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Auto Trader's Commercial Director, comments on April's new car registration figures
“Rising new car sales for a ninth month in a row represent a healthier economic picture than feared a few months back, which is good for the market, and consumer demand is strong with over 77 million visits to the Auto Trader platform last month alone.
“But the softening of the SMMT’s forecasts on EV sales offers some cause for concern and underlines our recent call for measures needed to support the EV market, such as cutting VAT on public chargers. Hopefully ChargeUK’s new plans to invest £6bn in charging infrastructure will also help the cause of the transition to electric vehicles.
Ian added: “Although some industry voices might show concern over the potential impact of improved supply, there’s still plenty of slack in some of the channels that have been starved of supply in recent times, and we’re confident the majority will welcome a healthy mix of volume and margin, somewhere between the pre-Covid and post-Covid extremes.”
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NBA Digital adds flexibility to team sites
NBA Digital is rolling out a new responsive design for all 30 individual team websites, a move aimed at providing a consistent user experience across desktop and mobile platforms.
The initiative, which has been in the works since early in the season, features a more unified design template across platforms and is designed to automatically rescale itself based on the size of any user’s screen. Responsive Web design has been increasingly popular in digital circles for several years but remains something of a rarity in the sports industry.
|The design aims to provide consistency across desktop (left) and mobile platforms.
“We’ve seen record growth across mobile platforms, and moving to a responsive design that allows us to optimize our compelling content for a seamless delivery across all screens was important to all involved,” said Christina Miller, NBA Digital senior vice president and general manager.
About half of NBA teams have migrated to the new design format, with the rest expected to move to the responsive format over the next several weeks. Not surprisingly, the new format places greater emphasis on video, photos, curated story streams and social media.
The new system also provides a sharply increased amount of flexibility for team personnel to adjust the look of their team sites and what content is highlighted, even several times a day if desired.
“Before, there were maybe four or five basic templates we were working from,” said Doug Tatum, New Orleans Pelicans executive director of digital media. “Now, there’s so much more freedom to adjust things as needed and play around with various ideas and concepts. And given the growth we’ve seen on mobile, this serves both our fans and our advertisers so much better.”

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The new Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX concept is claimed to set new energy efficiency benchmarks to get a “real-world range of more than 620 miles” – 167 more than the EQS flagship EV.
It has been conceived to challenge existing EV principles in a programme aimed at hatching new ideas, processes and innovations for adoption on upcoming EVs.
Chief technology officer, Markus Schäfer, said: “There are many, many elements of the vehicle which are very close to moving into series production,” he added. “We can look at the shape and form of the vehicle, and we are very close to the series car that we are going to see in 2024 with all the ingredients to make it one of the most efficient electric vehicles that exists”.
- The rear-wheel-drive saloon is its high efficiency rating, which at more than 6.2 miles per kWh is almost double that of the Mercedes-Benz EQS on the WLTP test procedure – a figure that Mercedes says is the equivalent of more than 282mpg in a petrol car.
- It has been achieved using a newly developed motor and a bespoke lithium ion battery, which, at just under 100kWh, has a lower overall energy capacity than the EQS – the longest-range version of which lasts 453 miles.
- Using cells supplied by Chinese battery specialist CATL, the 1750kg EQXX’s new battery is also claimed to be “50% the size” of the EQS’s 107.8kWh pack and is some 35% lighter, at about 495kg.
- Mercedes said that the new high-silicon-content battery operates at more than 900V and features “active cell balancing” – a process whereby energy is drawn evenly from each cell for enhanced efficiency at a cruise.
For more information, please visit the full article from Autocar HERE


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- Russian Communications Watchdog Notifies Google of Personal Data Violations by Vote Smart
Russian Communications Watchdog Notifies Google Of Personal Data Violations By Vote Smart
Daniyal Sohail 1 month ago Wed 23rd June 2021 | 05:20 PM
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd June, 2021) Russia's communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, has asked Google to provide details on the administrator of the Vote Smart website and has notified the internet giant of the need to stop violating the laws on the processing of personal data, a Roskomnadzor spokesperson told Sputnik.
"To ensure the protection of the rights of Russian citizens, Roskomnadzor sent a letter to Google LLC, which ensures the operation of the internet resource on the appspot.com platform, with a request to provide information about the actual administrator of the [Vote Smart] resource that collects and processes data," the spokesperson said.
According to Roskomnadzor, the information in question is needed to send a request to the personal data operator about the legal basis for the collection and cross-border transfer of personal data.
"Roskomnadzor also notified Google of the need to stop processing the personal data of Russian citizens, which is in violation of Russian law," the spokesperson of the communications watchdog told Sputnik.
The Vote Smart website collects extensive personal data, including information about Russian citizens' place of residence, email addresses and full Names, according to Roskomnadzor. Users are not informed about the cross-border transfer of their personal data and there is no information on the details of the processing of personal data bases.
Andrey Elantsev, a Russian attorney who heads the Yekaterinburg legal center "Reputation," told Sputnik that the Vote Smart website stores the information about its users, including addresses and phone numbers, abroad, on US servers. According to Elantsev, the Russian citizens' data is collected under the pretext that in the future, users will be able to become election observers.


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The second-gen Hyundai Creta was previewed by the China-spec ix25.
It will be based on the same platform as the upcoming Kia Seltos.
New Creta will use the Setos’ BS6 petrol and diesel engines.
2020 Creta is longer, wider and shorter than current-gen SUV.
Hyundai is likely to launch the new Creta in India before April 2020.
The next-gen Hyundai Creta has already been unveiled in China as the ix25 and it is expected to be launched in India before April 2020. We knew it would have the same engines as the upcoming Kia Seltos and now we have its dimensions too.
Here’s how the new Creta will measure up:
The ix25 has grown in size when compared to the current version of the Creta compact SUV. It is 30mm longer with a 20mm longer wheelbase and 10mm wider too. However it is 43mm shorter than the current model.
It is based on the same platform as the new Kia Seltos but the latter’s wheelbase is 3mm longer, 15mm longer overall and 10mm wider too. The ix25 is 2mm taller though.
The 2020 Hyundai Creta will likely be powered by the same set of BS6 petrol and diesel engines that will be offered on the Kia Seltos. Here’s how the expected range of powertrains compare to the options offered on the current Creta:
The 1.5-litre petrol engine from the Seltos has less performance on offer than the current Creta’s 1.6-litre unit. However, the downsized BS6 engine is expected to be more fuel efficient.
Kia also offers a more powerful 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine (140PS/242Nm) on the Seltos. It remains to be seen if Hyundai will offer it on the next-gen Creta.
In the case of the diesel engine option, the current Creta comes with two choices while the next-gen Creta is likely to find the middle ground with only one engine. It offers less performance than the 1.6-litre unit available today.
Hyundai is expected to showcase the India-spec version of the ix25 as the next-gen Creta at the 2020 Auto Expo in February. It will showcase an all-new design language inside and out as it takes on the likes of the upcoming Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki S-Cross, Nissan Kicks, Renault Captur and Duster too.


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Douyin Box is an independent e-commerce app focusing on fashion trends launched by Douyin in December 2021. Seeing the success of Douyin's content, a large number of e-commercial companies were attracted when it first launched. However, this September, Douyin Box was repeatedly misrepresented by industry insiders as being about to be stopped due to the low volume of active users.
According to Sense Tower's data, the DAU (Daily Average Users) of Douyin Box is only around 50,000, and the MAU is around 350,000, while the DAU of Douyin has reached 3.5 billion already. In terms of content, Though the two apps share the same content, the broadcast volume is extremely different.
At the same time, the Douyin Team is taking a bold step to promote E-shop inside the Douyin Platform. Brands can assess E-shops in the platform in five areas, including basic information maintenance, page module configuration, commodity force, decoration force, and material aesthetics. Among them, commodity force mainly refers to whether merchants have configured enough SKUs. In contrast, the decoration force refers to the need for merchants to make good commodity components, publicity components, and marketing components. Douyin hopes to quickly set up a standard shelf e-commerce ecosystem. An industry insider comments that Douyin wishes to build its internal E-shop feature to challenge Taobao.
Douyin is a content-based online platform, and it is accelerating its transformation in order to change the situation of binding content traffic. Both Douyin Box and the E-shop are attempts of Douyin to dissolve the conflict between the rapidly expanding e-commerce business and the content ecology, so as to maintain the content ecology in Douyin.
So far, Douyin has begun to divert traffic actively to its Douyin E-shop platform. In the Recommendation section on Douyin's homepage, advertisements for the Douyin E-shop platform are being emphasized, hoping to get more users to monetize more Douyin's traffic. The logic of ecommerce store is “search-repurchase”, which will be difficult for Douyin to achieve, but the huge number of daily active users on Douyin could bring more possibilities to the platform.
According to analysts' estimates, the GMV of e-commerce business in Douyin has exceed 800 billion yuan in 2021. Until the end of April 2022, the GMV of e-commerce in Douyin in the past year has been 3.2 times more than the same period last year, according to official data. The e-commerce mode of selling products via short videos and live broadcasts on Douyin is relatively mature. The e-commerce in Douyin is in a period of high growth, but its future trend for Douyin e-commerce still remains to be seen.


