Tag: All Content from Business Insider

• Fast food giant McDonald's launched a new marketing campaign this week.
• It produced a series of blank yellow and red billboards in the Netherlands.
• But the seemingly empty messages smell like the chain's iconic fries.

Fast food giant McDonald's released a new and quirky marketing campaign this week.

The company has found a novel way to leverage some of its iconic products by making the billboards smell like their fries.

It released a series of blank yellow and red billboards in the Netherlands that don't even carry the McDonald's golden arches logo. But the marketing creatives behind the campaign don't reckon you need to be told what is being advertised; the smell alone will get the message across.

"The prints appear to be empty at first glance, but as passers-by approach within five meters, they are greeted with the distinct aroma of McDonald's French Fries, coming from inside the billboard," the company said in a press release.

The statement says the billboards were "strategically placed" within 650 feet of some of its restaurants.

Stijn Mentrop-Huliselan, CMO of McDonald's Netherlands, added: "We are well known for our distinctive brand assets that are mostly visual. Smell has been proven to be more effective at sparking clear and emotional memories than images. With the inclusion of this next sense in our advertising, we found a new way to remind people of Good Times at McDonald's."

It also comes after news that the company has partnered with Krispy Kreme to offer its products at its stores across the US.

The partnership is set to kick off later this year and will see Krispy Kreme donuts in stores nationwide by 2026.

The company has not specified how many of its stores will be participating, however.

Earlier this month, McDonald's announced that it was taking over ownership of its franchised stores in Israel due to a global sales fall sparked by boycotts over the Israel-Gaza conflict.

from All Content from Business Insider https://ift.tt/7u2bCKi
via IFTTT

• A jury has found that Todd Chrisley defamed an ex-Department of Revenue investigator, say reports.
• His defamatory statements on social media and his podcast have cost him over $750,000.
• The "Chrisley Knows Best" star was incarcerated in 2022 on bank fraud and tax evasion charges.

Todd Chrisley, the disgraced reality TV star who is currently incarcerated for bank fraud and tax evasion, has been hit with fresh legal and financial issues, reports said.

The 54-year-old Atlanta-based businessman and television personality, best known for appearing on the USA Network reality show "Chrisley Knows Best," has been ordered to pay $755,000 to a former Georgia Department of Revenue investigator for making defamatory statements against her.

A Georgia judge on Thursday found Chrisley liable for two claims of libel and slander against Amy Doherty-Heinze, according to multiple reports.

According to documents obtained by The Los Angeles Times and People, Doherty-Heinze was awarded $350,000 in compensatory damages, $170,000 in punitive damages, and $235,000 in attorney fees from Chrisley.

Chrisley, who is 15 months into his 12-year sentence, testified remotely from FPC Pensacola during the trial.

According to the investigator's suit, Chrisley shared several defamatory statements about Doherty-Heinze on his podcast and social media accounts after the Georgia Department of Revenue began their investigation into him and his wife, Julie Chrisley, in 2017.

On a 2020 episode of the couple's now-defunct weekly podcast, "Chrisley Confessions," the real estate mogul accused Doherty-Heinze of corruption and of "illegally accessing" a government program to pull information on his wife and children, the lawsuit said.

The plaintiff initially asked Chrisley to retract his defamatory statements, which he declined. She filed her lawsuit the following year in July 2021, alleging that Chrisley had accused her of "a multitude of crimes and wrongdoing," per legal documents.

Doherty-Heinze said that Chrisley "repeated false accusations" about her "criminal misconduct in her post as an investigator for the Georgia Department of Revenue's Office of Special Investigations."

According to the law suit, Chrisley continued to "defame" Doherty-Heinze in a September 2021 episode of their podcast after he attempted to have the case thrown out.

At the weeklong trial, which concluded on Thursday, an eight-person jury found Chrisley liable for the two claims of libel and slander made in 2020 and 2021 but not liable for a third claim of slander made in a 2022 podcast episode as they didn't believe he acted with "malice" on that occasion.

In response to the ruling, Chrisley's attorney, Leesa Guarnotta, said in a statement to USA Today: "Although we are pleased the jury recognized that not all of Mr. Chrisley's statements were defamatory and awarded the plaintiff a fourth of the damages she requested, we are concerned about the state of the First Amendment where such a case could make it to trial in the first place."

According to his lawyer, Chrisley will be filing an appeal, and he is "optimistic" about its outcome.

Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison in 2022 after he and his wife were found guilty of defrauding banks out of more than $30 million by providing fake financial statements, giving the appearance they were wealthier than they were.

Meanwhile, His wife was handed a seven-year sentence. They are serving their sentences at two separate facilities in Florida and Kentucky.

As Business Insider reported in September, the pair have already had time shaved off their sentences.

According to federal prison records, Chrisley is scheduled to be released on October 9, 2032. Meanwhile, Julie's release has been moved to July 6, 2028.

from All Content from Business Insider https://ift.tt/R0KUucd
via IFTTT

• Russian forces have deployed a new cruise missile, the Institute for the Study of War said.
• The Kh-69 was used in an attack on a major power station near Kyiv this week.
• The Kh-69 is a leap forward in Russian tactical munitions.

Russian Forces are deploying a new, long-range cruise missile, known as the Kh-69, as it steps up attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

The Washington DC-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), noted in its Friday report that the new air-to-surface missiles were part of Russia's "continued efforts to improve strike packages and penetrate Ukraine's degraded air defense."

