An excerpt from CNN -
States require more training time to become a barber than a police officer
Story by Holly Yan; Graphics by Alberto Mier, CNN
To earn a badge in California, you'll need at least 664 hours of academy training. (The state then requires at least 14 weeks of field training.) If you want to be a licensed cosmetologist, you'll need more than that: 1,600 hours.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/28/us/jobs-training-police-trnd/index.html
Friday, September 30, 2016
Truck Stop on Steroids
From Atlas Obscura -
WALCOTT, IOWA
Iowa 80 Truck Stop
The world’s largest truck stop includes a barber shop, chiropractor, and a huge museum with antique trucks.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/iowa-80-truck-stop
WALCOTT, IOWA
Iowa 80 Truck Stop
The world’s largest truck stop includes a barber shop, chiropractor, and a huge museum with antique trucks.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/iowa-80-truck-stop
Housing Solutions
From the Huffington Post -
Sleek Apartments Made Of Shipping Containers To House Homeless Vets
Potter’s Lane will be California’s first shipping-container apartment building.
By Sarah Ruiz-Grossman
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sleek-apartments-made-of-shipping-containers-to-house-homeless-vets_us_57eace20e4b024a52d2b2edf
Sleek Apartments Made Of Shipping Containers To House Homeless Vets
Potter’s Lane will be California’s first shipping-container apartment building.
By Sarah Ruiz-Grossman
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Beauty School Redemption
An excerpt from the Daily Good -
Wash, Rinse, Redeem: A Look Inside A Beauty School—In A Men’s Prison
A cosmetology program exclusively for inmates may give prison education a much needed makeover
by Stacey Leasca
“Out there cutting hair, nobody asks what your record is as long as you have a good rapport, good communication skills, and good people skills,” Jones says, his voice nearly drowned out by the whirring of hair dryers and salon chatter. All around him are his fellow inmates, many of whom are defined as “sensitive needs,” which includes convicted murderers, sex offenders, ex-gang members, as well as repeat career criminals like Jones. The individuals here are either studying to become licensed beauticians—a rigorous training process of six hours a day, five days a week—or are there to enjoy the salon’s range of services as the beauty school's practice clients.
The certificate and license that inmates receive at the end of the curriculum are the same ones given to matriculating cosmetology students on the outside. Hairdressers often rent chairs in salons as independent contractors, which means even a hairstylist with a prison record has an increased opportunity for entrepreneurship. With that comes a legitimate chance at having a career and earning a decent, middle-class living upon release.
https://www.good.is/features/prison-reform-education-cosmetology?utm_source=thedailygood&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailygood
Wash, Rinse, Redeem: A Look Inside A Beauty School—In A Men’s Prison
A cosmetology program exclusively for inmates may give prison education a much needed makeover
by Stacey Leasca
“Out there cutting hair, nobody asks what your record is as long as you have a good rapport, good communication skills, and good people skills,” Jones says, his voice nearly drowned out by the whirring of hair dryers and salon chatter. All around him are his fellow inmates, many of whom are defined as “sensitive needs,” which includes convicted murderers, sex offenders, ex-gang members, as well as repeat career criminals like Jones. The individuals here are either studying to become licensed beauticians—a rigorous training process of six hours a day, five days a week—or are there to enjoy the salon’s range of services as the beauty school's practice clients.
The certificate and license that inmates receive at the end of the curriculum are the same ones given to matriculating cosmetology students on the outside. Hairdressers often rent chairs in salons as independent contractors, which means even a hairstylist with a prison record has an increased opportunity for entrepreneurship. With that comes a legitimate chance at having a career and earning a decent, middle-class living upon release.
https://www.good.is/features/prison-reform-education-cosmetology?utm_source=thedailygood&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailygood
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
No Room For Error
From Vox - Another article too good to cherry pick.
The hardest part about growing up poor was knowing I couldn’t mess up. Not even once.
Updated by David Tran
http://www.vox.com/first-person/2016/9/27/13062230/poor-college-scholarship-opportunity
The hardest part about growing up poor was knowing I couldn’t mess up. Not even once.