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This is the first time production spec headlights and tail lamps are seen on the 2021 Mahindra XUV500
The next generation Mahindra XUV500 has been one of the keenly awaited SUVs in the country. It has been in development for almost two years now and has been spied testing on roads for almost a year now. We hoped to see the new model by the end of this year, however, the Covid-19 pandemic has adversely affected the manufacturer’s launch plans.
Over a period of time, several spied images of the new XUV500 have gone around the internet. From each set of images, we got to see something new about the upcoming model. The latest set of spy images, credit to Team-BHP member Vinod Moorthy, Instagram user KodaiVik and XUV500 Modified; reveal the XUV500 in production ready guise for the first time.
Still being tested under heavy camouflage, this is the first time we are seeing the actual, production spec LED headlight in the front and LED tail light at the rear. All earlier spy shots of 2021 XUV500 were seen with decoy headlights and taillamps. These new images also reveal the grille design of new gen XUV500.
The silhouette is an evolution of the current model with muscular haunches at rear. The test mule shows premium flush-type door handles as opposed to claw-like door handles in the current model. Also point of attention are the new set of diamond-cut alloy wheels, which too have been seen for the first time in production spec form. The rear overhang seems to be slightly longer which might suggest that the new model might be slightly longer than the current model.
The interiors of the upcoming XUV500, as seen from earlier spied images, have been completely overhauled and looks nothing like the new model. The new design takes a simplistic approach that looks cleaner. It also gets a flat-bottom steering wheel which looks sporty. Instead of the dual-tone colour scheme, it is expected to get an all-black treatment inside the cabin.
Expected Powertrain, Transmission Options
As far as powertrain is concerned, it is likely to be powered by a reconfigured 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engine which currently powers the upcoming new Thar. However, power output is expected to be higher in the range of 180-190 bhp. Transmission duties are likely to be carried out either by a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic. We also expect the 2.0-litre mStallion turbo petrol unit to be offered in the new XUV500. An all-wheel drive (AWD) should also be offered as optional.
Upon its launch, the new XUV500 will lock its horn with other mid-size SUVs such as MG Hector, Tata Harrier and seven-seater Hyundai Creta. It could also be a rival to Hector Plus and upcoming Tata Gravitas. The new-gen XUV500 is expected to be launched sometime early next year.


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It’s cringe-inducing to wonder who last handled your cash or coins. A sick drugstore customer buying medicine? A child sticking the quarter in his mouth? A person traveling straight from the bathroom stall to the vending machine without stopping at the sink? New York University researchers found in 2014 that a dollar bill carries about 3,000 different types of bacteria, so wash your hands after shopping.
Washing your hands is a great step in preventing illness, but where you dry them must be clean, too. University of Arizona researchers found in 2014 that 89% of kitchen towels contained coliform bacteria, and 25% contained E. coli, which gets introduced to kitchens by uncooked meat. After each use, machine wash towels using warm water for colored towels and hot water for white ones.
- Door Knobs/Door Handles
Doors get us from point A to point B, and they open our microwaves, ovens and refrigerators. But in 2014, University of Arizona researchers found that one germ-infested doorknob could spread a virus to 40-60% of a workplace staff within two to four hours. Microbiology professor Charles Gerba said people can stop the spread anywhere with a simple item: Disinfecting wipes. In the studies, the wipes alone reduced occurrences of the virus by 80%.
- Electronic Devices
Phones, tablets, TV remotes and gaming controllers all spend hours in our hands, and they’re germy. We pass around TV remotes and video game controllers while stuffing our mouths with food. And our cell phones, which follow us everywhere, contain 18 times more than the amount of germs you’ll find on a toilet handle. Debate continues on how to clean a phone or tablet without harming the screen, but the New York Times offers ideas you may try at your own risk.
- Light Switches
We finish touching our light switches after a quick flick, but nonetheless, they’re communal locations that everyone lays hands upon. Studies show light switches can have as many germs as a trash can. Run a disinfecting wipe across the light switch to eliminate the germs living there.
- Washing Machines
We’ll save you the stomach-turning specifics, but just know that underwear introduces bacteria to the washing machine. And when wet laundry sits in there after the cycle, the bacteria invades, according to ABC News. Use hot water (140-150°F) or bleach to wash your clothing when possible. When it’s not laundry day, run a wash cycle with bleach and no clothing to rinse your washer. Always wash your hands after handling laundry.


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Retailer says Florence County voters should have say on sales to stores
FLORENCE, S.C. – Retailers reacted Thursday and Friday to the Florence County Council’s decision to remove a provision that would have allowed Sunday alcohol sales at retail establishments from a ballot question asking voters for their approval of Sunday alcohol sales.
A referendum will be held in the November election on whether to allow Sunday sales at bars and restaurants.
Brent Townsend, who owns Sav-A-Step, a Shell station at the intersection of South Cashua Drive and Knollwood Road, said he felt the decision was “kind of odd.”
“It’s pretty ridiculous, to be honest with you, that if we’re going to allow the people of Florence County to vote, including myself, on something like this, why are we going to allow – whether it be residents of Florence County or visitors of Florence County— to come into Florence County and we’re going to allow them to go to a restaurant and buy alcohol and potentially get on the road and we’re not going to allow them to go to a convenience store and buy alcohol to take home?” Townsend said.
Townsend said that people like to cook out on Sundays with their families and that sometimes those cooking out like to enjoy a beer while doing so.
“I think it’s wrong just to limit it to restaurants and not allow grocery stores and convenience stores,” Townsend said. “I’m sure Walmart would like to be able to sell alcohol on Sundays. I’m sure certain convenience store owners in Florence would like to sell alcohol on Sundays.”
Townsend also discussed the issue of safety. He said he believed it was safer for someone to go to a convenience store or grocery store and get a six-pack of beer to take home rather than consuming alcohol at a bar or restaurant and having to get home.
“I still think that everyone should have a choice in the matter,” Townsend said. “I think that there’s a lot of people in Florence, including many of my customers, who would agree with me. I think it [Sunday alcohol sales at convenience stores] would pass easily.”
Townsend’s view directly contradicts the view held by Councilman James Schofield, who said at Thursday’s meeting that he did not believe the ballot question could pass if it allowed alcohol sales at convenience stores and grocery stores.
“The South Carolina Retail Association fully supports the adoption of an ordinance placing a referendum on the November 2018 election ballot for the voters to consider Sunday Retail Alcohol Sales,” Lindsey Kueffner, executive director of the South Carolina Retail Association, said in a statement sent to the Morning News. “We believe it is important that off-premise retail sales be included in the referendum not only to allow our retail members to be treated equally, but also to give retailers a viable opportunity, that is currently missed, to meet customer demand.”
Kueffner said that not allowing the Sunday sales of alcohol at retail establishments was not reflective of today’s consumer’s preferences. Sunday has become a big shopping day for the American family, she added, because of busy schedules during the week.
“Retail grocers, such as Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Kroger, IGA and Piggly Wiggly, along other retailers such as Walmart and Costco, are solid South Carolina employers throughout the state,” Kueffner said. “Allowing these retail employers a means to offer more variety of product and, in turn, expand employee hours, will result in both more payroll taxes as well as additional tax revenue for the county.”
The county council voted Thursday to remove the provision for retail sales but also voted to go ahead with a ballot question asking voters for their approval of Sunday alcohol sales at bars and restaurants.
The question of Sunday alcohol sales at on-premises locations will appear on the Nov. 6 general election ballot.


