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☆ Visual AI startup NEX raises $3.5 million seed round led by Foundation Capital
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-27 | by ( Sri Muppidi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Lam aims to change that with NEX, which develops AI image tools for entertainment, gaming, and marketing. Founded in late 2023, the company recently raised a $3.5 million seed round led by Foundation Capital, with participation from Point72 Ventures. NEX does this by enabling users to generate images inspired by other images, not just text inputs, in a "real-time canvas." The startup's tech can also tailor the AI models based on a customer's existing data, a process called finetuning, or even develop models from scratch. Lam's vision for NEX is to be the "visual media tool for the AI era."

Persons: —, Darius Lam, Lam, NEX Ikon, NEX, OpenAI's Organizations: Service, Business, Foundation Capital, Point72 Ventures, NEX, Cerebras Systems, Adobe, Autodesk

☆ Opinion: Billie Eilish’s “Lunch” is the Pride anthem we so desperately need
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-01 | by ( Opinion Allison Hope | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Billie Eilish’s new song, “Lunch” is the definitive queer anthem of 2024. Eilish’s “Lunch” symbolizes the seismic evolution in queer women expression in music. Eilish’s “Lunch” is a brilliant reinvention of our freedom of queer expression, and it comes at a most desperate time. If only we tune into Eilish’s song and to its inherent humanity — carnal, raw, authentic — and recognize in it our own hidden desires that we should face with the same openness she does. What Eilish has achieved, though, with her latest album and particularly with the song, “Lunch,” is to raise the bar on the unabashed expression of queer and women’s sexual desire.

Persons: Allison Hope, Billie Eilish’s, ” Allison Hope, Eilish, Marsha P, Johnson, Billy Porter unapologetically, She’s, Barbie, Finneas O’Connell, We’ve, Whitney Houston, Lang, Tracy Chapman, Jodie Foster, Elliot Page, Katy Perry’s, It’s, Nex Benedict, Starr Brown, Trevor, Lily Tomlin, Rosie O’Donnell, Ellen DeGeneres, Melissa Etheridge Organizations: New Yorker, The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Slate, Pride, MTV, US State Department, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Twitter, Facebook, Lifeline Locations: New, Stonewall, New York, veneers, k.d, Russia, Ghana, Uganda, Italy, Buenos Aires, Memphis

☆ I was skeptical about introducing video games to my 3 young kids. I found an option that keeps them moving while playing.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Conz Preti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

When I became a parent, I realized that too much screen time was not good for my kids' developing brains. But my oldest, aged 6, kept asking to play video games because all his friends were already doing it. A video game system that gets kids movingI felt a little hypocritical for not allowing my son to play video games after my husband and I spent so much time doing so growing up. The video game console has a camera that records your movement, and instead of using a remote to play games, you use your body. We've reserved playing video games when it's raining or snowing outside, and they can't ride their scooters around our neighborhood.

Persons: —, doesn't, It's Organizations: Service, Nintendo, Business

☆ Autopsy Shows Nex Benedict Died of Suicide
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Edgar Sandoval | More About Edgar Sandoval | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary student in Oklahoma who died a day after a physical altercation in a high school girls’ bathroom, died as a result of suicide, according to an autopsy report released on Wednesday. A medical examiner’s report said that the teenager had been found with a “combined toxicity” of diphenhydramine, an antihistimine commonly used for allergies, and fluoxetine, a drug often used to treat depression. Reports of the Feb. 7 altercation at Owasso High School, a day before Nex’s death at home, drew outrage from gay and transgender rights groups who cited reports from the family that Nex had been bullied at school. The cause of death had remained unclear in the weeks that followed. In a police interview conducted at the hospital in the hours following the fight, Nex reported having “blacked out” while being beaten on the bathroom floor.

Persons: Nex Benedict, Nex Organizations: Owasso High Locations: Oklahoma

☆ Opinion | We Owe It to Nex Benedict to Do Better by Bullied Teens
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Margaret Renkl | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There’s much we don’t know about why Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teenager in Owasso, Okla., died a day after a fight in a high school bathroom. We know that 16-year-old Nex, who often went by they/them pronouns with peers, was bullied at school. We know that Nex didn’t report the recent encounters to teachers or school officials. We know that Nex responded to the harassment by pouring water on the students, but we also know the bathroom fight didn’t appear to be an even match. The family’s attorney stated that the teen was “attacked and assaulted in a bathroom by a group of other students.” Nex collapsed at home the next day.

