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☆ OpenAI Says It Has Begun Training a New Flagship A.I. Model
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Cade Metz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

OpenAI said on Tuesday that it has begun training a new flagship artificial intelligence model that would succeed the GPT-4 technology that drives its popular online chatbot, ChatGPT. The San Francisco start-up, which is one of the world’s leading A.I. The new model would be an engine for A.I. OpenAI also said it was creating a new Safety and Security Committee to explore how it should handle the risks posed by the new model and future technologies. “While we are proud to build and release models that are industry-leading on both capabilities and safety, we welcome a robust debate at this important moment,” the company said.

Persons: OpenAI, San Francisco, Apple’s Siri Organizations: Security Committee Locations: San

☆ Nearly half of Americans say having a college degree is less important now than it was 20 years ago
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In 2011, 86% of college graduates said their degree had been a good investment; in 2013, 70% of U.S. adults said a college education was "very important," according to Pew Research Center and Gallup surveys. Today, 29% of Americans say that college isn't worth the cost — and roughly half (49%) say having a four-year college degree is less important for landing a high-paying job today than it was 20 years ago, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center. Only 22% of U.S. adults say the cost of getting a four-year degree today is worth it even if someone has to take out loans, Pew found. College graduates on average earn more than those without a four-year degree — but this so-called college wage premium is shrinking. A recent report from the San Francisco Federal Reserve found that the college wage gap peaked in the mid-2010s but declined by four percentage points in 2022.

Persons: Pew, Richard Fry Organizations: Pew Research Center, Gallup, U.S . News, College, San Francisco Federal Reserve, Economic, Institute, Pew, CNBC Locations: U.S

☆ Opinion: Rewatching ‘Notting Hill,’ the truly unbelievable part is Hugh Grant’s house
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Opinion Laura Beers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The Notting Hill of the 1990s was still socially heterodox and shabby chic, a neighborhood where a group of 30-something professionals could plausibly have ended up. Even in the late 1990s, such access to disposable income marked the characters in “Notting Hill” out as privileged. Yet, in the 1990s, Notting Hill, long a center of Caribbean immigrant culture and the site of the annual Notting Hill Carnival, underwent a rapid process of gentrification. Between 1995 and 1999, Notting Hill house prices rose by 75%. The colorful terraced houses of Notting Hill, which these days sell for millions of pounds.

Persons: Laura Beers, ”, George Orwell’s, Richard Curtis ’, Julia Roberts, Anna Scott, Hugh Grant, William Thacker, Roberts, Laura Beers Laura Beers, it’s, —, Curtis, Hill’s, Hugh Grant's, Winston, George Orwell, Orwell, Tony Blair’s Britain, Bill Clinton’s America, Grant’s, Tony Blair, Steve Eason, Notting, Spike, Rhys Ifans, Notting Hill, Mike Kemp, San, Spencer Platt, Rishi Sunak’s government’s, Bill, Rewatching Organizations: American University, CNN, MCA, Everett, Notting, Labour, Hulton, Getty, Movement, Housing, Federal Reserve, New York State, Hill ” Locations: American, London, West London, Notting, West, Britain, United States, Young, Notting Hill, Central London, San Francisco, Manhattan, San Matteo, Redwood City, York

☆ Amazon, Meta back Scale AI in $1 billion funding deal that values firm at $14 billion
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Riley De León | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Artificial intelligence startup Scale AI said Tuesday that it has raised $1 billion in a Series F funding round that values the enterprise tech company at $13.8 billion — almost double its last reported valuation. 12 on this year's CNBC Disruptor 50 list, has now raised $1.6 billion to date. Existing investors including Y Combinator, Nat Friedman, Index Ventures, Founders Fund, Coatue, Thrive Capital, Spark Capital, Nvidia, Tiger Global Management, Greenoaks, and Wellington Management also participated in the round. Scale AI is playing a key role in the rise of generative artificial intelligence and large language models, with the data — whether it is text, images, video or voice recordings — needing to be labeled correctly before it can be digested and used effectively by AI technology. Scale AI has evolved from labeling data used to train models that powered autonomous driving to now helping to improve and fine tune the underlying data for nearly any organization looking to implement AI, powering some of the most advanced models in use.