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A few days ago, the popular Thai gaming organization RRQ Athena released four players from its roster. Since then, fans have been eager to know which team the released players will join. The App Market Explorer allows you to selectively or broadly browse the entire mobile application market.
Thailand is the first country where the private sector is showing real support for the industry. The company believes there is a chance for Thais to develop games that are up to international standards within 3-5 years. There are the commentators, production teams, and even the players themselves who want to be able to adapt and take on other positions in the ecosystem.
Somboon Lampang, The Red Tiger team from TAIKI-SHA Company, and the SVEN CLUBS team from TCC Hotel Asset Management Co., Ltd. won the 2nd – 4th place, respectively, total prizes worth more than 246,000 baht. Real preparation helps prevent teams from breaking up after losing a competition or corruption where athletes are not paid after a loss even though the team has already been paid by sponsors. Instead, he secretly registered to compete on a Thai reality TV show named King of Gamers, which pits would-be esports athletes against each other. “AIS supports the country’s gaming and e-sports industry through four main strategies — connection, competition, co-education, and community,” said Ms Rungtip. Thailand E-Sports Arena is located on the 5th floor at The Street Ratchada.
The esports market is expected to grow because of various driving factors, such as increasing popularity of video games and growing awareness about esports. Authorities had previously resisted calls for eSports to be given official recognition, citing precisely the potential for increased gaming addiction among young people. But the reversal of this position in October 2017, following extensive lobbying by eSports advocates, paved the way for gamers to compete on behalf of the country at an international level. Gaming addiction has become even more widespread since Thailand’s Sports and Tourism Ministry formally recognised eSports as an official sport. Thai universities have even been enrolling students on eSports-related courses for some time now; Bangkok University, for example, offers a Bachelor of Science in Games and Interactive Media.
Google Play In-App Billing is an SDK that lets developers sell digital content on Android applications. It can be used to sell one-time products, rewarded products, subscriptions, and more. The following shows which SDKs are most used by Thailand game publishers. To find out which mobile games integrate the following SDK use our App Market Explorer. We have also aggregated the worldwide Top Ad Network SDKs and other categories.
Pratthana said that around Bt20 billion has been spent on the games industry in Thailand, with PC and mobile platforms each contributing about half of this. Nitipat Praweenwongwuthi, marketing director of Acer Computer, said that his company played a role for the past two years as a leading hardware vendor dedicated to promoting and supporting e-Sport in Thailand. The company helped establish the Thailand E-Sports Federation, as well as establishing a regional and national tournament called Predator League. To drive eSport’s growth requires competitions, eSport athletes and eSport content.
Hardcore players can now dream of representing their country and becoming world champions. Inside this Bangkok gaming cafe, called G-Speed Living Plus, evenings are a busy time. Students still in school uniform shout instructions at others through headsets. Older gamers file in after work or university, slipping into reclining chairs and powering up to compete with friends and foes across the globe.
After joining the national team, you have to find a position amongst clubs that already have quotas of players. There are not just the players and fans when it comes to eSports, but new careers that range from cast game players and commentators to production and event staff. They all make up a community to support players and the business at the same time.
The Arena will serve as a knowledge centre and link up with local and international institutes for support and exchanging information. Jirayod Theppipit, CEO and founder of Infofed, said that the main objective of Thailand E-Sports Arena is to jointly develop the capability of eSports Esport athletes and the eSport business in Thailand to compete at the global level. With the aim to be Thailand’s first full eSports battlefield, and to transform game addicts into eSports national athletes, Infofed has invested Bt50 million to develop the Thailand E-Sports Arena.
With hundreds of tournaments being played every month, there is a significant challenge in implementing controls. Indeed, only a fraction of participants are members of the federation and most will never make it to the professional ranks. “They are Thailand representatives.They need to have responsibility.


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Gary Grund, SVP
In February of 2019, Budd Van Lines acquired Merchants Moving & Storage, a company serving Racine’s businesses and residents for over 100 years. A year later, the combined companies are thriving, moving to a new 115,000 square foot facility and serving America through the COVID-19 pandemic. The acquisi on combined the companies’ eﬃciencies through a larger na onal footprint of warehouses, move counselors, and most importantly, truck drivers/professional movers.
Budd Van Lines retained 98% of the Racine based employees.
“The Merchants employees are incredible, and epitomize the hard work and spirit of the people of Racine,” said Budd Senior Vice President, Gary Grund. “We did not make this acquisi on for trucks or assets; we made it for the people. People who care about helping others during the stressful me of moving, and people who are dedicated to the highest customer experience.”
“Even beyond Merchants being a terrific company, one key synergy we perceived was the tremendous similarity between Budd and Merchants,” explained David W. Budd, Sr., CEO of Budd Van Lines. “Both are family-owned, employee-focused, independent van lines, active in our communities. The merger has been a great fit for the customers of both companies, as well as for everyone else involved.”
Founded in 1975, Budd Van Lines is based in Somerset, NJ. Budd has had an opera on in Wisconsin since 1997 in Appleton. The company relocated to Racine with the Merchants acquisition. Since 2006, Budd has been recognized as the industry leader in corporate relocation through the Relocation Manager’s and the Relocating Employee Surveys by Trippel Survey and Research. These are industry surveys of primarily Fortune 500 companies who relocate executives and employees across the world. Proudly, with the help of the Merchants team, Budd was once again rated the #1 Independent Van Line in America in 2020.
Their own Move & Innovation
This spring Budd is moving the Merchants Division from 1215 State Street to a 115,000 square foot facility at 6200 Regency Drive West (previously Sam’s Club).
“This gives us two and a half times more space and will allow us to upgrade and modernize the oﬃces for the Racine employees,” said Tom Torcomian, Budd Van Lines COO. “The newly renovated space allows us to expand household goods storage, along with our other lines of business: commercial warehousing, boat and & RV storage, distribution, fulfillment, cross docking and final mile/white glove services. “I moved to Racine to integrate the two companies last winter. We see significant employment opportunities in Racine, and we look forward to becoming a bigger part of the business community,” said Torcomian.
Another key reason for the new facility is a patented new truck system invented by Budd Van Lines called Load- it-Once, the brainchild of Owner and Chief Executive Oﬃcer David W. Budd, Sr. Under this system, goods are loaded onto modular storage containers that fit onto the two part truck. It is essentially a straight truck with a detachable trailer. What used to take hours (even days) of handling is now accomplished in a matter of minutes.
“The old system of moving and storing furniture and high value products is archaic if you think about all the extra handling we had to do,” Grund said.
“Furniture and products are not meant to be moved. When goods are going to storage they are actually handled up to six times; it really made no sense. Load-it-Once is oﬀering the most secure move possible at no additional cost to clients; it is allowing drivers to be more eﬃcient and better follow hours of service regulations, and it is delivering goods 98% damage free. Dave Budd had the modular concept years ago, and we are now bringing it to Racine.” You can see the industry’s game changer in action the this video.
Essential Services during the Pandemic
As part of transportation and warehousing, Budd Van Lines was deemed an essential service during the COVID-19 outbreak. Budd Teams from Racine and all over the country remained in operation moving people’s goods and delivering essential services, including medical equipment, with minimal interruption. In hotspots like San Francisco, New York, New Orleans, and Chicago, the brave men and women working for Budd Van Lines helped people stay on track with their relocation.
Budd helped companies move their products and contributed to keeping America’s economy rolling. As Grund said, “We couldn’t be more proud of our Driver Teams. I think this quote from a customer during the heart of the crisis says it all:”
“…An order to shelter in place was handed down in our county to go into eﬀect the next day after all of our items were packed. I was scared; sheltering at home can’t be done if you no longer have a home. This is a crazy me and an even crazier me to be a household mover. Having movers that are confident and take charge of the situation is a true blessing.
The Budd Van Lines Merchants Division is located at 6200 Regency Drive West, Racine, WI. Budd can be reached at 800-833-2833. Please ask for Tom Torcomian, COO or Gary Grund, SVP, for anything specific to this article.
A RAMAC founding member in 1982.


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China is flexing its muscles against Taiwan. The leadership in Beijing reacted to the visit of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan with military maneuvers and missile launches.
Now China has imposed sanctions on the self-governing island. Initially only citrus fruits, mackerel fillets and other fish products were affected. Even before Pelosi's visit, Beijing stopped imports from more than a hundred Taiwanese food producers.
In addition, Taiwan can no longer import sand from China that the construction industry depends on. Later, China even imposed sanctions on Pelosi herself. One important industry was left out of the fray: electronics such as microchips or optical components, which China's economy cannot afford to go without. How integrated are the two economies?
A powerhouse off China's coast
Taiwan is slightly bigger than the US state of Maryland, or about half the size of Scotland, and has a population of 23 million, which is just over a quarter of Germany's population. And similar to Germany, Taiwan is known around the world for its industrial manufactured goods.
Its highly developed semiconductor industry is as important for Taiwan as the automotive industry is for the German economy. And a comparison with Germany shows how dependent Taiwan is on exports. Around 70% of Taiwan's economic output is attributable to its exports, in Germany it was 47% in 2021.
But, while the 2021 gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in China was $12,259, in Taiwan it was almost three times as high, at $33,775, according to data from the International Monetary Fund.
Trading the mass-produced for semiconductors
Overall, China is Taiwan's most important trading partner, followed by the United States. More than 42% of Taiwan's exports go to China, from where Taiwan gets around 22% of its imports. In 2020, goods and services worth $166 billion were exchanged between the two countries.
Taiwan is also among the top investors on the mainland. According to the government in Taipei, between 1991 and the end of May 2021, Taiwanese companies invested around $194 billion in a total of 44,577 Chinese projects. Chipmaker Foxconn's factories are one of the best known examples. The contract manufacturer makes iPhones for Apple, Galaxy smartphones for Samsung and game consoles for Sony in plants throughout China.
And the fact that semiconductors and other IT technology account for more than half of all Taiwan's exports shows how important the country is to the rest of the world, including China.
Put simply: China supplies key raw materials such as rare earths and low-end mass-produced electronic components, while Taiwan exports high-end semiconductors and optical components to the mainland to make up for China's lack of know-how.
China's central goal is to achieve the ability to produce high-end chips. Party leaders have repeatedly emphasized this in programs such as "Made in China 2025." So far, however, they have not been able to catch up.
Is an invasion eminent?
Once that goal is reached, though, some experts believe that things could get difficult for Taiwan. Chinese leader Xi Jinping could finally act on reunifying the island with the mainland. China has repeatedly stated its goal of uniting Taiwan with the mainland by the centenary of the founding of the People's Republic in 2049 at the latest, if necessary with force.
But it will probably happen much earlier, Roderich Kiesewetter said. The security expert is chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the German parliament, the Bundestag, and deputy chairman of the Parliamentary Oversight Panel, which is responsible for monitoring the German intelligence agency.
Kiesewetter made his opinion clear in a recent TV interview. "Until now, our parameters were such that we said: If China is able to produce semiconductors with the same precision, speed and quantity — and that probably wouldn't be until 2027 — then an attack is likely," he said. "But there are schools of thought in China that say: Right now, the West is very occupied by the war against Russia and supporting Ukraine."
According to Beijing, the Americans do not have the strength to fight two wars on two fronts. Still Kiesewetter believes China is not ready for an invasion. However, there are warning signs. "We have to prepare for an escalation more quickly, but not in the next few months," he said.
Business is China's first priority
Kishore Mahbubani said it was clear that China would assert its interests in an increasingly ruthless manner in the future. His book "Has China Won?" explores what will happen when China surpasses the US as the world's largest economy.
Mahbubani does not believe that Beijing will use military force to take over Taiwan just yet. The Chinese are much more interested in business than in ideologies. For the decision-makers in Beijing, the risks clearly outweigh the opportunities, the Singaporean political scientist, diplomat and former president of the UN Security Council, emphasized in an interview with Bloomberg TV.
Chinese officials don't think in terms of years, Mahbubani said: They think in terms of decades. The Chinese are making sure that they have a bigger economy than the United States — and they will remember everything that happened in the past. "That's when all the real retaliation, the real responses will come," he said. "When China eventually becomes the No. 1 economy in the world."
This article was originally written in German


