Tag: News

• "The Man with 1000 Kids" claims that Jonathan Jacob Meijer mixed sperm samples with another donor.
• Meijer denied the claim in several YouTube videos.
• Meijer demanded that Netflix remove the allegation from the docuseries, and threatened legal action.

The prolific sperm donor at the center of Netflix's "The Man with 1000 Kids" has denied claims that he mixed his sperm with another donor's to see who the babies would resemble.

The three-part docuseries, which was released on July 3, details how parents who used Jonathan Jacob Meijer as a sperm donor brought a case against him in his native Netherlands for fathering 550 children.

In April 2023, Meijer was banned from donating sperm to new parents worldwide, and he faces a fine of €100,000 for every future violation of the ban.

In the second episode of the series, a woman called Patricia, who says she is Meijer's friend, claims he and another donor named Leon mixed their semen samples together before giving them away to unsuspecting couples on several occasions.

Patricia described it as a game. Describing the pair's alleged approach, she said: "Let's do a sperm roulette and see who wins."

Since the docuseries was released, Meijer has denied the claims in several videos on his YouTube channel.

On July 3, Meijer appeared in a livestream interview with Patricia on the Down the Rabbit Hole YouTube channel and challenged her accusation that "he swapped sperm with Leon." Patricia said that she only recounted what Leon told her, but accepted she couldn't prove the claim.

"I didn't say that. I said it was mentioned by Leon and it could be possible. I never said… Because I wasn't there. I wasn't there to witness it," Patricia said.

On July 4, Meijer said in a YouTube video that he planned to take legal action against Netflix.

"I filed the report against slander for the statement that I swapped or mixed sperm with another donor, Leon. I've never done that," he said, without clarifying what "the report" referred to. "It's a blatant lie, and Netflix will have to remove it, or I will make a legal case. Money money!"

It's the second time this year that the subject of a high-profile Netflix project has threatened legal action against the streamer.

In June, Fiona Harvey filed a defamation suit against Netflix over the abuse she faced online after audiences identified her as the person stalker Martha Scott (Jessica Gunning) is based on in "Baby Reindeer."

Meijer's response to "The Man with 1000 Kids" has been watched on YouTube over 100,000 times since July 5, which indicates that audiences want to know the truth about the sperm-mixing allegations. If Meijer can prove that it didn't happen, he may have grounds for a similar defamation case.

Netflix did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

• Gen Z has ditched traditional flirting methods.
• Dating apps and the pandemic reduced in-person flirting skills.
• Experts say it could be a positive change as the younger generation are direct about what they want.

Gen Zers have put their stamp on many things, but flirting doesn't seem to be one of them.

"I think flirting is dying," Nikki Sanjongco, a 24-year-old from Los Angeles, told NBC News' Daysia Tolentino.

"If someone thinks you're cute, they just ask for your Instagram these days and then DM you or swipe up on your story to show they're interested," Sanjongco said.

Generation Z — those born between 1997 and 2012 —have grown up with the internet. Most of them don't remember a time before smartphones.

For many, interacting with people online is as natural as doing it in person.

That means that it has become less common for young Americans to receive compliments from strangers or to be asked out by someone they just met in real life, experts say — but that may not be a bad thing.

The fall of the flirt

"People are not flirting anymore. I hear this from clients of all ages," Eimear Draper, founder of Kindling Dating Coaching, told Business Insider.

Draper, who works with clients between the ages of 26 and 73, said the rise of dating apps and the impact of the pandemic could be to blame.

"For a long time, that 'chatting to strangers' muscle wasn't exercised, and potentially for some, social anxiety has developed," she said.

The popularity of online dating has grown steadily over the past six years. According to the online data platform Statista, the online dating industry was worth $1.89 billion in 2019 and is predicted to grow to $3.15 billion in global revenue by the end of 2024.

Dating apps are most popular in the US, where the industry made almost $1.4 billion in 2023, according to Statista.

Maxine Williams, the founder of single events group We Met IRL, told NBC that social isolation during the pandemic prevented young people from developing the skills required to form meaningful connections.

Speaking to BI, relationship coach Railey Molinario said many Gen Zers feel "more comfortable expressing interest through texts, emojis, and social media engagement" rather than "direct, personal encounters" that can be attributed to traditional flirting.

