A ban on drinking highlights a legacy of the country's racist past but threatens it economic future.
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Three restaurants in Istanbul that are redefining a cuisine as old as the city itself
Traditional Turkish food is known around the world, but three restaurants in Istanbul are redefining a cuisine that is as old as the city itself.
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How airplanes counteract St. Elmo’s Fire during thunderstorms
At the height of a thunderstorm, the tips of cell towers, telephone poles, and other tall, electrically conductive structures can spontaneously emit a flash of blue light. This electric glow, known as a corona discharge, is produced when the air surrounding a conductive object is briefly ionized by an electrically charged environment.
For centuries, sailors observed corona discharges at the tips of ship masts during storms at sea. They coined the phenomenon St. Elmo’s fire, after the patron saint of sailors.
Scientists have found that a corona discharge can strengthen in windy conditions, glowing more brightly as the wind further electrifies the air. This wind-induced intensification has been observed mostly in electrically grounded structures, such as trees and towers. Now aerospace engineers at MIT have found that wind has an opposite effect on ungrounded objects, such as airplanes and some wind turbine blades.
In some of the last experiments performed in MIT’s Wright Brothers Wind Tunnel before it was dismantled in 2019, the researchers exposed an electrically ungrounded model of an airplane wing to increasingly strong wind gusts. They found that the stronger the wind, the weaker the corona discharge, and the dimmer the glow that was produced.
The team’s results appear in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. The study’s lead author is Carmen Guerra-Garcia, an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT. Her co-authors at MIT are Ngoc Cuong Nguyen, a senior research scientist; Theodore Mouratidis, a graduate student; and Manuel Martinez-Sanchez, a post-tenure professor of aeronautics and astronautics.
Electric friction
Within a storm cloud, friction can build up to produce extra electrons, creating an electric field that can reach all the way to the ground. If that field is strong enough, it can break apart surrounding air molecules, turning neutral air into a charged gas, or plasma. This process most often occurs around sharp, conductive objects such as cell towers and wing tips, as these pointed structures tend to concentrate the electric field in a way that electrons are pulled from surrounding air molecules toward the pointed structures, leaving behind a veil of positively charged plasma immediately around the sharp object.
Once a plasma has formed, the molecules within it can begin to glow via the process of corona discharge, where excess electrons in the electric field ping-pong against the molecules, knocking them into excited states. In order to come down from those excited states, the molecules emit a photon of energy, at a wavelength that, for oxygen and nitrogen, corresponds to the characteristic blueish glow of St. Elmo’s fire.
In previous laboratory experiments, scientists found that this glow, and the energy of a corona discharge, can strengthen in the presence of wind. A strong gust can essentially blow away the positively charged ions, that were locally shielding the electric field and reducing its effect — making it easier for electrons to trigger a stronger, brighter glow.
These experiments were mostly carried out with electrically grounded structures, and the MIT team wondered whether wind would have the same strengthening effect on a corona discharge that was produced around a sharp, ungrounded object, such as an airplane wing.
To test this idea, they fabricated a simple wing structure out of wood and wrapped the wing in foil to make it electrically conductive. Rather than try to produce an ambient electric field similar to what would be generated in a thunderstorm, the team studied an alternative configuration in which the corona discharge was generated in a metal wire running parallel to the length of the wing, and connecting a small high-voltage power source between wire and wing. They fastened the wing to a pedestal made from an insulating material that, because of its nonconductive nature, essentially made the wing itself electrically suspended, or ungrounded.
The team placed the entire setup in MIT’s Wright Brothers Wind Tunnel, and subjected it to increasingly higher velocities of wind, up to 50 meters per second, as they also varied the amount of voltage that they applied to the wire. During these tests, they measured the amount of electrical charge building up in the wing, the current of the corona and also used an ultraviolet-sensitive camera to observe the brightness of the corona discharge on the wire.
Scientists observe the ion “glow” of corona discharge in an electrically ungrounded object (left) compared to a grounded object (right). Courtesy of the researchers
In the end, they found that the strength of the corona discharge and its resulting brightness decreased as the wind increased — a surprising and opposite effect from what scientists have seen for wind acting on grounded structures.
