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☆ Baffert's National Treasure wins Preakness Stakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] May 20, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; National Treasure with John R. Velazquez up (1) defeats Blazing Sevens with Irad Ortiz, Jr. up (7) to win the 148th running of the Preakness Stakes at... Read moreMay 20 (Reuters) - National Treasure won the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Saturday, giving Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert a record-breaking eighth win in the middle jewel of U.S. thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown. With John Velazquez aboard, National Treasure held off a late charge from Blazing Sevens. Kentucky Derby winner Mage finished third, meaning the chestnut colt will not have a shot at becoming U.S. thoroughbred racing's 13th Triple Crown winner. "Losing that horse today really hurt but I am happy for Johnny, he got the win," Baffert said fighting back tears, referring to the jockey. Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ What to Watch for in the 2023 Preakness Stakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Joe Drape | Melissa Hoppert | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Another challenge for the Delgados when they came to the United States was finding good horses and owners who believed in them. They liked that the horse was a near replica of his sire, Good Magic, who finished second in the Derby and fourth in the Preakness. And so that melting pot of a group rode Mage straight into the winner’s circle on the first Saturday in May, leading to perhaps the biggest winner’s circle party in Derby history — even Mage looked small in the middle of it. About 70 of the 382 people who invested in Mage through Commonwealth were there. When her wheelchair got stuck on the track, Gerardo Corrales and Jose Ortiz, who had just rode in the Derby, carried her the rest of the way.

☆ Bob Baffert's National Treasure wins Preakness, hours after another of his horses was euthanized
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

National Treasure, with jockey John Velazquez, edges out Blazing Sevens, with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., to win the148th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico Race Course, Saturday, May 20, 2023, in Baltimore. National Treasure won the Preakness on Saturday in Baffert's return to the Triple Crown trail following a suspension, but it came hours after another 3-year-old colt, Havnameltdown, was put down because of a left leg injury in an undercard race. His defeat, caused by a pace much slower than the Derby, means there will not be a Triple Crown winner for a fifth consecutive year. The thrill of victories by National Treasure in the Preakness and Arabian Lion in an earlier stakes race contrasted with the agony of Havnameltdown's death. Medina Spirit was Baffert's most recent Preakness horse, finishing third.

Musk revealed those plans on Tuesday at the company's annual meeting, an about-face for the celebrity executive who recently acquired social media platform Twitter. Musk told CNBC he did not yet have a "fully formed strategy" for Tesla advertising. Tesla spent $151,947 on advertising in the U.S. in 2022, according to advertising intelligence firm Vivvix, which measured ads across places including TV, social media, Web banners and billboards. Diaz-Ortiz is a former Twitter manager who has written books about the social media company. Thomas Martin, senior portfolio manager at Tesla shareholder Globalt Investments, sees Musk's embrace of advertising as a positive.

☆ MLB roundup: Jorge Soler's walk-off HR pushes Marlins past Nats
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Washington's Josiah Gray threw 104 pitches in seven innings, allowing two runs (one earned) and striking out five. Miami's Jesus Luzardo, who threw 93 pitches in six innings, allowed one run and struck out seven. Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman allowed three runs (two earned), five hits and two walks while striking out 10 in seven innings. Pirates starter Luis Ortiz (0-2) allowed four runs (three earned) and seven hits in three-plus innings. White Sox right-hander Lance Lynn (2-5) allowed three runs (one earned) and seven hits in seven-plus innings.