Russia has renewed its attacks against Ukraine's energy infrastructure in recent weeks, exploiting Kyiv's dwindling air defense systems.

"We need air defense systems and other defense assistance, not just turning a blind eye and having lengthy discussions," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X.

The post was in response to a Russian missile attack overnight on April 11 that destroyed the Trypillia Thermal Power Plant. The plant is one of the primary energy suppliers to Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. The plant was hit by the new Kh-69 missiles, according to the Ukrainian military.

"ISW has not previously observed the Russian use of Kh-69 missiles in Ukraine," it said.

"Russian forces have reportedly launched Kh-69 missiles from 400 kilometers away from their targets, exceeding a previous estimated range of 300 kilometers and the 200-kilometer range of the most recent Kh-59MK2 variant," wrote the ISW.

Illia Yevlash, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Air Force, confirmed on Friday that Russia had launched the new missiles during its massive aerial assault on Thursday.

"This is an improved system of the Kh-59 version," Yevlash said.

"We are currently establishing what kind of missile it was, what type it was. These are fresh missiles with parts manufactured in 2023. That is, we can see that Russia is constantly trying to produce new missiles."

Yevlash said Russia was manufacturing the Kh-69 domestically, but that continued production relied on the ability to source key components from abroad. ISW analysts noted that while the Russian stockpiles and production capability of these Kh-69 missiles are unclear, "Russia is unlikely to be able to produce them at a significantly greater speed or quantity than its other domestically produced missiles."

The Kh-69 is Russia's latest cruise missile

Reports that Russia was employing the Kh-69 first appeared on Ukrainian Telegram channels in early February.

On February 7, a Ukrainian military blogger posted a photo on Telegram purporting to show the destroyed rear fins of a Kh-69. A Ukrainian war monitor account, which tracks Russian aviation activity, claimed that three Kh-69s were fired at Ukraine overnight on February 7-8.

In September last year, the UK-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) think tank reported that the Kh-69 was still undergoing testing. It described the missile as an "air-launched land-attack cruise missile likely akin to the European Storm Shadow or Taurus KEPD 350 missiles."

According to The War Zone, the Kh-69 was developed by Raduga, part of Russia's Tactical Missile Corporation. The missile weighs around 1,700 pounds, has an operating speed of up to 621 miles per hour, and has the option of either a penetration or a cluster warhead weighing up to 680 pounds. The missile's shape offers some degree of reduced radar signature.

Russian forces can launch the missiles from Su-34 and Su-35 tactical aircraft rather than solely from strategic bombers.

from All Content from Business Insider https://ift.tt/W5mMlgn
via IFTTT

• Ford is offering Tesla owners a special discount on its F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E.
• The discount is reportedly called "Tesla Competitive Conquest Bonus Cash."
• This move comes as Ford reportedly faces challenges in offloading its electric cars.

Ford is taking aim at Tesla.

The automaker launched an initiative earlier this month to give Tesla owners a special discount on some of its cars.

Ford is offering Tesla owners who purchase a F-150 Lightning or Mustang Mach-E an extra $1,500 off.

Ford Authority was the first to report on the discount. A spokesperson from the company confirmed the incentive and told Business Insider the program launched on April 3.

People who choose to use the discount don't have to trade in their Tesla, only prove they own one, a source told Yahoo!Finance. The publication said the discount is titled the "Tesla Competitive Conquest Bonus Cash" and will be available up until July 8.

Separately, Ford dropped prices for some of its F-150 Lightning trucks on Thursday, according to a report from CNBC. The publication said Ford dropped its prices between $2,000 and $5,500, depending on the trim level of the vehicle.

The 2024 models of the vehicles currently have starting prices of $54,995 and $39,995, respectively. Tesla's cheapest vehicle, the Model 3, has a starting price of $38,990, while its Cybertruck electric pickup truck starts at $60,990.

Ford has faced pressure from Tesla's aggressive price cuts over the past year.

There have also been signs the automaker has been struggling to offload its electric cars. Last year, BI reported Mustang Mache-E SUVs were piling up on dealer lots. Ford also postponed about $12 billion in planned spending on its EV ventures in 2023.

In December, Ford announced it was reducing production of its electric pickup truck, the F-150 Lightning. In February, the company halted F-150 Lightning shipments over an undisclosed quality issue. And on Thursday, the company resumed shipments, according to CNBC.

from All Content from Business Insider https://ift.tt/z9eXMNi
via IFTTT

• Jeronimo Noriega, a student from San Antonio, moved to Spain and never plans to return to the US.
• Noriega appreciates Spain's work culture, public transportation, and affordable dining experiences.
• Though he misses friends and US customer service, Noriega doesn't plan to move back.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jeronimo Noriega, a 27-year-old student who lives in Spain. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I moved to Oviedo, Asturias in Northwest Spain after growing up in San Antonio and I don't think I'll ever move back to the United States.

If that shocks you, it surprised me too. I never thought I'd live in Europe — I'd never even been there before my siblings and I agreed to move to Spain with my parents. Although I was born in Mexico, I spent most of my life living in the US so moving to Spain was a big difference.

When my family decided we needed a change, we chose Spain because it felt like a natural fit — my grandparents spent their lives living between Spain and Mexico. Although I'm Mexican-American and fluent in Spanish, settling in Spain was initially difficult because my Spanish-speaking skills were rusty after living in America.

