Is Tennis Champ Naomi Osaka A 'Baby-Faced Assasin'? Allure August 2019 Skims the Surface

Is Tennis Champ Naomi Osaka A 'Baby-Faced Assasin'? Allure August 2019 Skims the Surface

Abdul Sillah is hardly a household name in the sports world. At a time when Donald Trump is telling people of color to go back where they came from, it’s noteworthy that Sillah arrived in the United States from Sierra Leone.

AOC discovered Sillah reading Allure Magazine’s August 2019 cover story featuring rising tennis star Naomi Osaka. Lensed for Allure by Wai Lin Tse, Naomi Osaka didn’t know that she would be eliminated at July 2019 Wimbledon in her first round, losing to Yulia Putlintseva.

Unlike Serena Williams, whose powerful muscles dominate the pages of fashion shoots, Osaka’s do not. Sillah has trained both women, giving him a comparative lens into the superb two athletes.

Stella McCartney Talks Sustainability, Lensed By Matthew Sprout For Porter Edit June 21, 2019

Stella McCartney Talks Sustainability, Lensed By Matthew Sprout For Porter Edit June 21, 2019

Eco-fashion, sustainability leader Stella McCartney is styled by Hannah Cole in ‘The Fashion Revolution’, lensed by Matthew Sprout for Porter Edit June 21, 2019.

Emma Sells meets the woman on a mission, and we must listen up. Unlike designers finally taking notice of the almost unbearable toll that the fashion industry is putting on our planet, Stella McCartney has been all-in for Gaia from day one of her fashion career.

Part Of Healing at The Golden Door Spa in California Is its Philanthropy + Gaia Caretaker Mission

Part Of Healing at The Golden Door Spa in California Is its Philanthropy + Gaia Caretaker Mission

A 7-night stay at The Golden Door spa will cost you $9650, not including gratuities. You will be surrounded by 600 acres of native hills, meadows, Japanese gardens and citrus groves. At your disposal are 12 mountain or meadow hikes; 7 world class gyms; 2 swimming pools, 2 labyrinths, 5 acres of bio-intensive gardens and more.

The list of Golden Door facilities and amenities continues, bur one of the most important life-centering, healing experiences isn’t quantified. Surely The Golden Door’s philanthropy mission is not experienced to the same degree by every guest. And many of the spa’s guests are world-prominent philanthropists and big givers themselves.

The Cleveland Clinic confirms that health benefits associated with giving include:: 1) Lower blood pressure, 2) Increased self-esteem, 3) Less depression, 4) Lower stress levels, 5) Longer life, and 6) Greater happiness.

The Golden Door’s activities and treatment platform are designed to activate higher levels of ‘feel good’ chemicals like serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin in the brains of clients. One can’t isolate how knowing that 100% of all net profits from The Golden Door support charities working with victims of abuse. Recipients include the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Whole Planet and the I Have a Dream Foundation.

Prince Harry, Nat Geo, Steve Boyes Take Us 'Into The Okavango' A Fragile Ecosystem We Simply MUST Save

Prince Harry, Nat Geo, Steve Boyes Take Us 'Into The Okavango' A Fragile Ecosystem We Simply MUST Save

Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, discussed his ‘20 year connection’ with Angola and Botswana, posting a heartfelt Instagram message on Thursday. The tribute was created in conjunction with a fundraising event promoting National Geographic’s ‘Into The Okavango’ documentary film.

Harry explained that he is ‘grateful’ to see National Geographic partnering with both the Angolan government and The Halo Trust to promote the sustainable management of the Okavango Delta’s resources.

Megan Rapinoe Says US Women's Soccer Team Accepts AOC's Invite To The People's House

Megan Rapinoe Says US Women's Soccer Team Accepts AOC's Invite To The People's House

Megan Rapinoe, the captain of the US Soccer Women’s National Team, has said the team will not attend any White House celebrations honoring the women if the US wins the 2019 World Cup, as they are currently positioned to do.

Rapinoe responded to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, however, saying the team would be pleased to visit the people’s House of Representatives following the tournament — world champs or not.

The purple-haired, gay captain of the women’s team responded to Trump’s tweet about the team coming to the White House — if they are champs, of course, only if they are champs because Trump doesn’t like losers. Rapinoe set the ego-maniac Prez back on his haunches, saying "she’s “not going to the F…ing White House if we win.”

Trump quoted her for the whole world, with his series of presidential admonishments:

White Nationalist James Fields Jr, Heather Heyer's Charlottesville Assassin Sentenced To Life In Prison

White Nationalist James Fields Jr, Heather Hyer's Charlottesville Assasin Sentenced To Life In Prison

James Fields, Jr., the white supremacist who murdered Heather Heyer and injured dozens of others driving his Dodge Challenger into a crowd of peaceful demonstrators in Charlottesville on August 12, 2017 has received a life sentence in federal prison.

