Tag: Toxic

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Business

Ellen DeGeneres Loses 1 Million Viewers After Apologies for Poisonous Office

Ellen DeGeneres Loses 1 Million Viewers After Apologies for Toxic Workplace

Ms. DeGeneres’ public perception began to change in July when BuzzFeed reported that several former and current employees of the show said they encountered “racism, fear and intimidation” on the set. Several employees also said the producers sexually molested them. Warner Bros. examined the workplace and found “deficiencies”. Three senior producers were sacked, including Ed Glavin, an executive producer; Jonathan Norman, co-executive producer; and Kevin Leman, the chief writer. Ms. DeGeneres apologized to her staff before addressing her viewers in September.

Some observers believe the allegations may have weakened Ms. DeGeneres’ relationship with her audience. The presenter built her show as an oasis of the outside world, as a place of silly dancing, easy jokes, gifts of money for surprised viewers and prominent guests with high performance. A few years ago, she adopted the “be friendly” slogan in response to the suicide of Tyler Clementi, a gay college student who took his own life after being bullied.

“Not only is your brand pretty nice – it’s ‘Be Kind,'” said Stephen Galloway, dean of Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. “She chose two words to stamp herself. You can’t let hypocrisy define any better than having selected these two words to define yourself and everyone will see the opposite is true on your show.

“The reason the incident with the producers was so difficult and dangerous is because for the first time something appeared to suggest that a family – Ellen’s own professional family – is no longer working,” he continued.

Ms. DeGeneres referred to her motto in her apology. “To be known as the Be Kind Lady is a difficult position,” she said. “So let me give you some advice. If someone is thinking of changing their title or giving themselves a nickname, then don’t go with the Be Kind Lady. “She added that she was indeed the happy person she appeared to be on TV, but also someone who experienced moments of sadness, fear and impatience.

In addition to her daily show, Ms. DeGeneres is also a prime-time star for NBC – and her show for that network, “Ellen’s Game of Games,” also a Warner production, has lost 32 percent of its viewers and 35 percent in adulthood this season Demographics that matter to advertisers.

Despite the complications affecting all talk shows during the pandemic, “Ellen” has seen a bigger drop than its rivals, losing 43 percent of the audience. Dr. Phil is down 22 percent and The Kelly Clarkson show is down 26 percent. Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest’s show is down 3 percent and Tamron Hall is down 9 percent .

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Health

Democrats push FDA to manage poisonous metals in child meals

Democrats push FDA to regulate toxic metals in baby food

Democrats urge FDA to regulate toxic metals in baby food after research finds high levels.

Chris Tobin | DigitalVision | Getty Images

Top Democrats are urging the FDA to regulate toxic metals in baby formula after a Congressional investigation found metals like arsenic, lead, and cadmium to be found in far higher amounts than permitted in bottled water and other products.

Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. And Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. As well as the representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill. And Tony Cardenas, D-Calif., Told CNBC that they are asking regulators to limit the levels of toxic heavy metals in baby food.

The Food and Drug Administration does not currently set limits for heavy metals in baby food, particularly for arsenic in rice grain. The agency regulates other toxins in consumer products such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium in bottled water.

The four Democrats said Thursday they had drafted laws that would tighten regulations on baby food safety and sent them to FDA staff for technical review. However, lawmakers want the FDA to use their existing regulator to take immediate action.

“Through our legislation and FDA regulations, we will ensure that the baby foods we put on the market are safe and that our children are safe,” Krishnamoorthi said in a statement. “I am proud to work with my colleagues, along with the FDA, stakeholders and health professionals across the country, to develop major reforms.”

An FDA spokeswoman said the agency takes exposure to toxic metals in food “extremely seriously” and that the agency is reviewing the results of the Congressional investigation. She added that “The FDA has not commented on whether it has received requests for technical assistance regarding the legislation, but we would look forward to working with Congress on the matter.”

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., During the House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing titled Protecting the Timely Delivery of Mail, Medicines and Postal Ballots on Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in the Rayburn House office building.

Tom Williams | CQ Appeal, Inc. | Getty Images

A subcommittee of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, chaired by Krishnamoorthi, released the results of its 15-month investigation in February. It used data from four companies – Nurture, Hain Celestial Group, Beech-Nut Nutrition, and Gerber, a unit of Nestle – that responded to the subcommittee’s requests for information on testing guidelines and test results for their products.

