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Each year at SEMA, the Dana Aftermarket team is thrilled to share our innovations, check out the always-expanding array of products within the aftermarket industry, and socialize with long-time contacts and new friends – and 2019 was no exception. The annual SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas, Nevada is the world’s premier automotive specialty products trade event, and this year’s four-day show brought in over 70,000 buyers. Installers, pros, enthusiasts and media flocked to this fantastic show to both admire the extravagantly modified vehicles, and get a first look at pioneering products from industry leaders like Dana.
Attendees’ enthusiasm for our newest products is always a show highlight for the Dana Aftermarket team, and it’s all the more gratifying when that excitement translates into industry-wide appreciation. This year, Dana was honored with recognition in both the SEMA Show New Products Awards, and the SEMA Global Media Awards Program.
With its long list of upgrades incorporated into the design, the new Ultimate Dana 60™ axle for the Jeep Gladiator JT nabbed the judges’ attention for a Best New Off-Road/4-Wheel Drive Product. The new Jeep® Gladiator JT itself generated lots of excitement in the off-roading community this year, so it was expected that modifications and upgrades for this vehicle would be a highlight of SEMA 2019. “You couldn’t turn around and not see a JT!” recalls Senior Manager of Dana Performance Randall Speir. As a direct-fit, bolt-in solution for premium performance and superior strength for the JT, this axle had the edge over the competition – just as it gives off-roaders a competitive advantage on the trail.
A 2020 Global Media Award, which recognizes a product’s consumer appeal, went to the Spicer® Heavy Duty 1350 driveshafts for the Jeep Gladiator from Dana. “It’s pretty neat to win awards for two products that actually work together,” remarks Speir. “When you upgrade your JT to the Ultimate Dana 60™ axles, this requires you to move to a larger series of u-joint for greater strength; the Spicer® 1350 driveshaft is what you need to complete the UD60™ install. These products are an easily-installed solution to accommodate those larger-than-stock tires, and get you out there having some fun off-roading.”
The Ultimate Dana 60™ Bracketless Crate Axle® was another product that really struck a chord with SEMA attendees. “This product has been a long time coming,” Speir says. “The desire to have a bracketless axle to work with has grown as the Crate Axle program has grown.” Without this option, modifiers must first remove the brackets, which are thick and heavily welded to the axle tubes, when using an Ultimate Dana 60™ Dana Crate Axle for building a custom rig.
At the 2019 show, a team from Bruiser Conversions premiered their customized 2020 Gladiator build as a Baja Pre-Runner with Ultimate Dana 60™ Bracketless Crate Axles. The team supplied their own bracketry and then customized the suspension for desert racing. It’s just one example of how these bracketless axles correspond with how people build customized vehicles. “The Bracketless Crate Axle program should be successful because it provides a fresh, clean, unused, non-junkyard, Dana manufactured solution; the axles give builders an option to make these customized vehicles a lot more capable,” explains Speir. “With a new Dana axle, business owners and end users alike won’t have to worry about used components breaking because they are fatigued, so people can take on challenging off-road conditions with confidence.”
The Ultimate International Scout 80, displayed at SEMA by a team from FourWheeler magazine, confirms this statement. The 1964 Scout 80 is customized with Ultimate Dana 60™ Bracketless Crate Axles; the team needed the Dana axles for their custom build to accommodate the suspension, big tires, and torque of their turbo diesel power plant. This vehicle successfully completed the 2019 Ultimate Adventure, traversing the challenging terrain of Alaska, before coming to SEMA!
Speir and his team also heard plenty of positive assessments of Spicer® ball joints from Dana for the Jeep JL. “Design changes on this new Jeep mean it can accommodate larger tires easily, so we’re developing products aimed to support that,” says Speir. “On vehicles with larger tires, ball joints take a lot of the beating. This aftermarket upgrade is more robust and serviceable; it will perform longer, so that’s a huge benefit to any driver.”
As the massive show closed its doors, the team from Dana Aftermarket reflected on their SEMA 2019 experience. “It’s an honor to be such a respected part of this industry,” concludes Speir. “It’s humbling to go to an event like this, receive awards, and see our products being utilized by the best of the best. That, and all the positive feedback on everything from our products to our memorable booth design, lets us know we’re doing a great job. We can’t wait to continue in 2020, developing new products that allow people to spend less time working on broken rigs, and more time living the Spicer life.”


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Danielle’s Be Free Fishel is a cruelty-free line of haircare and body products that our editors adore. You can shop the entire line of top-rated products on the website, but Fishel will debut a special new bundle exclusive to QVC on Saturday.
“I knew QVC had that really unique ability of selling bundles and packages you can’t get anywhere else, sizes you can’t get anywhere else, and value you can’t find anywhere else,” Fishel said. “One of the things that drew me to QVC was that.”
Fishel has been a fan of the shopping network since she was a child, when she would binge-watch it with her mother. Since the launch of Be Free by Danielle Fishel in 2019, selling on QVC has been a dream of hers.
“I like that QVC has unique offerings,” Fishel said. “As a buyer, I want to go somewhere that has things I can’t get at my local store.”
The full line of Be Free by Danielle Fishel products is currently available on the brand’s website; Amazon also sells a selection of products on its storefront. However, on Saturday, Fishel will unveil a new three-piece bundle that will be available only to QVC customers.
QVC made a wise decision by acquiring Be Free by Danielle Fishel. The shopping network already sells a number of high-quality and well-known clean beauty brands, and its customers vote on the best beauty products they’ve purchased each year.
With the move to QVC, Fishel hopes to reach a new audience. She explained that the majority of her Instagram followers are probably ’90s kids who grew up watching Boy Meets World (I’m guilty as charged). However, Fishel is excited to be able to reach a new audience through QVC.
“I know how much that demographic values beauty and clean beauty,” Fishel explained. It allows me to reach a new group of people who I believe will enjoy the product but would not have discovered it otherwise.”

domain: news


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With WEXO, buying cryptocurrencies is a piece of cake. You can pay by a card or top up your account using a bank transfer.
Crypto asset prices are rising after the collapse of two U.S. banks. Bitcoin has grown by 35% in the past week. Bitcoin, which facilitates the safe storage of its own funds without the need for a central authority, has once again come into the spotlight for its decentralized nature after history showed the repeated failure of standard banking institutions.
Fearing a chain reaction and possible economic crisis, investors are beginning to choose assets that operate outside of the standard banking system—for example, the Bitcoin payment system.
How to buy bitcoin?
Enter the world of cryptocurrencies easily, using the WEXO app. Purchases are secured and can be made with a payment card or with a few clicks using Apple Pay and Google Pay.
In the new version of the WEXO app, you can also use SEPA bank transfers to buy crypto assets. You can top up your account in so-called stablecoins, i.e., stable cryptocurrencies, the value of which is pegged 1:1 to the USD value.
This way, you don't have to worry about volatility in the market, even with a longer bank transfer. Stablecoins like Tether (USDT) or Binance USD (BUSD) can then be easily converted through an integrated exchange in our app, for example, to Bitcoin (BTC) or other crypto assets.
Download the new WEXO app and take full advantage of our ecosystem.
Wexo for Android - Download
Wexo for iPhone - Download


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Small business owners and environmentalists are at odds over a call to delay the planned styrofoam ban.
The government had announced that the second phase of a ban on single-use styrofoam products would take effect on January 1, 2020.
But, President of the Small Business Association of Jamaica, Hugh Johnson, is calling on the government to stay the implementation date.
He says the planned ban amounts to over-regulation on the part of the government.
Hugh Johnson, President of the Small Business Association of Jamaica.
Mr. Johnson says more than 15-thousand small cook shop operators will be affected by the ban.
He says there’ll also be a burden on small businesses as the best alternative material costs up to four times as much as styrofoam.
Mr. Johnson says the paper based alternative material is unsuited to most Jamaican dishes that are stew-based.
But, Environmental Activist, Diana McCaulay, says businesses have had enough time to adjust to the styrofoam ban.
She says contrary to Mr. Johnson’s claim, Jamaica is under regulated in relation to styro-foam products.
Diana McCaulay, Environmental Activist.
Both were speaking last evening on Nationwide @ 5 with Cliff Hughes and Tyrone Reid.


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On Thursday, July 22, Twitter shares jumped 5.00%. It announced its 2021 second-quarter revenue earnings and should have another increase in the third quarter.
The company climbed 0.10%, with a net gain of $0.07. This sent the stocks higher at $69.57 per share.
It should open Friday’s session with an increase of 5.56% to $3.93 per share.
According to its press release, the social media giant had total revenue of $1.19 billion, which is a huge increase of 74.00% from the same quarter last year.
It added that most of its revenue came from advertisements, with $1.5 billion. This leap in ad revenue was due to its 32.00% increase year over year in ad engagement and a 42.00% rise in cost per engagement.
This resulted in Twitter’s increase in revenue, where the earnings were 20 cents per share compared to the 7 cents predicted by analysts.
In this year’s second quarter, the company introduced its first subscription service. Users are allowed to access the Undo Tweet button and its other exclusive features.
Furthermore, it also presented new areas like Spaces and Tipjar. Spaces is an audio-only chat room that an account can use with at least 600 followers. Tipjar is a feature that authorizes its users to send money to other people on the platform.
Moreover, Twitter made an effort to improve the effectiveness of its ads as it introduced 2,500 new topic categories during the quarter. This was to help users to find the content that they are interested in.
Revenue Growth Expectation in Q3
Additionally, the social media giant is expecting that its Q3 revenue will grow even higher.
It is estimated that its revenue for the third quarter will reach $1.22 billion to $1.30 billion.
However, analysts estimated that it would only be around $1.17 billion.
The earnings report caused Twitter’s stock to rally, making it one of the best performing technology stocks year to date.
Now, the company expects its headcount and total, total costs, and expenses to jump at least 30.00% for the whole year.
This increases from its previous guidance of 25.00% as it invests in its product and engineering teams.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey stated that digital currency is a huge part of the company’s future. It could be used for eCommerce transactions on the platforms or to tip famous content creators.
Read also: Fortrade Review | Is Fortrade a good Forex broker?