Once I started getting more comfortable in the local dialect, I felt more comfortable living in Spain. I've lived here for 14 months and I have a much better quality of life in Spain than I had in the US.

I feel anxious when I get in a car now because I'm so used to walking and taking public transportation in Spain

When I lived in the US, I constantly felt like I was sitting in traffic or relying on my car to get places, but in Spain I just walk everywhere. I'm never stuck in a car. It's not only better for the environment, it's healthier for me too.

The sense of community is so strong here. When I walk around my neighborhood, people say hi to each other and it's so lovely. You don't have that part of the day when you're in your car in America. I love being out in the world while I'm getting from one place to the next and not just siloed in my car.

Living in Spain has shown me there's a different way to exist

I love the work culture in Spain. In America, I felt like my only options were to rise and grind and get beat down by the machine, but everything is different here. In Spain, they seem to value their lives over their work — it's not even a work-life balance.

People take three-hour lunches and drink a bottle of wine before going back to the office or they stop in the middle of the afternoon for a leisure espresso break. It was kind of difficult to transition into that lifestyle because I was so used to the American way of life where work is everything. Even through college, I was constantly working and grinding my life away.

When I first moved to Spain, I felt like I was really lazy. I wondered, what am I doing? I should be working myself to the bone. But then I started to see how Spaniards live and I wanted that level of freedom and joy. Now, I attend a community college and spend my days studying, going to class, and drinking espresso and wine at cafés.

It's normal to go to a wonderful dinner that costs $11 per person, in Spain

I love the restaurant scene. It's not even strange to linger at a table for four or five hours — it's normal. I remember eating dinner in the US and feeling like the waitress was judging me if I didn't leave right after I finished eating. Everything is slower in Spain and it's lovely.

I can buy a coffee for the equivalent of a few dollars and not feel bad about lingering in the coffee shop for a few hours to hang out.

I don't see moving back to the US in my future

My parents asked me the other day if I'd ever consider moving back to the US and I was so struck by the question that I made a TikTok about it. The short answer is: never say never, but I don't see it in my future.

I definitely miss my friends, but I wouldn't let that keep me from life in Spain. I also miss the American customer service — it's so friendly and personable, but maybe that's because of the tipping culture. In Spain, I've noticed that customer service doesn't reflect the level of that in the States unless you're at a high-end restaurant.

Now that I've had a taste of what life is like outside the rat race, I'm not eager to get back on the wheel. Life is long, and you never know what will happen, but I'm staying here for the foreseeable future. All I have to do is take a walk to the coffee shop, have a delicious dinner for $11, or take a break in the middle of a weekday to remind myself why I'm staying.

Correction: January 9, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of the person who moved to Spain. His name is Jeronimo Noriega , not Geronimo.

from All Content from Business Insider https://ift.tt/aPUdpci
via IFTTT

• Millvina Dean was only 9 weeks old when her family boarded the Titanic in 1912.
• She never publicly spoke about the Titanic until September 1, 1985, when the wreck was found.
• She lived to be 97 years old, dying in 2009. She was the last living survivor of the ship.

The RMS Titanic and its doomed voyage have captured people's interest since the tragedy in April 1912.

The ship and its passengers were once again brought back into the spotlight when the wreckage was found on September 1, 1985, over 73 years after it sank.

Among those passengers was Millvina Dean, who was just 2 months old when the ship went down. She was the youngest survivor of the tragedy.

Learn more about Dean's remarkable life, including her service during World War II, her relationship with her newfound fame, and why she never saw "Titanic," one of the highest-grossing films ever.

Millvina Dean was just 9 weeks old when she boarded the Titanic in 1912 with her parents and older brother.

As reported by the Los Angeles Times, she was the youngest passenger aboard. She boarded the Titanic with her mother, Georgette, her father, Bertram Frank, and her brother, Bertram Vere, before the ship set sail from Southampton, England, on April 10, 1912.

But she wasn't supposed to be on the Titanic at all. The Dean family boarded the ship after a coal strike canceled their original trip.

The family was supposed to cross the Atlantic on a different White Star Line ship, according to the Los Angeles Times' obituary of Dean. However, a coal strike led to the cancellation of their original voyage. The White Star Line offered them third-class tickets on the Titanic instead.

Her family was leaving the UK to move to Kansas City, Missouri, to join her father's cousin.

The Deans were going to Missouri to be with her father's cousin, who owned a store in Kansas City, according to Millvina Dean's obituary in The New York Times. Her father was going to co-own the store after the Deans sold the pub they owned in England.

On April 14, 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg and later sank. Dean, her mother, and 2-year-old brother survived, but her father died with the many other third-class men who weren't allowed on lifeboats.

According to Dean, her father felt the ship collide with the iceberg, which might have saved his family's lives.

"I think it was my father who saved us," Dean said in 2002, according to the Los Angeles Times. "So many other people thought the Titanic would never sink, and they didn't bother. My father didn't take a chance."

Dean, her mother, and brother were put on lifeboat 13, as reported by BBC News.

The survivors on lifeboats were later picked up by the RMS Carpathia and taken to New York City. But Dean's father was among the more than 1,500 people who died in the tragedy. 

Dean said she believed it was true that White Star Lines employees had prevented third-class passengers from going above deck and potentially escaping the sinking ship, The New York Times reported.

