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AUTO REVIEW: Vacationing In Palm Springs With The All-Electric 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge: The Rise Of Conscious Design

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Volvo Car USA invited auto media for a vacation-styled test drive of the C40 Recharge — its first pure electric Volvo – for a climactic experience behind the wheel of the latest evolution of Scandinavian engineering, design, and sustainability. An ambitious transformation plan will lead to complete electrification of its vehicles by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2040.
The post AUTO REVIEW: Vacationing In Palm Springs With The All-Electric 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge: The Rise Of Conscious Design first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 years ago

April 12, 2022

Oakland Post

Experienced by Kimatni D. Rawlins, www.AutomotiveRhythms.com

With the pandemic seemingly beginning to dwindle, people have been anxious to travel freely again, whether for vacation or simply to an idyllic destination for a work trip. In my case, I was able to unify the best of both worlds through an excursion to Palm Springs, California, to explore the depths of the all-electric 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge crossover while enjoying downtime in the desert oasis of The Parker Palm Springs.

Work-life and obligatory family responsibilities call for the mind, body, and spirit to recharge as often as possible to offset daily burdens. Therefore, the relaxing resorts, cultured experiences, plant-based eateries, and the mid-century modern architecture of Palm Springs were perfect for my journey. But what’s even more interesting is that the profusion of electric vehicles (EVs) on the market has led us to consciously rethink our lifestyles in order to reduce carbon footprints from what we eat and drink to how we drive and live. Humans overconsume in every category, so mindfulness, minimalist, and reductive habits are vital pillars to saving this planet from self-destruction. As a vegan myself, I know it’s an anomalous approach from the norm; however, it is necessary for every facet of living.

Volvo Car USA invited auto media for a vacation-styled test drive of the C40 Recharge — its first pure electric Volvo – for a climactic experience behind the wheel of the latest evolution of Scandinavian engineering, design, and sustainability. An ambitious transformation plan will lead to complete electrification of its vehicles by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2040. The Volvo EV, built in Ghent, Belgium, is also the first to feature a leather-free interior that ultimately reduces the vehicle’s weight, increases its levels of compassion, and decreases its carbon footprint since 14.5% of all human-generated greenhouse emissions stem from animal agriculture.

This goal was a personal ambition of Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson, who had to persuade company executives and Volvo dealers that this was the righteous path for evolutionary vehicle development. Volvo partnered with Asian-American fashion designer Phillip Lim to fabricate handbags from the Nordico cabin materials that Volvo developed to convince the dealers’ wives that sustainability can be premium. In the end, the majority concurred. The Microtech, a suede-like fabric, and its quality textures are made from recycled PET bottles, bio-attributed material from sustainable forests, and wine bottle corks. “We have a vision of where we need to go in the future, with the first step to ensure we harness sustainable, natural, and recycled materials,” said Robin Page, Head of Design at Volvo Cars.

After flying into Palm Springs International Airport, you will pick up your EV and head to The Parker to relax poolside at the Gene Autry or Silicon Valley while recouping. The iconic property is one of the most eclectic and art-based hotels in America. Yes, it also has charging stations onsite to re-energize your ride. As part of the Fit Fathers movement, I’m all about exercise when traveling, so activities such as the Terre Battu tennis courts, hitting the fitness studio, yoga, bicycling, and hiking were all up my alley. The Palm also offers Croquet, a giant chess set, and golf. In addition, the Palm Springs Yacht Club provides facials, massages, manicures, an indoor pool, and much more for self-care.

Ready to ride quietly and efficiently in your bubble-shaped Fjord Blue Metallic C40 Recharge featuring a black glass roof, black dual rear spoilers, black lower body surround, 20″ eco-styled rims, and unique closed grille? Its magnetic blue personality is stellar, and vigor is impressive when calling upon the 402-horsepower from the battery-electric powertrain featuring permanent AWD. This came in handy during mountainous uphill driving through Coachella Valley en route to Cahuilla Tewanet Vista Point to learn about the Cahuilla people who gathered Nakwet berries, Tevat nuts, Hunavet leaves, acorns, Mutal plants, and more for food and to make essentials like baskets. The rugged and arid landscape provided every resource they required, although an intimate understanding of how to source and craft each was paramount. There is also a nature path to take a meditative walk before journeying to your next destination.

The 226-mile drive range from the 78 kWh high voltage battery is plenty for touring around Palm Springs, but I would like to see around 300 miles before a power source is required, which seems to be the norm with premium EVs. You can charge 0% to 80% in roughly 40 minutes with DC fast charging. Volvo recently partnered with Star bucks to have ChargePoint infrastructure placed along a 1,350-mile route between Denver and Seattle. As many as 15 locations and 60 DC Fast Charging handles will be available to coffee lovers of the popular café.

For my next stop, I used the new 9” center touchscreen and Google ecosystem that integrates Google navigation, Google calendar, Google Play for music and talk shows, and

Google Assistant, which supports natural speech. Say “Hey Google” and tell the system your destination. I prefer Google maps on my phone and love this technology over CarPlay. The updated multimedia system also reduces the complexity and distraction of Volvo’s prior system. The C40 Recharge escorted me by Angel Cove Monument and then to an exquisite Garage Living home located off the picturesque Winter Sun Drive. In this case, the custom garage transformation company outfitted the single-family residence with:

Three Volvo-branded Level 2 home chargers
Flexible work-from-home space with built-in desk and foldable meeting table
Entertainment center with state-of-the-art smart TV and Bowers & Wilkins speakers
Innovative storage solutions for active lifestyle equipment

For a healthy, plant-focused lunch, I stopped at Chef Tanya’s Kitchen for some of the most delicious vegan food I have ever eaten. Wow, I was in heaven as the choices were abundant, from Tempeh burgers and power salads to chickpea TuNo salad sandwiches and Moroccan roasted cauliflower. The chef’s ideologies match succinctly with Volvo’s as she’s inspired by love to make good food that is natural, healthy, and kind to the environment.

After fueling with fresh foods, continue your sightseeing to various famous architectural sites using the C40 Recharge’s one-pedal drive feature. You engage just the gas pedal since lifting off of it slows down the Volvo as if you hit the brake pedal. Though, it can be remarkably abrupt. My afternoon was highlighted by views of The Kauffman House, the first Swiss Miss House, Dinah Shore House, Forever Marilyn, That Pink Door, and the Park Imperial South.

En route back to The Parker, I tuned to the Marley station on SIRIUS / XM as the melody flowed from the impressive Harman/ Kardon audio system. The interior is roomy, effervescent, and stylish, especially the handcrafted Crystal gear knob. I made it back in a flash to rest up in my cozy poolside room featuring a Bougainvillea-clad patio. So, what are you waiting for? Switching to an EV provides an eco-friendly alternative to traditional fuel-powered transportation. And with an array of cost-effective, high-quality home chargers available, going electric is simpler than ever.

The 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge is sold exclusively online with a $58,750 MSRP but includes the full federal tax credit of $7,500. “Conscious design can fundamentally transform our society, and it’s integral that brands harness the opportunities on offer,” said Martin Raymond, Co-Founder of The Future Laboratory. Yes, I agree wholeheartedly, but now it’s time to end my temporary routine from the norm and head back to the East Coast. So long, Palm Springs, until we meet again!

The post AUTO REVIEW: Vacationing In Palm Springs With The All-Electric 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge: The Rise Of Conscious Design first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Fighting to Keep Blackness

BlackPressUSA NEWSWIRE — Trump supporters have introduced another bill to take down the bright yellow letters of Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., in exchange for the name Liberty Plaza. D.C.

Published

2 weeks ago

March 7, 2025

Oakland Post

By April Ryan

As this nation observes the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama, the words of President Trump reverberate. “This country will be WOKE no longer”, an emboldened Trump offered during his speech to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night. Since then, Alabama Congresswoman Terri Sewell posted on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter this morning that “Elon Musk and his DOGE bros have ordered GSA to sell off the site of the historic Freedom Riders Museum in Montgomery.” Her post of little words went on to say, “This is outrageous and we will not let it stand! I am demanding an immediate reversal. Our civil rights history is not for sale!” DOGE trying to sell Freedom Rider Museum

Also, in the news today, the Associated Press is reporting they have a file of names and descriptions of more than 26,000 military images flagged for removal because of connections to women, minorities, culture, or DEI. In more attempts to downplay Blackness, a word that is interchanged with woke, Trump supporters have introduced another bill to take down the bright yellow letters of Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., in exchange for the name Liberty Plaza. D.C. Mayor Morial Bowser is allowing the name change to keep millions of federal dollars flowing there. Black Lives Matter Plaza was named in 2020 after a tense exchange between President Trump and George Floyd protesters in front of the White House. There are more reports about cuts to equity initiatives that impact HBCU students. Programs that recruited top HBCU students into the military and the pipeline for Department of Defense contracts have been canceled.

Meanwhile, Democrats are pushing back against this second-term Trump administration’s anti-DEI and Anti-woke message. In the wake of the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma, several Congressional Black Caucus leaders are reintroducing the Voting Rights Act. South Carolina Democratic Congressman James Clyburn and Alabama Congresswoman Terry Sewell are sponsoring H.R. 14, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Six decades ago, Lewis was hit with a billy club by police as he marched for the right to vote for African Americans. The right for Black people to vote became law with the 1965 Voting Rights Act that has since been gutted, leaving the nation to vote without the full protections of the Voting Rights Act. Reflecting on the late Congressman Lewis, March 1, 2020, a few months before his death, Lewis said, “We need more than ever in these times many more someones to make good trouble- to make their own dent in the wall of injustice.”

