Walmart Expands Volkeswagen Group Electric Car Charging Locations From 120 To 300

Walmart Expands Volkeswagen Group Electric Car Charging Locations From 120 To 300

Electrify America, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkeswagen Group of America, is investing $2 billion over a 10 year period in zero emission vehicle infrastructure, education and access. A major partner is the initiative is Walmart, which has now opened 120 charging stations at Walmart stores in the US.

On Monday, Electrify America and Walmart announced that the are expanding their relationship in an initiative that will make Walmart one of the largest retail hosts of EV charging stations across the US.

Plans are to add 180 additional locations. Every installation site is equipped with regular 150 kW stations as well as ultra-fast 350 kW stations that can charge vehicles at a rate of 20 miles per minute.

Most electric charging infrastructure—and most electric vehicles—are located on the coasts, writes Curbed. Walmarts tend to be located in states or areas within states where EV adoption is low. This sounds counter-intuitive but the initiative can help to influence consumer buying behavior in more ways than one. Walmart isn’t commonly associated with environmental initiatives, which is a reflection of elitist thinking about the company.

Want To Fight Crime? Plant Some Flowers With Your Neighbor

Want To Fight Crime? Plant Some Flowers With Your Neighbor

Neighborhoods struggling with physical decline and high crime often become safer simply when local residents work together to fix up their neighborhood.

My colleagues and I at the University of Michigan School of Public Health Youth Violence Prevention Center have spent nearly a decade documenting why. Research from cities across the United States shows how small changes to urban environments — like planting flowers or adding benches — reduce violence.

The result is an emerging crime prevention theory we call “busy streets.” Here’s how it works.

The United States May List Giraffes as an Endangered Species As Young Population Plummets

The United States May List Giraffes as an Endangered Species As Young Population Plummets

Between 1985 and 2016, the world's giraffe population plummeted by nearly 40 percent. Just over 97,000 of the long-necked mammals remain in the wild, including 68,000 mature adults—equivalent to less than a quarter of the world’s estimated African elephant population, Michael Biesecker reports for the Associated Press. While elephants were listed as a threatened species under the United States’ Endangered Species Act in 1978, giraffes have yet to receive any such legal protections.

A petition filed by environmental and conservation groups in April 2017 may pave the way for giraffes’ addition to the legislative act. According to the statement, the petition presents “substantial information that listing may be warranted,” as threats, including land development, civil unrest, commercial trade and poaching, pose major obstacles to the species’ long-term survival.

Rihanna Covers Interview Magazine Summer 2019, Talks Love With Hassan Jameel

Rihanna Covers Interview Magazine Summer 2019, Talks Love With Hassan Jameel

The Rihanna show continues to roll through pop culture, as the Barbados-born mogul drops into the pages of Interview Magazine’s Summer 2019 issue. The cover star is styled by Mel Ottenberg in images by Pierre Ange Carlotti./ Hair by Yusef; makeup by Stephane Marais

Recycling: Poorer Countries Can Now Refuse Plastic Waste Imports, Making System Fairer

Recycling: Poorer Countries Can Now Refuse Plastic Waste Imports, Making System Fairer

The world generated 242 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2016 – a figure that’s expected to grow by 70% in the next 30 years. But this same plastic is also a commodity that’s sold and traded in a global industry that generates US$200 billion every year.

Exporting plastic waste is one way rich countries dispose of their waste. By selling waste to firms that then send it to countries where recycling costs are cheaper, rich countries can avoid the unpleasant task of finding somewhere at home to dispose of it. Unfortunately, most of this waste is shipped to countries that aren’t equipped to properly manage it.

When wealthy countries export their plastic waste to poorer countries with weaker recycling capacity, those plastics are often dumped, eventually polluting the land and sea. But a recent UN decision could help those countries most affected by plastic litter and with the least capacity to manage it. Due to a little-known treaty called the Basel Convention, poorer countries can now say no to the deluge of exported waste.

Many Americans Viewed New York Harbor's Lady Liberty as a False Idol of Broken Promises

Top image: THIS MAP APPEARED IN THE MAGAZINE PUCK DURING THE EMPIRE STATE CAMPAIGN, A HARD-FOUGHT REFERENDUM ON A SUFFRAGE AMENDMENT TO THE NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION—THE REFERENDUM FAILED IN 1915. Lower image: ‘Madre Luz’ by Pablo Machioli, installed in Baltimore at the site of a Confederate monument removed after Charlottesville. It was destroyed. via

Many Americans Viewed New York Harbor's Lady Liberty as a False Idol of Broken Promises

By Angela Serratore. First published on Smithsonian.com as ‘The Americans Who Saw Lady Liberty as a False Idol of Broken Promises’.