Updated by David Tran
http://www.vox.com/first-person/2016/9/27/13062230/poor-college-scholarship-opportunity
Built Fast
I hope this video is attached. If not, you can find it at
https://www.wired.com/video/how-boeing-builds-a-737-in-just-nine-days
Choose to See the Best Version
This is a tribute to a man's AA sponsor who passed away. If time permits, read the whole thing. It's worth it.
~~~~~~~~~~
An excerpt from Jon Carroll Prose (Blog) - "Dark Shadows"
She was a difficult woman. She was a kind, smart woman. She was the whole messy package of humanity rolled into one explosive bundle. I loved her. I didn’t speak to her for years.
~~~~~~~~~~
My reasons for writing this are twofold. One, I wanted to tell you about Dunn Miller, because there will be no obituaries, no tributes on television. I have this tiny forum to encourage others to mourn with me.
And the second thing I have to say is: Are there people in your life from whom you’ve become estranged? Is there some argument, some outrage, some unforgivable exchange? Forgive anyway. Go to whomever and tell them how important they were, how much you appreciated what they did. Talk to the best version of that person. Offer grace.
https://joncarrollprose.com/2016/09/24/dark-shadows/
~~~~~~~~~~
An excerpt from Jon Carroll Prose (Blog) - "Dark Shadows"
She was a difficult woman. She was a kind, smart woman. She was the whole messy package of humanity rolled into one explosive bundle. I loved her. I didn’t speak to her for years.
~~~~~~~~~~
My reasons for writing this are twofold. One, I wanted to tell you about Dunn Miller, because there will be no obituaries, no tributes on television. I have this tiny forum to encourage others to mourn with me.
And the second thing I have to say is: Are there people in your life from whom you’ve become estranged? Is there some argument, some outrage, some unforgivable exchange? Forgive anyway. Go to whomever and tell them how important they were, how much you appreciated what they did. Talk to the best version of that person. Offer grace.
https://joncarrollprose.com/2016/09/24/dark-shadows/
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Must See Items
From the Washington Post -
The top 36 must-see items at the African American museum
By Philip Kennicott and Peggy McGlone
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/lifestyle/national-museum-of-african-american-history-and-culture/must-see-exhibit-items/
The top 36 must-see items at the African American museum
By Philip Kennicott and Peggy McGlone
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/lifestyle/national-museum-of-african-american-history-and-culture/must-see-exhibit-items/
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Did You Know?
Sacramento Public Library offers a Library of Things for checkout that include sewing machines and musical instruments?
Check it out (pun intended) at the link below.
http://www.saclibrary.org/Services/Library-of-Things
Check it out (pun intended) at the link below.
http://www.saclibrary.org/Services/Library-of-Things
A History of Lies & Deceit
An excerpt from the Associated Press - (Bold is mine)
As Trump appeals to black voters, Gary recalls casino deal
By SOPHIA TAREEN and MICHAEL BIESECKER
GARY, Ind. (AP) — Donald Trump swooped into Gary, Indiana, on his private jet and pledged to make the down-on-its-luck city great again.
It was 1993, and the New York mogul was wooing officials in the mostly black city to support his bid to dock a showboat casino along a Lake Michigan shoreline littered with shuttered factories. Trump and his representatives later told state gaming officials he would leverage his "incomparable experience" to build a floating Shangri-La, with enough slot machines and blackjack tables to fill city coffers and local charities with tens of millions each year, while creating scores of well-paid jobs for minority residents.
"We are looking to make this a real peach here, a real success," Trump said of the project.
Today, as the Republican presidential nominee pursues black voters with vows to fix inner-city troubles, many Gary residents say his pitch to solve the problems of crime and poverty is disturbingly familiar. Like others who have done business with Trump, they say their experience offers a cautionary tale.
Little more than a decade after investing in Gary, Trump's casino company declared bankruptcy and cashed out his stake in the boat — leaving behind lawsuits and hard feelings in a city where more than one-third of residents live in poverty. Trump's lawyers later argued in court that his pledges to the city were never legally binding. Trump told The Associated Press that his venture was good for Gary.