Young people are also less inclined to date strangers than the generations that came before them.

A survey conducted by the Survey Center on American Life, previously cited by BI, found that 43% of people between the ages of 18 and 29 were friends with their partner before they started dating.

In comparison, an estimated 21% of people over 65 said they were friends with their partner before getting into a relationship.

Molinario said the lack of traditional flirting could lead to a decrease in social skills, "like reading body language, picking up on social cues, and engaging in spontaneous conversation."

"This can make it more difficult for young people to form deep, meaningful relationships in person," she said.

The dating landscape has changed for good

Nonetheless, Molinario said the switch to digital has benefits. For example, she said those expressing a romantic interest in someone online can do so "without the immediate pressure of in-person rejection."

"It also provides a layer of safety, as interactions can be more easily controlled and monitored in digital spaces," she said.

That's not to say that rejection doesn't exist online. "Ghosting" — when someone abruptly cuts off communication — and "quiet quitting" — when someone does the bare minimum without officially ending the relationship — can be hurtful. Williams told NBC that the internet has created a buffer for young people when it comes to rejection.

It's clear there's an appetite for the return of in-person interactions. Eventbrite reported that searches on its ticketing platform for in-person events increased by 1.5 million over the last year, according to NBC.

Williams told the outlet that attendees at her singles events group told her they are "more open to going into events alone."

However, it's worth noting that the fall of traditional flirting isn't entirely dependent on the rise in digital dating.

Briana Paruolo, a psychotherapist and founder of On Par Therapy NYC, told BI that traditional flirting has been replaced with a more direct and open communication style that she has witnessed both online and in person.

"The way Gen Z approaches flirting and relationships has certainly shifted from other generations, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing," she said.

Paruolo said she works with Gen Z clients who approach dating with self-awareness, assertiveness, open communication, and intentionality. She added that young people are more open and explicit about their intentions and desires, "eliminating potential misunderstandings."

According to Paruolo, Gen Zers have a greater understanding of their preferences and boundaries when dating compared with other generations, which means they are more likely to form real emotional connections.

"There is a new form of digital flirting that is also more suited to Gen Z's communication style and preferences," she said.

"This generation's approach often emphasizes an emotional connection and understanding, which can happen in real life or a digital landscape."

• Estonia's president said Ukraine joining NATO is "non-negotiable" and "irreversible."
• NATO must send a strong message that it will support Ukraine for as long as it takes, Alar Karis said.
• Trump is reportedly open to a deal with Russia that would block Ukraine from the alliance.

Estonian President Alar Karis said Ukraine joining NATO isn't negotiable and that the Western military alliance must send a strong message that NATO will support Ukraine for as long as it takes.

"Ukraine's NATO membership is non-negotiable, and the process of becoming a member is irreversible," he said, according to Estonian news outlet ERR.

Karis' comments came after reports that former President Donald Trump, now the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, would consider stopping Ukraine's NATO progress as part of a peace deal with Russia.

Trump-aligned national security experts told Politico last week that, if elected, Trump is considering negotiating a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin that would see Russia getting some territory and NATO committing to not expanding membership to Ukraine or Georgia.

Sources told Politico that Trump is unlikely to quit NATO outright, but members worry that, if elected, he could downplay the US role, block aid for Ukraine, or try to strike an unpopular peace deal with Russia.

Ukraine and the majority of its allies don't want a peace deal that gives Russia territory. They say it's not right, as Russia invaded a sovereign country, and that Russia can't be trusted in such deals.

Ukraine has taken steps toward joining NATO but has not yet been given a clear road map. Estonia has been a strong backer of its membership, saying that it would help protect it from Russia.

In his comments, Karis said that "if Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty are not respected, it will lead to new and larger wars in the future. Russia and other aggressors will only be emboldened to attack again."

"NATO has successfully overcome previous hesitations regarding military aid to Ukraine," he added. "No limits should be set on further assistance."

Being a member of NATO would offer Ukraine strong protection due to the alliance's mutual protection policy, which means that if one member is attacked it can call on other members, like the US and UK, for help.

Many NATO states have called for Ukraine to be granted membership of the alliance.

