Over the past 25 years, hydrogen fuel cells (HFC) have been the butt of countless jokes in the automotive industry. Many critics see the technology as something long in the works that will never have a future. It’s seen some spotty progress over the…
Anthony Levandowski is the key player in the unfolding legal fight between his former employer, Google’s self-driving car unit Waymo, and Uber, where he now runs the startup’s self-driving program. To put it lightly, the case has shown the dude has some seriously deep—but, crucially, alleged—conflicts of interest. The…
A study has been conducted which shows when England began to break away from Europe physically, creating the Dover Strait. Using bathymetric maps to study the bottom of the sea, scientists have discovered a lot more than what’s previously been known about the area and the sequence of events that created today’s topography. Britain, it turns out, was connected to … Continue reading
Last month we learned that Netflix was planning to get rid of its star rating system and replace it with a simplified, less detailed rating system: thumbs up and thumbs down. That system is now rolling out, with users seeing the thumb ratings instead of the stars that have long dotted the platform. At the heart of the problem, according … Continue reading
Prominent author and social activist Naomi Klein will publish an anti-Trump book this summer, her publisher announced on Wednesday. The book, entitled No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need, will lay out a blueprint for countering the anticipated harmful effects of President Donald Trump’s presidency on the environment, the economy, people of color and more.
Trump’s election threw a nation of liberals and moderates into turmoil, and his opposition has responded in various ways: marches, protests, boycotts, petitions and, of course, reading voraciously.
Even aside from the heightened demand for existing books on totalitarianism and dystopia, the election seems to have created a new market for left-leaning manifestos. Yale historian Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny, a handbook for protecting our democracy, came out in March. An essay collection entitled What We Do Now: Standing Up for Your Values in Trump’s America, came out before the 45th president had been inaugurated. Even Alec Baldwin has an upcoming book responding to the Trump presidency.
Klein, like Snyder, is at least well-positioned to write such a work quickly and well. The Canadian writer’s 1999 book No Logo ably dissected the ramifications of companies relying on brand promotion and of consumer culture, and won her a huge audience; she’s continued her political and economic criticism in books such as The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism.
No Is Not Enough will unpack the forces that led to Trumpism ― such as corporatism and nationalism ― and offer a broad-based plan to combat it. Klein will apparently argue that Trump is not a fluke or a sudden surprise: “On the contrary, he is the logical conclusion to many of the most dangerous trends of the past half century,” she writes. “He is the personification of the merger of humans and corporations — a one-man megabrand, with wife and children as spin-off brands.”
Those who are eager to hear more of Klein’s anti-Trump analysis won’t have to wait long ― though she started writing it just two months ago, the book is being rushed to print. Haymarket Books, which will bring the book out in the U.S., announced in a press release that it’s slated for June 13.
type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related… + articlesList=588a73ade4b0cef5cf87010f,58d53a53e4b03692bea50fd8,58989258e4b0c1284f26ea2a,582b4500e4b0aa8910bd0e07,564e1b65e4b08c74b734e4c7,588f9e46e4b0c90efeff2b0e,55ccfd02e4b0898c4886f69a,57599861e4b0e39a28acc674
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Martha Stewart fans rejoice, because the lifestyle maven is finally entering the wine business.
Stewart announced a new venture, which is basically a riff on a wine subscription club, on Wednesday. Called Martha Stewart Wine Co., patrons who sign up will receive carefully chosen wines from Stewart and her crew of sommeliers and experts.
According to a press release, the wine will mainly come from a few regions (Bordeaux, Tuscany and coastal California), though it must past Martha’s quality standards before getting shipped out.
“I am excited to bring my passion for wine to wine lovers across the nation with Martha Stewart Wine Co.,” Martha Stewart said in the release. “Wine has played an important role in that part of my life focused on entertaining and teaching others how to entertain.”
The service is surprisingly affordable. Customers can either get six bottles of wine every six weeks with the Half-Case Wine Club ($8.33/bottle with free shipping), or get 12 bottles every eight weeks with the Case Wine Club ($7.49/bottle with free shipping). Once you choose a club, customers can get either all-red or all-white shipments, or a mix of both. There are a few other options available for customers who would rather just shop Stewart’s favorite wines and or try the Discovery Half Case.