The research found that “baby food companies weren’t looking for parents and young children the way we all expected – instead they knowingly sold us tainted products,” said Krishnamoorthi.

Hain said at the time that the investigation “did not reflect our current practices,” adding that the company’s internal standards “meet or exceed current federal guidelines.”

Gemma Hart, a spokeswoman for Nurture, told the New York Times at the time that their products were safe and that the metals were only present in “trace amounts”. Beech-Nut said Thursday that the company is “committed to continuously improving its internal standards and testing processes as technology and knowledge evolve.” Dana Stambaugh, a spokeswoman for Gerber, said the company is taking steps to minimize metals in its products.

Three other baby food companies – Walmart, Sprout Organic Foods, and Campbell Soup – did not provide all of the information requested. At the time the investigation was published, Campbell said its products were safe and cited the lack of FDA standards for heavy metals in baby food.

A Walmart representative told Reuters at the time that private label product suppliers must meet their own specifications, “which for baby and toddler foods means the levels must meet or fall below the limits set by the FDA.”

Sprout did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

“Like parents across America, I was horrified to learn that trusted baby food brands knowingly sell products that are high in toxic lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium,” Rep. Cardenas said Thursday. “I urge the FDA to use their existing agencies to take immediate regulatory action.

The investigation found that heavy metals are naturally found in some grains and vegetables, but added that levels can be increased if manufacturers add other tainted ingredients to baby food. According to the report, companies rarely test their products for contamination before sending them to stores.

“It is unacceptable that, despite parents’ efforts to protect their children, some leading baby formula manufacturers have launched products that expose children to dangerous toxins,” Klobuchar said in a statement. “This legislation will protect children and ensure a healthy start by holding manufacturers accountable for removing toxins from infant and toddler foods.”

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Business

‘Reply All’ Podcast Is Paused After Accusations of Poisonous Tradition

‘Reply All’ Podcast Is Paused After Accusations of Toxic Culture

The popular Gimlet Media podcast, Reply All, was paused and its series, which addressed racism allegations by food magazine Bon Appétit, was discontinued after former Gimlet employees complained that one of its hosts and a reporter himself was becoming a toxic work culture had contributed.

On Thursday, co-host Alex Goldman announced to the audience in a two-minute statement posted on the Reply All feed entitled “A Message from the Staff From“ Reply All ”” that senior reporter Sruthi Pinnamaneni and Co -host PJ Vogt had decided to leave the podcast. Last week, former colleagues accused them of opposing union efforts that many black workers believed necessary to increase diversity and create an equal workplace.

“Former colleagues of ours at Gimlet have publicly described several cases of worrying behavior from both Sruthi and my longtime co-host PJ Vogt,” Goldman said in the statement released Thursday. “These reports prompted our team to settle the work culture at ‘Reply All’ and ask us whether we could continue broadcasting the story without asking ourselves and what was going on at Gimlet. We now understand that we should never have released the series as reported, and the fact that we did was a systematic editorial error. “

On Twitter and in interviews last week, former Gimlet employees said they viewed Mr. Vogt and Ms. Pinnamaneni’s involvement in the “Test Kitchen” series as hypocritical.

Eric Eddings, a former Gimlet employee who co-hosted The Nod podcast, said he couldn’t believe Ms. Pinnamaneni was telling a series about racism and toxicity in the workplace when she and Mr. Vogt asked for a “nearly identical” atmosphere at Gimlet was responsible.

Mr Vogt and Mrs Pinnamaneni publicly apologized after the allegations surfaced. They didn’t respond to requests for comment on Thursday.

Mr. Goldman said the remaining two episodes of “Test Kitchen,” which were supposed to be a four-part series, would not be released. He apologized to the audience for “our many mistakes”.

“We apologize to our colleagues and our former colleagues who we hurt,” he said. “We are sorry for you, our listeners. And of course we apologize to the people who spoke to us for the ‘test kitchen’ and told us their extremely personal stories. “

The two previously published episodes of “Test Kitchen” would stay online, Goldman said with an additional disclaimer. “Reply to All” would be interrupted, he said, as the show staff assessed what had gone wrong. “Once we fully understand it ourselves, we want to tell you as best we can what happened,” said Goldman.

A spokesman for Spotify, which acquired Gimlet Media in February 2019, said Mr. Vogt and Ms. Pinnamaneni would stay with Gimlet despite not being on the podcast. He didn’t give any details about her new roles.

Mr. Goldman and Mr. Vogt started with “Reply All” in 2014 and adapted it from their previous WNYC radio show “TLDR” (too long; not read). Episodes in recent years have taken listeners to phone scam rings in India and on a journey to track down a Song that a director heard on the radio as a teenager.

Mr Eddings and other former Gimlet employees said that Mr Vogt and Ms. Pinnamaneni were firmly opposed to union efforts, which were seen by black workers as the only way to create an environment in which they could thrive and that the two were theirs Efforts declined to diversify the staff. In one case, according to Mr. Eddings, Mr. Vogt sent derogatory text messages to a Gimlet employee who was involved in the union effort that left the employee in tears.

On the second installment in the Test Kitchen series that Ms. Pinnamaneni recounts, Ms. Pinnamaneni said that Gimlet had “its own version” of the problems Bon Appétit was facing.

“The white people who ran the place hired people of color and promised them changes that never seemed to fully materialize,” she said later. When a group of employees tried to change the atmosphere in Gimlet through union formation, they chose not to join the effort, she said. “As I’ve talked about it, I’ve talked about the way your fight got on my toes.” She said it took her eight months to report on Bon Appétit to realize how wrong she was.

In a series of tweets on Thursday, Mr Goldman said the announcement did not end “Reply All”.

“We’re just finding out what’s next,” he wrote. “‘Answer All’ wasn’t and is not just Alex and PJ. There’s an insanely talented group of people doing this show.”

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Entertainment

Zendaya on ‘Malcolm & Marie’ and That Poisonous Relationship

Zendaya on ‘Malcolm & Marie’ and That Toxic Relationship

When Zendaya began producing Malcolm & Marie, the Netflix drama she starred in with John David Washington, she never thought it would generate both strong criticism and enthusiasm for the awards season.

The widespread interest shouldn’t come as a surprise: last year, the 24-year-old became the youngest ever winner of an Emmy for Best Actress for her gripping performance as Rue, a struggling teen addict on HBO’s drama series Euphoria. She is now ready for a Critics Choice Award for Malcolm & Marie.

After production of the second season of “Euphoria” was suspended because of the pandemic, Zendaya and the show’s creator, Sam Levinson, wanted to see if they could make a film while the quarantine was in last year. The result was “Malcolm & Marie,” which was filmed in just two weeks by a 22-strong cast and crew (most of whom were working on “Euphoria”) in a house in Northern California that was doubled for Malibu.

“You know, it’s funny if you told us there was going to be a conversation, you know, awards or whatever, that’s crazy! We only found out together, “said Zendaya.

In the film, written and directed by Levinson, a filmmaker named Malcolm (Washington) and his girlfriend Marie (Zendaya) get into a nightly argument after its premiere. Her sometimes abusive, monologue-heavy back and forth includes, among other things, that he forgets to thank her for her contributions to his project, which is about a recovering addict like Marie.

The film’s script was largely postponed, sparking multiple discussions on social media about the age gap between the stars (Washington is 36), a black character story written by a white filmmaker, and the characters’ toxic romance .

“None of us who made the film think they’re in a healthy relationship, you know what I mean?” Zendaya said. “I think it was to explore these insecurities and these dark things about ourselves that I think relationships can get out of us at times.”

The actress, who also produced the film, spoke via video from Atlanta, where she is filming the next “Spider-Man,” about reactions to the film and her hopes of becoming a filmmaker who creates more roles for black women. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

What was the driving force that ultimately motivated you to produce and star in a film during the pandemic?

I think it’s often forgotten because we obviously got to sell it to Netflix, but it really started out as this very, very little thing that we did.

And it was my first time not really having my 9 through 5 [consistent schedule]I’ve had since I was 13 years old. The last project I technically did before “Euphoria” was “KC Undercover”. [that Disney Channel series ended a few months before the HBO show was given the green light]. It was my first time without being – because I never had to know who I am without my job.

I would talk to Sam a lot, and I itched to be creative in any way and get my purpose back. And I thought: what if we just shoot something, you, me and Marcell? [Rév, the cinematographer who worked on the movie and also on “Euphoria”]? And if there was a world where we could do something that we were proud of and that we could sell and hopefully all pay and in that way take care of our crew, that would be the ultimate success goal for all of us.

The film has been criticized for depicting toxic relationships and Sam Levinson writes about a black couple as white men. Was there room for you and John David Washington to work together and make contributions on various aspects of the Black experience?

