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How Tractor Supply Decided to End DEI, and Fast The Wall Street JournalHow Tractor Supply Decided to End DEI, and Fast - The Wall Street Journal
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Sunday, June 30, 2024
How Tractor Supply Decided to End DEI, and Fast - The Wall Street Journal
How Tractor Supply Decided to End DEI, and Fast - The Wall Street Journal
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Get a fast DVD ripper on sale for only $25 - Mashable
TL;DR: Finally clear out those old DVDs and keep watching your favorite films with the MacX DVD Ripper Pro, on sale for $24.97 (reg. $67.95) through July 21.
Credit: Digiarty Software
As digital media rapidly replaces physical formats, keeping your DVD collection accessible and in good shape can be a challenge. But you don't have to hold on to your favorite movies or home movies in that format forever.
MacX DVD Ripper Pro presents a solid solution for digitizing, preserving, and enjoying your DVDs on any device. And for a limited time, you can get a lifetime single license for just $24.97 (reg. $67.95) when you order by July 21.
This software allows you to watch your favorite DVDs on your mobile devices without having to purchase another copy. Designed to be superfast, it also allows you to batch convert multiple videos at the same time.
MacX is able to rip an entire DVD in as little as five minutes. Convert them to popular digital formats to watch whenever you want. In addition to damaged or previously unplayable DVDs, the ripper supports newly released film DVDs, homemade DVDs, 99-title DVDs, and TV series and workout DVDs.
You can even use it to edit DVDs, including trim, merge, crop, cut video clip segments, and more. And if you have your own YouTube channel, you can upload DVD videos or segments straight to it.
This is for Mac OS X 10.5 or later and is only for use on one device. Minor and major updates are included with this lifetime license.
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Whether you want to digitize new releases, protect old favorites, or convert unplayable discs, this software can be of service. Get the MacX DVD Ripper Pro on sale for $24.97 (reg. $67.95) until July 21 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
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Get a fast DVD ripper on sale for only $25 - Mashable
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How Tractor Supply Decided to End DEI, and Fast - The Wall Street Journal
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How Tractor Supply Decided to End DEI, and Fast The Wall Street JournalHow Tractor Supply Decided to End DEI, and Fast - The Wall Street Journal
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All the deals McDonald’s, Burger King, Chili’s, Wendy’s, Starbucks, and other fast-food companies are offering to win ... - Fortune
As consumers continue to pull back from fast-food restaurants owing to price concerns amid pressing inflation, the chains are looking to woo them back—and the value meal is a tried-and-true method to do so. While combo meals are pretty much an everyday thing in the quick service world, this summer has seen a flurry of them that’s more widespread than any in recent memory.
Part of that is the result of “McFlation” claims, which followed reports of nearly $8 chicken sandwiches and $18 Big Mac meals. (McDonald’s USA president Joe Erlinger addressed that last month, issuing a public letter to counter what he called the “viral social posts and poorly sourced reports that McDonald’s has raised prices significantly beyond inflationary rates.”)
Whether true or not, consumers believe fast food has gotten too expensive—and not just at McDonald’s. That’s led to a price war that’s being fought on a number of fronts.
Here’s a look at the meal deals and promotions consumers can grab in the summer of 2024.
McDonald’s
Starting June 25, the fast-food chain is offering a new $5 meal at most locations nationwide, which includes a McDouble cheeseburger or McChicken sandwich, small french fries, four-piece Chicken McNuggets, and a small soft drink.
The company is also touting deals offered by local franchisees, which vary store to store. Some McDonald’s in Memphis, for example, are offering buy-one-get-one-free breakfast sandwiches, while Columbus stores are offering a double cheeseburger and small fries for $3.50.
The chain also has a promotion where customers can get a free medium fries with a $1 minimum purchase through the end of the year.
Wendy’s
Wendy’s is putting more food into its $5 Biggie Bag, adding a free small Frosty to all orders made on the company’s app. (You can choose from either chocolate or triple berry flavors.) The combo comes with a choice of sandwich (either a double junior bacon cheeseburger or a crispy chicken sandwich), four-piece chicken nuggets, fries, and a small soft drink. The deal will run through June 30.
Wendy’s will also offer a free small Frosty with any $5 purchase from July 1 to July 7, when customers use the app.
Burger King
Not to be left out, Burger King brought back its $5 Your Way Meal on June 13, giving customers the choice of either a Whopper Jr., Bacon Cheeseburger, or Chicken Jr., plus fries, a four-piece chicken nuggets, and a soft drink. The special is expected to run throughout the summer.
Checkers/Rally’s
From July 1 through July 12, fans of the sister chains will have the chance to win a Fry Pass, which will earn them a year’s worth of fully loaded fries. The chains plan to pick 100 winners.
Additionally, Checkers and Rally’s will provide a free regular-size Fully Loaded fry order with any purchase in the company’s app between July 12 and July 14.
Chipotle
Chipotle is not offering any big, bold new combos these days, but it is giving five fans the chance to own the company’s Celebrity Card, which will give them access to one free meal a day at the restaurant as well as catering for up to 50 people once a year. Fans can submit their application for the card through July 3 via TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter/X, using the hashtag #CelebCardContest. Winners will be contacted on July 12.
Taco Bell
Taco Bell joined the value meal wars on June 27, debuting its Luxe Cravings Box. The $7 combo features a Chalupa Supreme, a Beefy 5-Layer Burrito, a Double Stacked Taco, chips and nacho cheese sauce, and a medium fountain drink. The company did not provide a time frame for the promotion.
