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Get your popcorn (and maybe a plate of salmon sashimi) ready: Fat Bear Week, the annual competition to crown the rotundest brown bear at Alaskas Katmai National Park, is back for its 2025 season. Since 2014, Katmai National Park has hosted a March madnessstyle competition inviting the public to vote on their favorite bear from 12 of the parks most robust residents. This year, the Fat Bear Week tournament and voting will take place September 2330, and the champion will be crowned on September 30. The competitions junior division just concluded, and its winner, 128 Jr, will join 11 other contenders in the main bracket. Heres what to know about the competition, how to watch the bears, and where to cast your ballot: What the heck is Fat Bear Week, anyway? If youve never participated in Fat Bear Week, you might be left wondering why a sizable chunk of the internet is getting amped up about livestreams of bears. The answer is that, right now, Katmai National Parks brown bears are in a state of hyperphagia, a period of time when their bodies satiation cues are dimmed in order to encourage them to bulk up as much as possible before winter. Ever since the park turned this biological process into a livestreamed competition more than a decade ago, its fostered a cult fanbase on Reddit, Twitter, and now TikTok. Last year, more than a million votes were cast in the bracket. This is my superbowl, one commenter wrote on the parks Tiktok announcement of this years season. BEST WEEK OF THE YEAR, another added. In an interview with NPR, Matt Johnson, the preserves interpretation program manager, said theres a lot for fans to look forward to this year. “This year’s salmon run was extraordinary, with salmon numbers surpassing anything seen in recent memory,” Johnson said. “As a result, the brown bears of Katmai are well-nourished and looking for other things to do besides scrapping with each other for food.” Where to watch In order to get acquainted with this years contenders, its important to see them in their natural habitat. Katmai National Parks website includes a page dedicated to various livestreams located across the park, including an underwater salmon cam, a mountain view, and a scenic waterfall perspective. How (and when) to vote During the days of the competition, voting is open from 12 to 9 p.m. ET on the parks website. Youll be shown source images of two bears, demonstrating how each contender transformed from their trimmer summer physiques to their current fall figures. Then, simply select whichever bear you think came out on top. The contenders The full Fat Bear Week bracket will be revealed later today. Currently, it seems likely that past champions including 128 Grazer (mother to the junior champion 128 Jr) and last years victor 747 will make a reappearance. Fans are also holding out for the return of beloved superstar 480 Otis, who was missing from the competition last year and has yet to be spotted in 2025. here I am, just a girl, crying for Otis once again, one commenter lamented on the parks recent TikTok sharing that Otiss whereabouts are still unknown. i have rooted for Otis every year, and even if he doesnt show up again I will still root for him. Wherever he is, a fellow fan added.
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E-Commerce
U.S. government agencies will be able to use Meta Platforms’ artificial intelligence system Llama, a senior administration official said, as the Trump administration pushes to integrate commercial AI tools into government operations. The General Services Administration, the government’s purchasing arm, will add Llama to its list of approved AI tools for federal agencies, said Josh Gruenbaum, the GSA’s procurement lead, in an interview ahead of announcing the initiative. Agencies will then be able to experiment with Llama, a free tool, with GSA’s assurance that it meets the government’s security and legal standards. Llama is a large language model capable of processing data, including text, video, images and audio. GSA has also signed off in recent months on AI tools from Meta’s competitors, including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Google, Anthropic and Open AI. The companies agreed to sell their paid products at steep discounts and meet the government’s security requirements, GSA has said. “It’s not about currying favor,” Gruenbaum said when asked whether tech executives are giving the government discounts to get President Donald Trump’s approval. “It’s about that recognition of how do we all lock in arms and make this country the best country it could possibly be.” Federal agencies will be able to deploy the tool to speed up contract review or more quickly solve information technology hiccups, among other tasks, he said. Courtney Rozen, Reuters
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E-Commerce
Japanese automaker Nissan is developing vehicles with self-driving technology as it works to turn around its struggling auto business.In a recent demonstration of the technology developed by British company Wayve, a Nissan Ariya sedan outfitted with 11 cameras, five radars and a next-generation sensor called LiDAR maneuvered its way through downtown Tokyo, braking for red lights as well as pedestrians and other cars at intersections.It’s set to be available in 2027, although Nissan did not give the models or other details.It’s an already-crowded field. The self-driving car market is estimated to reach $2 trillion by 2030, according to market researcher IndustryARC, riding on the back of advances in AI, sensor technologies and data processing capabilities.Japan’s top automaker, Toyota Motor Corp., has a partnership deal with Waymo, another self-driving technology developed by Google. Waymo has also arrived in Japan, in partnership with a cab company, but it’s still in the testing stage.Other automakers are also working on autonomous driving technology, including Honda Motor Co., General Motors and Mercedes-Benz, as well as companies outside the auto industry like Amazon and its subsidiary Zoox.Nissan’s push comes at a time when the overall Japanese auto market is facing serious challenges because of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Nissan especially is struggling. It has slashed jobs and appointed a new chief executive, Ivan Espinosa, to attempt a turnaround. The maker of the March subcompact, Leaf electric cars and Infiniti luxury brand posted losses for the April-June period, following a fiscal year of red ink. Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer
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E-Commerce
