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The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is known for responding to extreme weather like hurricanes and wildfiresthe kinds of disasters that are becoming more intense and more common as climate change gets worse. The agency also has a program that sends billions of dollars proactively to communities, municipalities, and states so that they can prepare for these events before they hit. In an internal FEMA memorandum obtained and first reported by Grist, the Trump administration announced its plans to dismantle that programthe biggest climate adaptation initiative the federal government has ever fundedeven as disasters incur hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of damages across the United States. The decision comes as at least seven people were killed this week as tornadoes and catastrophic flooding descended on the Central United States in what meteorologists called a once-in-a-generation event. The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, or BRIC, was established in 2018 during President Donald Trumps first term, replacing a similar FEMA initiative. BRICs first round of funding was launched in 2020, when Trump was still in office, and in 2023, the program awarded close to a billion dollars to scores of communities, states, and tribal nations across the country. In January, before Trump began his second term, the agency opened its fiscal year 2024 notice of funding, with $750 million in matching grants made available to applicants from areas that received a major disaster declaration within the past seven years. But FEMA now aims to cancel those grants and any other BRIC grants that have not been paid out yet by the federal government, according to the pre-decisional memo dated April 2 from Cameron Hamilton, a Trump administration official who is serving as FEMA administrator until the president appoints a permanent head of the agency. BRIC was yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program, a FEMA spokesperson told Grist. It was more concerned with climate change than helping Americans affected by natural disasters. BRIC generally shoulders 75% of the cost of a given resilience project, and up to 90% of the cost of projects in disadvantaged communities. The programs emphasis on equity is what may have marked it for demolitionthe Trump administration has been systematically dismantling Biden-era efforts to infuse equity into governmental programs and direct more climate spending toward underrepresented groups. FEMA employees disputed Hamiltons argument in the memo that BRIC grants have not enhanced the level of hazard mitigation as much as desired. I dont know where that came from, said one agency employee who preferred to stay anonymous. According to a source within the agency, the Trump administration asked BRIC staffers to offer justification for the program and its Direct Technical Assistance sister initiative, which offers nonfinancial support to help communities navigate the BRIC funding process and identify the hazards they face. The request was made on Tuesday this week with a Wednesday deadline. With a tight turnaround, staffers offered success stories from across the country. BRIC awards have helped communities bury power lines, build culverts, protect wastewater facilities from being inundated by flooding, and upgrade power stations. If BRIC is frozen, communities will no longer be able to apply for the grants for fiscal year 2024 made available in January. Projects that have been selected in past years but not yet disbursed funds will no longer receive payment. Partially completed projects will be scrutinized and reviewed, the memo said. The administration now has one of FEMAs most effective grant programs on the chopping block, said Shana Udvardy, a senior climate resilience policy analyst with the Climate and Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Its oversubscribed almost every single year. In fiscal year 2023, FEMA received more than 1,200 subapplications across all 50 states, 35 tribes, five territories, and Washington, D.C., totaling more than $5.6 billion in requests. It was able to provide less than a fifth of the money requested. A looming question is whether FEMA can yank grants that are being funded with money appropriated by Congress. The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the bipartisan infrastructure law, allocated approximately $6.8 billion to FEMA for community-wide mitigation efforts, with a portion of this funding directed to the BRIC program. If this administration does away with the program, it goes against a law that Congress passed, Udvardy said, so theres a concern there to be raised. 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.