It was a crisp, clear fall day in New York City, and like many others, Lillie Devereaux Blake was eager to see the great French statue, donated by that country’s government to the United States as a token of friendship and a monument to liberty, finally unveiled. President Grover Cleveland was on Bedloe’s Island (since renamed Liberty Island), standing at the base of the statue, ready to give a speech. Designed in France, the statue had been shipped to New York in the spring of 1885, and now, in October 1886, it was finally assembled atop its pedestal.

“Presently the veil was withdrawn from her beautiful calm face,” wrote Blake of the day’s events, “and the air was rent with salvos of artillery fired to hail the new goddess; the earth and the sea trembled with the mighty concussions, and steam-whistles mingled their shrill shrieks with the shouts of the multitude—all this done by men in honor of a woman.”

Blake wasn’t watching from the island itself, though—in fact, only two women had been invited to the statue that day. Blake and other members of the New York State Women’s Suffrage Association, at that point New York’s leading women’s suffrage organization, had chartered their own boat in protest of the exclusion of women not just from the statue’s unveiling, but from the idea of liberty itself.

Blake’s protest is one of several highlighted at the new Statue of Liberty Museum, which opened earlier this month on Liberty Island. While the statue’s pedestal did at one point hold a small museum, the new space’s increased square footage allowed historians and exhibit designers to expand the story of Lady Liberty, her champions and her dissenters.

Women Have Been The Fueling Energy Of Christian Right Demands For Decades

Women Have Been The Fueling Energy Of Christian Right Demands For Decades

By Emily Suzanne Johnson, Assistant Professor of History, Ball State University. First published on The Conversation

Alabama’s new abortion restrictions were signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey. But more has been said recently about the fact that the bill was passed by 25 white men in the state Senate. Media reports have pointed to how this law will disproportionately affect black and poor women.

Only four women currently serve in Alabama’s state Senate. Three voted against the bill, while one abstained.

In response to the Alabama vote, Democratic State Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison compared men’s votes on abortion legislation to “a dentist making a decision about heart surgery.”

“That’s why we need more women in office,” Coleman-Madison said.

Across the country, women are underrepresented in legislatures. But the question is: Would voting more women into office necessarily shift the politics of abortion?

Blesnya Minher Is Exquisite In 'Lost Paradise' By Txema Yeste For Numero June-July 2019

Blesnya Minher Is Exquisite In 'Lost Paradise' By Txema Yeste For Numero June-July 2019

The goddesses have bestowed on rising model, Angolan-born Blesnya Minher one of those priceless editorials that are pure poetry with relevance far beyond the fashion world. In its simplest expression, Minher has made deeply beautiful art with timeless roots in nature, styled by Bernat Buscato. Txema Yeste captures Minher in ‘Lost Paradise’ for Numero Magazine June/July 2019./ Hair and makeup by Victor Avarez

Sainsbury's Supermarket Launches 'Meat-Free Butchers' Pop-up For World Meat-Free Week

Sainsbury's Supermarket Launches 'Meat-Free Butchers' Pop-up For World Meat-Free Week

London’s Sainsbury’s supermarket is launching its first vegan pop-up MEAT-FREE BUTCHERS, serving sausages, mince, fillets, burgers and other delicacies not derived from animals.

The pop-up will be located at the chain’s Bethnal Green branch from June 21 to 23, honoring World Meat-Free Week (website). Sainsbury staff will serve 20 animal-free products including BBQ-pulled jackfruit, chorizo-style Shroomdogs, meatless bacon, veggie ribz and Moroccan vegbabs .

Wrangler Launches Indigood™ Denim Revolution In Denim Dyeing, Production Process

Wrangler Launches Indigood™ Denim Revolution In Denim Dyeing, Production Process

Denim manufacturing is known for producing iconic, must-have products grounded in an ‘everyman’ , unpretentious sensibility. In reality, denim manufacturing has a deadly reputation when the focus is sustainability and being good stewards of the environment.

US jeans brand Wrangler is determined to change the anti-environmental reality of denim manufacturing and especially creating excessive levels of water waste.

Wrangler’s corporate parents Kontoor Brands have partnered with Texas Tech University (TTU) and the Valencia-based fabric mill Tejidos Royo to create a foam-dyed, water-free process, eliminating the waste generated from the traditional dyeing processes.

