Latest news with #JosephCohen
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
a16z-backed Infinite Machine shows off cheaper, modular electric scooter
New York-based micromobility startup Infinite Machine has revealed a seated scooter called Olto that will cost $3,495 when it starts shipping later this year. The Olto will feature 40 miles of range, pulled from an easily swappable 48V lithium-ion battery. Infinite Machine says the Olto will have a top speed of 20 miles per hour in bike lines and '33mph off-road,' powered by a 750W rear hub motor. There is a headlight with high and low beams, as well as turn signals, to help with visibility on the road. Infinite Machine is also promising the Olto is modular, with the ability to attach or detach elements you might find on a larger cargo bike, like a child carrier, rear rack, or basket. There are even fold-out pedals that can provide pedal-assist propulsion via a chain connected to the rear wheel, which lets the rider use the Olto sort of like an e-bike. And Infinite Machine says the Olto can seat two people, supported by the vehicle's dual-suspension frame. It's a hefty price tag, but it's less than half of what Infinite Machine is charging for its flagship Cybertruck-style two-wheeler, the P1. That vehicle, which the startup has begun shipping to its first customers, costs $10,000. The Olto is the newest entry into the always-churning market for electric two-wheelers. That churn has been difficult to navigate, especially in the United States. One of the leading American e-bike brands, Rad Power Bikes, has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs and recently changed its leadership. International brands have struggled to find a foothold in the U.S., too, contributing to the bankruptcy restructurings of VanMoof and Cake. Infinite Machine began turning heads with the design of the P1 scooter in 2023. It ultimately secured $9 million in late 2024 in a funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz. Founder and CEO Joseph Cohen told TechCrunch at the time that his goal for Infinite Machine was to ultimately have vehicles in every major city around the world. In the near-term, though, Infinite Machine is focused on the U.S. market — which is a challenging place to sell vehicles like the Olto. 'We think that what we can bring as an American company is an amazing product sensibility that doesn't exist with the products in the market, and that's the angle that we're taking,' Cohen told TechCrunch last year. 'We are coming into this category and saying, you know, these plastic things that look like printers, we can do it better. We can make something that feels like your favorite car — but not a car, but something that extends to the city.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Philly's forgotten history as a hub of anarchism with a thriving radical Yiddish press
On a late summer day in 1906, a small group of newly arrived Jewish immigrants in Philadelphia took a streetcar across town to Fairmount Park. Several miles from the cramped row houses and oppressive sweatshops of the immigrant quarter of South Philly, the neighborhood now known as Queen Village, they enjoyed a sunny picnic. They weren't there to make small talk, though. Instead, they wanted to write 'revolutionary articles' that would spark the 'struggle against all that degrades and oppresses humanity,' as one of the leaders of the group, Joseph Cohen, later wrote in his 1945 memoir. More specifically, the picnicgoers wanted to start a newspaper. It would be titled Broyt un Frayheyt – Yiddish for Bread and Freedom – the anarchist reminder that to live the good life, one needs both. I'm a professor of media and politics at Temple University in Philadelphia. For the past year I've been tracking the life and times of my great-grandfather Max, a radical Yiddish journalist in the early years of the 20th century. To my surprise, I found he had lived here in Philadelphia, and his story is part of a largely forgotten moment in U.S. history: when Philly was an epicenter of the national anarchist movement, heartily supported by the city's burgeoning Jewish immigrant community. By 1906, thousands of people like Max had made their way to Philadelphia from the Russian 'pale' – the only part of the Russian Empire where they could legally reside. They fled economic isolation and state-sanctioned persecution in search of a more stable life. South Philly was better than where they had come from, but immigrant life then, as now, was by no means easy. They had escaped a legal regime of oppression and the perpetual threat of antisemitic mob violence. But in turn they found a world of dark alleys and dead ends. Their labor was exploited, their living conditions meager. For some, the American promise of freedom and prosperity seemed to ring hollow. They did, however, find one freedom they had not experienced before. They were able to speak, write and publish their ideas no matter how outlandish or against the grain. And they could do so in Yiddish, the vernacular of daily life but a language of exile – one that in the old world had often been outlawed in print. The Yiddish press in the