Considering Martha is such an expert on basically all things boozy, we’re excited to see her picks. What other lifestyle expert can chug a 40 with Conan O’Brien and make the booziest eggnog in all the land?
The HuffPost Lifestyle newsletter will make you happier and healthier, one email at a time. Sign up here.
type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related… + articlesList=576bec05e4b065534f490f61,57fbba98e4b068ecb5e06b42,56cca53fe4b0928f5a6d68b1
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
After hearing that Jewish cemeteries were being vandalized, 6-year-old Ayel Morgenstern knew she wanted to find a way to help.
About a month ago, Ayel’s mother, Lauren Pearl Morgenstern, saw in the news that people were damaging tombstones in a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis. Morgenstern, who is from St. Louis and now lives in Florida, discovered that one of the damaged tombstones belonged to her great-great-grandmother. Ayel learned about the damage and decided to fight back against the vandals in a creative way.
Knowing that it is a Jewish tradition to leave stones on graves, Ayel began painting rocks to send to the families affected by the crimes in the cemeteries. Her mom bought bags of rock and always has paint in the house because her daughter loves art. Ayel usually gives the rocks two coats of paint then decorates with designs like flowers and ladybugs.
“The ladybugs are for good luck, and the hearts are for a little more love,” Morgenstern told The Huffington Post.
Morgenstern said her daughter has painted “hundreds of rocks” and has sent them to St. Louis, Philadelphia and Rochester, New York, which are all places where Jewish cemeteries have been vandalized. Each package includes a note emphasizing Ayel’s mission of spreading kindness.
In March, the organization Stand With Us shared a video that shows Ayel explaining why she’s painting rocks. In about a month, it had been viewed more than 128,000 times.
Morgenstern said she and her family have been shocked at the response Ayel’s project has received. The 6-year-old, whom her mom described as “wise beyond her years,” is especially glad her work is cheering people up.
“She is so happy that other people are happy and that’s what she wants,” Morgenstern said. “She wants to stop the hatred.”
Morgenstern told HuffPost that her 6-year-old has painted and sent rocks to the family of Adam Krief, a Jewish man who died of cancer and caught attention of celebrities while looking for a bone marrow donor. She also sent some to the family of Kurt Cochran, a victim of the March London terrorist attack, and is working on rocks for the family of Caitlin Nelson, the college student who died after a pancake-eating contest.
The proud mom said she and her husband remind their kids that it’s important to treat others like they would want to be treated. This sweet gesture from Ayel shows she’s clearly taken note of her parents’ advice.
“At the end of the day she just thinks kindness matters,” Morgenstern said.
H/T Today
The HuffPost Parents newsletter, So You Want To Raise A Feminist, offers the latest stories and news in progressive parenting.
For HuffPost’s #LoveTakesAction series, we’re telling stories of how people are standing up to hate and supporting those most threatened. Know a story from your community? Send news tips to lovetips@huffingtonpost.com.
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
When President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week to sweep away Obama-era climate change regulations, he said it would end America’s “war on coal”, usher in a new era of energy production and put miners back to work.
But the biggest consumers of U.S. coal – power generating companies – remain unconvinced.
Reuters surveyed 32 utilities with operations in the 26 states that sued former President Barack Obama’s administration to block its Clean Power Plan, the main target of Trump’s executive order. The bulk of them have no plans to alter their multi-billion dollar, years-long shift away from coal, suggesting demand for the fuel will keep falling despite Trump’s efforts.
The utilities gave many reasons, mainly economic: Natural gas – coal’s top competitor – is cheap and abundant; solar and wind power costs are falling; state environmental laws remain in place; and Trump’s regulatory rollback may not survive legal challenges.
Meanwhile, big investors aligned with the global push to fight climate change – such as the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund – have been pressuring U.S. utilities in which they own stakes to cut coal use.
“I’m not going to build new coal plants in today’s environment,” said Ben Fowke, CEO of Xcel Energy, which operates in eight states and uses coal for about 36 percent of its electricity production. “And if I’m not going to build new ones, eventually there won’t be any.”