Pulled against the wind
The team developed numerical simulations to try and explain the effect, and found that, for ungrounded structures, the process is largely similar to what happens with grounded objects — but with something extra.
In both cases, the wind is blowing away the positive ions generated by the corona, leaving behind a stronger field in the surrounding air. For ungrounded structures, however, because they are electrically isolated, they become more negatively charged. This results in a weakening of the positive corona discharge. The amount of negative charge that the wing retains is set by the competing effects of positive ions blown by the wind and those attracted and pulled back as a result of the negative excursion. This secondary effect, the researchers found, acts to weaken the local electric field, as well as the corona discharge’s electric glow.
“The corona discharge is the first stage of lightning in general,” Guerra-Garcia says. “How corona discharge behaves is important and kind of sets the stage for what could happen next in terms of electrification.”
In flight, aircraft such as planes and helicopters inherently produce wind, and a glow corona system like the one tested in the wind tunnel could actually be used to control the electrical charge of the vehicle. Connecting to some prior work by the team, she and her colleagues previously showed that if a plane could be negatively charged, in a controlled fashion, the plane’s risk of being struck by lightning could be reduced. The new results show that charging of an aircraft in flight to negative values can be achieved using a controlled positive corona discharge.
‘’The exciting thing about this study is that, while trying to demonstrate that the electrical charge of an aircraft can be controlled using a corona discharge, we actually discovered that classical theories of corona discharge in wind do not apply for airborne platforms, that are electrically isolated from their environment,” Guerra-Garcia says. “Electrical breakdown occurring in aircraft really presents some unique features that do not allow the direct extrapolation from ground studies.”
This research was funded, in part, by The Boeing Company, through the Strategic Universities for Boeing Research and Technology Program.
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Leslie Odom Jr. says he almost quit ‘Hamilton’ film over pay equity
The actor’s performance as Aaron Burr in the original cast of the Broadway musical earned him a Tony Award.
Leslie Odom Jr. is speaking out about how he almost walked away from the Disney + film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s acclaimed Hamilton due to pay equality.
Odom Jr.’s performance as Aaron Burr in the original cast of the Broadway musical earned him a Tony Award. But the actor told Dax Shepard on the actor’s Armchair Expert podcast that he was still in negotiations for his salary the day before the film was set to begin shooting. He was not prepared to set foot on set unless producers came correct with the bag, Yahoo! News reports.
“They came to me with an offer, ‘Leslie, we’re shooting tomorrow,’” he said. “And I’m like, here’s the thing: This is it. This is my area of expertise. This is all I have. This is my life’s work on the stage too. And so I just can’t sell it away for magic beans. I can’t give it away.”
Read More: Disney+ makes Hamilton accessible to all
Odom says he wanted to be paid the same as his white colleagues in the same position.
“So I can ask CAA [Creative Artists Agency], what does my white counterpart, what does Aaron Tveit make to do Grease Live! on TV? What does he make to do Grease? This is Hamilton live, right?” he said. “So when I found out what he made, Dax, I didn’t ask for a penny more. I didn’t ask for one penny more, but I said, ‘You must pay me exactly what that white boy got to do Grease Live! That’s the bottom line.’”
Read More: Colin Kaepernick signs first-look deal with Disney
He continued: “The day before we shot that movie I called out. I was not kidding. I was not coming to work the next day to do the movie. You know, I was not kidding. It was a principle for me and sometimes it doesn’t work out. Sometimes they look at you and go, ‘We’re just not paying it,’ and you have to go, ‘That’s OK.’”
Odom hopes more Black performers and content creators take a stand and demand their worth in Hollywood.
“I love my white liberal friends, love white people, but, you know, don’t be in the streets talking about Black Lives Matter if my Black life doesn’t matter,” he said. “Like, essentially, don’t wait for the f***ing cops to kill me before my Black life matters. If my Black life matters, make sure I can take money home to feed my children.”
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Trump rushed out of briefing room after shooting outside the White House
The president confirmed the shooting to reporters and praised the Secret Service for their swift response.
President Donald Trump had to be evacuated from a press briefing on Monday evening due to a shooting outside the White House.