Persons: Elad Gil, Y Combinator, Nat Friedman, Alexandr Wang Organizations: CNBC, Accel, Cisco Investments, Intel Capital, ServiceNow Ventures, AMD Ventures, WCM, Color Genomics, Meta, Ventures, Founders Fund, Spark Capital, Nvidia, Tiger Global Management, Wellington Management Locations: San Francisco, AGI

☆ OpenAI's Scarlett Johansson saga reveals an 'ask forgiveness, not permission' problem
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewOpenAI's biggest critics have long held the view that Sam Altman's success has been built on an "ask forgiveness, not permission" strategy that could come back to haunt him. The ChatGPT maker has been embroiled in fresh controversy since Monday after Scarlett Johansson lashed out at the company over a new voice feature for its chatbot. her — Sam Altman (@sama) May 13, 2024OpenAI has responded to the criticism by pulling the Sky voice entirely. AdvertisementThough Johansson and Pichai have not filed lawsuits against OpenAI, the "ask forgiveness, not permission" strategy that critics accuse the company of has already landed it in legal hot water. Creators who suspect their work has been used to train OpenAI without their permission will probably wonder why they weren't offered an agreement in the first place.

Persons: —, Sam Altman's, Scarlett Johansson, Mr Altman, Johansson, ChatGPT, Altman, Theodore, Joaquin Phoenix, Sam Altman, OpenAI, Sundar Pichai, Pichai Organizations: Service, Business, NPR, OpenAI, YouTube, Authors, New York Times, Sony Music, Financial Times, Creators Locations: San Francisco

☆ When my husband and I got married, I wasn't sure if I wanted kids. Now I'm 72 and childless, and I don't regret it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Louisa Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

At the time I thought I might want to have kids, and Barry thought he probably didn't. During college I told my mother that I worried that I wouldn't make a good parent because I didn't enjoy children much. Louisa Rogers and her husband Barry enjoy spending time with their grandsons. On the other hand, I married Barry knowing he was uncertain, so my wish couldn't have been that strong. Since I have many peers who, like me, don't have biological children, I don't feel alone.

Persons: —, Barry, Louisa Rogers, That's, I'd, I'm Organizations: Service, Business, Honda, San Francisco General Hospital Locations: Washington, DC, Mexico

☆ Opinion | Fixing the Calamity in U.S. Math Knowledge Starts With Algebra
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Brent Staples | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Since then, the already alarming achievement gaps that separate poor and wealthy children have only widened. As Troy Closson of The Times wrote this week, some school systems have opted for policies that disguise the achievement gap without remedying it. This system wrote off poor students who might have benefited from exposure to new material and denied well-prepared children the opportunity to forge ahead in their studies. Not surprisingly, the policy failed to achieve its central goal, which was to close racial gaps in the taking of advanced math courses. Chastened by parental outrage, San Francisco reversed course.

Persons: Troy Closson Organizations: The Times, San Francisco Locations: United States, San Francisco

☆ Robots and AI are being used to help women get pregnant. Is this the future of IVF?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Blake Dodge | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

There, a startup called Conceivable Life Sciences is automating the IVF lab from start to finish. Conceivable Life SciencesEleven women so far have become pregnant with help from one or more of these Conceivable robots. Conceivable Life Sciences"No baby, no fee"Today, IVF demand is surging, despite the treatment being slow, uncertain, and expensive. Conceivable's future IVF lab. Conceivable Life SciencesFrom prayer to AIHalf a continent away, a physician was growing frustrated by the constraints of his job.

Persons: —, robotically, embryologist Jacques Cohen, Cohen, Joshua Abram, Conceivable's, Abram, Lora Shahine, Emma wasn't, Emma, Alan Murray, Murray, — embryologists, that's, Alejandro Chávez, Badiola, REI, didn't, Conceivable's cofounders, Dr, REIs, What's, Langham, Conceivable's cofounders tinker, Tesla, Brian Bixon, Gerardo Mendizabal, Ruiz, Bixon, Carla Patricia Barragan Álvarez, OBGYNs, aren't, Eduardo Hariton, Hariton Organizations: Service, Business, Sciences, BI, New York City, pipettes, Life Sciences, San, Langham Hotel, Quest Diagnostics Locations: Guadalajara, Mexico, New York, Seattle, pipettes, Petri, San Francisco, London, Abram, Mexico City

☆ Some consumers are punting big purchases like pools and mattresses
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Rachel Wisniewski | ReutersAmericans are kicking the can down the road on some more-costly, traditionally financed purchases as elevated inflation and interest rates bite. "As a result, consumers continue to scrutinize their spending and make near-term decisions based primarily on need, price and perceived value. But those options have fallen out of favor as interest rates rose. He also cited increased interest rates as another weight on their shoulders. Lofty interest rates have also hampered housing improvement efforts for those staying put, according to Home Depot .