Starbucks
Starbucks isn’t known for combo meals, but amid the competition, the coffee chain has introduced a new “pairings menu,” which gives customers the ability to pair a tall hot or iced tea or coffee with some staple foods, including a butter croissant or breakfast sandwich. Prices for the limited-time offer range from $5 to $6.
Chili’s
Like burgers? We mean really like burgers? Chili’s is offering one lucky winner a lifetime supply. (Technically, you’ll get a 40-year supply of burgers, in the form of $31,200 in Chili’s gift cards, as well as a $10,296 cash payment to cover the taxes that go with the prize.) To win, you’ll need to get the highest score on the company’s update of the classic arcade video game BurgerTime. The contest is open to customers 18 years or older and runs through July 14.
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All the deals McDonald’s, Burger King, Chili’s, Wendy’s, Starbucks, and other fast-food companies are offering to win ... - Fortune
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Fast-Food and Coffee Chains Are Opening Smaller, Takeout-Only Stores - The New York Times
Chick-fil-A’s new location in New York City has everything you’d expect from the chicken shop: friendly servers, crispy waffle fries and a line of hungry customers. It’s missing just one thing: seats.
The shop, which opened on the Upper East Side in March, is the chain’s first to exclusively handle pickup and delivery orders. It’s part of a trend of smaller, takeout-focused stores that boomed during the pandemic and stayed popular, especially among Manhattan’s coffee-shop and fast-food chains.
From 2019 to 2023, the average size of a retail lease in Manhattan shrank 17 percent, to 2,585 square feet, according to the CoStar Group, a commercial real estate data company.
That decline has been most visible in coffee shops, where Manhattanites have been left with fewer places to sit, said Gregory Zamfotis, the founder and chief executive of Gregorys Coffee.
“In many locations, because of turnover or pivots other businesses have made in reducing seating, there’s just less options for folks to be able to have somewhere to stay,” Mr. Zamfotis said.
It’s difficult to pin down exactly how much smaller cafes and fast-food restaurants have become. Many commercial real estate brokerages, such as CBRE and Cushman & Wakefield, track only a handful of small leases signed by these tenants each year. But real estate analysts, brokers and tenants all agreed that retailers are slimming down.
“Smaller is better,” said Steven A. Soutendijk, an executive managing director at Cushman & Wakefield. “There are way more tenants looking for smaller stores than there are looking for bigger stores.”
Among those thinking small is Benjamin Sormonte, co-founder and chief executive of the cafe and bakery chain Maman. Mr. Sormonte plans to open more miniature Mamans — appropriately called Petite Mamans — after opening the first in Moynihan Train Hall in 2022.
Petite Mamans range from 350 to 800 square feet, while a full-service Maman can be as large as 3,200 square feet, Mr. Sormonte said. Smaller stores allow him to target customers on the go and give him more flexibility when scouting for new locations, a crucial advantage given Manhattan’s historically low retail availability.
Buffalo Wild Wings, Starbucks, Blank Street Coffee and even Whole Foods have also announced or rolled out smaller, to-go-focused stores in New York City alongside their existing outposts. Blank Street, in particular, was born out of the small-format model: Most of its stores are below 350 square feet and are designed to serve customers at a rapid pace.
“All the retailers that are trying this have both models,” said David Firestein, managing partner of the brokerage SCG Retail. “The brands that have 10, 20, 50 or 100 stores, they’re constantly looking at the model and they’re constantly changing and evaluating. That’s what good retailers do.”
Chick-fil-A is having it both ways on the Upper East Side, with the new mobile pickup store on Second Avenue at East 80th Street just a few blocks away from a more traditional location with seating on Third Avenue at East 86th Street. Jared Caldwell, the owner and operator of both locations, said he wanted the design of the new outpost to complement the first and to accommodate the growing number of digital orders.
Tiny stores have another huge advantage over regular-size stores: lower rents.
For example, Gregorys Coffee locations range from 400 to 1,800 square feet in Manhattan, Mr. Zamfotis said, and he looks for rents between $100 and $300 per square foot. Within those ranges, the cheapest 1,800-square-foot store would cost him $60,000 a year more than the most expensive 400-square-foot store.
“Sometimes it’s hard to justify paying for that extra three, four or five hundred square feet for seating you don’t necessarily need,” Mr. Zamfotis said. “We don’t need a tremendous amount of seating. We just need enough to support some traffic that wants to stay.”
For cafes, smaller stores represent a departure from the “third place” business model, popularized by Starbucks, in which stores function as spaces separate from work or home where people can linger for hours, talk to friends and make new ones.
Third places can be anything — your hometown bar, a public park, even a fast-food restaurant like a McDonald’s — so long as people go there to gather, said Kathy Giuffre, an emerita professor of sociology at Colorado College. Where speedy service, short hours or space constraints limit social gatherings, loneliness and isolation can grow.
“The profits probably are great at places that can get you in and get you out really fast,” she said. “The social costs are invisible, but very profound.”
Mr. Zamfotis, however, doesn’t think small-format stores herald the end of the coffee shop as third place, even given Manhattan’s limited space and high rents.
“I’m a firm believer in the future of third places,” he said. It might be a different version, he noted, “but it’s still going to be there because people still crave a place to gather. And coffee has always been that central gathering point for folks.”
Fast-Food and Coffee Chains Are Opening Smaller, Takeout-Only Stores - The New York Times
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Saturday, June 29, 2024
Fast fashion is harming our planet — these 4 tips can help you build a more sustainable wardrobe - The Conversation Indonesia
As sunny summer days return in the northern hemisphere, you may be looking to refresh your wardrobe. The allure of a whole “new you” is pervasive, and the foundation of many a successful marketing campaign.
