ORLANDO, Fla. /PRNewswire/ — Rocking to the rhythm of authenticity and diversity, The Fresh Beats Dolls, Doll of the Year Finalist at this week’s 2023 Toy of the Year® (TOTY®) Awards, will come to life in an animated short series fromEPI, the toy and publishing division of The Dr. Lisa Company, founder Dr. Lisa Williams, and Carl Reed’s animation studio Composition Media.
Being honored as a Doll of the Year Finalist with the biggest names in the toy industry is monumental for EPITweet
2023 TOTY (Toy of the Year) 2023 Doll of the Year Finalist
“From being honored as a Doll of the Year Finalist with the biggest names in the toy industry, showcasing our diverse line at Toy Fair, and preparing for our first animated series, this is a monumental week for EPI,” said Dr. Lisa Williams, The Dr. Lisa Company, CEO and Founder.
“We’ve been working to expand into content behind the scenes for some time,” Williams continued. “Carl’s extensive experience and mission to highlight minority and underrepresented communities perfectly align with our vision – to ensure Black and Brown children see themselves reflected in toys and entertainment, to embrace their beauty and build their self-esteem.”
“It’s an honor to be working with Dr. Lisa Williams, a pioneering leader in the toy industry who shares the same commitment to bringing diversity to young audiences,” said Carl Reed. “By bringing The Fresh Beats Dolls to life, we’re expanding the opportunity for kids to experience these relatable and captivating characters in a new way.”
The Fresh Beats Dolls is an animated series of six, three-minute shorts and centers around a titular girl group forming over the course of a EuroVision-type singing competition. The short series is set to debut later this Fall on YouTube.
Each 10″ doll in The Fresh Beats Dolls Collection features custom-blended skin tones and premium rooted hair with authentic textures, including patent-pending locs. From pop princess Bao BBY, to non-binary hip hop queen Beigne au Lei, and rock star Loxx, each embraces diverse and relatable personalities and stage-ready fashions. Dolls are available now at Target for $17.99 each.
Dr. Lisa Williams is also a 2023 Toy of the Year Finalist in the Champion of Diversity and Inclusion category and recognized as an individual who has made outstanding contributions or acted as a change catalyst to develop purposeful, environmentally friendly, and mission-driven programs that lead the way in creating a better future for the toy industry. The 2023 Toy of the Year Award winners will be announced on Friday, September 29, in New York City ahead of this year’s Toy Fair®.
EPI won Doll of the Year in 2022 for Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Fresh Fierce Collection. The company will be showcasing The Fresh Beats Dolls and more at New York Toy Fair at Booth 2779.
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Carl Reed, producer of the Academy Award-winning short “Hair Love,” founded Composition Media to present universally themed stories to audiences seeking elevated content. Earlier this year, the company announced a major anime production partnership with Black Sands Entertainment, a leading force in Black comic book publishing. Additional projects in development include a feature film co-produced alongside Steve Harvey’s East 112; and “Sky & Luna,” the first movie in an eight-picture slate partnership with Labid Aziz’s PoC Studios and Man of Action Entertainment. Reed most recently served as a producer on Max’s “Young Love,” the “Hair Love” spinoff series starring Issa Rae and Kid Cudi.
About The Dr. Lisa Company: The Dr. Lisa Company is a Black Woman-Owned multi-million dollar powerhouse, incorporating EPI, a leading multicultural toy manufacturing and design firm, including an animation division. Since establishing the company in 2003, to create dolls so children of all ethnicities can grow up seeing their beauty reflected back at them, Dr. Lisa Williams has since been recognized as a pioneer and leader in the industry. Dr. Lisa was named the 2022 Women in Toys Wonder Woman Rising Star Manufacturer and 2023 Toy Association’s Finalist for Champion of Diversity and Inclusion.
EPI brands include The Fresh Dolls (named Oprah’s Favorite Things), The Fresh Beats (2023 TOTY Doll of the Year Finalist), Positively Perfect Dolls, Fresh Squad, Simply Fresh Dolls, Fresh Fashions and Accessories. The sculpts are one-of-a-kind pieces of art, with unique facial features, custom blended skin tones, and a variety of hair textures, reflective of ethnicities found around the world – African American, Afro-Latina, Latino/Hispanic, Caucasian, and Mixed-Race/Bi-Racial. EPI dolls are priced for every budget, so every child has access and can be found in stores across the globe, including giant retailers like Target, Walmart, Meijer, Amazon, and Macy’s.https://thefreshdolls.com/
About Composition Media: Founded by Carl Reed, Composition Media is a diverse and forward-thinking animation studio with an innovative approach to making animated film and TV content for a global audience.