Local civic leaders disagree.
"What you had was a slick business dealer coming in," said Roy Pratt, a Democratic former Gary city councilman. "He got as much as he could and then he pulled up and left."
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/3ab9b80ebe364b2ca5ae619492a096a2/years-after-casino-went-bust-gary-still-skeptical-trump
As Trump appeals to black voters, Gary recalls casino deal
By SOPHIA TAREEN and MICHAEL BIESECKER
GARY, Ind. (AP) — Donald Trump swooped into Gary, Indiana, on his private jet and pledged to make the down-on-its-luck city great again.
It was 1993, and the New York mogul was wooing officials in the mostly black city to support his bid to dock a showboat casino along a Lake Michigan shoreline littered with shuttered factories. Trump and his representatives later told state gaming officials he would leverage his "incomparable experience" to build a floating Shangri-La, with enough slot machines and blackjack tables to fill city coffers and local charities with tens of millions each year, while creating scores of well-paid jobs for minority residents.
"We are looking to make this a real peach here, a real success," Trump said of the project.
Today, as the Republican presidential nominee pursues black voters with vows to fix inner-city troubles, many Gary residents say his pitch to solve the problems of crime and poverty is disturbingly familiar. Like others who have done business with Trump, they say their experience offers a cautionary tale.
Little more than a decade after investing in Gary, Trump's casino company declared bankruptcy and cashed out his stake in the boat — leaving behind lawsuits and hard feelings in a city where more than one-third of residents live in poverty. Trump's lawyers later argued in court that his pledges to the city were never legally binding. Trump told The Associated Press that his venture was good for Gary.
Local civic leaders disagree.
"What you had was a slick business dealer coming in," said Roy Pratt, a Democratic former Gary city councilman. "He got as much as he could and then he pulled up and left."
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/3ab9b80ebe364b2ca5ae619492a096a2/years-after-casino-went-bust-gary-still-skeptical-trump
Their Silence is Deafening
An excerpt from USA Today -
The silence is deafening.
Trent Dilfer, Kate Upton, Tony La Russa, Drew Brees, Rodney Harrison — they and many, many others were quick to criticize Colin Kaepernick and other athletes for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and inequality. It was disrespectful to the country. Or the flag. Or the military. Or law enforcement and first responders. Or … something.
Besides, Kaepernick and Co. are ungrateful, self-absorbed millionaires. What could they possibly know? If they were that concerned, they should be doing something in the community rather than making spectacles of themselves when the country really just wants to watch football.
So where are they now, the Dilfers, the Uptons, the La Russas and all the other Kaepernick critics? Where is the outrage and the indignation for Terence Crutcher, the unarmed black man who was killed by Tulsa police late last week after he was gunned down and lay bleeding in the street for almost two minutes before anyone went to help him?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/nancy-armour/2016/09/20/colin-kaepernick-tulsa-police-shooting-jerry-rice/90752254/
The silence is deafening.
Trent Dilfer, Kate Upton, Tony La Russa, Drew Brees, Rodney Harrison — they and many, many others were quick to criticize Colin Kaepernick and other athletes for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and inequality. It was disrespectful to the country. Or the flag. Or the military. Or law enforcement and first responders. Or … something.
Besides, Kaepernick and Co. are ungrateful, self-absorbed millionaires. What could they possibly know? If they were that concerned, they should be doing something in the community rather than making spectacles of themselves when the country really just wants to watch football.
So where are they now, the Dilfers, the Uptons, the La Russas and all the other Kaepernick critics? Where is the outrage and the indignation for Terence Crutcher, the unarmed black man who was killed by Tulsa police late last week after he was gunned down and lay bleeding in the street for almost two minutes before anyone went to help him?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/nancy-armour/2016/09/20/colin-kaepernick-tulsa-police-shooting-jerry-rice/90752254/
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
A Great Experience
A few days ago I purchased a car using an excellent car buying service in the Bay Area called Roadster. For a fee of $295, they find the car you want at the price you want and deliver it to you. No need to visit a dealership at all. (Delivery qualifier - they don't come all the way to Sacramento, so I took a train to Fairfield and met a Roadster Rep at a Starbucks, signed the papers and voila! I was on 80 West in my new car).
I had driven the model I bought, a Nissan Rogue, for a week when I rented one when I first returned to the US. I loved it. It sits high off the ground and has most of the features found in larger SUVs, but in a smaller package. It was good on gas, too.
So, I knew what I wanted. Searched online and found the options I wanted, and from those searches had a pretty good idea of what it should cost.
I purchased my last car online as well and absolutely loved the experience. This was in 2004. I kept that car until 2011 when I left the country. I sold it to CarMax and that was a painless process, too.
Anyway, as I've mentioned before, I should be in sales because when I find something I like, I want the world to know about it.
So . . .
If you or someone you know is in the market for a new car and you're in the Bay Area, I highly recommend Roadster.
I had driven the model I bought, a Nissan Rogue, for a week when I rented one when I first returned to the US. I loved it. It sits high off the ground and has most of the features found in larger SUVs, but in a smaller package. It was good on gas, too.
So, I knew what I wanted. Searched online and found the options I wanted, and from those searches had a pretty good idea of what it should cost.
I purchased my last car online as well and absolutely loved the experience. This was in 2004. I kept that car until 2011 when I left the country. I sold it to CarMax and that was a painless process, too.
Anyway, as I've mentioned before, I should be in sales because when I find something I like, I want the world to know about it.
So . . .
If you or someone you know is in the market for a new car and you're in the Bay Area, I highly recommend Roadster.
Showing Gratitude
A random guy bought some Starbucks goodies for the first responders of the NY bombing.
There are good people everywhere.
https://www.facebook.com/knightnews/videos/10157392671575527/
There are good people everywhere.
https://www.facebook.com/knightnews/videos/10157392671575527/
Monday, September 19, 2016
Friday, September 16, 2016
History Supports Him
From the New Yorker -
COLIN KAEPERNICK AND A LANDMARK SUPREME COURT CASE
By Jeffrey Toobin
Fascinating article!
Too good to cherry pick.
http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/colin-kaepernick-and-a-landmark-supreme-court-case
COLIN KAEPERNICK AND A LANDMARK SUPREME COURT CASE
By Jeffrey Toobin
Fascinating article!
Too good to cherry pick.
http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/colin-kaepernick-and-a-landmark-supreme-court-case
DAMN!
Trevor Noah slams Trump!
https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/776187201751134208/pl/bdIQas9PBNVgLrI1.m3u8
https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/776187201751134208/pl/bdIQas9PBNVgLrI1.m3u8
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Truth Be Told
I love that Colin Kaepernick has taken a stand against the injustices of people of color.
It takes courage to do what he has chosen to do.
It takes courage to take a stand that you know will be unpopular but is right nonetheless.
As much as I believe in what he's doing and applaud him for it, I wonder if I'd feel the same way if it was Ben or Frankie.
Would I be as supportive of them?
Or, would I remind them of the cost of standing up, even when you are right?
The answer is . . .
I would have tried to stop them, wrong though that would have been.
Here's why.
Growing up in the segregated South, my brothers and I were taught to "go along to get along." My parents knew the real danger of pushing back in any way.
We lived with terrorism long before 9/11.
To push back against the status quo meant repercussions.
Folks losing their jobs, their livelihoods, and too often, their lives was the threat we lived under every day. It was the fear we learned to live with.
Of course, we recognized the gains we made because of those brave folks who took a stand on our behalf, but it wasn't enough to nudge us from the sidelines.
So, I thank God for the people who had the courage to do what we wouldn't do, then and now.
It takes courage to do what he has chosen to do.
It takes courage to take a stand that you know will be unpopular but is right nonetheless.
As much as I believe in what he's doing and applaud him for it, I wonder if I'd feel the same way if it was Ben or Frankie.
Would I be as supportive of them?
Or, would I remind them of the cost of standing up, even when you are right?
The answer is . . .
I would have tried to stop them, wrong though that would have been.
Here's why.
