As the Kincade Fire continues to blaze in Sonoma County, vintners and winery owners are facing devastating impacts to vineyards and infrastructure for the third consecutive year. Justine Vanden Heuvel, associate professor of horticulture and viticulture expert, says while 90% of fruit was harvested before the Kincade Fire started, smoke taint, vine damage and loss of infrastructure and wine in storage continue to be major challenges in regions where wildfires are becoming more common.

Food & Agriculture

Energy, Environment & Sustainability

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On Tuesday, Amazon announced that it would start offering free food delivery for Prime members. The announcement comes over two years after the Seattle-based tech giant acquired Whole Foods in an effort to develop its business in the grocery and food industries.  Daniel Hooker, senior lecturer in food industry management at Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business, says that while Amazon may yield short-term gains from offering free deliveries, shoppers will need more convincing before they give up on brick-and-mortar grocery stores.

Economics and Business

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

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Wegmans is set to open this Sunday at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City. Edward McLaughlin, emeritus professor of food industry management, says given Wegmans’ supermarket innovation in service and products, New York City will now be able to relish in the legendary service, restaurant-quality prepared foods and wide selection of goods that are the envy of supermarket companies around the globe.

Food & Agriculture

New York City

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Google announced Wednesday an experimental quantum processor completed a calculation in just a few minutes, a process that would take a traditional supercomputer thousands of years.

Computing & Information Sciences

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This Halloween, Americans are expected to spend a near-record amount of $8.8 billion on costumes and other decorations. While the holiday traditionally attracts a core of committed fans, many are also peer-pressured to jump into the festivity’s spending.  Ori Heffetz, professor of applied economics at Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business, is an expert on consumption and studies the psychological, social and cultural aspects of economic behavior. Heffetz says that when it comes to celebrations, Halloween has become the holiday to show off one’s status.

Economics and Business

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

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On Monday, Thailand’s King Vajiralongkorn stripped his royal consort – Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi – of her official ranks for “repeated disobedience and attempts to of interference with royal affairs.” The palace order comes three months after Sineenat – rumored to be the king’s longtime mistress – was given the official title of royal consort. Tamara Loos, professor of history and Thai studies at Cornell University, says the move is a sign of the King’s newfound absolutism.

International

Arts and Sciences

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The New York City Council is currently voting on a plan to close Rikers Island by 2026 and replace the complex with four new jails in Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens. Christopher Wildeman, policy analysis and management professor, studies the consequences of mass imprisonment for inequality, with an emphasis on families, health, and children. He says the the plan to close Rikers would be a major step forward in improving confinement conditions for those incarcerated in New York City.

Human Ecology

Law, Government & Public Policy

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On Thursday, teachers in Chicago went on a strike after their union (CTU) rejected a deal from the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Lee Adler, an expert on education and collective bargaining at Cornell University’s ILR School, says that to the union’s decision not to take the city’s offer stems from a desire to fix more than just teachers’ salaries.   

Industrial and Labor Relations

Labor Relations & Human Resources

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After prolonged negotiations and a monthlong strike General Motors (GM) reached a preliminary agreement with the United Auto Workers (UAW) on Wednesday about contracts. Arthur Wheaton, an expert of the automotive industry at Cornell University’s ILR School, says that after it’s ratified, the deal will likely affect negotiations at the other two carmaker giants, Ford and Fiat Chrysler. 

Economics and Business

Industrial and Labor Relations

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The report “Stopping Sexual Harassment in the Empire State: Past, Present, and a Possible Future” released by researchers from the Worker Institute at Cornell University’s ILR School found that 10.9% of New York residents report having experienced quid pro quo workplace sexual harassment at some point in their careers. KC Wagner, co-author of the report, has specialized in promoting workplace inclusion and preventing sexual harassment and other forms of gender-based violence for over 30 years.

New York State

Business, Economics & Entrepreneurship

Industrial and Labor Relations

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