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If you wanted to find a restaurant nearby, where would you look for it?
For the last decade we would have Googled it, but things are changing and TikTok is finding an opportunity as a search engine.
🚨 Watch out, because TikTok SEO is here to stay!🚨
Some Twitter users pointed out how much they loved TikTok’s search, even more than Google, and their tweets went viral. Not just because of their controversial opinion, but because many people agreed with them. In fact, Gen Z found a new way to look up directions, hot spots, professionals and stores through social media. And Google itself admitted this phenomenon!
Revealed the Senior Vice President of Knowledge and Information at Google, Prabhakar Raghavan, at a recent conference in Aspen.
This scenario makes TikTok SEO an important aspect for businesses and creators: They need to keep it top of mind if they want to index their content properly and reach larger audiences.
Brands that take advantage now will be able to build an excellent organic and recurring channel to reach good audiences. If you’re not investing in Tiktok, you can be sure your competitor will be.
Test it now, search the Tiktok search bar now for your industry term and see which companies are ranked best?
At Viplink Inc. we help you to have hundreds of well-positioned contents, using narratives and influencers.


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Netflix has bought the rights to “I Hear You,” a romantic comedy TV show produced by Alibaba’s Youku video service, which is similar to its US peer. Netflix will start streaming the show’s 24 episodes in 190 countries and regions from May 15, Bloomberg reports.
The US streaming giant is investing in content to appeal to Chinese speakers and sinophiles around the world. To date, it has acquired the global digital rights (outside of China) to “Day and Night,” a detective thriller also produced by Youku, and the hit Chinese sci-fi film “The Wandering Earth.”
Approximately 60 million people of ethnic Chinese birth or descent living outside of Mainland China, according to government statistics cited by Bloomberg. Netflix, meanwhile, had close to 119 million paying members in Q1 2019.
The continent of the 21st century: Venture VoicesThe continent of the 21st century: Venture Voices
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US adds Huawei to blacklist, spurring Sino-US tech decouplingUS adds Huawei to blacklist, spurring Sino-US tech decoupling
Chrisanti Indiana of Sociolla on building beauty’s ecosystem: Women in TechChrisanti Indiana of Sociolla on building beauty’s ecosystem: Women in Tech


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On Wednesday, Meta officially introduced Threads, a new app designed to provide a platform for real-time online conversations. This functionality has long been a core selling point for Twitter. The app shares several similarities with Twitter, including its layout and product description.
“The vision for Threads is to create an option and friendly public space for conversation,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a Threads post following the launch. “We hope to take what Instagram does best and create a new experience around text, ideas, and discussing what’s on your mind.”
It introduced innovative techniques, methodologies, and utilities, such as improved runtime performance, responsive state updates, data flow via props, JSX, reusable components, and the virtual DOM. Since then it has gained widespread adoption among developers due to its flexibility, performance, and ease of use. React JS is a powerful tool for creating dynamic, scalable, and powerful user interfaces for web development.
Businesses in the 21st century are no longer limited to traditional methods, thanks to the FinTech revolution. With a variety of options available today, companies can choose from net banking to mobile payments.
FinTech is known for its cutting-edge technologies, such as AI and blockchain. Financial services organizations that adopt technology in today’s market are more likely to succeed.
The FinTech industry is growing exponentially, with new ideas being shaped into applications every day. FinTech has become an essential and influential factor, particularly for organizations looking to grow at a rapid pace.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the buzzwords surrounding finance and technology, don’t worry – you’re not alone. FinTech is constantly innovating to create customized financial software solutions. In this article, we’ll explore the top technologies shaping the future of FinTech and how they can enhance your business’s ROI.
The mobile application development is experiencing a splendid growth. With the ubiquity and popularity of smartphones among consumers, there is a high demand for mobile application development. This prodigious development has led to the emergence of numerous mobile apps in the market.


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Amid increasing inclination towards the use of voice commands and personal digital assistants, Google announced the launch of audiobooks on the Google Play store in India.
Audiobooks on Google Play is available in nine languages across 45 countries. Users can listen to their favorite audiobooks across Android, iOS and the web, as well as on devices that include the Google Assistant, like Google Home and many others.
"We are rolling out Google audiobooks today, for users who prefer books to be read out to them. The Google Assistant integration with audiobooks is available on Android, iOS, Chromecast, Android Wear, Android Auto or even your laptop," said Greg Hartrell, Head of Product Management at Google Play Books.
On Google Play, you can buy a single audiobook at an affordable price, with no commitments. You can also get a free preview of the book to make sure you're hooked on to the story and enjoy listening to the narrator's voice.
The feature also functions with the help of Google Assistant, for users to listen to their favorite audiobook hands-free on their phone or speaker, like Google Home. The Google Assistant integration with audiobooks is available on Android phones and smart speakers globally in English.
Google also introduced the "Ready Player One" with the Assistant for phones, and on the Google Play Books app on tablets. Users can pick up where they left off, with the Assistant or the Google Play Books app on Android, iOS, Chromecast, Android Wear, Android Auto and laptops.


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In a room with nearly 800 people focused on development of battery power and alternative energy solutions, a smattering of hands raised Wednesday, Sept. 12, at what appeared to be a simple question from speaker Chelsea Sexton. “This week is actually National Drive Electric Week. How many people know that?” she asked. “That’s the problem. Nobody knows.”
Sexton, an electric vehicle advocate and advisor, based in California, served as morning keynote speaker for the 2018 Battery Show, taking place this week at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Mich.More than 600 exhibitors and 8,000-plus attendees were expected to participate in the event which includes the Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo.
Sexton, who joined the General Motors EV1 electric vehicle program in the 1990s, has expertise in advanced transportation and related technology deployment, including product development, go-to-market strategy, stakeholder engagement, retail processes, public policy, infrastructure, marketing and communications. She is featured in various books, TV shows, and films, including Sony Pictures’ Who Killed the Electric Car? and National Geographic’s Years of Living Dangerously.
In her speech, Sexton spoke of the slow progress made in the EV market, which now has 4 million plus vehicles (including some 400,000 in the state of California). EV sales in California account for only 5 percent to 6 percent of new car sales in the state. She noted, however, that growth is accelerating as more and more carmakers embrace EV technology. By the year 2022, she believes electric vehicles will match production costs of internal combustion engine vehicles and that will be the true tipping point for EV development and broad acceptance among carmakers and the public.
To this point, carmakers have taken more of a “show us the demand and we’ll build the cars” mentality, which is the opposite of how car companies have operated with traditional vehicles, she notes. “It’s sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy,” she said of the view that most consumers aren’t ready to jump to electric vehicles.
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Lack of available product is the single biggest problem impacting consumer demand, said Sexton, and without more products offered on a national scale (not just in California) the public won’t be as prepared to make EV purchases.
While some car companies have begun constructing EV products, like the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf, Tesla has been the poster child for the EV revolution. “They’ve started to change consumer expectations. The car is something that will grow with them,” said Sexton. But “no single car company is going to be able to do it by themselves.”
Changes have to come with marketing efforts to capture the “fun” associated with owning EVs, as well as the overall environmental benefits associated with lower emissions, she believes. Infrastructure improvements also must be made to simplify the recharging stations for consumers unfamiliar with the technology. Otherwise, “we risk making future mobility behave like mobility of the past,” she said.


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Friday, April 24, 2015
Port-of-Spain, April 24th, 2015:
The Ministry of Health wishes to advise the public that Blue Bell Creameries of Brenham, Texas is voluntarily recalling all of its products currently on the market made at its facilities including ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet and frozen snacks because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhoea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
The recalled products were shipped to customers in the United States, and some Caribbean Countries including Trinidad and Tobago.
Consumers who purchased these products should not eat it. If these products are in your freezer they should be thrown away, even if some of them have been eaten without anyone becoming ill.
The Chemistry, Food and Drugs Division urges consumers who have purchased these items to contact the Ministry of Health, Chemistry, Food and Drugs Division at the toll free line: 800-2333 (CFDD) or 623-2834 or 623-5242.


