NEWS THAT MATTER

The six-day stranding of the Ever Given in the Suez Canal last March did something incredibly rare: it made regular people care about shipping, the means by which more than 80% of the world’s goods are transported. It took only one wrong turn for the container ship to bring a critical trading artery to a standstill. This is how a $1 billion worth of cargo got stuck, freed and impounded as the courts took over.

If a green pivot is to happen, power grids must become “supergrids,” continent-spanning networks that can move green energy thousands of miles. The technology is here, but politics may stand in the way.

Fake reviews are a big problem on Amazon. There are Facebook groups where bad actors solicit paid positive reviews to bots and click farms that upvote negative reviews in an effort to take out competition. These illegitimate reviews can boost sales of unsafe products and hurt business for legitimate sellers, causing brands like Nike and Birkenstock to sever ties with Amazon.   Despite all the fake reviews on Amazon, there are professionals who earn a living reviewing products. Sean Cannell makes tens of thousands of dollars a month as a professional Amazon reviewer. He is part of the Amazon Affiliate program and reviews camera gear on his Think Media YouTube channel. Cannell makes a cut of every sale those reviews generates on Amazon.com.   Meanwhile, Walmart is looking to catch up with Amazon’s dominance in e-commerce as more and more shoppers take their business online. This is why Amazon dominates online shopping.

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More companies are planning for a hybrid work experience — part time at home, part time in the office — but there is uncertainty how this may impact the U.S. workforce and the economy. Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich discusses Covid pandemic-related changes to the workforce. He details how the Great Resignation reflects the growing demands of the employee and what companies must prioritize to stay competitive.

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For more than a half-century, The North Face has competed in the space outfitting mountain climbers and skiers. But the outdoor recreation brand is now hoping to become a significant player in the $185 billion streetwear market. In the three months ending September 2021, The North Face had revenue of $883 million, 31% higher than a year earlier. And while interest in outdoor activities like camping has surged, climate change and consumer trends like sustainability have led to a range of challenges and opportunities for the brand.

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Over the past 100 years, the technology inside airplanes has become more and more advanced from jumbo jets to smaller Cessnas.   Some see the next step to full automation as removing the pilot completely. Reliable Robotics and Xwing are two Bay Area start-ups working on doing just that. Rather than build new aircraft, both companies have retrofitted Cessna Grand Caravans. The planes can fly autonomously with a remote operator who monitors the flight and can take control if needed. Both companies are working with the FAA on getting approval.

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The U.S.'s approval of Biogen's Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm was heralded as a historic triumph in the fight against the memory-robbing disease. But so far, Biogen has reported only a fraction of Aduhelm revenue to meet Wall Street's expectations. Patients and physicians have been torn over the drug's murky clinical data and its high price tag. Aduhelm's lackluster launch has been costly, forcing Biogen to take measures to keep the drug afloat.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of Biogen’s Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm in June was heralded as a historic triumph in the fight against a disease that kills thousands of Americans every year.

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Chick-fil-A has long dominated the chicken sandwich category in fast food. After Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen launched its own version of the chicken sandwich, other fast food chains like Wendy's, McDonalds and Shake Shack got into the battle. Here's how chicken took over America.

Los Angeles consistently ranks among the most traffic-clogged cities in America. The county has been trying to reduce its traffic for decades and nothing has worked. Many researchers and economists suggest charging people for using the road in a system called congestion pricing.

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Every holiday season since 2008, Amazon has hired hundreds of nomadic workers for temporary warehouse jobs. The CamperForce program is a small portion of this year’s 150,000 seasonal hires, but it gained notoriety in the 2020 movie “Nomadland.” This year, it’s seen its biggest growth yet, doubling to 26 sites in 14 states. Despite the growth, Amazon has shifted away from arranging workers’ campgrounds and paying for them directly. Here’s what it’s really like to live in an RV and work for Amazon during the holidays.

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