Last Updated on March 15, 2026 by Daily News Staff

Hard Rock International is teaming up with long-time partner Coca-Cola to spotlight women shaping the music business with a new content initiative and a month-long slate of events.

Announced Feb. 26, 2026, the collaboration introduces “Women Empower,” a micro-documentary series rolling out throughout March as part of Hard Rock’s annual International Women’s Month celebrations. Alongside the video series, Hard Rock says it’s aiming to host 1,000 live music and special events globally across its Cafes, Hotels, Casinos and Live venues.

A micro-documentary series focused on women across the industry

Rather than focusing only on performers, “Women Empower” highlights women working in a range of roles across music and media. Hard Rock notes that less than 5% of music and media creators are women, and the series is designed to put more faces—and job titles—into the public conversation.

The six featured women include:

• Janelle Abraham — Director/Film Producer
  
• Kat Luna — Singer/Songwriter
  
• Minami Minami — Composer/Dancer/Singer
  
• Claire Murphy — Guitar Tech
  
• Mayna Nevarez — CEO & Founder, Nevarez Communications
  
• Wendy Ong — Co-President/CMO, TaP Music

Elena Alvarez, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Brand Partnerships at Seminole Gaming and Hard Rock International, said the brand is using International Women’s Month to “lift the curtain” on the series while tying the celebration back to Hard Rock’s music-first identity and philanthropic work.

$100,000 donation to Women in Music

Hard Rock Heals Foundation®, Hard Rock’s charitable arm, is donating $100,000 to Women in Music, supporting the nonprofit’s education and empowerment efforts.

Nicole Barsalona, President of Women in Music, said the campaign highlights diversity on stage and “the wide range of roles across the music business—and the women behind the scenes whose work drives our industry forward.”

Limited-time Coca-Cola menu items at participating Hard Rock Cafes

Throughout March, participating Hard Rock Cafes will offer a limited-time Coca-Cola-inspired menu tied to the regions represented in the series.

Specialty drinks include:

• Passionfruit Splash — passionfruit beverage with Minute Maid Lemonade, Sprite and cranberry juice
• Mango Guava Chiller — mango and guava-flavored drink with Sprite, pineapple and lime juice
• Spiced Yuzu Soda — spiced brown sugar, yuzu and Coca-Cola blend

Food items include:

• Fattoush Chicken Caesar Salad — romaine with grilled chicken, mint, vegetables, fried naan and red wine Caesar dressing
• Mahi Sandwich — mahi filet with remoulade, lettuce, tomato and shoestring onions, served with seasoned fries
• Dulce de Leche Brownie — brownie with chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream, dulce de leche and whipped cream

Hard Rock Hotels: curated listening experiences honoring female artists

Hard Rock Hotels will also highlight women in music through live performances, curated playlists and themed listening experiences using the brand’s Sound of Your Stay® program. Hard Rock says guests can expect music-themed amenities such as limited-edition vinyl, memorabilia highlights and playlists centered on female artists—both iconic names and emerging talent.

Events worldwide + Rock Shop merch

Hard Rock says it will host women-led performances, networking events, brunches and other community-driven experiences across its global footprint throughout March.

Hard Rock’s official International Women’s Month T-shirts are available at Rock Shop® retail locations and online.

For the full list of International Women’s Month activations, visit https://www.hardrock.com/women.

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The Bridge is a section of the STM Daily News Blog meant for diversity, offering real news stories about bona fide community efforts to perpetuate a greater good. The purpose of The Bridge is to connect the divides that separate us, fostering understanding and empathy among different groups. By highlighting positive initiatives and inspirational actions, The Bridge aims to create a sense of unity and shared purpose. This section brings to light stories of individuals and organizations working tirelessly to promote inclusivity, equality, and mutual respect. Through these narratives, readers are encouraged to appreciate the richness of diverse perspectives and to participate actively in building stronger, more cohesive communities.

https://stmdailynews.com/the-bridge

Last Updated on March 13, 2026 by Daily News Staff

AI generated image

Dr. Charles R. Drew: The Father of the Blood Bank

In the 1930s and 40s, one man’s groundbreaking medical research transformed how we save lives — and his legacy still flows through hospitals around the world.

Dr. Charles R. Drew (1904–1950), an African American physician and surgeon, discovered a better way to store and transport blood plasma. Plasma, the liquid component of blood, can be preserved longer than whole blood and safely shipped over great distances — a game changer for emergency medicine.

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He revolutionized how we store blood, saved thousands in WWII, and stood up to injustice. 🩸 Meet Dr. Charles R. Drew — the Father of the Blood Bank. History BlackHistory WWII MedicalBreakthrough STMDailyNews DidYouKnow ScienceHistory BloodBank InspiringStories LearnOnTikTok ♬ original sound – STMDailyNews – STMDailyNews

During World War II, Drew’s expertise powered the “Blood for Britain” program, which sent vital plasma to soldiers and civilians injured in the Blitz. Later, as the first director of the American Red Cross blood bank, he helped establish modern blood collection and distribution systems.

But Drew was more than a scientist — he was a man of principle. He resigned from the Red Cross in protest over its policy of segregating blood by race, a practice he condemned as scientifically baseless and morally wrong.

Known today as the “Father of the Blood Bank,” Dr. Drew’s innovations continue to save millions of lives every year. His story is a testament to the power of science, dedication, and courage to challenge injustice.