Indeed, as the weather changes and we spend more time outdoors, you may need lighter summer clothing. However, before you run out to H&M, it is worth considering how you can sustainably add to your wardrobe while limiting its carbon footprint.
Sustainably adding to your wardrobe involves questioning your needs and taking your time shopping for each piece to understand how and where it was made — the antithesis of the fast fashion which has come to dominate global shopping trends.
These four tips can help you build a more sustainable wardrobe.
No one’s 20s and 30s look the same. You might be saving for a mortgage or just struggling to pay rent. You could be swiping dating apps, or trying to understand childcare. No matter your current challenges, our Quarter Life series has articles to share in the group chat, or just to remind you that you’re not alone.
Read more from Quarter Life:
Fast becoming unsustainable
Fast fashion refers to the rapid production and distribution of clothing to reflect the latest trends. Since the early 1990s, technological improvements, lower costs of production and streamlined supply chains have significantly shortened fashion cycles. Clothes today can be made and sold to consumers at a low price within just a few weeks of being designed.
Two seasons — autumn/winter and spring/summer — were common in the Western fashion industry just a few decades ago. Nowadays, some retailers offer tens of small seasons a year. This constant churning of trends pushes consumers to update their wardrobes frequently by encouraging disposability.
While easier on the wallet, the consequences of the fast fashion industry are myriad. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the global fast fashion-dominated clothing and textile sector is responsible for two to eight per cent of all global carbon emissions and nine per cent of annual microfibre pollution to oceans.
In addition, fast fashion uses about 215 trillion litres of water annually, the equivalent of 86 million Olympic-sized swimming pools. Moreover, workers are often exploited in inhuman conditions for little pay while shareholders pocket skyrocketing profits.
In response to these criticisms, a growing number of fast-fashion retailers, such as H&M and Zara, are claiming to take steps towards reducing their environmental footprint. These outlets claim, for instance, that they have replaced synthetic fibres and polyester, made from oil and petroleum, with natural and recycled ones.
However, the ubiquity of greenwashing across the fashion industry makes it hard to tell if these claims have any weight.
Sustainable shopping?
In the face of such serious concerns, how can anyone hope to shop sustainably?
The first, and in many ways most crucial, step is to simply commit to slowing down your approach to fashion itself by embracing sustainable fashion and shopping ethically to help put the brakes on overproduction and overconsumption.
1 - Buy less, buy better: While forgoing shopping or opting for hand-me-down and secondhand options is preferable to buying new from a sustainability standpoint, such avenues may not always be possible. Therefore, try and buy fewer items of a higher-quality from sustainably conscious brands. Being careful with where, and what, you purchase can help limit the negative environmental and societal impacts of our clothing purchases.
However, most fashion retailers do not control the entire supply chain and, thus, cannot guarantee the sustainability of their clothing. This means consumers must be diligent when shopping and make informed choices themselves.
Recycling and clothing rental are valid options, however, it is worth noting that textile recycling can be expensive and not without environmental impact in terms of both materials and carbon footprint.
If you do opt for a clothing rental service, then avoid using online services that rely on delivery. Likewise, if you must purchase your clothes online, then avoid fast fashion sites like Temu in favour of buying directly from manufacturers you trust.
2 - Repair, reuse and recycle: Prolonging clothing life by wearing pieces over several years and mending it when required, rather than throwing it away, can also be a great way to reduce the environmental footprint of your wardrobe. Even paying for a pair of jeans to be professionally repaired will likely be considerably cheaper than buying new — saving you money in the long-run.
Patagonia, a California-based outdoor gear retailer, encourages consumers to “repair, reuse, and recycle” items. They practice what they preach, using materials, among others, made of recycled bottles since 1993.
The French government recently introduced a country-wide program to subsidize clothes and shoe repairs with the aim to reduce the amount of clothing thrown away. Check to see if your area has similar programs and petition for their creation if not.
3 - Prioritize natural fibres: Opt for natural fibres such as organic cotton, linen, silk, hemp and bamboo. Ideally, clothing should be durable, locally manufactured and made from fair-trade, sustainably sourced natural materials.
While natural fibres are ideal for everyday clothing, synthetic high-performance materials are essential in athletic wear or water-resistent outdoor apparel that can withstand the elements. Recycled materials and other “circular” manufacturing processes should be sought out for these needs where possible.
4 - Choose simple, timeless pieces: Clothing, such as jeans, should be worn for as long as possible and be made from safe, recycled or renewable materials. The design of the garment should also be minimal. For instance, distressed jeans require the use of several toxic chemicals to give them their worn-out appearance.
Forgo ever-changing trends — such as the short-lived Regencycore or Barbiecore — and add to your wardrobe slowly. Make sure that every item you buy is a good fit and aligns with your current lifestyle.
Read more: Microplastics and nanoplastics have been found throughout the human body – how worried should we be?
In today’s world of high turnover fast fashion, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed or despondent at the relative lack of sustainable options. However, it is possible to add to your wardrobe sustainably by questioning your needs and taking your time shopping for each piece to understand how and where it was made.
In time, you may even come to appreciate a smaller well-curated wardrobe of timeless pieces that you can wear for years, and not just a few weeks.
Fast fashion is harming our planet — these 4 tips can help you build a more sustainable wardrobe - The Conversation Indonesia
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Friday, June 28, 2024
B.C. NDP moves fast to blunt damage from claims by LNG lobbyist - Vancouver Sun
Vaughn Palmer: Attorney General Niki Sharma seeks regulator's review, no doubt hoping it will take until after election
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VICTORIA — Premier David Eby was in a congratulatory mood this week in greeting news of a go-ahead decision on a $3.4 billion LNG terminal for a site near Kitimat.
