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☆ Living and Breathing on the Front Line of a Toxic Chemical Zone
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Eric Lipton | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Juan López had just returned home from his job supervising the cleaning of giant tanks that hold toxic chemicals produced along the Houston Ship Channel, one of the largest petrochemical complexes in the world. He was ready to sit down to dinner with his wife, Pamela López, and their four school-age children at their small house across the highway from the plants. “I make good money where I’m at,” he said. “But I always felt like it was only me that was getting exposed, because I am working in the tanks with the chemicals. When the smell comes, all we can really do is try to keep everyone inside.

☆ What John Blake discovered when he met the White mother he never knew
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( John Blake | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +25 min

It’s a story about my mother, and the White relatives who shunned me at birth—and still somehow became family. I now know one of the reasons my family didn’t tell me about my mom’s illness is because they didn’t know how. I vividly recall thinking as I looked at my mom: I didn’t know a White person could suffer like this. I saw White, Black, and brown people hug and call each other “brother” and “sister” after worship service. John Blake is a Senior Writer at CNN and the author of “More Than I Imagined: What a Black Man Discovered About the White Mother He Never Knew.”

Former President Donald J. Trump provided the first look at his post-presidency business dealings on Friday with a new personal financial disclosure. Though light on specifics, the documents filed with the Federal Election Commission revealed lower-than-expected values on his social media company, two additional hefty bank loans and a new income stream for former first lady Melania Trump. The former president filed his disclosure after requesting multiple extensions. The financial disclosure shows cumulative income from January 2021 to Dec. 15, 2022, as required by the Federal Election Commission, and the value of assets as of December 2022, according to a person familiar with the documents. Trump’s social media company takes a valuation hitThe disclosure valued the parent company of Truth Social, the former president’s social media platform and personal megaphone, at between $5 million and $25 million.

☆ China's Zeekr launches electric SUV, targets Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Zoey ZhangCHENGDU, China, April 12 (Reuters) - Chinese electric vehicle maker Zeekr on Wednesday launched a compact, all-electric sport utility vehicle, as it targeted a premium market in China that has been dominated by German automakers. The Geely-owned [RIC:RIC:GEELY.UL] brand said it also planned to offer the SUV-styled Zeekr X and its Zeekr 001 EV sedan in Western Europe without saying when that would be. The company will start delivering the Zeekr X in China from June with a target of delivering 40,000 this year, An said. After Europe, Zeekr will target Asian markets outside China, An said without providing details. It sold 15,234 of its two existing models - the 001 sedan and the 009 multi-purpose vehicle - in the first quarter, accounting for just 2% of China's battery electric vehicle sales.

☆ China's Meizu unveils first smartphones since deal with Geely founder
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A company run by Geely Chairman Eric Li took a majority stake in Meizu last year, making the Volvo owner the first established carmaker to enter the premium smartphone sector. He later named the company Xingji Meizu, with the brand as its smartphone arm. Other tech-auto partnerships in China include Huawei Technologies (HWT.UL), whose Harmony operating system powers Seres cars. Meizu, a two-decade-old Chinese consumer electronics company, rose to prominence early in the 1ast decade as an up-and-coming Chinese Android. ($1 = 6.8766 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Josh Horwitz, Zhang Yan and Brenda GohOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ How this former Adidas executive is tackling the biggest problem in footwear with biodegradable sneakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"It's a first of its kind," Liedtke told Insider. The Unless shoe, which retails for $139, was made in partnership with Natural Fiber Welding, which makes various materials from natural products, including plants and minerals. Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for ADIDAS"This is a game changer," industry analyst and ARCH-USA founder Chris Burns previously told Insider. "What's unique about what Eric has done in the footwear industry is paid attention to every single component of the shoe," Natural Fiber Welding President Steve Zika previously told Insider. Last April, Natural Fiber Welding announced an $85 million Series B investment round.

☆ Hate fast fashion? You can compost this new streetwear clothing line
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Fast fashion is big business, but it is also a big polluter, responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions. Roughly 70% of the $3 trillion fashion industry is comprised of articles made from synthetics or petrochemicals. While some companies are claiming sustainable clothing lines, there is a very wide variance in what that means. For some the carbon reduction is in the manufacturing, while for others it is in the clothing itself. They're all made from 100% plant-based nutrients like recycled cotton, hemp, plant-based leather and coconut fiber, according to the company.

☆ In recent years, investors have poured billions into the burgeoning region of central and eastern Europe. Here's why they're so excited about this startup hotbed.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

VCs have flocked to central and eastern European startups for their efficiency and technical talent. Central and eastern Europe includes countries like the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine, according to the World Atlas. The promise of central and eastern Europe starts with a surplus of strong engineering talent, Vaswani said. "Eastern Europe is the former Communist Bloc, and during communism, one of the dangerous things for the communist regimes were humanistic subjects," Bartos said. Additionally, central and eastern European startups are often more capital-efficient due to lower personnel and living costs, an advantage that founders like Jendruszak have leveraged firsthand.