Prosecutors had argued that Mr. Fields’s racist, anti-Semitic beliefs motivated his decision to attend the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville and use his automobile in an act of domestic terrorism. Thomas T. Cullen, the United States attorney for the Western District of Virginia, said after hearing the sentence that the case set a precedent for future instances of domestic terrorism.

Mr. Fields was one of hundreds of young white supremacists who swarmed Charlottesville in August 2017, marching with tiki torches shouting “The Jews will not replace us.”

Central Saint Martins Student Mi Zhou Creates Gorgeous Toiletry Packaging Made of Soap

Central Saint Martins Student Mi Zhou Creates Gorgeous Toiletry Packaging Made of Soap

Central Saint Martins student Mi Zhou, a student in the premier design school’s Material Futures master’s degree program has brilliantly re-imagined the wasteful, earth-harming reality of most toiletry packaging by turning the vessels themselves into usable products. Zhou’s lotion, soap, and shampoo containers are made of soap.

Supreme Court Says Gerrymandering Fix Up To Voters, Not Judges

Supreme Court Says Gerrymandering Fix Up To Voters, Not Judges

In a 5-4 decision the Supreme Court has ruled that partisan gerrymandering is not unconstitutional.

The majority ruled that gerrymandering is outside the scope and power of the federal courts to adjudicate. The issue is a political one, according to the court, not a legal one.

“Excessive partisanship in districting leads to results that reasonably seem unjust,” wrote Chief Justice John Roberts in the majority decision. “But the fact that such gerrymandering is incompatible with democratic principles does not mean that the solution lies with the federal judiciary.”

So for now, partisan gerrymandering, in which politicians get to choose their voters rather than voters choose their representatives, will remain a fact of American political life.

What is the background to this decision? And what does the decision mean for democracy in the U.S.?

Wayfair Corporate Boston Workers Protest Of Sales To Texas Detention Camps -- Square Offers Support

Wayfair Corporate Boston Workers Protest Of Sales To Texas Detention Camps -- Square Offers Support

As promised, employees at Wayfair’s corporate headquarters in Boston staged a walkout Wednesday over the company’s sale of about $200,000 worth of bedroom furniture to the global nonprofit BCFS (Baptist Children and Family Services), headquartered in San Antonio.

About 550 employees out of about 6000 working at the Boston offices signed a protest letter sent to the company’s leadership team last week, asking them to abort the sale The furniture is destined for a detention camp in Carrizo Springs, Texas that is expected to have capacity for 3,000 children writes The Daily Beast.

The employees took issue with a 2018 New York Times report that BCFS “has received at least $179 million in federal contracts since 2015 under the government’s so-called unaccompanied alien children program, designed to handle migrant youths who arrive in the country without a parent or other family member.”

U.S. Houses Passes $4.5 Billion Border Aid Bill Amid Mounting Concern For Detained Migrant Children

U.S. Houses Passes $4.5 Billion Border Aid Bill Amid Mounting Concern For Detained Migrant Children

By Adam Willis. First published in The Texas Tribune.

As reports of migrant children being held in squalid conditions at federal facilities near the border continue to draw outrage, Democrats successfully pushed a $4.5 billion humanitarian aid package through the U.S. House late Tuesday evening with a vote of 230 to 195.

The passage of the bill marks a narrow victory for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who managed to coalesce a unified front after several days of uncertainty and division within the party. Ultimately, only four Democrats broke rank, none of them Texans. Among the Republicans from the state, U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, was the only member to buck his party, voting in favor of the bill. Hurd's districts covers much of the state's border with Mexico.

Note: The Four Democratic women who broke with Pelosi are Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.).

A Vegan Meat Revolution Is Coming To Global Fast Food Chains -- And It Could Help Save The Planet

A Vegan Meat Revolution Is Coming To Global Fast Food Chains -- And It Could Help Save The Planet

A few years ago, convincing meat-free “meat” was nothing more than a distant dream for most consumers. Meat substitutes in supermarkets lacked variety and quality. Plant-based burgers were few and far between in major fast food outlets – and meaty they were not.

But realistic alternatives to environmentally damaging meat are now big business – and global fast food chains are finally starting to take notice.

Burger King has announced that after a hugely successful trial, it will roll out its partnership with plant-based meat company Impossible Foods across the US. McDonalds recently introduced the similarly meaty Big Vegan TS in its outlets in Germany, one of its five largest international markets.

Condé Nast Sells W Magazine; Sara Moonves Installed As New Editor-in-Chief

Condé Nast Sells W Magazine; Sara Moonves Installed As New Editor-in-Chief

‘W ‘ Style Director Sara Moonves in on the move again, this time into the top slot, replacing longtime W Magazine Editor-in-Chief Stefano Tonchi, as the magazine’s new owners announce their future plans.