"It couldn't happen nowadays, and it's so wrong, so unjust. What do they say? 'Judy O'Grady and the colonel's lady are sisters under the skin.' That's the way it should have been that night, but it wasn't," she said.

When the Deans returned to England aboard the Adriatic, passengers lined up to hold the baby. The demand was so high an officer made a rule that each person could only hold her for 10 minutes.

Three weeks after the sinking of the Titanic, the RMS Adriatic took some survivors back to England. Dean, her mother, and brother were on board.

"Passengers who knew what the family had been through lined up to hold baby Millvina, the youngest survivor of the Titanic. To keep the line moving, a ship's officer ordered that no one could hold the baby for more than 10 minutes," wrote Mary Rourke of the Los Angeles Times in Dean's obituary.

Dean didn't learn about the true horrors of the Titanic until she was 8 years old when her mother finally told her.

"My mother would never speak of it, because it was her husband and they were only married four years. He was strikingly handsome. I didn't know anything about it until I was 8 years old. And then my mother got married again. That's when I first heard about the Titanic, and about my father going down, everything like that," she told the Belfast Telegraph in 2009.

In another interview with the Irish Times, the Los Angeles Times reported, Dean said that her mother suffered severe headaches every day after the sinking.

Millvina and Bertram Dean were educated using money from the Titanic Relief Fund, a charity formed in England to support survivors.

The White Star Line rather infamously didn't accept any liability for the Titanic's sinking for years, even though the tragedy left almost all of its passengers with no money, no possessions, and in many cases, no breadwinner — many families lost their husbands and fathers since they couldn't get on lifeboats.

The Wall Street Journal reported in 2003 that four years after the crash, the White Star Line agreed to pay the US $665,000, or roughly $430 per passenger.

In 2024, that'd be around $12,700 each.

During World War II, she worked in the British Army's map-making office.

After the war, she worked as a secretary in an engineering office for 20 years, reported the Los Angeles Times.

She never publicly spoke about the Titanic until 1985, when the shipwreck was found.

"Nobody knew about me and the Titanic, to be honest, nobody took any interest, so I took no interest either," she said, according to The New York Times. "But then they found the wreck, and after they found the wreck, they found me."

For decades after, Millvina Dean attended many Titanic exhibitions, conventions, and events. She also traveled to different schools to tell her life's story.

Dean never watched James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster "Titanic" because she was worried it would make her think about what her father had been doing in his final moments.

Even though Dean had said she didn't feel a huge connection to her father, since she never really knew him, she couldn't watch any movies or documentaries relating to the Titanic.

"Because that's the ship on which my father went down. Although I didn't remember him, nothing about him, I would still be emotional. I would think: 'How did he go down? Did he go down with the ship or did he jump overboard?'" she told the Belfast Telegraph in May 2009, weeks before her death.

Her brother Bertram, pictured right, died on the 80th anniversary of the iceberg collision in 1992. He was 81.

Her mother lived to be 96, dying in 1975, according to The New York Times.

In 1997, Millvina Dean finally successfully crossed the Atlantic from Southampton to New York City aboard the Queen Elizabeth II.

Eighty-five years after the ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic, Dean finally completed the journey from Southampton to New York City, reported the Deseret News.

According to United Press International, after she arrived in NYC in August, she then journeyed to Kansas City to visit the neighborhood that would've been hers, if everything had gone to plan.

She auctioned off some of her Titanic memorabilia later in life, including the mailbag her mother carried their possessions in after the sinking.

After breaking her hip in 2006, Dean began living in a nursing home. To help with expenses, she auctioned off some items that had been with her family on the Titanic, including a suitcase that sold for $18,650. In total, she raised $53,906, according to NBC News.

 

James Cameron and "Titanic" stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio donated thousands of dollars toward Dean's nursing-home costs in 2009.

Reuters reported that the trio behind "Titanic" donated $30,000 to Dean after her longtime friend Don Mullan challenged them to.

"I laid down the challenge to the 'Titanic' actors and directors to support the Millvina Fund and I was delighted with the generosity they have shown in meeting that challenge," Mullan told the Irish Examiner in 2009.

Millvina Dean died in 2009 at 97. She was the last living survivor of the Titanic.

Millvina Dean's ashes were scattered by her partner, Bruno Nordmanis, at the Southampton Docks, where the Titanic left for its first and only voyage, NBC News reported.

from All Content from Business Insider https://ift.tt/4ml3VJG
via IFTTT

• I juggled my doctorate studies , a part-time job, and parenting alone for years.
• I cut out alcohol, prioritized parenting, and tried to remain positive during the process.
• In the end, I got my degree and survived the chaos. 

From 2009 to 2013, my life felt like a three-ring circus.

I was working on my doctorate in business administration, raising my 3- and 5-year-old kids, and working part-time. I was doing it all as a newly separated mother, trying to navigate living and parenting alone.

Mornings were a panic as I tried to get the kids fed, dressed, and off to school with a healthy lunch. I was often running on less than five hours of sleep.

I made their bedtime early and non-negotiable. Once the kids were asleep, I had from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. to clean up the dinner dishes, make lunches, tidy the house, do laundry, and do my doctoral work. It was an online doctorate, so aside from the lectures, I had multiple articles to read for each class and discussion posts to answer. I spent 40 to 60 hours a week completing my classwork and homework.

It was a lot to juggle, but I did it. These 5 strategies helped me stay sane in the chaos.