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E-Commerce
In Abbey Roads Studio One, even a lick of paint could ruin everything. Famous for hosting Adele, Harry Styles, and U2, its where the scores of Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Wicked were recorded, as well as the soundtracks of blockbuster games like Call of Duty, Halo, and Final Fantasy. Its also where Ryan Gosling delivered his memorable Im Just Ken for Barbie. Nearly a century after its opening, Studio One underwent a six-month, multimillion-pound refurbishment, with the main priority being the preservation of one very important thing: the sound. What we dont want to do is change the acoustics, so every minute detail in the room has been conserved and preserved, so the sound doesn’t shift, said Sally Davies, managing director of Abbey Road Studios. The reverb of the 4,844-square-foot room has been maintained at 2.3 seconds, the same as it was in the 1970s. Theres been no redecorating or style makeover, leaving the original art deco wall panels untouched. We have simply washed down the walls to preserve that sound, said Davies, adding that the floor was re-sanded and oiled, but not varnished. Most of the upgrades, she explained, are technological upgrades in the control room. This room is just about preserving that magic. A pilgrimage for music fans Opened in 1931, this hallowed hallonce a nine-bedroom house on a grand suburban street in Londons St. Johns Wood neighborhoodbecame the worlds first recording studio. Its where stereo was invented and its visited every day by music fans from around the world, who are happy just to stand on the street outside. Davies says that more than a million people a year make a pilgrimage to the crossing outside, many to recreate the cover of the Beatles Abbey Road albumand that number could increase after Sam Mendess upcoming biopics starring Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, Harris Dickinson, and Joseph Quinn as the Fab Four. And while John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr are famously known for using Studio Two, they also made history in the larger Studio One, which they used for the worlds first global live performance, a rendition of All You Need Is Love beamed to television sets around the world in 1967. Before the Beatles, Studio One had already cemented its place in music history, when it was opened by British composer Sir Edward Elgar, who recorded his Land of Hope and Glory with the London Symphony Orchestra. Its also hosted other music greats like Maria Callas, Igor Stravinsky, Daniel Barenboim, Fats Waller, and Glenn Miller. Due to its huge size, more than double Studio Two, it can fit a 100-piece orchestra and 100-member choir at the same timewhich is perfect for recording film soundtracks, and explains why 6 to 7 out of every 10 Hollywood films are scored at Abbey Road, according to the studio. History being made Standing on the balcony, overlooking the 40-foot-high room, Davies points out the original screen that was used to show Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) while musicians played along to record the soundtrack. Since then, everything from The Lord of the Rings trilogy to Marvels Black Panther and Guardians of the Galaxy to Barbie were scored in Studio One. For the last, all the musicians came in with something pink, whether a pink instrument or piece of clothing. Oscar-nominated composer Daniel Pemberton has been recording in Studio One since 2009 and calls his creative home a spectacular space. Outside, it just looks like a normal house. And then you come in and you find this space in it thats like almost the size of a football pitch. In fact, I have played football in there once, he laughs. Pemberton is known for scoring Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse, Ferrari, and The Trial of the Chicago 7, and creating the Slow Horses theme song and Strange Game, with Mick Jagger. Whats so exciting about a room like Studio One is what happens on the day is what happens for the rest of time, he says. Its like history is being made, whether its good history or bad history or whatever, youre making a moment then. Pemberton notes the stories, whether personal or musical, that have unfolded within the walls of Studio One. The ghosts are insane in there, he said. Davies agrees that the history adds to the enchantment. You walk into this room and you can feel it. . . . There is a magic in the sound. It sounds phenomenal. There is a spirituality in who has been here, who has performed here, she says. So when we see artists come through, you know that immediate reaction of, Oh my gosh. Im in Studio One. To celebrate the reopening this week, Abbey Road Studios showcased an unusual art form for the space: dance, which incorporated Pembertons scores, remixed by resident artist Jordan Rakei and choreographed by Joseph Toonga. It kind of like threw me back a bit like, wow, it really is big, said Toonga of the first time he saw the studio. He then