Yes of course. What is interesting is that I think our agency has been removed a bit. As if this were just some kind of Sam spitting things through us without realizing that we’re not just actors, we’re PGA-marked co-funders and producers. You can only get these if you actually do the job.

I think it also mirrors a bit of Marie’s plight strangely enough, doesn’t it? It’s like Marie saying the whole movie [Malcolm’s film] is mine too. But in real life we ​​have the credit, that’s ours, and John David, me and Sam all own this movie. It’s not like it belongs to anyone else and I was just poured into it. He wrote it for us too, and I think if you want to write something you have to have the experience of [Black] Character you write. I thought a lot of conversations with Sam came through.

There has also been a lot of debate about the age difference. But it feels like the difference fits the context of the film. How do you deal with certain expectations that are placed on you as a former child actor?

It’s interesting that something like this happened because my parents are about 13 years apart. But I also try to look at myself from the outside and I realize that I’ve been playing a teenager since I was a teenager. I still play a 17 year old on TV and in movies. I’m grateful my black isn’t cracking so I can keep doing this.

Some people grew up with me, they see me on Disney Channel, I’m like their little sister or their best friend. And I’m grateful for that. I’m Marie’s age and I think the dynamic, her age difference, is part of her story: she met him when she was in recovery [at] 20 years old. She never really loved anyone or thought someone loved her the way he did. And that plays into their frustrations [about] She’s not getting the approval she deserves, and she may unwrap something [about] She is young and vulnerable. From the outside I totally understood because I play teenagers, but I’m an adult.

Is there something that you hope people referring to parts of the movie will take away?

There is no specific message. It’s more of a piece to open a dialogue. You are the fly on the wall. You observe the code dependency, narcissism, the ups and downs of something that has a lot of toxicity in it. It triggers in different ways for different people because they are connected to different parts of the characters. If there is anything to be changed, it is this idea of ​​gratitude [for] People in our lives who make it possible to do what we do. For any young person who has any kind of relationship and something like toxicity or whatever may be the case, I think understanding your worth is a big deal.

Whose idea was it to pick wrapped macaroni and cheese as a nighttime snack that Marie cooks when they get home?

She has an immense amount of control and a need for control. And I think she knows that she’ll just stall. I will make [him] some mild mac and cheese. And I’m not doing it because I love him. I do it because I’m upset and waiting for him to ask me why. Mac and cheese were just the classic thing that is in every pantry. So yeah, Sam wrote that in there.

I noticed on your social networks that you are posting some photos that you have taken. Are you professionally interested in photography or cinematography?

Very. I would like to be able to become a filmmaker. I don’t know when that will happen. Sam always says I’ll give you a year until you stage something, and I mean, all right, that means you have a year to teach me. So I don’t know what that looks like personally, but I really enjoyed being a producer. And I enjoy the idea of ​​hopefully one day being able to do the things that I want to see, the roles that I want to see for black women. That would be exciting and one of my goals.

Do you have interesting habits or new activities that you developed or started during the pandemic?

I got a piano so I could teach myself. Sometimes I still sit down, not home right now, but I’ll try to look up the YouTube video of a song I like and see if I can learn. Hunter [Schafer, her “Euphoria” castmate]who is closest to me is an amazing artist. Before I went to Atlanta, she bought me a sketchbook and a watercolor paint. I’ll feel if it’s not like the Mona Lisa I’m going down on myself. So the whole thing with this slash sketchbook is doing something. Don’t try to control it.

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Business

Host of ‘Reply All’ Podcast Steps Down After Accusations of Poisonous Tradition

Host of ‘Reply All’ Podcast Steps Down After Accusations of Toxic Culture

PJ Vogt, host of the popular Reply All podcast, said goodbye Wednesday after complaints from former colleagues that he and a senior reporter had contributed to a toxic work environment and opposed union efforts.

Mr. Vogt and senior reporter Sruthi Pinnamaneni each apologized in statements on Twitter.

The allegations at Gimlet Media, which produces Reply All, came after the podcast released its second installment in a series of reports of discrimination in the popular food magazine Bon Appétit video series. Following the Minneapolis Police Department’s murder of George Floyd last year, US newsrooms and media outlets, including the New York Times, have grappled with allegations that they did not adequately address inequalities among their ranks.