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(Bloomberg) – South Africa joined the global crackdown on the rising cost of life-saving cancer treatments by starting an investigation into drug companies including Roche Holding AG, Pfizer and Aspen Pharmacare Holdings for allegedly charging excessive prices.
Roche and Pfizer are suspected of charging high prices for breast and lung-cancer drugs respectively while Aspen may have abused its dominance in the market for bone and blood cancer drugs, the country’s Competition Commission said on Tuesday.
“The matter is of grave national importance,” the antitrust body said in a statement.
South Africa’s investigation follows probes by the European Union last month into pharmaceutical companies including Aspen for the pricing of cancer drugs. The EU move was prompted by action in the U.K. and Italy. Separately, U.S. officials have been looking at pricing of generic medicines for more than two years, triggering civil lawsuits from customers who say they were overcharged.
A 12-month course of Roche’s trastuzumab breast cancer medicine, branded Herceptin and Herclon, costs about R500 000 ($39,000) if administered privately, while is offered at “substantially lower prices” in the public sector, the commission said.
“As a result of exorbitant prices, most breast cancer patients in both the private and public sectors are unable to get treatment,” it said. The investigation related to Aspen is into its generic products, and similar to the EU’s probe.
Aspen hasn’t increased prices outside of a framework established by South Africa’s Department of Health and is “committed to full and constructive engagement” with the commission’s investigation, the Durban-based company said in a statement.
Roche will provide all required information once it is notified of the probe, spokesperson Aadila Fakier said by email. Pfizer didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.


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Oman is waiting for twice as many tourists from Russia
During the first five months of this year 6,000 Russians visited Oman. This is almost 2 thousand more than for the entire 2017 - when the country was visited by 4,200 of Russian travelers. By the end of the year the Sultanate expects to increase the tourist flow by 2 times. Such statistics were published by the Ministry of Tourism of Oman at the presentation of the direction in Moscow. The event aroused great interest among tourism players - there were many people wishing to get new information. "Taking into account the regular flights of Oman Air and the charter flights of NordWind (the customer is Pegas Touristik tour operator), we hope to host 8 thousand Russians by the end of the year", - said Salman Bin Eday Al Mamari, the head of the Tourism Ministry of Oman. Recall, that Oman Air is to launch the daily flight program from Moscow to Muscat in late October. As it became known recently, the date of the first departure was shifted from October 28 to October 31. Mr. Ihab Sorial, vice president of international sales of the company, told that as of today the first flights are sold by 90%. At the same time, in his opinion, it is too early to make conclusions about the demand for the direction as a whole. "According to our forecasts, the most active sales will begin in late September-October. For this period we extended the campaign, during which you can buy the round trip tickets for 29,000 Rubles ($ 441)", - the airline's top manager noted. From October 15, the flight program of NordWind from Moscow to Salalah will also begin. Pegas Touristik Company reported that there are no unsold seats on the boards performing the first flights. The general director of the tour operator Anna Podgornaya concluded: the interest of tourists for the direction is high and the ministry's plans for a two-fold increase of the Russian tourist traffic are quite feasible. In addition to direct transportation, “light visa regime” played an important role in the popularization of the direction. Now, Russians can get documents online for two days or upon arrival in the country. It is also known that the cost of a 10-day visa has decreased from 20 to 5 Rials ($ 13). However, according to observers, to compete with the UAE and Qatar will be difficult for Oman without serious investments in advertising this year.


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Taxibeat, an iOS and Android taxi app with an innovative approach to hailing a cab (which works particularly well in emerging markets), has secured a new $4 million funding round from London-based Hummingbird Ventures. The startup previously raised $3 million from private investors and has been expanding its services across urban centres in European cities like Athens and Paris, and in Latin America, including Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro and, most recently, Sao Paulo. Founded in Athens in May, 2011, Taxibeat says it currently serves $40 million (USD) in taxi cab transactions annually and is growing at a rate of 18 percent month over month. We covered their formal launch at Le Web last year.
Now, while there are plenty of taxi apps (Easy Taxi, Hailo, myTaxi, GetTaxi, you name it) Taxibeat has a genuinely different approach. Whereas most apps simply find the nearest available taxi that can pick you up – a method which works fine in developed countries where the taxis are already regulated – Taxibeat allows you to pick the taxi driver that you prefer, based your preferences and the ratings from previous customers. That means it works very well in booming emerging markets, where formal regulation and oversight of taxis remains thin on the ground. It could even give some apps like Lyft a run for their money.
On the flip side, it puts the drivers much more in control of their brand and business. On Hailo and others, all they can do is a have a very simple profile and a star-based ratings system. On Taxibeat, the drivers have the opportunity to sell themselves. Drivers get full profiles (i.e. spoken languages, types of cars and interior amenities) allowing them to build up a repeat customer base. Want wifi and on-bard phone charging? Want to take your dog with you? Taxibeat allows drivers to display these options. The taxi drivers pay a small commission on rides they earn through Taxibeat,
Nikos Drandakis, Taxibeat founder and CEO says Taxibeat makes vying for customers competitive because it does more than strip out the call to the taxi operator or create a simple ‘blind date’ between passengers and drivers. This is more like Airbnb for Taxis.
Mexico City licenses 100,000 taxis, while Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro license 31,000 and 28,000 taxis, respectively. So there is plenty of opportunity for Taxibeat to do well there.


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UniFirst delivers 10,000 face masks to help support local small businesses
The United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday received 10,000 face masks from the UniFirst Corp. to help local small businesses stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Karl Granato, UniFirst's general manager, said the delivery was part of a corporate-wide initiative for the uniform rental company.
UniFirst Corp. is partnering with 10 chambers across the country to deliver a total of 100,000 face masks -- or 10,000 masks for each chamber.
Granato said when restrictions were lifted and the economy started to rise, the company realized small businesses were adversely affected by the pandemic that has infected more than 66,000 people in Texas.
"This is our (way) of helping the small business community get back on their feet," Granato said. "We know that they are going to be on the front lines in helping this local economy begin to recover."
John LaRue, president/CEO of the chamber, said he wants to reach the local businesses that are having difficulty finding resources to open.
"Their supply chain may be broken and they're not sure where to go," LaRue said. "They're used to buying something at a big box store and there's nothing there. This will really help them to keep their employees and customers safe to stay open."
Granato said the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce is starting a small business intitiative. The city is looking into doing a micro grant to local businesses, according to LaRue.
"They'll give maybe between $250-500 to small businesses," LaRue said. "They can use it for the things they need to do. During Hurricane Harvey, we did a similar grant; that's what a program like this plans to do, too."
LaRue said there will not be a loan application involved with the micro grant.
LaRue said he plans on working with other chambers in the area, such as Aransas Pass, Portland, Rockport, Ingleside, Port Aransas, Beeville and Kingville.
"We try to work with all of them to keep them involved," LaRue. "We will make sure we try and get some (masks) to the other chambers too."
Local businesses must call chamber offices before picking up their masks. Distribution began Wednesday.
John Oliva covers issues that matter to you. Consider supporting local journalism with a digital subscription to the Caller-Times.


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Pizza too sexy – Giant whirl around sexist subject to pizza week
Montreal, Canada, 25 September 2017 –
In the end of October, Montreal is observing The Pizza Week, however, a few societal media users are already hungry for this. Since there a topic with a blond has made the rounds there, which apart from a pizza cuttings goes down without one. In addition to potential clients, the restaurants participating in the marketing campaign were also mad. The initiators of the occasion defended themselves by stating that the picture was not intended for publication.
Pizza pieces and excitement
for those makers of the picture, it was apparently clear that barely anything makes a pizza cut sharper than to place it strategically in front of female genitals. Many users of social media see this differently and view the topic as sexist because it objectifies the girl. That’s how a Twitter user asks:”Which advertising agency thought it was a fantastic idea?” But it’s not only from potential customers that criticism hails. “We’re very surprised and angry by the selection of images for the event advertising,” says Alice Dufour Thériault, manager of the N900 restaurant, which will be running for the title of “Greatest Pizzeria” in Pizza Week. The initiators of the marketing event have meanwhile apologized to this and justify themselves by saying that the image should not have gone online at all. “This has not yet been approved by our creative team and doesn’t reflect the values and thoughts of Pizza Week,” they say to La Presse.