My parenting duties always took precedent

I wasn't going to win any mom of the year awards, but if my kids were clean, fed, and not bleeding, it was a win in my books.

Still, I found genuine ways to connect with my kids — like a short board game or an elaborate blanket fort. I didn't take my kids to as many activities as I would have liked, but I focused on the lifesaving ones, like swim lessons. I figured the rest could wait.

I'd sometimes forgo sleeping for a night to finish my doctoral work if they needed more time with me.

During breaks for the doctoral program, we'd go camping or visit family. The kids looked forward to these times without my nose stuck in a book. I'd always involved them in vacation planning, and one year, my daughter said she wanted to go to Mount Rushmore. So that's what we did. She would hopefully remember that trip more than she would remember the hectic pace of the months before that.

When in doubt, I distracted myself by doing something else

With a house to clean, food to cook, kids to raise, and my ongoing doctorate, there was always something to do. Sometimes, I felt paralyzed because I didn't know where to start. So, if I found myself fading, I would change tasks to something else that I "had" to do. I call this productive procrastination.

Don't want to read any more discourse analysis articles? Do the dishes. Don't want to write a literature review? Pick up the LEGOS that will act as painful land mines on the 3 a.m. trip to the bathroom.

I avoided alcohol during the week

A couple of drinks while I was supposed to be focused on my doctoral work often led to bad decisions, which led to a couple more drinks, which then led me to take the night off, thinking that I'd have time to do the work the next day. Drinking as a coping mechanism had become a habit. Life was hard, and alcohol numbed the self-critical voices in my head.

I decided to avoid alcohol and caffeine during the week because I didn't have time for artificial highs or lows. After a difficult month of stopping cold turkey, not drinking became a better habit.

I found small moments to prioritize physical health

There was no way I had time for the gym, but there were things I could do to stay healthy. I did what I called "three for me," which was a one-minute wall-sit, a one-minute plank, and one minute of sit-ups.

There is no day that you can't find three minutes for yourself. I read journal articles during the three minutes, which was one of my few successful multi-tasks.

I also developed a five-day meal plan for healthy, fast, different meals for each night of the week. We ate dinner at the table to talk about our days and connect. I also used weekends to decompress and take a family walk — where we could all get some much-needed vitamin D and reground ourselves in nature.

I reminded myself of my 'why'

I had chosen to do this, and an end was in sight. In one low moment — after a cry about how exhausted and overwhelmed I felt — I found an online therapist whose video said that my brain would listen to whatever I told it. She encourages people to say: "I've chosen to do this. I'm delighted to do this," even when they aren't. When I was feeling particularly whiny, and that advice wasn't cutting it, I'd think like Nike and say out loud: "Just do it."

I also reminded myself of my "why." My "why" would be staring at the mirror or sitting across from me at the breakfast table. I had to remember that I was doing my doctorate to get a job that paid more, would give me more purpose, and would give me more time with my kids.

Dr. Nadine Robinson holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from Athabasca University. She is a part-time professor at Sault College, keynote speaker, and freelance writer. Follow her @theinkran.

from All Content from Business Insider https://ift.tt/qHOjgbi
via IFTTT

• The threat of a conflict over Taiwan has put the spotlight on the US and Chinese navies.
• The US Navy has been shrinking, meaning China's is now the world's largest.
• A major decline in US shipbuilding capacity could be a problem in the future, analysts say.

The oceans are once again becoming a key geopolitical battleground.

In the Indo-Pacific, the aggressive shadow of China is growing. Meanwhile, sea-based drone warfare in the Black Sea between Russia and Ukraine and the Houthi rebels' disruption of commercial shipping in the Red Sea have become conflict hot spots.

"It's the end of the pacifist period on the seas," Dr Steven Wills of the Center for Maritime Strategy, told Business Insider.

The US fleet is still widely considered the world's most powerful navy due to its 11 aircraft carriers and cutting-edge nuclear submarine capabilities.

However, while maritime pressures have increased, US shipbuilding has stagnated.

"In the early 1990s, the Navy had over 500 ships. But over the course of the 2000s and 2010s, there was a failure to properly follow up naval deployments with enough time for refit, repair, and rest," Wills explained.

As subsidies and funding for maritime infrastructure were cut in the post-Cold War period, industry capabilities slowed. That was compounded by a series of costly shipbuilding blunders.

"The US Navy was really rudderless. They didn't have an idea what it wanted to do," Wills said.

The fleet is now down to just under 300 ships.

Doug Livermore, who until recently was a senior intelligence officer and director of sensitive activities and special operations in the Navy, admits it's "not as robust of a ramp-up as it should be."

In the latest budget released in March, plans for seven new Arleigh Burke-class destroyers were reduced to six. Just one rather than two Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines will be added, while 19 ships will be decommissioned.

"They're scrapping more ships than they're building, which means the US Navy is on a downward trajectory, not an upward trajectory," said Dr Salvatore Mercogliano, a maritime historian at Campbell University.

China outpacing the US

China has overtaken the US Navy in numerical terms with about 370 vessels, according to the Pentagon's 2023 China Military Power Report.

It will grow to be at least 50% larger than America's by 2035, a retired admiral projected in the US Naval Institute's professional journal.

Submarines, which have historically given the US primacy over the sea, are a high priority for the People's Liberation Army Navy.