Before moving to ‘W’, Moonves worked for American Vogue as a contributing fashion editor and was previously senior fashion director at ‘T: The New York Times Style Magazine’. Sara is the daughter of former CBS Chairman and CEO of CBS Corporation tycoon Les Moonves.

Tonchi has been part of extensive efforts at Condé Nast to sell the publication, but bowed out on Monday when the owners of Surface and Watch Journal acquired W, as well as the license to WKorea, under the newly formed Future Media Group.

"I think he's done a wonderful job at the brand, but from an innovative standpoint and where we are looking to go, I think women's fashion should be seen through women's point of view," Future Media Chief Executive and Chairman Marc Lotenberg told ‘BoF’.

Prada Declares 2021 Sustainability Initiative Converting All Iconic Nylon Bags To Econyl

Prada Declares 2021 Sustainability Initiative Converting All Iconic Nylon Bags To Econyl

Even iconic products like Prada’s famous nylon bags need to advance to retain their original meaning, relevance, and status. Miuccia Prada is increasingly onboard with sustainability, giving up fur a month ago and now pledging to convert the “virgin nylon’ used in her famous bags to Econyl. a regenerated-nylon yarn that can be recycled an infinite number of times. The new fabric is made from reclaimed ocean plastics, fishing nets and textile fiber waste.

‘Willful Recklessness’: Trump Pushes for Indefinite Family Detention As Sanitary Crisis Mounts

‘Willful Recklessness’: Trump Pushes for Indefinite Family Detention As Sanitary Crisis Mounts

The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) has been tracking about 40,000 expedited family cases “regardless of whether they reflect a priority designation” in order to ensure they are completed “without undue delay” at ten immigration courts in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York City, and San Francisco. Nearly 8,000 of those cases have already ended with removal orders. These are some of the migrants ICE agents could now target.

The administration has buttressed its push to detain more families by arguing that few of them show up for their immigration court hearings if they are released. At a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on June 11, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan said “family units” accounted for two-thirds of migrants processed at the Southwest border in May, and that 90 percent of families the EOIR was monitoring didn’t appear for court hearings. Several reports contradict this claim.

One case-by-case study of immigration court records showed “as of the end of May 2019 one or more removal hearings had already been held for nearly 47,000 newly arriving families seeking refuge in this country. Of these, almost six out of every seven families released from custody had shown up for their initial court hearing.”

The study further noted that “multiple hearings are [usually] required before a case is decided. For those who are represented, more than 99 percent had appeared at every hearing held.”

Tory Burch Asks Forbes Summit Why The Debate Around Equal Pay For Women Continues

Tory Burch Asks Forbes Summit Why The Debate Around Equal Pay For Women Continues

Forbes considers Tory Burch to be one of America’s richest self-made women, estimating her net worth at $850 million. Judged today by her competence, strategic thinking and brand positioning, Tory Burch, who previously worked at Ralph Lauren and Vera Wang, says that when she launched her lifestyle brand in 2004, she wan’t taken very seriously.

Burch joined ultimate equal-pay activist Lilly Ledbetter to discuss the impact of the gender pay gap in a Forbes Women’s Summit discussion moderated by Cosmopolitan editor Jessica Pels. Ledbetter is known as the Alabama area manager at a Goodyear plant who learned through an anonymous note that she was paid 35%-40% less than men in her same position.

Ledbetter’s case wound its way through the US court system, until the Supreme Court in 2007 overturned a $3 million verdict in her favor, ruling that pay discrimination lawsuits must filed within 180 days of her first unequal paycheck. President Obama effectively nullified the court’s decision in 2009, making the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the first new law of his administration. Obama stipulated that the statute of limitations for filing equal-pay lawsuits based on pay discrimination resets with each new paycheck that is part of the discriminatory act.

How Teach for America Evolved Into an Arm of the Charter School Movement by ProPublica

How Teach for America Evolved Into an Arm of the Charter School Movement-Pt 1 by ProPublica

When the Walton Family Foundation announced in 2013 that it was donating $20 million to Teach For America to recruit and train nearly 4,000 teachers for low-income schools, its press release did not reveal the unusual terms for the grant.

Documents obtained by ProPublica show that the foundation, a staunch supporter of school choice and Teach For America’s largest private funder, was paying $4,000 for every teacher placed in a traditional public school — and $6,000 for every one placed in a charter school. The two-year grant was directed at nine cities where charter schools were sprouting up, including New Orleans; Memphis, Tennessee; and Los Angeles.

The gift’s purpose was far removed from Teach For America’s original mission of alleviating teacher shortages in traditional public schools. It was intended to “generate a longer-term leadership pipeline that advances the education movement, providing a source of talent for policy, advocacy and politics, as well as quality schools and new entrepreneurial ventures,” according to internal grant documents.

The incentives corresponded to a shift in Teach For America’s direction. Although only 7% of students go to charter schools, Teach For America sent almost 40% of its 6,736 teachers to them in 2018 — up from 34% in 2015 and 13% in 2008. In some large cities, charter schools employ the majority of TFA teachers: 54% in Houston, 58% in San Antonio and at least 70% in Los Angeles.

Angelina Jolie Speaks Candidly On World Refugee Day As New TIME Contributing Editor

Angelina Jolie Speaks Candidly On World Refugee Day As New TIME Contributing Editor

Activist actor Angelina Jolie is now a monthly contributing editor at TIME magazine.

Editor-in-chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal announced that Jolie’s essays will focus on topics related to human rights and displacement, issues front-of-mind for the humanitarian who has worked with the UN Refugee Agency for 18 years.

Jolie first official piece was published to coincide with World Refugee Day, June 20, with the title Angelina Jolie: What We Owe Refugees. She argues: "Under international law it is not an option to assist refugees, it is an obligation," she writes. "It is perfectly possible to ensure strong border control and fair, humane immigration policies while meeting our responsibility to help refugees."

Happy Birthday AOC

Anne of Carversville had a birthday this week, 12 years old on June 17. AOC came to life seemingly out of nowhere, inspired by my reading our founding muse Angelina Jolie’s Esquire interview. Reading her thoughts marked a turning point in my life: Smart Sensuality Angelina Jolie: Virtue Considered in Carversville's Country Air.

Angelina is one of the many Winning Women in Action we track on AOC.

Enjoy reading all of Angelina Jolie’s AOC Archives.

Angelina Jolie Archives @ AOC

Mozambique's Niassa Reserve Celebrates One Year Of No Elephant Kills | The Women Of Gorongosa Park

Mozambique's Niassa Reserve Celebrates One Year Of No Elephant Kills | The Women Of Gorongosa Park

Beautiful Girls Meet Animals in Central Mozambique’s Gorongosa Park,

Researching the Niassa Reserve story, AOC found this exquisite video from Mozambique’s Gorongosa Park that’s a total respite — a small escape — from the world’s tragic events on The Guardian website.

Before you watch it, consider that in March 2019, Cyclone Idai devastated the communities around Mozambique's Gorongosa Park. There was no escape, no respite for the people of Mozambique as we steal precious moments with this video.

National Geographic reminded us just now of the cyclone, with the coincidence of a feature story on Grongosa National Park in the May 2019 issue of National Geographic. Click here to learn how you can help on the National Geographic website. Also, Gorongosa itself has information about devastation from the cyclone and how to help.

Net-a-Porter Launches Net Sustain With 26 Brands, Big Plans + Beauty Coming Soon

Net-a-Porter Launches Net Sustain With 26 Brands, Big Plans + Beauty Coming Soon

Online luxury retailer Net-a-Porter has joined the effort to promote significant changes in the apparel industry, with the launch of Net Sustain.

The platform is launching with 26 brands and over 500 products that meet core sustainability criteria determined by Net-a-Porter. The criteria ranges from "considered materials and processes to reducing waste in their supply chain, taking into account human, animal and environmental welfare and aligning with internationally recognized best practices in the fashion and beauty industries."

Landmines in Angola: How African Elephants’ Amazing Sense of Smell Could Save Lives

CHISHURU, A MALE AFRICAN ELEPHANT, INDICATES A TARGET SCENT DURING TRIALS. IMAGE BY GRAHAM ALEXANDER.

Landmines in Angola: How African Elephants’ Amazing Sense of Smell Could Save Lives

By Ashadee Kay Miller, PhD Candidate, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand. First published on The Conversation.

For 27 years Angola was gripped by civil war. Half a million human lives were lost and wildlife, too, was decimated to sustain troops. Rhino and elephants became valuable targets – rhino horn and ivory served as currency for arms among rebel forces.

During the conflict elephant populations fled across the border into Botswana, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When the war ended in 2002 animal populations slowly started to return to their pre-conflict grazing grounds. But a huge problem remained: millions of landmines were still in situ and undetonated across Angola. Many elephants were killed and maimed by the explosives as they attempted to recolonise.

Data collected from collared elephants moving through the affected areas showed herds avoiding minefields. This suggested that at least some of the returning elephants had associated minefields with danger. What could this association be based on? Had the minefield-avoiding elephants seen others killed in those areas? Or had they associated the smell of landmines with danger, extrapolating risk to other areas where the odour was present?

We couldn’t answer all these questions. To narrow down our search my colleagues and I set about finding out whether elephants could smell the main component of landmines – Trinitrotoluene (TNT).