Of the 32 utilities contacted by Reuters, 20 said Trump’s order would have no impact on their investment plans; five said they were reviewing the implications of the order; six gave no response. Just one said it would prolong the life of some of its older coal-fired power units.
North Dakota’s Basin Electric Power Cooperative was the sole utility to identify an immediate positive impact of Trump’s order on the outlook for coal.
“We’re in the situation where the executive order takes a lot of pressure off the decisions we had to make in the near term, such as whether to retrofit and retire older coal plants,” said Dale Niezwaag, a spokesman for Basin Electric. “But Trump can be a one-termer, so the reprieve out there is short.”
Trump’s executive order triggered a review aimed at killing the Clean Power Plan. The Obama-era law would have required states, by 2030, to collectively cut carbon emissions from existing power plants by 30 percent from 2005 levels. It was designed as a primary strategy in U.S. efforts to fight global climate change.
The U.S. coal industry, without increases in domestic demand, would need to rely on export markets for growth. Shipments of U.S. metallurgical coal, used in the production of steel, have recently shown up in China following a two-year hiatus – in part to offset banned shipments from North Korea and temporary delays from cyclone-hit Australian producers.
RETIRING AND RETROFITTING
Coal had been the primary fuel source for U.S. power plants for the last century, but its use has fallen more than a third since 2008 after advancements in drilling technology unlocked new reserves of natural gas.
Hundreds of aging coal-fired power plants have been retired or retrofitted. Huge coal mining companies like Peabody Energy Corp and Arch Coal fell into bankruptcy, and production last year hit its lowest point since 1978.
The slide appears likely to continue: U.S. power companies now expect to retire or convert more than 8,000 megawatts of coal-fired plants in 2017 after shutting almost 13,000 MW last year, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration and Thomson Reuters data.
Luke Popovich, a spokesman for the National Mining Association, acknowledged Trump’s efforts would not return the coal industry to its “glory days,” but offered some hope.
“There may not be immediate plans for utilities to bring on more coal, but the future is always uncertain in this market,” he said.
Many of the companies in the Reuters survey said they had been focused on reducing carbon emissions for a decade or more and were hesitant to change direction based on shifting political winds in Washington D.C.
“Utility planning typically takes place over much longer periods than presidential terms of office,” Berkshire Hathaway Inc-owned Pacificorp spokesman Tom Gauntt said.
Several utilities also cited falling costs for wind and solar power, which are now often as cheap as coal or natural gas, thanks in part to government subsidies for renewable energy.
In the meantime, activist investors have increased pressure on U.S. utilities to shun coal.
In the last year, Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, has excluded more than a dozen U.S. power companies – including Xcel, American Electric Power Co Inc and NRG Energy Inc – from its investments because of their reliance on coal-fired power.
Another eight companies, including Southern Co and NorthWestern Corp, are “under observation” by the fund.
Wyoming-based coal miner Cloud Peak Energy said it doesn’t blame utilities for being lukewarm to Trump’s order.
“For eight years, if you were a utility running coal, you got the hell kicked out of you,” said Richard Reavey, a spokesman for the company. “Are you going to turn around tomorrow and say, ‘Let’s buy lots of coal plants’? Pretty unlikely.”
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Pepsi’s attempt to use protest imagery to sell soda backfired dramatically on Wednesday after the company was forced to pull an ad featuring Kendall Jenner.
The ad was lampooned on social media by people who said it trivialized Black Lives Matter and other movements that have brought protestors out onto the streets in recent years.
Along with making light of protests against police shootings, the ad was also criticized for using images of a Muslim woman without amplifying the issues that have actually caused Muslim women to protest.
The ad failed to mention any of the issues that have troubled American Muslims over the past few months ― continuing religious-based discrimination and surveillance, President Donald Trump’s backdoor Muslim ban and his resounding silence about attacks on mosques, the bullying of Muslim kids, the rise in prominence of white supremacist groups, the fight for black lives.
But it used the image of a Muslim woman in a headscarf to sell soda to the masses.
Although Pepsi has removed the ad, this kind appropriation of a Muslim woman’s image is not new and not likely to go away soon.
