintain it is acceptable.[116] Despite this ambiguity, it is a widely used term. It appears, for instance, in Singaporean newspapers such as The Straits Times,[117] and in television programmes and films.

The Chinese characters for ang mo are the same as those in the historical Japanese term Km (), which was used during the Edo period (16031868) as an epithet for Dutch or Northern European people. It primarily referred to Dutch traders who were the only Europeans allowed to trade with Japan during Sakoku, its 200-year period of isolation.[118]

The historic fortress Fort San Domingo in Tamsui, Taiwan was nicknamed ang mo sia ().

The mainly masculine given name Rory a name of Goidelic origin, which is an anglicisation of the Irish: Ruair/Ruaidhr/Ruaidhrgh/Raidhrgh, Scottish Gaelic: Ruairidh and Manx: Rauree[119] which is common to the Irish, Highland Scots and their diasporas[120] means "red-haired king", from ruadh ("red-haired" or "rusty") and rgh ("king"). However, present bearers of the name are by no means all red-haired themselves.

There has been an annual Redhead Day festival in the Netherlands that attracts red-haired participants from around the world. The festival was held in Breda, a city in the south east of the Netherlands, prior to 2019, when it moved to Tilburg.[121] It attracts participants from over 80 countries. The international event began in 2005, when Dutch painter Bart Rouwenhorst decided he wanted to paint 15 redheads.

The Irish Redhead Convention, held in late August in County Cork since 2011, claims to be a global celebration and attracts people from several continents. The celebrations include crowning the ginger King and Queen, competitions for the best red eyebrows and most freckles per square inch, orchestral concerts and carrot throwing competitions.[122]

A smaller red-hair day festival is held since 2013 by the UK's anti bullying alliance in London, with the aim of instilling pride in having red-hair.[123]

Since 2014, a red-hair event is held in Israel, at Kibbutz Gezer (Carrot), held for the local Israeli red hair community,[124] including both Ashkenazi and Mizrahi red-heads.[125] However, the number of attendees has to be restricted due to the risk of rocket attacks, leading to anger in the red-hair community.[126] The organizers state; "The event is a good thing for many redheads, who had been embarrassed about being redheads before."[126]

The first and only festival for red heads in the United States was launched in 2015. Held in Highwood, Illinois, Redhead Days draws participants from across the United States.[127]

A festival to celebrate the red-haired people is held annually in Izhevsk (Russia), the capital of Udmurtia, since 2004.[128]

MC1R Magazine is a publication for red-haired people worldwide, based in Hamburg, Germany.[129]

In ancient Egypt, red hair was associated with the deity Set as well as Ramesses II.[130][131]

In the Iliad, Achilles' hair is described as ksanths ([132]), usually translated as blonde, or golden[133] but sometimes as red or tawny.[134][135] His son Neoptolemus also bears the name Pyrrhus, a possible reference to his own red hair.[136]

The Norse god Thor is usually described as having red hair.[137]

The Hebrew word usually translated "ruddy" or "reddish-brown" (admoni , from the root ADM , see also Adam and Edom)[138][139][140] was used to describe both Esau and David.

Early artistic representations of Mary Magdalene usually depict her as having long flowing red hair, although a description of her hair color was never mentioned in the Bible, and it is possible the color is an effect caused by pigment degradation in the ancient paint.

Judas Iscariot is also represented with red hair in Spanish culture[141][142] and in the works of William Shakespeare,[143] reinforcing the negative stereotype.

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Sam Bankman-Fried Admits the "Ethics Stuff" Was "Mostly a Front"

In Twitter DMs, FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried appeared to admit that his

Effecting Change

The disgraced former head of the crypto exchange FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, built his formidable public persona on the idea that he was a new type of ethical crypto exec. In particular, he was a vocal proponent of "effective altruism" — the vague-but-noble concept of using data to make philanthropic giving as targeted and helpful as possible.

But in a direct message, Vox's Kelsey Piper asked Bankman-Fried if the "ethics stuff" had been "mostly a front."

Bankman-Fried's reply: "Yeah."

"I mean that's not *all* of it," he wrote. "But it's a lot."

Truth Be Told

If the concept of becoming rich to save the world strikes you as iffy, you're not alone — and it appears that even Bankman-Fried himself knows it.

When Piper observed that Bankman-Fried had been "really good at talking about ethics" while actually playing a game, he responded that he "had to be" because he'd been engaged in "this dumb game we woke Westerners play where we say all the right shibboleths and everyone likes us."

