Latest news with #Blunt
Man of Many
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Man of Many
Man of Many's Staff Favourites—26 July, 2025
By Dean Blake - News Published: 26 Jul 2025 |Last Updated: 25 Jul 2025 Share Copy Link 0 Readtime: 5 min Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here. The weekend is here, and while most of us are off spending time getting ready to bring you all some goodness next week, we've also prepped a few of our favourite things to share with you all today: this week's Staff Favourites. Each week, we try to show off some things that have brought us some joy in the hopes it'll help you find your own. This week we're going to help you study, as well as show off some cool stuff we've been using. Life Cykel Professional Biohacker Set | Image: Life Cykel Life Cykel Professional Biohacker Set Alex Martinez – Media Sales and Brand Partnerships The Life Cykel Professional Biohacker Set has been a much welcome addition to my daily wellness routine. I appreciate the natural, thoughtfully sourced ingredients and the ease of incorporating the extracts into my day. I take the Cordyceps, Lion's Mane and Shitake all together with a morning cup of water, and the Turkey Tail in the afternoons prior to my gym session. Whilst at my desk at work now resembles an unhinged chemist with mushroom drops, vitamins galore and gym powders, The Biohacker Set It feels like a simple, consistent step toward supporting overall health, and I enjoy the ritual of using it regularly. A solid choice for those looking to explore functional mushrooms as part of a broader wellness approach. Favourite Article of the Week: Darcy Moore on Collingwood, His Captaincy, and the Immersive World of 'Dune' Favourite Video of the Week: R.I.P. Ozzy Blunt Umbrella | Image: Blunt Blunt Metro Umbrella John Guanzon – Head of Creative and Production There are umbrellas, and then there's Blunt. To be real for a moment, Blunt umbrellas have officially ruined all other umbrellas for me. It's compact enough to fit in a backpack yet sturdy enough to take on Sydney storms. It's wind-tested to near-cyclone levels and has a sleek, curved-edge canopy that won't take out a pedestrian's eye. Also, this might make me come across as an umbrella snob, but I found that as soon as you own a Blunt, you start to notice others who do too. You see that curved canopy in the wild and give a silent nod of respect, because those who know, well and truly know. Before this, I was grabbing $9 umbrellas from Woolies that barely survived a drizzle, always ending up deformed and in the bin a day later. The Blunt Metro, on the other hand, is built to last. Yes, the price point is much higher than the Woolies kind, but it's an investment in dryness and durability. You'll never go back to the throwaway kind, and you'll earn your place in the unofficial club of umbrella snobs. Favourite Article of the Week: Unlock Peak Dad Mode with Man of Many's 'Brilliant Moments Kit' I'm Obsessed with Study with Me Videos Scott Purcell – Co-founder I began writing this searching for Justin Sung's video that's a 3 hour study session and has some crazy good music from that's scientifically proven to improve your focus, but I now feel like I'm going crazy because I can't find the video. If you're not aware yet, up in the top right of the site you should see a nice little sign-in button now and that has kept me crazy busy with a huge amount on my plate. Just about the only way I've gotten through all of my work, is to slap on one of these Study With Me sessions on YouTube with good music, crack-in and get to work. They're surprising successful rather than having music on in the background as you feel pressured or almost guilty having someone work alongside you. Give them a try next time you feel like procrastinating. Favourite Article of the Week: The $1,995 Seiko That Every Watch Collector Needs in Their Collection Favourite Video of the Week: Introducing Five Minute Finds Lego's Game Boy Throwback | Image: Lego Lego's Game Boy Throwback Dean Blake – Tech & Entertainment Writer I'm really not a collector. I do my best not to end up with shelves lined with miscellaneous things, but Lego's been tempting me lately. I grew up playing Nintendo games, and the Danish toy company is intent on releasing fun, buildable versions of a few of my favourite series: Mario and Zelda chief among them. But now they've gone full retro and decided to release a 1-to-1 buildable replica of the original Game Boy. If you're like me and grew up with the Game Boy as your main method of entertainment, spending literal hours playing Pokemon with your friends in the back of your classroom hoping your teacher wouldn't notice, you probably get where I'm coming from: but this thing is cool. The device comes with various screens you can add in to showcase either game cartridge it comes with (Super Mario Land and Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening), but make no mistake: this thing isn't a working device. It's just a very cool ornament that I'm very tempted to buy. It's launching on October 1, through the Lego Store and Amazon, for USD$59.99. Thankfully it isn't available in Australia yet, or else I'd probably have pre-ordered it already. Favourite Article of the Week: What are 'Billionaire Bracelets'?