“It shows the confidence of investors in the economy of B.C. and how the future for the natural resources sector is bright,” declared Eby, referring to the final investment decision by partners in the Cedar floating LNG terminal.
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He further touted the project as the first in the world to be “majority owned” by an Indigenous nation. The Kitimat-based Haisla First Nation owns 50.1 per cent while the balance is held by Calgary’s Pembina Pipeline Corp.
Eby taped his statement of support because, as he explained, he was going on leave this week while he and his wife prepared for the birth of their third child.
“But I want to tell you how much it means to me that my kids will come of age at a time of true partnership with First Nations and the B.C. government.”
Adding to the endorsement was Energy Minister Josie Osborne. “Powered entirely by renewable electricity from B.C. Hydro, Cedar LNG will be one of the lowest emitting facilities of its kind in the world,” she said in a statement.
The New Democrats had approved the project despite “those who want us to say ‘no’ to all resource projects along with the good jobs and people that communities rely on.”
Some of those naysayers include former NDP supporters, disillusioned by the governing party’s support for increased production of fossil fuels when it was so critical of LNG development in Opposition.
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Cedar LNG is the third natural gas export project to be approved by the New Democrats since taking office in 2017. Premier John Horgan started the drive by announcing billions of dollars’ worth of tax and regulatory relief to encourage LNG development.
When Eby took over from Horgan, he suggested that the trend might be ending, telling reporters: “We cannot continue to expand fossil fuel infrastructure and hit our climate goals.”
But just in time for this week’s news, some video recordings have surfaced to suggest that the NDP has diluted its former opposition to LNG under the influence of a lobbyist.
The key speaker on the more than two hours of recordings was Liam Iliffe, an NDP staffer turned lobbyist and executive with TC Energy.
He spoke at internal “lunch and learn” sessions at TC energy earlier this year. The recordings, never intended for public consumption, were obtained by the National Post newspaper and the Narwhal online news service.
The techniques outlined included “planting company staff in events to ask politicians public questions, ghostwriting briefing notes for bureaucrats to give to cabinet ministers, and even an encounter with a top government official in a supermarket,” according to the Post’s Christopher Nardi.
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“He claims that the company’s efforts “dramatically” influenced B.C.’s carbon-tax rate adjustment in February 2023 and ultimately halved the operation costs of the province’s carbon tax on its projects.”
The lobbyist also claimed to have had a hand in drafting government policy.
“Public servants who are overworked, underpaid, and sometimes they just want the job done for them. We’ve been given opportunities to write entire briefing notes for ministers and premiers and prime ministers. And it gets stuck on government letterhead and put into an envelope into a briefing package that goes to that elected figure. There’s nothing more powerful than that.”
It would not be the first time that a lobbyist got carried away in boasting about his influence on government.
But Iliffe was not without valid connections. He served as a senior staffer in the NDP government, well connected to Horgan, before leaving for private industry two years ago.
When the existence of the recordings was made known earlier this month, the denials followed quickly.
TC Energy senior vice-president Patrick Muttart branded Iliffe’s claims as “exaggerated,” “untrue” or “completely unbelievable,” adding: “He is no longer with the company.”
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Iliffe, in confirming his resignation, now claimed that some of the approaches and events he’d described did not, in fact, occur.
“It would be remiss of me to suggest that anyone other than our elected representatives make decisions on behalf of British Columbians,” he said. Never mind, he had done just that.
The denials and resignation were not enough to placate the NDP government.
Fearing what some of their own supporters might conclude about the influence of industry on government policy, the New Democrats reached out to lobbyist regulator Michael Harvey.
“We understand a representative of TC Energy Corporation has made statements claiming TC Energy Corporation or its representatives significantly influenced government of B.C. decisions through their lobbying activities,” wrote Attorney General Niki Sharma in a letter to Harvey, obtained by the Narwhal.
“We have conducted an internal review and believe that these statements are untrue,” said Sharma.
Still, the claims could indicate “possible non-compliance with the Lobbyists Transparency Act.”
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The attorney general closed by thanking Harvey for “further looking into the matter,” no doubt hoping that nothing more will be said about this embarrassing fiasco until after the election.
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B.C. NDP moves fast to blunt damage from claims by LNG lobbyist - Vancouver Sun
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A Proposal in the Offing? Not So Fast. - The New York Times
Stephanie Alise Fleischman knew “it was pretty out of the norm” when Zachary David Kuperman planned their trip to Italy in 2023.
“He barely makes a dinner reservation,” Ms. Fleischman, 37, said with a laugh. So in her mind, since he is a spontaneous sort of guy, it could only mean one thing: A proposal was near.
Leading up to the proposal, and even following it, Mr. Kuperman, 38, kept her guessing with one surprise after the next, starting with a Lyft trip, not to the airport as she thought, but to Manhattan’s East 34th Street Heliport, where a Blade helicopter whisked them to Kennedy International Airport.
Two years earlier, they had their first date on Sept. 11, 2021, at the North Fork restaurant in the West Village after meeting on the Bumble dating app a week before.
As they texted, they were certain their paths had crossed before, and over dinner, it became obvious they had led similar lives. They felt so comfortable they ate off each other’s plates.
“I’m 1,000 percent sure we were at the same parties,” said Mr. Kuperman, who grew up in Old Westbury, N.Y. Ms. Fleischman also knew some of his friends from the University of Pennsylvania, from which he graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in history.
Mr. Kuperman, who received a law degree cum laude from Brooklyn Law School, and loves reading cases for fun, is now a partner practicing commercial litigation at the New York law firm Abrams Fensterman.