Persons: Nex Benedict, Sue Benedict, “, ”, Nex, ” Nex Organizations: Owasso Police Department Locations: Owasso

☆ Nex Benedict death: Police video shows non-binary teen describe fight in high school bathroom
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Sara Smart | Steve Almasy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Nex Benedict, whose family and friends say identified as nonbinary, died February 8, a day after they told their family they were involved in a fight with others at Owasso High School. Body camera video from February 7 shows an Owasso police officer interacting with Nex and their guardian, Sue Benedict, in a hospital after the fight in a school bathroom between two groups of students. Nex eventually got thrown onto the ground and the other students proceeded to beat them up, Nex says in the video. Another video shows Nex being escorted by the school’s security officer to the nurse’s office and then to the principal’s office. Benedict says Nex is “not doing good at all” and was breathing, but their eyes were rolling back.

Persons: Nex Benedict, Nex, Sue Benedict, ”, “, ” Nex, Nex ‘, Benedict, Kevin Stitt, Andy Rose, Whitney Wild, Taylor Romine, Caroll Alvarado Organizations: CNN, Owasso High, Toxicology, Owasso Police, ’ Police, Owasso Public Schools, Oklahoma, Gov, American Civil Liberties Union Locations: Oklahoma, Nex

☆ In Video, Nonbinary Student Describes Fight in Oklahoma School Bathroom
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( J. David Goodman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An altercation at an Oklahoma public school involving a 16-year-old nonbinary student who died the next day began after the student “poured water” on girls who had been making fun of the teenager, according to a body camera video interview released by the Owasso Police Department late Friday. The video of the 16-year-old student, Nex Benedict, talking to an Owasso officer provided the fullest account yet of what took place inside the girls’ bathroom on Feb. 7. The interview, which lasted about 20 minutes and took place at a local hospital, provided new details of the confrontation at the West Campus of Owasso High School. And they had said something like, ‘Why do they laugh like that?’ They were talking about us in front of us. And so I went up there and I poured water on them” from a plastic water bottle, Nex told the officer.

Persons: Nex Benedict, Nex, ” Nex Organizations: Owasso Police Department, West, Owasso High, Nex Locations: Oklahoma

☆ After Nonbinary Student’s Death, Schools Chief Defends Strict Gender Policies
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( J. David Goodman | Edgar Sandoval | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In his three years as state superintendent for Oklahoma’s public schools, Ryan Walters, a former high school history teacher, has transformed himself into one of the most strident culture warriors in a state known for sharp-edged conservative politics. Following the death earlier this month of a 16-year-old nonbinary student a day after an altercation in a high school girls’ bathroom, gay and transgender advocates accused Mr. Walters of having fomented an atmosphere of dangerous intolerance within public schools. In his first interview reacting to the death of the student, Nex Benedict, Mr. Walters told The New York Times that the death was a tragedy, but that it did not change his views on how questions of gender should be handled in schools. That’s how God created us,” Mr. Walters said, saying he did not believe that nonbinary or transgender people exist. He said that Oklahoma schools would not allow students to use preferred names or pronouns that differ from their birth sex.

Persons: Ryan Walters, Mr, Walters, Nex Benedict, “ There’s, ” Mr Organizations: The New York Times Locations: Oklahoma

☆ Nex Benedict: Death of Oklahoma teen after fight in school has LGBTQ+ advocates seeking answers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Andy Rose | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A 16-year-old student died following a fight at an Oklahoma high school – and as an investigation into the cause of death continues, advocates point to a heightened and hostile climate against the LGBTQ+ community. Nex Benedict, whose family says identified as nonbinary, died February 8, one day after they told their family they and a transgender student were involved in a fight with others at Owasso High School. It is not clear if or how the fight contributed to Nex’s death. An Owasso school resource officer went to Bailey Medical Center, where Nex was examined, and interviewed both Nex and their parent about the incident. Nex’s death comes after advocates have strongly criticized Oklahoma officials for actions perceived as targeting LGBTQ+ residents.