Next time you're thinking of investing in crypto, maybe it's worth taking a moment to wonder whether the person running the next exchange might secretly be thinking the same thing.

More on effective altruism: Elon Musk Hired A Professional Gambler to Manage His Philanthropic Donations

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Celebrities Are Officially Being Sued by FTX Retail Investors

The first civil suit against the crypto exchange FTX was just filed, naming FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, and 11 of FTX's many celebrity ambassadors.

Welp, that didn't take long. The first civil suit against the still-imploding crypto exchange FTX was just filed in a Florida court, accusing FTX, disgraced CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, and 11 of the exchange's many celebrity ambassadors of preying on "unsophisticated" retail investors.

The list of celeb defendants impressive — honestly, it reads more like an invite list to a posh award show than a lawsuit.

Geriatric quarterback Tom Brady and soon-to-be-ex-wife Gisele Bündchen lead the pack, followed by basketball players Steph Curry and Udonis Haslem, as well as the Golden State Warriors franchise; tennis star Naomi Osaka; baseballers Shoehi Ohtani, Udonis Haslem, and David Ortiz; and quarterback Trevor Laurence.

Also named is comedian Larry David — who starred in that FTX Super Bowl commercial that very specifically told investors that even if they didn't understand crypto, they should definitely invest — and investor Kevin O'Leary of "Shark Tank" fame.

"The Deceptive and failed FTX Platform," reads the suit," "was based upon false representations and deceptive conduct."

"Many incriminating FTX emails and texts... evidence how FTX’s fraudulent scheme was designed to take advantage of unsophisticated investors from across the country," it continues. "As a result, American consumers collectively sustained over $11 billion dollars in damages."

Indeed, a number of FTX promos embraced an attitude similar to the cursed Larry David commercial. In one, Steph Curry tells viewers that with FTX, there's no need to be an "expert," while a Naomi Osaka promotion pushed the idea that crypto trading should be "accessible," "easy," and "fun."

It's also worth noting that this isn't the first suit of its kind. Billionaire Mark Cuban, also of "Shark Tank" fame, was named in a class action lawsuit launched against the bankrupt lender Voyager in August, while reality TV star Kim Kardashian was recently made to pay a roughly $1.2 million fine for hawking the "EthereumMAX" token without disclosing that she was paid to do so.

The FTX suit, however, appears to be the most extensive — and high-profile — of its kind. And while a fine for a million or two is basically a one dollar bill to this tax bracket, $11 billion, even if split amongst a group of 11 exorbitantly wealthy celebs, is a more substantial chunk of change.

Of course, whether anyone actually ever has to pay up remains to be seen. Regardless, it's still a terrible look, and real people got hurt. If there's any defense here, though? At least they didn't promise to be experts.

READ MORE: FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried hit with class-action lawsuit that also names Brady, Bündchen, Shaq, Curry [Fox Business]

More on the FTX crash: Experts Say Sam Bankman-fried's Best Legal Defense Is to Say He's Just Really, Really Stupid

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Celebrities Are Officially Being Sued by FTX Retail Investors

"Elon" Plummets in Popularity as a Baby Name for Some Reason

According to BabyCenter's

Big Baby

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's name has clearly lost its luster among the parents of newborns.

According to BabyCenter's review of the data the name "Elon" has cratered in popularity over the last year, dropping from 120 babies per million in 2021 to just 90 babies per million, falling in the popularity rankings by 466 spots.

The name had seen a meteoric rise over the last seven or so years, but is currently falling out of favor big time, plummeting back down to 2019 levels.

The read? It seems like Musk's public reputation has been taking a significant hit.

Name Game

There are countless reasons why Musk could be less popular public figure than he was three years ago.

Especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Musk emerged as a controversial figure, speaking out against vaccinations and lockdowns. He has also become synonymous with an unhealthy work culture, firing practically anybody standing in his way and forcing his employees to work long hours.

The fiasco surrounding Musk's chaotic takeover of Twitter has likely only further besmirched his public image.

For reference, other baby names that have fallen out of fashion include "Kanye" — almost certainly in response to the travails of rapper Kanye West, who's had a years-long relationship with Musk — which fell a whopping 3,410 spots over the last year.

More on Elon Musk: Sad Elon Musk Says He's Overwhelmed In Strange Interview After the Power Went Out

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"Elon" Plummets in Popularity as a Baby Name for Some Reason

Startup Says It’s Building a Giant CO2 Battery in the United States

Italian startup Energy Dome has designed an ingenious battery that uses CO2 to store energy, and it only needs non-exotic materials like steel and water.