☆ Ecuador assembly begins impeachment hearing against President Lasso
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

QUITO, May 16 (Reuters) - Ecuador's National Assembly on Tuesday began an impeachment hearing against President Guillermo Lasso, who could be removed from his post, though the process increases the likelihood he will dissolve the legislature to avoid a final vote. The opposition, including members of the party of ex-President Rafael Correa - himself accused of corruption - has been invigorated following the re-election of Virgilio Saquicela as president of the National Assembly on Sunday. "The Ecuadorean people want Guillermo Lasso (...) to go home," said opposition lawmaker Viviana Veloz while presenting a motion to vote on the censure and dismissal of the president. CONAIE, Ecuador's largest indigenous organization, backed the measure to remove Lasso in a statement, saying that "with Guillermo Lasso Ecuador doesn't have a future, only fear and uncertainty." The assembly voted to continue with the impeachment process last Tuesday with 88 votes in favor out of 116 legislators present.

☆ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene praised former First Lady Melania Trump as an example of a good immigrant
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene cited Melania Trump as an example of a good immigrant. Greene was speaking to the House ahead of the expiration of Title 42, a Trump-era migration law. Greene contrasted the former first lady's immigration with those trying to cross the Mexico-US border. We're very proud of our former first lady, Melania Trump, who immigrated legally to the United States," Greene said on Wednesday. Speaking in the House, Greene contrasted the former first lady's immigration from Slovenia with those trying to cross the Mexico-US border.

☆ Pandemic-related asylum restrictions known as Title 42 expire, straining U.S. immigration system
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

The expired rule, known as Title 42, was in place since March 2020. While Title 42 prevented many from seeking asylum, it carried no legal consequences, encouraging repeat attempts. Migrants cross the Rio Bravo river to turn themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol agents before Title 42 ends, in Matamoros, Mexico May 10, 2023. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had already warned of more crowded Border Patrol facilities to come. They were quickly apprehended by Border Patrol agents.

☆ Take a tour of MLB legend David Ortiz's swanky $12.5 million mansion in Miami that could set a record for the area's most expensive home
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Cork Gaines | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

David Ortiz is unloading his mansion in the ritzy Pinecrest area of Miami. The Red Sox legend is asking $12.5 million, which would be a record for the area. Loading Something is loading. The $12.5 million asking price would be a record for the area, according to Dirt.com. The previous high for Pinecrest was the $10.5 million paid for a house in 2022 by Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat.

☆ MLB roundup: Yankees blast A's in Aaron Judge's return
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Jake Bauers capped the inning by lifting a sacrifice fly, and he later hit a two-run homer in the seventh. Miguel Vargas had a two-run homer and Mookie Betts and Will Smith had solo homers for the Dodgers. Tom Murphy added a two-run homer as Seattle won for the seventh time in its past nine games. Luzardo (3-2) allowed just one run on seven hits and struck out five while walking two. All six Miami runs were credited to Pfaadt (0-1), who came into Tuesday's contest with a 13.50 ERA after allowing seven runs in his only other appearance.

☆ Horse racing-Kentucky Derby favourite Forte scratched from race
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Mandatory Credit: Albert Cesare-USA TODAY SportsMay 6 (Reuters) - Early favourite Forte has been scratched from the Kentucky Derby hours before post time for the first leg of U.S. thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown due to concerns about a bruised front foot, Churchill Downs said on Saturday. The Todd Pletcher-trained dark bay colt had brought a five-race win streak to the 1-1/4-mile Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs and was installed as the early 3-1 favourite. The decision to scratch Forte, who appeared to stumble during a gallop earlier in the week, was made by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission state veterinarian. Forte was the fifth horse to scratch from Saturday's race, joining Practical Move, Lord Miles, Continaur and Skinner. The last time five horses were scratched from the Kentucky Derby was 1936 when 19 horses entered the race and 14 ran.

☆ Forte, the Derby Favorite, Is Scratched Hours Before the Race
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Joe Drape | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky state veterinarians on Saturday morning scratched Forte, the favorite to win the Kentucky Derby, after examining him and finding him unfit to compete. State veterinarians have reason to be cautious at the 149th running of the race after four horses died in six days at Churchill Downs. Forte was named last year’s 2-year-old champion and had won six of his seven races. He was to be ridden the by the nation’s top jockey, Irad Ortiz Jr.Now only 18 horses will compete in the Derby. In 2011, Forte’s co-owner, Mike Repole, had to scratch another 2-year-old champion, Uncle Mo, the day before the race.

