Booking Holdings' Greatest Strength Is Only Growing With Time

Veteran entrepreneur Sheila Lirio Marcelo says women over 50 spent decades navigating careers, families, and crises—learning empathy, patience, and resilience along the way. In business, these qualities are superpowers. This summer, I traveled to Vicenza, Italy, to support a dear friend who had decided to pursue her lifelong passion for opera singing.

A Sierra Club report highlights how massive tax breaks to liquefied natural gas terminals end up costing communities. Along the Gulf Coast, liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals spew dangerous toxins into the air, leading to heart and respiratory diseases, cancer, and premature deaths. LNG proponents say these terminals bring jobs and economic growth—but a new report looking at the tax breaks given to LNG terminals reveals that they’re costing communities not only their health and clean air, but also millions of dollars in local benefits.

It’s just the latest in a series of misfires at what was once among the top video game publishers. In mid-October, rumors were swirling that Ubisoft was planning to shut down XDefiant, its struggling free-to-play first-person shooter game. Producer Mark Rubin took to social media to categorically deny that chatter. Tuesday afternoon, he was back on X.com—this time to announce the game was indeed ending.

This 47,000-square-foot library anchors a brand-new downtown development in Cedar Park that will roll out in phases over the next decade. When the new library in Cedar Park, Texas, opened its doors last month, it made a splashy entrance. Designed by award-winning architectural firm Lake Flato, it’s meant to exemplify the ways a library can be a diverse, equitable public good.

Customers who felt watched while tipping were less likely to make a return visit or recommend a business. Have you ever hesitated at the register, uncomfortable as an employee watched you choose a tip? It’s not just you. The rise of digital tipping systems—from point-of-sale devices held by employees to countertop screens that clearly display your selection—is changing the dynamics of tipping, often in ways that make customers feel scrutinized.

While the gaming industry continues to tighten, its spinoff streaming market is thriving. Why play a video game when you could watch an internet celebrity do it?