Growing up in the segregated South, my brothers and I were taught to "go along to get along." My parents knew the real danger of pushing back in any way.
We lived with terrorism long before 9/11.
To push back against the status quo meant repercussions.
Folks losing their jobs, their livelihoods, and too often, their lives was the threat we lived under every day. It was the fear we learned to live with.
Of course, we recognized the gains we made because of those brave folks who took a stand on our behalf, but it wasn't enough to nudge us from the sidelines.
So, I thank God for the people who had the courage to do what we wouldn't do, then and now.
A Courageous Act
An excerpt from The Intercept - H/T Ben
Barbara Lee’s Lone Vote on Sept. 14, 2001, Was as Prescient as It Was Brave and Heroic
By Glenn Greenwald
In an op-ed she published in the San Francisco Chronicle nine days later, she explained her vote by pointing out that the resolution “was a blank check to the president to attack anyone involved in the Sept. 11 events — anywhere, in any country, without regard to our nation’s long-term foreign policy, economic and national security interests, and without time limit.” She added: “A rush to launch precipitous military counterattacks runs too great a risk that more innocent men, women, children will be killed.”
For her lone stance, Lee was deluged with rancid insults and death threats to the point where she needed around-the-clock bodyguards. She was vilified as “anti-American” by numerous outlets including the Wall Street Journal. The Washington Times editorialized on September 18 that “Ms. Lee is a long-practicing supporter of America’s enemies — from Fidel Castro on down” and that “while most of the left-wing Democrats spent the week praising President Bush and trying to sound as moderate as possible, Barbara Lee continued to sail under her true colors.” Since then, she has been repeatedly rejected in her bids to join the House Democratic leadership, typically losing to candidates close to Wall Street and in support of militarism. I documented numerous other ugly attacks when I wrote about her for The Guardian in 2013.
But beyond the obvious bravery needed to take the stand she took, she has been completely vindicated on the merits.
https://theintercept.com/2016/09/11/barbara-lees-lone-vote-on-sept-14-2001-was-as-prescient-as-it-was-brave-and-heroic/
Barbara Lee’s Lone Vote on Sept. 14, 2001, Was as Prescient as It Was Brave and Heroic
By Glenn Greenwald
In an op-ed she published in the San Francisco Chronicle nine days later, she explained her vote by pointing out that the resolution “was a blank check to the president to attack anyone involved in the Sept. 11 events — anywhere, in any country, without regard to our nation’s long-term foreign policy, economic and national security interests, and without time limit.” She added: “A rush to launch precipitous military counterattacks runs too great a risk that more innocent men, women, children will be killed.”
For her lone stance, Lee was deluged with rancid insults and death threats to the point where she needed around-the-clock bodyguards. She was vilified as “anti-American” by numerous outlets including the Wall Street Journal. The Washington Times editorialized on September 18 that “Ms. Lee is a long-practicing supporter of America’s enemies — from Fidel Castro on down” and that “while most of the left-wing Democrats spent the week praising President Bush and trying to sound as moderate as possible, Barbara Lee continued to sail under her true colors.” Since then, she has been repeatedly rejected in her bids to join the House Democratic leadership, typically losing to candidates close to Wall Street and in support of militarism. I documented numerous other ugly attacks when I wrote about her for The Guardian in 2013.
But beyond the obvious bravery needed to take the stand she took, she has been completely vindicated on the merits.
https://theintercept.com/2016/09/11/barbara-lees-lone-vote-on-sept-14-2001-was-as-prescient-as-it-was-brave-and-heroic/
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Happy Birthday Frankie!
It's hard to believe you're 33 today!
Where does the time go?
It was 33 years ago on a Saturday morning, like today, that I started to bleed and my doctor decided that you would be born that day.
It was a tough pregnancy.
By this time I'd been in the hospital for over a month, as this pregnancy was considered high risk. This was long before the quickie drive-by hospital stays that are the norm today.
The previous year I had Lydia, who had a litany of health issues and only lived for two weeks. After two pregnancies in two years, we were advised to wait a while before trying for another child. I knew that waiting wasn't an option because of fear and sadness that gripped me after losing her. So, mere months after her death, I was pregnant with you.
