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☆ Scientists develop A.I. system focused on turning peoples' thoughts into text
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The researchers trained their semantic decoder on dozens of hours of brain activity data from participants, collected in an fMRI scanner. Scientists have developed a noninvasive AI system focused on translating a person's brain activity into a stream of text, according to a peer-reviewed study published Monday in the journal Nature Neuroscience . PH.D. STUDENT JERRY TANG PREPARES TO COLLECT BRAIN ACTIVITY DATA IN THE BIOMEDICAL IMAGING CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN. Once the AI system is trained, it can generate a stream of text when the participant is listening to or imagines telling a new story. According to a news release, the trained system produces text that closely or precisely matches the intended meaning of the participant's original words around half of the time.

☆ Roundup: Broncos pick up 5th year on WR Jerry Jeudy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 1 - The Denver Broncos picked up the fifth-year option on wide receiver Jerry Jeudy on Monday. Jeudy has 157 catches for 2,295 yards and nine touchdowns in 41 games (33 starts) since the Broncos selected him No. --The Cleveland Browns picked up the fifth-year option on starting left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr.Wills, 23, will make $14.175 million in the 2024 season. --The Ravens declined the fifth-year option on linebacker Patrick Queen, drafted No. He has just three sacks in 40 games (11 starts) since being selected No.

☆ Jerry Mander, Adman for Radical Causes, Dies at 86
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Richard Sandomir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

His son Kai confirmed the death but did not provide a cause. In 1966, Mr. Mander was working at Freeman & Gossage, an advertising agency in San Francisco, when David Brower, the executive director of the Sierra Club, asked for help in framing the conservation group’s opposition to the federal government’s construction of hydroelectric dams on the Colorado River. The full-page newspaper ads created by the agency grabbed national attention and angered proponents of the project in Congress, who denied the Sierra Club’s claims that the dams would flood and desecrate the canyon. “Now Only You Can Save Grand Canyon From Being Flooded … For Profit,” read the headline of one of the ads written by Mr. Mander. It included coupons with messages that readers could clip and send to public officials, including to President Lyndon B. Johnson and Stewart Udall, secretary of the interior.

WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - The Biden administration outlined efforts this week to address growing U.S. national security concerns on foreign companies' handling of Americans' data. Concerns about Chinese-owned TikTok have sparked new efforts in Congress to boost powers to address it or potentially ban the popular short video sharing app. Under Commerce Secretary for Industry and Security Alan Estevez was among those addressing information and communications technology supply (ICTS) chain threats, the department said. "I think it is a top priority and we need to move with urgency," U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said at a Senate hearing on Wednesday of the legislative effort. Days before then President Donald Trump left office in 2021, the Commerce Department issued aimed at addressing ICTS concerns posed by China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela.

☆ Opinion | Read This Before Shopping for Your Bud Light Replacement Beer
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Matthew Walther | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

In the words of a television spot from 1979: “It’s not city beer. Rather than acknowledge Bud Light’s place in a faceless globalized chain of ownership, advertisements for the beer attempt to underscore its supposedly distinctive American and working-class character. Some years ago a series of advertisements featured the Bud Knight, a character who figured in faux-medieval settings alongside a royal personage known as the Dilly Dilly King. In one spot, the king enters a tavern and orders “Bud Lights for everyone,” eliciting cries of approval from the assembled crowd. The implication is that Bud Light is for ordinary decent people who just want to have a good time with their friends, not smug effete connoisseurs.

☆ The ‘Hurtful’ Idea of Scientific Merit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Jerry A. Coyne | Anna I. Krylov | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Review & Outlook: CDC director Rochelle Walensky says she’s going to reshuffle the agency with an emphasis on 'action' and 'equity.' We finally learned of the journal’s existence, however, when we tried to publish a commentary about how modern science is being compromised by a de-emphasis on merit. Apparently, what was once anodyne and unobjectionable is now contentious and outré, even in the hard sciences. Merit isn’t much in vogue anywhere these days. Our intent was to defend established and effective practices of judging science based on its merit alone.