Persons: Nex Benedict, Nex, ”, Sue Benedict, Benedict, ” “, ‘ You’ve, don’t, ’ ” Benedict, “ Nex, ” Benedict, “, I’m, Kevin Stitt, Ryan Walters, ” Walters, CNN’s Whitney Wild, Taylor Romine, Caroll Alvarado Organizations: CNN, Owasso High School . Police, Police, Independent, High School West, Bailey Medical, Owasso Fire, KOKI, Oklahoma, Gov, Public Schools, Lambda Legal, ACLU Locations: Oklahoma, Owasso, ”, Nex

☆ Anti-Trans Law Draws Scrutiny After 16-Year-Old’s Death in Oklahoma
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( J. David Goodman | Edgar Sandoval | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A 16-year-old student in a small Oklahoma town outside Tulsa died after what the police said was a “physical altercation” in a high school bathroom, drawing outrage from gay and transgender rights groups who said the student was attacked because of their gender identity. The student, known to peers as Nex Benedict, often used the pronouns they and them, and told relatives that they did not see themselves as strictly male or female. Under an Oklahoma law passed in 2022, students must use the bathrooms that align with their birth gender. As of Wednesday afternoon, no arrests had been made in connection with the altercation, which occurred on Feb. 7 in a girls’ bathroom at Owasso High School. The apparent severity of the altercation, and the death of the student a day later, has focused national attention on how it is being handled by school officials and law enforcement.

Persons: Nex Benedict Organizations: High School Locations: Oklahoma, Tulsa

☆ China publishes rules to boost data security in money brokering
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, Aug 30 (Reuters) - China published rules on Wednesday aimed at boosting data security in the money brokering industry, five months after a disruption in data services caused two days of chaos in the country's $21 trillion bond market. Five financial watchdogs, including the central bank as well as forex and securities regulators, urged interdealer brokers to improve data and risk management, and safeguard data security. Interdealer brokers, when offering data services, "must not endanger national security, financial safety and public interest," the regulators said in a joint statement. Chinese regulators in March suspended the data feed business of money brokers, citing data security concerns, triggering a slump in bond trading turnover as many traders lost immediate access to real-time data. China has in recent years grown more concerned over data security and rolled out new laws and compliance requirements for companies.

Persons: LSEG, Tullett, Jacqueline Wong, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Mark Potter Organizations: China Foreign Exchange Trade System, Shanghai Stock Exchange, Information Co, Refinitiv Information Services, Co, Bloomberg L.P, Thomson Reuters, London Stock Exchange, Reuters, NEX International, Partners, Central, Financiere, National Administration of Financial, Cyberspace Administration, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, China, LSEG ., Central Tanshi

HOUSTON, July 27 (Reuters) - Oilfield service providers on Thursday signaled a recovery in rig count, an indicator of future production, later this year, citing an uptick in oil and gas prices. However, with U.S. crude prices climbing back to $80 per barrel, service companies are betting on a recovery in demand. Lindsay said he expects rig count activity to hit a bottom in the quarter ending September, and a recovery in the following quarter. Rival Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN.O) also forecast a rise in rig count and fracking activity later this and next. "We believe the industry rig count is near a bottom," said Andy Hendricks, CEO of Patterson-UTI Energy, adding that the company expects additional rig releases in the next few weeks before drilling activity recovers later in the year.

Persons: John Lindsay, Lindsay, Payne, Patterson, Andy Hendricks, Hendricks, Arathy Somasekhar, Jonathan Oatis, Matthew Lewis Organizations: UTI Energy, Thomson Locations: U.S, Houston

☆ Oil servicers sweeten the pill
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, June 15 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The approach of peak oil demand is bad for oil producers, but it’s worse for companies that help dig and service new wells. A $5 billion merger between Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN.O) and NexTier Oilfield Solutions (NEX.N), two small oil field services firms, offers a way out. Big oil producers are already focusing on returning cash to investors as they face up to the inevitable. The International Energy Agency said on Wednesday that global demand growth is set to nearly halt by 2028, as the use of oil in transport falls from 2026. That trend is one reason Patterson-UTI and NexTier have both delivered negative total shareholder returns since 2018.

