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☆ M.L.B. Draft Trades Magic for Efficiency
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Tyler Kepner | More About Tyler Kepner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Sunday in Seattle, for the fourth year in a row — enough for a full class of college prospects — Major League Baseball will hold a streamlined version of its amateur draft. From an event with unlimited rounds to one with 50 rounds, then 40, and now just 20, the draft is exclusive and efficient, in keeping with baseball’s restructured minor league system. But efficiency has a cost: the countless long-shot careers that may never be realized. Dozens of current major leaguers turned pro after being drafted in rounds that no longer exist. Chosen 941st overall from a community college in Illinois, he has won three Gold Gloves, played in the World Series and earned more than $60 million in an 11-year career.

Persons: ”, Kevin Kiermaier, ” Kiermaier Organizations: — Major League Baseball, baseball’s, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays Locations: Seattle, Illinois

☆ The Kremlin spent over $1 billion on Wagner's mercenary army just to see them capture a destroyed city and then turn around and invade Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Vladimir Putin revealed that the Kremlin spent over $1 billion on the Wagner Group over the past year. The Moscow-funded mercenaries spent months capturing one almost totally destroyed city in Ukraine. Servicemen of the Wagner Group military company guard an area at the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Private military companies like the Wagner Group are technically illegal in Russia. The potential for significant bloodshed was averted, but not before the Kremlin-financed Wagner Group managed to down several Russian aircraft and kill the pilots.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, —, Wagner, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Mark Milley, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, they'd, Antony Blinken, they've Organizations: Kremlin, Wagner Group, Service, Defense Ministry, Southern Military District, Private, Bakhmut, French Army, AP, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Reuters, Saturday, CBS News Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Bakhmut, Concord, Rostov, Don, Africa, East, Donetsk, Mali, Belarus, Kyiv

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — Major banks and fintech companies claim to be piling into generative artificial intelligence as the hype surrounding the buzzy technology shows no signs of fizzling out — but there are lingering fears about potential pitfalls and risks. Chalapathy Neti, head of AI at global bank messaging network Swift, described the progress made with ChatGPT and GPT-4 as "mind-boggling." The Netherlands' ABN Amro is one banking giant that's piloting the use of generative AI in its processes. It's also using it to help its employees gather data on customers to assist with answering queries and avoid repetitive questions. Indeed, the banks appeared unanimous in their hesitation to roll out ChatGPT-like tools to customer-facing scenarios.

Persons: Vreugdenhil, It's, Mariana Gomez de Organizations: ABN Amro, ABN, Mariana Gomez de la Villa, ING Bank Locations: Warsaw, Poland, AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, Amsterdam

We used a professional device called a sound level meter to record the decibel levels of common sounds and environments. According to the World Health Organization, average road traffic noise above 53 dB or average aircraft noise exposure above about 45 dB are associated with adverse health effects. This chart shows how many people in the United States may be exposed to various outdoor noise levels, on average. Scientists believe that pronounced fluctuations in noise levels like this might compound the effects on the body. Nighttime noise shows similar inequities.

Persons: D’Lo, Jackhammers clack, San Diego —, Reagan, George Jackson, Mendenhall, Carolyn Fletcher, Ron Allen Organizations: Bankers, San Diego, thunders, Massachusetts General Hospital, World Health Organization, Department of Transportation, Queens, High Tech Middle School, San Diego International Airport, dBs, Noise, Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Safety, Health, European Union Locations: San, Bankers Hill, San Diego, Greenpoint , Brooklyn, Brooklyn, D’Lo, Miss, Mississippi, New York City, California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, United States, U.S, Point Loma, Swiss, Paris, Berlin, Switzerland

☆ These home improvement projects pay off most — major kitchen and bath remodelings don't make the cut
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

watch nowMost homeowners are planning to remodel at some point down the road, but not everyone will get their money's worth in improved home value. Of all home improvement projects, the most popular are sparkling bathroom overhauls, according to newly released data from the Contractor Growth Network, followed by big-ticket kitchen and basement renovations. The projects offering the greatest returns in resale value are not new kitchens and baths, but rather projects related to a home's curb appeal. A minor kitchen remodeling — such as painting and updating the backsplash — did provide high returns, but major kitchen and bathroom renovations did not, the Zonda survey found. The average homeowner shelled out $3,890 on renovations and remodeling in the past year alone, the report found.

Persons: Todd Tomalak, Tomalak, They'll, Sophia Bera Daigle Organizations: Finance, Zonda Media, HGTV, CNBC, Homeowners, Federal Reserve, Real, Gen Locations: Austin , Texas

☆ DeepMind's CEO said there's a chance that AI could become self-aware in the future
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The CEO of Alphabet's DeepMind said there's a possibility that AI could become self-aware one day. DeepMind is an AI research lab that was co-founded in 2010 by Demis Hassabis. The CEO of Alphabet-owned AI research lab, DeepMind Technologies, spoke about the potential of artificial intelligence in an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes," which aired on Sunday. DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis told CBS that he thinks that AI might one day become self-aware. Hassabis told CBS that he believes AI is "the most important invention that humanity will ever make."

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Lululemon, Paychex, Micron Technology and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Lululemon – Lululemon shares surged more than 16% before the Wednesday open after posting a strong holiday quarter and sharing upbeat guidance for the current fiscal year. The athleisure wear company reported adjusted earnings of $4.40 a share on $2.77 billion in revenue and said same-store sales climbed by 27%. Carnival Corp — Shares of the cruise line climbed 2.5% in premarket trading after Susquehanna upgraded Carnival to positive from neutral. Micron fiscal second quarter results missed analyst expectations on both the top and bottom lines, according to Refinitiv consensus estimates. Paychex Inc. — Shares of the payroll services company were up nearly 3% premarket ahead of fiscal third-quarter earnings due after the close on Wednesday.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Credit Suisse, First Republic Bank, Halliburton and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Credit Suisse — Shares of Credit Suisse plunged 25% after its biggest backer, Saudi National Bank, said it won't provide the Swiss bank with further financial help. First Republic Bank — The regional bank stock tumbled 23%, giving back some of Tuesday's gains as turmoil at Credit Suisse rattled the broader sector and S&P Global Ratings downgraded its debt rating to BB+ from A-. U.S. banks — Major U.S. banks tumbled on Wednesday as unease over the latest crisis at Credit Suisse spooked some investors. Energy stocks — Major energy stocks took a hit as oil stooped to its lowest level in more than a year. New York Community Bancorp — The regional bank stock jumped more than 5%, bucking the broader sell-off trend in banking names.

☆ Proptech VCs and startup founders already struggling from the housing-market downturn are now reeling from the Silicon Valley Bank collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The overnight collapse of Silicon Valley Bank after a social media and group chat-fueled bank run is creating yet another set of problems for an already ailing venture tech environment. The proptech industry has suffered over the past year as higher interest rates have throttled both the real estate and tech worlds. Silicon Valley Bank was the go-to lender of so-called venture debt, or debt that startups can raise along with their equity rounds of funding. The Silicon Valley Bank collapse "just punctuated it," he said, of the financial duress. Real estate lending warningsBanks make up almost a third of all commercial real estate lending according to CBRE.

☆ Homeowners spent up to $6,000 average on repairs, maintenance in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Sarah O'Brien | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"For a $400,000 home, the [$4,420] in maintenance and emergency spending in our report is closer to 1%. Maintenance costs may reduce repair expensesWhile it's wise to have money set aside, maintenance can help reduce what you spend on unexpected repairs, Hicks said. "We're seeing an increased focus on maintenance activities, which is good to see," Hicks said. While the specifics of a necessary roof repair determine the cost, the average is $1,000, according to thisoldhouse.com. That compares to an average $3,342 shelled out for water-damage repairs, according to Angi.

☆ Why Liverpool and Manchester United, two giants of soccer, are up for sale at the same time
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

In November, the owners of first Liverpool and then Manchester United confirmed they were open to new investment offers, with the potential for full sales of the top flight English clubs. Meanwhile New York-listed shares in Manchester United popped 18% on the news on Nov. 23 that its owners were similarly opening themselves up to investment opportunities. Big money competition One recurring complaint Manchester United fans have had of the Glazers is a lack of investment in the club, across both facilities and players. Old Trafford Stadium, the home of Manchester United Football Club. "In the cases of Liverpool and Manchester United, both owners have held the clubs for a long time, and both assets have appreciated a lot as their leagues and brands and global fan bases have developed.

☆ Sick and family leave are top union demands post-Covid-pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Eli M. Rosenberg | Eli Rosenberg Is An Investigative Tech Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Rail workers nearly went on strike over paid sick leave. Glen Stubbe / Star Tribune via AP fileMore than 100,000 rail workers were days away from a likely strike after the rail companies refused demands for five paid sick days. Labor experts and organizers say the pandemic aimed a floodlight at the public health ramifications of in-person work, elevating for workers the importance of paid leave in contract disputes. “This was the sticking point for the railroads.”Following Congress’ resolution of the impasse, activist investors have put forth proposals to get two of the biggest rail companies, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, to offer their workers paid sick leave next year. “We appreciate the work of the negotiating teams and the mediator in reaching this agreement in principle.”Other unions are paying attention to these fights — and gearing up to make sick leave a major part of their negotiations.

☆ Baseball’s Winter Battle to Acquire—or Keep—Aaron Judge and Jacob DeGrom
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LAS VEGAS — Major League Baseball’s front offices began placing bets on their offseason roster-building moves, with some teams focused not on landing new talent, but hanging onto the stars they have—including Jacob deGrom, Justin Verlander and especially Aaron Judge. The league’s General Manager meetings here this week are the first of two official gatherings of club and league representatives this winter; the Winter Meetings, the industry-wide convention that takes place in December, will be the second.

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