Related Links:

• American Red Cross – History of Blood Banking
  

  U.S. National Library of Medicine – Charles Drew

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  STM Daily News – More Black History Profiles
  

Link: https://stmdailynews.com/the-woman-who-invented-the-home-security-system/

Moments in History: Dr. Charles R Drew

Link: https://stmdailynews.com/moments-in-history-dr-charles-r-drew/

Last Updated on March 13, 2026 by Daily News Staff

Stephanie Spera, University of Richmond

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

Why can’t it always be summer? – Amanda, age 5, Chile

With its long days just itching to be spent by water doing nothing, summer really can be an enchanting season. As Jenny Han wrote in the young adult novel “The Summer I Turned Pretty”: “Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.”

But all good things must come to an end, and summer cannot last forever. There’s both a simple reason and a more complicated one. The simple reason is that it can’t always be summer because the Earth is tilted. The more complicated answer requires some geometry.

I’m a professor of geography and the environment who has studied seasonal changes on the landscape. Here’s what seasons have to do with our planet’s position as it moves through the solar system.

This animation shows why the Earth has seasons.

Closeness to the Sun doesn’t explain seasons

First, you need to know that the Earth is a sphere – technically, an oblate spheroid. That means Earth has a round shape a little wider than it is tall.

Every year, Earth travels in its orbit to make one revolution around the Sun. The Earth’s orbit is an ellipse, which is more like an oval than a circle. So there are times when Earth is closer to the Sun and times when it’s farther away.

A lot of people assume this distance is why we have seasons. But these people would be wrong. In the United States, the Earth is 3 million miles closer to the Sun during winter than in the summer.

Spinning like a top

Now picture an imaginary line across Earth, right in the middle, at 0° latitude. This line is called the equator. If you drew it on a globe, the equator would pass through countries including Brazil, Kenya, Indonesia and Ecuador.

Everything north of the equator, including the United States, is considered the Northern Hemisphere, and everything south of the equator is the Southern Hemisphere.

Now think of the Earth’s axis as another imaginary line that runs vertically through the middle of the Earth, going from the North Pole to the South Pole.

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As it orbits, or revolves, around the Sun, the Earth also rotates. That means it spins on its axis, like a top. The Earth takes one full year to revolve around the Sun and takes 24 hours, or one day, to do one full rotation on its axis.

This axis is why we have day and night; during the day, we’re facing the Sun, and at night, we’re facing away.

But the Earth’s axis does not go directly up and down. Instead, its axis is always tilted at 23.5 degrees in the exact same direction, toward the North Star.

The Earth’s axis is tilted due to a giant object – perhaps an ancient planet – smashing into it billions of years ago. And it’s this tilt that causes seasons.

It’s all about the tilt

So that means in June, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun. That tilt means more sunlight, more solar energy, longer days – all the things that make summer, well, summer.

At the same time, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun. So countries such as Australia, Chile and Argentina are experiencing winter then.

To say it another way: As the Earth moves around the Sun throughout the year, the parts of the Earth getting the most sunlight are always changing.

Fast-forward to December, and Earth is on the exact opposite side of its orbit as where it was in June. It’s the Southern Hemisphere’s turn to be tilted toward the Sun, which means its summer happens in December, January and February.

If Earth were not tilted at all, there would be no seasons. If it were tilted more than it is, there would be even more extreme seasons and drastic swings in temperature. Summers would be hotter and winters would be colder.

Defining summer

Talk to a meteorologist, climate scientist or author Jenny Han, and they’ll tell you that for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, summer is June, July and August, the warmest months of the year.

But there’s another way to define summer. Talk to astronomers, and they’ll tell you the first day of summer is the summer solstice – the day of the year with the longest amount of daylight and shortest amount of darkness.

The summer solstice occurs every year sometime between June 20 and June 22. And every day after, until the winter solstice in December, the Northern Hemisphere receives a little less daylight.

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Summer officially ends on the autumnal equinox, the fall day when everywhere on Earth has an equal amount of daylight and night. The autumnal equinox happens every year on either September 22 or 23.

But whether you view summer like Jenny Han or like an astronomer, one thing is certain: Either way, summer must come to an end. But the season and the magic it brings with it will be back before you know it.

Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

Stephanie Spera, Assistant Professor of Geography and the Environment, University of Richmond

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The science section of our news blog STM Daily News provides readers with captivating and up-to-date information on the latest scientific discoveries, breakthroughs, and innovations across various fields. We offer engaging and accessible content, ensuring that readers with different levels of scientific knowledge can stay informed. Whether it’s exploring advancements in medicine, astronomy, technology, or environmental sciences, our science section strives to shed light on the intriguing world of scientific exploration and its profound impact on our daily lives. From thought-provoking articles to informative interviews with experts in the field, STM Daily News Science offers a harmonious blend of factual reporting, analysis, and exploration, making it a go-to source for science enthusiasts and curious minds alike. https://stmdailynews.com/category/science/

Dive into “The Knowledge,” where curiosity meets clarity. This playlist, in collaboration with STMDailyNews.com, is designed for viewers who value historical accuracy and insightful learning. Our short videos, ranging from 30 seconds to a minute and a half, make complex subjects easy to grasp in no time. Covering everything from historical events to contemporary processes and entertainment, “The Knowledge” bridges the past with the present. In a world where information is abundant yet often misused, our series aims to guide you through the noise, preserving vital knowledge and truths that shape our lives today. Perfect for curious minds eager to discover the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of everything around us. Subscribe and join in as we explore the facts that matter.  https://stmdailynews.com/the-knowledge/

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