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☆ We read the Biden administration's proposal to protect renters from discrimination and unwarranted rent hikes. Here are the 3 biggest takeaways.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Biden administration announced several new protections for renters on January 25. At the same time, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, an independent organization that helps regulate the mortgage market, will create new policies that encourage development of affordable-rental units. Insider reviewed the documents the White House released concerning the new initiatives. The idea comes as many renters continue to organize in order to combat what they see as unwarranted rent increases and evictions. Some home builders like Jerry Konter, the chairman of the National Association of Home Builders, disagreed with the new protections for renters.

☆ Why we love to anthropomorphize space-faring robots
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

We know Mars rovers are robots, but they feel like friends, or pets. "It's the way the rovers are designed," Abigail Freeman, the deputy project scientist of the Curiosity rover, told Insider. The first selfie NASA's Opportunity Mars rover snapped. Their ability to snap selfies on the Martian surface make them seem self-awareNASA's Curiosity Mars rover created this selfie in front of Mont Mercou. On February 12, 2019, mission controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, sent the last commands to ask NASA’s Opportunity rover on Mars to call home.

☆ To be successful, let go of false ideas about sacrifice and productivity, says president of the American Psychological Association
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Aditi Shrikant | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

As of 2023 she is the president of the American Psychological Association. Before that, she was the coordinator at Princeton's University's SHARE program which offered programming and support to combat sexual assault and sexual harassment. And before that she received her doctorate in clinical psychology at Duke University and did her postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical Center. "It's time to let go of the false dichotomy, or the false choice, which is we believe that in order to be successful I have to abandon myself," she says. Bryant: A common misconception is people think "if I try not to think about it I'll get over it."

☆ The Justice Department’s Double Standards on Classified Documents
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Kimberley A. Strassel | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Kimberley Strassel is a member of the editorial board for The Wall Street Journal. She writes editorials, as well as the weekly Potomac Watch political column, from her base in Alaska. Ms. Strassel joined Dow Jones & Co. in 1994, working in the news department of The Wall Street Journal Europe in Brussels, and then in London. She moved to New York in 1999 and soon thereafter joined the Journal's editorial page, working as a features editor, and then as an editorial writer. An Oregon native, Ms. Strassel earned a bachelor's degree in Public Policy and International Affairs from Princeton University.

☆ The Princeton student who built an app to detect ChatGPT plagiarism opposes banning the chatbot in schools
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The founder of an AI-plagiarism tool told NPR he opposes the ban of ChatGPT in schools. But that doesn't mean he supports banning ChatGPT in schools, he told NPR in an interview. The 22-year-old computer science and journalism student told NPR that it's impossible to prevent students from using ChatGPT. "It doesn't make sense that we go into that future blindly," Tian told NPR. "We're losing that individuality if we stop teaching writing at schools," Tian told NPR.

☆ Teachers are adapting to concerns about a powerful new AI tool
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Some teachers said they’ve also heard of students being required to film short videos that elaborate on their thought process. Public schools in New York City and Seattle, meanwhile, have already banned students and teachers from using ChatGPT on the district’s networks and devices. Reid, the professor at Coastal Carolina University, believes teachers should work with ChatGPT and teach best practices in the classroom. Reid said teachers could encourage students to plug an assignment question into the tool and have them compare that result to what they personally wrote. “Like with other new technologies, this could be a tool instructors use to help students express their ideas,” she said.

☆ Columbia University Names Economist as Its Next President
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Melissa Korn | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Columbia University named economist Nemat “Minouche” Shafik, the current leader of the London School of Economics and Political Science, as its next president on Wednesday. She will take the helm of the sprawling Ivy League institution in July, becoming the first woman to lead Columbia. At that time, six of the eight schools in the Ivy League—all but Yale University and Princeton University—will be led by women.

☆ Evictions are picking up across the U.S. Here's what at-risk tenants can do
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ed Jones | Afp | Getty ImagesBetween rents rising and most pandemic-era eviction bans having expired, the number of tenants coming home to find notices on their doors is picking up. In just the first week of January, the Eviction Lab at Princeton University has counted more than 9,300 evictions in the nine states and the 32 cities it monitors. In New York City alone, nearly 4,400 families and tenants have been removed from their apartments since January 2022, when a ban on evictions lifted. If you are behind on your rent or facing displacement, here's what housing experts recommend you do. watch nowIn a growing number of cities and states, including Washington, Maryland and Connecticut, tenants facing eviction have a right to counsel.

☆ If you still aren't sure what ChatGPT is, this is your guide to the viral chatbot that everyone is talking about
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Open AI, the AI company behind the AI art generator DALL·E, released the viral bot Chat GPT. Other researchers seem to be taking more measured approaches with generative AI tools. He told Insider he's helping to experiment with a chat bot called "Rentervention," which is meant to support tenants. Linna said he's experimenting with Chat GPT to help "Rentervention" come up with better responses and draft more detailed letters, while gauging its limitations. "I think there's so much hype around Chat GPT, and tools like this have potential," said Linna.

☆ The Special Counsels and Merrick Garland’s Election Department
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Kimberley A. Strassel | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

☆ One chart shows how inflation is slowing down even faster than you think
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Madison Hoff | Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The annualized 3-month change in the CPI has recently been lower than the year-over-year change. The following chart shows how the year-over-year change in the Consumer Price Index compares to that of the annualized 3-month change over time:After rising from 0.7% in September to 2.4% in October, the annualized 3-month change then dropped to 2.1% in November. While the unadjusted data shows the annualized 3-month change was flat in December, the 3-month annualized inflation rate was 1.8% when looking at seasonally-adjusted data, which still suggests a dramatic cooling off of inflation in the last few months. Blinder wrote that "when the inflation rate changes abruptly, 12-month averages can leave you watching recent history rather than current events." "So is today's true inflation rate a mere 2.5%, meaning that Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve can relax?

☆ Did Trump donate his presidential salary in 2020? Tax returns don’t tell full story
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

When former President Donald Trump's tax returns were issued publicly Dec. 30, some news reports suggested he didn't donate his salary in 2020 — thereby breaking a campaign pledge — because the tax returns showed $0 of charitable gifts. However, it's unclear from the available data if he did or didn't break his promise, due to how certain information is reported on tax returns, accountants said. He didn't pay federal income tax because he didn't have any taxable income. But that's not the case if you report negative income and don't pay income tax; you can't get a tax deduction if there's no income from which to deduct. However, taxpayers can "carry forward" that unused tax break to future years — effectively using past charitable donations to reduce their tax bill later.

☆ ‘Don’t wait until March’ to hire a tax pro, says advisor — 3 moves to make before the 2023 tax filing season opens
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Kate Dore | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Take steps to reduce your 2022 tax billWhile many tax planning opportunities vanish after year-end, experts say there are still a few ways to trim your 2022 tax bill. I believe there is tremendous value in thinking ahead and coordinating both your tax and financial planning strategies. You can also still make individual retirement account contributions until the tax-filing deadline on April 18, 2023, said Brown, who is also a CPA. "If you have not already done so, review last year's records and create a checklist of the forms" you're expecting, he suggested. For deductions, you may have 1098 for mortgage interest, 5498 for individual retirement account deposits, 5498-SA for health savings account contributions and more.

☆ A former personal assistant to an Oscar-winning actress says the job comes with plenty of perks — but you have to set boundaries
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Mark Ellwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Bonnie Low-Kramen was the personal assistant to the actor Olympia Dukakis for 25 years. She shared with Insider how she made the leap into PA work, what it's like to work for a celebrity day-to-day, and how she pivoted into entrepreneurship. Good timing got her a role working alongside a starLow-Kramen with Olympia Dukakis and Dukakis' husband, the actor Louis Zorich. Prescription and dry-cleaning pickups are a constant request, Low-Kramen said, and it can cause unexpected issues. Today, Low-Kramen said, a starting salary for a celebrity PA on call 24/7 can typically hit the low six figures.

☆ Bed Bath & Beyond is closing dozens of stores in 2023 — see the full list
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Bed Bath & Beyond released an updated list of store closures set to take place by March. San Leandro: 15555 East 14th St., Suite 24015555 East 14th St., Suite 240 Burbank: 201 East Magnolia Blvd. ArterialKansas:Lawrence: 3106 S. Iowa St., Suite 2153106 S. Iowa St., Suite 215 Manhattan: 425 3rd PlaceKentucky:Elizabethtown: 1998 N. Dixie Ave.1998 N. Dixie Ave. New Hartford: 4805 Commercial Drive4805 Commercial Drive Kingston: 1187 Ulster Ave.1187 Ulster Ave. Plattsburgh: 73 Centre Drive, Suite 10073 Centre Drive, Suite 100 Farmingdale: 251 Airport Plaza Blvd. Wisconsin:Mequon: 11110 N. Port Washington RoadPuerto Rico:Bayamon: Plaza Del Sol, 725 West Main Ave.Do you work for Bed Bath & Beyond?