Persons: Rachel Wisniewski, Joe, Shelly Ibach, Ibach, FactSet, Mark Mathews, Platt, J, Mitchell Dolloff, Dow Jones, it's, Mathews, Enphase, Badri Kothandaraman, Marc Bitzer, Patrick T, bode, Robert Ohmes, Richard McPhail, It's, McPhail Organizations: Reuters, Reserve, Prosper, National Retail Federation, San Francisco Fed, New York Fed, Management, Commerce Department, Consumers, Whirlpool, Fallon, Bloomberg, Getty, Bank of America, CNBC Locations: Gilbertsville , Pennsylvania, Minneapolis, U.S, California, Torrance , Calif, Minnesota

☆ Media giants lean on sports as Hollywood strikes still loom over content slates
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Media giants relied on sports last year when they had to woo advertisers during the Upfronts meeting week at a time when a Hollywood strike and cost cutting bit into their content and star power. This year, while stars once again graced the stages following the end of the strikes, the presentations still leaned more on sports than scripted shows. The hangover from last year's work pause meant some media companies had fewer series and movies to highlight during their presentations. He noted two key issues for the traditional media companies: the decline of traditional TV and the increasing fees companies have to pay to air live sports. "If you're going to maintain a reduced level of content spending, by definition, that means your entertainment programming has to be reduced," Rogers said.

Persons: Brock Purdy, Tom Rogers, Rogers Organizations: San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs0, Las Vegas , Nevada . Media, Hollywood, Disney, Warner Bros, Oorbit Gaming, Entertainment, NBC Cable Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada

☆ Intruder Who Bludgeoned Pelosi’s Husband Gets 30-Year Sentence
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Tim Arango | Jonathan Wolfe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The man who broke into the San Francisco home of Nancy Pelosi two years ago and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer was sentenced on Friday to 30 years in federal prison, with credit for time already served. The assailant, David DePape, was convicted in November 2023 on federal charges. He admitted on the witness stand during the trial that he had carried out the attack, as he had done before in interviews with the police and media outlets. But he said that he never intended to hurt Ms. Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi. Mr. DePape said his intrusion into the couple’s home in the affluent Pacific Heights neighborhood was part of a plot to kidnap Ms. Pelosi and interrogate her about a supposed corrupt conspiracy led by Ms. Pelosi and other prominent liberal figures.

Persons: Nancy Pelosi, Pelosi, David DePape, Pelosi’s, Paul Pelosi, Mr, DePape, Ms Organizations: San Locations: San Francisco, Pacific Heights

☆ Harrison Butker speech: The biggest mistake he made in his controversial commencement comments
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Aj Willingham | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —The NFL is distancing itself from controversial comments by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker during a recent commencement address. However, plenty of women (and Taylor Swift fans) have made their feelings plainly known. Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs speaks to the media ahead of Super Bowl LVIII on February 5, 2024, in Las Vegas. Conservative voices have praised Butker’s speech for being “100% correct” and for reflecting his self-professed deep Catholic faith. Feminists and Taylor Swift fans have fired backButker, 28, has been with the Chiefs for seven seasons.

Persons: Harrison Butker, Butker, –, Taylor Swift, “ Harrison Butker, ”, Jonathan Beane, “, —, ” Butker, Isabelle, Robin Alam, Sam McDowell, Swift, Travis Kelce, Taylor, ’ ” Butker, Travis, ” Taylor Swift, Ezra Shaw, Harrison, I’ll, influencers, Elizabeth Keller Butker, Emory University’s, Vicki Chan, Kelce, Roger Goodell, Lisa Guerrero, • Butker, Joe Biden, Andrea Williams, Patrick Mahomes, “ Harrison Butker doesn’t, doesn’t, Yvette Walker, CNN’s Kevin Dotson Organizations: CNN, Kansas City Chiefs, Pride, Benedictine College, NFL, Chiefs, Super Bowl, Kansas City Star, Conservative, San Francisco 49ers, Getty, Emory, Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute, Smith College, Football, Catholic, America Locations: Atchison , Kansas, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Massachusetts

Dylan Field, co-founder and CEO of Figma, speaks at the startup's Config conference in San Francisco on May 10, 2022. Figma, a cloud-based design tool company, said Thursday it will allow investors, including current and former employees, to sell their shares in a tender offer that values the company at $12.5 billion. That's up 25% from the valuation at which the company fundraised in 2021, but below the $20 billion acquisition offer Adobe made in 2022. Adobe and Figma called off the planned acquisition in December following regulatory scrutiny. In December, a regulatory filing said Adobe would pay Figma a $1 billion breakup fee.