Italian Import

Carbon dioxide has a bad rep for its role in driving climate change, but in an unexpected twist, it could also play a key role in storing renewable energy.

The world's first CO2 battery, built by Italian startup Energy Dome, promises to store renewables on an industrial scale, which could help green energy rival fossil fuels in terms of cost and practicality.

After successfully testing the battery at a small scale plant in Sardinia, the company is now bringing its technology to the United States.

"The US market is a primary market for Energy Dome and we are working to become a market leader in the US," an Energy Dome spokesperson told Electrek. "The huge demand of [long duration energy storage] and incentive mechanisms like the Inflation Reduction Act will be key drivers for the industry in the short term."

Storage Solution

As renewables like wind and solar grow, one of the biggest infrastructural obstacles is the storage of the power they produce. Since wind and solar sources aren't always going to be available, engineers need a way to save excess power for days when it's less sunny and windy out, or when there's simply more demand.

One obvious solution is to use conventional battery technology like lithium batteries, to store the energy. The problem is that building giant batteries from rare earth minerals — which can be prone to degradation over time — is expensive, not to mention wasteful.

Energy Dome's CO2 batteries, on the other hand, use mostly "readily available materials" like steel, water, and of course CO2.

In Charge

As its name suggests, the battery works by taking CO2, stored in a giant dome, and compressing it into a liquid by using the excess energy generated from a renewable source. That process generates heat, which is stored alongside the now liquefied CO2, "charging" the battery.

To discharge power, the stored heat is used to vaporize the liquid CO2 back into a gas, powering a turbine that feeds back into the power grid. Crucially, the whole process is self-contained, so no CO2 leaks back into the atmosphere.

The battery could be a game-changer for renewables. As of now, Energy Dome plans to build batteries that can store up to 200 MWh of energy. But we'll have to see how it performs as it gains traction.

More on batteries: Scientists Propose Turning Skyscrapers Into Massive Gravity Batteries

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Startup Says It's Building a Giant CO2 Battery in the United States

FDA Gives First Go Ahead for Lab Grown Meat Product

The FDA has approved a lab grown meat product from Upside Foods for human consumption, which now only needs USDA approval before being sold to customers.

Meat and Greet

Behold, ethical omnivores: the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given a key go-ahead to what could be the first lab grown meat product bound for human consumption in the US.

The decision, a first for cultivated meat in the US, paves the way for Californian startup Upside Foods to start selling its lab-grown chicken product domestically — meaning that now, it only needs approval from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) before the ersatz chicken can hit restaurant menus.

"The world is experiencing a food revolution and the [FDA] is committed to supporting innovation in the food supply," FDA officials said in a statement. "The agency evaluated the information submitted by Upside Foods as part of a pre-market consultation for their food made from cultured chicken cells and has no further questions at this time about the firm’s safety conclusion."

Upside Foods' products were evaluated via a process in which manufacturers divulge the production process to the agency for review, along with a sample. If everything looks good after inspection, the FDA then sends back a "no further questions" letter to the company.

"We are thrilled at FDA's announcement," said Upside director of communications David Kay in an email to Reuters. "This historic step paves the way for our path to market."

Going Protein

Lab meat like Upside's aren't a plant-based imitation, unlike popular vegan alternatives such as Beyond Burgers. Instead, they're made from real animal cells grown in bioreactors, sparing the lives of actual livestock.

But while at a cellular level the meat may be the same, customers will definitely notice a difference in price. For now, cultivating meat remains an extremely expensive process, so pending USDA approval notwithstanding, it could still be a while before you see it hit the shelves of your local grocer.

To let eager, early customers try out the lab meat, Upside, which already announced its collaboration with Michelin star chef Dominique Crenn last year, will be debuting its chicken at specific upscale restaurants.

"We would want to bring this to people through chefs in the initial stage," CEO Uma Valeti told Wired. "Getting chefs excited about this is a really big deal for us. We want to work with the best partners who know how to cook well, and also give us feedback on what we could do better."

While the FDA's thumbs-up only applies to a specific product of Upside's, it's still a historic decision, signalling a way forward for an industry that's rapidly accruing investment.

Updated to clarify details regarding the FDA's evaluation of the product.

More on lab grown meat: Scientists Cook Comically Tiny Lab-Grown Hamburger

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Former Facebook Exec Says Zuckerberg Has Surrounded Himself With Sycophants

Conviction is easy if you're surrounded by a bunch of yes men — which Mark Zuckerberg just might be. And $15 billion down the line, that may not bode well.