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Jan 31, 2014Surveillance tracking technology company DejaView Concepts is bringing new meaning to the term "selfie," by releasing a new technology that enables skiers and snowboarders to pay for a service that captures videos of them during the most exciting segments of their runs, and then automatically receive that footage on their mobile phones. The solution, known as the Paparazzi Pass, takes advantage of the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology (part of the Bluetooth 4.0 standard) in a person's smartphone, to receive signals from Bluetooth beacons installed at key points along the slope, to link that individual with specific video footage.
The company has been seeking a system that would automatically pair skiers or other athletes with candid videos of them, says Hans Dietterich, DejaView's cofounder, president and COO. To that end, the firm tested passive RFID tags by placing readers at locations where digital cameras were shooting video, and providing tags to skiers and snowboarders. However, he says, the limitations became clear immediately. Passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) tags did not provide sufficiently precise location data to ensure that an individual was properly linked to footage captured within that zone while he or she was in the image. In addition, the company sought to make the solution available immediately, enabling users to download an app onto their smartphone and then receive data directly on their handset. While Near Field Communication (NFC) RFID technology could accomplish this goal, the company explains, it has such a short read range that it would require a phone to be tapped against another NFC device, which would be unrealistic for skiers hurtling down the slope.
Given these requirements, Dietterich says, his company opted for BLE technology, which is supported by newer iPhones, as well as most recently released Android phones. With BLE, a phone or tablet can communicate with a type of active RFID tag known as a beacon, which transmits a unique ID number via the BLE protocol across a distance of 60 feet or more.
DejaView began working with SimplyRFID to develop the Bluetooth beacons, and installed them within the video-coverage zones. It also provided the software that managed beacon data, linked an individual's phone ID information with his or her location, and forwarded that data to an app running on that handset. DejaView installed a trial version of the solution on a single slope at the Wachusett Mountain resort, consisting of two zones, each made up of about three beacons and as many cameras. A trial version of the smartphone app is currently being used, as the iOS app has not yet been available on iTunes.
Once fully deployed, the system would work this way: Individuals would arrive at the resort and be invited to download the Paparazzi Pass app in order to obtain footage of themselves as they skied, snowboarded or tubed. They must have an iPhone 4s, 5 or 5s, or an iPod Touch, running the iOS 7 operating system. During the coming months, Dietterich notes, DejaView will release a version of the app that works on BLE-enabled Android phones. Users can make a payment to the resort's ticket office, or directly on the app, to be tracked while at the location. The cost, the firm reports, will vary according to the venue, which will then share the proceeds with DejaView.
As long as a visitor is carrying a phone that is turned on and running the Paparazzi Pass app, he can be tracked every time he comes within range of a Bluetooth beacon. Employing the BLE protocol, the beacon pulses out its ID via a 2.4 GHz signal, and the phone receives that transmission and then uses a cellular connection to send its own unique identifier, along with that of the beacon, to the back-end software on DejaView's server. Using SimplyRFID software, the server links that individual with the location, time and date of the read event, pairs it with the appropriate video footage, and forwards it to the app, where an individual can then view the video on his phone. The skier can also access the footage via a computer, through the DejaView website, by supplying the proper login ID and password. The user can then utilize the smartphone app or the website to edit the video and share it on Facebook or Twitter.
Once the app is available on iTunes, DejaView and SimplyRFID intend to install approximately six additional Bluetooth beacons on another of Wachusett's slopes, after which visitors will be able to begin paying for the service. Several other ski resorts plan to install the technology for the 2014-15 ski season as well, Dietterich says. In the meantime, a water park is currently in discussions with DejaView about using the technology at its facilities, but is supplying visitors with a BLE active tag built into a wristband, thereby enabling the system to operate without mobile phones (which cannot get wet). There is an extensive list of other use cases for the technology, Dietterich adds, such as amusement parts, casinos, cruiselines, beer festivals, golf courses, and other parks and events. The system can also enable users to take posed pictures, by selecting a prompt in the app and indicating that they would like to pose for a group photograph, for example.
The solution not only raises revenue for the resort, Dietterich says, but also provides marketing benefits. "Paparazzi Pass creates brand ambassadors for the venues," he states, "since users will be sharing their videos and pictures with their friends and family via social media."


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From Aman to Fauchon, various new hospitality manufacturers are opening in Kyoto, making a lodge increase in Japan’s historic imperial capital. One of the brand new inns we’re most enthusiastic about? Ace Hotel Kyoto will debut in April, and we simply obtained new particulars to share. As we’ve beforehand reported, this would be the first property in Asia for the model that’s identified for its hip, design-centric way of life inns that faucet into the native communities. Since it first launched in Seattle in 1999, Ace has expanded to Chicago, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, London, Downtown Los Angeles, New York, Palm Springs, Portland and Seattle. The idea will likely be translated to Japan with the disclosing of Ace Hotel Kyoto on April 16, 2020.
The thought is to create a taking place hub for locals and vacationers, and legendary architect Kengo Kuma was recruited to design the Ace Hotel Kyoto as a “Cultural Catalyst” reflecting the spirit of the neighborhood. Kuma is the principal architect for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Stadium. (Other initiatives embrace the Asakusa Culture and Tourism Center in Tokyo and the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum.) The Ace Hotel will comprise a historic constructing that was as soon as residence to the Kyoto Central Telephone Company, alongside a new-build construction. Expect authentic paintings, a gallery that includes collaborations with native artists, a number of courtyards, and meticulously landscaped gardens.
The 213 guestrooms will likely be cut up throughout eight completely different classes just like the Historic Double rooms, housed within the historic phone firm constructing; Garden Terrace rooms, overlooking the verdure; and Tatami suites, kitted out with 4 tatami futons and turntables. All rooms will include Japanese soaking tubs. Facilities on the Ace Hotel Kyoto will embrace a vigorous foyer, occasion areas, a restaurant and three eating places.


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Setting the Record Straight: Is Vitamin D the Answer to Reducing Your Risk of COVID-19?
No vaccine has been developed yet for the highly contagious coronavirus that began wreaking havoc in December last year. As such, each of us has the responsibility to keep our immune systems up so that we can at least stand a fight against COVID-19 when we get infected.
Many health experts have also recommended taking vitamin D supplements to help our body combat illnesses and pathogens better. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci also revealed that he takes vitamins to bolster his immune system.
Vitamin D and COVID-19
Moreover, there’s a link between vitamin D deficiency and the coronavirus infection – if you lack the essential vitamin, you may be susceptible to catching this dreaded virus, the doctor explained. The nation’s top expert’s advice is a nod to a recent study that showed that those with COVID-19 were more likely to be also vitamin D deficient.
The study looked at 489 people whose vitamin D levels were checked a year before they got tested for COVID-19. It was found that those who were deficient of the essential nutrient had a greater risk than those who likely had enough of the vitamin.
Importance of Vitamin D
The common misconception is that we get vitamin D from the sun – however, that’s not 100 percent accurate. As per the National Institutes of Health, this is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally produced in our bodies when the sun hits our skin, prompting the synthesis of vitamin D.
Vitamin D plays a lot of roles in our body: it stimulates calcium absorption in the stomach, it aids in the regulation of immune function and cell growth, and it reduces inflammation. Unfortunately, many people don’t know that they lack this vitamin.
Can It Reduce Risk of Contracting COVID-19?
It is too early to say because there is still insufficient research to conclude that vitamin D really can reduce a person’s risk of the dreaded coronavirus. However, another study observed 76 patients with COVID-19 and found that only one out of the 50 people treated with vitamin D needed intensive care treatment.
There are also a lot of possibilities unexplored and questions left unanswered about the role of vitamin D in reducing a person’s chance of getting coronavirus. However, what’s clear is that this vitamin can help ward off several respiratory problems.
A study found that those who took vitamin D supplements every day were less likely to acquire respiratory infections than those who didn’t.
How to Get Vitamin D
There are many vitamin D supplements available on the market but the cheaper option would be to soak under the sun in the morning. The NIH advises adults to take 15 micrograms or more for 70 years old and up.
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Washington, D.C. – Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced legislation today that will prohibit companies from using paid off or settled medical debt in assessing consumer credit scores. The Medical Debt Relief Act will assist approximately 72 million Americans affected by medical bill problems and medical debt.
“It’s already incredibly difficult for families to pay off the high cost of medical treatments for serious injuries and diseases,” said Merkley. “To add insult to injury, after families pay off their exorbitant medical debt, they continue to take a hit on their credit scores. That’s simply unfair. This bill will give families a fair deal and ensure that their future financial transactions won’t be negatively affected by a bad credit score just because of past medical debt.”
“This is a straight forward solution to a problem plaguing thousands of Americans,” Dorgan said. “Right now, just one unresolved medical bill – whether or not it is being disputed – can damage a consumer’s credit score for years. In other cases, patients who face costly treatments suffer the aftereffects of dealing with poor credit even after their debts are paid. With this legislation, we are standing up for the American consumers who need protection from such practices.”
Currently, even medical debt collections that have been completely paid off or settled can still significantly damage a consumer’s credit score for years. As a result, consumers can be denied credit or pay higher interest rates when buying a home or obtaining a credit card. Because many medical bills are submitted first to insurance companies, consumers often do not learn that they are responsible for a medical bill until they hear from a collection agency, by which time their credit score has already suffered.
The Medical Debt Relief Act will fix this inequity by prohibiting consumer credit agencies from using paid off or settled medical debt collections in assessing a consumer’s credit worthiness. In addition, the bill will require the creditor or credit rating agency to expunge the medical debt from the consumer’s record within 45 days from the day it is paid off or settled.