“We like to joke about pulling our Amex statements to see where we bumped shoulders,” said Ms. Fleischman, who lived across the street from him in Greenwich Village from 2016 to 2017. And, like him, she took a circuit training class at Switch Playground, an East Village gym now closed.
Ms. Fleischman, who grew up in Harrison, N.Y, is a product marketing manager at Google in New York. She graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies and human and organizational development from Vanderbilt. She received a master’s degree in communication management from the Annenberg School at the University of Southern California.
[Click here to binge read this week’s featured couples.]
After dinner, they took a Lyft to his best friend’s townhouse in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where they had drinks, and Mr. Kuperman showed her around. When they reached the basement, they had their first kiss.
Later, they walked over to a party at a nearby club and then had a late-night bite at a food cart before the evening ended around 5 a.m.
“We’re not club kind of people,” he said, but a week later after dinner and stopping at a bar in the East Village, they ended up at another club — a “Saved by the ’90s” disco party at the Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg, and then sneaked into a private party at the Williamsburg Hotel.
On Dec. 11, exactly two months after their first date, they made their relationship official during a late-night heart-to-heart at the bar at Indochine in NoHo.
In late February 2022 they vacationed in Mexico, where they saw a volcano erupt during a five-hour drive from Mexico City to Oaxaca, visited the ancient ruins of Teotihuacan and stayed at a different hotel each night.
In one hotel room, when he sang the lyrics “I finally found you,” from the song “All My Life” by K-Ci & JoJo, she joined in. (It became their song and the first dance at their wedding with a well-rehearsed dip).
“We made an intention of moving forward,” he said, and in May 2022, he moved into her apartment in Gramercy Park.
In May 2023, when they arrived at Hotel Danieli, Venice, awaiting her that morning, as he planned, was a mock-up of a Starbucks cup filled with the best-tasting cappuccino she ever had.
“He really did love me,” said Ms. Fleischman, who always started her day with a Starbucks grande skim cappuccino with cinnamon powder.
That evening, they enjoyed highlights from various operas in a private box at Teatro La Fenice, Venice’s opera house.
“It was pure magic,” said Ms. Fleischman, who is taking the groom’s name.
On May 6, 2023, after several other adventures, he finally got down on one knee with a photographer he had hired on hand at the Giardini della Biennale in Venice, where he recited a few lines from Walt Whitman’s “Song of the Open Road.”
On June 15, the couple were married at the Rainbow Room in Midtown, before 192 guests, under a huppah decorated in a rainbow of flowers, and the groom wore an ivory tuxedo jacket. “Kind of like Humphrey Bogart in ‘Casablanca,’” he said, referring to one of his favorite films.
Rabbi Eytan Hammerman, of Temple Gates of Prayer in Flushing, Queens, officiated.
In a surprising, romantic twist en route to New York from their recent mini-moon in Spain, they had to take an unexpected flight from Madrid via Casablanca, Morocco, where they spent the night and enjoyed chicken tagine and Moroccan mint tea.
“We should have packed his white jacket,” Ms. Fleischman said.
Before boarding the flight home they found themselves standing on the tarmac like the last scene in the film.
“Here’s looking at you, kid,” Mr. Kuperman said, reciting the famous line from the film. However, unlike in the film, they happily boarded the plane together.
A Proposal in the Offing? Not So Fast. - The New York Times
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The Government Needs to Act Fast to Protect the Election - The Atlantic
The sophistication, scope, and scale of disinformation in this year’s election could be beyond anything the country has experienced before. The federal government will not be able to solve this problem entirely, but because of Wednesday’s decision in Murthy v. Missouri, it will at least be able to work with social-media companies to try.
The legal challenge to the federal government’s efforts on this front began in 2022. The attorneys general of Louisiana and Missouri filed a lawsuit along with several private plaintiffs claiming that the federal government had violated Americans’ First Amendment rights by identifying posts containing false information on social-media platforms, and in some instances asking platforms to take down those posts or to give authoritative information more visibility in users’ feeds. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court said that the plaintiffs did not have standing to file that lawsuit and dismissed the case. (Last December, together with our colleagues at the Brennan Center and the law firm Stris & Maher LLP, we filed an amicus brief in the case on behalf of a bipartisan group of current and former election officials, highlighting the importance of communication between social-media companies and the government.)
The case should never have gotten as far as the Court to begin with, and great costs were incurred while the case worked its way through the legal system. A sweeping district-court decision in July 2023 stopped federal agencies from communicating with social-media companies, and that ruling was mostly upheld by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals a few months later. As a result, federal agencies with expertise in elections and disinformation stopped sharing their intelligence—about foreign interference efforts, election denialism, and false information on when and where to vote—with social-media companies, a practice that had been common since Russia’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 election. They also stopped sharing accurate information about elections. This came as preparations for the 2024 presidential election were getting under way.
The social-media companies appear to have had a similar response to the lower-court ruling. According to an amicus brief submitted to the Supreme Court by a group of secretaries of state, Meta told a group of state officials in late 2023 that the company was not planning to “facilitate direct communications” between those officials and its platforms. In their brief, the state officials argued that this wouldn’t change unless the Supreme Court acted as it did Wednesday.
With Murthy now dismissed and limited time before November 5, the federal government can and should immediately resume its regular briefings with social-media companies about foreign interference in our elections. Although there are encouraging signs that the federal government is slowly resuming these efforts, they appear limited compared with what was done in prior elections. The government should also, as it has in the past, help connect state and local election officials with appropriate contacts at social-media companies. That way local officials and social-media companies can keep each other apprised of any changes in disinformation they are seeing regarding how, when, and where to vote. And the federal government should drastically increase efforts to inform the American public about foreign adversaries’ operations intended to decrease confidence in elections. The government must also make clear that threatening election officials—and their families and children—will not be tolerated.
