Tag: power

The Power Of Influencer Marketing
INFLUENCERS

The Power Of Influencer Marketing

What Is It? Influencer Marketing is not a new game in the marketing world and the concept is pretty simple. You enlist an individual or group with influence and credibility and you associate them with your brand. The intent is to have their credibility rub off on your brand so that you gain credibility and, hopefully, a larger following of consumers. Examples of common types of Influencer Marketing might include Brand Ambassadors and Celebrity Endorsement. With that said, it's important to note the difference between credibility and fame. A common failing for brands attempting to engage in Influencer Marketing is recognizing this distinction and simply engaging a "celebrity spokesperson". In order to effectively engage with an "Influencer" for your brand, it's important to select an a...
This Devastatingly Romantic Debut Novel About The Enduring Power Of First Love, With A Shocking, Unforgettable Ending
BOOKS

This Devastatingly Romantic Debut Novel About The Enduring Power Of First Love, With A Shocking, Unforgettable Ending

“This love story between Lucy & Gabe spans decades and continents as two star-crossed lovers try to return to each other…Will they ever meet again? This book kept me up at night, turning the pages to find out, and the ending did not disappoint.”—Reese Witherspoon One Day meets Me Before You meets your weekender bag.”—The Skimm “Extraordinary.”—Emily Giffin He was the first person to inspire her, to move her, to truly understand her. Was he meant to be the last? Lucy is faced with a life-altering choice. But before she can make her decision, she must start her story—their story—at the very beginning. Lucy and Gabe meet as seniors at Columbia University on a day that changes both of their lives forever. Together, they decide they want their lives to mean something, to matter. When...
Few Groups Supported By Foundations Are Given Decision-Making Power On Funding Priorities
MONEY

Few Groups Supported By Foundations Are Given Decision-Making Power On Funding Priorities

Emily Finchum-Mason, University of Washington The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Eighty-three percent of large U.S. foundations seek input from some of the nonprofits they fund – along with other people, organizations or communities directly affected by their funding. But foundations, which aim to serve the public interest through the money they give away, rarely give these stakeholders decision-making authority – by either letting them help set priorities or giving them a say about where grant money flows. That is what philanthropy scholars Kelly Husted, David Suarez and I found in a study that assessed the practices of the 500 largest U.S. foundations. Our findings suggest that foundations, which face mounting pressure to direct more grants...
A Massive Expansion Of Solar Power, Who Pays And Who Benefits?
ENVIRONMENT, VIDEO REELS

A Massive Expansion Of Solar Power, Who Pays And Who Benefits?

Felix Mormann, Texas A&M University Electricity generation produces a quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change. The electric grid also is highly vulnerable to climate change effects, such as more frequent and severe droughts, hurricanes and other extreme weather events. For both of these reasons, the power sector is central to the Biden administration’s climate policy. President Joe Biden’s proposal to produce 45% of the nation’s electricity from solar energy by 2050 seeks to transform the power sector from problem child into child prodigy. As the details evolve, two cornerstones have emerged. First, Biden has repeatedly called for extending tax credits for solar power and other renewables, at a projected cost of US$200 billion over the next decade. Second...
The Governor Or The School District? Who Has The Power To Say Kids Do Or Don’t Have To Wear Masks In School – It’s Not Clear
EDUCATION, IN OTHER NEWS, VIDEO REELS

The Governor Or The School District? Who Has The Power To Say Kids Do Or Don’t Have To Wear Masks In School – It’s Not Clear

EDUCATION Jennifer Selin, University of Missouri-Columbia Legal battles over masks in schools are being fought across the country, including in Arkansas, California, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Oklahoma, Nevada and Texas. Rather than clarifying policy, these legal challenges have led to more confusion. As a new school year begins and COVID-19 hospitalizations rise across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that students wear masks in school to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. This guidance, and schools’ responses to it, has resulted in an intense debate. Some parents argue that they should be able to decide when and where their children wear masks, whereas others argue collective health and safety concer...
What Will It Take To Meet Ambitious Offshore Wind Power Targets Set By The US
SCIENCE