Once he returned to the briefing room minutes later, Trump confirmed the shooting and praised the Secret Service for having his back.
“There was a shooting outside of the White House and it seems to be very well under control. I’d like to thank the Secret Service for doing their always quick and very effective work,” he told reporters, according to NBC.
READ MORE: Trump reportedly reached out about adding his face to Mount Rushmore
“It was the suspect that was shot,” Trump added, noting that no one else was injured.
A senior administration official also confirmed the shooting happened close to Lafayette Square. The man at the center of the incident is now in custody.
Once Trump returned to the podium to resume the briefing, the Secret Service also tweeted: “The Secret Service can confirm there has been an officer involved shooting at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Ave. Law enforcement officials are on the scene.”
A follow-up post said, “the investigation into a USSS officer involved shooting is ongoing. A male subject and a USSS officer were both transported to a local hospital. At no time during this incident was the White House complex breached or were any protectees in danger.”
When Trump returned to the briefing room, he shared that he had been taken to the Oval Office.
“I feel very safe with the Secret Service. They’re fantastic people. They’re the best of the best. They’re highly trained,” Trump told reporters. “They just wanted me to step aside for a little while just to make sure that everything was clear outside.”
He added, “I don’t think the person breached anything,” he said. “I don’t believe anything was breached. I asked that question.”
There are conflicting reports about whether the suspect was armed or not, but officials said the man was shot in the chest by a Secret Service officer.
The man was reportedly unconscious when he was taken to George Washington University Hospital.
The briefing room was placed on lockdown immediately after the president was swiftly ushered out, according to reports.
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This Marco’s Pizza Franchise Owner Grows Her Pandemic-proof Business
While COVID-19 has ravaged some sectors of the U.S. economy, the pizza industry has experienced unexpected growth. Major pizza franchise brands are announcing they’ve hired tens of thousands of people, and plan to continue. Stephanie Moseley, franchise owner of Marco’s Pizza, took advantage of this opportunity and opened a second location during the coronavirus pandemic.
Moseley, a seven-year veteran of the Air Force, was working as an intelligence analyst with top-secret clearance, running a division that oversaw the highest—and fastest-flying—aircraft ever built. In 2016, she tasted her first Marco’s Pizza and knew right then she wanted “a piece of the pie.” In November 2018, she opened her first location in Newport News, Virginia. In May of this year, she opened her second location in nearby Suffolk.
Stephanie Moseley – Retired US Air Force Veteran
What was your experience like when you opened your first Marco’s Pizza franchise?
Rough! I had the wrong leadership, and I took too long to recognize that and take action. Finally, I came to the realization that if I wanted to succeed and become a multi-unit owner, the structure I had in place would not get me there. To find the right person to fill the key role of general manager, I verbally advertised, and I hired a staffing agency so they could help me identify someone with a wealth of experience and who could understand my vision for growth. In October 2019, I hired Jason Gorman and have never looked back. Almost immediately, I saw an increase in sales. Jason understood operations and people. He focused on the team members that were engaged, and let the others go. He decreased service times for pizza delivery from an unacceptable one hour, to the industry standard of 30 minutes.
We went from poor sales to break-even, and up and up. We recently reached our weekly high sales record and sales are up 150% over last year. Some of the leadership at Marco’s headquarters said they had never seen a turnaround like that so quickly.
My key takeaways from that experience were that right leadership structure matters, and although operations and marketing are equally important, no matter how much marketing you do, you can’t keep and grow customers if your operations are failing.
Wow, that’s quite a start. How did you push through that, when so many people would have given up?
I grew up in the 1960s in the South and was taught that I always had to go out and be self-assured and confident. My parents told me that if I was ever facing adversity channel this: “You’re a Moseley—you can do anything.” I also spent a lot of time reciting the Prayer of Jabez, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.”
Both of those helped me tremendously. But also, I couldn’t stand the thought of selling my business, pennies on the dollar, to someone else when I knew all I was missing was a strong right hand, and then watching it thrive under them and all they did was hire a strong general manager.
