Hasta La Gadget!

“I’m going to kill all Muslims.” 

That’s what a white man said after he plowed a rented van into Muslim worshipers leaving the Finsbury Park Mosque in north London early Monday, police allege. One man died and 11 people were injured in the incident.

The next day The Times, a major British newspaper, splashed a picture of the suspect, 47-year-old named Darren Osborne, across its front page, below a sympathetic headline describing him as a “jobless ‘lone wolf.’” The accompanying subheading described him as a “father of four” with “mental health problems.”

Other leading British newspapers also came under fire for their treatment of the story.

The sympathetic media coverage of Osborne’s arrest is in contrast to headlines about incidents in the United Kingdom where the suspects have been Muslim.

Moreover, a notable absence from this week’s headlines on the London mosque attack is the issue of radicalization, something author J.K. Rowling pointed out in a tweet Monday.

That’s perhaps because there’s mounting evidence that the media itself plays a part in radicalizing non-Muslims to commit Islamophobic attacks. 

A string of academic studies in the U.K. have documented the wanton fear-mongering in the British media about Muslims over the past decade. And this fear-mongering, experts say, can have real and dangerous consequences.

Here’s a sampling of some of the inflammatory headlines that have graced the pages of U.K. newspapers ― particularly the right-wing tabloids ― over the years:

“BBC PUT MUSLIMS BEFORE YOU!” ― The Daily Star, Oct. 18, 2006.  

“MUSLIMS TELL BRITISH: GO TO HELL!” ― Daily Express on Nov. 4, 2010. 

“MUSLIM SCHOOLS BAN OUR CULTURE”  ― Daily Express, Feb. 20, 2009.

And the accompanying stories sometimes contain outright fabrications.

In 2015, the Daily Express published an article claiming that half of Britain’s 3 million Muslims support the Islamic State. It based its claim on a deeply dubious poll, and the Express was eventually forced to delete the article.

That same year, The Sun ran the headline ‘1 in 5 Brit Muslims’ sympathy for jihadis’ on its front page. The paper was later forced to admit that the article was “significantly misleading”― though it published its correction in much smaller print on page two.

Dr. Paul Baker, author of the book Discourse Analysis and Media Attitudes: The Representation of Islam in the British Press, told HuffPost that such coverage can ensnare British society is a vicious cycle.

“Sadly, the attack aimed at Muslims at Finsbury Park is exactly what extremist violent groups like ISIS are wanting to happen ― they want to ignite a global war and force people to pick sides,” said Baker, who is a professor at Lancaster University.

“Every time a newspaper prints a negative story about Muslims, ISIS leaders will be rubbing their hands in glee ― so these journalists are inadvertently helping them,” he said. “Hate breeds more hate.”

In fact, a 2010 study from the University of Exeter’s European Muslim Research Center shows that anti-Muslim media coverage had led directly to a rise in anti-Muslim hate crimes in London. 

“The report provides prima facie and empirical evidence to demonstrate that assailants of Muslims are invariably motivated by a negative view of Muslims they have acquired from either mainstream or extremist nationalist reports or commentaries in the media,” the study findings say.

When Brits see stories about Muslims on their newspaper front pages, they’re likely to see words like “radical,” “fanatical,” “fundamentalist,” “extremist,” and “militant” in all caps or boldface.  

Those are the five adjectives a University of Cardiff School of Journalism report said were most used to describe Muslims in the British print media, according to an analysis of articles from 2000 to 2008.

Of the stories analyzed, 34 percent specifically linked Muslims to the threat of terrorism, 26 percent suggested Islam is a dangerous or backward religion, 14 percent pushed a clash-of-civilizations narrative between Islam and the West, and 9 percent depicted the religion as a threat to the British way of life.

All told, only 17 percent of the stories talked about Islam neutrally or positively as part of a multicultural British society.

“This kind of coverage, this one-dimensional coverage, almost gives people permission to hate.”

Researchers at Lancaster University analyzed 200,000 articles about Islam and Muslims from 1998 to 2009. They found that “for every one moderate Muslim mentioned, 21 examples of extremist Muslims are mentioned in the British press.”

And in 2011, academics at the University of Leeds conducted a three-month analysis of four British papers ― the Guardian, The Independent, the Daily Mail, and The Sun ― and found that 70 percent of articles about Muslims were “hostile” in nature.

“This kind of coverage, this one-dimensional coverage, almost gives people permission to hate,” Dr. Waqas Tufail, a senior lecturer in criminology at Leeds Beckett University, told HuffPost.

The attack at the Finsbury Park mosque “didn’t happen in a vacuum,” he said.