Tech companies must step up too, by updating and consistently enforcing their policies on handling election falsehoods. The companies should also restore channels for election officials to report election falsehoods, and amplify accurate information about elections from those same officials.
Murthy was one piece of a larger political and legal effort to silence those calling out election falsehoods and promoting true information. The Murthy decision by itself will not end the effort to undermine our democracy. But it should provide those in government, as well as the private and nonprofit sectors, with the courage and fortitude to do what they can.
Gowri Ramachandran is the deputy director of the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law.
Lawrence Norden is the senior director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law.
The Government Needs to Act Fast to Protect the Election - The Atlantic
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Thursday, June 27, 2024
Review: The New Trek Madone Is Extra Smooth and Still Very Fast - Outside Magazine
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The Trek Madone is one of the most recognizable modern race bikes on the market today.
It came to market in 2003 with a name pulled from a French climb and was quickly synonymous with winning under Lance Armstrong. Those were the early days of carbon fiber and long before aero was everything.
Although the tubes used carbon, they were still mostly round and the Madone was Trek’s do-everything race bike. In 2016, everything changed.
Although the Madone had added aero details steadily since around 2012, weight had remained important. Then the Emonda came to market as a climber’s bike with weight as the ultimate goal. The new bike gave the Madone a new freedom. Aero was everything, weight didn’t matter, and the 2016 Trek Madone was completely different.
Today, eight years later, everything changes again. The Trek Madone is returning to its roots as an all-around race bike and the Emonda is disappearing.
Trek will tell you this is purely because of innovation but it’s largely a result of the UCI keeping the minimum bike weight (6.8kg/15 pounds) unchanged. More and more brands have managed to hit the minimum weight without sacrificing aero performance. The Emonda is no longer needed to offer what the Madone can’t — at least so long as the UCI minimum weight remains the same.
To understand what that means, my latest bike review is the updated Gen 8 Trek Madone I’ve been riding for close to a month now. I tested a top-spec Trek Madone SLR 9 AXS and what I found is that the Emonda disappearing is only a small footnote in the details of this bike. Nearly everything about the 2025 model year Trek Madone is new and the result is a bike unlike anything else.
As a final goodbye to the bike, I attempted to take it on a 230-mile trip to the beach and back. Things didn’t quite work out as planned, but my time with the Trek Madone was spent marveling at how smooth and comfortable it is. If you are looking for a new road bike this summer, keep reading to see what works and what doesn’t on the latest Madone.
Quick hits: standout details of the Trek Madone SLR 9 AXS
- More aero than a Gen 7 Madone and nearly as light as the Emonda.
- For that reason the Emonda is leaving the Trek lineup.
- Comfort is the most noticeable part of the ride experience.
- There’s a high quality outfront mount.
- Power meter is included with SRAM builds.
- Aero cages will take standard bottles.
- Trek Project One allows you to get the exact bike you want.
- Sizing changes from numbers to T-shirt style of small, medium, etc.
Trek Madone SLR 9 AXS frame details
The Gen 8 Trek Madone, is an attempt by Trek to turn back the clock. The Emonda came to market as a solution for a problem. Now there’s a better solution and Trek is recombining the Madone and the Emonda. The question is, can you do that without losing anything?
To answer that, Trek started by looking to add aerodynamics to the Emonda. Pretty quickly it was clear that a weight first focus wouldn’t cut it. You can add aerodynamics to a lightweight frame but it’s not as difficult as it once was to match the UCI minimum weight. A brand either has to blow past the UCI weight limit, ala the Specialized Aethos, or make an aero bike just light enough.
Having once again proven that, Trek started expanding the possibilities. Instead of a new Emonda, the goal was now to create a bike that was faster than both the Emonda and the Madone on any gradient between zero and 12 percent.
To get there, Trek developed a pair of algorithms that would both develop cross section shapes and test them. You can think of it as a brute force attack on aerodynamics and it allowed a speed of testing that would otherwise be impossible. This process led to a new shape called “Pareto” that’s more square than previously thought efficient. It minimizes weight while maximizing aerodynamics and it provides a range of options.
With that in mind, the next stage of development was to use those new building blocks to create a bike. Some of the shapes identified were lighter, some more aero, and the team used a combination of CFD and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to find the best places for different shapes. Instead of simply trying to use the most aero option at every opportunity, Trek instead takes a system approach the brand is calling “Full System Foil.”
The idea here is that air flows at different speeds around different parts of the bike. Interactions at the front of the bike, or with the rider, sometimes slow it down and sometimes speed it up. Knowing this means different solutions are needed in different places. A chunky downtube that’s lighter and less aero makes sense because the front wheel slows the air. This slower air means low-drag shapes are less important for the downtube. At the same time, the legs of the rider actually speed up the airflow as it passes through. For that reason the area where you’d normally find a seat tube and post benefits from aero shapes and Trek uses the isoFlow design with aero shapes for the seat mast and post.
The last example Trek gives is the new Aero RSL Road integrated bar/stem. This is another piece that’s actually slower if you look at it in isolation. That increased drag is intentional though. According to Trek, the “wake of the thicker handlebar slightly reduces drag on the pedaling legs by slowing down the air in front of them.” Given that a rider’s legs are a bigger drag contributor, the net effect is a gain.