China operates 60 submarines, according to the Pentagon's latest estimates. That number is expected to rise to 80 by 2035, despite the ongoing retirement of older hulls. Most of its submarines are diesel-powered, but it also has nuclear-powered attack and ballistic missile submarines that have higher speeds and longer ranges.

The US operates 67 submarines, but not all are in the Pacific.

China's navy is still not as technologically advanced, only has two aircraft carriers, and the fleet has minimal active experience, but Livermore says the pace of expansion remains a concern.

"In the early 2000s, the Chinese navy had nothing that could rival US vessels. They were primarily diesel-powered submarines, a few old and loud nuclear-powered submarines. The speed of development is worrying," he said.

Quantity vs quality

The numbers only tell one part of the story, however. Despite its smaller size compared with China, the US Navy is still widely regarded as the world's most powerful.

In 2020, then Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said that even if the US stopped building ships, it would take years for China to match the US Navy's power due to its technological capabilities and expertise.

"Ship numbers are important, but they don't tell the whole story," he said.

Another piece of the puzzle is shipbuilding capacity. China is the world's largest shipbuilder. It could use its manufacturing capacity to rapidly build more ships in wartime.

Chinese shipyards have a capacity of about 23.2 million tons, compared to the US' capacity of less than 100,000 tons, according to figures from the US Office of Naval Intelligence that emerged last year.

David Sacks, fellow for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, told BI: "One of China's largest shipyards has more capacity than all US shipyards combined. We have to maintain ships as well as obviously build new platforms, and we don't have the workers or the facilities to do that."

Peacetime footing

Gone are the days when merchant ships were built in bulk in the US, capacities that America used to expand its fleet by more than 15 times in World War II. In an extended war, China is poised to rapidly build this kind of vast fleet — a capacity the US lacks.

Instead, the US defense industrial base still finds itself on a post-Cold War peacetime footing, analysts told BI.

Expanding American shipbuilding capacity ought to start now, Wills said: "You don't make the arsenal of democracy overnight."

"The composition of the Navy is a long-term issue. If you want to start changing force structure, it takes time," Mercogliano said.

But given that Japan and South Korea now dominate commercial shipbuilding, some doubt whether this is a realistic or viable option.

That could have consequences in wartime. "It would be very hard to rapidly ramp up and replace battlefield losses just given the current state of the industry," Wills said. "That's not the industry's fault — they can only operate based on what the government gives them."

Taiwan tensions

Rising tensions over Taiwan are another reason some are questioning the size and shape of the US fleet.

Taiwan has been self-governed since 1949, but China sees it as a breakaway province that should be under its control.

While there have been no official signals about a looming conflict with Taiwan, China's leader Xi Jinping has said that he believes unification is inevitable and has refused to rule out using force to achieve that goal.

As a democratic ally in the region and home to a leading AI chipmaker in the form of TSMC, securing Taiwan's freedom is a key strategic and economic goal for the US.

Last month, the commander for the Indo-Pacific told lawmakers that Beijing would be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027.

If that ever happens, analysts fear the US Navy could find itself on the back foot.

The Council of Foreign Relations' Sacks pointed to a 2023 CSIS report that said the US would run out of many key munitions for a conflict over Taiwan within the first two weeks.

China's home advantage would also be significant, said Wills. "They're fighting a local game in their backyard whereas the US and everybody else, except Japan, is waging an away game. There are long logistics needed to make that happen."

"I think there ought to be a greater level of urgency here. I'm not seeing it," he added.

Countering Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific took center stage this week at the first-ever trilateral meeting between the US, Japan, and the Philippines.

The US announced more than $1 billion worth of private sector investment in chips and infrastructure to support the region and said security cooperation in the South China Sea had increased to "historic levels."

In the week leading to the summit, the three countries and Australia held their first joint maritime military exercises in a further show of unity.

from All Content from Business Insider https://ift.tt/RN6ME9z
via IFTTT

• The Uncommitted movement includes a broad swath of Democratic voters upset with Biden over Israel.
• But Arab and Muslim Americans — particularly in Dearborn, Michigan — have been leading the movement.
• For the first time, these voters could play a decisive role in a presidential election.

Abdullah Hammoud was not elected to be a spokesperson for a national political movement.

The 34-year-old mayor of Dearborn, Michigan took office in 2022 after a campaign focused on the nuts and bolts of local government: lowering property taxes, improving city services, and strengthening public safety.

But Dearborn isn't like other cities. A majority of its more than 100,000 residents are Arab Americans, and the city and its environs are home to the largest Muslim population in the United States.

Not coincidentally, it's also the birthplace of the Uncommitted movement, which is urging Democratic voters to cast "uncommitted" ballots to protest President Joe Biden's ongoing support for Israel. Movement leaders are demanding a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and an end to US military support for Israel in exchange for their votes this November.

Dearborn is also one of the few places in the country — along with Dearborn Heights and Hamtramck, two nearby townships that similarly boast large Arab American populations — where the movement has garnered an electoral majority: 56.2% of Dearborn voters cast "uncommitted" ballots on February 27.

When I spoke with Hammoud during my trip to Michigan last month, he was eager to point out that the movement extends well beyond Arab and Muslim Americans.

"I think the media tends to overlook how multiracial, multigenerational, multifaith, multi-ethnic the movement turned out to be," he said. "It downplays the issue of Gaza as solely an Arab and Muslim issue."