With Ben, I had issues.
With Lydia, she had problems.
With you, it was my turn again.
I had placenta previa, a condition that was potentially life threatening, but I felt fine. So good in fact, I was lifting things and moving furniture, as we were setting up our new home, getting everything ready for your birth.
Well, therein was the problem.
I exasperated an already tenuous situation, and in my third trimester, I started to bleed and was hospitalized. After a week or so, I begged to be released to go home because Ben needed me. He was just shy of two years old.
My doctor complied. I went home and foolishly went back to moving furniture. Again.
Color me stupid.
I had already lost one child. You'd think I'd have the presence of mind to do everything in my power to prevent that from happening again.
What was I thinking?
I don't know where my head was.
Anyway . . .
Of course, I started to bleed again, and this time I was hospitalized for over a month, waiting for you to grow bigger and stronger to increase your chance of survival outside the womb.
So, early that Saturday morning, when I notified the staff of the bleeding, surgery was prepped and you were born. It happened fast. So fast in fact, that your dad didn't make it as he had to find someone to watch Ben. By the time he arrived, you were born.
You looked so much like Lydia, it was hard at first.
The resemblance was remarkable.
You were both born a month early, weighing within an ounce of each other.
After you passed the two week mark, you started to fill out and come into your own person. Or maybe, I started to see you as you, and not so much in her image.
One of my favorite memories of your birth was Ben's reaction to you. He was tickled pink. So excited to have a little brother. That excitement didn't wane until you were five months old and started to smile. Then he was done.
It took a while, but he came around again, and now I'm thrilled that you're best buds.
We've had some wonderful times, and some tough times, but through it all, I've been so proud of you.
Here's some advice, unsolicited though it may be.
That is . . . be happy.
Find your happy place and drop anchor there.
Do what makes you happy.
Be with people who make you happy,
But . . .
Understand that your happiness should never be dependent on someone else.
You have to be happy with you, and for you.
Other people are responsible for their own happiness.
I realize this seems like a contradiction, but I promise, it's not.
It took me twenty years to figure that out.
Ok.
No more advice . . . today.
Just love.
Happy birthday Frankie!
Where does the time go?
It was 33 years ago on a Saturday morning, like today, that I started to bleed and my doctor decided that you would be born that day.
It was a tough pregnancy.
By this time I'd been in the hospital for over a month, as this pregnancy was considered high risk. This was long before the quickie drive-by hospital stays that are the norm today.
The previous year I had Lydia, who had a litany of health issues and only lived for two weeks. After two pregnancies in two years, we were advised to wait a while before trying for another child. I knew that waiting wasn't an option because of fear and sadness that gripped me after losing her. So, mere months after her death, I was pregnant with you.
With Ben, I had issues.
With Lydia, she had problems.
With you, it was my turn again.
I had placenta previa, a condition that was potentially life threatening, but I felt fine. So good in fact, I was lifting things and moving furniture, as we were setting up our new home, getting everything ready for your birth.
Well, therein was the problem.
I exasperated an already tenuous situation, and in my third trimester, I started to bleed and was hospitalized. After a week or so, I begged to be released to go home because Ben needed me. He was just shy of two years old.
My doctor complied. I went home and foolishly went back to moving furniture. Again.
Color me stupid.
I had already lost one child. You'd think I'd have the presence of mind to do everything in my power to prevent that from happening again.
What was I thinking?
I don't know where my head was.
Anyway . . .
Of course, I started to bleed again, and this time I was hospitalized for over a month, waiting for you to grow bigger and stronger to increase your chance of survival outside the womb.
So, early that Saturday morning, when I notified the staff of the bleeding, surgery was prepped and you were born. It happened fast. So fast in fact, that your dad didn't make it as he had to find someone to watch Ben. By the time he arrived, you were born.
You looked so much like Lydia, it was hard at first.
The resemblance was remarkable.
You were both born a month early, weighing within an ounce of each other.
After you passed the two week mark, you started to fill out and come into your own person. Or maybe, I started to see you as you, and not so much in her image.