☆ How streetwear brand Unless Collective aims to accomplish what brands like Nike and Adidas haven't — fully sustainable sneakers and apparel
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Unless Collective T-shirts Courtesy Unless CollectiveNo "forever materials"While companies like Adidas and Nike have pledged to use more recycled polyester this decade, Liedtke said Unless Collective doesn't use any polyester in its products. At end-of-life, a tag sewn inside each Unless Collective product gives directions on how to return it. The company's working with an industrial composter in California that can make "nutrient rich soil" out of the company's old hoodies and T-shirts. Like other plant-based apparel companies, Unless Collective has had to completely rethink its supply chain. Instead of relying on factories in Asia, Unless Collective manufactures its jackets in Portugal, T-shirts in the Carolinas in the US, and hoodies in Los Angeles.

☆ The exec behind Adidas' partnership with Kanye West just released a biodegradable sneaker expected to be a 'game changer' for the industry
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Unless shoe, which will retail for $139, was made in partnership with Natural Fiber Welding, which makes various materials from natural products, including plants and minerals. While other brands, including Allbirds and Camper, have worked with Natural Fiber Welding, Unless is the first to build a shoe from top to bottom with its materials. "What's unique about what Eric has done in the footwear industry is paid attention to every single component of the shoe," Natural Fiber Welding President Steve Zika told Insider. In April, Natural Fiber Welding announced an $85 million Series B investment round. Its investors include industry giants such as Ralph Lauren and Allbirds.

☆ What’s in Our Queue? ‘The Watcher’ and More
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

What’s in Our Queue? ‘The Watcher’ and MoreEric Liebowitz/NetflixI am a senior photo editor on The New York Times’s Culture desk. Embracing fall in New York, I have been relishing art that nods to film stills and immersing myself in autumnal-flavored jazz. Here are five things I have been listening to and watching lately →

☆ What happened to former Chinese leader Hu Jintao?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Analysis Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

China's former leader Hu Jintao is lifted from his chair by a young aide at the closing of the Communist Party Congress on Saturday. Neither has the incident been reported in Chinese language media, or discussed on Chinese social media, where conversations around senior leaders are highly restricted. Former Chinese leader Hu Jintao is taken by the arm and escorted out. “For whatever reasons, Xi ordered Hu to be escorted out when he must have thought that Hu might not behave exactly as Xi would have wanted,” he said. Former Chinese leader Hu Jintao pats the shoulder of his protege, Premier Li Keqiang.

☆ Michigan investigation into missing man Eric Lee Franks continues over a decade later
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Veronica Fulton | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +22 min

And he actually moved out to California for a while and worked on some small sets,” Chad told Dateline. Arndt told Dateline. Arndt told Dateline. “They've done a limited amount of checking or processing on that room years and years later,” Chad told Dateline. Arndt told Dateline.

☆ Analysis: 'Big Shot' new season finds the ball back in John Stamos' court
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But thanks to John Stamos, I’m now more of a basketball fan, which leads us into what to watch this week. Three things to watch‘Big Shot’ Season 2(From left) John Stamos as Coach Korn and Sophia Mitri Schloss as Emma Korn are shown in a scene from "Big Shot." “I need to now cut her loose and let her live in the minds and hearts of the fans that have supported her,” Curtis told Entertainment Weekly. “Sharing people’s stories that are not just on a rap sheet will help people get comfortable and understand where someone has come from,” Kardashian told The Hollywood Reporter. “I wasn’t talking about politics,” Elias told CNN.

☆ Adidas' former brand president says streetwear needs a 'Tesla-like moment' to move the industry beyond plastics. His startup now aims to accomplish what brands like Nike haven't.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Liedtke recently cofounded Unless Collective, which makes plant-based streetwear. At end-of-life, a tag sewn inside each Unless Collective product gives directions on how to return it. The company's working with an industrial composter in California that can make "nutrient rich soil" out of the company's old hoodies and T-shirts. Instead of relying on factories in Asia, Unless Collective manufactures its jackets in Portugal, T-shirts in the Carolinas in the US, and hoodies in Los Angeles. In some cases Unless Collective is working to get a "minimum viable product" on the market in order to keep the company moving forward.

☆ Low-price grocers like Aldi are winning as consumers trade down
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-08 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN Business —With grocery prices soaring, consumers are changing the way they shop for food. “Inflation is hitting everyone.”More consumers are additionally switching over to store brands, also called “private label,” which are often comparable in quality and lower in price. “I don’t think you can underestimate the strength of all these private label offerings,” said Heather Lalley, editor in chief of Winsight Grocery Business, a trade publication. “Now we’re seeing other retailers trying to emulate them.”In September, for example, Kroger (KR) announced a new budget private label brand called Smartway, which consolidates some of its other private label brands under one umbrella. Aldi, for one, is rolling out a new tagline to explain what it’s all about: It’s An Aldi Thing.

☆ U.S. picks team to oversee $52.7 bln in semiconductor funding
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueWASHINGTON, Sept 20 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Tuesday named a team of senior advisers to oversee $52.7 billion in government funding to boost semiconductor manufacturing and research. In August, Congress approved $52.7 billion for semiconductor manufacturing and research and a 25% investment tax credit for chip plants that is estimated to be worth $24 billion. At Commerce, Treasury official Michael Schmidt will serve as CHIPS Program Office director. Former Palm Computing CEO Donna Dubinsky is Raimondo's senior counselor for CHIPS implementation and Commerce official J.D. Commerce hopes by February to begin seeking applications for $39 billion in semiconductor chips subsidies to build new facilities and expand existing U.S. production.

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