Pelosi Is Defiant Against Nadler's Jump Start On Impeachment, Wants Trump In Jail

Pelosi Is Defiant Against Nadler's Jump Start On Impeachment, Wants Trump In Jail

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi affirmed Tuesday night that she wants to see President Donald Trump “in prison”. Her comments came Tuesday night in a heated clash with House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler over the feasibility and timing of launching an impeachment inquiry against Trump.

Politico reports that “ Nadler and other committee leaders have been embroiled in a behind-the-scenes turf battle for weeks over ownership of the Democrats’ sprawling investigation into Trump.” The Speaker, widely considered to be the most formidable female politico in the world, stood her ground, with the support of other committee leaders. Their investigations would stop if an official impeachment inquiry is stopped.

“I don’t want to see him impeached, I want to see him in prison,” Pelosi said, according to multiple Democratic sources familiar with the meeting. Instead of impeachment, Pelosi still prefers to see Trump defeated at the ballot box and then prosecuted for his alleged crimes, according to the sources.

The Escalation of Anti-Abortion Violence Ten Years After Dr. George Tiller’s Murder

The Escalation of Anti-Abortion Violence Ten Years After Dr. George Tiller’s Murder

By Jill Heaviside & Rosann Mariappuram. First published on Rewire.News

As we mark the tenth anniversary of the assassination of Dr. George Tiller, it is incredible to think that, just over a month ago, Republican Sen. Ben Sasse was really asking how “the pro-life position is in any way violent.”

Violence has been a central tenet of the anti-abortion movement since before the U.S. Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade. As activists have sought control over the reproductive freedom of millions of people—particularly women of color, low-income women and families, and queer, gender-nonconforming, and transgender communities—they have used violence as a tactic of control, abuse, and fear across the United States.

Dr. Tiller was Wichita’s only abortion provider for 40 years and was known for his deep commitment to trusting women and their families’ reproductive health decisions. Because of his work, Dr. Tiller was a target of many anti-abortion groups; before he was killed, he survived a clinic bombing and a prior shooting.

Dr. Tiller’s murder wasn’t an isolated incident. Anti-abortion extremists have killed at least 11 people since the 1990s. Their violent history includes the first recorded murder of an abortion provider, Dr. David Gunn, in 1993, and the 2015 shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, which claimed three lives and injured nine people.

Rihanna Fenty Blitz Rolls On With Scorching Savage x Fenty June 2019 Lingerie Drop

Rihanna Fenty Blitz Rolls On With Scorching Savage x Fenty June 2019 Lingerie Drop

Rihanna launches her own 2019 summer celebration with a Savage x Fenty lingerie drop saturated in neon colors and bright embellishments. Dennis Leupold captures the super-status pop star, beauty mogul and first black woman to head a luxury brand Fenty Collection (in partnershp with LVMH) in yet another torrid blitz for her sexy, inclusive lingerie brand . / Hair by Yusef; makeup by Priscilla Ono

Five Things to Know About Botswana’s Decision to Lift Ban on Hunting Elephants

Five Things to Know About Botswana’s Decision to Lift Ban on Hunting Elephants

Botswana, home to the world’s largest African elephant population, has lifted its five-year suspension of elephant hunting, attracting the ire of conservationists while placating those who argue that the land giants, known to kill livestock and destroy crops, are wreaking havoc on locals’ livelihoods.

In a statement detailing the reversal, Botswana’s Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism cited the increasing prevalence of human-elephant conflict, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks’ inability to respond to animal control reports in a timely fashion, and the toll on communities ill-equipped to handle the unimpeded roaming of these roughly 12,000-pound creatures. The ministry further said that reinstatement will be performed “in an orderly and ethical manner.”

The exact nature of this “ethical” implementation remains unclear, as do the long-term ramifications of the decision for both Botswana’s human and pachyderm residents. But in the meantime, here’s what we do know:

Major Film Studios Follow Netflix In Putting Georgia On Notice Over Illegal Abortion Law

Major Film Studios Follow Netflix In Putting Georgia On Notice Over Illegal Abortion Law

It was a slow start on whether or not America’s film industry would become involved in Georgia politics, threatening to abandon existing projects and future expansion of filming major projects like the revolutionary, Oscar-winning ‘Black Panther’ movie.

Netflix was the first major studio to take a stand against the medical-quackery ‘heartbeat bill banning abortion at about six weeks, joining the ACLU lawsuit in fighting the law not only as an infringement of Roe v. Wade, but as pseudo-science that has no basis in medical facts.