Lastly, I had a tremendous support system around me. My Franchise Business Leader and Regional Director of Operations, Jennifer Serra, and Angie Lara, really embraced my determination to succeed with the brand and supported me tremendously. Also, the veteran community in this area is strong. As a veteran, I received a lot of support and I’ve been able to return that support by being the sole sponsor of a local contest called “Military Hero of the Week.” We’ve also been able to donate free pizzas to first responders and hospital employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
When you were approached by corporate to purchase an existing second location nearby, what was your decision process on saying yes, and how is it performing now?
That was an easy decision, but it was frightening because we are in the middle of a pandemic. As restaurants started closing around me, I didn’t know what to expect. But once we saw our sales climbing, I
knew that we had the right business model at the right time, and I needed to seize on that. I knew that Marco’s would do well in both a good and bad economy and I am honored to be able to safely provide a high-quality product to families as they navigate their new normal.
The second store had a good general manager in place, so I appreciated that. We made some changes using some of our lessons learned at the Newport News location, and in May we started seeing revenues in Suffolk, which started at a pretty low weekly range, move up to more than break even and now we have consistently doubled sales in just two short months, and are up 134% over last year!
With growth like that, what’s next?
I’m currently in negotiations for multi units: five or six more over the next three years. I have promoted Jason to director of operations over both locations, and his wife, Sarah, is my marketing executive responsible for both locations. I anticipate opening our Yorktown store by the end of the year.
It gives me great pride to be able to take young people and watch them grow and fulfill their dreams. I’m helping them reach their goals as they help me reach mine.
I want to eventually grow to 10 locations, providing my employees with growth opportunities to become assistant general managers and general managers as we build a team of strong leaders.
Please share some advice you have for our readers that has helped you be a successful business owner.
- Humble yourself and ask for help
- Be agile
- Eliminate failure as an option
- Go with your gut!
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Fifth Third Appoints Former Procter & Gamble CIO Linda Clement-Holmes To Its Board
Fifth Third Bancorp has appointed Linda W. Clement-Holmes as an independent director effectively immediately, according to a press release.
“We are delighted to welcome Linda Clement-Holmes to our Board,” Greg D. Carmichael, chairman, president and CEO of Fifth Third Bancorp, stated. “As the former chief information officer for The Procter & Gamble Company, one of the world’s leading and most innovative consumer products companies, Linda is uniquely positioned to help us advance in the rapidly evolving technological landscape and embrace the opportunities for consumer-oriented financial services. We also welcome her leadership in diversity and inclusion, which will enhance Board oversight of this important area.”
Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company and the indirect parent company of Fifth Third Bank. One of the nation’s largest banks, Fifth Third had $185 billion in assets and operated 1,123 full-service branches as of March 30.
Clement-Holmes retired from Procter & Gamble in 2018 after a 35-year career that culminated in the role of chief information officer. She is widely recognized as a leader in information technology, information security, and digital and IT strategy. She has been listed in Computerworld’s Premier 100 IT Leaders and Uptown Professional’s Top 100 Executives.
She is a member of the B.E. Registry of Corporate Directors, an annual listing of African Americans who serve on the board of directors of S&P 500 companies. She is a fellow at the IT Senior Management Forum and the recipient of many awards, including the Howard University Global Visionary Leadership Award.
Further, Clement-Holmes has been a pioneer in diversity and inclusion. She served as Procter & Gamble’s first chief diversity officer from 2010-2012 and advanced to become the first African American woman named to Procter & Gamble’s Global Leadership Council.
Clement-Holmes also serves on the boards of Cincinnati Financial Corp., where she is a member of the Audit, Compensation and Nominating committees; and CincyTech L.L.C., a seed fund that provides advice and capital to digital and life science companies.
“I am very pleased to join the Fifth Third Board,” Clement-Holmes stated. “Fifth Third is recognized as a digital innovator and is on record in its commitment to be part of the solution on racial equity. I’m excited about the opportunity to help lead the Bank boldly into its next chapter.”
Clement-Holmes will serve on the Technology Committee.
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Black Lives Matter protesters beaten by pro-police group at ‘Blue’ rally
Video of BLM demonstrator being stabbed with an American flag at the rally goes viral
A violent clash broke out in Colorado during a pro-police rally. Black Lives Matter protesters had held a rally earlier in the day at Colorado State University after which they traveled to Fort Collins, Colorado to participate in an anti-protest.