☆ Jerry Springer Created a World Where We All Act Like Guests on His Show - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Jane Coaston | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

But I don’t think Mr. Springer’s defense of his show as simply a mirror rings true. Mr. Springer wasn’t a ringmaster; he was a tutor, and he was teaching his guests how to be exactly what his audience clamored to see. Mr. Springer might say he didn’t want this legacy. He once claimed that he wanted his television show to be serious, with serious interviews with serious people. Mr. Springer oversaw it all and tried to convince us that it was normal.

☆ Jerry Springer cause of death revealed
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Longtime television host and former mayor of Cincinnati Jerry Springer died from pancreatic cancer, his longtime representative Linda Shafran confirmed to CNN Friday. Springer’s death had been announced Thursday. His tabloid talk series, “The Jerry Springer Show,” premiered in 1991 and was wildly successful in syndication. Both Springer and his show were often criticized for helping to popularize “trash TV” due to the often outrageous guests he hosted. Springer once told CNN that he did not mind being referred to as the “grandfather of trash TV,” saying in 2010, as “The Jerry Springer Show” celebrated its 20th anniversary on the air: “It’s probably accurate.

☆ Ben & Jerry’s Paves Way for Union at Vermont Store
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Noam Scheiber | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ben & Jerry’s announced Friday that it had reached an agreement with workers at its flagship store in Burlington, Vt., on a set of rules to ensure a fair union election, after the workers’ announcement last week that they were seeking to organize. The agreement is likely to pave the way for the store to become the only unionized Ben & Jerry’s location in the United States. All of the nearly 40 workers eligible to join a union at the store have indicated their support for doing so. The company indicated that the agreement could make the store a better place to work. Rebeka Mendelsohn, a shift manager who has helped lead the organizing campaign, said she hoped the agreement would encourage workers at other Ben & Jerry’s stores to consider unionizing.

☆ Talk Show Host Jerry Springer Dies at 79
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Joseph Pisani | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jerry Springer, the former mayor of Cincinnati, was known for his daytime TV show. Photo: Virginia Sherwood/Associated PressJerry Springer , the daytime TV host whose show featured fist fights and hair pulling, has died. Mr. Springer died Thursday in his Chicago-area home, according to a representative. A cause of death wasn’t disclosed.

☆ Jerry Springer, Talk Show Host and Former Cincinnati Mayor, Dies at 79
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Joseph Pisani | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jerry Springer , the daytime TV host whose show featured fist fights and hair pulling, has died. Mr. Springer died of cancer Thursday in his Chicago-area home, a publicist said.

☆ Jerry Springer, American Ringmaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( James Poniewozik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

There is a point there: Springer, especially in the early years of his show, seemed to engage with his guests, however outrageous. Even trash TV operates on moral assumptions — “The Jerry Springer Show” accepts that being a candidate for “The Jerry Springer Show” is not a badge of honor — but programs like Springer’s gave the audience permission to enjoy the grotesquerie. But his show also demonstrated that TV populists, like all populists, aren’t just reflecting broad, unmediated reality. Springer didn’t invent the trashification of TV and pop culture. (The early, issues-oriented incarnation of “Springer” didn’t do well in the ratings.)

"It's principally around the costs of labour, logistics and energy and what our suppliers see in their own production bases," finance chief Graeme Pitkethly said. On Thursday, Unilever said it had raised prices by 10.7% in the first quarter. "People are looking towards the second half of this year for some relief in costs - we'll see if that actually plays out," Richard Saldanha, a fund manager at Unilever and Nestle investor Aviva, said. "Clearly these companies are still displaying a pretty decent ability to push pricing ... Unilever is able to manage what is still a very elevated cost environment." Reporting by Richa Naidu Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Jerry Springer, raucous talk show host, dead at 79
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Brendan O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Television personality Jerry Springer at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 25, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File PhotoLONDON, April 27 (Reuters) - Television personality Jerry Springer, known for a long-running talk show that featured raucous audiences, controversial topics and fist-fighting guests and who briefly served as Cincinnati mayor, died at age 79 on Thursday, his family said. Springer was born in London on Feb. 13, 1944, and immigrated to New York City when he was 4 years old. In 1991, Springer landed his own television program, a syndicated talk show broadcast across the United States until 2018. The daytime program, known as "The Jerry Springer Show," was initially a politically oriented show but later featured everyday people discussing sensationalistic topics, often related to unconventional sexuality.