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Rep. Al Green is Censured by The U.S. House After Protesting Trump on Medicaid

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — His censure featured no hearing at the House Ethics Committee and his punishment was put on the floor for a vote by the Republican controlled House less than 72 hours after the infraction in question.

Published

2 weeks ago

March 6, 2025

Oakland Post

By Lauren Burke

In one of the quickest punishments of a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in the modern era, Congressman Al Green (D-TX) was censured by a 224-198 vote today in the House. His censure featured no hearing at the House Ethics Committee and his punishment was put on the floor for a vote by the Republican controlled House less than 72 hours after the infraction in question. Of the last three censures of members of the U.S. House, two have been members of the Congressional Black Caucus under GOP control. In 2023, Rep. Jamal Bowman was censured.

On the night of March 4, as President Trump delivered a Joint Address to Congress, Rep. Green interrupted him twice. Rep. Green shouted, “You don’t have a mandate to cut Medicare, and you need to raise the cap on social security,” to President Trump. In another rare event, Rep. Green was escorted off the House floor by security shortly after yelling at the President by order of GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson. Over the last four years, members of Congress have yelled at President Biden during the State of the Union. Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor-Greene was joined by Republican Rep. Lauren Bobert (R-CO) in 2022 in yelling at President Biden. In 2023, Rep. Greene, Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), and Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) yelled at Biden, interrupting his speech. In 2024, wearing a red MAGA hat, a violation of the rules of the U.S. House, Greene interrupted Biden again. She was never censured for her behavior. Rep. Green voted “present” on his censure and was joined by freshman Democrat Congressman Shomari Figures of Alabama who also voted “present”.

All other members of the Congressional Black Caucus voted against censuring Green. Republicans hold a four-seat advantage in the U.S. House after the death of Texas Democrat and former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner yesterday. Ten Democrats voted along with Republicans to censure Rep. Green, including Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, who is in the leadership as the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. “I respect them but, I would do it again,” and “it is a matter of conscience,” Rep. Green told Black Press USA’s April Ryan in an exclusive interview on March 5. After the vote, a group of Democrats sang “We Shall Overcome” in the well at the front of the House chamber. Several Republican members attempted to shout down the singing. House Speaker Mike Johnson gaveled the House out of session and into a recess. During the brief recess members moved back to their seats and out of the well of the House. Shortly after the vote to censor Rep. Green, Republican Congressman Andy Ogles of Tennessee quickly filed legislation to punish members who participated in the singing of “We Shall Overcome.” Earlier this year, Rep. Ogles filed legislation to allow President Donald Trump to serve a third term, which is currently unconstitutional. As the debate started, the stock market dove down over one-point hours from close. The jobs report will be made public tomorrow.

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Trump Moves to Dismantle Education Department

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The department oversees programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), serving 7.5 million students. Transferring IDEA oversight to another agency, as Trump’s plan suggests, could jeopardize services and protections for disabled students.

Published

2 weeks ago

March 6, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

The Trump administration is preparing to issue an executive order directing newly confirmed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin dismantling the Department of Education. While the president lacks the authority to unilaterally shut down the agency—requiring congressional approval—McMahon has been tasked with taking “all necessary steps” to reduce its role “to the maximum extent permitted by law.” The administration justifies the move by claiming the department has spent over $1 trillion since its 1979 founding without improving student achievement. However, data from The Nation’s Report Card shows math scores have improved significantly since the 1990s, though reading levels have remained stagnant. The pandemic further widened achievement gaps, leaving many students behind.

The Education Department provides about 10% of public-school funding, primarily targeting low-income students, rural districts, and children with disabilities. A recent Data for Progress poll found that 61% of voters oppose Trump’s efforts to abolish the agency, while just 34% support it. In Washington, D.C., where student proficiency rates remain low—22% in math and 34% in English—federal funding is crucial. Serenity Brooker, an elementary education major, warned that cutting the department would worsen conditions in underfunded schools.

“D.C. testing scores aren’t very high right now, so cutting the Department of Education isn’t going to help that at all,” she told Hilltop News. A report from the Education Trust found that low-income schools in D.C. receive $2,200 less per student than wealthier districts, leading to shortages in essential classroom materials. The department oversees programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), serving 7.5 million students. Transferring IDEA oversight to another agency, as Trump’s plan suggests, could jeopardize services and protections for disabled students.

The Office for Civil Rights also plays a key role in enforcing laws that protect students from discrimination. Moving it to the Department of Justice, as proposed in Project 2025, would make it harder for families to file complaints, leaving vulnerable students with fewer protections. Federal student aid programs, including Pell Grants and loan repayment plans, could face disruption if the department is dismantled. Experts warn this could worsen the student debt crisis, pushing more borrowers into default. “With funding cuts, they don’t have the materials they need, like books or things to help with math,” Brooker said. “It makes learning less fun for them.”