incorporated that feeling into a dance which spanned hip-hop, krumping, and ballet. Up next, the first client to record in Studio One since the refurbishment is a hush-hush Hollywood franchise. But there are lots of secrets at Abbey Road. One of them is Pembertons plan to record the unique rattling sound of the new railings for a movie soundtrack. There was concern that the hollow, art deco-style bars would upset the acoustics of the room, and a backup plan was made to fill them with sand if they messed with the reverb. Luckily, the empty bars were allowed to stay because Pemberton is delighted by the noise they make when you run past them with keysits another dramatic sound that can only be created in Studio One and will make its way into theaters around the world, via a film score. By Hilary Fox, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
Walton Goggins has had an incredible run recently. Last year, he anchored Amazon’s Fallout TV show and this year is starring in Season 3 of The White Lotus and the 4th and final season of The Righteous Gemstones. These roles are feathers in the cap of the character actor who’s had star turns in The Shield, Justified, and Vice Principals. But he’s not just an actorhe’s also a small business owner. As part of his partnership with GoDaddy, he’s teamed up with the company to use its suite of AI tools to design the website for and manage his new ventureWalton Goggins Goggle Glasses. He worked with GoDaddy to create the line of glasses that resemble ski goggles and retail for $150 each, and he starred in the company’s Super Bowl ad in February. The spot highlights AiroGoDaddy’s suite of AI-powered tools that help small business owners with everything from website creation and copywriting to inventory management. In the latest episode of the Most Innovative Companies podcast, Goggins and GoDaddy CEO Aman Bhutani talked with host Yasmin Gagne about how the company helps small businesses use AI to grow. And after a bit of prodding, Goggins offered some hints about the last episode of The White Lotus Sunday night. In 2020, you said to Garden and Gun, speaking about your whiskey brand, Mulholland Distilling: Well, I’m not going to sell toothpaste. I’m not really good at selling anything. I would argue you’re pretty good at selling things. Why partner with GoDaddy? Walton Goggins: I’m a big believer in small business owners and what they do for their families and for communities. The opportunity arose when GoDaddy was looking to promote its product GoDaddy Airo. They approached me about starting a business, asking me if there’s something that I really wanted to do. I wanted to work with this company, which I’ve been a fan of for a very long time. In the past, they hosted a website for Mulholland Distilling. Part of our portfolio was already in GoDaddy when we started, so when the opportunity arose to work, I just jumped at it. Why did you decide to partner with Walton for the Super Bowl ad? Aman Bhutani: Our mission is to make opportunity more inclusive for all, and we want somebody who feels it themselves and who cares. And Walton, from the first moment we met him, cared. The glasses are awesome. What is the brand identity you’re trying to build for GoDaddy? I remember some pretty sexual ads back in the day. AB: When people think about small business, they’re sometimes talking about people that have 50 employees or 30 employees. If you go through GoDaddy’s over-20-million customer base, you’ll start with companies that have one employee. By the time you get to 10, you will have traversed 90% of our customers. They want to connect with somebody like Walton who is doing what they are doing. He’s starting a business, and it doesn’t matter how big a celebrity he is or how successful he is, it’s still hard for him to start a business. Every person watching the Super Bowl ad feels like an imposter when they start their business. The ad makes people see themselves in him. Walton, tell me about the concept of the glasses and how you built the business with GoDaddy. WG: I wear the most fashion-forward accessory you can put on the body. I’ve been collecting sunglasses for a very long time, for upwards of 28 years. I bought my first pair of sunglasses that were of real value when I was 22 years old. I saved up my money with tips. I had a valet parking business because I refused to wait tablesI was not the kind of guy that would ever get someone a glass of iced tea. I saved up my tips to buy this pair of Oliver Peoples sunglasses. They cost $250 in 1993. It was a lot of money to me. I still own that pair of sunglasses. There was a time when I was sitting in this new place where I moved with my family. We have a little ski resort not too far from our home. I was sitting around a fire, having a beer, and with ski goggles on, thinking, I don’t want to take these off! I made that mental note, and this just stayed in the back of my mind. No one’s really done this in a functional way that also brought fashion into the