☆ Jerry Springer, Host of Unapologetically Brash Talk Show, Dies at 79
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Remy Tumin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Jerry Springer, the brash talk show host who mediated tumultuous relationships and family feuds and who briefly served as mayor of Cincinnati, died on Thursday at his home in Chicago. Mr. Springer’s death, after a brief illness, was confirmed in a statement by Jene Galvin, a family friend and executive producer of Mr. Springer’s podcast. “The Jerry Springer Show” ran for nearly three decades, reaching its peak viewership in the 1990s. No matter what sort of drama had taken place in front of a studio audience and viewers tuning in from home, Mr. Springer ended each segment with a signature sign-off: “Take care of yourself, and each other.”A complete obituary will follow.

CNN —Jerry Springer, the former Cincinnati mayor and longtime TV host whose tabloid talk show was known for outrageous arguments, thrown chairs and physical confrontations between sparring couples and homewreckers, has died, Bradley Singer, his agent, said Thursday. Springer once told CNN that he did not mind being referred to as the “grandfather of trash TV,” saying in 2010, as “The Jerry Springer Show” celebrated its 20th anniversary on the air: “It’s probably accurate. “You know, when I first heard it, I can came back home and I figured: Oh, my gosh, you know. Jerry Springer at NBC studios, in 1992. Steve Kagan/The Chronicle Collection/Getty ImagesSpringer’s anchor work led to a Cincinnati-based talk show that later became the nationally syndicated, “The Jerry Springer Show.”In 1998, he told WLWT of the people who objected to his show: “I think that’s fair.

The British company, which sells Cornettos cones and Talenti tubs, on Thursday reported a 0.2% dip in overall quarterly sales volumes, but a more than 4% decline in ice cream volumes. Its ice cream prices rose 10.5% in the quarter, driving turnover of 1.7 billion euros ($1.9 billion). About 60% of Unilever's ice cream business is "in-home" - bought from stores - while the rest is eaten in parlours and other venues. "Ice cream is the most discretionary category that we have across all of our categories," finance chief Graeme Pitkethly said. When consumers are under pressure, because ice cream is more discretionary, ice cream gets dropped from the basket."

The 10.7% increase in prices was, however, lower than in recent quarters, adding to signs inflationary pressures might be easing as input costs declined. Packaged goods companies have been hiking prices as they grapple with a surge in costs of everything from sunflower oil and shipping to packaging and grain. Unilever reported a 10.5% rise in underlying first-quarter sales to 14.8 billion euros ($16.4 billion), beating analysts' average forecast for a 7.2% increase, according to a company-provided consensus. That included a 10.7% increase in prices and a 0.2% dip in volumes. Rivals P&G (PG.N) and Nestle (NESN.S) have also recently reported stronger than expected quarterly sales, with price hikes offsetting lower volumes.

☆ After Celebrating Tragedy, the N.F.L. Draft Looks to Change Its Tone
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Ken Belson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

draft is a pinnacle for many players, most of whom have dreamed for years of hearing their names called by Commissioner Roger Goodell in front of millions of TV viewers. But in 2020, as players celebrated reaching the professional ranks, the broadcast zoomed in on their personal tragedies. Viewers learned, for example, that the sister of receiver Jerry Jeudy, whom the Denver Broncos selected 15th overall, had died while he was in high school. The package introducing Michael Pittman Jr., a receiver taken 34th by the Indianapolis Colts, revealed his stutter. Trevon Diggs, a cornerback picked 51st by the Dallas Cowboys, was noted to have lost his father to heart failure in 2008.