Overall, those little details are the point. Each little aero detail adds up and Trek quotes a 0.1 watt saving at 22 mph for the Madone Gen 8 vs Gen 7. If that sounds small, it is — but a win is a win and the numbers compared to the old Madone aren’t that important anyway. The place where you see bigger numbers is when compared to the Emonda. That comparison shows an 11.3 watt advantage at 22 mph while also dropping the weight to a 36 gram penalty for the vastly more aero bike. If you are curious, there’s also a savings of 322 grams for the frame and fork when compared to the Gen 7 Madone.
Trek Madone SLR Geometry
Although the various geometry options disappeared before this generation, that continues. There’s no longer a reference to various names and it’s the same as the previous h1.5. There’s also less sizes covering more range with a move from eight options, labeled using the seat tube length, down to six options labeled XS-XL. As you move up and down those sizes, Trek is offering size-specific tube shapes to go with them. Smaller and larger bikes will now have better balanced stiffness, better aesthetics, and actual wind tunnel testing.
| SIZE (all measurements in mm unless indicated) | XS | S | M | ML | L | XL |
| Seat tube | 40.4 | 44 | 47.6 | 51.2 | 54.8 | 60.9 |
| Seat tube angle (degrees) | 73.8 | 73.8 | 73.6 | 73.4 | 73.4 | 73.4 |
| Head tube length | 10 | 12.1 | 13.6 | 15 | 17.2 | 20.1 |
| Head angle (degrees) | 71.6 | 72.2 | 72.9 | 73.5 | 73.8 | 73.9 |
| Effective top tube | 51.7 | 53.2 | 54.5 | 55.7 | 56.8 | 58.4 |
| Bottom bracket drop | 7.2 | 7.2 | 7 | 7 | 6.8 | 6.8 |
| Chainstay length | 41 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 41.1 | 41.2 |
| Offset | 5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Trail | 6.1 | 6.2 | 5.8 | 5.9 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| Wheelbase | 97.1 | 97.6 | 98.1 | 98 | 99 | 100.7 |
| Standover | 70.9 | 74 | 76.8 | 79.4 | 82.5 | 86.9 |
| Frame reach | 37 | 37.8 | 38.4 | 38.9 | 39.4 | 40.2 |
| Frame stack | 50.7 | 53 | 54.6 | 56.2 | 58.2 | 61 |
| Saddle rail height min (w/short mast) | 54.9 | 58.5 | 62.1 | 65.7 | 69.3 | 75.4 |
| Saddle rail height max (w/tall mast) | 65.4 | 69 | 72.6 | 76.2 | 79.8 | 85.9 |
Builds and pricing
| Model | Groupset | Wheelset | Bars | Price |
| Madone SLR 9 AXS | SRAM RED AXS with power meter |
Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51, OCLV Carbon, Tubeless Ready | Trek Aero RSL Road integrated bar/stem | 13.999€ / $13,499.99 |
| Madone SLR 9 | Shimano Dura-Ace R9250 Di2 | Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51, OCLV Carbon, Tubeless Ready | Trek Aero RSL Road integrated bar/stem | 13.499€ / $12,999.99 |
| Madone SLR 7 AXS | SRAM Force AXS with power meter |
Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51, OCLV Carbon, Tubeless Ready | Trek Aero RSL Road integrated bar/stem | 9.499€ / $9,499.99 |
| Madone SLR 7 | Shimano Ultegra R8150 Di2 | Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51, OCLV Carbon, Tubeless Ready | Trek Aero RSL Road integrated bar/stem | 8.999€ / $8,999.99 |
| Madone SLR Disc F/S | 5.129€ / $5,999.99 |
Frame: 900 Series OCLV Carbon, Full System Foil tube shaping, IsoFlow seat tube, RCS Headset System, electronic-only routing, removable aero chainkeeper, T47 BB, flat mount disc, UDH, 142x12mm thru axle
Fork: Madone Gen 8 full carbon, tapered carbon steerer, internal brake routing, flat mount disc, 12x100mm chamfered thru axle
Shared with every build option: T47 bottom bracket standard, RSL Aero Bottle and Cage system, UDH (universal derailleur hanger), 32 mm max tyre clearance
| Model | Groupset | Wheelset | Bars | Price |
| Madone SL 7 | Shimano Ultegra R8170 Di2 | Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51, OCLV Carbon, Tubeless Ready | Bontrager Comp, alloy/Trek RCS Pro stem | 8.999€ / $8,999.99 |
| Madone SL 6 AXS | SRAM Rival eTap AXS with power meter | Bontrager Aeolus Elite 35, OCLV Carbon, Tubeless Ready, 35mm rim depth | Bontrager Comp, alloy/Trek RCS Pro stem | 5.639€ / $5,999.99 |
| Madone SL 6 | Shimano 105 R7170 Di2 | Bontrager Aeolus Elite 35, OCLV Carbon, Tubeless Ready, 35mm rim depth | Bontrager Comp, alloy/Trek RCS Pro stem | 5.129€ / $5,499.99 |
| Madone SL 5 | Shimano 105 R7120 | Bontrager Aeolus Elite 35, OCLV Carbon, Tubeless Ready, 35mm rim depth | Bontrager Comp, alloy/Trek RCS Pro stem | 3.589€ / $3,499.99 |
| Madone SL Disc F/S | 4.330€ / $3,799 |
Frame: 500 Series OCLV Carbon, Full System Foil tube shaping, IsoFlow seat tube, RCS Headset System, electronic or mechanical routing, removable aero chainkeeper, T47 BB, flat mount disc, UDH, 142x12mm thru axle
Fork: Madone Gen 8 full carbon, tapered carbon steerer, internal brake routing, flat mount disc, 12x100mm chamfered thru axle
Shared with every build option: T47 bottom bracket standard, UDH (universal derailleur hanger), 32 mm max tyre clearance
Trek Madone build details
One of the innovations that comes to the Gen 8 Trek Madone is the new full carbon one-piece fork. The same fork comes on every model of the bike but there’s also an updated 900 series OCLV carbon only available for the SLR builds. Along with the new carbon, the SLR builds also bring the addition of the one-piece bar and stem, electronic only groupset compatibility, and the aero bottle system. If you do decide to start with an SL build, the bar/stem and the aero bottle system are available as aftermarket accessories.