The Mainichi
6 days ago
- Automotive
- The Mainichi
US automakers say Trump's 15% tariff deal with Japan puts them at a disadvantage
WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. automakers worry that President Donald Trump's agreement to tariff Japanese vehicles at 15% would put them at a competitive disadvantage, saying they will face steeper import taxes on steel, aluminum and parts than their competitors. "We need to review all the details of the agreement, but this is a deal that will charge lower tariffs on Japanese autos with no U.S. content," said Matt Blunt, president of the American Automotive Policy Council, which represents the Big 3 American automakers, General Motors, Ford and Jeep-maker Stellantis. Blunt said in an interview the U.S. companies and workers "definitely are at a disadvantage" because they face a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum and a 25% tariff on parts and finished vehicles, with some exceptions for products covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that went into effect in 2020. The domestic automaker reaction reveals the challenge of enforcing policies across the world economy, showing that for all of Trump's promises there can be genuine tradeoffs from policy choices that risk serious blowback in politically important states such as Michigan and Wisconsin, where automaking is both a source of income and of identity. The United Auto Workers said in a statement it was "deeply angered" by the deal. "A better deal would have held Japanese automakers to the same standards U.S. workers have fought for at GM, Ford, and Stellantis," the UAW said. "If this becomes the blueprint for trade with Europe or South Korea, it will be a major missed opportunity," the union added. "We need trade deals that raise standards -- not reward the race to the bottom. This deal does the opposite." Trump portrayed the trade framework as a major win after announcing it on Tuesday, saying it would add hundreds of thousands of jobs to the U.S. economy and open the Japanese economy in ways that could close a persistent trade imbalance. The agreement includes a 15% tariff that replaces the 25% import tax the Republican president had threatened to charge starting on Aug. 1. Japan would also put together $550 billion to invest in U.S. projects at the "direction" of the president, the White House said. The framework with Japan will remove regulations that prevent American vehicles from being sold in that country, the White House has said, adding that it would be possible for vehicles built in Detroit to be shipped directly to Japan and ready to be sold. But Blunt said that foreign auto producers, including the U.S., Europe and South Korea, have just a 6% share in Japan, raising skepticism that simply having the open market that the Trump administration says will exist in that country will be sufficient. "Tough nut to crack, and I'd be very surprised if we see any meaningful market penetration in Japan," Blunt said. Asked at Wednesday's briefing about whether Trump's sectoral tariffs such as those on autos were now subject to possible change, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the issue had been going through the Commerce Department. The framework with Japan was also an indication that some nations simply saw it as preferential to have a set tariff rate rather than be whipsawed by Trump's changes on import taxes since April. But for the moment, both Japan and the United Kingdom with its quotas on auto exports might enjoy a competitive edge in the U.S. "With this agreement in place it provides Japan with a near-term operating cost advantage compared to other foreign automakers, and even some domestic U.S. product that uses a high degree of both foreign production and parts content," said Karl Brauer, executive analyst at iSeeCars. "It will be interesting to see if this is the first domino to fall in a series of foreign countries that decide long-term stability is more important that short term disputes over specific tariff rates." Autos Drive America, an organization that represents major Japanese companies Toyota, Honda and Nissan and other international automakers, said in a statement that it is "encouraged" by the announced trade framework and noted its members have exceeded domestic automaker production for the past two years. The statement urged "the Trump administration to swiftly reach similar agreements with other allies and partners, especially the European Union, South Korea, Canada and Mexico." The Japanese framework could give automakers and other countries grounds for pushing for changes in the Trump administration's tariffs regime. The president has previously said that he values flexibility in negotiating import taxes. The USMCA is up for review next year. Ford, GM and Stellantis do "have every right to be upset," said Sam Fiorani, vice president at consultancy AutoForecast Solutions. But "Honda, Toyota, and Nissan still import vehicles from Mexico and Canada, where the current levels of tariffs can be higher than those applied to Japanese imports. Most of the high-volume models from Japanese brands are already produced in North America." Fiorani noted that among the few exceptions are the Toyota 4Runner, the Mazda CX-5 and the Subaru Forester, but most of the other imports fill niches that are too small to warrant production in the U.S. "There will be negotiations between the U.S. and Canada and Mexico, and it will probably result in tariffs no higher than 15%," Fiorani added, "but nobody seems to be in a hurry to negotiate around the last Trump administration's free trade agreement."
