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A new startup is leaning on the power of recommendations to spread the word about indie films. Olyn offers a direct-to-consumer platform for film and video distribution, enabling filmmakers to retain up to 90% of their revenue. Billed as Shopify for filmmakers, Olyn removes the platform as a middleman, eliminating ads and algorithm-driven recommendations. This allows movies to shine based on their own merits and be monetized directly through viewership. Ana Maria Jipa, cofounder and CEO of Olyn, told TechCrunch that the filmmakers are responsible for the movies promotion, while Olyn handles the rest. We provide all the tech that implies: from DRM, 4K streaming, casting, a full landing page that presents the film in the same way that it might appear on Netflix or Apple TV, plus all the other tools such as geo-targeting, analytics, and audience data, she said. They promote their movie with PR, journalists, bloggers, film critics, etc. The idea is that while filmmakers may not have access to the big marketing budgets of streaming giants, a recommendation from someone a user knows and trusts carries far more weight than a suggestion by a platform algorithm. On Olyn, filmmakers can rely on influencers, film critics, and content creators as distribution partners with purchase links appearing across their content, blogs, and social media. Olyn also provides filmmakers with detailed analytics on viewership, including the locations where their movie is performing well, total minutes watched, and a database of users who have viewed the film. This allows filmmakers to better understand their audience and use that information to inform and improve future projects. Jipa says Olyns global reach can also help battle piracysomething thats been an issue for film studios since the advent of the internet. If someone can pay for a movie and watch it instantly without the hassle of trawling the internet just to settle for a sketchy stream littered with ads, theyre much more likely to do so. And if you’re after a recommendation, the recent Brian Epstein biopic Midas Man, a film about the manager of the Beatles, just dropped on the platform.
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E-Commerce
Over the past month, as Elon Musk began to chaotically dismantle government agencies through the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), federal workers started to mobilize to fight back. One step is happening today, February 19: In a national day of action, workers will be protesting in front of federal buildings and Tesla dealerships, along with citizens who want to show support for the work that federal agencies do, from consumer protection to cancer research. The message is that we need to save our public services from billionaires who want to defund them, says Mark Smith, an occupational therapist at the VA hospital in San Francisco who is president of the local chapter of the National Federation of Federal Employees, a union that represents more than 100,000 workers and is part of the Federal Unionists Network, a movement of rank-and-file workers thats independent from union affiliations and has been quickly growing since Musk got to D.C. At a protest in front of the Tesla showroom in San Francisco, federal workers will be joined by citizens who benefit from federal servicesincluding veterans who get healthcare from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); tenants who get housing from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); consumers who get the benefit of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which Musk has all but gutted; and people who appreciate the clean air and water provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). All of us will be out there just trying to show that were not going to be quiet, Smith says. Were going to stand up and were going to fight back. Though some of the protests are happening in front of Tesla stores, Smith emphasizes that they stand in solidarity with workers at Tesla factories. “What Musk is doing to us right now is the same thing he has done to Tesla workers in the factories in California,” he says. “In 2017, he tried to lay off a bunch of Tesla workers and say that it was for performance so they could get around the California rules around layoffs,” he says. “That’s a playbook he’s well-versed in.” DOGE plans to access Department of Labor (DOL) data, though unions fought against it. The DOL previously had 17 open investigations into Tesla and SpaceX. OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, has fined Musk multiple times for safety violations. (OSHA, which has a database containing whistleblower information, is yet another agency DOGE is reportedly targeting.) “I think it behooves all of us to stand up together and say that we’re not going to let Musk drag us back to the 19th century in terms of working conditions,” Smith says. The group also wants to help the public understand that federal employees aren’t just bureaucrats pushing paper. Federal workers are park rangers. Federal workers are VA nurses. Federal workers are the folks who get your social security checks out on time, says Smith. Federal workers are wildland firefighters putting out the massive fires in California and wherever else. Federal workers are scientists and researchers looking at cancer. Many different unions represent different groups of federal workers. Those unions have also been growingSmith says that his own union has seen more sign-ups in the past two weeks than over the past six months. Federal unions have multiple lawsuits underway against DOGE’s work. But the informal Federal Unionist Network, also known as FUN, is helping connect workers across agencies, and educating workers who are new to unions, about how to take collective action. Already, as DOGE has paralyzed agencies like USAID and the CFPB, it’s led to real-world consequences. (In one of many examples, tens of millions of dollars’ worth of emergency food aid, grown by U.S. farmers, sat in ports and warehouses last week waiting to spoil after DOGE virtually shut down USAID.) Some federal employees who have already left, particularly at higher levels of management, have taken valuable institutional knowledge with them that can’t easily be replaced. Many in the newest generation of federal workers, who’ve faced layoffs, have likely decided to find work in the private sector instead. It’s understandable, of course, for federal workers to be afraid of DOGE and feel powerless. But Smith says that they need to recognize the strength of working together. “Our national unions and other groups are doing the hard work of lobbying and filing lawsuits, but at the end of the day, workers acting together is really how we can exercise our power,” he says.