As an organization that embraces and embodies disruption in the entertainment ecosystem, Composition Media presents universally themed stories to audiences looking for elevated content. Adopting a transmedia approach to seed and develop IP through collaboration with storytellers around the world, Composition Media brings fresh entertainment properties to audiences globally.
Prior to launching Composition Media, Carl Reed co-founded Lion Forge Comics, and later co-founded Lion Forge Animation, serving as its President and Chief Creative Officer. While with Lion Forge, Reed produced Matthew Cherry’s “Hair Love,” which won an Academy Award® for Best Animated Short, “Rise Up, Sing Out,” an Annie Award and NAACP Image Award-nominated animated musical series featuring music by The Roots for Disney Junior/Disney+, and the Emmy-nominated animated musical series “Rhymes Through Times” created by Nick Jr./Noggin featuring music performed by Christopher Jackson (“Hamilton”).
SOURCE The Dr. Lisa Company
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3 Unforgettable Mother’s Day Meals That Will Make Her Heart (and Taste Buds) Sing
Create an unforgettable Mother’s Day with a home-cooked meal featuring three easy yet impressive recipes: Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, Mediterranean Brunch Board, and Herb-Crusted Salmon, paired with wines to enhance flavors and create lasting memories.
A beautifully arranged table set with plates, silverware, and candles. Perfect for formal dining or special occasions.
Want to make this Mother’s Day extra special? Skip the crowded restaurants and show Mom your love through a home-cooked meal she’ll never forget. We’ve crafted three foolproof recipes that even kitchen novices can master – because nothing says “I love you” quite like a meal made from the heart.
🌟 1. Heavenly Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Berry Compote
Picture golden, cloud-like pancakes that practically float off the plate, their edges delicately crispy while their centers remain pillowy-soft and tender. The rich, creamy ricotta creates pockets of moisture that melt in your mouth, while bright lemon zest cuts through with citrusy sparkle. The warm berry compote cascades over the stack, its jewel-toned fruits bursting with sweet-tart juice that mingles perfectly with pure maple syrup.
A feast for both eyes and palate, this stunning spread features eggs with golden yolks that ooze luxuriously when broken, their richness enhanced by aromatic dukkah’s nutty crunch. Creamy, house-made hummus swirled with extra virgin olive oil sits alongside prosciutto roses that fold like silk. Fresh figs, split to reveal their honey-sweet crimson centers, nestle against wedges of artisanal cheese that range from buttery-soft to crystalline-sharp. Every bite tells a story of Mediterranean sunshine.
👑 3. Herb-Crusted Salmon with Champagne Cream Sauce
A masterpiece of textures and flavors: the salmon’s herb crust offers a satisfying crackle before revealing the perfectly cooked, rose-pink flesh beneath that flakes at the mere touch of a fork. The champagne cream sauce, velvety and sophisticated, pools elegantly around the fish, its subtle bubbles lending an air of celebration. Bright green asparagus spears provide the perfect crisp-tender contrast, while the wild mushroom risotto, infused with earthy aromatics and finished with a generous shower of Parmesan, creates a bed of creamy comfort that ties the whole dish together.
Why These Recipes Work:
Each recipe can be partially prepped in advance
Ingredients are easily found in most supermarkets
They’re impressive without being overly complicated
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Perfect balance of flavors and textures
Suitable for various dietary preferences
Each bite is carefully crafted to create not just a meal, but a memorable experience that shows Mom just how special she is. The interplay of textures and flavors in each dish creates a symphony of tastes that will linger in her memory long after the last bite.
Here are some Wine Pairings to make these dishes perfect:
🌟 Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Perfect Pairing: Prosecco or Moscato d’Asti
Why it works: The light bubbles and subtle sweetness complement the citrus notes while cutting through the richness of the ricotta.
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🍳 Mediterranean Brunch Board
Perfect Pairing: Rosé or Albariño
Why it works: A crisp, dry rosé enhances the salty prosciutto and creamy cheeses, while Albariño’s mineral notes complement the Mediterranean flavors.
👑 Herb-Crusted Salmon
Perfect Pairing: Chardonnay or Pinot Noir
Why it works: A lightly oaked Chardonnay matches the richness of the champagne sauce, while a light-bodied Pinot Noir works beautifully with the herb crust.
