Rivers are Life Premieres ‘The Captain & the Super Clams’
MIDLAND, Mich., June 5, 2024 (Newswire.com) - Today, Rivers are Life proudly premieres its newest film "The Captain & The Super Clams'' which takes viewers to the east coast of Florida to Indian River Lagoon. This journey brings us alongside River Heroes Dr. Todd Osbourne and fishing legend Captain Blair Wiggins, as they work to restore the clam population that was decimated by unregulated commercial clamming in the 1990s.
From being on the water each day, Captain Blair noticed a dramatic decrease in the local clam population. Clams work as natural filtration systems and the water quality began to deteriorate in their absence, creating mass algae blooms that blocked sunlight from reaching the seagrass, which is a vital part of the Indian River Lagoon’s ecosystem. Captain Blair knew that action needed to be taken to bring the clams back, so in 2019, he teamed up with Dr. Todd Osbourne and the Indian River Clam Restoration Project.
After days of searching for surviving clams, the team was only able to find 39 that survived in an area that once hosted over 9 billion clams. These 39 “super clams” were then transported to the University of Florida’s Whitney Laboratory where the team carefully bred them, producing millions of clams that were ready to be returned to the lagoon. The Indian River Clam Restoration Project team continues to carefully monitor the quality of the ecosystem by collecting data and conducting scientific water tests regularly. The team is also taking an innovative approach to building new breeding areas within the lagoon, such as using a drone to spread new clams across large areas which used to be done by hand.
"As an avid outdoor enthusiast, what was happening here in the lagoon was easily noticeable and we knew that changes needed to be made," said Dr. Todd Osbourne. "Teaming up with Blair and the Indian River Clam Restoration Project has allowed us to take a scientific approach while incorporating local knowledge and grassroots efforts from folks who love living and fishing here."
"The Captain & The Super Clams" showcases the positive impact that a local community can have on their natural surroundings. By monitoring and noticing the negative changes in the lagoon over time, the Indian River Lagoon community was able to pivot and provide resources that will help restore their local waterway, bringing a thriving clam population back to naturally filter the water.
"The Captain & The Super Clams" premieres June 5, 2024
Watch "The Captain & The Super Clams" here.
Contact Information:Katie Horning
Head of Brand, Rivers are Life Brand Division, BeAlive Inc.
khorning@gobealive.com
989-491-1019
Original Source: Rivers are Life Premieres 'The Captain & the Super Clams'
Education
Gratz College Launches America’s First Master’s Degree in Antisemitism Studies
PHILADELPHIA, February 22, 2024 (Newswire.com) - Gratz College is launching the first Master of Arts degree program in Antisemitism Studies in the United States in Fall 2024. This ground-breaking program will help fill the vacuum of knowledge about antisemitism across Jewish, non-Jewish, and governmental organizations responsible for generating policy to combat prejudice at a time of unprecedented Jew hatred.
It will:
• Provide an academic home for those seeking to develop both a deep theoretical and practical understanding of antisemitism;
• Help generate new and impactful research on the factors that contribute to growing antisemitism and test interventions that can successfully combat it; and
• Arm educators and practitioners with the most effective antisemitism pedagogy and programming.
Through degree concentrations in teaching, advocacy and research, graduates of this program will be uniquely qualified for prominent careers in education, think tanks, government relations, public policy, and community organizations (Jewish and non-Jewish).
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is eager to see this program take shape:
“We’re seeing a dangerous rise in antisemitism, hatred, and bigotry across our country – and it’s more important than ever that Pennsylvanians be equipped with a thorough knowledge of our shared history and the skills to discern fact from fiction. Gratz College is already renowned for its Holocaust and Genocide Studies programs, and I am encouraged the College is expanding upon that work with a new Master’s degree in Antisemitism Studies. I wish the faculty, staff, and especially the inaugural class of Antisemitism Studies students, great success in their work.”
The program is directed by Dr. Ayal Feinberg, antisemitism studies expert and Director of the Center for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights at Gratz College. The program boasts a distinguished interdisciplinary faculty from academia and leading public advocacy organizations. Despite its infancy, the degree has been endorsed by nearly one hundred scholars and public policy experts from around the world. Professor of Political Science at Kalamazoo College R. Amy Elman asserts, “With an emphasis on operationalizing knowledge, informed teaching and ethical advocacy, Gratz’s innovative graduate program fulfills a deep need in countering antisemitism.”