☆ New York Mayor Eric Adams to bus asylum seekers upstate, much like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott bussed asylum seekers to New York City
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Eric Adams is sending asylum seekers in New York City to upstate New York, drawing criticism from local officials. Greg Abbott for sending migrants from Texas to New York City. In doing so, Adams appears to be passing asylum seekers off – just as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott did when he had migrants bussed from his state to New York, the Associated Press reported. In the last year, some 60,000 asylum seekers have arrived in New York City, the mayor's office said in Friday's press release.

And Ecuadorian authorities have struggled to tackle this public security crisis “efficiently because it is mired in (a) political crisis,” González says. Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso is at the center of this storm, and his popularity has tanked amid widespread discontent with spiraling crime rates. Before President Guillermo Lasso took office, Ecuador had already become a key transit hub for cocaine due to its location between Peru and Colombia. Lasso told Ecuador’s legislative commission investigating him that he had not evaded taxes and that his tax trajectory was legally supported. Members of unions and civil society groups march on International Workers' Day to demand that Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso, who is facing an impeachment process, leave office on May 1, 2023.

☆ Exclusive: Generative AI startup Runway just raised $100 million at a $1.5 billion valuation from a cloud service provider
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Generative AI startup Runway has raised a funding round of at least $100 million, Insider has learned. The deal tripled the startup's valuation from its last round to a whopping $1.5 billion. Investors recently told Insider that they were big fans of buzzy photo and video generative AI startup Runway. Runway has raised a Series D funding round of at least $100 million at a $1.5 billion valuation from a cloud service provider, according to multiple people familiar with the deal. Have a tip on a startup funding round?

☆ Dane Jackson: 'There's nothing like it,' says kayaker after descending 300 feet down waterfalls
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

This section of the Rio Santo Domingo has been compared to a double black diamond ski slope. Rush Struges, Rafa Ortiz, and Evan Garcia were the first people to run the waterfalls from top to bottom in 2013. Jackson kayaks the Angel Wings falls in the Santo Domingo Gorge. But that doesn’t stop Jackson’s family getting anxious when he embarks on a big project, including his descent in the Santo Domingo Gorge. “My dad’s a pro kayaker, my sister’s a pro kayaker, my mom has been there every step of the way,” says Jackson.

☆ How Runway's idea for AI-driven video and photo editing and generation went from a "crazy" concept to a Silicon Valley darling worth half a billion dollars
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

When Runway's founders first came up with the idea for an AI art startup, they were called crazy. Now, the generative AI startup has become a fan favorite of VCs and the public alike. When Cristóbal Valenzuela began building his generative AI company Runway in 2018, investors, filmmakers, and advertisers told the cofounder that he was crazy. "They were saying, 'why would you want to build AI tools for video and filmmaking?'" Many of these features were developed hand-in-hand with customers, who often described to Runway the problems and obstacles they ran into while creating videos, Valenzuela said.

☆ Has Boston Seen the Last of Patrice Bergeron?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( David Waldstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Patrice Bergeron’s final hug on the ice on Sunday was reserved for Brad Marchand, his longtime linemate and friend. If it was Bergeron’s final moment in a Boston Bruins uniform, so ends a magnificent 19-year career that places him in the pantheon of great Boston athletes. But somewhere on that glittering list stands Bergeron, one of the greatest two-way centers in hockey history. “He is one of the best to ever play the game,” Marchand said in March, when the Bruins appeared invincible. It’s hard for anyone to drag their feet when your best player and oldest guy is out there setting the example.”

