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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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E-Commerce
Amid the video podcast boom, Netflix is making its own move into the space. According to Business Insider, the streaming giants co-CEO Ted Sarandos said video podcasts may be the next format to land on the platform. During Netflixs first-quarter earnings call Thursday, Sarandos noted that “the lines are getting blurry” between podcasts and talk shows, adding, “as the popularity of video podcasts grows, I suspect you’ll see some of them find their way to Netflix.” In 2025, audiences want to watch their podcasts. As a result, YouTubenot audio-first platforms like Spotify or Applehas become the top destination for American podcast listeners. Data from Edison Podcast Metrics shows YouTube attracts 31% of weekly podcast listeners, compared to Spotifys 27% and Apples 15%. Nearly half of podcast listeners now watch their favorite shows on Smart TVs, and in March, YouTube made up 9.7% of all TV viewingedging out Netflixs 8.1%. When asked about competition from YouTube, Sarandos told The Hollywood Reporter that Netflix remains the best place for premium content, as defined by fans. The platform already licenses content from kids favorite Ms. Rachel, as well as Tony Hinchcliffe, the conservative comedian behind the podcast Kill Tony. And Netflix is far from done. “We’re looking for the next generation of great creators, and we’re looking everywhere, not just in film schools and certainly not just in Hollywood,” Sarandos said during the call. When it comes to helping creators scale and monetize, Sarandos says Netflix stands apart. You know, the question thats out there is, is it premium? Well, some of it is, and we believe we have the best monetization model on the planet for premium storytelling, he said. I think we could help those creators reach an audience. Our model can also support more ambitious efforts for them, could help derisk them, unlike the kind of typical [user generated content] models. With Netflix becoming YouTube, Instagram turning into TikTok, and X becoming whatever X is now, no one wants to stay in their lane anymore.
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E-Commerce
Exhaustion. Mental fatigue. Difficulty concentrating. Irritability. Dreading your next calendar appointment. Nobody likes showing up to work with a hangover. But these days, you dont need a long night of drinking to feel the effects. Instead, you might be suffering from a meeting hangoverthe lingering exhaustion, disengagement, and productivity drain that follow an unproductive meeting. Studies show that 28% of workplace meetings leave employees feeling drained, with more than 90% of workers experiencing meeting hangovers at least occasionally. Nearly half (47%) report feeling less engaged with their work afterward, while more than half say these hangovers disrupt their workflow and productivity. Meetings are a double-edged sword. Despite their pitfalls, they remain the most common form of workplace communication. In fact, research suggests face-to-face meetings are more effective for idea generation and task absorption than video calls. In other words, meetings arent going anywhere. But leaders can take chargeensuring meetings are productive, efficient, and, most importantly, not hangover-inducing. Here are the strategies I use as CEO of Jotform. Set a concise agenda If youve ever walked into a grocery store for a few essentials and walked out with a cart full of snacks, you understand the power of having a clear list. The same principle applies to meetings. At Jotform, meeting agendas are indispensable. We also believe in minimizing meetings. By preparing an agenda, you can determine if a meeting is really necessary. If an asynchronous methodlike an email, Slack message, or shared documentcan achieve the same outcome faster, we opt for that instead. But when a real-time discussion is necessary, such as brainstorming solutions to an ongoing issue, a meeting is the right call. An agenda also ensures that only the necessary people are in the room. If someone isnt essential to the conversation, they can contribute asynchronouslyperhaps by answering follow-up questions afterward. As a result, we have fewer, more efficient meetings and fewer meeting hangovers. Keep the conversation on track The Big Apple Circus in New York once featured a team of Chinese jugglers who could each spin eight plates at a time on the ends of long, slender sticks. Interviewing is a similar balancing act, writes professor and journalist Helen Benedict. The same is true for leading a meeting. Youre listening, observing, processing, and asking questionsall while ensuring the discussion stays focused. Benedicts strategy for interviews is to arrive with a list of questions and stick to them religiouslyeven if it means cutting off tangents and redirecting the conversation. It may not be smooth conversational technique, she writes, but it can save me hours of listening to off-the-track waffling. Running a meeting requires the same discipline. If a discussion starts veering off course, our meeting leaders are tasked with gently steering it back. If were stuck on a point with no resolution, we note it and ask participants to revisit it later rather than letting it derail the agenda. This helps us conclude meetings on timeand sometimes early. If an hour-long meeting ends up taking 45 minutes, theres no need to fill the space with white noise. Recap with clear deliverables Finally, we never leave a meeting without a clear recap of whos responsible for what. Outlining deliverables ensures that nothing falls through the crackstasks dont get lost, and responsibilities dont blur or overlap. This is where Ive found AI agents make a huge difference. Combined with AI-powered note-taking apps, agents can generate concise summaries, highlight key takeaways tailored to each participants role, and compile a clear action-item list. This accountability creates a sense of shared leadership and boosts team effectiveness. An AI agent can also streamline follow-ups by creating a separate document with action items and deadlines, time-stamping key moments so participants can revisit discussions without replaying the entire meeting, and even drafting follow-up emailsleaving nothing more to do than review and hit send. With these tasks automated, meeting participants can stay focused on the actual substance of the meeting rather than getting bogged down in administrative details. This also cuts down the total time spent on meetings. Despite technological advancements, the time that workers spend in unproductive meetings has doubled since 2019to five hours per week. With automation and the above strategies, employees can spend less time on meetings, experience fewer hangovers, and feel energized to take on more meaningful work.
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E-Commerce
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