Gratz’s Antisemitism Studies program is also establishing ground-breaking partnerships with the world’s most prominent Jewish organizations and programs to combat antisemitism in the classroom, on campus, and in professional workspaces. In the first such partnership, Gratz and The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History have joined forces to launch the National Education Fellowship on Antisemitism. The aim of this fellowship is to generate and assess paradigm-shifting middle and high school curriculum to reduce Jew-hatred and prejudice more broadly.
As an early adopter of online education, a 128-year history of Jewish learning, and home to the world’s largest graduate program in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Gratz is uniquely qualified to take on this necessary and overdue program.
On March 4, 2024, the master’s degree program will kick-off with a series of public lectures, including by scholars serving as affiliate faculty for the program. On April 2, 2024, Dr. Avinoam Patt, inaugural director of NYU’s Center for Study of Antisemitism and the Maurice Greenberg Professor of Holocaust Studies, will deliver a keynote lecture, titled, "Awake My People": Jewish Responses to Antisemitism in the Modern Period.” Additional talks will take place before the program officially begins in August.
Prospective students eager to start may apply now and take courses as early as March 2024 with electives in Antisemitism Studies already developed as a preview to the program.
Gratz College is grateful to the Isidore and Penny Myers Foundation for generously supporting the launch of the Antisemitism Studies program. Jay Myers, Board Chair, shared: “The Isidore and Penny Myers Foundation, a family foundation guided by Jewish American values, sees great worth in educating future generations about the roots of Antisemitism, and by doing so, working to combat it. This degree program will create scholars who can devote their talent to meet this challenge. Our Foundation is proud to support this work and by so doing, meet our obligation to help repair the world.”
Contact: lcohen@gratz.edu for more information.
Contact Information:Lori Cohen
Director of Marketing and Design
lcohen@gratz.edu
215-635-7300 x182
Original Source: Gratz College Launches America's First Master's Degree in Antisemitism Studies
Latest Fit News
Switch Introduces Handbag Rentals From $45/Month
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Switch has added handbags by Prada, Chanel, and other luxury designers as part of its $45\/month Core service.
LOS ANGELES, March 7, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Luxury accessory rental startup Switch has launched handbags as part of its low-priced Core membership tier. Until now, Switch's Core membership exclusively featured jewelry. The expansion means that members will be able to borrow designer handbags by luxury fashion brands including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Christian Dior for $45 per month.
While other luxury rental services have emerged in recent years, none have offered access to luxury handbags at such a low price point. The move highlights Switch's ambition to make luxury more attainable.
"Switch is all about challenging traditional notions of luxury," said Adriel Darvish, Co-Founder and CEO of Switch. "By adding handbags to our Core membership, our goal is to make the luxury experience, which has traditionally been hyper-exclusive and intimidating, more inclusive and fun."
The move follows the wildly successful rollout of its higher-end tier Switch Select at the end of last year. Select features jewelry and handbags with an average retail value of $4,000, which members can borrow for $195 per month. Because of the continued high demand, aspiring Select members must sign up for a waitlist, from which members are admitted on a rolling basis.
"The success of our Select membership has highlighted the immense demand for luxury handbags," added Switch President and co-founder Liana Kadisha Cohn. "Once we saw that customer interest, we quickly responded by making it a part of our Core offering as well."
All Switch plans allow members to borrow their pieces for as long as they want, exchange them as often as they want, and purchase their favorites at a discounted price.
ABOUT SWITCH
Switch is on a mission to revolutionize luxury by providing unparalleled access to designer accessories. For a monthly fee starting at $45/month, members can borrow from an ever-expanding trove of designer jewelry and handbags and exchange it any time, as often as they wish. Members also earn credit each month, which they can use towards purchasing their favorites at a discount. Switch is the grown-up's dress-up trunk — a place for play, discovery, and owning your style (albeit not literally).
Contact Information:Natallie Mashian
Head of PR and Partnerships
natallie@joinswitch.com
(310) 666-0641
Original Source: Switch Introduces Handbag Rentals From $45/Month