What Will It Take To Meet Ambitious Offshore Wind Power Targets Set By The US

The United States’ offshore wind industry is tiny, with just seven wind turbines operating off Rhode Island and Virginia. The few attempts to build large-scale wind farms like Europe’s have run into long delays, but that may be about to change. The Biden administration announced on March 29, 2021, that it would accelerate the federal review process for offshore wind projects and provide more funding. It also set a goal: Develop 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind capacity this decade – enough to power 10 million homes with clean energy. To put that in perspective, the U.S. has just 42 megawatts today. Several wind farm developers already hold leases in prime locations off the Eastern Seaboard, suggesting plenty of interest. So, will the government’s new goals and promise of additional fund...
‘Myth Of The Founder’ Puts Tremendous Power In Hands Of Big Tech CEOs Like Zuckerberg – Posing Real Risks To Democracy
BUSINESS

‘Myth Of The Founder’ Puts Tremendous Power In Hands Of Big Tech CEOs Like Zuckerberg – Posing Real Risks To Democracy

Coinbase’s plan to go public in April highlights a troubling trend among tech companies: Its founding team will maintain voting control, making it mostly immune to the wishes of outside investors. The best-known U.S. cryptocurrency exchange is doing this by creating two classes of shares. One class will be available to the public. The other is reserved for the founders, insiders and early investors, and will wield 20 times the voting power of regular shares. That will ensure that after all is said and done, the insiders will control 53.5% of the votes. Coinbase will join dozens of other publicly traded tech companies – many with household names such as Google, Facebook, Doordash, Airbnb and Slack – that have issued two types of shares in an effort to retain control for founders and insid...
Safety Is Still Nuclear Power’s Greatest Challenge, 10 Years After Fukushima
TECHNOLOGY, VIDEO REELS

Safety Is Still Nuclear Power’s Greatest Challenge, 10 Years After Fukushima

Ten years ago, on March 11, 2011, the biggest recorded earthquake in Japanese history hit the country’s northeast coast. It was followed by a tsunami that traveled up to 6 miles (10 kilometers) inland, reaching heights of over 140 feet (43.3 meters) in some areas and sweeping entire towns away in seconds. An International Atomic Energy Agency investigator examines Reactor Unit 3 at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant, May 27, 2011. Greg Webb, IAEA/Flickr, CC BY-SA This disaster left nearly 20,000 people dead or missing. It also destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station and released radioactive materials over a large area. The accident triggered widespread evacuations, large economic losses and the eventual shutdown of all nuclear power plants in Japan. A decade later, the nucl...
The Coal Power’s Demise, What’s Really Driving It
BUSINESS

The Coal Power’s Demise, What’s Really Driving It

People often point to plunging natural gas prices as the reason U.S. coal-fired power plants have been shutting down at a faster pace in recent years. However, new research shows two other forces had a much larger effect: federal regulation and a well-funded activist campaign that launched in 2011 with the goal of ending coal power. We studied the retirement of U.S. coal-fired units from January 2008 to September 2016 and compared the effects of various market factors, regulations and activism on their early closure. In all, 348 coal-fired units either retired or switched to natural gas during that time. Among the many pressures on coal power that we reviewed, a federal regulation implemented in 2015 had the biggest overall effect. The Cross State Air Pollution Rule requires states to re...
Texas Residents Left Out In The Cold By Low-Cost Power Produced By Texas Electricity System
TECHNOLOGY, VIDEO REELS

Texas Residents Left Out In The Cold By Low-Cost Power Produced By Texas Electricity System

Americans often take electricity for granted – until the lights go out. The recent cold wave and storm in Texas have placed considerable focus on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, the nonprofit corporation that manages the flow of electricity to more than 26 million Texans. Together, ERCOT and similar organizations manage about 60% of the U.S. power supply. From my research on the structure of the U.S. electricity industry, I know that rules set by entities like ERCOT have major effects on Americans’ energy choices. The current power crunch in Texas and other affected states highlights the delicate balancing act that’s involved in providing safe, reliable electricity service at fair, reasonable rates. It also shows how arcane features of energy markets can have big effe...