Z angel

advertisement advertisement advertisement Harvard-Westlake’s upper-school campus sits in the craggy foothills of Coldwater Canyon, a sylvan corner of the city where luxury SUVs careen down winding, wooded roads that splinter off into cul-de-sacs dotted with midcentury architectural master- pieces wedged into the mountainside—or leaning against it on terrifying one-hundred-foot stilts. Here, nature and wealth seamlessly coexist in a kind of stubborn harmony. If you can dream it, you can build it, mudslides and gravity be damned. Situated less precariously, at the foot of the canyon, Harvard-Westlake brings an old-world vibe to these distinctly LA environs. advertisement advertisement Harvard-Westlake originally functioned as a finishing school for young white Protestant males—who dined on lobster Newburg and caught glimpses of Clark Gable trotting across campus on horseback—but today the school is much more ethnically if not … [Read more...] about Why Los Angeles was the epicenter of the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal

advertisement advertisement advertisement Yesterday’s siege on the U.S. Capitol building by a group of pro-Trump insurrectionists will go down as one of the darkest days in American history and forever be a mark of shame for President Trump and those in the Republican Party and in the media who have enabled his actions and antics over the past four years. advertisement advertisement The images of the insurrection were broadcast to screens around the world as citizens of every country watched in horror and disbelief at the scenes unfolding in the hallowed halls where U.S. democracy has operated for over two centuries. Needless to say, the insurrection that took place yesterday will be dissected by the media for weeks to come. For now, however, here is how front pages around the world have chosen to cover the siege on the morning after. The front page of The New York Times for Jan. 7, 2021 (late edition). pic.twitter.com/enmoNs55vm — The New York … [Read more...] about How newspapers around the world covered the siege on the U.S. Capitol building

advertisement advertisement advertisement President Biden, while your administration is hard at work tackling emissions from the automobile and energy industries, there seem to be no plans to regulate fashion, which produces 10% of global carbon emissions. American fashion companies are also responsible for a panoply of human rights violations, from COVID-19 outbreaks in factories to relying on slave labor. You have an opportunity to take on this deeply problematic sector by creating a new White House position: It’s time to appoint a Fashion Czar. advertisement advertisement The fashion industry is a $2.5 trillion beast with tentacles in every corner of the world, and yet it operates with little oversight or regulation. It employs more than 75 million people, the majority of whom are poorly paid women, who are vulnerable to abuse. This vast global supply chain means that no single country has been forced to take ownership of the terrible damage it … [Read more...] about President Biden, appoint a fashion czar!

advertisement advertisement advertisement The story of predictive policing begins in the 1990s with a process developed by the New York Police Department. Today New York is one of the safest big cities in America. In 2018, 289 people were murdered in the five boroughs. The city’s murder rate—3.31 per 100,000 people—was the lowest measured in 50 years advertisement advertisement In 1990, it was a different city: 2,245 people were murdered, a rate of around 31 per 100,000 (the city’s population increased markedly in the intervening 28 years). Here’s what the New York Times said about its hometown at the end of 1990: “The streets already resemble a New Calcutta, bristling with beggars. . . . Crime, the fear of it as much as the fact, adds overtones of a New Beirut. . . . And now the tide of wealth and taxes that helped the city make these streets bearable has ebbed. . . . Safe streets are fundamental; going out on them is the … [Read more...] about The black box of justice: How secret algorithms have changed policing

advertisement advertisement advertisement A few things I learned during the pandemic: What stay-at-home orders mean for people who don’t have housing. How to make a handwashing station out of a trash can. Why “set it and forget it” is a recipe for irrelevance. And when the flight safety instruction “put your own oxygen mask on before helping others” applies on the ground. advertisement advertisement LavaMaeX , the organization I lead, teaches people and organizations to bring mobile showers and other care services to the street. We also directly serve unhoused people in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. When COVID-19 hit hard in March, we had to suspend street programs while we updated our protocols and sourced personal protective equipment (PPE). We felt defeated, unmoored, and fearful. But we all agreed on one thing: We would not leave the people we serve—our guests—behind. New ways to serve: learning from the … [Read more...] about The lessons we learned serving unhoused people during the pandemic are key for any social enterprise