In the ad, a woman wearing a headscarf works on a photography project at her desk. Frustrated by her progress, she hears protestors outside her window and decides to grab her camera and head out onto the street.
In an ironic twist, she arrives just in time to capture Kendall Jenner solving racism by handing a Pepsi can to a police officer.
Tasbeeh Herwees, an associate editor at Good, pointed out just how “crass” Pepsi’s portrayal of the American Muslim experience is.
“The Muslim woman in their ad operates as nothing more than a signifier for diversity and a vague notion of resistance. She’s merely window dressing, in the same way that images of Muslim woman are used as tokens in protest photos,” Herwees writes.
The presence of the woman in the ad sparked a strong response on social media.
A request for comment sent to Pepsi was not returned. Pepsi released a statement about the ad on Wednesday.
“Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly we missed the mark, and we apologize. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue.”
Coca-Cola and Microsoft have also released ads featuring Muslim women in headscarves in this position of protest.
For Herwees, these kinds of images are problematic because they turn Muslim womens’ bodies into objects that can be used as props. And she believes the fact that these images are manipulated in this way is actually a reflection of the stereotype that Muslim women are “docile or subjugated.”
“This is how movements are sanitized and co-opted and how revolutions are defanged. This is why Muslim women make perfect vessels for messaging; they are so often depicted as passive subjects to violence, rather than perpetrators of it,” she wrote.
In an article for The Wall Street Journal, Misha Euceph, a Muslim journalist who does not wear a headscarf, pointed out that the ad also represents Muslims women “through a single item of clothing.”
“I understand the desire to create a culture of inclusion, but the line between welcoming and tokenizing is very thin,” she wrote. “Today, the culture wars are being fought on the bodies of hijabis, as these women are the easiest Muslims to notice. They should be relieved of the burden of representing 1.7 billion diverse people.”
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Dozens of advertisers have pulled their content from “The O’Reilly Factor” following revelations that several women have accused host Bill O’Reilly of sexual harassment.
Since Monday night, around 30 companies that advertise with Fox News have announced they’re splitting from the show ― a response to a bombshell New York Times report indicating that O’Reilly and Fox News have paid around $13 million in settlements to address complaints brought by five of his former female colleagues.
Fox News said in a statement Tuesday that it values its ad partners and is “working with them to address their current concerns about the O’Reilly Factor. At this time, the ad buys of those clients have been re-expressed into other [Fox News Channel] programs.”
Fox News did not immediately respond to a question about whether any companies have pulled ads from the network entirely.
Mercedes-Benz was the first company to pull advertising from the show.
“The allegations are disturbing and, given the importance of women in every aspect of our business, we don’t feel this is a good environment in which to advertise our products right now,” Mercedes-Benz spokeswoman Donna Boland told CNN, which first reported the company’s decision, on Monday.
Hyundai announced its decision to pull advertising shortly after Mercedes-Benz did on Monday night.
“We had upcoming advertising spots on the show but are reallocating them due to the recent and disturbing allegations,” a Hyundai spokesman said. “As a company we seek to partner with companies and programming that share our values of inclusion and diversity.”
“We take our duties as a responsible advertiser seriously and have been closely monitoring the situation involving ‘The O’Reilly Factor,’” the company told The Huffington Post in a statement on Tuesday. “In response, we have asked our media-buying partners to move all Lexus ad inventory out of the program.”
BMW confirmed with several media outlets on Tuesday that it was pulling ads from the show.
Mitsubishi Motors, one of five automakers to pull ads from the show, confirmed its decision with CNN Money late Tuesday afternoon.
“We will continue to monitor this situation as we assess our long-term strategy,” a spokesperson said.
Real estate franchise Coldwell Banker tweeted Tuesday night that it was pulling its ads, adding that it “disappointed” to see one run on the show.
Credit Karma spokesman Rick Chen confirmed with HuffPost on Tuesday that it had pulled ads: “In light of the recent concerning allegations, we will not be advertising on this show and have asked for our ads to be removed.”
LegalZoom, a legal document services company whose ads ran on “The O’Reilly Factor” on Tuesday night, told HuffPost on Wednesday that it was pulling its commercials.