One of my favorite memories of your birth was Ben's reaction to you. He was tickled pink. So excited to have a little brother. That excitement didn't wane until you were five months old and started to smile. Then he was done.
It took a while, but he came around again, and now I'm thrilled that you're best buds.
We've had some wonderful times, and some tough times, but through it all, I've been so proud of you.
Here's some advice, unsolicited though it may be.
That is . . . be happy.
Find your happy place and drop anchor there.
Do what makes you happy.
Be with people who make you happy,
But . . .
Understand that your happiness should never be dependent on someone else.
You have to be happy with you, and for you.
Other people are responsible for their own happiness.
I realize this seems like a contradiction, but I promise, it's not.
It took me twenty years to figure that out.
Ok.
No more advice . . . today.
Just love.
Happy birthday Frankie!
Friday, September 9, 2016
I Love This!
http://www.upworthy.com/one-man-turned-nursing-home-design-on-its-head-when-he-created-this-stunning-facility?c=upw1&u=6861cbea6edfdfe5a709ee39ad3c14b64135e61f
Even in Death
An excerpt from Atlas Obscura -
The Persistent Racism of America's Cemeteries
Not only is segregation still an issue but also America risks losing important history in its forgotten graveyards.
By Jennifer Young
Earlier this summer, the city of Waco, Texas issued an order to remove a fence in the city’s public burial ground, Greenwood Cemetery. But it wasn’t just a cosmetic change: Using a forklift and power tools, City of Waco Parks & Recreation staff cut apart the chain-link fence that had been used to divide the white section of the cemetery from the black section.
The cemetery had been racially segregated since it opened in the late 1800s. It was operated by two sets of caretakers, white and black, until the city took over the cemetery about 10 years ago.
Waco is not the only Texas community to struggle with the surprisingly robust ghost of Jim Crow: This spring, the cemetery association of Normanna, Texas, about an hour outside Corpus Christi, was sued by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund for barring a white woman from burying the ashes of her Hispanic husband there. Although the cemetery association later relented, the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating. No Hispanic people are buried within the Normanna cemetery—there is one sole tombstone with a Spanish surname, located just outside the cemetery’s chain link fence.
Until the 1950s, about 90 percent of all public cemeteries in the U.S. employed a variety of racial restrictions. Until recently, to enter a cemetery was to experience, as a University of Pennsylvania geography professor put it, the “spatial segregation of the American dead.” Even when a religious cemetery was not entirely race restricted, different races were buried in separate parts of the cemetery, with whites usually getting the more attractive plots.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-persistent-racism-of-americas-cemeteries
The Persistent Racism of America's Cemeteries
Not only is segregation still an issue but also America risks losing important history in its forgotten graveyards.
By Jennifer Young
Earlier this summer, the city of Waco, Texas issued an order to remove a fence in the city’s public burial ground, Greenwood Cemetery. But it wasn’t just a cosmetic change: Using a forklift and power tools, City of Waco Parks & Recreation staff cut apart the chain-link fence that had been used to divide the white section of the cemetery from the black section.
The cemetery had been racially segregated since it opened in the late 1800s. It was operated by two sets of caretakers, white and black, until the city took over the cemetery about 10 years ago.
Waco is not the only Texas community to struggle with the surprisingly robust ghost of Jim Crow: This spring, the cemetery association of Normanna, Texas, about an hour outside Corpus Christi, was sued by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund for barring a white woman from burying the ashes of her Hispanic husband there. Although the cemetery association later relented, the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating. No Hispanic people are buried within the Normanna cemetery—there is one sole tombstone with a Spanish surname, located just outside the cemetery’s chain link fence.
Until the 1950s, about 90 percent of all public cemeteries in the U.S. employed a variety of racial restrictions. Until recently, to enter a cemetery was to experience, as a University of Pennsylvania geography professor put it, the “spatial segregation of the American dead.” Even when a religious cemetery was not entirely race restricted, different races were buried in separate parts of the cemetery, with whites usually getting the more attractive plots.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-persistent-racism-of-americas-cemeteries
Thursday, September 8, 2016
I Want This Guy to Wait on Me
From Stumble Upon - I was going to cherry pick the article, but I think it needs to read in its entirety to appreciate. Enjoy!