Layla Elabed and Abbas Alawieh, two leaders of the "Uncommitted National Movement," made the same point. After all, the vast majority of the more than 100,000 "uncommitted" votes cast in the Michigan primary didn't come from Dearborn. The movement registered more than 10% of the vote in the vast majority of Michigan's 83 counties, with particularly strong showings in university towns like Ann Arbor.

"If Layla and I were to walk into some of the counties where we earned more than 10% of the vote, the percentage of Arabs and Muslims in that county would go up by 200%," Alawieh quipped.

It's an understandable tack for them to take. If the movement were made up solely of Arab and Muslim Americans, then perhaps Biden could afford to just write the community off and hope to garner enough former Nikki Haley supporters to make up the difference.

Yet it's undeniable that the Uncommitted movement represents something new: the emergence of Arab and Muslim Americans as the leaders of a decisive voting bloc in a presidential election.

While these voters have been dependable members of the Democratic coalition in recent years, owing in large part to former President Donald Trump's policies, the ongoing death and destruction in Gaza is driving movement leaders to change course and explicitly leverage their growing political clout.

"Our community has never had this much power and leverage," said Alawieh. "Part of the reason why our power is growing is because we are stepping into the power of our expertise as people who have been most harmed by pro-war US foreign policy."

While the issue of Gaza — where over 33,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, and where hundreds of thousands more have endured displacement and looming famine — is likely top of mind for these voters, the movement also provides an avenue to express other frustrations with the political system.

"It might be the driving force behind the movement, but it's much bigger than Palestine," said Lexis Zeidan, another Uncommitted movement leader. "We can fund war, but not reinvest in our communities here?"

All of this is despite the community's cleared-eyed view of what a second Trump presidency could mean, including an even more deferential relationship with Israel's hard-right government and a potential revival of the "Muslim Ban."

'An existential knowledge that's not with anybody else'

By virtue of its large Arab and Muslim population, Dearborn is one of the most unique places in America — all the more so during the holy month of Ramadan, when the city is relatively sleepy during the day, only to bustle with energy at night.

Immigration from the Arab world began in earnest in the 1920s, when many came for jobs in the burgeoning automotive industry. That existing community then became a magnet for further waves of immigration, particularly in the 1960s and 1990s.

Among Dearborn's Arab residents are Palestinian Americans, like Elabed and Zeidan, who may have relatives facing dire conditions in Gaza. Others are Lebanese Americans, like Alawieh and Hammoud, whose families have experienced Israeli occupation. There are also Iraqis, Yemenis, Syrians, and Egyptians who have faced the consequences of America's foreign policy in the Middle East in a way that others simply have not. The city is represented by Elabed's older sister, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who is the sole Palestinian American in Congress and arguably its strongest critic of Biden's ongoing support for Israel.

"We have an existential knowledge that's not with anybody else," said Hammoud, referring to his city's residents. "We can tell you exactly how the villages are shaped because we've driven those roads. We've shopped at those markets. We have phone calls with people there as frequently as we have phone calls with our family members here."

But while the Arab American community is particularly concentrated in the Detroit area, with implications for 2024 in a closely-watched swing state, there are plenty of Arab American voters scattered in competitive states around the country. The Arab American Institute estimates that there are 206,000 such voters in Florida, 134,000 in Virginia, and 126,000 in Pennsylvania.

"Michigan is a bellwether for what will happen elsewhere," said James Zogby, the president of the institute. "It's a canary in the coal mine for other states."

But the key to the movement's ongoing success has been coalition-building with other communities, including African American voters, young voters, and progressive Jewish voters.

"Thirty-six times in the Torah, it says in one way or another, love the stranger as yourself, treat the other as you want to be treated," said former Rep. Andy Levin, a prominent progressive Jewish backer of the Uncommitted movement in Michigan. "If you want to be a serious person of faith, who's our most important other? Duh, it's the Palestinian people."

'The Uncommitted campaign of the 80s'

Zogby, who's been active in Democratic politics for decades, sees the Uncommitted movement as the second major wave of Arab American political organizing.

The first wave, in his telling, took place over the course of the 1980s, when he served as deputy campaign manager for Jesse Jackson's 1984 presidential campaign. Both that year and in 1988, Jackson explicitly courted Arab American votes and spoke openly about Palestinian rights. In 1988, amid the First Intifada, organizers passed pro-Palestinian resolutions at 11 state Democratic party conventions — not unlike the cease-fire resolutions that have passed in over 100 municipalities across the country since October 7.

"It was the Uncommitted campaign of the 80s," said Zogby. After founding the Arab American Institute in Washington, DC in 1985, he and others worked in the intervening decades to build up Arab American power. Much of that work included registering voters and raising political consciousness in places like Dearborn, where non-Arab mayors had at times sought to fearmonger about the growing Arab American population.

That work also took place against the backdrop of the post-9/11 era, when Arabs and Muslims in the US faced discrimination and political marginalization after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. That marginalization persists, albeit in a lesser form, to this day; in February, a Wall Street Journal opinion writer described Dearborn as "America's Jihad Capital," prompting Mayor Hammoud to announce increased security measures in the city.

Decades of organizing created the conditions for what's emerged today — a voting bloc that not only poses a possible threat to Biden's reelection, but that in recent months has rejected what leaders view as political pandering.

Indeed, while organizers have been clear that they're seeking specific policy changes from Biden, there's been a perception that an increasingly nervous presidential campaign has merely been making a play for votes. And there have been prominent missteps by Biden's administration and campaign, including a White House statement marking 100 days since October 7 that made no mention of the tens of thousands of Palestinians who had died.

Yet even amid those missteps — interpreted often as disrespect – there's a sense of empowerment that comes with holding the fate of the election in your hands.

"People understand that the Michigan Muslim and Arab community is large enough," said Hammoud, "maybe not to elect a president, but maybe to make one lose."

from All Content from Business Insider https://ift.tt/0tHsYy1
via IFTTT

• Millennial Eliza Green avoided cruises because she felt they were germ-riddled and full of kids.
• A friend suggested a surprise cruise on Virgin's child-free ship and Green apprehensively agreed. 
• She loved the ship experience with sizeable rooms and fun activities, but the pace of travel was too quick. 

This is an as-told-to essay based on a transcribed conversation with millennial Eliza Green, who took her first cruise vacation on Virgin Voyages. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

I always thought cruise ships were a place to pick up germs from people, especially children. I'd heard nightmare stories of people getting sick, overcrowding, and bad food. But when friends approached my husband and me to go for a 40th birthday, I was willing to try.

My frequent cruise traveler friend gave us a couple of options. Virgin Voyages sounded particularly appealing. The rooms were affordable, with balconies and no children. Plus, the five-night length felt manageable as a first-time cruiser.

In October 2023, my husband, two other couples, and I embarked on Virgin Voyage's Scarlet Lady Dominican Daze. We set off from the port in Miami for two stops in Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic and Bimini, Bahamas. For lodging and food for two, it cost $3,234.

Still skeptical, I went in with little expectations and just the hope of having a good time with friends.

Cruise food was better than an all-inclusive resort

The food was a pleasant surprise, far better than the buffet options I'd imagined on other cruises. This was our first cruise, but it was our second all-inclusive-style vacation. Compared to the all-inclusive resort in Jamaica, the cruise had a wider variety of cuisines.

For a ship that had to serve thousands, the level of food and choices exceeded my expectations. I never ate the same meal twice. The ease of dining was seamless. Food was included in our prepaid rate, so we didn't have to take out our wallets during mealtime or show our cruise wristband.

There were sit-down restaurants, grab-and-go stations, and dining hall-style venues. We made reservations before our trip since we had a large group and the tables booked up quickly. However, you could walk into restaurants or book upon embarking on the ship through the app.

There were premium items for an extra cost, such as lobster or wagyu, but they were unneeded because there was already so much food provided. Although alcohol was an extra cost, the prepaid option gave us extra dollars toward drinks, which was a good value.

The cabin was a needed respite

Before traveling on a cruise, I'd heard of windowless cabins and cramped rooms. Throughout the journey, I enjoyed spending time in my room, which I hadn't expected.

I was also concerned about seasickness in a confined space on the water. I came prepared with motion sickness remedies, but it never hit me.

The room was sizable and nicer than many hotel rooms I have stayed in on land. The cabin felt huge compared to the hotel I'd stayed at in Miami before embarking on the ship.

We had a bed, seating, and ample closet space, as well as a decent bathroom. I never felt cramped or like I was stumbling around my husband.

As somewhat of an introvert, the room was a nice respite. When I wanted time to recharge, the hammock on the balcony was a great place to read and gave me an escape, making the trip more relaxing.

The entertainment wasn't cheesy like I expected

I hadn't planned to partake in much of the entertainment because I assumed it would be cheesy.

The quality of the shows and activities defied my expectations. We enjoyed a puzzle contest one night, and another night, when we stumbled upon an entertainment show; the performance was impressive and well-produced with polished performers.

Virgin did a nice job of giving every traveler their own experience despite being on the same ship.

The boat's layout made it so we didn't hear noise from the louder late-night parties, and they didn't detract from our vacation. I liked being able to spend time with our friends on the cruise and also seek out our own experiences.

High-tech amenities meant the service was great

All the offerings were shared in an app, which we could easily access onboard from our phones. The well-thought-out amenities, such as using a wristband for drinks and not having to show a room card for dinner, made it so we didn't have to think about anything. We truly felt like we were on vacation.

The bartending staff was friendly, and the service was impressive. Plus, the layout of the boat was easy to navigate. We took advantage of the laundry service for a small fee, as it was reasonable and made our trip more convenient.

In addition, the boat offered other amenities, such as a gym, gaming areas, spa, and shopping boutiques. They even had a tattoo parlor onboard and a medical-grade spa offering botox. Even though we didn't end up using these additional services, it was still nice to know they were available.

We could have spent longer at the destinations

Ironically, the destinations were the most disappointing part of our experience. The cruise made a stop in Puerto Plata and Bimini. Since they were around six hours each, including disembarking and embarking, we didn't get to experience as much of the culture as we would have liked.

That said, we enjoyed a pre-booked waterfall excursion in the Dominican Republic, which we paid for separately. Bimini felt like an extension of the cruise because we stopped at a Virgin-owned beach club for the day. It was fun, but we wish we could have seen more of the island culture.

Even despite that, we felt the cruise was a good value. The quality of the food and the room alone made it worth the investment. Plus, the boat was a great way to travel with friends. In the future, we would cruise again, especially if we could have more time at each stop to improve the experience.

from All Content from Business Insider https://ift.tt/VRv3MOC
via IFTTT