Plating Instructions:
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Lemon Ricotta Pancakes:
Stack 3-4 pancakes slightly off-center on a warm, white plate
Drizzle berry compote in an artistic swoosh from 2 o’clock to 7 o’clock
Garnish with fresh mint leaves and a light dusting of powdered sugar
Pro tip: Use a wide, flat plate to let the colors pop against the white background
Mediterranean Brunch Board:
Start with a large wooden board or slate platter
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Create height by placing small bowls of hummus and dips at different points
Arrange prosciutto roses in a cascading pattern
Group cheeses by type, creating a gradient from soft to hard
Fill negative space with fresh herbs and edible flowers
Pro tip: Use small olive wood bowls for dips to add rustic elegance
Herb-Crusted Salmon:
Place the risotto in a shallow bowl using a ring mold
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Position the salmon at a 45-degree angle, slightly overlapping the risotto
Arrange asparagus spears like a fan
Drizzle champagne sauce in an elegant circle around the plate
Garnish with micro herbs and edible flowers
Pro tip: Warm the plates before serving to keep everything at perfect temperature
Remember: The most important ingredient isn’t listed in any recipe – it’s the love and thought you put into making Mom’s day special. These meals aren’t just about the food; they’re about creating precious moments together.
Ready to make Mom’s day unforgettable? Save these recipes now and start planning your Mother’s Day menu. Trust us – seeing her face light up will be worth every minute in the kitchen.
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Here are some related links to further help you make Mother’s Day special:
At our core, we at STM Daily News, strive to keep you informed and inspired with the freshest content on all things food and beverage. From mouthwatering recipes to intriguing articles, we’re here to satisfy your appetite for culinary knowledge.
Visit our Food & Drink section to get the latest on Foodie News and recipes, offering a delightful blend of culinary inspiration and gastronomic trends to elevate your dining experience.
Black holes, like the one in this illustration, can spray powerful jets.
S. Dagnello (NRAO/AUI/NSF), CC BY-SADavid Garofalo, Kennesaw State University
One of the most powerful objects in the universe is a radio quasar – a spinning black hole spraying out highly energetic particles. Come too close to one, and you’d get sucked in by its gravitational pull, or burn up from the intense heat surrounding it. But ironically, studying black holes and their jets can give researchers insight into where potentially habitable worlds might be in the universe.
As an astrophysicist, I’ve spent two decades modeling how black holes spin, how that creates jets, and how they affect the environment of space around them.
What are black holes?
Black holes are massive, astrophysical objects that use gravity to pull surrounding objects into them. Active black holes have a pancake-shaped structure around them called an accretion disk, which contains hot, electrically charged gas.
The plasma that makes up the accretion disk comes from farther out in the galaxy. When two galaxies collide and merge, gas is funneled into the central region of that merger. Some of that gas ends up getting close to the newly merged black hole and forms the accretion disk.
There is one supermassive black holeat the heart of every massive galaxy.
Black holes and their disks can rotate, and when they do, they drag space and time with them – a concept that’s mind-boggling and very hard to grasp conceptually. But black holes are important to study because they produce enormous amounts of energy that can influence galaxies.
How energetic a black hole is depends on different factors, such as the mass of the black hole, whether it rotates rapidly, and whether lots of material falls onto it. Mergers fuel the most energetic black holes, but not all black holes are fed by gas from a merger. In spiral galaxies, for example, less gas tends to fall into the center, and the central black hole tends to have less energy.
One of the ways they generate energy is through what scientists call “jets” of highly energetic particles. A black hole can pull in magnetic fields and energetic particles surrounding it, and then as the black hole rotates, the magnetic fields twist into a jet that sprays out highly energetic particles.
Magnetic fields twist around the black hole as it rotates to store energy – kind of like when you pull and twist a rubber band. When you release the rubber band, it snaps forward. Similarly, the magnetic fields release their energy by producing these jets.
The accretion disk around a black hole can form a jet of hot, energetic particles surrounded by magnetic field lines.NASA, ESA, and A. Feild (STScI), CC BY
These jets can speed up or suppress the formation of stars in a galaxy, depending on how the energy is released into the black hole’s host galaxy.
Rotating black holes
Some black holes, however, rotate in a different direction than the accretion disk around them. This phenomenon is called counterrotation, and some studies my colleagues and I have conducted suggest that it’s a key feature governing the behavior of one of the most powerful kinds of objects in the universe: the radio quasar.