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E-Commerce
The term polar vortex usually refers to the gigantic circular upper air weather pattern in the Arctic region. It is a normal pattern that is stronger in the winter and keeps some of the coldest weather bottled up near the North Pole. But at times, some of the vortex can break off or move south, bringing unusually cold weather south and permitting warmer weather to creep up north. This week, parts of the U.S. are experiencing the 10th and coldest polar vortex event this season. Weather forces in the Arctic are combining to push the chilly air into the U.S. and Europe. With record snow in New Orleans last month and drought and destructive wildfires in Southern California, this winter has not been normal. The latest projected cold outbreak will bring bone-chilling temperatures to the Northern and Central Plains for several days, starting Sunday. Wind chills dropped to minus 60 Fahrenheit (minus 51 Celsius) in parts of North Dakota Monday and minus 50 F (minus 46 C) in parts of Montana. Wind chills were expected to dip even lower Tuesday morning. Frostbite and hypothermia will occur if unprotected skin is exposed to these temperatures. An extended period of freezing temperatures could cause ruptured water pipes, the NWS warned Monday. Meteorologists expect strong winds to make the cold feel even worse. Every U.S. state but Hawaii, California, and Florida have some or all parts forecast to have a good chance of windchills of 20 degrees or below sometime next week, the National Weather Service predicted. Some experts say disruptions to polar vortexes are happening more frequently because of a warming world. A warmer Artic gives more energy to atmospheric waves that can drive weather patterns, making the waves more likely to disrupt the vortex and move colder air south into lower latitudes. Despite the unusually cold winter across the U.S., the world remains in an overall warming pattern. Earths average overall temperature set yet another monthly heat record in January. It was the 18th month of the last 19 that the world hit or passed the internationally agreed upon warming limit of 1.5 C (2.7 F) above preindustrial times.
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E-Commerce
Nike is making a major play for female consumers and the athleisure market with its Skims partnership for a new womens brand called NikeSkims. Set to debut this spring, the line will include apparel, footwear, and accessories. The two companies are marketing it as a blend of what each brand is best known forNike for its innovation, sports science, and athlete insights, and Skims for its style and body-inclusive design. Over the past five years, Skims has redefined the intimates and casual apparel landscape, championing inclusivity and confidence,” Skims CEO and cofounder Jens Grede said in a statement. “Now, by partnering with Nike, the undisputed leader in athletic performance and innovation, were poised to create a new standard in the activewear market.” [Photo: Nike] What makes NikeSkims unique The partnership marks the first time in Nike history it’s launched a new brand with an outside company. NikeSkims represents one of the most mass-market collaborations yet for Skims, which has partnered in recent years with the NBA, the North Face, and Dolce & Gabbana. It also solidifies the underwear and shapewear brands deeper push into sports apparel. Skims launched its men’s line with pro athletes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nick Bosa, and Neymar Jr., and became the official underwear brand of the NBA, WNBA, and USA Basketball. NikeSkims indicated it isn’t ruling out apparel for men down the line. For Nike, it’s a chance to play catch-up in the athleisure space where it’s been lapped by competitors like Lululemon, Hoka, and On. Those brands early investment in comfortable activewear has paid off as the category has continued to grow in popularity since the pandemic. While Nike has traditionally anchored its entire design language in performance innovation, the Skims partnership offers the company a wider lane. Heidi ONeill, president of consumer, product, and brand at Nike, says NikeSkims will serve women so they can feel strong and sexy. Nike keeps charting its comeback The NikeSkims announcement is the latest step in the storied sports apparel brand’s attempt to right the ship, and a sign that Nike sees women and girls as key to regaining its footing. Nike aired its first Super Bowl ad in 27 years (starring an all-female cast of athletes including basketball star Caitlin Clark and U.S. track and field Olympian Sha’Carri Richardson), and its newest signature shoe, with Las Vegas Aces center Aja Wilson, was announced this month. “No footwear or apparel brand delivers the level of support Nike provides to womens sport and movement,” Amy Montagne, Nike Women’s VP and general manager, said in a statement. With NikeSkims, “were deepening that support.” By partnering with Skims, Nike is betting on the cultural cachet of a hip, younger brand, and the power of teamwork as it plots its comeback.