Today, an onslaught of new studios including Viacom, CBS, Sony, AMC, NBC Universal and Warner Media raises their collective business voices against the new law.

US Spelling Bee's 8 Winners, ALL Kids of Color, Challenge Trump's White Nationalism Beliefs

US Spelling Bee's 8 Winners, ALL Kids of Color, Challenge Trump's White Nationalism Beliefs

America had a first-ever, dramatic end to the National Spelling Bee. They ran out of words, and eight kids were still standing. The winners are Rishik Gandhasri, Erin Howard, Saketh Sundar, Shruthika Padhy, Sohum Sukhatankar, Abhijay Kodali, Christopher Serrao, and Rohan Raja.

With all Trump's hateful anti-immigration rhetoric, I note publicly the absence of a majority of white kids in the final rounds. In fact, they are hard to find in this inspiring group of young people.

What's up? Are white kids not making the cut -- or are they too "good" to undertake a mental challenge like the National Spelling Bee?

MacKenzie Bezos Joins Gates & Buffett 'The Giving Pledge', Sharing Half of Her New Fortune

MacKenzie Bezos Joins Gates & Buffett 'The Giving Pledge', Sharing Half of Her New Fortune

There aren’t many solo images of MacKenzie Bezos out there. Even though the mom of four is a successful writers and played her own roll in the formation of Amazon, almost all images of MacKenzie include her husband Jeff Bezos.

Vogue US interviewed one of the world’s richest women in 2013 in advance of her “gripping new novel Traps”. The interview by Rebecca Johnson describes MacKenzie as a “bookish and she” girl who spent hours in her bedroom writing elaborate stories. She attended first Hotchkiss and then Princeton, a very deliberate choice that gave her access to writer Toni Morrison. One of America’s most important voices became Bezos’ mentor and called her in 2013 “one of the best students I’ve ever had in my creative-writing classes . . . really one of the best.”

Gisele Bundchen Covers ELLE Spain June 2019, Lensed By Nino Munoz For Environmental Issue

Gisele Bundchen Covers ELLE Spain June 2019, Lensed By Nino Munoz For Environmental Issue

Inmaculada Jiménez styles environmental activist Gisele Bundchen for the June 2019 issue of ELLE Spain. Nino Munoz captures the cover star in an issue devoted to the environment.

Indya Moore Is First Trans Person To Cover ELLE US June 2019, Lensed By Zoey Grossman

Indya Moore Is First Trans Person To Cover ELLE US June 2019, Lensed By Zoey Grossman

Indya Moore is styled by Charles Varenne for images by Zoey Grossman for ELLE US June 2019. Moore is the first transgender person to cover the magazine. / Makeup by Vincent Oquendo ;hair by Hos Hounkpatin

{A word from Anne on language — which ELLE also addresses in Jada Yuan’s interview Indya Moore Just Wants To Be Free. Imagine Trumpsters navigating this paragraph in ELLE: “

A note on gender pronouns: Indya is nonbinary and prefers to use “they” and “them,” but is also navigating how that works in a society that has long oriented around cisgender or binary trans identities. Most people around Indya use “she,” which Indya says is fine to use throughout this story. See her Instagram post in April about this very topic. “

Bonobo Mothers Meddle In Their Sons’ Sex Lives – Making Them Three Times More Likely To Father Children

BONOBOS DOING WHAT THEY DO BY GREG @ FLICKR

Bonobo Mothers Meddle In Their Sons’ Sex Lives – Making Them Three Times More Likely To Father Children

Dating is never easy, for any of us. Scenarios play over in our heads, classic questions and worries bombard us. Will she like me? Does he share the same interests? Will my mum be watching us have sex? Thankfully, that last question isn’t actually one we humans have to deal with. But new research shows that for bonobos, sex really is often a family affair. What’s more, rather than being an embarrassing hindrance, motherly presence greatly benefits bonobo sons during the deed.

Along with chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), bonobos (Pan paniscus) are our closest living relatives. Restricted to a 500,000 km² thickly-forested zone of the Congo Basin, these endangered great apes were only formally discovered in 1928, which until 2017 made them the most recently-described living great ape species.

Operating in female-led social systems, bonobos are capable of showing a wide range of what were long held as human-specific feelings and emotions, such as sensitivity, patience, compassion, kindness, empathyand altruism.

They’re also perhaps the most promiscuous non-human species on the planet.