conversation. I pitched GoDaddy this idea. GoDaddy Airo does the things I dont know how to doto build a website, to procure all of these domain names, to regulate your inventory. Once they began to show me this product, I was blown away thinking, had this existed when I was 19 years old and I had my first business, I probably wouldn’t be an actor right now. What was your first business when you were 19? WG: The first thing I did was valet parking. The second thing I did was become a personal trainer. That’s how you got the abs. WG: Yeah, that’s exactly right. But if I’d had a website then, I would’ve had more clients. However, it did allow me to sustain myself as an artist and work only 10 or 15 hours a week. Then I started a whiskey spirits brand, Mulholland Distilling, and now, Walton Goggins Goggle Glasses. The name, Goggins Goggle Glasses: Is that a play on your character, Uncle Baby Billy, from The Righteous Gemstones and his show, Baby Billy’s Bible Bonkers? WG: Of course. It just kind of makes sense. And it was already out in the public. It just rolls off the tongue. How does Airo work with small businesses? AB: Many micro business owners or small business owners are good at what they know, but theyre not good at technology, building websites, or purchasing domain names. Instead of needing to know the domain name you want, you just describe your business, and Airo looks at millions and millions of available domains and gives five or 10 that people would remember. As soon as you buy that domain, it builds out a one-page website for you. You don’t have to pay anything for that. You can customize it a little bit. So within a few minutes, you’ve got a presence online. People can find you, you can post it to social media, and people now know who you are. You have branding; Airo can create a logo for you in a few seconds. Airo can create a social calendar for you, create posts, and upload them. Once they have a website, once [they have] inventory online and they start to use the tools, their reach increases exponentially. At what point did Generative AI change things for you? AB: Airo uses the power of Generative AI to create content. Airo does three big things: It automates a lot of tasks so our customer doesn’t have to do it. It generates content using Generative AI. Our customer might say, How do I respond to my customer? Well, Airo will generate a message for them, and then they just have to say, Yes, send it. What portion of the GoDaddy business is Airo leading? AB: We’re a decent-size business and we talk to [Wall Street] about Airo all the time. But I’m always talking about why Airo is first and foremost about discovery and engagement. The monetization should come over time. Weve had Airo for about 14 months. The first cohort of customers are just finishing their first year, and we’re seeing high retention rates because the customer is discovering and engaging with multiple products. Walton, what’s been the most useful feature for your business? WG: I’ve used them all, right? I like writing copy. I like writing texts and emails. But when it comes to communicating with an audience that you’re trying to reach for a product, it’s hard to formulate those thoughts in a vacuum. There’s also an element to this experience that allows you to capture some images and then repurpose those images. All of a sudden, that social pressure of producing things that are outside of your product is taken off the table for you. You don’t have to think about it. How did you all come up with the concept for the Super Bowl ad? AB: GoDaddy hadn’t been in the Super Bowl for eight years. We really wanted to come back and remind the world that GoDaddy is so much more than what they might remember; so many folks remember GoDaddy as a domains company, but we do so much more. What was your creative input in that ad? WG: We talked about different scenarios and what’s the best way to explain the fact that many small business owners can feel like imposters and how can we mine comedy but then land it someplace that is real and that can move you. Can you tell us what happens in The White Lotus finale? WG: Ill give you a fake ending. Everyone on The White Lotus dies, everyone. Including the staff. Its food poisoning. Not from the Four Seasons, mind you. Its nothing to do with our corporate sponsors. It’s from a delivery, an off-site delivery. Somebody ordered some bad pizza. How did you prepare for the Super Bowl commercial? WG: I eat one meal a day, and I may augment that with a couple boiled eggs for lunch or something like that. I like being lean, not just lean physically, but mentally. I like being a little hungry. I feel more creative when I have an appetite. And we’ve seen you in so many shirtless photo shoots lately. I cant believe you didnt take your shirt off in this GoDaddy ad. WG: Yes. There’s more to come, I’m afraid. I’m so sorry. My apologies now.
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E-Commerce
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