United States was experiencing extraordinary growth at the time. In New York, Philadelphia and other cities, newspapers quickly emerged – and often disappeared – month over month. Max moved to Philadelphia in 1906 to work with another immigrant named Joseph Cohen. Cohen had arrived in Philadelphia three years earlier. He earned a scant living making cigars, but his real work was advocating anarchism. At the dawn of the 20th century, anarchism was not the nihilistic chaos the term may bring to mind today. It was a heartfelt dream of a free and egalitarian society. The anarchists believed that man-made hierarchies – political, economic and religious – were illegitimate and limited the full expression of humanity. They rejected the authority of the state. That particularly appealed to many Jewish immigrants, for whom laws in the old country had long served as vehicles of oppression. Cohen had studied this philosophy of local autonomy and communal life with the Philadelphia activist Voltairine de Cleyre. History may remember Emma Goldman, a Lithuanian-born New Yorker and perhaps the leading voice of American anarchism from that era. But de Cleyre was the heart and soul of Philadelphia's anarchist scene. Goldman once described de Cleyre as a 'poet-rebel,' a 'liberty-loving artist' and 'the greatest woman anarchist of America.' A tireless critic of the inequities of the industrial age, de Cleyre had taught herself Yiddish to better serve as 'the apostle of anarchism' in the Jewish ghetto. While de Cleyre could often be found speaking in front of city hall, Max, Cohen and their colleagues were more likely to gather at the corner of Fifth and South streets, the hub of Philadelphia's Yiddish press and its culture of rambunctious street debate. By 1906, Cohen had co-founded the anarchist Radical Library in the upstairs rooms at 229 Pine St. This provided the Philadelphia anarchists a meeting space and reading room. But 'the Jewish newspaper men, the radicals and the tireless talkers,' as the Philadelphia historian Harry Boonin wrote, still congregated in the ramshackle cafes lining the 600 block of South Fifth, where they would argue over anarchism and atheism deep into the night. Cohen's goal was to publish a nationally influential anarchist paper that would give voice to the 'comrades from Philadelphia.' That meant direct competition with the New York Yiddish press and the influential weekly newspaper Freie Arbeiter Stimme, or The Free Voice of Labor. Edited by Saul Yanovksy on Manhattan's Lower East Side, FAS was the center of the Jewish anarchist movement and of the Yiddish intelligentsia more broadly. 'To be able to say 'I have written for Yanovsky,'' wrote the sociologist Robert Park in 1922, 'is a literary passport for a Yiddish writer.' Although the FAS masthead said the paper was located in New York and Philadelphia, Yanovksy controlled the operation from New York, much to Cohen's dismay. The Philadelphia anarchists were also routinely disappointed in Yanovsky's politics. He was too moderate for their tastes. Yanovsky favored organizing labor and voting in elections, while the Bread and Freedom group, according to Cohen, wanted to cultivate 'the militancy and fighting spirit which our young comrades brought with them from cold Russia.' They advocated for more aggressive measures to counter 'the submissive indifference of the bourgeoisie and the slavish patience of the workers.' Cohen had partnered with Yanovsky earlier in 1906 to publish a daily anarchist newspaper. He maintained a small office in the back of Finkler's cigar store at Fifth and Bainbridge streets. But the paper was printed in New York and delivered back to Philadelphia each morning by courier train. Cohen wrote in his memoir that he suspected Yanovsky intentionally sabotaged the effort by insisting that he personally write the daily editorial, but then turning in his copy too late for the paper to make the train. After two months the partnership, and the paper, fell apart. For Cohen, the lesson was that to be the genuine voice of the anarchist movement, he had to print the paper locally in Philadelphia. Bread and Freedom published its first issue on Nov. 11, 1906. The date was symbolic. It was the anniversary of the execution of the 'Chicago martyrs' – the four men wrongly sentenced to death for the 1886 bombing at a labor rally at Chicago's Haymarket Square. The Haymarket affair galvanized the anarchist movement among immigrants, even as it accelerated the wider fear of foreign-born radicalism. Over the next three months, the newspaper offered a weekly digest of anarchist arguments. It translated into Yiddish Voltairine de Cleyre's critique of capitalism and what she called its 'moral bankruptcy' – its hunger for wealth, power and material possessions. It attacked what de Cleyre called the 'dominant idea' of the times – 'the shameless, merciless' exploitation of the worker, 'only to produce heaps and heaps of things – things ugly, things harmful, things useless, and at the best largely unnecessary.' In the strongest of terms – 'bombastic,' in the words of one local historian – the paper echoed de Cleyre's call for the 'restless, active, rebel