It happened, Tufail said, in the context of “long-term Islamophobia” in the U.K., where there is a “culture of anti-Muslim bigotry in much of the press” and in the rhetoric and actions of the government.

This week’s attack at the London mosque is the latest evidence of a vicious cycle of hate in UK. Anti-Muslim hate incidents rose 530 percent in the week following the deadly May attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, according to Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks), when compared to the week before.

And Islamophobic attacks increased fivefold after the London terror attack in June, according to the Mayor of London’s office.

Meanwhile, Osborne is in jail facing charges related to terrorism.

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In the past couple years, politicians have discovered new ways to lose in devastating, often humiliating fashion. They’ve been busted for cocaine, had their emails hacked and published for the world to see, and seen their family subjected to racist threats and tirades even before they’ve declared their candidacy.

Welcome to season two of Candidate Confessional, which launches Wednesday with an extended trailer. This season, we talk to the risk takers, the near-glass ceiling breakers, the hopeless and a self-described “hip-hop conservative.” We talk to a key Hillary Clinton strategist and to Jason Kander, a Missouri Democrat who lost a Senate run despite having the best ad of 2016. All reaffirmed the fact that losing still sucks. But they also underscored the layers of humanity that are often obscured in our nation’s rough-and-tumble political system.

And for this season, we’ve added a few new storylines.

We’ll have episodes dedicated not just to campaigns, but also to major legislative pushes that ultimately failed, and to famous figures who found themselves in the epicenter of scandal. You’ll hear from the senators who tried to stop the march to war in Iraq and the key congressional aides behind the first failed 2008 bailout vote; the senator who made gun control a cause after national tragedy; and the videographer who found herself on the cover of the National Enquirer.

A preview of our next season is above.

We begin next week with the first ever-interview with the small band of online operatives that turned Sen. Bernie Sanders, a septuagenarian independent socialist from Vermont, into the most dynamic grassroots fundraising candidate of all time.

Candidate Confessional is produced by Zach Young. To listen to this podcast later, download it on Apple Podcasts. While you’re there, please rate and review our show. To subscribe, visit the following: Apple Podcasts / Acast / RadioPublic / Google Play / Stitcher / RSS

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Alternative rock group We the Kings pay tribute to the 49 victims of Orlando’s Pulse nightclub massacre with their heartfelt new single, “Ally.” 

The Florida-based band released the track on iTunes and other streaming platforms June 16, days after the anniversary of the June 12 tragedy, in honor of LGBTQ Pride Month. They followed it up Monday with a video clip of lead singer Travis Clark performing an acoustic take on the song, which is perfect in its simplicity. 

“Sometimes it feels like we’re nowhere fast. For every step forward, take two steps right back,” Clark croons in the clip, which can be viewed above. “I am an ally and I am a friend, and you have my heart and my voice and my hand.”

The 32-year-old, who hails from Bradenton, Florida, told HuffPost in an email that he and bandmates Charles Trippy, Hunter Thomsen, Coley O’Toole and Danny Duncan wrote the song “with hope for human rights and equality for the world we live in and all the worlds after.” 

“We love you all and appreciate all the love and support you’ve shown us over the years,” he said, adding, “It’s time to give that same love and support to every soul on this earth.” 

We the Kings recently wrapped a 2017 tour to mark the 10th anniversary of their debut album, which spawned the hit single “Check Yes Juliet.” They’ll hit the stage once again July 23 at Chicago’s Sheffield Music Festival. 

Don’t miss the studio version of “Ally” below. 

Find ways to celebrate Pride by subscribing to the Queer Voices newsletter.    

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Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that boosts American apprenticeships. It will double the amount of money for apprenticeship grants and move control of the program away from the federal government to the private sector. Often with these internships, workers are paid while being trained for a new job, so it preferentially benefits the nearly half of Americans finding it hard to make ends meet. This program could be a real boon for industries like solar, which are desperate for skilled workers, as well as existing workers trapped in declining industries.

Trump has repeatedly shown great interest in America’s coal industry, which has faced a steep decline in profitability. One major American coal company after another has filed for bankruptcy, and coal is declining globally. Even China is moving away from it. The industry is shedding jobs, and it has an enormous negative impact on health. Coal is responsible for killing about as many Americans every year from pollution (about 52,000) as it currently employs (about 53,000).

It is clear that coal is all but dead no matter what Trump does to help it. Coal investors can simply call their brokers to move their money to more profitable and less risky industries, but coal workers are left with pink slips and mortgages in blighted coal country. But Trump can still help the coal workers themselves by retraining them for a more profitable industry.

Trump’s executive order will double the amount of money for apprenticeship grants and move control of the program away from the government to the private sector.

How can a coal worker get a solar career?

A study I co-authored for the journal Energy Economics provides an analysis of the need to retrain current coal workers for employment in the solar industry. In the study, we evaluated the skill sets of current coal workers and tabulated salaries. For each type of coal position, we determined the closest equivalent solar position and tried to match current coal salaries, and then we quantified the time and investment required to retrain each worker.

The results show that a relatively minor investment in retraining would allow the vast majority of coal workers to switch to solar-related positions even in the event of the elimination of the domestic coal industry. This good news for coal workers should be compounded by Trump’s apprenticeship program announcement, assuming it will make retraining easier for many of them.

Since the rapid decrease in the costs of solar photovoltaic technology, unsubsidized solar is now often the least expensive source of electric power, and solar deployment is rising rapidly. This is creating a lot of jobs in the U.S. solar industry, which is bringing on new workers 17 times faster than the overall economy. The solar industry increased employment by 25 percent last year — adding about as many new jobs in one year (51,000) as there are in the entire coal industry. As Tom Kimbis of the Solar Energy Industries Association pointed out in a discussion with me, “These aren’t just punch-the-clock jobs — these are careers.”

As Christopher Turek, a director at Solar Energy International, pointed out, “One interesting opportunity for many of these coal miners is that many of them have transferable skill sets.” Although coal workers have skills, they still often need some retraining — just like anyone moving to a new industry. California’s solar apprenticeship program, a state program run through a private company, started in 2009, for example. There are others: one in Oregon, for example, and another through the Interstate Renewable Energy Council.

There are many apprenticeship models and educational pathways to follow ― under President Obama’s ApprenticeshipUSA state accelerator grants, for example, states used funds to develop strategic plans and build partnerships for apprenticeship expansion and diversification. In areas where there are no formal solar apprenticeships, workers can be trained through an apprentice program in another field. In many states, an electrician has the qualifications required to connect solar systems to the electric grid, so an electrician apprenticeship is a particularly good career move. The Independent Electrical Contractors runs an apprenticeship program that can be accessed through local chapters.

This can help real people, Turek explained: “[Solar Energy International] is headquartered in the heart of the declining Western Colorado coal country — this hits home for us. … The good news is that they have the solar industry’s leading technical training school right here in their backyard.”

These aren’t just punch-the-clock jobs — these are careers.

Apprenticeships are not for everyone.

Apprenticeships can be great for many workers — about 90 percent are gainfully employed by the conclusion of their apprenticeship — but it is not a panacea. The vast majority of Americans who can go to college, should. A typical bachelor’s degree recipient can expect to earn about 66 percent more during a 40-year working life than the typical high school graduate. In the end, college graduates (electrical engineers, for example) earn $830,000 more than those who skip college. And potential earnings rise with a master’s degree or Ph.D. 

America needs tens of thousands of engineers to remain competitive in the energy sector; they will be well-paid for helping modernize the grid. For some workers, apprenticeships will help make the jump to the growing solar industry. For others, a more traditional university education will provide a richly compensated career. The bottom line is workers in dying industries like coal could have a lifeline to jobs in growing industries like solar if they take advantage of retraining opportunities like the new apprenticeship program.

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Tracy Moore grew impatient as she waited for a Quarter Pounder recently in the parking lot of a McDonald’s restaurant in central Dallas.

The burger, made with fresh beef and billed as hotter and juicer than the original made from a frozen patty, is part of the company’s effort to serve tastier food.

But after about four minutes, it was Moore who was steamed. Like other customers who’d ordered the new Quarter Pounder at the restaurant’s drive-through, she was asked to pull into a parking space and wait.

“If it’s going to be that long every time, I won’t order it. I’d go” elsewhere, said Moore, who hits the drive-through every morning for a Coke and dines frequently at the chain.

The tradeoff between time and taste looms large for McDonald’s Corp as it works to win back business lost to rivals. The introduction of cooked-to-order, quarter-pound burgers made with fresh beef is part of the chain’s attempt to improve food quality. Announced in March, the new sandwiches are already in selected test markets and are expected to be served in all U.S. stores by mid-2018.

But the success of the initiative may well hinge on satisfying important customers like Moore: speed-minded drive-through patrons who account for 70 percent of the firm’s U.S. revenue.

An on-demand Quarter Pounder takes about a minute longer to land in a customer’s hands than does the original sandwich, according to restaurant managers and analysts, even though fresh beef fries up faster than frozen patties. That’s because grilling begins only after a patron orders. Traditional Quarter Pounders were often cooked up in batches ahead of time.

Every second counts in the fast-food business. McDonald’s drive-through speeds already lag those of some major competitors, according to one widely watched survey. McDonald’s does not share such data, but company representatives told Reuters earlier this year that service times have slowed.

Still, company executives are bullish on prospects for the popular Quarter Pounder, which accounts for about one-fourth of McDonald’s U.S. burger sales. At an investor conference last month, Chief Executive Steve Easterbrook said the changeover has created fewer complications than expected and that restaurant operators are on board.

Some industry veterans, however, are skeptical. Richard Adams, a former Southern California McDonald’s franchisee-turned-consultant, says convenience is paramount for the chain’s patrons, who may go elsewhere if speed deteriorates.

“Any time the cooking process begins after the customer orders, the service time will be slower,” Adams said.

The fresh-beef initiative comes as pressure builds on McDonald’s kitchens.

Adams says restaurant crews already are juggling trickier menu items thanks to the recent national launch of McDonald’s new “Signature Crafted” sandwich line, which allows customers to pick their own meat, buns and toppings. “Signature Crafted” quarter-pound burgers also will use fresh beef as it becomes available nationwide.

McDonald’s cooks could be further strained by the chain’s embrace of self-service kiosks and mobile ordering. The technology shaves ordering times, but can create new bottlenecks by swamping kitchens at peak hours, as companies such as Starbucks Corp have learned.

FRESH VS. FAST

The revamped Quarter Pounder is the latest move by Easterbrook to modernize the 60-year-old chain and reverse four straight years of traffic declines.

It’s also a direct shot at Wendy’s Co, Whataburger and In-N-Out. Those fresh-burger chains are among the fast-food rivals that McDonald’s says have siphoned 500 million U.S. transactions from its stores since 2012.

Easterbrook’s introduction of all-day breakfast in October 2015 was a big hit and has helped lift sales. The company’s stock price is up more than 25 percent so far this year.

Analysts expect the fresh-beef push, along with moves to ditch artificial ingredients in popular items such as chicken nuggets, to bolster sales by addressing consumer demand for simpler, “cleaner” and fresher ingredients.

The Quarter Pounder makeover has won early support from analysts and McDonald’s franchisees in the heart of cattle country, where the product has been tested for almost two years in about 400 stores in Oklahoma and Texas.

Three Dallas-area McDonald’s managers who spoke with Reuters estimated the switch has improved their Quarter Pounder sales from 20 percent to 50 percent, albeit aided by advertising and coupons.

“We’ve been stealing customers from a Whataburger down the street,” said Edgar Meza, a manager at a McDonald’s restaurant in an upscale neighborhood in north Dallas. Officials at Texas-based Whataburger, a regional chain, declined to comment.

Some burger lovers are taking notice too.

“They’re a little juicier,” said Bob Riley, who was polishing off a Quarter Pounder at an outlet near Dallas’ Deep Ellum neighborhood, his third McDonald’s meal of the week.

“I think Wendy’s woke them up,” he said.

Joe Jasper, a former McDonald’s executive who owns 20 restaurants in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, has been deeply involved in the effort. He described the new Quarter Pounder as “the best burger in our industry, but more importantly, (one delivered) at the speed of McDonald’s.”

Trouble is, the “speed of McDonald’s” isn’t as fast as that of many of its competitors.

The average service time at a McDonald’s drive-through last year was 208.2 seconds, according to a study published by QSR magazine, an industry publication, using data from SeeLevel HX, an Atlanta-based business intelligence firm. That’s well behind industry leader Wendy’s at 169.1 seconds, according to the survey. Burger King, Dunkin’ Donuts and KFC all beat McDonald’s too.

McDonald’s narrowed the gap with Wendy’s by one-third from 2012 to 2016 by adding more drive-through lanes at some stores and by scrapping products such as “snack wraps,” tortilla-wrapped sandwiches that proved time-consuming to prepare. Still, its average drive-through service time last year was almost 20 seconds slower than it was in 2012, according to SeeLevel HX data.

[For a look at drive-through speeds, see tmsnrt.rs/2sLWMqW]

Claudia Barcenas, assistant manager at a McDonald’s off Dallas’ Central Expressway, says her counter and drive-through staff inform patrons that fresh-beef Quarter Pounders can be delayed, particularly if the sandwiches are ordered well-done.

“We have to explain that it takes a bit longer. Perhaps a minute,” Barcenas said.

Whether that’s worth it for McDonald’s customers remains to be seen as the experiment goes nationwide.

Juan Rodriguez waited on his lunch break for a fresh-beef Quarter Pounder at the drive-through of another Dallas McDonald’s outlet about nine miles from Barcenas’ store. At the three-minute mark, the 20-year-old was getting restless.

“If it’s better, I don’t mind waiting,” Rodriguez said. “But if it tastes the same, then no.”

(Editing by Marla Dickerson)

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