David Lidsky's Blog, page 2723
May 16, 2016
Making Death Easier On Families, The Pocketbook--And The Earth
L.A.-based mortician Caitlin Doughty is helping people reinvent postmortem rituals that are better for all of us.
Caitlin Doughty has dedicated her entire professional life to getting us to rethink—and embrace—death. Her morbid brand includes a blog (The Order of the Good Death), YouTube channel (Ask a Mortician), and best-selling book (Smoke Gets in Your Eyes). Last fall, she opened a not-for-profit mortuary, Undertaking L.A.
This Is Why The Cult Of Muji Is Taking Off In The U.S.
Asako Shimazaki, president of Muji U.S.A., is smartly adapting the popular Japanese brand for organization-obsessed shoppers.
If it seems like the minimalist aesthetic of Japanese housewares brand Muji is everywhere these days, you have Asako Shimazaki to thank. As president of Muji U.S.A., Shimazaki oversaw the launch of a two-story flagship on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan last year, as well as a sprawling new outpost in Palo Alto. The opening of a store in Paramus, New Jersey, this summer will bring the number of American locations to 12 (worldwide, there are more than 400). The timing couldn't be better: Japanese writer Marie Kondo's 2011 self-help tome, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, is a mainstay on U.S. best-seller lists, and with meticulously organized shelves of unadulturated storage containers, kitchenware, and bathroom accessories, Muji offers everything a reformed pack rat needs to keep clutter at bay. Shimazaki is shaping the way the 35-year-old brand is presented to American consumers.
Colorado's Marijuana Czar: "We're Making The Plane As We Fly It"
As Colorado's first director of marijuana coordination, Andrew Freedman navigates challenges that are both complex and precedent-setting.
Andrew Freedman was an education-policy specialist and former chief of staff to Colorado's lieutenant governor when Governor John Hickenlooper tapped him in 2014 to become the state's first "marijuana czar." Today, he's navigating regulatory and public-welfare challenges that are both complex and—because the state was the first to legalize recreational pot—precedent-setting: The choices Colorado makes could define the country's approach to marijuana policy for generations.
Thanks To Garbage Time's Katie Nolan, Sexism In Sports Gets Some Overdue Trash Talk
The host of a late-night comedy show about sports is using her platform to take on some not-very-funny issues.
"Garbage time" is what happens in a blowout game when teams send in their second-string players. It's also the name of former YouTube vlogger Katie Nolan's weekly sports and pop-culture comedy show, which premiered in early 2015 and airs on cable channel Fox Sports 1. Though Garbage Time With Katie Nolan is shot in a closet-size New York studio, it's gained outsize attention thanks to the outspoken Nolan, who's the only woman to solo-host a national sports opinion show.
How Beautycon Stars Are Leading Conversations About Diversity
In the gaggle of beauty vloggers and the fans who love them, Beautycon CEO Moj Mahdara sees much more than just pretty faces.
When digital entrepreneur Moj Mahdara became CEO of Beautycon in 2013, the company was a small startup that hosted conferences for online beauty influencers and their fans. Under Mahdara's watch, Beautycon has bloomed into a full-grown multimedia company with a subscription service, an online hub and global conferences that attract crowds of up to 12,000 people. She spoke with Fast Company about taking young, beauty creators to London and Dubai, and how the web is way ahead of traditional media when it comes to diversity.
How A Princess And A CEO Are Applying The VC Model To Philanthropy
Maverick Collective members commit private funds toward investing in women around the world.
"It was overwhelming, actually," recalls Kate Roberts, CEO of the philanthropic initiative the Maverick Collective, of the emotions that flooded in when she gave birth to her daughter in 2011. As a senior vice president at the not-for-profit Population Services International (PSI), she knew the challenges women face all over the world, including gender-based violence and lack of access to contraception. And she knew that despite all the rhetoric about investing in women, just two cents of every development dollar actually goes toward programs for girls.
Knockout Filmmaker Ryan Coogler On Making Your Creative Mark
The director of Creed and the upcoming Black Panther says your best work is your most personal.
Though he's directed just two feature films—the 2013 indie hit Fruitvale Station, the true story of an unarmed black man who was shot and killed by a police officer in 2009, and last year's Rocky sequel, Creed (both of which star Michael B. Jordan)—Ryan Coogler is quickly turning into a Hollywood heavyweight. Creed earned more than $110 million at the U.S. box office and copious critical acclaim. Now Coogler is gearing up to tackle a Marvel superhero movie, Black Panther, due in theaters in 2018.
The Whole Foods Playbook For Reaching New Markets
Jeff Turnas, who helms the company's new 365 store brand, reveals how they'll appeal to younger shoppers and lower your grocery bill.
When the first 365 by Whole Foods Market location opens on May 25 in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, Whole Foods fans will recognize the new grocery store's quality standards, but not much else: Gone will be the seemingly endless selection of olive oils, the expert cheesemongers, and the artful displays of seasonal produce, single-origin coffee beans, and natural cosmetics. In their place will be simple design, streamlined product offerings—and markedly lower prices. "We're like Whole Foods' scrappy kid sister or brother," says Jeff Turnas, the 21-year Whole Foods veteran at the new brand's helm.
Katrine Bosley's Race To Make Gene Editing A Medical Reality
With an aggressive timeline and a giant war chest, the Editas CEO may be the first to treat genetic mutations using CRISPR technology.
There's no cure for Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a retinal disease that results in severe vision loss at a young age. Its cause is well understood, though: a genetic mutation. If you could find a way to cut out that gene and replace it with a "clean" version, you could cure it. You might also be able to apply the same method to thousands of other diseases caused by gene mutations.
Meet The Woman Behind China's Largest Ride-Sharing Service
Jean Liu has built Didi Chuxing at breathtaking speed. Here's how she did it.
One of Jean Liu's first acts after becoming president of the Beijing-based taxi-hailing service Didi Dache in February 2015 was engineering the surprise merger with its biggest competitor, Kuaidi Dache, to create the formidable transportation service now known as Didi Chuxing. In less than a year and a half, she has increased head count from 700 people to 5,000 as the company adds bus and ride-sharing offerings. She's also lined up partnerships with Grab (Singapore), Ola Cabs (India), and Lyft (the U.S.) to offer Didi passengers in-app booking with these services and raised $3 billion for further expansion—all while fending off Uber's advance into China.
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