Radio quasars are the subclass of black holes that produce the most powerful energy and jets.
You can imagine the black hole as a rotating sphere, and the accretion disk as a disk with a hole in the center. The black hole sits in that center hole and rotates one way, while the accretion disk rotates the other way.
This counterrotation forces the black hole to spin down and eventually up again in the other direction, called corotation. Imagine a basketball that spins one way, but you keep tapping it to rotate in the other. The tapping will spin the basketball down. If you continue to tap in the opposite direction, it will eventually spin up and rotate in the other direction. The accretion disk does the same thing.
Since the jets tap into the black hole’s rotational energy, they are powerful only when the black hole is spinning rapidly. The change from counterrotation to corotation takes at least 100 million years. Many initially counterrotating black holes take billions of years to become rapidly spinning corotating black holes.
So, these black holes would produce powerful jets both early and later in their lifetimes, with an interlude in the middle where the jets are either weak or nonexistent.
When the black hole spins in counterrotation with respect to its accretion disk, that motion produces strong jets that push molecules in the surrounding gas close together, which leads to the formation of stars.
But later, in corotation, the jet tilts. This tilt makes it so that the jet impinges directly on the gas, heating it up and inhibiting star formation. In addition to that, the jet also sprays X-rays across the galaxy. Cosmic X-rays are bad for life because they can harm organic tissue.
For life to thrive, it most likely needs a planet with a habitable ecosystem, and clouds of hot gas saturated with X-rays don’t contain such planets. So, astronomers can instead look for galaxies without a tilted jet coming from its black hole. This idea is key to understanding where intelligence could potentially have emerged and matured in the universe.
Black holes as a guide
By early 2022, I had built a black hole model to use as a guide. It could point out environments with the right kind of black holes to produce the greatest number of planets without spraying them with X-rays. Life in such environments could emerge to its full potential.
Looking at black holes and their role in star formation could help scientists predict when and where life was most likely to form.
Where are such conditions present? The answer is low-density environments where galaxies had merged about 11 billion years ago.
These environments had black holes whose powerful jets enhanced the rate of star formation, but they never experienced a bout of tilted jets in corotation. In short, my model suggested that theoretically, the most advanced extraterrestrial civilization would have likely emerged on the cosmic scene far away and billions of years ago.
David Garofalo, Professor of Physics, Kennesaw State University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The Role of Bike Lanes in Shaping Modern Urban Development
Bike lanes in urban areas promote sustainability, improve mobility, boost economic growth, enhance public health, and increase property values, symbolizing a shift toward inclusive community-focused city planning.
Cycle path in the city park. Bicycle sign on the road.
As cities continue to grow and urban spaces evolve, the integration of bike lanes has emerged as a transformative element in urban development. Beyond just providing a space for cyclists, bike lanes symbolize a shift toward sustainable, inclusive, and community-focused city planning.
Sustainability and Environmental Benefits Bike lanes contribute to reducing carbon emissions by encouraging more people to opt for cycling over driving. This not only lowers air pollution but also supports greener urban environments.
Improved Urban Mobility Cities with well-designed bike lane networks experience enhanced traffic flow. By reducing congestion and offering safe zones for cyclists, bike lanes create a more balanced transportation ecosystem.
Economic Growth Bike-friendly cities often see increased local business activity. Cyclists are more likely to stop and shop at small businesses along their routes, boosting neighborhood economies.
Health and Community Well-being Encouraging cycling promotes physical activity, improving public health. Additionally, bike lanes foster a sense of community by creating shared, accessible spaces for all residents.
Urban Aesthetic and Property Value Bike lanes enhance the visual appeal of cities and often lead to increased property values in surrounding areas. They signal modern, forward-thinking development, attracting young professionals and families.
Bike lanes are more than just pavement—they are investments in a city’s future. By prioritizing sustainable transit, healthier lifestyles, and economic growth, urban planners can create cities that thrive for generations. To embrace the future of urban living, integrating bike lanes into development plans must remain a top priority.
Call to Action Join the movement for sustainable cities by supporting bike lane initiatives in your community. Together, we can build cities that benefit everyone.
Image Credit: Adobe Stock
Learn more about Bike Lanes…
Check out these sites related to biking and urban development:
CicLAvia: CicLAvia catalyzes vibrant public spaces, active transportation, and good health through car-free streets. https://www.ciclavia.org/
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