But any single member, such as a Trump-led US, could block it, as new membership needs consensus support.

Trump has long been critical of NATO, and threatened to withdraw from it during his presidency.

Trump long complained that many NATO members did not spend the recommended 2% of their GDP on defense.

(Members' spending has soared since — but experts told Business Insider that Trump's protests were not the reason.)

The Associated Press reported this week that European leaders are trying to "Trump-proof" NATO and its Ukraine support, in case he is reelected.

Member states like Estonia are also preparing in case Russia attacks them next.

"Russia will be more hostile in the next decade than it was in the previous one," Karis said. "NATO must be prepared for this. NATO has good collective defense plans, which need to be backed by necessary forces and weapons systems."

• Apple is planning to revamp the Watch as its 10th birthday nears.
• The improvements include larger displays and thinner builds, Bloomberg reported.
• The revamped watches may also get a new chip, which could enable some AI enhancements.

The Apple Watch is about to turn 10, so Apple is planning a birthday revamp including larger displays and thinner builds, Bloomberg reported.

Both versions of the new Series 10 watches will have screens similar to the large displays found on the Apple Watch Ultra, according to the report.

The revamped watches are also expected to contain a new chip that may permit some AI enhancements later on.

Last month, Apple pulled back the curtain on its generative AI plans with Apple Intelligence.

It hopes the AI features will prove alluring enough to convince consumers to buy new Apple products.

The announcement has been generally well received by Wall Street.

Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities wrote in a Monday note that the "iPhone 16 AI-driven upgrade could represent a golden upgrade cycle for Cupertino."

"We believe AI technology being introduced into the Apple ecosystem will bring monetization opportunities on both the services as well as iPhone/hardware front and adds $30 to $40 per share," he added.

Apple stock closed on Friday at just over $226 a share, up 22% this year and valuing the company at $3.47 trillion. That puts it just behind Microsoft, which was worth $3.48 trillion at Friday's close. The pair have been vying for the title of the world's most valuable company in recent months — with chip maker Nvidia also briefing claiming the crown.

Apple also announced some software updates for the Watch at its Worldwide Developers Conference last month.

The latest version of Apple's Watch software, watchOS 11, emphasizes fitness and health, introducing new tools that allow users to rate workouts and adjust effort ratings.

WatchOS 11 will also use machine learning to curate the best photos for users' displays.

Apple has used product birthdays to release new versions of devices in the past.

The iPhone X was released to mark the 10th anniversary of the smartphone. However, it's not clear exactly when Apple plans to release the revamped watches, per Bloomberg.

Apple announced the Watch in September 2014, with CEO Tim Cook calling it "the most personal product we've ever made."

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

• I went to the world's biggest Starbucks — the Reserve Roastery on Chicago's Magnificent Mile.
• It sells food and drinks not available at normal Starbucks stores, which diners can take to its rooftop terrace.
• I ordered avocado toast, tiramisù, tea, and a strawberry spritz. It came to $43 with tax and tips.

While I was in Chicago for a conference in May, I decided to check out the world's biggest Starbucks — the Chicago Reserve Roastery.

It opened in late 2019, making it the sixth and most recent Reserve Roastery to open. It joined two other Reserve Roasteries in the US — New York and Seattle.

The upscale coffee houses roast their own coffee beans, sell food, drinks, and merchandise not available at normal Starbucks stores, and host tours and classes as well.

The 35,000-square-foot Reserve Roastery is located on Chicago's Magnificent Mile. It's just a couple of minutes from the iconic John Hancock Center, since renamed 875 North Michigan Avenue.

Source: Starbucks

The store has four floors, each serving a range of hot and cold drinks — including coffee and alcoholic beverages — and food from the exclusive Starbucks Reserve menu.

I got my meal from the second floor, which hosts the Princi café and bakery. This is the main place to get food at the Reserve Roastery.

Savory items on the menu include pizza, focaccia sandwiches, and croissants with prosciutto and fontina cheese. Most are priced at just under $10 pre-tax.

There's a huge selection of desserts, too, with most selling for around $10 pre-tax. They include cheesecake, chocolate tarts, olive oil cake, and pastries.

I opted for avocado toast with cherry tomatoes, tiramisù, and tea.

The Reserve Roastery is much more upmarket than regular Starbucks stores, but there still wasn't table service. Customers were given buzzers, though, so that they could find a seat while they waited for their orders.

The food was served on a wooden tray, but it wasn't served with proper silverware. Instead, there was disposable — but compostable — cutlery for customers to take.

I took my tray up to the rooftop terrace on the fifth floor. It was a bit difficult to take my tray with a cup of tea up to the top floor in an elevator and open the door to the terrace.

The avocado toast was delicious. I opted for one served with cherry tomatoes, arugula, and herbs. The toppings were generous, but I was disappointed in the overall portion size for $9 pre-tax. It also, strangely, wasn't served on a plate.

There was no English Breakfast tea on the menu, but a staff member advised me to get the Golden Monkey black tea instead, which I ordered with steamed oat milk.

In the UK, black tea is just served with a splash of milk, but what I ended up with was a cup of very milky tea that was lacking in flavor. I didn't enjoy drinking it — and neither did the Brits sat opposite me, sipping at their own tea.

I wanted to order whatever the most popular dessert was. A member of staff told me that it was the tiramisù, followed by the cheesecake.

The tiramisù was the most expensive thing I ordered, at $11.50 pre-tax. I enjoyed the creamy mascarpone filling, but the cake layers were a little bit dry and not as strongly flavored as I'd expected.

This little bird enjoyed my leftovers, though.

Starbucks is a cold drink pioneer. Though many of its most popular iced drinks contain coffee, like its cold brew and lattes, it's also known for its Refreshers and Frappucinos. On my way out, I decided to try something available only at the Reserve locations — the Strawberry Balsamic Spritz.

It was made up of sparkling water, "muddled" strawberry, and balsamic vinegar, and cost $7 for a grande. It tasted nice and was really refreshing, but I couldn't taste the vinegar at all. The portion of the lightly mashed strawberry was generous — this is how much was left when I finished the liquid.

I was glad I'd kept my fork from my lunch. I used it to scoop out the tasty chunks of strawberry.

I loved being able to sit on the roof terrace with views of Chicago's skyscrapers, though it did get really busy up there. And I thought the avocado toast was delicious.

But my toast, tiramisù, and two drinks came to $37, or $43.09 including tax and tips. For that price, you could get a deep-dish pizza for two, garlic bread to share, and a drink each from Chicago pizza staple Lou Malnati's, which has a location just down the street. I know which I'd pick.

• Europe has been dependent on Elon Musk's SpaceX to reach space — but that could be about to change.
• The Ariane 6, Europe's answer to SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, is set to launch on Tuesday. 
• Officials hope it will compete with SpaceX's rockets, but Elon Musk isn't so sure.

SpaceX is dominating the global space industry — but Europe is hoping a new rocket will change that.

On Tuesday, the 200-foot tall Ariane 6 rocket plans to launch for the first time after years of delays from a spaceport in French Guiana, carrying the hopes of Europe's space industry and its ambition of competing with Elon Musk's rocket firm into orbit.

Over the past few years, Europe has been largely dependent on SpaceX to launch satellites into space, thanks to lengthy delays to Ariane 6 and the war in Ukraine, which left European nations unable to use Russia's Soyuz rockets.

In 2023, European Union officials struck a reported $195 million deal to have SpaceX launch four of its Galileo global navigation satellites.

More recently, the Ariane 6 suffered a major blow when European weather satellite operator Eumetsat announced it would use SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket to launch its next-generation weather satellite, rather than the Ariane 6 as planned.

That decision stunned European officials, with French space agency head Philippe Baptiste calling it a "quite brutal change" and criticizing Eumetsat for not buying European.

Those officials hope a successful launch will lessen Europe's reliance on Elon Musk, with the billionaire's satellite internet service Starlink already playing a crucial — and controversial — role in Ukraine's fight against Russia.

"This powerful rocket is the culmination of many years of dedication and ingenuity from thousands across Europe and, as it launches, it will re-establish Europe's independent access to space," said Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency, in a press release.

It remains to be seen whether Ariane 6 is capable of competing with SpaceX, which dominates the global space industry.

Arianespace, the firm behind the rocket, says it will offer prices that are competitive with SpaceX's current rockets.