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Mailbox app has filled 1 million reservations, gets new features
Orchestra took the iOS world by storm last month when it released its iOS email client, Mailbox. It was so popular at launch that Orchestra had to institute a registration process that gave access to the service on a rolling basis. Less than one month after launch, the team at Mailbox announced it has filled more than 1 million reservations.
If you haven't used it, Mailbox app is more than just a client to send and receive emails. It uses the principles of a task manager to help you organize your incoming email into a manageable list. It's an interesting take on the usually boring email client and has caught the eye of users and app developers alike. Dropbox scooped up the company in a recently announced acquisition.
Along with its 1 million mailbox announcement, Orchestra/Dropbox also confirmed that the company has updated the Mailbox app with some UI enhancements and a new shake-to-undo feature. You can download Mailbox from the iOS App Store for free.
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Not just any punch bowl, mind you. Rather, it was the prize from a famous 1901 auto race between Henry Ford and Alexander Winton, both of whom would see their names go on cars.
Edsel Ford says his great-great grandfather won the race, but his prize has been lost. Apparently its not hiding on a dusty shelf in Dearborn, but might turn up at a garage sale somewhere. They've even created a website to try to help find it.
Edsel Ford, a member of Ford Motor's board of directors, is hunting for the punch bowl as part of his new mission: a racing exhibit at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich., says Drive On contributor James Bell.
The exhibit, Racing in America, is:
The nation's first comprehensive and interactive exhibition covering all forms of automotive racing, including stock cars, open-wheel cars, sports cars, drag-racing vehicles, winged sprinters and land-speed-record cars.
Racing in America brings the story of American auto racing to life - its excitement, speed and spectacle; its challenges and its people; and the ways it inspires innovation.
Edsel Ford outlined the exhibit at a recent appearance before the Motor Press Guild in Los Angeles, a group of auto writers. Bell is the guild's president. The event brought out racing greats such as Parnelli Jones and Carroll Shelby.
Chris Woodyard is an auto writer for USA TODAY who covers all aspects of motoring. He revels in the exhaust note of a Maserati and the sharp creases of a Cadillac CTS. Chris strives to live a Porsche life on a Scion budget. More about Chris


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It’s been a good week for Ultra HD Blu-ray, here are the new releases announced or confirmed through retailer listings.
The Lionsgate movie starring Dwayne Johnson will be available on Ultra HD Blu-ray on June 6 with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack.
The science-fiction movie from Lionsgate will released also on June 6 in UHD Blu-ray and will retain its DTS:X soundtrack, as you remember it was the first Blu-ray to get be released on the format.
The action movie, again from Lionsgate, will also be released on June 6 on Ultra-HD Blu-ray. In a stranger move, Lionsgate will release the title with Dolby Atmos while it was one of the rare Blu-rays to have DTS Neo:X encoding.
Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2, The
A new boxset will be released on June 13 by Sony with both movies in Ultra HD Blu-ray, which mean an initial release on the format for the first title of the series.
Other semi-confirmed titles
Based on announcements to retailers, it seems now confirmed that the following titles will be released later this year in Ultra HD Blu-ray. In that list:


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MDC BUYS STAKE IN ZYMAN GROUP FOR $63.8 MILLION
Author and Marketing Guru Sergio Zyman Will Continue to Run Firm
MDC TAKES STAKE IN ANOTHER U.S. AGENCY
Toronto Holding company Acquires 68% of VitroRobertson
MDC LOOKS TO LONDON FOR AGENCY ACQUISITION
Toronto Holding Company Continues Its Recent Buying Spree
STALKING THE BEST OF U.S. INDEPENDENT AD AGENCIES
Why MDC's $100 Million Buying Spree Bears Closer Watching
MDC reported a fourth-quarter earnings loss of $8.6 million, or 39 cents a share, compared with a year-ago loss of $7.7 million. For the year, the company lost $2.2 million, or 9 cents a share, from earnings of $12.4 million, or 65 cents a share, for 2003.
The company said revenues for the quarter rose 41% to $91.6 million from $64.9 million during the year-ago period; revenues for the year ended Dec. 31 increased 14% to $317 million, compared with revenues of $279 million for 2003.
Earnings report delayed twice
MDC management sought to calm investors' concerns over the delays in reporting -- which were put off twice in recent months -- calling them unacceptable and promising to "report in a timely manner in the future," said Steve Berns, MDC's vice chairman and executive vice president.
MDC, which operates two business units, marketing communications and secure products, had several other challenges in 2004 in addition to reporting financial results on time. While revenue for the marketing communications group, whose members include high-profile ad agencies such as Crispin Porter & Bogusky, which handles advertising for Burger King Corp. and the BMW Mini Cooper, increased 50% from 2003, the secure products unit's revenue decreased 39%.
That unit includes companies ranging from stamp maker Ashton Potter to Metaca, a provider of smart-card services. Problems there included management changes at Metaca.
Selling off the division
For 2005, MDC expects to sell the secure products unit and focus fully on marketing communications. Earlier this month, MDC announced its biggest marketing acquistion to date, a 62% stake in Atlanta-based marketing strategy firm Zyman Group, headed by a former Coca-Cola Co. chief marketing officer, Sergio Zyman, author of several best-selling business tomes, including The End of Marketing as We Know It.
This year "will be a validation of their strategy," said Jeff Tkachuk, an analyst for Nesbitt Burns. "The majority of their growth has been bought. They've not had the opportunity to show that these purchases create incremental value."


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Infineum appoints World Fuel Services as its global distributor for Marine Fuel Additives
Specialty chemicals company Infineum announces that they have entered into a strategic agreement with World Fuel Services. Effective immediately, World Fuel Services will act as global distributor for Infineum’s Marine Fuel Additives product line.
On announcing the agreement, Andrea Ghione, Marine Venture Manager at Infineum commented: “At Infineum our purpose is to create a sustainable future through innovative chemistry. Our Marine Fuel Additives portfolio is designed to deliver fuel efficiency, GHG emissions reduction and onboard operability solutions to the shipping industry. This collaboration with World Fuel Services will support the industry’s decarbonisation efforts, and we are confident that the partnership will deliver outstanding quality and exceptional customer service. Customers will also benefit from a strong logistics footprint starting in Singapore and expanding to ports around the world.”
|Read More: World Fuel Services completes first LNG bunkering in China for Hapag-Lloyd|
“This is an important agreement that will be beneficial to maritime customers by expanding the availability of Infineum’s Marine Fuel Additives product range. Both companies share the same commitment to sustainability and to decarbonised shipping operations. We are, therefore, extremely pleased to enter into this agreement and look forward to a close working relationship,” said Mark Tamsitt, Senior Vice President, Marine at World Fuel Services.


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By Natalie Schack
Last November’s debut HONOLULU Fashion Week was a total blast. We collaborated with local designers who are key movers and shakers in the Hawai‘i fashion scene, including Sig Zane, Malia Jones and Ari South, and showed some stunning creations on the runway. We welcomed big-name celebs, including Hawai‘i Five-0 star Alex O’Loughlin (Malia Jones’ other half) and Olympic figure skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi, to the festivities and we brought a fabulous retail shop to life with local products and fashions from across the state.
Mark your calendars for Nov. 20–22, and join us this year as we take HONOLULU Fashion Week to the next level. That means more designers, a marketplace where you can shop to your heart's content and a schedule of shows just as hot as last year’s “Live Aloha” and “Get Out!”
Producing the shows again this year will be Lynne Hanzawa O‘Neill, our very own Island-born industry bigwig, fresh from New York Fashion Week. We’ll be taking to the streets to powwow with the fashion community for the latest looks, trends and styles that make Hawai'i fashion a force.
See you at the runway!
HONOLULU Fashion Week will be Nov. 20–22. Stay tuned for more details on schedules and events.