☆ GOP Rebels Need to Take the Win
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Kimberley A. Strassel | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

☆ New York City schools ban use of ChatGPT — becoming first US district to block AI technology as concern over cheating and plagiarism mounts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The NYC Department of Education is banning the use of ChatGPT on its networks and devices. Educators around the country have raised concern over the use of ChatGPT to cheat and plagiarize essays. The ban, in the nation's largest school district, could help set precedent around the US. Educators across the country have said the technology has the potential to "blow up" entire writing curriculums and lead to "the end of high school English." "Are high school teachers going to want students using ChatGPT to write their history essays?

☆ Burton Malkiel on why his classic investment book, 'A Random Walk Down Wall Street,' is relevant 50 years later
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

You recommended index funds 50 years ago even before index funds existed. Standard & Poor's publishes annual reports showing how actively managed funds compare with index funds. Random Walk means that the history of past stock market prices cannot be used to predict the future. Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), most of which are tied to index funds, are continuing to rake in money. This suggests that returns over the next decade are likely to be below the 9%-10% long-run historical stock market returns.

New York City's Department of Education announced a ban on the wildly popular chatbot ChatGPT — which some have warned could inspire more student cheating — from its schools’ devices and networks. It was not immediately clear if the ban applied to the City University of New York system. In New York public schools, ChatGPT can still be made available upon request to classes studying artificial intelligence. In an email statement responding to the New York City public schools ban, a spokesperson for OpenAI said the company "doesn't want ChatGPT to be used for misleading purposes in schools or anywhere else." We’ve always called for transparency around the use of AI-generated text," the spokesperson said.

☆ Two classic books on long-term investing are out in new editions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Two classic books on long-term investing are out in new editions. In December, the Wharton School's Jeremy Siegel published a new (6th) edition of his classic, Stocks for the Long Run: The Definitive Guide to Financial Market Returns & Long-Term Investment Strategies. Like Malkiel, Ellis urged investors to diversify into low-cost index fund investing, which was a radical idea because there were no low-cost index funds at the time! The market eventually caught up with Malkiel, Siegel, Ellis and Bogle. Investors now had not just an index fund, they had a low-cost, tax-efficient wrapper they could buy it in.

☆ A Princeton student built an app which can detect if ChatGPT wrote an essay to combat AI-based plagiarism
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Princeton student built an app that aims to tell if essays were written by AIs like ChatGPT. The app analyzes text to see how randomly it is written, allowing it to detect if it was written by AI. The website hosting the app, built by Edward Tian, crashed due to high traffic. "Are high school teachers going to want students using ChatGPT to write their history essays? Tian added that he's planning to publish a paper with accuracy stats using student journalism articles as data, alongside Princeton's Natural Language Processing group.

☆ 5 ways to make affordable housing for all in 2023 — from construction laws to mortgage financing
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Houston has been able to keep its housing affordable in large part because of just this, he said. Jeff Tucker, the chief economist at Zillow, also told Insider that the biggest hurdle to affordable housing was "zoning reform." California has already done this when its citizens voted to pass Proposition 46, which provides funding specifically for affordable housing. It allocated just shy of $1 billion to the multifamily sector, according to CCIM, and is expected to see $13 billion in private funds be pushed into affordable housing. In July, Ginnie Mae, a federally-backed mortgage provider, specifically focused on affordable housing, requested that a manufactured home mortgage program be extended.

☆ House Republicans Plan a Committee on Censors and Snoops
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Kimberley A. Strassel | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

☆ When Does Life Begin?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Elizabeth Dias | Bethany Mollenkof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +19 min

“It is not black and white.”America’s fight over abortion has long circled a question, one that is broad and without consensus:When does life begin? The question of when life begins has been so politicized it can be hard to thoughtfully engage. Ancient Egypt gave the power to create new human life almost entirely to men. The scientific revolution, from Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution to reproductive science, disrupted centuries of thought on human life. “When does the responsibility for a life begin and end?”

☆ Is the Catholic Church Rethinking Contraception?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Francis X. Rocca | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Some two dozen Catholic theologians, philosophers and other scholars gathered in Rome this month for a three-day conference dedicated to defending and explaining the implications of the Catholic Church’s prohibition of contraception, as set out in St. Paul VI ’s 1968 encyclical “Humanae Vitae.”The conference, whose speakers included the legal philosophers John Finnis of Notre Dame Law School and Robert George of Princeton University, was organized in response to what just a few years ago would have been an unlikely source of questioning on the topic: the Vatican.

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