Persons: Dylan Field, Kleiner Perkins, Salesforce, Figma, Morgan, CNBC's Jordan Novet Organizations: Figma, Adobe, Microsoft, Google, Oracle Locations: San Francisco, Sequoia

☆ A millennial who got laid off says he's encountered ghost jobs and scammers in his struggle to find a remote role
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

In the 12 months since his layoff, Martins said he's been actively looking and applying for jobs but hasn't had much luck. In recent years, the rise of remote work and historically high job openings have helped more people with health issues find employment. But remote jobs aren't as common as they used to be — and there's competition to land one. AdvertisementThe share of US remote job postings on LinkedIn fell from over 20% in April 2022 to about 10% in December 2023. But without a job, he's had to deal with some financial stresses.

Persons: —, Felipe Martins, Martins, He'd, didn't, he's, hasn't, he'd, He's, doesn't, scammers Organizations: Service, Business, Bureau of Labor Statistics, San Francisco Fed, Social, BLS, LinkedIn, scammers, Federal Trade Commission Locations: Utah, Washington

☆ The pandemic has changed when Americans expect to retire
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Most non-retired adults have some type of retirement savings, but only 36% think their savings are on track. New research from economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York finds that this retirement savings deficit hasn’t made a dent in when Americans plan to exit, or partially exit, the workforce. “The pandemic-induced change in retirement expectations may continue to affect the labor market in years to come,” they wrote. Yes, but: This is a survey of expectations, researchers at the New York Fed are quick to point out. Just because Americans say they plan to shift to part-time work or retire early, it doesn’t mean that they’ll be able to.

Persons: Felix Aidala, Gizem Kosar, Wilbert van der, ”, They’re, Alicia Wallace, delinquencies, Joelle, CNN’s Parija, Donna Morris, Morris, ” Morris Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Census, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Social Security, New, Survey, SCE, triannual, Social, Social Security Agency, Lawmakers, New York Fed, Federal Reserve Bank of New, “, Public Policy Research, Credit, Walmart, CNN, San Francisco Bay Area Locations: New York, United States, York, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Bentonville , Arkansas, Walmart’s Dallas, Atlanta, Toronto, Bentonville, San Francisco Bay, Hoboken , New Jersey

☆ Walmart is cutting hundreds of corporate jobs, relocating majority of remote office staff
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Parija Bhatnagar | Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —Walmart said Tuesday it is eliminating several hundred corporate jobs and will relocate most of its remaining remote office staff to its Bentonville, Arkansas, headquarters. Walmart confirmed the move in a memo sent by Donna Morris, its chief people officer, to employees on Tuesday and obtained by CNN. The relocation will impact the majority of workers in Walmart’s Dallas, Atlanta and Toronto offices. While most relocations will be to its Bentonville headquarters, some workers will be relocated to Walmart offices in the San Francisco Bay Area or to Hoboken, New Jersey, and the New York area. “In addition, some parts of our business have made changes that will result in a reduction of several hundred campus roles,” Morris said in the memo.

Persons: Donna Morris, Morris, ”, ” Morris Organizations: New, New York CNN, Walmart, CNN, San Francisco Bay Area Locations: New York, Bentonville , Arkansas, Walmart’s Dallas, Atlanta, Toronto, Bentonville, San Francisco Bay, Hoboken , New Jersey

☆ OpenAI’s Chief Scientist and Co-Founder Is Leaving the Company
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Cade Metz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ilya Sutskever, the OpenAI co-founder and chief scientist who in November joined three other board members to force out Sam Altman, the company’s high-profile chief executive, before saying he regretted the move, is leaving the San Francisco A.I. After returning to OpenAI just five days after he was ousted, Mr. Altman reasserted his control and continued its push toward increasingly powerful technologies that worried some of his critics. Dr. Sutskever remained an OpenAI employee, but he never returned to work. “This is an emotional day for all of us,” Mr. Altman said in an interview. “OpenAI would not exist without him and certainly was shaped by him.”