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E-Commerce
One of President Donald Trumps major promises during the 2024 presidential campaign was to launch mass deportations of immigrants living in the U.S. without legal authorization. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has said that, since January 2025, it is detaining and planning to deport 600 to 1,100 immigrants a day. That marks an increase from the average 282 immigration arrests that happened each day in September 2024 under the Biden administration. The current trend would place the Trump administration on track to apprehend 25,000 immigrants in Trumps first month in office. On an annual basis, this is about 300,000far from the millions and millions of immigrants Trump promised to deport. A lack of funding, immigration officers, immigration detention centers, and other resources has reportedly impeded the administrations deportation work. The Trump administration is seeking $175 billion from Congress to use for the next four years on immigration enforcement, Axios reported on February 11, 2025. If Trump does make good on his promise of mass deportations, our research shows that removing millions of immigrants would be costly for everyone in the U.S., including American citizens and businesses. Food costs will increase One important factor is that mass deportations would weaken key industries in the U.S. that rely on immigrant workers, including those living in the U.S. illegally. Overall, immigrants without legal authorization make up about 5% of the total U.S. workforce. But that overall percentage doesnt reflect these immigrants concentrated presence within various industries. Approximately half of U.S. farmworkers are living in the country without legal authorization, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Some of these immigrant farmworkers are skilled supervisors who make decisions about planting and harvesting. Others know how to use and maintain tractors, loaders, diggers, rakers, fertilizer sprayers, irrigation systems, and other machines crucial to farm operations. If those workers were to be suddenly removed from the country, Americans would see an increase in food costs, including what they spend on groceries and at restaurants. With fewer available workers to pick fruits and vegetables and prepare the food for shipment and distribution, the domestic production of food could decrease, leading to higher costs and more imports. National estimates of the restaurant and food preparation workforce, meanwhile, indicate that between 10% and 15% of those workers are immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. Past state-level immigration enforcement policies offer an idea of what could happen at the national level if Trump were to carry out widespread deportations. For example, a 2011 Alabama law called HB-56 directed local police officers to investigate the immigration status of drivers stopped for speeding. It also prohibited landlords from renting properties to immigrants who do not have legal authorization to work or live in the country. That law and its resulting effects prompted some Alabama-based immigrant workers to leave the state following workplace raids. Their departure wound up costing the state an estimated $2.3 billion to $10.8 billion loss in Alabamas annual gross domestic product due to the loss of workers and economic output. Other industries that rely on immigrants Part of the challenge of mass deportations for industries like construction, nearly a quarter of whose workers are living without legal authorization, is that their workforce is highly skilled and not easily replaced. Immigrant workers are particularly involved in home construction and specialize in such tasks as ceiling and flooring installation as well as roofing and drywall work. Fewer available workers would mean slower home construction, which in turn would make housing more expensive, further compounding existing problems of housing supply and affordability. Shocks from deportations would also slow commercial and public infrastructure construction. Six construction workers, for example, died in April 2024 in the sudden collapse of the Baltimore Key Bridge in Maryland. All of them were Latino immigrants living in the U.S. without legal documentation. Examining the arguments Trump administration officials and other politicians have argued that deporting large numbers of immigrants would help the country save money, since fewer people will use federal and state funds by attending public schools or receiving temporary shelter. Trump said in November 2024 that there is no price tag for large-scale deportations. Its not a question of price tag, Trump said. We have no choice. When people have killed and murdered, when drug lords have destroyed countries, and now theyre going to go back to those countries because theyre not staying here, Trump told NBC News. Trump and his supporters also argue that deporting immigrants would mean more jobs for American workers. But there is compelling evidence to the contrary. First, immigrants are filling labor shortages and doing jobs that many Americans dont want to do, ones that might be unsafe or poorly paid. Even if Americans were willing to do those jobs, there simply arent enough Americans in the workforce to fill existing labor vacuums, let alone an enlarged one following deportations. Second, for employers, having fewer workers in the country translates into higher wages, which in turn means less capital to adapt and grow. For businesses based on consumer debt (think mortgages, car loans, and credit cards) deportations would disrupt the financial sector by removing responsible borrowers who make consistent payments. Third, immigrants living without legal documentation in the U.S. pay more than $96 billion in federal, state, and local taxes per year and consume fewer public benefits than citizens. Immigrants without legal authorization are not eligible for Social Security benefits and cant enroll in Medicare or many other safety net programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The bottom line In other words, people who are living and working in the U.S. without legal authorization are helping to pay, through taxes, the costs of caring for Americans as they age and begin to draw on the nations retirement and healthcare programs. The burden from recent inflation notwithstanding, an economy supported by immigrants living illegally in the U.S. protects Americans. The U.S. would be unable to dodge the economic shocks and high costs that mass deportations would bring about. Francisco I. Pedraza is a professor of political science at Arizona State University. Jason L. Morín is a professor of political science at California State University, Northridge. Loren Collingwood is an associate professor of political science at the University of New Mexico. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Category:
E-Commerce
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