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Every state and most counties have loosened stay-at-home restrictions at least a little, and U.S. residents appear to be venturing out with varying degrees of caution.
Share of time spent at home, for the seven-day period ending on:
Pinch to zoom. Tap to explore county details.Hover to explore county details
Note: Counties with fewer than 100 devices in the dataset are shown in gray. Source: Washington Post analysis of SafeGraph data. See full methodology at bottom of article.
In and around the nation’s densest cities, people are spending almost as much time at home as they were at the height of the stay-home peak around April 7, according to a Washington Post analysis of data provided by SafeGraph, a company that aggregates cellphone location information.
Elsewhere, particularly in pockets of the Upper Midwest and the South, people are spending less time at home now than they did before the arrival of widespread restrictions (and, for many, before the arrival of spring weather). These also tend to be areas where officials were early to roll back stay-home restrictions.
People in most areas fall somewhere in between the extremes, going out more than they did in early April but not nearly as much as they did before the novel coronavirus emerged.
To determine when people are home, SafeGraph obtains GPS data through regular pings from smartphones that are running one or more apps from an undisclosed list. The company defines “home” as a common location from which a phone pings between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m.
And by detecting pings that come from phones that are within the footprints of buildings, the company can estimate foot traffic in a place of business or worship.
The data is not perfect, but it is a good indicator of where people are going.
Burgers are back, fine dining is not
At the height of the lockdown, all types of restaurants lost customers as people hunkered down in their homes with stashes of fresh groceries. But fast-food joints took less of a sales hit than full-service restaurants, according to NPD Group, and their visitation appears to be rebounding faster.
In many states, especially in the South and Midwest, traffic at fast-food restaurants is now higher than it was before the restrictions, and the U.S. average has crept close to March 1 levels.
That not the case for full-service, sit-down restaurants.
Customers clearly are warier of sitting in a room with strangers than waiting in drive-through lines. Seventy-eight percent of respondents in a Washington Post/University of Maryland poll published May 5 said they would be uncomfortable eating in a sit-down restaurant.
In addition, so many people are out of work — more than 40 million unemployment claims were filed in the past 10 weeks — that fine dining is likely not in the budget for people who previously may have been willing to splurge. Full-service eateries have been hit especially hard because they tend to operate at lower profit margins than fast-food franchises, and most states are restricting their capacity to maintain social distancing.
But sit-down restaurants in states that allowed them to reopen got a Mother’s Day bump, and full-service chains such as Applebee’s and Olive Garden report that they are beginning to make up lost ground, according to NPD’s data.
You may notice that one non-state, the District of Columbia, stands alone on these charts. One reason is that the city has only begun to reopen today. Another is that it is completely urban, unlike the 50 states, which are all a mix of cities and non-cities. If New York City or San Francisco were measured separately, their data probably would look about the same.
In addition to restaurants, other industries are looking up — and a few are not.
Barber shops are back, movies stay shuttered
If you’re peering at this story through overgrown bangs, you won’t be surprised customers in many states surged to barber shops and hair salons as soon as they reopened.
Unfortunately, data for hair establishments is uniquely muddied by salons tucked into locations such as private homes, apartment buildings, grocery stores, senior centers and hospitals. Customer cellphone pings in those sites can be impossible to distinguish from people who are in the building for other reasons. But while individual state data can be sketchy, the overall trend is clearly upward, and we removed a few major outliers when possible.
Foot traffic for many of these categories varies quite a bit among states, in part because of staggered dates of reopening.
Bar traffic, for instance, varies wildly, with Montana and Alabama showing large recent spikes. That’s because SafeGraph’s data contains a relatively small sampling of bars, but also because the definition of a bar is somewhat loose. For instance, the spike in Alabama is heavily skewed by one giant beach bar/restaurant/entertainment complex that hosted, among other events, a May 22 high school graduation.
Grocery-store traffic peaked right before widespread shutdowns and then dipped when most Americans were staying home. Since then, it has settled into a traffic pattern that is as busy — and often busier — than in early March. (A similar trend is playing out at general merchandise retailers such as Walmart and dollar stores, many of which also sell groceries.)
Supermarkets were always counted as essential businesses, so as the pandemic unfolded, management at many stores scrambled to come up with sanitizing and social distancing measures to try to protect customers and employees, who suddenly became front-line workers.
At least 100 grocery workers nationwide have died of complications from the virus since late March, and at least 5,500 others have tested positive, according to a Post review of data from the nation’s largest grocery workers union, other workers’ rights coalitions and media reports.
Flocks have not flocked back to churches and other religious organizations in most of the country, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are wandering without shepherds.
Pastors, priests, rabbis and other religious leaders have been creative. Many streamed sermons and prayers online during the lockdown, and some are resuming services in person but outdoors, where the coronavirus is thought to be less likely to spread.
Some have even resurrected a quirky remnant of the 1950s and 1960s: drive-in church.
Gyms and sports fields
When it comes to gyms and fitness centers, states are clearly split. Many have not allowed them to reopen at all; others, such as Oklahoma and Georgia, allowed them to open weeks ago.
Experts in virus transmission are extremely leery of indoor gyms, where people pant and grunt for extended periods of time close to one another, sometimes in rooms with questionable ventilation and sanitization. A growing number of studies indicate that the coronavirus may be spread through expelled droplets that hang in the air for minutes.
U.S. residents seem less wary of outdoor recreation. Spikes in both Oklahoma, where indoor gyms are open, and Rhode Island, where they are closed, are skewed by visits to a few large, outdoor sports parks with grassy fields and walking trails. Kids’ baseball leagues and tournaments have resumed in some states, including Oklahoma. Some studios have moved classes outside so customers can exercise in fresh air.
Movie theater chains
Even in states that have allowed theaters to reopen, most owners have kept their projectors dark. That includes AMC Theatres, the country’s largest chain.
Hollywood studios have held back new releases that had been planned for spring and early summer, so theaters would have little to screen even if they did open. The first major studio to test the waters is expected to be Warner Bros., which plans to release Christopher Nolan’s new thriller, “Tenet,” on July 17. The next week, Disney plans to debut its live-action version of “Mulan."
A huge majority of respondents in The Post’s early May poll — 82 percent — said they opposed the reopening of movie theaters more than any other category of business (with gyms not far behind). Another mid-May survey found that even if the cost was the same, only 13 percent of respondents would prefer to watch a first-run movie in a theater as opposed to their living rooms.
With most indoor theaters closed, however, some of the country’s roughly 300 drive-in theaters are stealing the show. The retro but social-distance-friendly activity is experiencing such a resurgence that at least one indoor theater, in Utah, has temporarily converted its parking lot to a drive-in.
The takeaway? Americans seem to be eager — or at least willing — to venture out of their homes a bit more. But when it comes to indoor spaces with groups of strangers, most of us are still staying away.
About this story
Data for this story was provided by SafeGraph, a company that aggregates location data from tens of millions of devices and compares it with building footprints. The Post analyzed its social distancing metrics data set to estimate the share of time spent at home for each county.
The raw numbers fluctuate from day to day and county to county, and some counties have far fewer devices than others. To account for these challenges, we adjusted the device counts based on population and performed a multilevel regression using a random effects model on the county, state and national levels. Because people tend to leave their homes far more on weekdays than weekends, we chose to calculate a seven-day rolling average, which results in each “day” of data including the average from five weekdays and two weekend days.
Similarly The Post analyzed SafeGraph’s weekly patterns data set to estimate how foot traffic has changed across industries, with the help of Nick Huntington-Klein, an assistant professor of economics at California State University at Fullerton.
Ling Jiang, Lenny Bronner, Brittany Renee Mayes and Reuben Fischer-Baum contributed to this report.


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World’s most expensive ‘pup nup’ comes with $250,000 price tag!Jul 12, 4:12 pm
New York, July 12 (ANI): A wealthy animal rights activist is breaking the Guinness World Record for the most expensive animal wedding with a â€śfairy tailâ€ť party for her pooch at the Jumeirah Essex House.
A 6,000 dollars custom wedding dress for the tiny Coton de Tulear, sushi spread worth 5,000 dollars, and a 15,000 dollars seven-piece orchestra are just a few paraphernalia set for the Thursday night puppy nuptials valued at 250,000 dollars.
â€śI know, how goofy is this?â€ť the New York Daily News quoted Wendy Diamond, the pet expert and TV personality throwing the wedding for Baby Hope, her adopted rescue dog, as saying.
â€śBut itâ€™s for an amazing cause,â€ť she said.
The vendors are donating their services to the black tie gala, which would benefit the Humane Society of New York.
Diamond, the daughter of wedding caterers in Ohio who made herself the upper West Sideâ€™s canine queen, has raised thousands for the charity since 1999.
Thatâ€™s when she adopted Lucky, a Maltese that inspired her to launch her Animal Fair Media Empire.
Diamond photographed Lucky with hundreds of celebs, including Betty White, Kanye West and Barbara Walters, in one of her many campaigns to prevent shelters from euthanizing pets.
She was devastated when Lucky was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and decided to give the pooch one last hurrah: an elaborate wedding to celebrate her life. But unfortunately Lucky died in June.
Diamond had been fostering Baby Hope, and knew that the lovable pup was fit to pick up Luckyâ€™s veil.
â€śShe is the funniest dog. I am so blessed,â€ť she said.
â€śAnd Baby is really getting into this wedding!â€ť she said.
Baby Hope is marrying Chilly Pasternak, a Virginia poodle chosen in an online vote.
Some 250 humans (including socialites LuAnn de Lesseps and Dylan Lauren) are expected to attend. As are 50 dogs, including Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog.
â€śItâ€™s going to be the sweetest wedding â€” and just one of the funniest evenings ever,â€ť said Diamond.
â€śI never need to get married, now, because this wedding has everything,â€ť she said.
Kleinfeld couture bridal designers Michelle and Henry Roth tailored a two-toned, white French lace-encrusted dress with Swarovski crystals and a silk train for the pint-sized bride.
Floralia Decorators (the Waldorf-Astoriaâ€™s florist) has crafted a 5,300 dollars huppah, a canopy, for the mixed-faith service.
â€śBaby Hope is a Jewish dog,â€ť explained Diamond. And TLCâ€™s â€śCake Bossâ€ť based in Hoboken is unveiling a top-secret wedding cake. (ANI)
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Fire risk warning over Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda tumble dryers
Whirlpool has found that in some Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda models manufactured between April 2004 and September 2015, excess fluff can come into contact with the heating element and present a risk of fire.
Whirlpool branded tumble dryers are not affected by this safety notice - the issue only coming to attention following Whirlpool's acquisition of the Hotpoint/Indesit brands.
The company have put a plan in place which will involve a visit from an engineer, free of charge, to modify your appliance. The one hour visit will, the company believe, enhance the safety and quality of the appliance, and Trading Standards, having consulted with independent experts, agree that the modification programme is the most effective way of resolving this issue.
A company statement read: “If your tumble dryer is affected by this issue then you should unplug it and do not use it until the modification has taken place.
“To determine whether your tumble dryer is affected, please visit the company website here