☆ Trump isn't the only former president to be embroiled in a hush-money scandal. Here are 10 public figures, including 3 US presidents, who have been accused of making payments to keep people quiet.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( James Pasley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Donald Trump was indicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying documents related to alleged hush-money payments. Several public figures also have similar scandals, including Harvey Weinstein, Michael Jackson, and Bill O'Reilly. US presidents Thomas Jefferson, Warren Harding, and Richard Nixon were all involved in hush money scandals. Other notable politicians who made hush money payments include former treasury secretary Alexander Hamilton and former Sen. John Edwards. Outside of politics, there have been several public figures who made hush money payments including Harvey Weinstein, Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby, Jerry Falwell Jr., and Bill O'Reilly.

☆ Charles Stanley, Atlanta Pastor Who Preached to the World, Dies at 90
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Richard Sandomir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Charles Stanley, an influential Baptist pastor who for more than 50 years preached a conservative message from his Atlanta megachurch, through an extensive network of television and radio stations, and in many books, died on Tuesday at his home in Atlanta. In Touch Ministries, Dr. Stanley’s nonprofit organization, announced his death but did not state a cause. As the senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Atlanta, Dr. Stanley was known as one of the leading American preachers of his time, alongside figures like the Rev. He was also a board member of the Moral Majority, the right-wing religious organization, and a close friend of its founder, the Rev. “Evangelicals just loved him,” Barry Hankins, a professor of history at Baylor University who, with Thomas Kidd, wrote “Baptists in America” (2015), said in a phone interview.

☆ The Man Who Settled the Fox-Dominion Defamation Case From a Romanian Tour Bus
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lawyers representing Dominion Voting Systems leave the Leonard Williams Justice Center following a settlement with Fox News. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesJerry Roscoe was enjoying a cruise with his wife on the Danube River in Romania last Sunday when the dispute mediator saw an email asking for his help on a sensitive matter: the high-stakes defamation suit against Fox News. Voting machine company Dominion Voting Systems had sued Fox, accusing the company of airing false claims that its technology helped rig the 2020 presidential election in favor of Joe Biden. Fox argued that it was covering newsworthy election-fraud claims. It was a bruising legal battle that, after two years of hostilities, would soon be aired in front of a Delaware jury.

☆ This reseller's side hustle started as a way to get his family out of debt. Now he's made over $1.4 million on StockX by working around 10 hours a month.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Danni Santana | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ray Cao began reselling sneakers and apparel at 17 to help get his family out of debt. As a teen, Cao's parents racked up gambling debt and invested in penny stocks that backfired, he told Insider. "What got me into reselling was just being desperate to improve the financial situation for my family," Cao said. Ray CaoReselling on StockX costs more but saves timeA turning point for Cao's business came when StockX asked for a meeting a few years ago. "It's true that you don't make the best money on StockX," Cao said, referring to fees the marketplace charges for orchestrating a sale.

The voice on the other end asked Roscoe if he would serve as an eleventh-hour mediator in the massive defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News. “I said yes,” Roscoe told CNN on Wednesday, recalling advice his father gave him at the age of 16 about accepting work assignments while on vacation. Eduardo Munoz/Reuters/Eric Lee/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesIn the lead up to the last-second deal, attorneys for both Fox News and Dominion were fully expecting a trial. Last week, Dominion had notified Fox News that one of its first witnesses would be Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old Fox Corporation chairman, a person familiar with the matter told CNN. “Presence in the courtroom often tends to crystalize the focus of the risks and benefits of litigation,” Roscoe told CNN.

☆ Ben and Jerry's is latest progressive company to be brought into the union debate as scoopers at its flagship store in Vermont move to unionize
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Employees at a Ben & Jerry's shop in Vermont are seeking to form a union. A Ben & Jerry's spokeswoman told Insider that "we recognize and support the rights of all workers to unionize and collectively bargain." Ben & Jerry's workers told the Washington Post that they decided to pursue a union after management took away the store's tip jar for the company's annual Free Cone Day. All 37 scoopers at the Burlington store have pledged support for the union, according to Scoopers United. The union effort is the latest test for Ben & Jerry's, which has cast itself as a socially conscious brand for decades.

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