But unlike Space X's Falcon, the Ariane 6 is not reusable, with ESA executive Toni Tolker-Nielsen telling Space News that there aren't enough launches planned to justify building a multi-use rocket.

That decision has attracted criticism from Musk. "They need to go all-in on reusability or be utterly uncompetitive," he wrote in a post on X last year.

"Rockets are no different from other transport technologies," he said, adding: "No one would buy a single-use airplane."

• Boeing agreed to plead guilty to one count of fraud conspiracy.
• Its government contracts, worth 37% of last year's revenue, could be in jeopardy.
• Plus Boeing faces other investigations and lawsuits from Alaska Airlines passengers.

Boeing has agreed to plead guilty to one count of fraud conspiracy, the Justice Department said in a Sunday court filing.

The DoJ said Boeing violated a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement. This deal was reached after 346 people died in two 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019.

Boeing had to pay $2.5 billion — mostly to the victims' families — and agreed to strengthen its compliance program.

The DPA was due to expire just two days after January's Alaska Airlines blowout. In May, the Justice Department said Boeing failed to "design, implement, and enforce a compliance and ethics program."

Sunday's plea deal will see Boeing pay an additional $243.6 million — the same criminal penalty as in 2021. Plus, it has been ordered to invest at least $455 million in its compliance and safety program and impose an independent monitor.

The court will determine the restitution to be paid to the families of the 2018 and 2019 crash victims.

But it's not the end of the fallout just yet.

Paul Cassell, an attorney for the families of victims of the 2018 and 2019 crashes, slammed Sunday's plea deal and called on the judge to reject it.

"This sweetheart deal fails to recognize that because of Boeing's conspiracy, 346 people died," he said in a statement. "A judge can reject a plea deal that is not in the public interest, and this deceptive and generous deal is clearly not in the public interest."

Government contracts

By pleading guilty to fraud conspiracy, Boeing will have committed a felony — jeopardizing its government contracts.

According to the company's last annual report, 37% of its revenue came from government contracts.

They are primarily in the defense and space sectors, which have been a saving grace for Boeing as its commercial airplanes division suffered from January's blowout. Without them, Boeing's stock price would likely have fallen even further than the 26% it has dropped since the start of the year.

However, each government agency has been left to decide whether to continue business with Boeing. As such a valued firm, it seems unlikely to suffer much here.

In a Senate hearing about Boeing's safety culture, Richard Blumenthal, chair of the subcommittee, said: "Boeing needs to succeed for the sake of the jobs it provides, for the sake of local economies it supports, for the sake of the American traveling public, for the sake of our military."

Then, there are other investigations that Boeing is facing.

In March, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department opened an investigation into Boeing following the Alaska Airlines blowout, in tandem with the review of the DPA.

Later that month, the FBI wrote to passengers on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, saying, "We have identified you as a possible victim of a crime."

Numerous passengers are also suing Boeing in relation to the blowout.

In short, Boeing's headache looks set to continue. Regaining the trust of regulators and customers will prove difficult for its next CEO.

• UPFs dominate the Western diet and are linked to serious health issues including diabetes.
• Food companies use sensory scientists to make ultra-processed foods irresistible.
• Senses expert professor Barry Smith cut out UPFs and lost weight without trying. 

A professor of the senses, who used to help multinational food companies create ultra-processed foods, lost weight without trying after he cut them out of his diet when he learned about their health risks.

Professor Barry Smith, director of the University of London Institute of Philosophy, told Business Insider he previously worked with Kellogg's, Coca-Cola, and Ferrero, and UPFs accounted for around 30 to 40% of his diet.

UPFs, which are made using ingredients and processes you wouldn't find in a regular kitchen, are a key feature of the Western diet. They make up 73% of the US food supply, according to a 2024 research paper by Northeastern University's Network Science Institute, which hasn't been peer-reviewed.

These hyper-palatable foods contain the perfect fat-to-carbohydrate ratio, which makes it near impossible for us to stop eating them, Smith said.

"These are foods that are so desired by our system that they actually slow down our satiety mechanisms," he said. Research published in Nature Food in 2023 found that the more hyper-palatable foods were included in a meal, the more calories participants tended to eat overall.

Smith started to cut down on UPFs around 2020 after Dr. Chris Van Tulleken, the author of the bestselling book "Ultra Processed People," which shines a light on the harms of industrial food processing, asked him on his podcast.

"They wanted to find out from me what are all the sensory tricks and the hacks of our senses that go on in food manufacture and food formatting that get us to consume, desire, crave these foods," Smith said.

It made him more conscious of the health concerns (a study published in February in The BMJ linked UPFs to a higher risk of 32 health problems, including type 2 diabetes, depression, and cardiovascular disease) and reflect on his work.

"I came to see how in a slightly unknowing way, I was maybe aiding and abetting these moves by the food industry and began to think, no, I simply can't in good conscience do that," he said.

Food companies hire sensory scientists and chemists to help make their ultra-processed foods irresistible, but they tend not to eat the products they help create, according to Smith.

"They know what the design, the formatting, the industrial processing is about. So they don't necessarily want to eat them themselves," he said.

Smith no longer works with UPF companies (although he said he never advised on how to make food that people can't stop eating).

He shared three things that helped him change his diet.

Take a break from UPFs first (and you might not want to go back)

The more Smith learned about the health risks of UPFs, the less he wanted to eat them, so he decided to cut them out entirely.

He realized he didn't like that they had a physiological effect on him, and over time he started to actively dislike them.

"They seem too intense, over-flavored, too shouty in some sense," he said.

And he noticed that he felt better for it. "I was consciously cutting out ultra-processed food because of the bad things it might do for my health. And then found the effects were so desirable," he said.

He felt more energetic, full for longer, and able to stop eating when he felt full. He also lost weight without trying.

He believes this is because he was hooked on UPFs before, rather than actually enjoying them, and taking a break from them allowed him to see them for what they were.

"Cutting out that craving, you find yourself resorting to quite natural intake regulation where you don't overeat," Smith said. "It's not that these are foods that we necessarily like more than anything else, but they're foods that we want and can't seem to stop wanting."

While this worked for Smith, going cold turkey isn't for everyone. As registered dietitian Linia Patel previously told BI on the topic of cutting back on UPFs, creating any new habit involves changing our behavior, so it's helpful to unpack what works for you.

Check food labels

Smith said that checking the nutrition labels on food items helps him choose products that are minimally processed.

He's found that even some items you'd expect to be "perfectly OK," like a tin of grocery store kidney beans, can contain gelling agents or stabilizers. He gets around this by opting for the organic versions.

Unfortunately, this highlights how eating a healthy diet can be dependent on a person's food environment and socioeconomic status.

Find genuinely tasty alternatives

As a professor of the senses, Smith is interested in the multisensory experience of tasting. "How things look, how they smell, the feel on the fingers, even the sound of the food when you're snapping something or when you're shaking something up. All of those things are part of the experience of tasting and eating," he said.

It's crucial to take this into account when shifting away from UPFs that have been manufactured to be delicious, he said.

"You're not going to persuade people to move away from ultra-processed food by telling them it's bad for them. It's got to be flavor first," he said.

Although nutritious, vegetables can be quite boring, he said, but there are many ways to make them interesting such as roasting, pickling, and fermenting.

"You need to make them really tasty so that people realize I can actually make something reasonably cheap and reasonably well that I'm actually going to enjoy eating," he said.

• "The Boys" actor Chace Crawford said he almost had a panic attack before a sex scene with an octopus. 
• Crawford told Rolling Stone the showrunner helped to make him feel more comfortable. 
• Crawford is the latest to speak out about the challenges of shooting intimate scenes. 

"The Boys" actor Chace Crawford said he nearly had a panic attack the day before filming a scene where he has sex with an octopus.

"The Boys," Amazon Prime's hit Emmy-winning superhero show, is known for its numerous grotesque and weird sexual moments.

Initially, fans loved these sensational scenes, but they are starting to question whether the series prioritizes shock value over its storyline after a sexual assault scene in season four.

One such shocking sex scene occurs in season three, episode six when Crawford's character, The Deep, is caught by another character with an octopus on his penis.

In an interview with Rolling Stone published on Sunday, Crawford said he was initially worried about the sex scene.

"I was in total denial about it," Crawford said. "And then it got 24 hours out from the first day I had to shoot it, and I almost had a panic attack."