Persons: Ilya Sutskever, Sam Altman, San Francisco A.I, Sutskever’s, Altman, Sutskever, ” Mr, “ OpenAI, ” Organizations: San Locations: San Francisco, Silicon, OpenAI

☆ Walmart is laying off, relocating hundreds of corporate workers across the country. Read the memo
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Walmart is laying off hundreds of corporate workers across the country as it relocates many employees to its Arkansas headquarters. The majority of employees working remotely and in offices in Dallas, Atlanta and Toronto have been asked to relocate. Walmart is the nation's largest private employer with about 1.6 million employees, most of whom work at its stores across the country. Walmart has another reason to bring more employees to Bentonville: It is building a nearly 350-acre campus there. In February 2022, we made the decision to bring Home Office associates back into our campus offices.

Persons: Donna Morris Organizations: Walmart, Walmart Health, Street Journal, Home Office, Toronto Global Tech, Office Locations: Arkansas, Bentonville , Arkansas, Dallas , Atlanta, Toronto, San Francisco Bay, Hoboken , New Jersey, Arkansas , Florida, Georgia , Illinois, Texas, Bentonville, Morris, Hoboken, New York

☆ When my son turned 20, we took a hike to reflect on our relationship. I learned the power of growing alongside your children.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Julie Neale | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewSeven years ago, my son, Ryan, turned 13 years old. After the balloons and a breakfast cupcake, we packed a picnic lunch and set out for a beautiful hike. Within 20 minutes, we reached the base of Sugarloaf Peak and began the ascent to a 360-degree view of the San Francisco Bay. With each year that he grows older, it feels as though I'm traversing new terrain, too, learning and evolving alongside him. Our stories are a testament to the transformative power of growth, resilience, and mutual support possible between a parent and their child.

Persons: —, Ryan, I've Organizations: Service, Business, UCLA Locations: San Francisco Bay, YOLO

☆ OpenAI Unveils New ChatGPT That Listens, Looks and Talks
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Cade Metz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

As Apple and Google transform their voice assistants into chatbots, OpenAI is transforming its chatbot into a voice assistant. On Monday, the San Francisco artificial intelligence start-up unveiled a new version of its ChatGPT chatbot that can receive and respond to voice commands, images and videos. system called GPT-4o — juggles audio, images and video significantly faster than previous version of the technology. The app will be available starting on Monday, free of charge, for both smartphones and desktop computers. “We are looking at the future of the interaction between ourselves and machines,” said Mira Murati, the company’s chief technology officer.

Persons: ”, Mira Murati Organizations: Apple, Google Locations: San Francisco

☆ Behind America's divided economy: Booming luxury travel and a jump in 'relief' loans
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

First-class travel has exhibited special strength, though management noted that can be tied in part to a resurgence of business trips. People taking these loans are more likely to be lower-income with no more than a high school diploma, Lanier said. Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesFrozen food maker Tyson Foods has seen consumers shifting more to eating at home than the quick-service restaurants it supplies. It's also important to remember that lower-income Americans were feeling financial pressures before the pandemic, said Tyler Schipper, an associate professor of economics at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. Airbnb touted interest in travel to events like the Paris Olympics and the European Cup in Germany this summer.

Persons: there's, It's, Christophe Le Caillec, underscoring, Blair Lanier, Lanier, McDonald's, Tyson, Daniel Acker, Tyson Foods, Stanley Black, Decker, Jane Fraser, CNBC's Sara Eisen, Fraser, Nancy Lazar, Piper Sandler, Tyler Schipper, Thomas, Schipper, Eric Thayer, We've, Cliff Pemble Organizations: TSN, American Express, Federal Reserve, CNBC, People, University of Michigan, San Francisco Federal Reserve, U.S, PepsiCo, Bloomberg, Getty, Tyson, Management, Adobe Analytics, Furniture, Citigroup, University of St, Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Caribbean . Booking Holdings, Paris Olympics, European, Ticketmaster, Cedar Fair, Flags, Wayfair, Garmin Locations: America, U.S, Minnesota, New York, Germany, Valencia , California

☆ Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, Pioneer of Supergraphics, Dies at 95
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Penelope Green | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, an audacious graphic designer, landscape architect and artist who first made a splash in the 1960s with the supersize, geometric architectural painting movement known as supergraphics, died on Tuesday at her home in San Francisco. Her daughter Nellie King Solomon confirmed the death. In 1962, Ms. Stauffacher Solomon was the rare woman to set up shop as a graphic designer in the Bay Area, working for clients like the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (now SFMOMA). It was architecture, however, that put Ms. Stauffacher Solomon on the national stage. In the early 1960s, an architect turned developer named Al Boeke envisioned a new community on a windswept bluff and former sheep ranch a few hours north of San Francisco.