souls' of immigrant Philadelphia to rise up to oppose the 'great and lamentable error' of industrial capitalism. Almost as soon as it began, however, Bread and Freedom ran out of money. Its rhetoric was exciting but ineffective. The paper offered no real solutions beyond an impossible demand to dismantle the capitalist state. Although two members of the group were briefly detained by the police in Baltimore for selling a radical newspaper, their fiery propaganda lit no revolutionary spark. Instead, it disappeared quietly, folding in January 1907. Even then, a different kind of immigrant was arriving in the U.S. from Russia. Their radical politics were coupled with organizational acumen. Many of the older anarchists would join forces with these newcomers, and the effort morphed into something more pragmatic. They helped build the foundations of the 20th-century labor movement, which successfully fought for once-radical ideals such as the eight-hour workday and paid sick leave. Cohen moved to New York and took over as editor of FAS in 1923. That was a tense period for the Jewish left, following the Russian revolution of 1917 and the Communist rise to power. In response, the U.S. government suppressed domestic radicalism, arresting and at times deporting foreign-born leftists, and anarchism fell out of favor. A few years earlier, though, the streets of South Philly had been home to a vibrant space of free speech and boundless political imagination. It would not last long, but it is a moment I believe is worth remembering. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Geoffrey Baym, Temple University Read more: W.E.B. Du Bois' study 'The Philadelphia Negro' at 125 still explains roots of the urban Black experience – sociologist Elijah Anderson tells why it should be on more reading lists Philly's Chinatown has a rich tradition of activism – the Sixers arena fight was just one of many to preserve the neighborhood Philadelphia's 200-year-old disability records show welfare reform movement's early shift toward rationing care and punishing poor people Geoffrey Baym does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Goldman Sachs execs' images used in deepfake video campaign on Instagram
A video ad campaign on Instagram used convincing deepfakes of Goldman Sachs executives Abby Joseph Cohen and David Kostin, in addition to Michael Hewson (formerly of CMC Markets), to tempt amateurs who want to get rich quick into a stock-buying Whatsapp group. Fortune confirmed the videos were fake and Meta says it has removed the campaign from its platform. Abby Joseph Cohen is a legend in the world of investing. She was the chief investment strategist until 2008 at Goldman Sachs, when she moved to the bank's Global Markets Institute, before retiring from Goldman in 2021. Currently, she is a professor at Columbia Business School. Retail investors may remember her as a frequent guest on Wall Street Week, the PBS TV show that ran for 32 years until 2002, on which the great and the good from the world of finance sat down with the late Louis Rukeyser and discussed the financial events of the preceding seven days in calm, measured tones. So it may have come as a surprise to many to see Joseph Cohen pop up in their Instagram feeds with an offer that's hard to refuse: 'We have found three severely undervalued technology stocks. Join my group now to get it immediately. Anyone who owns these three stocks in the next five years can retire comfortably,' the video says. This is decidedly not something Joseph Cohen would be likely to do. The video is fake, Fortune has confirmed, seemingly generated by AI. It's a pretty good fake, however. Even people who have met Joseph Cohen in person would be likely to think it was real, at least on first glance. 'This is a fraudulent message and not representative of Goldman Sachs,' the bank told Fortune. 'There should always be caution exercised around any unverified communication purporting to come from a Goldman Sachs employee. Customers can learn more by visiting and should report any suspected fraud by emailing abuse@ a spokesperson said. In fact, there is a whole raft of fake AI video chief investment officers making the rounds on social media right now. Goldman's chief U.S. equity strategist, David Kostin, who has been at the bank for 30 years, has one. Former CMC Markets chief analyst Michael Hewson (16 years at the company) has another. 'I've set up a Whatsapp investment group. Every day I share three stocks,' the fake Kostin says. Hewson has a similar pitch. The videos don't just look like the three execs, they sound like them too. One of the few giveaways is that their lips don't quite match the words they are saying—a common flaw with AI deepfakes. CMC and Meta, Instagram's owner, also confirmed the videos were fake. The latter told Fortune the ad campaign would be taken down. 