Jeff Snell

New Kim: Racing pigeon from Belgium sold for record €1.6m – BBC News

Industry, Lifestyle, Markets

A racing pigeon from Belgium has set a new record after being sold for €1.6m ($1.9m, £1.4m).

New Kim, a two-year-old female, was initially put up for auction for just €200, but was bought by a bidder from China on Sunday for the record amount.

Kurt Van de Wouwer, whose family bred and owned the pigeon, said they were “in shock” at the news, according to Reuters news agency.

Read the entire article: New Kim: Racing pigeon from Belgium sold for record €1.6m – BBC News

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Virgin Hyperloop hits an important milestone: the first human passenger test – The Verge

Industry, Travel

Virgin Hyperloop announced that for the first time it has conducted a test of its ultra-fast transportation system with human passengers.

The test took place on Sunday afternoon at the company’s DevLoop test track in the desert outside Las Vegas, Nevada. The first two passengers were Virgin Hyperloop’s chief technology officer and co-founder, Josh Giegel, and head of passenger experience, Sara Luchian.

After strapping into their seats in the company’s gleaming white and red hyperloop pod, dubbed Pegasus, they were transferred into an airlock as the air inside the enclosed vacuum tube was removed.

Read the entire article: Virgin Hyperloop hits an important milestone: the first human passenger test – The Verge

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Famed Chef Mads Refslund Will Cook You an Unforgettable Thanksgiving Dinner in Mexico | Travel + Leisure

Lifestyle, Travel

To get the tastiest Thanksgiving dinner this year, you’re going to have to go to Cabo.

Auberge Resorts Collection’s two properties in Los Cabos — Chileno Bay Resort & Residences, Auberge Resorts Collection, and Esperanza, Auberge Resorts Collection — announced in November that chef Mads Refslund, one of the world’s most acclaimed chefs, will celebrate the season of gratitude in Cabo with a limited series of exclusive dining experiences over Thanksgiving weekend.

Read the entire article: Famed Chef Mads Refslund Will Cook You an Unforgettable Thanksgiving Dinner in Mexico | Travel + Leisure

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The maps that show life is getting better | World news | The Guardian

Industry, Lifestyle

Maps are not just informative, they are empowering. They can help provide a new perspective to age-old problems. But maps are not necessarily fixed – they often need renewing. As Albert Einstein said, “You can’t use old maps to explore a new world.”While there are reasons to be uneasy about the future, maps can also inspire optimism.

They not only reveal incredible progress, but also signal how a combination of political leadership, smart incentives and regulatory pressure can improve our human condition.

Read the entire article: The maps that show life is getting better | World news | The Guardian

The maps that show life is getting better | World news | The Guardian Read Post »

Singapore Airlines sells out meals on parked plane – BBC News

Travel

Despite a price tag of up to $496 (£380), the first two seating dates sold out within half an hour.

The airline has added two more dates, with diners signing onto a waitlist for lunch and dinner sittings. Singapore Airlines is one of many carriers looking for new business models to make up for lost revenues.

The airline currently plans to use two Airbus A380 aircraft for each three-hour session. Each one will be half full to help adhere to social distancing regulations.

Read the entire article: Singapore Airlines sells out meals on parked plane – BBC News

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British company produces kit to electrify vintage Minis

Lifestyle

A British powertrain specialist has announced a kit that converts vintage Minis to electric power. Swindon Powertrain said its Classic Mini Kit starts at £8,850 ($11,500) and is designed for installation by classic car enthusiasts, specialists, or EV-conversion shops.

Established in 1971, Swindon Powertrain produced high-performance engines and components for road and racing, including Formula 1, and continues to supply a majority of the starting fields for the British Touring Car championships.

Read the entire article: British company produces kit to electrify vintage Minis

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New Evidence Suggests Better Treatment Is Contributing to Falling COVID-19 Fatality Rates – Reason.com

Health & Fitness, Lifestyle

The fatality rate among COVID-19 patients in the United States has fallen dramatically since last spring, from 6.1 percent in mid-May to 2.6 percent yesterday.

That downward trend partly reflects a younger, healthier mix of patients, whose median age fell from 46 in May to 38 in August. But two new studies suggest that improvements in treatment also have helped reduce the case fatality rate.

Read the entire article: New Evidence Suggests Better Treatment Is Contributing to Falling COVID-19 Fatality Rates – Reason.com

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How I Worked From Home Abroad in Mexico for 35 Days During the Pandemic – The New York Times

Lifestyle, Travel

When I decided to travel to Mexico in the middle of the pandemic for more than a month, I didn’t have many supporters among my friends and family, with fair concern. The country is currently one of the hardest hit by the virus — and is now approaching nearly 900,000 cases.

Traveling now clearly isn’t an option for everyone, but my partner and I both felt we could get away and, with our employers having us work remotely, I probably had no better opportunity to work abroad than this one and only time.

Read the entire article: How I Worked From Home Abroad in Mexico for 35 Days During the Pandemic – The New York Times

How I Worked From Home Abroad in Mexico for 35 Days During the Pandemic – The New York Times Read Post »

A Life Full of Experiences May Not Mean Less Financial Security – Behavior Gap

Lifestyle, Retirement

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a column about the growing tribe of people who value experiences over security in their lives. But there is something that I didn’t say then that I want to emphasize: You don’t necessarily have to trade experience and financial security off against each other.

Read the entire article: A Life Full of Experiences May Not Mean Less Financial Security – Behavior Gap

A Life Full of Experiences May Not Mean Less Financial Security – Behavior Gap Read Post »

U.S. single-family homebuilding, permits surge to more than 13-year high | Reuters

Lifestyle, Markets

U.S. single-family homebuilding raced to a more than 13-year high in September, cementing the housing market’s status as the star of the economic recovery amid record-low mortgage rates and a migration to the suburbs and low-density areas in search of more room for home offices and schooling.

Read the entire article: U.S. single-family homebuilding, permits surge to more than 13-year high | Reuters

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Air Travel High: TSA Screens 1 Million For 1st Time Since March : Coronavirus Live Updates : NPR

Industry, Lifestyle, Travel

How’s this for an October surprise? Despite a significant rise in COVID-19 cases in many parts of the country, it appears that more people are flying on commercial jetliners than at any time over the last seven months.

More than one million people were screened by the Transportation Security Administration at airport security checkpoints Sunday. It’s the first time the TSA’s daily traveler count has topped the one million mark since March 16.

Read the entire article: Air Travel High: TSA Screens 1 Million For 1st Time Since March : Coronavirus Live Updates : NPR

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Marin Voice: Focusing on power of human connection during pandemic – Marin Independent Journal

Health & Fitness, Lifestyle

Over the years, studies on the healing effects of human connection have grown tremendously.

We now know for a fact that people who have more social support tend to have better mental and physical health and live longer and happier lives.

In a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers found that people with strong social ties tend to live longer regardless of their socioeconomic status, smoking, drinking, exercise, or obesity. The researchers, who studied nearly 7,000 Bay Area residents, also concluded that the mortality rate of men and women with fewer social connections was 2.3 and 2.8 times that of men and women who had more social ties.

Read the entire article: Marin Voice: Focusing on power of human connection during pandemic – Marin Independent Journal

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Futuristic 1950s Alfa Romeo B.A.T. concept cars could sell for $20 million – CNN Style

Lifestyle

A trio of rarely seen, futuristic concept cars from the 1950s are going up for auction at Sotheby’s, with an estimated value of up to $20 million.

The Alfa Romeo B.A.T. Concept cars — each with a distinctive sculptural shape that nods to fantasy and science fiction — are described by the auction house as “amongst the most spectacular and memorable automotive designs ever produced.”

Read the entire article: Futuristic 1950s Alfa Romeo B.A.T. concept cars could sell for $20 million – CNN Style

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Morning Brew | Zombie nation

Industry

U.S. business applications went through the roof last quarter, according to a new report from the Census Bureau. Covidpreneurs filed more than 1.5 million applications for Employer Identification Numbers (EINs) in Q3, a 77.4% increase from Q2.

It’s not just a big increase from Q2…it’s also a big increase from last year (when there wasn’t a pandemic). In late September, business applications passed 3.2 million for 2020. At the same point in 2019, 2.7 million applications had been filed.

In fact, new businesses are being formed at the fastest pace in more than a decade, writes the WSJ.

Read the entire article: Morning Brew | Zombie nation

Morning Brew | Zombie nation Read Post »

Iceland Is Using Its Pandemic Downtime to Improve Its Roads, Parks, and Natural Wonders | Travel + Leisure

Lifestyle, Travel

With international leisure travel pretty much at a standstill, Iceland is using its pandemic downtime to make some major upgrades to its tourist infrastructure.

The Icelandic government is putting more than $12 million into improving roads, preserving popular sites, and revamping facilities at national parks, The New York Times reports. The government had already been planning to enhance its tourism infrastructure but decided to double down on its efforts as the pandemic has kept visitors away.

Read the entire article: Iceland Is Using Its Pandemic Downtime to Improve Its Roads, Parks, and Natural Wonders | Travel + Leisure

Iceland Is Using Its Pandemic Downtime to Improve Its Roads, Parks, and Natural Wonders | Travel + Leisure Read Post »

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