Eric Eddings, a former Gimlet employee who co-hosted the podcast “The Nod”, tweeted on Tuesday that “Reply All” and in particular Mr. Vogt and Ms. Pinnamaneni “contributed to an almost identical toxic dynamic at Gimlet” described them in their series on Bon Appétit.

“The BA staff’s stories deserve to be told, but to me it is detrimental that the coverage and storytelling are from two people who have actively and AGGRESSIVELY worked against multiple efforts to diversify Gimlet’s staff and content” , he wrote. “It was so inspiring to hear the words of people who, like me, have suffered from people who have caused this suffering to me and others.”

Mr Vogt, 35, said on Twitter that he “failed profoundly as an ally” when workers unionized and that he apologized to everyone he disappointed. “I should have thought about what it means not to be on the same side of a movement that is largely led by young paintmakers in my company,” he said.

“Today they have my support, but I can lend them,” he wrote. “I was a baby and an idiot in many ways.” He said he asked permission to step back from the show and took time to “think and listen”.

Ms. Pinnamaneni said her behavior regarding diversity and union organization efforts was “poorly informed, ignorant and hurtful”. She said on Twitter: “I didn’t pay enough attention to the colored people in Gimlet and I should have used my strength to support and promote them.”

Mr. Vogt and another presenter, Alex Goldman, started the podcast in 2014 and adapted it from their previous WNYC radio show “TLDR” (too long; not read). In the past few years, “Reply All” episodes have taken listeners to phone scam rings in India, to a maximum security prison in Illinois, and on a trip to track down a guitar song a director heard on the radio as a teenager.

Spotify, which owns Gimlet Media, didn’t respond to a request for comment. Gimlet Media also did not respond to a request for comment.

Her former colleague Mr. Eddings said he heard Mr. Vogt “vilified other colleagues” and “saw personally harassing messages from PJ to union organizers”. Mr. Vogt is not receptive to complaints that employees with color feel that they have no opportunities for advancement, he said.

He also said that he had asked Mr Vogt several times to contribute to diversity efforts, such as joining a diversity group or staff meetings, to show the issue was important to high-profile people, but Mr Vogt was not. He said that people of color on the podcast saw union formation as a way to create an environment in which they could thrive, but that Mr Vogt and Mrs Pinnamaneni were trying to raise support against them.

Brittany Luse, a former Gimlet employee who co-hosted “The Nod” with Mr. Eddings, spoke in support of his statements. “It’s impossible to explain how dark those times were,” she wrote on Twitter, referring to efforts to unite at Gimlet. “Your recoil thickened the air.”

Reggie Ugwu contributed to the coverage.

Categories
Health

Some Child Meals Might Comprise Poisonous Metals, U.S. Studies

Some Baby Food May Contain Toxic Metals, U.S. Reports

While heavy metals are naturally found in some grains and vegetables, levels can be increased when food manufacturers add other ingredients to baby foods such as enzymes as well as high-metal vitamin and mineral mixtures, the report said. Manufacturers rarely test ingredients for mercury.

On August 1, 2019, investigators also described a so-called “secret” presentation by the industry to the FDA. Representatives from Hain told the regulatory authorities that testing only individual ingredients in baby food led to an underestimation of the heavy metal content in the end product.

For example, the inorganic arsenic in Hain’s finished baby formula was between 28 and 93 percent higher than estimated by testing the individual ingredients. Half of the brown rice products were over 100 parts per billion, according to the report.

Robin Shallow, a spokeswoman for Hain Celestial, said the company has not yet seen the report and cannot comment on the details, adding that Hain is continuously developing its internal testing procedures in collaboration with the FDA to ensure our products are safe safety and nutrition exceed standards, including screening for harmful amounts of substances that occur naturally. “

Beech nut, which used ingredients high in arsenic to improve properties like “crumb smoothness” in some products, set very liberal thresholds for arsenic and cadmium in their additives, according to the report: 3,000 ppb cadmium in additives such as vitamin mix and 5,000 ppb lead in one Enzyme additive called BAN 800.

The company used cinnamon, which contained 886.9 ppb lead, according to the report. The company’s standards for cadmium and lead in additive ingredients “far exceed any existing legal standard,” investigators said. Other added spices such as oregano and cumin were also high in lead.

For comparison, the FDA has stated that lead should not exceed 5 ppb in bottled water, 50 ppb in juices, and 100 ppb in candy. Cadmium shouldn’t exceed 5 ppb in bottled water, the agency said. The European Union limits cadmium in infant formula to 15 ppb.