In just about a year, Facebook-turned-Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's metaverse vision has cost his company upwards of $15 billion, cratering value and — at least in part — triggering mass company layoffs. That's a high price tag, especially when the Facebook creator has shockingly little to show for it, both in actual technology and public interest.

Indeed, it seems that every time Zuckerberg excitedly explains what his currently-legless metaverse will one day hold, he's met with crickets — and a fair share of ridicule — at the town square. Most everyone finds themselves looking around and asking themselves the same question: who could this possibly be for, other than Zucko himself?

That question, however, doesn't really seem to matter to the swashzuckling CEO, who's either convinced that the public wants and needs his metaverse just as much as he does, or is simply just convicted to the belief that one day people will finally get it. After all, he's bet his company on this thing and needs the public to engage to stay financially viable long-term.

And sure, points for conviction. But conviction is easy if you're surrounded by a bunch of yes men — which, according to Vanity Fair, the founder unfortunately is. And with $15 billion down the line, that may not bode well for the Silicon Valley giant.

"The problem now is that Mark has surrounded himself with sycophants, and for some reason he's fallen for their vision of the future, which no one else is interested in," one former Facebook exec told Vanity Fair. "In a previous era, someone would have been able to reason with Mark about the company's direction, but that is no longer the case."

Given that previous reports have revealed that some Meta employees have taken to marking metaverse documents with the label "MMA" — "Make Mark Happy" — the revelation that he's limited his close circle to people who only agree with him isn't all that shocking. He wants the metaverse, he wants it bad, and he's put a mind-boggling amount of social and financial capital into his AR-driven dream.

While the majority of his many thousands of employees might disagree with him — Vanity Fair reports that current and former metamates have written things like "the metaverse will be our slow death" and "Mark Zuckerberg will single-handedly kill a company with the metaverse" on the Silicon Valley-loved Blind app — it's not exactly easy, or even that possible, to wrestle with the fact that you may have made a dire miscalculation this financially far down the road.

And if you just keep a close circle of people who just agree with you, you may not really have to confront that potential for failure. At least not for a while.

The truth is that Zuckerberg successfully created a thing that has impacted nearly every single person on this Earth. Few people can say that. And while it can be argued that the thing he built has, at its best, created some real avenues for connection, that same creation also seems to have led to his own isolation, in life and at work.

How ironic it is that he's marketed his metaverse on that same promise of connection, only to become more disconnected than ever.

READ MORE: "Mark Has Surrounded Himself with Sycophants": Zuckerberg's Big Bet on the Metaverse Is Backfiring [Vanity Fair]

More on the Meta value: Stock Analyst Cries on Tv Because He Recommended Facebook Stock

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Former Facebook Exec Says Zuckerberg Has Surrounded Himself With Sycophants

Panicked Elon Musk Reportedly Begging Engineers Not to Leave

According to former Uber engineer Gergely Orosz,

Elon Musk's Twitter operations are still in free fall.

Earlier this week, the billionaire CEO sent an email to staff telling them that they "need to be extremely hardcore" and work long hours at the office, or quit and get three months severance, as The Washington Post reports.

Employees had until 5 pm on Thursday to click "yes" and be part of Twitter moving forward or take the money and part ways. The problem for Musk? According to former Uber engineer Gergely Orosz, who has had a close ear to Twitter's recent inner turmoil, "far fewer than expected [developers] hit 'yes.'"

So many employees called Musk's bluff, Orosz says, that Musk is now "having meetings with top engineers to convince them to stay," in an  embarrassing reversal of his public-facing bravado earlier this week.

Twitter has already been rocked by mass layoffs, cutting the workforce roughly in half. Instead of notifying them, employees had access to their email and work computers revoked without notice.

Even that process was bungled, too, with some employees immediately being asked to return to the company after Musk's crew realized it had sacked people it needed.

According to Orosz's estimations, Twitter's engineering workforce may have been cut by a whopping 90 percent in just three weeks.

Musk has been banging the war drums in an active attempt to weed out those who aren't willing to abide by his strict rules and those who were willing to stand up to him.

But developers aren't exactly embracing that kind of tyranny.

"Sounds like playing hardball does not work," Orosz said. "Of course it doesn't."

"From my larger group of 50 people, 10 are staying, 40 are taking the severance," one source reportedly told Orosz. "Elon set up meetings with a few who plan to quit."

In short, developers are running for the hills — and besides, they're likely to find far better work conditions pretty much anywhere else.

"I am not sure Elon realizes that, unlike rocket scientists, who have relatively few options to work at, [developers] with the experience of building Twitter only have better options than the conditions he outlines," Orosz argued.

Then there's the fact that Musk has publicly lashed out at engineers, mocking them and implying that they were leading him on.

Those who spoke out against him were summarily fired.

That kind of hostility in leadership — Musk has shown an astonishing lack of respect — clearly isn't sitting well with many developers, who have taken up his to get three months of severance and leave.

"I meant it when I called Elon's latest ultimatum the first truly positive thing about this Twitter saga," Orosz wrote. "Because finally, everyone who had enough of the BS and is not on a visa could finally quit."

More on Twitter: Sad Elon Musk Says He's Overwhelmed In Strange Interview After the Power Went Out

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Panicked Elon Musk Reportedly Begging Engineers Not to Leave

Celebrities’ Bored Apes Are Hilariously Worthless Now

The value of Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs has absolutely plummeted, leaving celebrities with six figure losses, a perhaps predictable conclusion.

Floored Apes

The value of Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs have absolutely plummeted, leaving celebrities with six figure losses, in a perhaps predictable conclusion to a bewildering trend.

Earlier this year, for instance, pop star Justin Bieber bought an Ape for a whopping $1.3 million. Now that the NFT economy has essentially collapsed in on itself, as Decrypt points out, it's worth a measly $69,000.

Demand Media

NFTs, which represent exclusive ownership rights to digital assets — but usually, underwhelmingly, just JPGs and GIFs — have absolutely plummeted in value, spurred by the ongoing crypto crisis and a vanishing appetite.

Sales volume of the blockchain knickknacks has also bottomed out. NFT sales declined for six straight months this year, according to CryptoSlam.

According to NFT Price Floor, the value of the cheapest available Bored Ape dipped down to just 48 ETH, well below $60,000, this week. In November so far, the floor price fell 33 percent.

Meanwhile, the crypto crash is only accelerating the trend, with the collapse of major cryptocurrency exchange FTX leaving its own mark on NFT markets.

Still Kicking

Despite the looming pessimism, plenty of Bored Apes are still being sold. In fact, according to Decrypt, around $6.5 million worth of Apes were moved on Tuesday alone, an increase of 135 percent day over day.

Is the end of the NFT nigh? Bored Apes are clearly worth a tiny fraction of what they once were, indicating a massive drop off in interest.

Yet many other much smaller NFT marketplaces are still able to generate plenty of hype, and millions of dollars in sales.

In other words, NFTs aren't likely to die out any time soon, but they are adapting to drastically changing market conditions — and leaving celebrities with deep losses in their questionable investments.

READ MORE: Justin Bieber Paid $1.3 Million for a Bored Ape NFT. It’s Now Worth $69K [Decrypt]

More on NFTs: The Latest Idea to Make People Actually Buy NFTs: Throw in a House

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Celebrities' Bored Apes Are Hilariously Worthless Now

Experts Baffled by Why NASA’s “Red Crew” Wear Blue Shirts

Red Crew, Blue Crew

Had it not been for the heroics of three members of NASA's specialized "Red Crew," NASA's absolutely massive — and incredibly expensive — Space Launch System (SLS) likely wouldn't have made it off the ground this week.

During the launch, the painfully delayed Mega Moon Rocket sprang a hydrogen leak. The Red Crew ventured into the dangerous, half-loaded launch zone to fix it live. Incredible work indeed, although in spite of their heroics, keen-eyed observers did notice something strange about the so-called Red Crew: they, uh, don't wear red?

"How is it we spent $20B+ on this rocket," tweeted Chris Combs, a professor at the University of Texas San Antonio, "but we couldn't manage to get some RED SHIRTS for the Red Team."

Alas, the rumor is true. Red shirts seemed to be out of the budget this year — perhaps due to the ungodly amount of money spent on the rocket that these guys could have died while fixing — with the Red Crew-mates donning dark blue shirts instead. Per the NYT, they also drove white cars, which feels like an additional miss.

A leftover from last night that’s still bothering me:

how is it we spent $20B+ on this rocket but we couldn’t manage to get some RED SHIRTS for the Red Team pic.twitter.com/FO10Y6mg3H

— Chris Combs (@DrChrisCombs) November 16, 2022

Packing Nuts

For their part, the Red Crew didn't seem to care all that much, at least not in the moment. They were very much focused on needing to "torque" the "packing nuts," as they reportedly said during a post-launch interview on NASA TV. In other words, they were busy with your casual rocket science. And adrenaline, because, uh, risk of death.

"All I can say is we were very excited," Red Crew member Trent Annis told NASA TV, according to the NYT. "I was ready to get up there and go."

"We were very focused on what was happening up there," he added. "It's creaking, it's making venting noises, it's pretty scary."

In any case, shoutout to the Red Crew. The Artemis I liftoff is historic, and wouldn't have happened if they hadn't risked it all. They deserve a bonus, and at the very least? Some fresh new shirts.

READ MORE: When NASA'S moon rocket sprang a fuel leak, the launch team called in the 'red crew.' [The New York Times]

More on the Artemis I launch: Giant Nasa Rocket Blasts off Toward the Moon

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Experts Baffled by Why NASA’s “Red Crew” Wear Blue Shirts

NASA Drops Stunning New James Webb Image of a Star Being Born

The James Webb Space Telescope just released an image of a star being born, and it gives Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper a run for their money.

Birth Canal

The James Webb Space Telescope's latest mind-bending image just dropped — and this one is, in a word, splendid.

As NASA notes in a blog post about the finding, the telescope's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) was put to incredible use when capturing the "once-hidden features" of the beginnings of a star.

Known as "protostars," celestial objects like this one — found inside an uber-absorbant "dark nebula" cloud — are not yet stars, but will be soon. In short, the Webb telescope capture imagery of a star being born.

As NASA notes, the fledgling star itself is hidden within the tiny "neck" disk of the spectacular, fiery hourglass shape in the image — which is, as NASA notes, "about the size of our solar system" — and the colorful lights seen below and above this neck are emitted by the protostar's birth.

Countdown to a new star ?

Hidden in the neck of this “hourglass” of light are the very beginnings of a new star — a protostar. The clouds of dust and gas within this region are only visible in infrared light, the wavelengths that Webb specializes in: https://t.co/DtazblATMW pic.twitter.com/aGEEBO9BB8

— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) November 16, 2022

Stellar Anatomy

While this incredible capture is not the first time space telescopes have observed star birth, Webb's latest does provide an incredible look at the phenomenon.

"The surrounding molecular cloud is made up of dense dust and gas being drawn to the center, where the protostar resides," the post reads. "As the material falls in, it spirals around the center. This creates a dense disk of material, known as an accretion disk, which feeds material to the protostar."

Some of that material, NASA notes, are "filaments of molecular hydrogen that have been shocked as the protostar ejects material away from it," most of which the stellar fetus takes for itself. It continues to feed on that material, growing more massive and compressing further until its core temperature rises to the point that it kickstarts nuclear fusion.

This gorgeous peek at that process is extraordinary to witness — and a yet another testament to the power of the mighty James Webb.

More on Webb: NASA Fixes Months-Long Issue With Webb Telescope

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NASA Drops Stunning New James Webb Image of a Star Being Born

NASA Orders Press Not to Photograph Launch Site After Moon Mission Takes Off

NASA apparently barred the press from photographing the Artemis moon rocket launch when it lifted its Orion capsule off to space earlier this week. 

No Photos, Please

NASA barred the press from photographing the launch site of its Space Launch System after it boosted the agency's Artemis I Moon mission into space earlier this week.

Multiple space reporters said on Twitter that the agency had sent them a message telling them they were prohibited from photographing the Artemis 1 launch tower after the liftoff.

"NASA did not provide a reason," Eric Berger, Ars Technica's senior space editor, tweeted. The reporter added that according to his sources, the ban was apparently an attempt to save face after the launch damaged the tower.

"So now sources are saying that yes, Launch Complex-39B tower was damaged during the Artemis I launch on Wednesday morning," Berger tweeted. "Basically, there were leaks and damage where there weren't supposed to be leaks and damage."

Damaging Reports

Later, Washington Post space reporter Christian Davenport posted a statement from NASA that seemed to corroborate Berger's sources, though he emphasized that there was "no word on damage" to the launch pad.

"Because of the current state of the configuration, there are [International Traffic in Arms Regulations license] restrictions and photos are not permitted at this time," the statement given to Davenport read. "There also is a launch debris around the pad as anticipated, and the team is currently assessing."

Whatever NASA's reasoning, it's pretty clear that the agency doesn't want unapproved photos of its expensive and overdue Space Launch System rocket going out to the public. NASA loves positive publicity, it seems — but not negative.

More on the Artemis 1 launch: NASA Says It's Fine That Some Pieces May Have Fallen Off Its Moon Rocket During Launch

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NASA Orders Press Not to Photograph Launch Site After Moon Mission Takes Off

Ticketmaster May Have Finally Met Its Match: Furious Swifties

The notorious ticket selling service Ticketmaster botched the pre-sale of tickets for Taylor Swift's upcoming tour. Now, everyone's calling for its head.

The notorious ticket peddling service Ticketmaster has never been a fan favorite, and anyone who's ever bought a concert ticket there can attest to why. Preposterous prices, slimy junk fees, and terrible customer service are just a few of its mundane evils. In spite of how universally reviled it is, Ticketmaster has persisted as the king of the box office. But now, it's facing its worst PR nightmare in years — and that's saying something. Why? It made the fatal error of pissing off Taylor Swift fans, or "Swifties."

Swift's "Eras Tour," which will have her perform at over 50 venues in the US alone, is set to be one of the biggest music events on the planet. Biding their time, her fiercely loyal fanbase — probably the largest of any single artist and easily the most vocal online — have been waiting since 2018 for her next headlining tour. So, looking to guarantee a spot, many of them signed up for Ticketmaster's Verified Fans program, a system which was supposed to only allow a select amount of around 1.5 million real fans — as opposed to scalper bots — to buy tickets ahead of time.

It didn't work. Ticketmaster CEO Michael Rapino told The Hollywood Reporter that around 14 million users, some of them bots, rushed to buy pre-sale tickets this week, and it pretty much broke the service. Parts of the website immediately crashed, leaving millions either waiting for hours or suffering through a miserable, glitchy experience — only for some to be told they couldn't buy a ticket anyway even though they were verified. In total, Ticketmaster was barraged with 3.5 billion system requests, which is nearly half the population of the Earth and four times its previous peak.

Even with all the difficulties, it did manage to sell around two million tickets — but it's unclear how many of those went to actual, verified Swifties and how many went to scalpers.

And we suspect that Ticketmaster has made way more than that in the form of enemies. Search its name on social media right now, and you'll be returned with swarms of complaints from ardent Swifties and Ticketmaster haters crawling out of the woodwork.

To make matters worse, the maligned seller abruptly informed fans via Twitter that it would be canceling the sale of tickets to the general public originally planned for Friday, "due to extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems and insufficient remaining ticket inventory to meet that demand."

With Ticketmaster shutting its doors, vulturous resellers who gobbled up tickets during the presale pandemonium remain the only alternative for fans, selling them at outrageous amounts as high as $28,000, Reuters reports.

Exceptionally crummy service isn't exactly a scandal in itself, but the magnitude of Ticketmaster's mishandling of the situation — and the blatant scalping it's enabled — has brought significant attention to the company's nefarious practices and its stranglehold on the market.

Now, politicians are jumping on the Swifties' grievances to call for Ticketmaster's head.

"Daily reminder that Ticketmaster is a monopoly, [its] merger with LiveNation should never have been approved, and they need to be [reined] in," said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), in a tweet. "Break them up."

"It's no secret that Live Nation-Ticketmaster is an unchecked monopoly," echoed Rep. David N. Cicilline (D-RI), the chair of the House Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law.

"The merger of these companies should never have been allowed in the first place," Cicilline added, stating that he's joining others to call on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to "investigate LiveNation’s efforts to jack up prices and strangle competition."

Ticketmaster was already a behemoth in the 90s when Pearl Jam — then one of the biggest bands in the world — tried to take them on. Eddie Vedder and his bandmates certainly made the concert corporation sweat for a time, but since then, it's only grown. In 2010, it merged with LiveNation, once its largest competitor and now Ticketmaster's parent company. Critics, like AOC and Cicilline, argue that this merger was in blatant violation of antitrust laws.

Monopolistic behavior aside, as well as frequently bullying artists and venues to give into its tyrannical demands, consumers don't have to dig very far to realize Ticketmaster is ripping them off. Buy a ticket on there and it could charge you a significant portion of the ticket price in service and other junk fees.

Another culprit? Its dynamic pricing model, infamously used in other industries like airline tickets and hotels, in which prices are continuously adjusted in real time based on demand. As a result, ticket prices are not made public before a sale begins. In theory, dynamic pricing is meant to make predatory resellers obsolete by keeping prices competitive. But really, it's just a good excuse for Ticketmaster to match its prices with that of ludicrous resellers and pocket the extra cash.

