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The Great Gatsby, 1925 Maintaining relevance after 100 years in the public consciousness is no small feat, but thats exactly what the American novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald has managed to do. First published by Charles Scribner’s Sons on April 10, 1925, it initially received mixed reviews and was a commercial failure. As this now-beloved novel celebrates its centennial, how did it finally find an audience and what are its most-enduring themes? Also, here’s to maybe catch a bit of the bash. From failure to required reading Fitzgerald died in 1940 from a heart attack thinking he had failed as a writer. What he didn’t know was that Gatsby had been chosen by the Council on Books in Wartime as one of the titles to be distributed to WW II soldiers waiting in army barracks to eventually be shipped overseasand it clearly had a massive trickle-down effect. The soldiers identified with the character of Jay Gatsby and the themes of disillusionment and loss. This newfound popularity made literary critics take a second look. The book would find its way onto college syllabuses and later become required reading for high schools. It also inspired adaptations in various cultural mediums, such as musicals, movies, ballets, and more. Enduring themes The story is told through the eyes of Nick Carraway, a World War I veteran and Yale graduate, who moves from the Midwest to Long Island where he meets the enigmatic, flashy, “self-made” millionaire Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is famous for throwing extravagant parties at his Long Island mansion, embodying the Jazz Age and raucous Roaring Twenties, in hopes that his ex, Daisy Buchanan, will attend. The fact that she is already married to Tom Buchanan, a violent Yale graduate who comes from old money, doesnt stop Gatsbys obsessive pursuit. But with all that extravagance, illicit alcohol (this was the Prohibition, after all) and unrequited love, tensions are sure to boil over with deadly consequences.This short novel explores themes of class, the dark truth of the American Dream, corruption, and obsession. A hundred years later, the ’20s of a new century dont feel all that different from its predecessor, the 1920s. Heres how book lovers can celebrate In Gatsby celebrations (and real estate!), location is the thing. If you find yourself in or near Fitzgeralds birthplace of St. Paul, Minnesota, head over to the Minnesota History Center. On April 10, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. local time (CT), a live reading of the novel is scheduled, featuring a variety of readers. Also at the Center is an exhibit, Thats My Middle West: F. Scott Fitzgeralds St. Paul, which showcases artifacts from Fitzgeralds early life along with Gatsby memorabilia, and runs through May 31. Princeton University, Fitzgeralds alma mater, is also celebrating Gatsby’s centennial and its favorite son throughout the month. A special exhibit at the Firestone Library called Living Forever: The Archive of The Great Gatsby opens April 10. A roundtable discussion titled Whats So Great About The Great Gatsby? will be held April 28. New York City, the setting of much of Gatsby, couldnt let this 100th birthday go without a toast or two. The Empire State Building is turning green in commemoration, a nod to the glowing green light on Daisy’s dock that Gatsby gazes at from his lawn across the bay. Broadway is home to the 2023 Tony Award-winning musical adaptation of the novel. On April 10, the cast will have a special toast with audience members being gifted a special anniversary collector’s item souvenir. Also, the Midtown bar Oscar Wilde is throwing an all-day Gatsby-themed soirée, replicating the Roaring Twenties, with lots of music (DJ, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.) and extravagant cocktails. If you can’t make it to any of these locations. never fear, old sport. Throw your own Gatsby movie night. Jack Claytons 1974 offering starring Robert Redford in the title role is available to rent on Amazon with the MGM add-on. No add-ons needed to rent the 2013 Baz Luhrmann flick starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Pop some bottles and step into the Jazz Age. Maybe Fitzgerald will feel the long-sought admiration from his grave in Rockville, Maryland.
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E-Commerce
The price of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies surged after President Donald Trump said he authorized a 90-day pause on tariffs for countries that havent retaliated against the U.S. The price of Bitcoin rose about 6% to nearly $82,000, while other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Solana jumped more than 10%. Overall, the $2 trillion-plus global crypto market posted a one-day increase in excess of 7%, according to CoinMarketCap. Crypto traders, like traders of other financial assets, welcomed the news Wednesday that Trump has backtracked on tariffs for most countries just days after announcing an aggressive agenda that upended global financial markets. Trump hasnt relented on levies on goods imported from China; in the same post on Truth Social, he said hes increasing tariffs on China to 125%. While the trade war with China is far from over, traders instead celebrated that Trump reduced reciprocal tariffs on other countries to 10% during the pause period after a brutal few days of whipsawed trading. Before announcing the pause, Trump posted on Truth Social urging Americans to be cool and that this is a great time to buy. The price of cryptocurrencies has provided an interesting read on the pro-crypto Trump administration. While cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin rallied in the weeks following his November 2024 election victory, that enthusiasm had already dissipated by mid-January when Trump returned to the White House. Bitcoin bear market In March, Bitcoin entered a bear market, defined as a decline of at least 20% from a high. Even with Wednesdays gains, the price of the largest cryptocurrency by market cap is still down more than 22% from an all-time high of more than $109,000 just hours ahead of Trumps second inauguration in January. Since then, global crypto markets have lost nearly $900 billion in value. Meanwhile, the major U.S. stock indices have thus far not entered bear markets, though they were all in bear market territory in recent days. Trumps announcement Wednesday buoyed stock prices, as the S&P 500 jumped 9.5% and the Nasdaq 100 spiked 12%. Still, while some sense of euphoria has returned to financial markets, some crypto experts caution that it could be some time before these assets recover their losses as the newest traders are being hit hardest by losses. Ki Young Ju, the CEO of CryptoQuant, has predicted the Bitcoin bear market could last as long as six months, for example.
