Names and faces
■ Harrison Ford offered an emphatic plea on Tuesday for protecting the world’s oceans, calling out people who “deny or denigrate science.” The 76-year-old actor, best known for his roles in the Star
Wars and Indiana Jones movie franchises, stressed the importance of acknowledging the effects of climate change, speaking on the closing day of the World Government Summit in Dubai, United
Arab Emirates. Though never saying Donald Trump’s name, Ford clearly targeted the American president within the opening moments of his remarks. “Around the world, elements of leadership — including in my own country — to preserve their state and the status quo, deny or denigrate science,” Ford said. “They are on the wrong side of history.” There was no immediate reaction from the White House. Trump repeatedly has criticized the idea of climate change, despite it being supported by the vast majority of peer-reviewed studies, science organizations and scientists. Ford has long supported conservation efforts. Before Ford took the stage, his Emirati hosts played a video of him narrating a piece for Conservation International on the importance of protecting the ocean. In his address, Ford called on governments and officials to rely on “sound science” to shape their policy. “We are faced [with], what I believe, is the greatest moral crisis of our time,” Ford said, adding that “those least responsible for nature’s destruction will suffer the greatest consequences.”
■ Katy Perry’s fashion line, Katy Perry Collections, has pulled two styles of shoes after some people compared them to blackface. The Ora Face Block Heel and Rue Face Slip-On Loafers were released last summer in nine different colors. They included protruding eyes, nose and red lips. In a statement released Tuesday by the singer and company, they said the shoes were “envisioned as a nod to modern art and surrealism.” The singer said she was saddened when she learned they were being compared to blackface, adding that they were “immediately removed” from the company’s website. The shoes also disappeared from the Dillard’s website, and they were not available at Lord & Taylor and Macy’s on Tuesday. Perry’s is the latest company to withdraw products after they were compared to blackface. Gucci took a sweater off the market last week, and Prada in December removed a series of accessories that resembled black monkeys with red lips.