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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Business Standard
US automakers say Trump's Japan tariff deal puts them at a disadvantage
US automakers are concerned about President Donald Trump's agreement to tariff Japanese vehicles at 15 per cent, saying they will face steeper import taxes on steel, aluminum and parts than their competitors. We need to review all the details of the agreement, but this is a deal that will charge lower tariffs on Japanese autos with no US content, said Matt Blunt, president of the American Automotive Policy Council, which represents the Big 3 American automakers, General Motors, Ford and Jeep-maker Stellantis. Blunt said in an interview the US companies and workers definitely are at a disadvantage because they face a 50 per cent tariff on steel and aluminum and a 25 per cent tariff on parts and finished vehicles, with some exceptions for products covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that went into effect in 2020. The domestic automaker reaction reveals the challenge of enforcing policies across the world economy, showing that for all of Trump's promises there can be genuine tradeoffs from policy choices that risk serious blowback in politically important states such as Michigan and Wisconsin, where automaking is both a source of income and of identity. Trump portrayed the trade framework as a major win after announcing it on Tuesday, saying it would add hundreds of thousands of jobs to the US economy and open the Japanese economy in ways that could close a persistent trade imbalance. The agreement includes a 15 per cent tariff that replaces the 25 per cent import tax the Republican president had threatened to charge starting on Aug 1. Japan would also put together $550 billion to invest in US projects, the White House said. The framework with Japan will remove regulations that prevent American vehicles from being sold in that country, the White House has said, adding that it would be possible for vehicles built in Detroit to be shipped directly to Japan and ready to be sold. But Blunt said that foreign auto producers, including the US, Europe and South Korea, have just a 6 per cent share in Japan, raising scepticism that simply having the open market that the Trump administration says will exist in that country will be sufficient. Tough nut to crack, and I'd be very surprised if we see any meaningful market penetration in Japan, Blunt said. Major Japanese automakers Toyota, Honda and Nissan did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the trade framework, nor did Autos Drive America or the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, organisations that also represent the industry. There is the possibility that the Japanese framework would give automakers and other countries grounds for pushing for changes in the Trump administration's tariffs regime. The president has previously said that flexibility in import tax negotiations is something he values. The USMCA is up for review next year. Ford, GM and Stellantis do have every right to be upset, said Sam Fiorani, vice president at consultancy AutoForecast Solutions. But Honda, Toyota, and Nissan still import vehicles from Mexico and Canada, where the current levels of tariffs can be higher than those applied to Japanese imports. Most of the high-volume models from Japanese brands are already produced in North America. Fiorani noted that among the few exceptions are the Toyota 4Runner, the Mazda CX-5 and the Subaru Forester, but most of the other imports fill niches that are too small to warrant production in the US. There will be negotiations between the US and Canada and Mexico, and it will probably result in tariffs no higher than 15 per cent, Fiorani added, but nobody seems to be in a hurry to negotiate around the last Trump administration's free trade agreement.
Japan Today
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Japan Today
US automakers say Trump's 15% tariff deal with Japan puts them at a disadvantage
President Donald Trump greets people during a reception for Republican members of Congress in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) By JOSH BOAK and ALEXA ST. JOHN U.S. automakers worry that President Donald Trump's agreement to tariff Japanese vehicles at 15% would put them at a competitive disadvantage, saying they will face steeper import taxes on steel, aluminum and parts than their competitors. 'We need to review all the details of the agreement, but this is a deal that will charge lower tariffs on Japanese autos with no U.S. content,' said Matt Blunt, president of the American Automotive Policy Council, which represents the Big 3 American automakers, General Motors, Ford and Jeep-maker Stellantis. Blunt said in an interview the U.S. companies and workers 'definitely are at a disadvantage' because they face a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum and a 25% tariff on parts and finished vehicles, with some exceptions for products covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that went into effect in 2020. The domestic automaker reaction reveals the challenge of enforcing policies across the world economy, showing that for all of Trump's promises there can be genuine tradeoffs from policy choices that risk serious blowback in politically important states such as Michigan and Wisconsin, where automaking is both a source of income and of identity. Trump portrayed the trade framework as a major win after announcing it on Tuesday, saying it would add hundreds of thousands of jobs to the U.S. economy and open the Japanese economy in ways that could close a persistent trade imbalance. The agreement includes a 15% tariff that replaces the 25% import tax the Republican president had threatened to charge starting on Aug. 1. Japan would also put together $550 billion to invest in U.S. projects at the 'direction' of the president, the White House said. The framework with Japan will remove regulations that prevent American vehicles from being sold in that country, the White House has said, adding that it would be possible for vehicles built in Detroit to be shipped directly to Japan and ready to be sold. But Blunt said that foreign auto producers, including the U.S., Europe and South Korea, have just a 6% share in Japan, raising skepticism that simply having the open market that the Trump administration says will exist in that country will be sufficient. 