Persons: Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, Nellie King Solomon, Stauffacher Solomon, Baskerville, Al Boeke, Lawrence Halprin, Joseph Esherick, Charles Moore, Donlyn Lyndon, William Turnbull Jr, Richard Whitaker Organizations: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Times Locations: San Francisco, Bay, Basel, Switzerland, Swiss

☆ Americans have spent their savings. Economists worry about what comes next
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But now that extra spending money is gone, economists are concerned about what comes next. That means many Americans have more debt than savings and suggests “that American households fully spent their pandemic-era savings as of March 2024,” they wrote in a recent report. Consumer spending plays a crucial role in driving economic growth in the United States, and it has shown remarkable strength over the past two years. “A continuing strong labor market could help consumers maintain spending patterns similar to those observed recently, even without pandemic-era savings,” they wrote. What comes next: Disney, Airbnb, Uber, Anheuser-Busch, Tapestry and Dillards all report later this week — investors will look for any comments about how consumer spending, or lack thereof, is altering revenue forecasts for 2024.

Persons: Hamza Abdelrahman, Luiz Edgard Oliveira, ”, Austan Goolsbee, ’ ”, Fitch, Sarah Wyeth, Chris Kempczinski, Abdelrahman, Airbnb, Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, Greg Abel, Buffett, “, Abel, isn’t, Boeing “, Scott Stocker, Read Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, San Francisco Federal Reserve, Chicago Federal, Society for, ”, Shoppers, Tyson Foods, “, Disney, Anheuser, Busch, Berkshire, International Monetary Fund, Industries, Nvidia, Microsoft, FAA, Boeing, Federal Aviation Administration, CNN Locations: New York, United States, Omaha , Nebraska, Omaha, scamming

☆ At SFMOMA, Disability Artwork Makes History
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Jonathan Griffin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In 1974, Florence Ludins-Katz and Elias Katz — she an artist, he a psychologist — turned the garage of their Berkeley home into an art studio for adults with developmental disabilities. Across California at that time, people with a range of disabilities were being deinstitutionalized, with little provision made for them after their release. Half a century on, Creative Growth — as the iconoclastic and influential studio in Oakland was named — is celebrating its 50th anniversary with an exhibition, “Creative Growth: The House That Art Built,” at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition draws from SFMOMA’s half-million-dollar acquisition of more than 100 Creative Growth artworks, the largest purchase by any American museum of the work of disabled artists. The museum acquired 43 more pieces from Creative Growth’s sister organizations in California, also founded by the Katzes: Creativity Explored in San Francisco and NIAD (Nurturing Independence Through Artistic Development) in Richmond.

Persons: Florence Ludins, Katz, Elias Katz —, — Organizations: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Locations: California, Oakland, San Francisco, Richmond

☆ I left San Francisco and moved to LA. Here are the 5 worst things about leaving the Bay Area.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementEven though LA is much larger than San Francisco, LA doesn't feel urban, while San Francisco does. Here's what I felt were the five worst things about leaving the San Francisco Bay Area and moving to LA. AdvertisementAs an artist and business owner, I founded my eco-friendly textile and wallpaper collection business in San Francisco in 2013. I miss San Francisco's culture and philanthropic spiritLiving in San Francisco, I found that many of its businesses have a good environmental or social mission. But I believe, for the most part, San Francisco still has the same caring heart and soul it's had for years.

Persons: —, Stevie Howell, It's, I've, Francisco —, Jessica Silverman, Rebecca Camacho, would've, it's, Crissy, I, Manseen Logan Organizations: Service, Business, San, San Francisco Bay Area, Minnesota, National Parks Conservancy, Area Locations: Los Angeles, San Francisco, LA, It's, San Francisco , LA, San Francisco Bay, Mandalay, Francisco, Bernal Heights Hill, Dolores Park, Ocean, Stinson Beach, Angel, mlogan@businessinsider.com

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