The “Back the Blue” rally was held outside of the Fort Collins police services station where attendees were draped in American flags and carrying Trump 2020 signs.
READ MORE: Rockets’ James Harden criticized for wearing Blue Lives Matter apparel
In a video, “Back the Blue” supporters are seen beating counter-protesters, who they claim attacked a veteran in a wheelchair. That alleged attack was not captured on video.
“Everybody keep your hands off your weapons,” a voice is heard saying, “Keep punching each other in the face, just don’t shoot anybody.”
Another video shows one of the “Back the Blue” rally attendees stabbing a BLM protester with an American flag.
Despite the multiple people involved in the violent clash, only two people were arrested. Both individuals detained were Black Lives Matter supporters.
The event reportedly started peacefully.
According to The Rocky Mountain Collegian, Julius Philpot, a Colorado State University alumnus, and a frequent speaker at local Black Lives Matter rallies, said the altercations started when pro-police protesters crossed the street to have a conversation with a few counterprotesters.
“As soon as I approached, I see people that have come from the side of the street from the pro-cops, they are wanting to, I want to say, … surround maybe three or four individuals who are holding up these signs that say Black Lives Matter to have a conversation,” Philpot said.
READ MORE: NASCAR driver races in ‘Blue Lives Matter’-themed car
Attendees report that a group dressed in all-black tactical gear then arrived with no clear affiliation, it is then that the brawl broke out.
Ciara Wilson, a local high school student, and organizer said that the group chased BLM protesters away from the police station into a grassy pit. “10 to 15 people just piled up on top of each other.” Wilson said, “Chokeholds, batons, punched in the face all of it, and there were no police.”
According to the report, the Fort Collins police department has “an active and ongoing investigation into these incidents.”
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How the coronavirus work-from-home trend is complicating income taxes
The shift to working from home is leading to a heated debate between states over how to tax workers, and, in one instance, pitting New Hampshire against Massachusetts. CNBC's Robert Frank reports.
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What to Look for Before Hiring a PR Firm for Your Small Business
You’re excited about your new business. You got your EIN Number and you are registered with your state. You are legit for real-FOR REAL! You have dreamed and fantasized of the day when you can hand in your two-week notice to your employer who never appreciated your talents anyway. And that day has finally come!
Despite your excitement, you log on to your website and see that no one has bought any of your products. Your phone isn’t ringing off the hook, and you realize that payment on your bills is approaching. You know that you have a great product, however, other than your family, no one knows about it.
So, what do you do? That’s when you begin to search for a public relations firm.
BLACK ENTERPRISE chatted with PR expert Lillie Mae, owner of the Glambitious PR Firm, who shared tips on what to do and what not to do when hiring a PR Firm:
- Seek a firm that has represented other clients in your industry and ask about their most recent media placements from the last three months. Consider inquiring with some of your trusted colleagues for PR referrals, to ensure the firm has a great reputation and proven results. Everyone talks a good game, but where are the results?
- Hire an established PR firm, I would suggest that foremost. However, if you do not have the budget, I’d recommend reading a few PR books to learn how to craft an effective media pitch and properly pitch a media outlet. Educate yourself as much as possible. You do not want to be taken advantage of due to a lack of knowledge.
- In the meantime, book a professional photo shoot to make sure that you have quality photos and begin speaking about your business through various virtual events. Host an Instagram Live series to interview other esteemed professionals in your field and create a digital flyer that can be used to promote it. Participate in a co-author opportunity to cross-market your business with other entrepreneurs or co-host a webinar with an established platform. You can also advertise your business through email newsletters, Facebook groups, and the Instagram pages that cater to your demographic.
Dr. Jessica Mosley is a serial entrepreneur who loves teaching fellow CEO women how to show up in their truth and power. As Steward Owner of MizCEO Entrepreneurial Media Brand, Sovereign Care Home Care, Sovereign Care Medical Training Center, and Deborah’s Place for Battered Women, Jessica is busy making moves that impact her community and those connected to her.
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