'Tough nut to crack, and I'd be very surprised if we see any meaningful market penetration in Japan,' Blunt said. Asked at Wednesday's briefing about whether Trump's sectoral tariffs such as those on autos were now subject to possible change, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the issue had been going through the Commerce Department. The framework with Japan was also an indication that some nations simply saw it as preferential to have a set tariff rate rather than be whipsawed by Trump's changes on import taxes since April. But for the moment, both Japan and the United Kingdom with its quotas on auto exports might enjoy a competitive edge in the U.S. 'With this agreement in place it provides Japan with a near-term operating cost advantage compared to other foreign automakers, and even some domestic U.S. product that uses a high degree of both foreign production and parts content,' said Karl Brauer, executive analyst at iSeeCars. "It will be interesting to see if this is the first domino to fall in a series of foreign countries that decide long-term stability is more important that short term disputes over specific tariff rates.' Autos Drive America, an organization that represents major Japanese companies Toyota, Honda and Nissan and other international automakers, said in a statement that it is 'encouraged' by the announced trade framework and noted its members have exceeded domestic automaker production for the past two years. The statement urged "the Trump administration to swiftly reach similar agreements with other allies and partners, especially the European Union, South Korea, Canada and Mexico.' The Japanese framework could give automakers and other countries grounds for pushing for changes in the Trump administration's tariffs regime. The president has previously said that he values flexibility in negotiating import taxes. The USMCA is up for review next year. Ford, GM and Stellantis do 'have every right to be upset,' said Sam Fiorani, vice president at consultancy AutoForecast Solutions. But 'Honda, Toyota, and Nissan still import vehicles from Mexico and Canada, where the current levels of tariffs can be higher than those applied to Japanese imports. Most of the high-volume models from Japanese brands are already produced in North America.' Fiorani noted that among the few exceptions are the Toyota 4Runner, the Mazda CX-5 and the Subaru Forester, but most of the other imports fill niches that are too small to warrant production in the U.S. 'There will be negotiations between the U.S. and Canada and Mexico, and it will probably result in tariffs no higher than 15%,' Fiorani added, 'but nobody seems to be in a hurry to negotiate around the last Trump administration's free trade agreement.' St. John contributed from Detroit. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Vancouver Sun
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Vancouver Sun
U.S. automakers say Trump's 15% tariff deal with Japan puts them at a disadvantage
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. automakers are concerned about President Donald Trump's agreement to tariff Japanese vehicles at 15 per cent, saying they will face steeper import taxes on steel, aluminum and parts than their competitors. 'We need to review all the details of the agreement, but this is a deal that will charge lower tariffs on Japanese autos with no U.S. content,' said Matt Blunt, president of the American Automotive Policy Council, which represents the Big 3 American automakers, General Motors, Ford and Jeep-maker Stellantis. Blunt said in an interview the U.S. companies and workers 'definitely are at a disadvantage' because they face a 50 per cent tariff on steel and aluminum and a 25 per cent tariff on parts and finished vehicles, with some exceptions for products covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that went into effect in 2020. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The domestic automaker reaction reveals the challenge of enforcing policies across the world economy, showing that for all of Trump's promises there can be genuine tradeoffs from policy choices that risk serious blowback in politically important states such as Michigan and Wisconsin, where automaking is both a source of income and of identity. Trump portrayed the trade framework as a major win after announcing it on Tuesday, saying it would add hundreds of thousands of jobs to the U.S. economy and open the Japanese economy in ways that could close a persistent trade imbalance. The agreement includes a 15 per cent tariff that replaces the 25 per cent import tax the Republican president had threatened to charge starting on Aug. 1. Japan would also put together $550 billion to invest in U.S. projects, the White House said. The framework with Japan will remove regulations that prevent American vehicles from being sold in that country, the White House has said, adding that it would be possible for vehicles built in Detroit to be shipped directly to Japan and ready to be sold. But Blunt said that foreign auto producers, including the U.S., Europe and South Korea, have just a 6 per cent share in Japan, raising skepticism that simply having the open market that the Trump administration says will exist in that country will be sufficient. 'Tough nut to crack, and I'd be very surprised if we see any meaningful market penetration in Japan,' Blunt said. Major Japanese automakers Toyota, Honda and Nissan did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the trade framework, nor did Autos Drive America or the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, organizations that also represent the industry. There is the possibility that the Japanese framework would give automakers and other countries grounds for pushing for changes in the Trump administration's tariffs regime. The president has previously said that flexibility in import tax negotiations is something he values. The USMCA is up for review next year. Ford, GM and Stellantis do 'have every right to be upset,' said Sam Fiorani, vice president at consultancy AutoForecast Solutions. But 'Honda, Toyota, and Nissan still import vehicles from Mexico and Canada, where the current levels of tariffs can be higher than those applied to Japanese imports. Most of the high-volume models from Japanese brands are already produced in North America.' Fiorani noted that among the few exceptions are the Toyota 4Runner, the Mazda CX-5 and the Subaru Forester, but most of the other imports fill niches that are too small to warrant production in the U.S. 'There will be negotiations between the U.S. and Canada and Mexico, and it will probably result in tariffs no higher than 15 per cent,' Fiorani added, 'but nobody seems to be in a hurry to negotiate around the last Trump administration's free trade agreement.' ___ St. John contributed from Detroit. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