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E-Commerce
When Donald Trump announced that Elon Musk would be joining the government as an adviser and head of the quasi-governmental Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), there was skepticism about how long the relationship between the two would last. Experts predicted that the SpaceX founder wouldnt like playing second fiddle to the former Apprentice star. As Trump himself put it in his 1987 business-advice book The Art of the Deal, One of the problems when you become successful is that jealousy and envy inevitably follow. But its not success that appears to have driven the most serious wedge between the two businessmen. Its failure, and the catastrophic fallout from Trumps implementation of tariffs that has triggered a global trade wara decision that Trump has hit pause on, temporarily forestalling for 90 days reciprocal tariffs on all countries except China. Its a trade war that Musk never wanted. The Washington Post reports that Musk lobbied Trump directly, though unsuccessfully, to not levy tariffs. And as those tariffs decimated U.S. stock markets, in a series of gobsmacking posts on X this week Musk has dubbed White House trade tsar Peter Navarro Peter Retarrdo, a moron, and dumber than a sack of bricks. While the name-calling has been limited to Navarro, the criticism is fundamentally pointed at Trumps most signature policy to date. Musks brother, Kimbal, has quote tweeted Trump while adding negative comments about his tariff decisions. Mmm.. Celebrating causing China’s stock market to go down, by causing our own stock market to go down? Maybe this is why Trump brought back the R word. Its not clear whether he is referring to the risk of a recession, or echoing his brothers comments about Navarro when referring to the president. Karoline Leavitt, Trumps press secretary, said on April 8 about the Navarro-Musk spat: These are obviously two individuals who have very different views on trade and tariffs. Boys will be boys and we will let their public sparring continue. A clash of titanic egos Not everyone is convinced thats all there is to it. It could be the first major public blowup between two titanic egos who were always going to struggle to coexist. That Musk and Trump would clash on the issue isnt surprising. China was a healthy market for Musks electric vehicle company, Tesla, and Trumps 125% tariffs on goods from China will likely harm that business relationship. Musk has a big financial relationship with China, which is not happy with tariffs, says Steven Hassan, author of The Cult of Trump. Navarros expertise is more rooted in academia and therefore takes a different approach to Musks, explains Steven Buckley, a lecturer in digital media sociology at City, University of London, who specializes in U.S. politics. Fundamentally I dont believe anyone in Trumps Cabinet actually has a good understanding of the impact of tariffs and how the wider global economy works. However, Musk actually experiences the direct impact of them on his businesses, and so regardless of whatever good trade policy would be, he knows that this isnt itfor him at least. Trump, for his part, is not exactly jumping to tariff architect Navarros defense. Despite Trumps press secretary saying this spat is just boys being boys, its clear that Trump is fine to let these spats occur out in the open as they serve as a convenient distraction from any disagreement those in the administration may have with [him], Buckley adds. Its notable that Musk has held his tongue publicly about Trump, instead attacking individuals linked to the plan lower down the White House pecking order, while outriders like his brother criticize the presidents tariffs. Attacks on Navarro can also be excused away by Trump as not targeting him or his decision-makingimportant, given the president can be stuck in his ways and refuses to back down on his decisions, even when presented with evidence that hes wrong, as shown by a vignette in Bob Woodwards recent book about first-term economic adviser Gary Cohn telling Trump Americans dont want to do manual labor. Navarro acts as a useful scapegoat so that when the damage these tariffs cause starts being felt by consumers Trump can blame him for his advice, Buckley says. In the end, the tempestuous tweets were to be expected. Both Trump and Musk (who, in attacking Navarro, has attacked Trump and his policy by proxy) have built their reputations being abrasive and shooting from the hip on social media. The White House has sought to downplay the spat, releasing a statement about the brouhaha, saying: Whatever. We are the most transparent administration in history, expressing our disagreements in public. Says Buckley: Its clear that Trump and those in his administration are immune to embarrassment and so these ugly public arguments only serve as a media story about political personalities at war with one another.
Category:
E-Commerce
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