Alphabet’s Google will seek to avoid a forced sale of part of its online advertising business in its latest face-off with U.S. antitrust enforcers at a trial starting on Monday in Alexandria, Virginia. The trial is the government’s next best shot at curbing what a judge has ruled is Google’s monopoly power, after losing a separate bid to make Google sell its Chrome browser earlier this month. Online publishers and rival ad tech developers, some of whom have separately sued Google for damages, will be watching the case closely. The U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition of states are seeking to make Google sell its ad exchange, AdX, where online publishers pay Google a 20% fee to sell ads in auctions that happen instantly when users load websites. The government also seeks to require Google to make the mechanism that decides the winner of those auctions open source. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, who will preside over the trial, ruled in April that Google holds unlawful monopolies in web advertising technology. After this week’s trial, she will decide what remedies to impose on the company. The company has asked Brinkema to take the same cautious approach as a judge in Washington, D.C., who recently rejected most of the DOJ’s proposals in a separate case over Google’s monopoly in online search. The cases against Google are part of a larger bipartisan crackdown by the U.S. on big tech firms, which began during President Donald Trump’s first term and includes cases still pending against Meta Platforms, Amazon and Apple. Google says the DOJ’s proposal is technically unworkable and would lead to prolonged uncertainty for advertisers and publishers. Google had previously offered to sell AdX, however, during private negotiations to end an EU antitrust investigation, Reuters reported last year. Google’s internal studies on that potential sale may come into evidence at this week’s trial. Instead of selling AdX, Google has now proposed changing its policies to make it easier for publishers to use and support competing platforms. The DOJ has said such requirements alone are not adequate to restore competition. A former News Corp executive and executives at DailyMail.com and Advance Local, which operates local news outlets in eight states, are among those expected to testify at the trial. Some of those witnesses testified last year when the DOJ convinced Brinkema that Google locked publishers into using its publisher ad server – a platform used by websites to store and manage their digital ad inventory – by unlawfully tying the platform to Google AdX. Doing so allowed Google to engage in practices that were not in publishers’ interests, such as giving Google’s advertisers the first and last opportunity to bid on ads, Brinkema wrote in her April ruling. If the DOJ’s proposals have not bolstered competition within four years, Google should also be required to sell its publisher ad server, the government said in court papers. Jody Godoy, Reuters
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E-Commerce
Rimowathe iconic luggage brand famous for its grooved aluminum suitcasesis stepping into a new category: leather handbags. Today, the brand launches the Groove Collection, four leather bags that come in a range of silhouettes, including a shopper, a hobo, and two cross-body purses, priced between $1,200 and $2,150. Like everything Rimowa creates, these bags have an architectural aesthetic with handles and grooves reminiscent of the suitcases, and the pieces are all gender-neutral. It’s a big move for Rimowa, allowing it to compete for the first time with other luxury accessories brands like Louis Vuitton and Chanel. [Photo: Rimowa] Rimowa was founded in 1898 in Cologne, Germany, where it is still does the majority of its manufacturing. For most of the brand’s history, it has focused on crafting highly functional, durable, and well engineered suitcases that have a cult status among frequent travelers. But over the last decade, the brand has gone through a transformation. [Photo: Rimowa] In 2016, the brand was acquired by the French luxury conglomerate LVMH, which owns brands like Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, and Dior. Under Alexandre Arnault (son of LVMH founder Bernard Arnault) who served as CEO from 2016 to 2021, Rimowa began positioning itself as a luxury brand with strong fashion chops. Rimowa collaborated with everyone from Virgil Abloh to Supreme and Dior to Rick Owens. [Photo: Rimowa] It also began expanding beyond its expertise in rolling luggage and has expanded into other products, like travel bags and accessories. Last year, for instance, it launched an aluminum handbag called the Original Bag that looked like a micro version of the suitcase. “We’re still very much focused on the concept of travel,” says Hugues Bonnet-Masimbert, Rimowa’s CEO. “We’re thinking about the idea of mobility, and all the ways we can use our expertise to make products that can help people on their commutes, whether that’s across countries or through their day.” [Photo: Rimowa] As part of this exploration, the company has also considered new materials. In 2023, for instance, the company created a $3,450 suitcase that is wrapped in leather. Given the brand’s focus on craftsmanship, Bonnet-Masimbert says that it was no small thing for the company to go beyond its expertise in aluminum and polycarbonate. “The craftspeople in our factories spend years developing their craft, so it takes time for them to understand how to work with a new material, like leather.” While Rimowa makes the majority of its suitcases in factories in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Canada, it has begun working with factories in Italy with expertise in leatherwork in order to make these leather bags. “Even as CEO, I couldn’t tell the craftspeople when we would launch this collection,” says Bonnet-Masimbert. “They didn’t want to launch it until they felt they could create the most durable bags out of leather.” (All of these leather bags come with Rimowa’s lifetime guarantee.) [Photo: Rimowa] For the first time, Rimowa can now compete in the world of luxury handbags, including other brands within the LVMH umbrella, like Louis Vuitton. But in some ways, these bags are quite different from others on the market. Many luxury brands design bags for women, but these bags are much more gender-neutral, or even masculine, than others onthe market. Bonnet-Masimbert says that when Rimowa launched the Original Bag, he was surprised to find that more men than women bought and carried it. “Men don’t have as many options when it comes to bags,” says Bonnet-Masimbert. And ultimately, Bonnet-Masimbert doesn’t see Rimowa as a fashion label at heart. It is grounded in performance and engineering, rather than what’s on the runway. “We’re not interested in chasing trends,” he says. “We’ll release new products when we feel like they’re serving a purpose.”
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E-Commerce
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