“The O’Reilly Factor was not part of our intentional media programming and we have pulled all ads from this show,” a statement from the company read.
Ancestry.com, another company whose ads ran on Tuesday night’s episode of the show, tweeted Tuesday night that it was working to remove them.
Health products company Sanofi Consumer Healthcare told BuzzFeed on Tuesday it had removed ads from O’Reilly’s show.
“The controversy around The O’Reilly Factor program and allegations made against Bill O’Reilly are matters that we take seriously and will continue to monitor,” a spokesperson said, adding that the company does “not endorse the behavior or opinions of program hosts or the content.”
Marketing company Constant Contact confirmed to CNN Money on Tuesday that it was pulling ads, but noted it would continue to run on the program through that evening.
“Based on the recent allegations and our strong commitment to inclusion, respect and tolerance in the workplace, we have decided to pull Constant Contact’s ads from The O’Reilly Factor,” the spokeswoman said.
Insurance company Pacific Life, which had ads run on Tuesday night’s episode, said Wednesday morning that it was no longer an advertiser on the show.
“As a company in which more than two-thirds of our employees are women, we take sexual harassment claims very seriously,” Aaron Sanandres, CEO of the men’s clothing retailer, told The Washington Post on Tuesday. “In light of the disturbing allegations, we instructed our media buyer this morning to reallocate our ad dollars to other shows effective immediately.”
“Inclusivity and support for women are important Allstate values,” the company said in a statement. “We are concerned about the issues surrounding the program and we have suspended our advertising.”
Tax assistance company H&R Block announced its decision Wednesday morning.
The maker of POM Wonderful juice and FIJI Water told BuzzFeed it has “no ad inventory moving forward” and that it is “committed to a respectful and inclusive workplace environment and insist upon the same from our business partners.”
Freight transportation company ODFL, another company that ran ads Tuesday night, tweeted Wednesday morning that it would now pull ads.
Pharmaceutical company GSK confirmed with several media outlets that it is temporarily pulling ads while it reviews the situation.
“We are continually reviewing our advertising to ensure it is conducted in a responsible manner aligned with our values,” a spokeswoman said. “We have temporarily put a hold on spots running on ‘The O’Reilly Factor’ while we assess this situation.”
The human resources software company confirmed Wednesday that it was pulling commercials from the show.
The investment company confirmed with several media outlets Tuesday afternoon that it would no longer run ads on “The O’Reilly Factor.”
Pain relief drug Advil, which is owned by consumer products company Pfizer, announced its decision Wednesday morning.
The SHRM, a membership association for human resources workers, confirmed its decision Tuesday afternoon.
“Based on the serious nature of these allegations, we have made the decision to suspend all advertising on the program in question,” a spokesperson for Bayer, a German pharmaceuticals company, told CNN Money. “This suspension has been requested immediately and will be handled as expeditiously as possible. We have been informed, however, that programming changes may not become effective immediately.”
Online retailer Wayfair confirmed with several outlets on Tuesday that it was pulling ads in light of the sexual harassment allegations.
After refusing on Tuesday to comment on its advertising strategy, weight loss company Jenny Craig said Wednesday that it would indeed pull its ads.
The pet food company announced its decision to pull ads on Tuesday.
Eye car center Visionworks released a statement Wednesday confirming its decision to pull ads in response to allegations against O’Reilly.
The insurance company announced its decision on Wednesday.
Auto pricing site TrueCar said Tuesday it was reallocating ads slated for “The O’Reilly Factor” to other shows.
This company ran ads during the show Tuesday night, but said Wednesday that it had received complaints and would stop airing commercials during O’Reilly’s time slot.
Carfax, a site for researching a vehicle’s history, called the O’Reilly controversy a “distraction from [its] mission” when it announced on Wednesday that it was pulling ads from the program.
The prescription drug coupon company said Wednesday that it is in the process of pulling ads from the show.
After its ads ran on the show Tuesday night, the car accessory company replied to several complaints on Twitter stating that it is “already working on adjusting [its] advertising schedule.”
The company did not immediately respond to a request to clarify whether it is pulling ads from the show.
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