Among the build options you will also find customization options. If you prefer a frameset only, there’s one available in both carbon options. If you’d rather have a complete build but you want to customize the details, check out Project One. If you, like me, prefer better climbing gears and a 1:1 ratio, you could change the gearing that comes with your bike as well as any other sizing details. You can also adjust components up or down and there’s plenty of paint options. Depending on budget you can stick to picking a simple color scheme for no up-charge or take a look at the Project One ICON series premium paint schemes. Launching with the bike is a new option in that lineup called Chroma Interstellar.
Ride experience
Sometimes testing doesn’t go according to plan. My plan with this bike was to cap off more than a month of riding with it by doing a roughly 230-mile ride from my house to the coast and back. I’d written headlines talking about spending 15-hours (just a guess) on it and I’d prepared the bike. After 10 miles, my riding partner and I collided, the bike went down, and the UDH broke. The ride was over. I could hide that but I think there’s value in what it says about the Trek Madone Gen 8 even if it didn’t go off as planned.
The idea of the trip came to me because of how this bike felt. From the very first moment I swung my leg over it, I was immediately blown away by how smooth it is. The terrible pavement as I leave my neighborhood is nearly imperceptible on the Madone. As I went over a rough wooden bridge on a later ride I realized that it was actually a moment I could attack as my buddy slowed. At one point I even started to wonder how well it would do off-road on its max 32 mm tires.
I initially worried that it was smooth because it had a lot of flex but as soon as you stand, you know that’s not the case. My notes from those early rides are all questions trying to get to the bottom of when it feels stiff vs compliant. The more I tested, the more amazed I was with the dual nature of the latest Madone.
If you cruise with it, it’s smooth and comfortable. If you push it, the bike responds. Stand to sprint and it feels like a different bike. When it’s time to climb, the 6.9kg (as measured ready to ride minus pedals) and stiff frame are willing partners. This dual nature is backed up with a comfortable riding position as well.
Like with the Enve Melee, holding the tops puts you somewhat upright. Trek counters the upright position with the Trek Aero RSL Road integrated bar/stem that uses a proven trick of simply being narrow. Size it like other bars on the market and you’ll notice narrower hoods that provide a big aero upgrade. I tend to find this unnoticeable and, given it’s faster, that’s a good thing. The only detail I would love to see addressed is the narrow, rounded, nature of the bar immediately behind the controls. If this was my bike, I’d want to add a bit more padding right there.
As far as the rest of the finishing kit goes, there’s not a single detail I can complain about. Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51 TLR Disc Road Wheel shrugged off crosswinds and felt fast. The Aero bottles are very usable plus offer an easy 3ish watts savings depending on speed (3.7 watts at 45 km/h) and I love the outfront mount. That’s something I often complain about because it can be such an annoyance when it’s not right, but this time Trek nailed it. Even the included saddle is great and actually a piece I’ve used on other bikes a number of times over the years. If any of those details, including specifics like gearing, aren’t quite right for you, then Project One will fix it without issue.
Conclusion
The Gen 8 Trek Madone is the kind of bike I want to share with you. When I packed it up to head to the beach, I swapped out the aero bottles for a set of HydraPak Breakaway+ 30oz bottles (with the filter swapped for standard tops) and it just worked without issue. Then I added the light mount and attached an Outbound Lighting Detour. Again, everything just worked.
That idea of things just working is what I look for in a bike. Trek wants to talk about smashing an aero bike and a climbing bike together but that’s only part of the story. The Madone is so comfortable, smooth, and usable that Trek is really offering one bike to cover all of your needs. If you want to do some kind of huge ride, that’s a five-minute swap from fast bike to long distance bike. If you want to take a bike out climbing grab this one. If you have a fast and flat day, the Madone works there too.
However you decide to use it, Trek thought through all the little details. Creating a good quality outfront mount is a small thing that has a big impact on your experience of riding a bike, Trek nailed that for you. There’s aero bottles but they are good for drinking water and you can also use standard bottles if you need to. You can go fast or slow over rough or smooth pavement and the Gen 8 Trek Madone is a capable partner. If there’s anything you want changed, Trek makes it easy to customize your build. Even the builds with included power meter are part of the picture. Nothing ever feels cheap and, sadly, that’s not always true even on a bike this expensive.
The only thing that kept sticking in my mind during this test was whether I wanted a bike this smooth all the time. The first time I took it out I’d just gotten off my Look 795 Blade RS while testing the Specialized Roval Rapide CLX II wheels. The Trek is just as fast, I actually matched my fastest time, but it doesn’t feel as fast. The Look is a visceral ride with controls that are two inches lower. It’s not smooth, it requires a good stretch before and after a ride, and the combination of those wheels and the Hope RX4+ brakes make for a lot of noises. When you ride that bike, you feel like you are pulling the performance out of it. The Trek Madone is just as fast but it lacks all the drama. Is that a good thing?
Would you prefer a bike that’s borderline uncomfortable but very engaging or a bike that’s precise and smooth but feels a little less heroic? If you want a go fast bike that can do anything you ask, no drama included, check out the latest Trek Madone.
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Review: The New Trek Madone Is Extra Smooth and Still Very Fast - Outside Magazine
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