Persons: Patterson, Robert Cyran, John Foley, Streisand Neto Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Patterson, UTI Energy, International Energy Agency, Twitter, Thomson Locations: India

☆ Guest view: Why bank investors have it the hardest
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Rupak Ghose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But what matters at least as much for shareholders is the risk of near or total wipe-out, as demonstrated by Silicon Valley Bank and Credit Suisse. No investor could have known that Credit Suisse allowed Archegos to fund its trades with insufficient cash collateral. More recently, U.S. authorities seemed to flip-flop on whether uninsured depositors at other banks would enjoy the same protection offered to Silicon Valley Bank’s customers. The upshot for bank investors is that seemingly low valuations might not be low enough. Previously, he was head of corporate strategy at UK-based brokers ICAP and NEX, and an equity research analyst at Credit Suisse focused on the financial sector.

☆ Bus drivers at UK's National Express accept 16.2% pay deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, March 25 (Reuters) - More than 3,000 bus drivers at a central England division of National Express (NEX.L) have ended strike action after voting to accept a 16.2% pay rise, the Unite union said on Saturday. Unite said the pay deal at National Express West Midlands also guarantees the implementation of new terms and conditions agreed last year. “This is an important win for Unite members. By standing together our members at National Express secured an above inflation pay offer," Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said. A National Express West Midlands spokesperson said the company was pleased drivers had voted in favour of accepting the offer and apologised to customers for the recent disruption to services.

☆ Tesla shares slide 6% after Elon Musk fails to meet hopes for a budget EV model at underwhelming investor day
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tesla shares slid 6% in premarket Thursday after the EV maker fell short on details at its investor day. CEO Elon Musk was tight-lipped on details about new models after hopes built for a $25,000 car. Tesla said it plans to cut production costs in half to reach its goal of selling 20 million EVs a year by 2030. Before the investor day, Reuters reported Tesla is planning a revamp of its Model Y, code-named Project Juniper, which would begin production in 2024. During the presentation, Tesla laid out broad plans aimed at making it the world's largest car company.

☆ Stocks are headed for their worst year since 2008, but some names doubled or more in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Stocks may be careening toward their worst year since 2008, but some names are completing a remarkable run after doubling or more in 2022. In 2022, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has lost 8.4%, while the S & P 500 shed 19.2%. These stocks are up more than 100% this year, and include tankers for petroleum products, energy companies such as coal firms, and biotech and pharmaceutical names, according to CNBC. Ardmore Shipping and Scorpio Tankers were the top tanker stocks, both up about 316% for the year. Energy companies came out on top in 2022 following a surge in oil and gas prices — which market participants say will remain elevated given expectations of tight supply ahead.

☆ Here are Friday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Tesla, McDonald's, Netflix, Carvana, Microsoft & more
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Cowen names Costco a top 2023 pick Cowen said Costco is well positioned in a deteriorating macro environment. " Cowen names Caterpillar a top 2023 pick Cowen said the company is well positioned heading into 2023. Cowen names Netflix a top 2023 pick Cowen said it sees free-cash flow ramping up for Netflix in 2023. Morgan Stanley reiterates Apple as overweight Morgan Stanley said investors should take advantage of any weakness and buy the dip in shares of Apple . Morgan Stanley reiterates Lululemon as overweight Morgan Stanley said the company's fundamentals remain strong after its earnings report on Thursday. "

☆ A millennial teacher grew her net worth by $30,000 in 2 years by tackling 3 major goals at the same time
▼ + stars: | 2021-08-18 | by ( Liz Knueven | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

She paid down credit card debt using a balance transfer credit card and saved an emergency fund. To work towards those goals, she tackled three major goals at the same time: paying off debt, saving, and investing for retirement. To get out of this cycle, Seboka turned to a balance transfer credit card. "While I was paying off debt and saving money, I was still investing through my employer's retirement account," she said. "That's really how my net worth grew that much, because I was paying off debt, saving, and investing at the same exact time," she said.

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