☆ 40 years ago, a US Navy aircraft carrier ran aground as thousands of sailors' families watched
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Miguel Ortiz | We Are The Mighty | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

On April 28, 1983, USS Enterprise arrived in San Francisco after an eight-month deployment. Imagine, then, the frustration felt by sailors and family members alike when a ship ran aground right before it docked. USS Enterprise sails under the Golden Gate Bridge as it returns from a deployment in April 1983. 4,500 sailors and 3,000 family members could now just see each other, but were still far from being reunited. "Our vessel is the Starship Enterprise and this is the USS Enterprise," he later said, "We've got a new drink—Enterprise on the Rocks."

☆ MLB roundup: Gerrit Cole to 5-0 as Yanks win despite Aaron Judge injury
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres hit back-to-back homers in a three-run second off Texas starter Andrew Heaney (2-2). The Yankees won their second straight in a game that Aaron Judge exited in the fourth inning due to right hip discomfort. Webb was charged with two runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings; he walked one and struck out seven. Phillies 1, Mariners 0Kody Clemens delivered an RBI single in the second inning for the only run of the game as host Philadelphia defeated Seattle. Velazquez then hit the second pitch he saw from Lugo 404 feet into the seats in left center.

☆ The Boston Symphony Finds Surprises and Strengths in New Music
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Oussama Zahr | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When orchestras come to Carnegie Hall, their programs typically tell you two things: who they are and what they can do. Or when the Berlin Philharmonic and Kirill Petrenko opened up the complex worlds of Mahler’s Seventh with coordinated virtuosity. And over two nights at Carnegie this week, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and its music director, Andris Nelsons, told their story gradually, one piece at a time, in canonical works by Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Sibelius and Mozart. Among American orchestras, the Boston Symphony’s sound is enviably rich. That opulence was readily apparent in the ceaseless flow of cantabile melodies in Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony.

SummarySummary Companies Artists' accused companies of misusing works to train AI systemsCompanies said artists failed to identify infringement(Reuters) - Stability AI, Midjourney, and DeviantArt fired back Tuesday at a group of artists who accused them of committing mass copyright infringement by using the artists' work in generative AI systems. The companies asked a San Francisco federal court to dismiss the artists' proposed class action lawsuit, arguing that the AI-created images are not similar to the artists' work and that the lawsuit did not note specific images that were allegedly misused. Representatives for Stability, DeviantArt and the artists did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday. Midjourney's motion said that the lawsuit also does not "identify a single work by any plaintiff" that it "supposedly used as training data." The case is Andersen v. Stability AI Ltd, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, No.

☆ The 'mammoth meatball' grown in a lab probably doesn't taste like woolly mammoth at all
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

It probably doesn't taste like woolly mammoth, a meat specialist and mammoth DNA researcher said. The Belgian startup Paleo says it added woolly mammoth myoglobin to a plant-based burger. The mammoth meatball doesn't have either of those elements from woolly mammoth. Mammoth myoglobin doesn't necessarily bring mammoth flavorThough he didn't taste it, Ryall said everyone could smell the meatball while it was cooking. So why make a mammoth meatball that doesn't taste like mammoth?

☆ Some people living near Colombian volcano loathe to evacuate
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] The Arenas crater is seen after the authorities declared an orange alert at the Nevado del Ruiz volcano and asked the population for a preventive evacuation in Herveo, Colombia April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Andres Camilo ValenciaBOGOTA, April 6 (Reuters) - Colombia's government is trying to speed up the evacuation of some 2,500 families living closest to the Nevado del Ruiz volcano, which is being monitored for a possible eruption, but some residents are refusing to leave. The volcano's eruption in 1985 killed more than 25,000 people in Colombia's biggest-ever natural disaster, with avalanches of earth and rock fragments burying entire settlements. "It doesn't scare me because it already exploded," said Evelio Ortiz, a potato farmer who survived the 1985 eruption with his wife and five children. The Nevado del Ruiz is a stratovolcano or composite volcano.

☆ Some people living near Colombian volcano are loath to evacuate
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

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