'We've removed the content brought to our attention. People who impersonate others on Facebook and Instagram violate our policies, and we remove this content when it's found,' a spokesperson said. The company staging the campaign was undeterred, however. This Fortune staffer joined the fake Joseph Cohen's Whatsapp group, just to see what was happening. An administrator sent us this message: 'Hello, investors! I am the group administrator of Horizon Investments, and I sincerely invite you to join the investment feast at 9:20 am tomorrow (EST). Our chief analyst Mr. Austin Fitch will also share his professional insights with everyone in this group.' I declined the offer of the 'feast' and sent a direct message to 'Danielle Learned,' the Whatsapp contact with a St. Louis area code who recruited me. I asked her why she was using fake videos to recruit investors on Instagram. She replied: 'Hello, Abby Cohen and our agency are in partnership. Abby Cohen is participating in the joint deployment of some high-quality US stock trading strategies developed by Mr. Austin of our agency." Again, Joseph Cohen has nothing to do with this. Learned then recommended I buy SoFi Technologies at $11.50 per share on the Nasdaq. 'Please let me know when you complete the order and I will let you know when to sell.' (We didn't.) A spokesperson for the real Horizon Investments told Fortune that they too had no idea their company and staff names were being used in the scam. "In no way would Horizon ever be involved in something like this nor would any of its people lend their names, images or backing to something like this," a representative said. The "Fitch" character on Whatsapp did not respond to a message requesting comment. This story was originally featured on
Associated Press
12-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
LiquA Consolidates Industry Leadership in Flexitank Technology
LiquA revolutionizes bulk liquid transport with innovative, eco-friendly Flexitank technology, ensuring safe, efficient, and affordable solutions worldwide. 'We, through our expertise in Flexitanks, have helped businesses optimise their supply chains while maintaining the integrity and safety of their products.' — Joseph Cohen, MD of LiquA ISTANBUL, TURKEY, February 12, 2025 / / -- LiquA - an innovation in the world of liquid logistics continues to shake the status quo as Flexitank technology for the transportation of bulk liquids is being introduced in recent developments worldwide. LiquA's commitment to dynamic quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction makes it stand high in leadership among its contemporaries as the innovator in providing high performance of safe, efficient, and Liquid Transportation at highly affordable rates. Now widely known as the revolutionary bulk liquid transport changers, Flexitanks are the stars of LiquA. General-purpose, environmentally friendly, recyclable containers that can be used by any company in any industry to safely and economically export non-hazardous liquids is what LiquA has become a reliable source of highly versatile Flexitank upon request from a wide range of customer enterprise needs, including foodstuffs and industrial chemicals. LiquA's mission, according to Joseph Cohen, the MD of LiquA, is to offer novel, reliable, and environmentally friendly processing solutions for transport in bulk liquids. 'We, through our expertise in Flexitanks, have helped businesses optimise their supply chains while maintaining the integrity and safety of their products. ' LiquA has become well-known in the industry over time for its advanced technology and striven quality standards that are well above industry standards. The dedication of the company to the field of research and development has enabled it to provide the industry's most durable Flexitanks that prevent leaks, survive intense conditions, and adhere to all applicable industry regulations. Over the years, LiquA has introduced many unique flexitanks such as the E-Flex Easy Flexitank (which does not require bulkheads, guarantees no bulging, can load up to 27,000 litres-highest payload in the industry), H-Flex Heater Flexitank (that can heat the product at destination 20 times faster), T-Flex, Truck Flexitank (the only mono-block, safe flexitank for trucks), R-Flex Reefer Flexitank, A-Flex Aseptic Flexitank, which are referred to as its commitment to pioneering solutions to effectively answer the shifting requirements of the logistics industry. These advancements confirm the company's leadership status in the sector as well as its commitment to providing value to its partners and clients. Thanks to the Worldwide Network and a team of professionals led by experts with high qualifications, LiquA is sufficiently equipped to deal with the coming liquid transport challenges. The company offers technical expertise and personalized assistance so that no matter where a shipment or delivery is, every delivery always arrives safely and is discharged smoothly. About LiquA LiquA is a pioneer of liquid logistics, focusing on innovative Flexitank technology for the secure and effective transportation of bulk liquids. Dedicated to quality, sustainability and customer satisfaction, LiquA provides clients with customised solutions rooted in decades of experience and industry knowledge. John Nasi LiquA Endustriyel Ambalaj Mlz, San, ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. +90 216 312 86 60 Visit us on social media: LinkedIn YouTube Legal Disclaimer:
