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Spring showers might bring flowers, but they can be a real hassle when you’re trying to look presentable at the office. Many of the best raincoats are made by outdoor brands, which tend to focus on utility rather than aesthetics. But a rugged jacket that is perfect for hiking through the rain can really ruin a professional look. When you’re headed to work, what you need is a jacket that is sleek and minimal, inspired by a traditional silhouette, like a trench coat or a car coat, but made from high-tech waterproof or water repellent materials. And ideally, you can find one that is so elegant that you want to reach for it throughout the spring and fall, even when the forecast is clear. Fortunately, there are many beautiful rain jackets that fit this description that match many styles and price points. Here are some of our favorites. Best Performance Canada Goose: Cardero Rain Jacket, $895 If you’re looking for complete rain protection, the Cardero jacket offers 100% waterproofing, thanks to its fabric and seam-sealed construction. It features three layers of material to keep you warm (It is perfect for spring days when the temperatures hover around 30 degrees Fahrenheit.) But it is not bulky. It has a sleek, contoured silhouette, thanks to a drawcord on the interior that cinches your waist. The large hood will keep your face dry (and makeup from running) through even the stormiest weather. Most Effortlessly Chic Sezane: Hugo Parka, $365 The French label Sezane has developed a parka designed to fit perfectly with its vintage-inspired, effortless Parisian aesthetic. What makes this jacket sing is all the little details: the large buttons, the wide sleeves that can be rolled up and attached, the oversize hood. It is made from a breathable organic cotton, with a water-resistant finish so it will keep you dry in most conditions. (You may want to wait out the torrential downpour, however.) That said, it is so fetching that you’ll want to wear it throughout the spring and fall. Best For Travel Stutterheim: Mosebacke Lightweight Raincoat, $270 Swedish label Stutterheim specializes in raincoats, so it knows what it’s doing. The Mosebacke epitomizes Scandinavian style, with its a-line shape and oversized hood. It is designed to make it easy to move: The eyelets under the arms create ventilation and the drawstring on the hood ensures it stays on when it’s very wet outside. It is thin, which makes it easy to pack for unpredictable weather as well as for traveling. Best Value Everlane: The Anorak, $178 If you want a rain jacket that will get the job done without breaking the bank, we suggest Everlane’s anorak. Made of a lightweight fabric blend of organic cotton and recycled nylon, it is treated with a water-resistant finish. It has a large hood that is both practical and a nice design element. In keeping with the brand’s pared-down aesthetic, it features clean lines without any unnecessary details. For those who need a slightly more casual jacket to wear to work, this is a good pick. Best in Class Mackage: Winn 2-in-1 Classic Trench Coat, $1,190 For a classic trench style that will keep you both warm and dry, Mackage has you covered. The Canadian brand has developed a flattering, tailored coat that is full of versatile features. It has a removable inner liner that adds warmth, so you can wear it through the colder months of the spring and fall, when the weather falls to below freezing. (This liner is also washable.) The exterior fabric is water-repellent and features a rain shedder feature that wicks water away from your body. But apart from its functionality, it is just a beautiful coat with plenty of chic details that make it stand out: buttoned shoulder tabs, a statement belt, adjustable cuffs and buttoned throat latch. While this jacket is on the pricier end of our list, it is good value because you can wear it year-round.
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Whether youre familiar with the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche or are a fan of singer Kelly Clarkson, youve probably heard the phrase, What doesnt kill you makes you stronger. While it sounds like a cheer for persistence during tough times, its also scientifically true, says Jeff Krasno, author of Good Stress: The Health Benefits of Doing Hard Things. Stress, whether from physical challenges like ice baths or mental stressors like tough conversations, fosters resilience and long-term wellbeing, he says. The key is to differentiate between good stress and bad stress and use the former to your advantage. To understand the difference between good and bad stress, Krasno offers this example: If you were hiking and ran across a rattlesnake on the path, you’d probably have a stress response that serves your biological imperative to survive, he says. The problem with modern stress for so many people is that the rattlesnake never leaves the path. Bad Stress Versus Good Stress Many of us live in a state of chronic agitation that includes personal hardship, overwork, past trauma, and a 24-hour social media algorithm designed to keep people in a state of amygdala hijack. We live in an attention economy where everyone is vying for your focus at every moment through increasing levels of sensationalism and scandal and fear and outrage, says Krasno. It keeps people in a state of chronic stress, and that’s really when stress is bad. Good stress, on the other hand, comes from the discomforts our ancestors endured. We evolved for hundreds of thousands of years as Homo Sapiens with a relationship to Paleolithic stress, such as calorie scarcity, fluctuations in temperature, immersion in nature, communal living, and exposure to light, says Krasno. Adaptive mechanisms to those forms of stress formed physiological pathways in the body that promoted longevity and resilience. The problem is that weve denuded life of most Paleolithic stressors, says Krasno. For example, many of us we have an endless supply of calories at our disposal. We generally spend most of our time sedentary and inside temperature-regulated environments, removed from nature. And we rely on artificial light, which can impact sleep. Removing good stress in favor of comfort has had consequences, and Krasno says the increasing prevalence of chronic disease results from chronic ease. Weve fooled ourselves into thinking that we can exist as separate individuals in our single-family homes, ordering up DoorDash all day, says Krasno. Since the industrial revolution, particularly accelerating in the last 50 years, we have engineered our lifestyle for comfort and convenience. Introducing Good Stress Counterbalance bad stress by introducing good stress at the appropriate amount. Early 16th century Swiss physician Paracelsus said, only the dose makes the poison. The right dosage of self-imposed discomfort, such as strenuous activities, and temperature regulation, can make you stronger, says Krasno. But it’s important to start slowly. I would never advise anyone who has never ice plunged before to get into a 33-degree ice bath for the first time, says Krasno. Get into a 60-degree ice bath see what that feels like. Find the edge of your discomfort and lean into it and be curious about what’s on the other side of it, because it’s generally a very good thing. Krasno also advocates for leaning into social stress. I call it diving into the ice bath of hard, stressful conversations, becoming just a little bit more comfortable with our discomfort, so we can unwind a lot of infirmities, he says. As the host of the Commune podcast, where he talks about health and wellness, Krasno regularly encounters people who dont agree with his points of view, emailing or commenting on his posts. Instead of ignoring them or disagreeing publicly, he invites them to jump on a Zoom call. Most ghost him, but some accepted the call. He created a safe setting, acting polite, open, and curious. Leaning into discomfort We build our physiological immune system through low-grade exposure to pathogens and virus and bacteria, says Krasno. Through having these conversations, I built what I call my psychological immune system. In addition to being an exercise in connection, active listening, and open-mindedness, Krasno says it provided an opportunity for personal growth. It fortified my own opinions, because, for once, I had to consider the best part of an opposing opinion, he explains. People get trapped in the story that they tell themselves about themselves, but Krasno says change is possible if youre willing to lean into discomfort. Once you actually grasp your own impermanence, you can take agency over the trajectory of your life, he says. Embracing discomfort will change the trajectory of your life. Humans are just a process, not a product. We move dynamically across this spectrum from wholeness to disease and disaster. You can move towards wholeness as a process, too. You have agency over the trajectory of that journey.
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Residents of the mostly Black communities sandwiched between chemical plants along the lower Mississippi River have long said they get most of the pollution but few of the jobs produced by the regions vast petrochemical industry. A new study led by Tulane University backs up that view, revealing stark racial disparities across the U.S.s petrochemical workforce. Inequity was especially pronounced in Louisiana, where people of color were underrepresented in both high- and low-paying jobs at chemical plants and refineries. It was really surprising how consistently people of color didnt get their fair share of jobs in the petrochemical industry, said Kimberly Terrell, a research scientist with the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic. No matter how you slice or dice the data by states, metro areas, or parishes, the datas consistent. Toxic air pollution in Louisianas petrochemical corridor, an area often referred to as Cancer Alley, has risen in recent years. The burdens of pollution have been borne mostly by the states Black and poor communities, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Tulane studys findings match what Cancer Alley residents have suspected for decades, said Joy Banner, cofounder of the Descendants Project, a nonprofit that advocates for Black communities in the parishes between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. You hear it a lotthat Black people are not getting the jobs, she said. But to have the numbers so well documented, and to see just how glaring they arethat was surprising. People of color were underrepresented in all of the highest-paying jobs among the 30 states with a large petrochemical industry presence, but Louisiana and Texas had the most extreme disparities, according to the study, which was published in the journal Ecological Economics. While several states had poor representation on the upper pay scale, people of color were typically overrepresented in the lower earnings tiers. In Texas, nearly 60% of the working-age population is nonwhite, but people of color hold 39% of higher-paying positions and 57% of lower-paying jobs in the chemical industry. Louisiana was the only state in which people of color are underrepresented in both pay categories. People who arent white make up 41% of the working-age population but occupy just 21% of higher-paying jobs and about 33% of lower-paid jobs. The study relied on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Louisiana Economic Development. The chemical industry disputed the studys findings. We recognize the importance of examining equity in employment, however, this study offers an incomplete and misleading portrayal of our industry and its contributions, David Cresson, president and CEO of the Louisiana Chemical Association, said in a statement. Cresson pointed to several industry-supported workforce development programs, scholarships, and science camps aimed at closing the training gap in Louisiana. But the study indicates education and training levels arent at the root of underrepresentation among states or metro areas. Louisianas education gap was modest, with college attainment at 30% for white residents and 20% for people of color. In places like Lake Charles and St. John the Baptist Parish, where petrochemical jobs are common, the gap was minimalfive percentage points or less. The industrys investments in education are just public relations spin, Banner said. The amount of money theyre investing in schools and various programs pales in comparison to how much theyre profiting in our communities, she said. We sacrifice so much and get so little in return. Louisiana is also getting little from generous tax breaks aimed at boosting employment, the study found. The states Industrial Tax Exemption Program has granted 80% to 100% property tax exemptions to companies that promise to create new jobs. For each job created in Cameron Parish, where large natural gas ports have been built in recent years, companies were exempted from almost $590,000 in local taxes. In St. John, each job equated to about $1 million in uncollected tax revenue. This tradeoff of pollution in exchange for jobs was never an equal trade, said Gianna St. Julien, one of the studys authors. But this deal is even worse when the overwhelming majority of these companies property taxes are not being poured back into these struggling communities. Tristan Baurick, Grist This article originally appeared in Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Sign up for its newsletter here. This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Grist and Verite News, a nonprofit news organization with a mission to produce in-depth journalism in underserved communities in the New Orleans area.
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