Furthermore, at least one 2018 investigation by CBC found that Ticketmaster was quietly recruiting professional scalpers into its reseller program, and turned a blind eye to them using hundreds of fake accounts to sell tickets.

Bearing all that in mind, you'd think Swift would speak up about the most recent fiasco over her tour.

And for a while, she didn't, driving fans frantic over her silence — which she's finally broken.

On Friday, Swift spoke out in a carefully worded statement on her Instagram.

"Well, it goes without saying that I’m extremely protective of my fans," she began. "It’s really difficult for me to trust an outside entity with these relationships and loyalties, and excruciating for me to just watch mistakes happen with no recourse."

Swift is clearly alluding to Ticketmaster here, and euphemistically summed up the situation as there being "a multitude of reasons why people had such a hard time trying to get tickets" — though she never specifically names the corporation.

Diplomatic as the words may be, they've dropped at the perfect moment, because The New York Times reports that the DOJ has opened an antitrust investigation over LiveNation's ownership of Ticketmaster (though at press time, official confirmation is still pending.)

Could this be the beginning of the end of the company's unfettered dominance? Maybe. Ticketmaster and LiveNation only seem to get stronger with the more bad PR they get. So taking them down? It'll take more than online outrage. However, with Swift looking poised to join the fight alongside the DOJ, maybe this time around the concert conglomerate will get a run for its money.

More on Taylor Swift: Taylor Swift Reportedly Threatened Microsoft Over Racist Chatbot

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Ticketmaster May Have Finally Met Its Match: Furious Swifties

Twitter Claims Video of Moon Rocket Launch Is Revenge Porn

A spaceflight photographer took to Twitter to post a mesmerizing video of the Artemis I launch, only to find himself the victim of an AI error.

Nice Rocket

Revenge porn is a horrible thing, and Twitter should definitely continue to ban anyone who attempts to post it on the app. That being said, a video of a rocket taking off — an actual rocket, you pervs — does not revenge porn make, and shouldn't be flagged as such.

It seems like a silly thing to have to say, but such is the exact situation that spaceflight photographer John Kraus found himself in earlier this week. Kraus, who was on site to photograph the historic Artemis I launch, took to Twitter to post a mesmerizing video of the liftoff — only to find himself kicked off of the app shortly thereafter, due to the fact that his post, for whatever inexplicable reason, had been marked as revenge porn.

"I’d like to acknowledge that our good friend and rocket photography extraordinaire, [John Kraus], has been completely locked out of twitter since yesterday, for an arbitrary and silly reason, the day of the biggest launch of his career," read an angry tweet from the Tim "Everyday Astronaut" Dodd. "Worst possible timing."

I’d like to acknowledge that our good friend and rocket photography extraordinaire @johnkrausphotos has been completely locked out of twitter since yesterday, for an arbitrary and silly reason, the day of the biggest launch of his career. Worst possible timing ???? pic.twitter.com/USNUajwPJ4

— Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) November 17, 2022

Let Freedom Ring

Twitter finally let Kraus back online today. But for a rocket photographer, getting kicked off of Twitter on the day of the Artemis I launch really is a nightmare scenario.

"Almost two days later, I'm back. Twitter just acknowledged that they falsely locked my account instantly after I posted a benign video/caption of the Artemis I launch," he tweeted upon his return. "This was an unfortunate error after one of the biggest launches of my career."

While there was some speculation that new Twitter owner Elon Musk — who fired waves of employees, then effectively forced a mass exodus of quitters, and has reportedly been begging employees to come back so the ship that is Twitter doesn't fully sink beneath the digital waves — was to blame for Kraus' unfortunately-timed ban, given the chaos that's ensued on the tech side since Musk's takeover. Kraus, however, denied that Musk had anything to do with it.

"Anyone speculating it had to do with [Elon Musk] / new Twitter policy / not wanting NASA content instead of SpaceX, or that it was an ITAR violation — you are WRONG," he clarified. "It was falsely auto-flagged by software/AI."

So, maybe not Musk's fault, but a screwup that now falls directly on his presumably still-full plate. Anyway. We're glad that Kraus is free. And, for the record, here's the video that led to the whole debacle:

For reference, this was the original, exact tweet that got my account falsely locked for almost two days. It is now visible. Enjoy! https://t.co/Rpnaqfw6yX

— John Kraus (@johnkrausphotos) November 18, 2022

More on Artemis I: Experts Baffled by Why Nasa's "Red Crew" Wear Blue Shirts

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Twitter Claims Video of Moon Rocket Launch Is Revenge Porn