Crawford said the series has an intimacy coordinator to ensure actors are comfortable filming sex scenes, but he said they weren't involved during the octopus scene.

Instead, Crawford called Eric Kripke, "The Boys" showrunner, about his apprehensions. Kripke organized a closed set, with only the actors and necessary crewmembers in the room, and changed how the scene was filmed.

"I was worried about the scene. I'm like, 'How are we gonna do this? What are the angles gonna be? How naked do I have to be?'" Crawford said. "He changed one shot for me. And it was great."

He added: "But yeah, just the act of picking up the octopus and getting a wet octopus in the bed was so funny and weird. And then it doesn't come out for a year almost, and you're like, 'How is this going to be received?' But everyone loved it."

Film and TV have long featured sex scenes, but it's only recently that multiple stars, including Victoria Justice and Emilia Clarke, have spoken up about how uncomfortable it is to film them.

Over the last six years, intimacy coordinators have become more prominent in major movie and TV productions in light of concerns after the #MeToo Movement.

Actors, including many "Bridgerton" stars, have said this has helped improve their experience of filming sex scenes.

• Ray Dalio cast doubt on the idea of universal basic income on the "Lex Fridman Podcast" in 2019.
• The elite investor warned cash handouts could fuel bad habits and defund superior social programs.
• Programs with proven outcomes that boost productivity are a better bet, Dalio said.

Universal basic income is winning support from some as a powerful tool to combat poverty, but Ray Dalio thinks it could be harmful and pull cash away from better social programs.

The general concept of UBI is to make recurring cash payments to people regardless of their wealth, with no restrictions on how they spend the money.

Dalio is the billionaire founder of Bridgewater Associates, the world's largest hedge fund, and the official mentor to its three co-chief investors.

He questioned the wisdom of handing $1,000 a month to everyone on an episode of the "Lex Fridman Podcast" in December 2019.

"What is going to happen with that $1,000? Will that $1,000 come from another program? Does that come from an early childhood developmental program? Who are you giving the $1,000 to, and what will they do with that $1,000?" he asked.

Dalio said that giving people some financial "wiggle room" would be great, but cash payments could produce negative outcomes as they may "use that money detrimentally, not just productively."

He drew a distinction between responsible parents who'd use the money to help their children, and an "alcoholic or drug-addicted parent" who might use the cash to fund their habit, which would "produce more harm than good."

He also warned that UBI could siphon money from public budgets, hurting efforts to realize equal opportunities for all, such as funding high-quality education and ensuring a meritocratic job market.

Costly and inefficient

Dalio shared a UBI primer prepared by Bridgewater's researchers in a LinkedIn post in July 2018. They estimated that paying $1,000 a month to every American would cost $3.8 trillion annually — about 21% of US GDP at the time.

Even if the government cut all social spending apart from infrastructure and education programs, that would still only provide about 92% of the money required, they noted.

In a follow-up post, Dalio emphasized that he sees the wealth-and-opportunity gap as the "greatest threat" to the US. He bemoaned that nearly 30% of American children live in relative poverty, calling it "institutionalized intellectual child abuse."

But he questioned whether "giving poor people the free money to make their own choices" was a better solution than funding programs aimed at helping them, such as low-income classes, school lunch programs, and support services.

The author and financial historian added that increasing people's productivity is shown to have psychological and physical benefits, and improves living standards for society as a whole.

"I'd much prefer directing money into severely budget-constrained programs that we know enable people, especially programs that we know have great productivity paybacks," he said.

Dalio gave the examples of early-age job training, microfinance, and earned-income tax credits that reward people for working. Yet he also called for the US opportunity gap to be declared a national emergency, and for an expert commission to tackle to problem.

Pushing back

UBI experts counter skepticism about how cash grants are spent by pointing to trial results showing recipients mostly use the funds for essentials like groceries, clothing, housing, healthcare, and transportation.

They also underscore the importance of treating people with dignity and trusting them to make the best decisions for their own lives.

As for Dalio's worries about blowing the budget, experts say UBI could be financed by a more progressive tax system that makes the wealthy net losers from the program.

UBI could even boost economic growth and productivity by relieving financial stress and allowing people to pick jobs that pay better and make them happier, they say.