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#PRODUCTWATCH: “ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY” PRODUCTS HIT STORES SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 | #GOROGUE CONTEST
We don’t know about you, but we’ve already got ROGUE ONE fever! Hitting stores Friday, September 30, 2016, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story products are set to cause a commotion. Among the excitement ahead, Fans will have a chance to create and share their own short stories and skits celebrating the excitement, speculation and fan-created content that have kept that Star Wars legacy alive and thriving!
And guess what? Director Gareth Edwards will be among the panel members picking winners from around the globe! Winners get a chance to attend a special Rogue One screening at LucasFilm in San Francisco where they just might see their work on the big screen!
The #GoRogue Fan Contest goes live on Friday, September 30, 2016.
Learn more about the contest here!
See some of the awesome Rogue One merchandise hitting stores:
We love sharing. Click “like” on this Post at Mr. Will on Facebook and one of you Readers in Canada will win a special ROGUE ONE collectible seen above!
(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)


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New York, Sep 17 (PTI) Scientists have developed a new medical patch with microneedles that can burn off pockets of unwanted fat such as "love handles" and treat metabolic disorders like obesity and diabetes.
The patch turns energy-storing white fat into energy- burning brown fat locally while raising the bodys overall metabolism, according to researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and the University of North Carolina in the US.
Humans have two types of fat. White fat stores excess energy in large triglyceride droplets. Brown fat has smaller droplets and a high number of mitochondria that burn fat to produce heat.
For years, researchers have been searching for therapies that can transform an adults white fat into brown fat as a treatment for obesity and diabetes.
"There are several clinically available drugs that promote browning, but all must be given as pills or injections," said Li Qiang, assistant professor at CUMC.
"This exposes the whole body to the drugs, which can lead to side effects such as stomach upset, weight gain, and bone fractures," said Qiang.
"Our skin patch appears to alleviate these complications by delivering most drugs directly to fat tissue," he said.
To apply the treatment, the drugs are first encased in nanoparticles, each roughly 250 nanometers (nm) in diameter.
The nanoparticles are then loaded into a centimeter- square skin patch containing dozens of microscopic needles.
When applied to skin, the needles painlessly pierce the skin and gradually release the drug from nanoparticles into underlying tissue.
"The nanoparticles were designed to effectively hold the drug and then gradually collapse, releasing it into nearby tissue in a sustained way instead of spreading the drug throughout the body quickly," said Zhen Gu, associate professor at North Carolina State University in the US.
The new treatment approach was tested in obese mice by loading the nanoparticles with one of two compounds known to promote browning in mice: rosiglitazone (Avandia) or beta- adrenergic receptor agonist (CL 316243).
Each mouse was given two patches - one loaded with drug- containing nanoparticles and another without drug - that were placed on either side of the lower abdomen.
New patches were applied every three days for a total of four weeks. Control mice were also given two empty patches.
Mice treated with either of the two drugs had a 20 per cent reduction in fat on the treated side compared to the untreated side. They also had significantly lower fasting blood glucose levels than untreated mice.
Tests in normal, lean mice revealed that treatment with either of the two drugs increased the animals oxygen consumption - a measure of overall metabolic activity - by about 20 per cent compared to untreated controls.
Genetic analyses revealed that the treated side contained more genes associated with brown fat than on the untreated side, suggesting that the observed metabolic changes and fat reduction were due to an increase in browning in the treated mice. PTI MHN MHN


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The Oculus Quest is shaping up nicely, with Beat Saber being announced today for the standalone virtual reality headset. After the announcement, the GameRevolution editorial team got to thinking about the promises made by VR headset manufacturers, and if those promises have been kept.
So, is VR still looking like the “future” of gaming in 2019? Or will these headsets forever remain high-priced peripherals that struggle to break into the mainstream? We’ve left our thoughts below, and as always you can share your own opinions in the comments section. We’ll feature our favorite in tomorrow’s Tell GR.
Paul Tamburro, executive editor: “When the price is right, I think virtual reality headsets will become much more prominent. While it’s highly unlikely that VR will be popular to the point where it replaces “traditional” gaming, I do think there’s a strong chance it will make its way to a lot of households, and that it will be more readily incorporated into future video games. The VR tech we have now is incredibly impressive, but it’s still too unwieldy. If VR headsets continue to tone down the number of wires and the high barrier for entry, we’ll start seeing them pop up in more homes soon enough.”
Mack Ashworth, lead editor: “I feel like the most “premium” gaming experiences are had in virtual reality. Upcoming games like Boneworks, and current successes like Beat Saber, boast features that I’d consider the “next level” of video games. However, for it to be the future, accessibility issues are something that need tackling. Price is one thing, but dealing with motion sickness is another. The latter has affected many more people than I would have expected.”
Bradley Russell, news editor: “It’ll always remain the quote-unquote “future” in terms of being a piece of tech that promises much in the next few years but always being just-out-of-reach from the mainstream. I don’t see VR ever being in a state where it’s both affordable and practical, so I can’t see it making waves across this console generation or the next. It feels like a fad and a gimmick that’ll fade away, much like motion control and whatever the fuck Project Spark was supposed to be.”
Michael Leri, features editor: “VR will only grow bigger but it’ll never eclipse flat games. There are just some experiences that won’t be able to replicated with our collective out of shape asses. It would create so much extra work even if you were just sitting in the game world. Games are good at hiding things from you and being able to look around would break that. It’s like the difference between fixed cameras and moveable ones.”
Yesterday’s best comment
Question: What is the best Halo game ever?
Alex Santa Maria: “Halo: Combat Evolved is the first and still the best to me. Halo 5’s multiplayer is probably better in the long run, but the amazing open campaign and the endless three shot duals on Hang ‘Em High will never leave my memory.”


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A large majority of major corporations are failing to be transparent about their impacts on global deforestation and many are taking inadequate steps to tackle it, according to a new report released by CDP.
Over 1,500 companies deemed to have a significant impact on deforestation or to be susceptible to deforestation risk were requested by investors and large purchasing organizations to disclose forests data through CDP’s reporting platform in 2018, but 70% failed to do so. Companies are asked to disclose on four commodities linked to deforestation: timber, palm oil, cattle and soy.
The key findings of the report are as follows:
- 70% of 1,500 companies with high impact on forests fail to provide data on their impact.
- Major brands like Dominos, Mondelez, Next and Sports Direct feature among the 70% that didn’t disclose in 2018.
- Of the 306 that reported data:
- 24% are showing no or limited action to reduce deforestation.
- Companies report up to US$30.4 billion in losses due to deforestation risks, such as brand damage and crop failures.
- Companies also report forest related business opportunities valued at US$26.8 billion, such as increased brand value from sustainable products.
For more information please click here.
Read the full report here.


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Konami could be gearing up “no pun intended” to make a new announcement concerning the Metal Gear franchise — At least that’s what was allegedly inferred in a recent tweet from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance voice actor Quinton Flynn.
Flynn, who voices the divisive (I personally like the kid) protagonist Raiden, made the cryptic comment in response to a fan on his Twitter. Following a post in which Flynn advertised a new Cameo page, follower zxSOLIDxSNAKEzx casually commented “Perhaps a Metal Gear Rising 2 along with the rest of the upcoming Metal Gear showcase might just make it?”
“Stayed tuned for things to be announced in the coming weeks” responded Flynn, complete with winky face.
Stayed tuned for things to be announced in the coming weeks 😉
— Quinton Flynn (@quintonflynn) January 17, 2023
Now, of course, it should be made clear that Flynn might simply be referring to a personal project that he has in mind, rather than a brand new game, remaster, or remake. But with the 10th anniversary of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance approaching, as well as ongoing rumors that something “Metal Gear Remake”-related might be in the works at Konami, it’s all the faithful fan community needs to hear to get their hype engines up and running.
Rising: Revengeance launched on PS3 and Xbox 360 in February 2013, and sees MGS 2 hero Raiden indulging in a spot of incredibly violent hack ‘n’ slash action. Developed by PlatinumGames, the spin-off adventure features all of the highly adrenalized and chaotic combat one would expect from the studio, and is frequently cited as one of the unsung classics of Hideo Kojima’s defining franchise.
Is a remake reveal incoming? Or have we all gotten the wrong end of the sword? Time will tell.


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Prepare for an invasion of the ultrabooks.
Intel revealed that more than 75 ultrabook designs are in the works for 2012 during a press conference at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Companies such as Acer, HP, Samsung and Toshiba have already jumped into the ultrabook business.
What makes the ultrabook so special? According to Intel, the devices sport a super-thin body of less than an inch thick with 14- to 15-inch screens and Core processors.
Most intriguing is the addition of touch and voice controls to future ultrabook models.
Intel announced a partnership with Nuance -- the company behind the tech that powers the iPhone's Siri voice assistant -- to introduce voice-based controls to ultrabooks. The technology would allow users to launch apps, send e-mails or send updates to various social networks through simple voice commands.
Intel also revealed a touch-based ultrabook that worked as a traditional laptop when open, but transforms into a touch-enabled display when the device is closed. The company is also working on adding gesture-based controls to the devices.
Technology Live covers computers, electronics, and the Internet, with a focus on cutting-edge technology that has a real impact on your life. Our reporters and editors -- based in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, and Washington – offer news and tips to help you make the most of your digital domain. More about the team
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Don't miss the latest stories
Coffee Reduces Pain?
By Anthea Quay, 07 Sep 2012
Good news for those who love their cup of java!
Norway-based researchers—Vegard Strøm, Cecilie Røe and Stein Knardahl of Norway’s National Institute of Occupational Health and Oslo University Hospital—have found that coffee reduces physical pain during computer work.
The study involved 48 volunteers who spent 90 minutes performing fake computer office-work task.
The tasks were known to cause pain in the neck, shoulders, forearms and wrists.
19 of the volunteers who drank coffee reported a lower intensity of pain compared to other 29 who abstained from the drink.
However, the findings can’t be confirmed because of other-related and unknown factors.
Do you feel that coffee reduces your pain when at work?
[via BMC and BMC, image via FOOKPHOTO.COM / Shutterstock]
More related news
Also check out these recent news


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With two billion downloads since launching in 2009, Angry Birds mobile games are already the most distributed piece of game content in the world. Now Rovio, the Finland-based creator of the game, is looking for ways to expand the brand.
Rovio is gearing up for a 3-D animated movie with its characters to be released in 2016, as well as several activity parks based on Angry Birds themes that could be built in city neighborhoods.
“Angry Birds is at the core of what we do, but it’s similar to Disney,” brand ambassador (and Rovio’s self-proclaimed “Mighty Eagle”) Peter Vesterbacka tells the WSJ’s Ramy Inocencio in this week’s Digits show. “Disney started with Mickey Mouse back in 1928, but of course they didn’t stop there. Before you knew it they bought Star Wars.”
Also in this week’s show: learn how to protect yourself from the ‘Heartbleed’ security hole and watch how videogame villains have wised up thanks to artificial intelligence.


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After Xiaomi released the CC9 Pro series, there were doubts claiming that Xiaomi’s 100 megapixel orientation was wrong.
the facts show that since Xiaomi CC9 Pro started the 100-megapixel era, more and more models have kept up with Xiaomi’s pace and used 100-megapixel sensors.
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra,
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra,
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra,
- Xiaomi 10,
- Xiaomi 10 Pro,
- Xiaomi 11, etc.,
even the thousand-yuan Redmi Note 9 Pro also uses 100 megapixel.
Now there is news that Nokia will also adopt a 100-megapixel main camera, and the new product will be released at a later date.
According to media reports on April 27, HMD will release the Nokia X50 in Q3 this year.
The news broke that the Nokia X50 uses a 100-megapixel five-camera solution, the main camera is 100 million pixels, and there are ultra-wide-angle, telephoto, macro, and depth-of-field lenses.
In terms of core configuration,
Nokia X50 will be equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 775 processor. It is rumored that this chip is based on 5nm process and is an upgraded version of Snapdragon 765G. At the same time, Nokia X50 adopts QHD+ full screen, size is 6.5 inches, refresh rate is 120Hz , The battery is 6000mAh.


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Pennsylvania lawmaker launches online petition for leisure cannabis legalization
Pennsylvania Rep. Jake Wheatley has launched a petition online to obtain help for the bill legalizing the leisure utilization of cannabis into the state.
Wheatley said which he will be launching H.B. 2600 to legalize the purchase of adult-use cannabis in Pennsylvania. In which he is asking voters’ support.
The usage cannabis for medical purposes is already permitted into the state.
Worldwide CBD Exchange
In the petition, Wheatley cited some information related to leisure cannabis that highlight the many benefits of legalizing it. These generally include:
Pennsylvania would produce millions in income tax income. State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale’s recent report estimated that legalizing adult-use cannabis could produce annual taxation profits of greater than $580 million for Pennsylvania. (mais…)Saiba Mais


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Pro-Trump Demonstration At Twitter Headquarters Appears To Be A Bust, Twitter Claims To Respect ‘People’s Right To Express Their Views’:A demonstration by supporters of President Donald Trump to protest his ban from the Twitter social media platform outside the company's San Francisco headquarters appeared to be a bust Monday morning.
Driver Crashes Near Amazon Hub In Woodlawn After Medical EmergencyA driver crashed into a gate near an Amazon Hub in the Woodlawn neighborhood after a medical emergency.
How To Protect Holiday Packages From Porch Pirates; 'It Wasn't Just Random...They've Been Screening The Whole Block'"I feel bad for people who need to do this."
Greater Chicago Food Depository Gets Donations Of Food, Vans To Help With Deliveries"Whether it's companies like Amazon or individuals helping their neighbors, it's a beautiful thing."
Amazon Opens New Delivery Center In Pullman, Bringing Adversaries Lightfoot And Beale Together For At Least One DayMayor Lori Lightfoot and Far South Side Ald. Anthony Beale (9th), often at odds on most issues, were all smiles on Wednesday as they celebrated the opening of a new Amazon distribution center in the Pullman neighborhood.
Working For Chicago: With Even More Holiday Shoppers Going Online This Year, Seasonal Job Market Shifts TooThis holiday shopping season, retail jobs might be harder to come by, but some other industries are adding staff.
Working For Chicago: Amazon Hiring Hundreds Of Workers For Chicago Area Delivery CentersThe pandemic has decimated many businesses, but one of the few exceptions has been Amazon. The online retail giant’s success means they have kept expanding and hiring in the Chicago area.
Amazon Hosting Virtual Career Day WednesdayAmazon is hosting a virtual career day on Wednesday.
Amazon Hosting Career Day; Hiring For Nearly 750 Corporate And Tech Jobs Across IllinoisTo help the millions of Americans struggling to land a job, Amazon will host a virtual career day on Wednesday, hiring for nearly 750 positions across Illinois.
Amazon Now Taking Applications For Jobs At Robotic Fulfillment Centers In Markham And MattesonAmazon is now taking applications for two new distribution centers that will be opening in the south suburbs.
Amazon To Build New Robotic Fulfillment Centers In Matteson And Markham, Bringing 2,000 Jobs To South SuburbsThe 855,000-square-foot warehouses will be the first of their kind in Cook County, using the newest generation of Amazon robots to help sort and ship goods ordered online.
Target Permanently Raises Starting Hourly Pay To $15Target's latest cash bonus comes as several major companies like Kroger and Amazon have ended or are winding down paying higher wages for workers in warehouses and in stores.
Amazon Employees In Joliet Praise COVID-19 Precautions On The Job; 'They Do A Great Job Of Keeping Us Safe'Tape denoting a six-foot gap covers the floors. Feet imprints help with social distancing in any lines. Masks are mandatory. Employees have staggered start times.
CBS 2 Asks Amazon Tough Questions About COVID-19 Infections, Safety MeasuresAmazon offered us a chance to learn about what it is doing to keep workers safe in the wake of employee deaths and concerns here and across the world. We were interested, but only if we could ask whatever we wanted.
What Companies Benefit From Coronavirus?Amazon and Netflix continue to do well as coronavirus isolates people in their homes, but many other companies have benefited or may soon.


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From this year’s first-ever AI Fashion Week and second iteration of the Metaverse Fashion Week in Decentraland, to Nike acquiring digital fashion studio RTKFT and dropping an Air Force 1 NFT collection with IRL twins, we are witnessing a shift towards valuing digital forms of identity as much as--and sometimes more than--we value our physical identity. Though it may come as little surprise after the screen-mediated Covid years, this includes how we look and dress in virtual spaces. Digital fashion is emerging as a crucial new means of identity formation and status signaling.
Daniella Loftus, creator and founder of This Outfit Does Not Exist, defines digital fashion as “any worn garment manufactured in the digital realm.” She segments this territory further into three categories.
- IRL “In Real Life:” Digital fashion that has physical counterparts, such as Gucci’s collab with Yuga Labs.
- ORL “On Real Life:” Digital clothes superimposed on images of real people online.
- URL “Un Real Life:” Skins and avatars within video games and virtual worlds such as Fortnite, Decentraland, and Roblox.
Not just for the digitally native and gamers, digital fashion is legitimized by traditional luxury fashion houses, with brands such as Louis Vuitton, YSL, Prada, Burberry, and Balmain releasing collections within virtual worlds or as NFTs. The first luxury brand to enter the space was Gucci in 2021, when their Aria film sold for $25,000. The same year, Dolce and Gabbana’s collaboration with UNXD sold for a whopping $5.7 million, and RTFKT, now owned by Nike, sold out an NFT sneaker collection in 7 minutes, generating $3.1 million in sales.
Since then, luxury fashion NFT collections have consistently generated high value: According to blockchain analytics platform Dune, Nike has garnered over $186 million in NFT sales alone, followed by Dolce and Gabbana at $23.69 million, and Tiffany at $12.62 million thus far.
Brands have even purchased virtual real estate within “metaverses” to open virtual stores. Gucci opened the Gucci Vault store in The Sandbox in order to display rare vintage items, and Gucci Town exclusively within Roblox: users can enter into competitions, discover more about the brand, and, of course, shop for virtual Gucci clothing for their Roblox avatars.
The creation of digital fashion is quickly accelerating. In 2022, over 11.5 million fashion creators designed over 62 million unique digital clothing items on Roblox. That’s 200 times as many designers existing within the virtual world as fashion designers creating IRL collections in the entire United States. Newly-launched SYKY Collective, created by digital fashion startup SYKY, promises a YC-like incubator for digital fashion designers with mentorship from top industry execs.
Digital fashion’s timeline has gone from paying for virtual garments to the potential to display ownership of a digital fashion object. Its intrinsic value comes not just from an item’s wearability but from true, durable ownership of it an as asset.
Digital Status & Default Culture
As the first digital natives, Gen Z (aged between 12 and 25) may be the driving force behind the adoption and acceptance of virtual fashion, as fashion was found to be the top spending category for Gen Z, even over video games and music. Comprising 25% of the world’s population with $360 billion in purchasing power in 2022, Gen Z has emerged as a key disruptive consumer. In the US alone, Gen Z possesses up to $143 billion in direct spending power and $600 billion in indirect purchasing power.
Gen Z are digital natives, prioritizing ways to express their creativity and experiment with identities in an increasingly digital world. They interact daily and form community as avatars, signaling status through the customization of virtual skins within video games and virtual worlds. And, some form greater attachment to their online identity, belongings, and communities within these games than to their physical ones. A Morning Consult survey of American Gen Z-ers found that they spend more time per week interacting with their peers via video games than in any physical spaces such as school or work.
Gen-Z dominated platforms like Roblox exemplify emerging trends towards digital ownership. While it may be erroneously dismissed as a mere game to the unknowing, Roblox boasts 60 million daily users and hosts billions of dollars in transactions on its platform each year. Over half of Gen Z players in the game stated they change their avatar’s clothing once a week or more, and 1 in 4 members surveyed stated they’ve spent up to $100 on a single piece of virtual clothing. One of the top designers on Roblox, a 17-year-old, built a multimillion dollar business from designing avatar hairstyles, selling over 40 million unique items on the platform. Gone are the days of $1 lemonade stands and babysitting: Gen Z are turning to digital spaces with limitless potential to create, share, and scale their own ideas.
Their spending habits also convey this shift towards valuing virtual items over physical goods: a survey of Gen Z players on Aglet found that within the last month, 41% have purchased a virtual item, and 60% have designed and used an avatar. 40% of Gen Zs surveyed by Roblox stated that expressing themselves through fashion in the digital world is more important to them than expressing themselves IRL.
How you dress your online avatars is a key signal of identity for Gen Z: phenomena such as “default culture” has emerged where users are teased for using the default skins games like Fortnite give them, despite outfits having no impact on game performance. Rather, the ridicule stems from the appearance of unoriginal fashion choices, pointing to the rise of digital fashion as an important source of identity and status symbol for Gen Z.
This in-game focus on fashion is a foreshadowing of what is to come: a world in which everyone will have an avatar and digital self iteration that we dress to communicate our identity, who we are, and what we care about.
A Move Towards Ownership
With over 3 billion gamers worldwide, many of them with money to spend on virtual fashion for their avatars, digital fashion presents a key market opportunity. In 2021 Fortnite made $50 million from one set of skins, and the skins market as a whole was estimated to generate $40 billion in revenue that year. The rest of the digital fashion market, even excluding the mass-market opportunity in skins, is projected to reach $4.8 billion by 2031.
Yet, games like Fortnite and Roblox come with restrictions for trading and selling digital fashion. Current iterations do not allow users to wear skins outside the games themselves, and the value of skins are lost if the platforms go under. Furthermore, users are completely reliant on the platforms permission for trading within, often getting hit with heavy commission fees to transfer a skin to another player. It’s as if you walked into an Adidas store but could only wear your shoes within the store itself and were prohibited from selling them to someone else without Adidas’ permission and a hefty cut of the profits. And, if the platform disappears, your property disappears.
Digital fashion NFTs improve upon the existing standard for digital goods by enabling durable digital ownership.
Digital ownership provides users with the same rights and access as physical owners, and with real interoperability. Digital fashion NFTs stored on the blockchain would grant users with proof of ownership, the ability to freely buy and sell, cross-platform durability and movability, stores of value as financial assets, and ever-changing utility. They offer much that physical fashion does — identity signaling, ownership, value — but with additional characteristics that only blockchain-enabled technology could grant. Of course, yes, you do still need actual clothes for your real-world needs.
The revolutionary aspects of blockchain technology presents digital objects as new stores of value that will equate and rival traditional stores of value such as gold and real estate. Digital art is already bought and sold near a valuation of physical art, with the most expensive NFT being sold for $90 million, equating to the price of a self-portrait of Vincent Van Gogh. Just as digital objects including onchain art can hold intrinsic value as much as physical art, so too does digital fashion present the potential to hold value on a level that rivals, or even exceeds, physical fashion.
As physical Hermes Birkin bags are proving to be better investments than the stock market and gold, fashion assets have emerged as an often overlooked store of value. Digital fashion provides a new horizon with the same rarity as physical fashion, but without the worry of wear and tear, questionable authenticity, and fungibility.
Digital non-fungible fashion can provide both the status and rights of physical fashion while eliminating provenance worries. As digital fashion objects exist entirely on the blockchain, it eliminates the complex authentication required to verify physical fashion goods, such as rare vintage items.
Furthermore, NFTs provide durability beyond a single platform: skins stored on the blockchain would allow players to wear their skin across multiple games, freely buy and sell, and not have to worry about the risk of losing their skin if the game went under. Buying a piece of clothing in a game would be akin to buying a piece of clothing in real life: your purchase reflects true ownership.
And players want the rights to avatar clothing. Of US gamers, 81% would like to earn money for their skins through skin trading, and 75% of those state they would be more likely to spend more on skins if they had real-life monetary value outside of the game.
Companies are emerging with just this future in mind. Cross-metaverse platform Ready Player Me is allowing users to move their avatars across over 7500 games, providing increased value for virtual clothing within virtual worlds. Digital fashion marketplace DRESSX currently supports JPEG fashion wearers can try on using an existing photo of themselves, but is moving towards blockchain-backed digital fashion you can wear AND own.
Fashion as Utility
Onchain ownership provides revolutionary potential for collecting digital goods, while the utility tied to digital objects enables multi-faceted uses and value creation opportunities for these objects that rivals those of their physical counterparts.
That’s why we at Lasso think the NFT primitive is such a meaningful part of the digital fashion movement, and why we see this user behavior as one of the harbingers of broader adoption of NFTs and other digital objects.
NFT utility, even as currently constituted, provides fashion brands with new ways to engage their consumers and drive consumer loyalty, long-term. We’re already seeing collections use fashion to provide both digital and real-world utility and proof of ownership to holders. Prada’s monthly Timecapsule collection drop comes with a free NFT with exclusive and changing utility such as access to Prada Crypted, Prada events, and a Discord community. Fashion designers Rebecca Minkoff and Karl Lagerfeld dropped NFTs with utility such as coveted Fashion Week passes and exclusive branded events in Paris.
NFC (Near Field Communication) tag-enabled clothing further bridges the gap between physical and digital, allowing customers to scan physical tags in their clothing for access to exclusive content from the brand. NFC tags present nearly limitless utility opportunities: access to community channels, exclusive invites, NFT drops, or any digital experience a brand could conjure, all located from a tiny tag sewn into the garment.
Brands and collections are using NFC tags and this concept of digital twinning to offer both physical and digital garments with utility: Gmoney’s brand 9dcc grants holders both a blockchain-based and physical version of any garment purchased, and Crypto Punks created an exclusive customizable denim jacket for NFT NYC where holders could get their Punk embroidered, with each jacket encasing a Uniqly tag so holders could mint an NFT of their jacket that would display proof of authenticity and ownership.
As long as we all continue to exist in physical spaces, digital fashion will never completely replace physical fashion. But, it can augment it and extend it in ways that are novel, creative, and highly valuable for all parties involved. In our increasingly virtual world, open, public blockchain technology is crucial to underpinning true digital ownership and usability.
We expect digital and physical experiences and objects to blend, as more notable brands in the physical world continue to use NFTs to create compelling experiences for their consumers. In so doing, these brands, and their customers, continue to perpetuate our vision of these digital objects as useful, everyday tools for their owners.


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Wu will be Tourism Australia's Ambassador for the 2017 China-Australia Year of Tourism
Australia has appointed Chinese actor Wu Xiubo as Tourism Australia’s Ambassador for the 2017 China-Australia Year of Tourism.
According to China Daily, the appointment was announced by the Australian minister for trade, tourism and investment, Steven Ciobo, on 21 February. Li Jinzao, the Chairman of the China National Tourism Administration, was also present.
The China-Australia Year of Tourism will celebrate the close relationship between China and Australia. The importance of the Chinese market for Australia’s tourism industry will also be recognised.
“This year promises to bring Australia and China closer and provide more opportunities for further engagement, be it in tourism and travel or more broadly in trade, sport and culture or social and academic exchanges,” said Ciobo.
“China is Australia’s most valuable tourism market, with the potential to be worth more than $13 billion by 2020. Last year, 1.2 million Chinese visited Australia. We anticipate this will grow during the China-Australia Year of Tourism and will continue to grow afterward.”
The trial of the 10-year visitor visa was a recent initiative to support two-way tourism between Australia and China. Furthermore, the open aviation market services agreement removes restrictions for airlines in both countries. A Beijing to Sydney service was launched in January by Australia’s Qantas Airways.
Wu is known most for playing Xinjie Liu, the protagonist in the Chinese TV drama series Before the Dawn, for which he received several awards. The actor is also a musician and producer.
Last year, Wu starred in Finding Mr Right 2 – the sequel to the 2013 Chinese romantic comedy.


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On Saturday, Apple Inc’s TV platform experienced an outage in the United States and other parts of the world including South America, Canada, and Australia. It affected approximately 6,000 users at its peak, lasting for a few hours. It is not uncommon for technology platforms to encounter disruptions or outages, and many companies have specialized teams to monitor and address such incidents.
The recent outage on Apple TV has been resolved, and the platform is now back up and running after a brief disruption. This is only for US viewers as of now.
Much of the Apple TV services outage reported were with login. Many reported that the Apple TV app is no longer working on Roku. It throws up an error message showing that one needs to subscribe again when the user is already an active subscriber. However, it works fine when using the website in Google Chrome.
Users can now access the service without any problems. However, some users also reported encountering issues with other Apple services, such as Apple Support and iCloud, on Saturday. Despite this, there has been no official statement from Apple regarding the cause of the outage or whether other services were affected, as indicated by Downdetector.
It’s worth noting that last week, Apple users reported difficulties in streaming Apple Music, among other platforms. Apple later acknowledged the problem on its system status page.
In addition to the recent outage with Apple’s TV platform, Downdetector also reported an issue with the company’s music streaming service on April 11th. The problem peaked at around 6:07 AM, with Downdetector recording 3,392 user reports during that time.
According to the data from Downdetector, 98% of the users who reported problems with the music streaming service had difficulty streaming music, while 1% encountered difficulties accessing the website and logging in. It’s unclear what caused the outage and whether Apple has provided any further information regarding the incident. It appears from the below that all Apple services are having issues.
Aside from the outage with Apple’s TV platform and music streaming service, several other Apple services experienced problems earlier this week, including Apple Radio, Apple Pay & Wallet, and iTunes Match. Apple’s status page now shows that all of these issues have been resolved.
It’s unclear what caused the outage in the first place, but reports suggest that it may have been limited to users in the US, as users in India didn’t appear to be affected.
Although the issues with Apple’s services have been fixed for now, it’s still advisable to keep an eye on any further developments or updates from Apple in case of future outages.


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Mubadala Capital, the asset management subsidiary of Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company, has signed an agreement to acquire Ontario-based logistics company Canada Cartage, as it seeks to boost its presence in the supply chain industry.
The financial details of the transaction, which is expected to close in 60 days, were not disclosed. It is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of Canadian regulatory approvals, a joint statement on Monday said.
Canada Cartage plays a “critical role in Canada’s economy by supporting a wide range of essential sectors through economic cycles”, Adib Mattar, head of private equity at Mubadala Capital, said.
Founded in 1914, Canada Cartage operates through a network of 33 facilities across the country. It provides national fleet solutions, general freight services, managed transportation, fulfilment and distribution, and home delivery services to some of Canada’s largest companies in the grocery, food, retail and e-commerce sectors.
The company has a workforce of more than 4,000 people. With a national network of terminals, cross-docks and distribution centres, it is one of Canada’s largest supply chain service providers.
“The events of the last two years have reinforced how important it is to effectively manage the supply chain, for companies as well as consumers," Mr Mattar said.
"We look forward to continuing to work with Canada Cartage’s management team, employees and customers to build on the company’s strong legacy and support its next phase of growth."
Canada Cartage has two business segments ― dedicated transportation and logistics.
The dedicated transportation division manages transportation needs of the customers, allowing them to "realise cost efficiencies and reallocate resources towards core operations", the company said.
Meanwhile, the logistics arm provides supply chain solutions, including freight management of both inbound and outbound goods, order and inventory management, warehousing, fulfilment and final delivery to end-consumers.
Scotiabank is acting as exclusive financial adviser to Mubadala Capital and CIBC World Markets is doing likewise with Canada Cartage for the deal.
“We are excited to partner with Mubadala Capital to help us to continue building a world-class transportation and logistics business,” Jeff Lindsay, president and chief executive of Canada Cartage, said.
Set up in 2011, Mubadala Capital has grown significantly in scale over the past decade, with offices across the world.
It manages $16 billion in aggregate across its own balance sheet investments and in third-party capital vehicles on behalf of institutional investors. This includes four private equity funds, three early-stage venture funds and two funds in Brazil focused on special situations.
Earlier this year, it invested in Australian company SX Global, which is set up to promote the next FIM Supercross World Championship.
Last August, Mubadala Capital closed its $1.6bn third private equity fund that will focus on investing in sectors such as media, sports, consumer and food services across North America and Europe.


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Cyber-bulllying is an ongoing trend in this country, and latest victim Mathira was trolled for being a single mother...and her response was brilliant.
Aamina Sheikh beautifully responded to all the negativity her forehead has received over the years with a beautiful response that's inspired many.
Nadia Hussain is super fierce. The model does not shy away from speaking out against anyone who tries to make her a victim of cyberbullying
Wow, people really got zero chill these days. Ushna Shah was letting loose with fellow collegue and friend Iqra Aziz, but everyone's sending her to he...
Ayeza Khan posted an adorable picture of her daughter on her 2nd birthday in a cute mermaid outfit and Pakistanis cannot stop policing the little girl...
Pakistani women are standing up to their harassers. And they've found a unique way to make their voices heard in the public space.
Strategic partnership between Visa and Zindigi-Powered by JS Bank aims to promote financial inclusion and digital transformation, and will facilitate ...
Costa Coffee is elated to announce the opening of its third store in Pakistan, debuting in the vibrant capital city of Islamabad.
hair loss and hair regrowth journey of a 23 year old student. The silent battles ofevery person who faces hair loss at a young age.
The Pak China Friendship Center recently witnessed the grand finale of the Zindigi Prize, Pakistan's premier entrepreneurship program.
JS Bank participated in Global Pinktober Month, dedicated to raising awareness about breast cancer and the importance of early detection.
evoltt smart watch by ZERO lifestyle has caught the attention of the glitterati turning heads wherever they make an appearance.
© 2023 MangoBaaz. All Rights Reserved


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My good friend and fellow OFB writer Dennis E. Powell and I met years ago on a group that championed Free/Open Source software, much for the same sorts of reasons he advocates for his new phone configuration over Apple’s offerings. OFB itself was founded, in fact, to promote such open software, especially Linux, so why would I defend locked down systems from Apple? That’s a story that started 19 years ago, before the iPhone even existed.
The IOS update that killed my original iPhone SE was the last straw. I was done with Apple. They’d already skated far out onto the thin ice when they killed the excellent Dark Sky weather application and replaced it with their more-is-less Weather application, which took what was once quick, convenient, easy, and comprehensive — Dark Sky — and replaced it with a jumble of information, often not the information being sought, on a too-busy screen. It would have been forgivable if they had provided a setting that restored the look, feel, and functionality of Dark Sky. They didn’t. They never do. Apple knows best.
As a friend battled viruses on his brand-new Windows computer this week, I thought again about just how spoiled Apple users are by better security and better privacy than Android and Windows folks live with. Long adept at bringing such advantages to the masses that will never try (much less secure) Linux, Apple has one vulnerability is tech prowess cannot overcome: China.
By now most of us know the unpleasant drill. The credit card company calls or texts you and says there appears to be an unauthorized purchase. Somehow, that happened (near as I can tell, merely coincidentally) on three different accounts for me within a week in July. One has turned into a continuing pain months later: Apple Card. Some of this is a fault of the card, but the greater fault lies in a weak bit of design in Apple’s platforms I otherwise love.
The Boys talk about Jason’s adventures this summer, the changing world we find ourselves in (and some encouragement from Ps. 89 related to it), their mutual love of all things Apple and the importance for Christians being people of the Truth.
New OFB contributor D. Griffin Jones peers into 2022 and offers a roundup of everything Apple is expected to release in the upcoming year.
I’m a bit of a contrarian on a lot of things, but usually I understand the opposing majority. With the critics of the Apple Touch Bar, though, I am stumped. While the new 14” and 16” MacBook Pros portend an exciting new era for Apple users, I mourn the little keyboard touch screen it comes at the cost of. It didn’t need to die.
The Boys dig into Coldplay’s new album Music of the Spheres, preview the new supercharged Apple computers, consider privacy and surveillance online, debate the Minimum Wage and then spend some time in the Gospel of John and Revelation once again.
Since its introduction, no one has ever mistaken the Macintosh as the cheap option for computers. Nor would anyone who watched Apple’s launch of its insanely fast M1 Pro and Max chips on Monday argue that the new MacBook Pros are cheap. However, when the dust settles, the previous reigning top Apple Chip — the M1 — will still be the one that created a year when the cheapest Mac was the best Mac and one of the best computers, period.
Probably all of us have some frustration with one or more of the Tech Giants who are being targeted by Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s “Ending Platform Monopolies Act.” It is tempting to cheer on efforts to offer a cure to common Big Tech disease, checking their power over us. But, like a layperson coming up with the wrong treatment for a serious illness, this and other similar proposals, dangerously operate on oversimplification that threatens to make our technology much worse while ignoring the genuine Big Tech problems staring us down.


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Antique Auto Fest 2018
Photos by Tavi Ellis
48th Annual Antique Auto Fest rolls into town, Sept. 7-8
Cars, camaraderie and community
Morris Dillow has been interested in antique cars since he was 14, when his 80-year-old mentor inspired him to love Model Ts. Today, Dillow continues to share that love at the 48th annual Antique Auto Fest, slated for Friday, Sept. 7, and Saturday, Sept. 8, at the Great Passion Play.
The festival features hundreds of restored classics, hot rods, street machines, customs, rat rods, muscle cars and rare trucks, all competing for more than 25 judged awards. Early car registration is slated for 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, followed by the popular sunset cruise around Beaver Lake. Pre-registration for cars begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday, with the gates opening to the public at 9 a.m. The awards presentation is scheduled for 3 p.m., followed by the car parade through downtown Eureka Springs.
There are 30 judging categories, including Best in Show, Best Engine, Best Paint, Best Interior, Rat Rod, Street Rod, Pre-War Stock Class and Best Race Car. Dillow said he’s hoping to see up to 400 cars at the event, saying that’s an improvement from last year.
“We expect the 257 we had last year, and we’re hoping for 150 more,” Dillow said.
Eric Studer, who is organizing the event with Dillow, said there are several new offerings at the event, including a costume contest, valve cover racing and more vendors.
“There will be more vendors and better food and beverage options,” Studer said. “Participants will have a chance to win a cash reward.”
This is the second year the festival has been held at the Passion Play. It was moved from Pine Mountain Village, Dillow said, to help grow the event.
“We could not get the cars we had last year into Pine Mountain Village,” Dillow said. “We could only get half that many. At the Passion Play, we have room to expand.
“In the past, they filled up the parking lot with show cars and there was no real parking for the visitors,” Studer added. “There were limited food and beverage options. We’re thankful the Passion Play volunteered their space.”
The best part of the event, Dillow said, is that a portion of the proceeds will benefit ECHO Clinic, a non-profit organization offering low-cost healthcare to the citizens of Carroll County. Studer said he’s proud to help such an important organization.
“It’s very rewarding. I don’t think I can say enough good things about the ECHO Clinic,” Studer said. “The quality of their work is a testament to why they’ve been on 60 Minutes and all sorts of other national news programs.”
When he and Dillow got involved with the event, Studer said, they wanted to be sure it was community-wide. That means the vendors, T-shirts and handmade trophies are all locally based.
“This is a city-wide promotion. It’s not just for people who are into cars,” Studer said. “It’s about the coming together of car culture and the community, seeing such a wide range of work from stock to totally rebuilt antique cars to rat rods. For me, it’s like a buffet. There’s something for everyone.”
Car culture brings everyone together, Dillow said, regardless of where they come from.
“It doesn’t make any difference what background you’re from. If you have a car with four wheels, you come in and everybody’s friends,” Dillow said. “They aren’t looking at what you have in your wallet. They’re looking at what you’re driving.”
“It’s a network of friends you haven’t met yet, and it’s for everybody,” Studer said. “Jay Leno is one of the most famous guys in America, and he still drives to a local hamburger drive-in on Friday night cruises, because everybody has a common ground. You don’t have to be a multimillionaire to own a nice car, or even to appreciate one.”
Dillow encouraged everyone to check out the cars at the Passion Play, saying he’s excited to see how the event turns out. If everything goes well, he said, he expects the festival to continue expanding over the next two years.
“In two years, it’ll be the 50th fest, and we hope to fill every piece of grass at the Passion Play with cars,” Dillow said. “We feel we can push up to 1,000 cars.”
In the meantime, Studer said, he’s ready to see everyone at the 48th festival.
“We hope everybody gets involved,” Studer said. “Whether you like cars or not, you can come out and have fun.”


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by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Unbeknown to many in the European Union, I am sure, fruits and vegetables deemed unattractive or imperfect such as knobby carrots and overly-curvy cucumbers were actually banned from being sold to consumers. This ban. However, has been lifted finally in July 2009 (I know it is 2014 now but still relevant to some extent). It is interesting to note, though, that the ban only included certain fruits and veggies.
The rules on standards for apricots, artichokes, asparagus, aubergines, avocados, beans, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflowers, cherries, courgettes, cucumbers, cultivated mushrooms, garlic, hazelnuts in shells, headed cabbage, leeks, melons, onions, peas, plums, ribbed celery, spinach, walnuts in shell, water melons and chicory have gone completely. Other standards, however, for apples, strawberries, citrus fruit, kiwis, lettuces, peaches, nectarines, pears, sweet peppers, grapes and tomatoes remain, but supermarkets have the option to sell less than perfect produce under specific labels such as “different”, “extra”, or “Class I”.
While the lifting of the ban appears to be good news in terms of reduction of waste, some are doubtful it will make a difference. Alyn Smith, a Scottish MEP from the Scottish National Party and a member of the European Parliament's agriculture committee said that the claim is doubtful because supermarket standards are probably more stringent than the EU rules are. In other words, the nearly 40% of fruits and vegetables thrown into the trash because they are not up to snuff will probably continue to be chucked.
While in Belgium it is now illegal for supermarkets to throw away food at the end of the day; it will have to be given away to certain good causes, dumpster diving is and remains illegal.
The problem, however, does not just begin with the perfectly good food being thrown out at the end of the day by supermarkets (and even market traders) but by supermarket buyers and wholesalers already discarding the non-perfect potatoes, carrots, etc., in the field or from the delivery of a farmer.
We are throwing away enough perfectly good edible food – pre-consumer – that not a single person on this Planet would need to go hungry and we don't even want to talk about how much it would be when we consider how much consumers themselves toss away because it has reached the “best before” date or has gone off in their homes.


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Breakingviews posts an insightful column and applauds the definancialization of the economy:
But finance helps the economy in much the same way the way a police force or an army helps keep the peace. Countries would be delighted to get the same order with fewer forces. They should be equally happy to get the same production and trade with less finance. Finance is a cost — not a benefit — of maintaining a complicated economy.
The Journal is good on the Chinese dairy scandal, getting on the ground to talk to farmers.
About two years ago, farmers and Chinese authorities say, some manufacturers offered a new version of protein powder that they said could still fool dairies that had caught on to other protein additives. It contained melamine, but wasn’t labeled as such. “Everyone just called it protein powder,” says the second farmer. “Nowhere did it say it was melamine, ” he says. “People never thought about it and never thought they needed to know more details.”
Liu Wuqiang, another dairy farmer in Hebei, says, “farmers had no idea it was poisonous.” He says, “We were just afraid that our milk would be returned and wasted.” He says he never added anything to his milk.
Speaking of China, the LA Times has a good look at the country’s “worst manufacturing decline in at least a decade,” which it says is shuttering plants all over the country
Even before the global financial crisis, factory owners in China were straining under soaring labor and raw-material costs, an appreciating Chinese currency and tougher legal, tax and environmental requirements. When the credit crunch took hold — prompting Western businesses to slash orders for Chinese goods and bankers to curtail loans to factories — many operations were pushed over the edge.


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Brazilians want to sell biodiesel for Spain
The Producers Association sees opportunity to supply Argentinean product which is boycotted by Spain, in retaliation for the nationalization of the YPF
The Association of Biodiesel Producers of Brazil (APROBIO) issued an official letter to the embassy in Brasília, making the 28 associated plants available for supplying biodiesel. Then, Spain stopped importing from Argentina this week, in retaliation for the nationalization of company YPF, from the Spanish Repsol.
The associated companies of the entity represented more than 50% of the product offer in the last auction achieved by the National Agency of Natural Oil and Biofuels (ANP), in the latest February this year, when 700 million liters were commercialized.
The Brazilian biodiesel production, the third greatest in the world, after Argentina and The United States, exceeded 2.5 billion liters last year, and this represented a turnover of R$ 6 billion (US$ 3.1 billion). Besides, the industrial park of the sector, which is comprised of 63 plants, works with 55% idleness in its capacity installed.
In 2011, Argentina exported a total of 1.87 billion liters of biodiesel. According to the Spanish Institute of Commerce, the country spent US$ 920 million in the purchase of Argentinean biofuels (700 million Euros). Spain is considered as the door for the entrance of biodiesel in Europe, from where it is led to other countries of the European Community.
The ANP has authorization for 15 Brazilian plants to export biofuel. The agency also determines a maximum of 4.6 billion liters for the purchase abroad, and this exceeds the volume exported by Argentina last year. Last week, the Spanish ambassador in Brazil, Manuel de la Cámara, said that the nationalization of YPF by Argentina would open possibilities for Brazil to sell more products to Europe. "I think the Europeans will purchase more biodiesel from Brazil. This is an opportunity for Brazil to sell rural products, like soybean, besides biofuels and iron", he asserted, according to dispatch from Brazil Agency. Many Brazilian plants have special authorization from the ANP to export biodiesel which has 5% mixture per liter of fossil diesel commercialized in the country. With R$ 4 billion invested in the last seven years, the production of biodiesel in Brazil generates 1.3 million jobs and involves more than 100 thousand families of small farmers in the supplying of raw material.
"I believe that Brazil has conditions to meet the contracts of Spain with YPF", asserts the chairman of APROBIO, Erasmo Battistella. He says that he already asked the ambassador of Spain in Brazil for an audience in order to get informed on the details of these negotiations. Thereafter, APROBIO intends to look for the Spanish importers and search for the supply of imports, on an emergency or temporary character, until Spain and Argentina decide legal and commercial issues which the suspension of contracts may generate from.
According to Battistella, the Argentinean biodiesel exported to Spain is soybean-based, which is the raw material of 80% of the biofuel produced in Brazil. Besides the grain, 16% of the raw material comes from beef tallow, palm, reused soybean oil, sunflower, canola, and other vegetable oil plants.


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When the former magazine fashion editor Alyson Walsh began her blog, That’s Not My Age, nine years ago it was as a reaction to the fact that she “wasn’t seeing anyone that looked like me in the media, and I wanted to celebrate the fact that older people are cool too and you don’t just disappear off the radar once you’re over 40”.
Now 53, Walsh has witnessed a welcome sea change in the ensuing years, with the media seemingly awash with images of women celebrated for their mature years.
Earlier this week, 73-year-old model Lauren Hutton was revealed as one of the stars of the new Calvin Klein lingerie campaign, having appeared on the runway for Italian fashion house Bottega Venetta in September. Last year high-street retailer H&M cast 60-year-old stylist Gillean McLeod to model its swimwear, and this season, 63-year-old New York university professor Lyn Slater, known to her 111,000 Instagram followers as Accidental Icon, is the face of Spanish retailer Mango’s marketing campaign, “A story of Uniqueness”.
Amber Valletta, one of the original 1990s supermodels, appears on the current cover of British Vogue – reassuringly without a coverline championing her 43 years. She also appeared with many of her contemporaries, including 50-year-old Cecilia Chancellor, in designer Dries Van Noten’s Paris catwalk show earlier this year. Meanwhile, at London fashion week, designer Simone Rocha and casting director Piergiorgio Del Moro invited Jan de Villeneuve, 70 (who has previously worked with David Bailey and Norman Parkinson), 73-year-old Italian model Benedetta Barzini (a favourite with Dolce & Gabbana) and 53-year-old French beauty Marie-Sophie Wilson to showcase her collection. I could go on, but you get the gist.
“The majority of women want to look good, regardless of age,” says Walsh, who claims her style blog is “for every woman who refuses to be invisible”.
“I am 53 and simply want to look healthy, stylish and modern, not younger. And I want to be relevant, even with my wrinkles. We are important role models to younger women, and I love looking to older women who are leading the way. Finally, some brands are talking to me, but it took them a long time to catch on to the power of the silver spend.”
It is predicted that by 2018 there will be 20 million over-55s in the UK, making up one in three of the population. Over-50s already account for around 47% of all UK consumer spending, so there is an economic incentive for businesses to target mature customers.
“Not only are today’s over-55s wealthier, they are also healthier and have more time to spend their money before and during retirement,” says Ina Mitskavets, senior consumer and lifestyles analyst at Mintel. “All these factors are contributing to a rise in a mature demographic of shoppers eager to explore all the options available to them.”
Over-65s spend £6.7bn a year on clothes in Britain, yet it is only recently that this age group has appeared in advertising campaigns for products other than insurance policies or stairlifts. Two years ago, Rebecca Valentine launched Grey Model Agency and now has 300 men and women on her books. “In the last six to 12 months we have received lots more briefs and bookings from cooler brands in the fashion, beauty and travel sectors,” says Valentine. “But it’s still important to have an element of aspiration: even older models must be exceptional looking. They need to appear fit and healthy, with glossy hair and clear eyes. The view of wrinkles is changing: now clients are looking for radiant complexions and don’t mind the lines.”
One of Valentine’s signings is Frances Dunscombe, an 84-year-old former secretary who next month will appear on the cover of a major fashion magazine, surrounded by models of various ages, in a celebration of modern femininity. Having never modelled before, Dunscombe joined Grey at its inception, and has since walked the runways of London fashion week and embraced a range of fashion shoots and TV work.
Conversely, 69-year-old Maye Musk is a veteran in front of the camera and on the runway, having worked as a model for the past five decades. Mother to Tesla founder and SpaceX entrepreneur Elon, and grandmother to 10 children between the ages of four and 14, Musk’s main career as a dietitian was supplemented by “regular jobs doing commercial catalogue modelling” – something she began at the age of 15 in South Africa. At 60 she stopped dyeing her hair, cut it short, and her career soared, modelling for Virgin America, appearing in music videos and acting as an ambassador for Swarovski.
“People are being creative with me these days and I love to do exciting work with really visionary stylists and photographers,” says Musk, now based in LA. “I’m doing what every woman dreams of doing at this age: travelling the world, wearing amazing clothes, being pampered and meeting fascinating people. It’s such fun. As long as I’m in good health and am in shape and people keep asking me to do it, I’ll keep going.”
Musk, who boasts almost 35,000 followers on her Instagram feed, attributes much of her success and that of her modelling contemporaries to the rise of digital media and the democratic power of the internet. “Social media has given all women a voice and platform,” she says with youthful vigour and the accrued wisdom of someone who has witnessed life without tablets and smartphones. “Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have done wonders for me, and I love being able to share my experiences directly with those who are interested, and engage with them.”
The surge in street style blogs and mature Instagram “influencers” has allowed consumers to find their own “real-life” style icons – as opposed to professional models in glossy magazines. It has made celebrities and cult figures of a swath of women who might previously have lived a low-key, parochial existence, but who are now feted for their looks and lifestyle and are reaping the financial rewards.
“Women today seek out bloggers who have a similar lifestyle to them, whether that’s an older woman with a fabulous career wardrobe or a bohemian retiree, and we use them as real-life style advisers,” says Kim Winser, founder of fashion label Winser London, which has loyally used 52-year-old Yasmin Le Bon as the brand’s “face” since it launched in 2012. “That desire to engage with relevant but aspirational role models has slowly been picked up by casting agents and brands who are gradually building that into their business strategy – not before time.”
Debra Bourne, co-founder and director of All Walks Beyond the Catwalk, lobbies for increased diversity in the fashion industry. She is encouraged by the recent wave of older faces in the media and concurs that the internet has been a force for good in this context.
“It’s exciting to see a whole generation of older self-selected ambassadors who have become digitally literate, with a lot to say,” says the 53-year-old, who was awarded an MBE for “services to diversity” a fortnight ago. “They lived a life before the internet, and they were without a platform until recently. The media world had written them off as they didn’t comply with their commercial mindset that insisted on promoting a singular youthful ideal.
“I would still like to see advertising and marketing shift towards a proposition built on a wider set of values than purely appearance, particularly in that older market. I am slowly seeing a shift where marketeers are recognising attributes and achievements of individuals rather than just the way they look. By the age of 50, we have lived for a sizeable amount of time and most of us have had some incredible and interesting experiences, which mean so much more than sublimely coiffed grey hair.”
AGELESS STYLE ONLINE
Coco Chanel once quipped that “after 40 nobody is young, but one can be irresistible at any age”. Social media has given rise to a generation of irresistible older style icons with big followings:
Australian Sarah Jane Adams, 62, joined Instagram to promote her jewellery business, but her colourful, slightly dishevelled style rapidly attracted a following. 149,000 followers
Great-grandmother Helen Ruth Van Winkle from Kentucky, became an internet sensation at the age of 85. Now 88, the pastel-clad raver hangs out with Miley Cyrus and recently became a muse for makeup brand Urban Decay. 3 million followers
63-year-old Professor Lyn Slater became an unwitting fashion plate when she was spotted walking past a runway show en route to meet a friend for coffee. Now she’s the face of Spanish chain Mango. 112,000 followers
This 54-year-old Vogue fashion stylist boasts a serious designer wardrobe, but wears it with youthful vitality. 1.3 million followers
Created by street style photographer Ari Seth Cohen, Advanced Style is a collection of images of stylish older women from around the world. 194,000 followers


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This week is turning out to be huge for smartwatches, because not only is the Apple Watch launching, Android Wear is getting a major update.
Google today revealed an update to Android Wear that’s going to add a lot of functionality. For example, Android Wear is gaining the ability to keep apps always on, like how many watches let you keep a watch face on at all times. Just like those watch faces, the always-on apps will be black and white when you’re not looking at it, but they’ll switch to full color once you lay your eyes on the display.
Android Wear is also gaining support for Wi-Fi on devices that have the feature built-in. This means that you can get notifications, send messages, and more whenever your watch is on Wi-Fi and your phone has a data connection. That includes when you’re out and about with your watch and your phone is at home.
Also coming to Android Wear with this update are new navigation features. You can flick your wrist away from you to scroll through your stream of notifications, and you can jump to your apps and contacts simply by tapping the watch face.
Finally, this update will enable you to draw emojis on your watch screen and then have Google figure out what you’re making. Google says that you can draw “hundreds” of different emojis, and once Google decides what you’re trying to draw, you can send it in a message.
Google says that this update is coming to all Android Wear watches in the next few weeks, with the LG Watch Urbane being the first of the bunch to get it. This is a huge update for Android Wear, adding big features like Wi-Fi support that’ll let you get alerts even if you forget your phone at home, as well as quicker access to your apps thanks to the always-on feature. And the good news is that all Android Wear watches are getting this update, so even LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live owners will get to check out the new goodies.


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Naomi Osaka once again tops the list of the highest-paid female athletes in the world, bringing in $51.1 million in 2022, according to Forbes.
She’s followed by Serena Williams, who earned $41.3 million. Eileen Gu, who gained popularity following her performance at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, brought in $20.1 million, which included $20 million in endorsements.
In total, the 25 highest-paid female athletes in the world made roughly $285 million this year before taxes and agents’ fees. The top 10 of those athletes made up for $194 million of that total, a 17 percent increase from 2021.
Eight of the 10 made at least $10 million in 2022 for the first time since Forbes introduced the rankings in 2008. That number also doubled from a year ago.
“I think everybody’s seeing a tremendous amount of momentum with women’s sports and women’s sports sponsorships,” Cameron Wagner, Chief Client Officer of Elevate Sports Ventures, told Forbes. “We’ve made a ton of progress. We have a ton of progress left to be made, but brands are starting to see the value in women’s sports here and today as a driver of their business.”
The year brought increases across women’s sports, including for England’s players following their Euros win. The Athletic recently detailed how their endorsement deals have skyrocketed in the months following the title.
Women’s soccer sponsorships have also increased. FIFA recently released a report detailing how 77 percent of women’s soccer leagues had a title sponsor in 2022, an increase from 66 percent in 2021.
While tennis players still make up the majority of the top 10, golfers have also increased their earnings after the LPGA introduced record tournament purses. That should only increase in the coming year as the tour stands to break records once again with its offerings.
Forbes announces the top earners of 2022. pic.twitter.com/MR5wmVBiJU— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) December 22, 2022
Forbes announces the top earners of 2022. pic.twitter.com/MR5wmVBiJU


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“Even as we await the public launch of iOS 9 in September, Apple is already looking ahead to iOS 9.1,” Juli Clover reports for MacRumors. “During a two week span in July, Apple engineers appear to have focused their attention on developing the first major update to iOS 9, as seen in the MacRumors visitor logs from Apple IPs.”
“Beginning on July 21, we started seeing a small number of hits from devices running iOS 9.1. Visits picked up on July 22 and peaked in the dozens on July 28, before dying down as August approached,” Clover reports. “The majority of hits we received came from an iPad or iPad mini-sized device, while the rest came from a device the same size as the iPhone 6 Plus. It is not clear if the visits came from existing iOS devices or from new devices that are in testing, including the iPhone 6s Plus and the iPad mini 3.”
“Visits from iOS 9.1 devices have since tapered off, suggesting Apple’s iOS team is once again working on getting iOS 9 ready for launch. It is not known why a two week period was spent on iOS 9.1, but it’s possibly related to testing on the iPad Pro or iPad mini 4, both of which may already be in production or entering production soon,” Clover reports. “We don’t know what features will be introduced in iOS 9.1, but logic dictates it may be an update that’s designed to launch alongside the larger-screened 12.9-inch “iPad Pro,” which has been rumored to be coming in October or November.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: It makes sense for Apple to continue to have separate events for iPhone and iPad so that each can have the spotlight. Lumping everything together in a single event would risk diluting the message for one or both.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dan K.” for the heads up.]


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As noted by CNBC, the iPhone XR now starts at 6199 RMB on Apple’s online store in China, nearly five percent lower than its previous 6499 RMB price tag. The higher-end iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max models each received a 500 RMB price cut as well and now start at 8,199 RMB and 9,099 RMB respectively.
Likewise, the second-generation AirPods with the standard Lightning charging case now start at 1,246 RMB, down slightly from 1,279 RMB, and the 11-inch iPad Pro has been discounted to 6,331 RMB from 6,499 RMB previously.
The price cuts appear to be due in part to a reduction in China’s value-added tax (VAT) that went into effect today to help boost the economy there, but regardless of the reason, any price cut could be good news for Apple as it seeks to bolster sales in China.
Last quarter, Apple issued its first revenue warning in 16 years due to “fewer iPhone upgrades” than it anticipated and “significantly greater” than expected economic weakness in the Greater China region. Apple already discounted iPhone prices at third-party resellers in China to improve results.
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Health fears over BPA chemical in plastic food packaging
Food and drinks packaging helps food to stay fresh and enjoy a longer shelf life.
Plastic is commonly used in food containers, bottles and wrapping materials as well as in the linings of tin cans. But plastic packaging containing Bisphenol A (also known as BPA) has come under increasing scrutiny.
In France the decision has been taken to ban BPA from food packaging from 1 January 2015 as a result of health fears. However, other government scientists around the world say it is safe to consume food and drinks from BPA plastic packaging at low levels. Reporter Rachel Royce looks at the controversy over BPA and asks if it should be banned from food packaging in the UK.


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Truck freight dropped 1.4% in May, according to the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) advanced seasonally adjusted trucking tonnage index. However, ATA pointed out freight volume remains high when calculated on a year-over-year basis.
“Despite the monthly reduction in truck tonnage during May, I believe the economic expansion is still very solid and so is the trucking industry,” said ATA chief economist Bob Costello. “Year-over-year comparisons remain good and robust growth is expected to continue for the industry.
“Many motor carriers could boost freight volumes even more if they could just find quality drivers,” he added. “The driver situation is currently limiting capacity growth.”
Costello also noted that May’s month-to-month decrease was only the second drop in the last nine months, with the other decrease registered in January this year. Even with the reduction, May’s reading was the second highest on record, with April’s level the all-time high.


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The Taipei District court may issue a warrant for the arrest of at least two senior HTC employees for embezzlement. They are accused of selling commercial secrets and technology to Chinese companies.
A week of Windows 10 news, Apple allegations and Sony's week of hell
Nest Learning Thermostat: The Next Generation, review
Microsoft's low end smartphone strategy needs a reboot
The latest table for Pinball FX2, Venom, reviewed
Hands On: Preview of HP's new $200 laptop
Latest deals in the Steam Holiday Sale 2014
Steam Holiday Sale 2014
Former Microsoft employee Robert Curry was sentenced on Friday to 33 months in jail for an embezzlement scheme that had Curry stealing $459,000 from the company.
Reports have shown that police and prosecutors have raided Siemens AG in Munich and Erlangen, Germany. The raid is a part of an investigation into acts of fraud suspected at the company's fixed networks business....


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The city of Osceola is hoping to find an attractive offer for a vacant industrial property when sealed bids are opened Thursday morning.
The 586,948-SF Osceola Industries property, former home to Fruit of the Loom’s fleecewear plant, has had a number of prospective buyers visit the site. The city is hoping the property’s proximity to transportation infrastructure plus a lack of accessible warehouse space in the area will drive a buyer’s interest.
“We in the city, we’re just curious to see if we can sell it and get out of the warehousing business,” Osceola Mayor Sally Wilson said. “But we don’t have to. We can keep it and maintain it.”
Wilson couldn’t comment on specific parties but said at least three entities have shown an interest in purchasing the facility. The parties who have visited the site have expressed interest in leasing it as warehouse space, Wilson said.
A deal would have to include the shuttered plant for e-waste recycler BlueOak, located near the Osceola Industries property on Ohlendorf Road. Wilson said that could be a possible complicating factor.
“That may come into play in whether or not the city is going to be able to sell it,” she said.
The sale of the Osceola Industries facility wouldn’t mean a major spike in job growth for the community Wilson said, but it would relieve the city of responsibility for the property while providing needed, local storage space. A company like Osceola-based Big River Steel, which last year announced a $1.2 billion expansion, could possibly be one of the nearby entities with a storage need, Wilson said.
“With our boom in the steel industry here I think that it would be a real benefit for any business, someone who’s in the business of managing warehouse space,” Wilson said.
Wilson noted the lack of available warehouses in nearby communities like Jonesboro and Memphis and acknowledged the effect of the “Just In Time” concept of raw materials inventory management, a type of lean methodology in which goods are received only as needed for a specific project.
While the Just In Time concept may increase efficiency and reduce the cost of inventory, it isn’t always applicable to companies who need someplace to store raw materials in great quantity, Wilson said.
When it comes to shipping raw materials, the Osceola Industries building has the added attraction of being wedged between Interstate 55 and the Mississippi River, whose port is in close proximity, Wilson said. Plus the Burlington Northern Railroad main line, with a switch and a spur line, borders the property.
The Osceola Industries property, at 1425 Ohlendorf Road, was built in 1959 and saw its last major renovation, with asbestos removal, in 1989. It has been mostly vacant since Fruit of the Loom shut down in 2000-2001.
There are 75 acres of adjoining property, plus an 11-acre pond site, and the building features rail doors, truck wells and doors and dock doors.
Osceola was designated one of the state’s Opportunity Zones created by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The zones are economically distressed communities where new investments might be eligible for preferential tax treatment under certain conditions.
“I hope that a potential buyer would be thinking about that,” Wilson said.


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Alleged vitamin C dumping by China: Pharma cos seeks imposition of anti-dumping duty
New Delhi: In a stringent view, the Government has launched an inquiry while examining a complaint moved by the largest producer of Vitamin C in India, Bajaj Healthcare, alleging that the domestic industry is impacted due to the dumping of Vitamin C from China.
This comes in wake of the complaint moved by Bajaj, which alleged that the domestic industry is impacted due to the dumping of Vitamin C from China PR and sought the imposition of anti-dumping duty on the imports. The complaint was reportedly also backed by other manufacturers of the product--Amoli Organics Pvt Ltd, Reckon Diagnostics Pvt Ltd, and SR Biochem
On the basis of prima facie evidence submitted by Bajaj Healthcare to the commerce ministry's investigation arm Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), a probe has been initiated.
To elaborate and simplify the cause of complaint, in international trade parlance, dumping happens when a country or a firm exports an item at a price lower than the price of that product in its domestic market. Dumping impacts the price of that product in the importing country, hitting margins and profits of the manufacturing firms.
Acting on the concern, the DGTR will now conduct the investigation for the period of 2019-2020 and will also look at the impact of the dumping on domestic vitamin C manufacturers for the period starting April 2016 till March this year.
As per DGTR notification, "The Applicant (Bajaj Healthcare) has claimed that its performance has been adversely impacted during the POI (period of investigation) leading to a decline in market share, profits, return on capital employed (ROCE) and cash profits."
"...the Authority, hereby, initiates an investigation to determine the existence, degree, and effect of any alleged dumping in respect of the subject goods originating in or exported from the subject country and to recommend the amount of anti-dumping duty, which if levied, would be adequate to remove the injury to the domestic industry," the notification dated 4 September added.
If DGTR will find that there is dumping and it is impacting the domestic manufacturer, it will recommend the amount of anti-dumping duty, which if levied, would be adequate to remove the injury to the domestic industry.
While the DGTR recommends the duty, the finance ministry imposes the same, reports PTI
According to global trade norms, a country is allowed to impose tariffs on such dumped products to provide a level-playing field to domestic manufacturers. The duty is imposed only after a thorough investigation by a quasi-judicial body, such as DGTR, in India. The imposition of anti-dumping duty is permissible under the World Trade Organization (WTO) regime. India and China are members of this Geneva-based organization, which deals with global trade norms.
The duty is aimed at ensuring fair trading practices and creating a level-playing field for domestic producers vis-a-vis foreign producers and exporters.
Bajaj Healthcare is one of India's manufacturers of vitamin C, which is ascorbic acid, as well as its derivatives. In its investor presentation last month, the company listed Sun Pharmaceutical Ltd, Pfizer Ltd, Abbott Healthcare, and GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals among its top clients for active pharmaceutical ingredients in the domestic market, reports Live Mint.


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Amerigo Perasso has been promoted to president of Silversea Cruises, replacing Albert Peter, who is now deputy chairman of Silversea Leisure and Travel, an affiliated company. Perasso, who has served as CFO since 2004, and joined Silversea in 1997, will be based in Monaco.
David Morris has been promoted to executive vice president, worldwide sales and marketing. Morris will continue to be based in Silversea's Ft. Lauderdale offices.
In related news, Cruise Industry News has learned that Silversea has abandoned its IPO in Norway and is instead considering an offering in London.


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Shipping lines ramp-up blanked sailings as the lockdowns in China drag on. Political unrest in Sri Lanka impacts operations at Colombo port and cyclone season threatens shipments from Bangladesh.
We have previously informed customers that the ongoing lockdowns in China are causing a significant reduction in factory production. This has resulted in lower demand for exports from the regions affected and in response carriers have increased the number of blank sailings this month. More than a third of sailings from Asia will be canceled, which will further extend the lead times of shipments from China to Europe and the UK.
THE Alliance (Hapag Lloyd, ONE, Yang Ming) will blank 33% of its sailings from Asia whilst the Ocean Alliance (COSCO,OOCL,CMA, Evergreen) will blank 37% and 2M (Maersk and MSC) will blank 39% of its voyages. 2M in particular have blanked 22 vessels to EU/UK in late April and May alone, with some gaps between sailings varying from 10 to 20 days from some of the largest ports in China.
China is continuing to maintain its zero-covid strategy with a number of areas experiencing disruption as a result of control measures enforced. Here is a summary of the key areas that are currently being impacted.
Air Freight Impact
While the majority of air freight operations from Shanghai Pudong remained suspended this week, the airport will begin operating a reduced service from this weekend. Beijing and Guangzhou airports also continue to experience a reduction in services. As a consequence there is a capacity shortage on flights from China and as a result we expect delays to shipments to continue until the lockdowns are eased further. We will continue to move customers’ cargo via Southern China from smaller airports when the freight bookings become available.
Political Unrest in Sri Lanka Impacts Supply Chains
Since our last update, the protests over rising prices and shortages of food, fuel and medicines have flared up in the capital, Colombo, and have grown in size and spread across the country. The country’s Prime Minister resigned this week over the government’s handling of the economic crisis. However, his brother is refusing to step down as President leading to escalating violent protests.
Sri Lanka’s two major hub ports in Colombo have been affected by the recent worsening political unrest. Operations at the port were suspended for over 20 hours last week as a result of a strike by port staff, no vessels were allowed to berth or depart, while the loading and unloading of containers was also suspended. Operations have since resumed.
Activities at the port have been severely disrupted over the past couple of months, this has become a source of concern for carriers serving the Indian SubContinent. Feeder vessels have been omitting the ports which has caused significant delays. There has been disruption of the transportation of containers between terminals which has resulted in delays to containers arriving to be shipped on vessels to relevant destinations. This has led to a build-up of containers currently waiting at port pending trucking movement, as a result, further omissions are expected. Carriers are rerouting via Salalah and Tanjung Pelepas in an effort to reduce the ongoing congestion issues at Colombo.
Cyclone Threatens Services From Bangladesh
Extreme weather disrupts shipping in many ways and severe weather events create uncertainty in the supply chain. May is the month that has the greatest tropical storms in Bangladesh and this week the country is experiencing strong winds and heavy rains from cyclone ‘Asani’ moving along the coast. While we don’t know as yet the full outcome of the storm’s impact, some disruption is expected. We will keep you informed as more information becomes available.