Guy Documents His First Week Of Work At Target, And It Couldn’t Get More Hilarious
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1TyQra/:W5WO3Mhu:qUZGdJog/www.boredpanda.com/first-work-week-target-cashier-kimpossibooty
Guy Documents His First Week Of Work At Target, And It Couldn’t Get More Hilarious
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1TyQra/:W5WO3Mhu:qUZGdJog/www.boredpanda.com/first-work-week-target-cashier-kimpossibooty
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Nationalism vs. Patriotism
Excerpts from The Undefeated -
THE COURAGE OF COLIN KAEPERNICK
Given all that’s going on in America, he got it right
By Michael Eric Dyson
Nationalism is a harmful belief that can lead a country down a dangerous spiral of arrogance, or off the precipice of political narcissism. Nationalism harbors the belief that no matter what one’s country does, it must be supported. If a nation practices racism, homophobia, sexism, xenophobia or the like, it must be celebrated and accepted at all costs. Patriotism is a bigger, more uplifting virtue. Patriotism is the belief in the best values of one’s country, and the pursuit of the best means to realize those values. If the nation strays, then it must be corrected. The patriot is the person who, spotting the need for change, says so clearly and loudly, without hate or rancor. The nationalist is the person who spurns such correction and would rather take refuge in bigotry than fight it. It is the nationalists who wrap themselves in a flag and loudly proclaim themselves as patriots. That is dangerous, as glimpsed in Trump’s amplification of the worst racist and xenophobic sentiments in a generation. In the end, Trump is a nationalist, and Kaepernick is a patriot.
~~~~~~~~~~
What the controversy has also revealed is that, for the most part, the world of sports, especially football, despite all of the black bodies that make it go, is still a deeply and profoundly white enterprise that cherishes its own viewpoints and recoils at true difference. That’s why only the gridiron is integrated, with nearly 70 percent of the players black. The league’s front offices teem with white men whose outdated viewpoints, and narrow understandings of race – and sometimes, whether intending to be or not, their bigoted perspectives – hamper true progress. The players in football and basketball may be overwhelmingly black – and in the case of baseball, increasingly Latino – but the front offices of major sports are a white man’s game.
Thus when we hear statements by anonymous NFL executives that they don’t want Kaepernick near their teams because he’s a traitor, that he has no respect for our country, and “[expletive] that guy,” and that “I have never seen a guy so hated by front office guys as Kaepernick,” they betray the tolerance for fatally narrow views of black life. As long as black athletes keep their mouths shut and play the game, they’re fine. Once they range beyond deference and obedience, they’re out of bounds, and huge penalty flags are thrown.
Kaepernick’s courage has also thrown a harsh light on just how painfully inadequate are the memories, historical consciousness, and learning of some of our leading, black former football players, who now offer commentary in the media. They clearly don’t understand that without some brave soul in the past like Jim Brown within their guild speaking up at the “wrong” time, they wouldn’t today enjoy the perks of fame and wealth. Without protest and social pressure, the major sports leagues would not have been integrated. Rodney Harrison, Hines Ward and Jerry Rice were incredible athletes who offer insightful commentary about football. However, criticism of Kaepernick reveals their atrocious ignorance. Harrison argued that Kaepernick’s heart is in the right place, but that he’s “going about it in the wrong way.”
http://theundefeated.com/features/the-courage-of-colin-kaepernick/
THE COURAGE OF COLIN KAEPERNICK
Given all that’s going on in America, he got it right
By Michael Eric Dyson
Nationalism is a harmful belief that can lead a country down a dangerous spiral of arrogance, or off the precipice of political narcissism. Nationalism harbors the belief that no matter what one’s country does, it must be supported. If a nation practices racism, homophobia, sexism, xenophobia or the like, it must be celebrated and accepted at all costs. Patriotism is a bigger, more uplifting virtue. Patriotism is the belief in the best values of one’s country, and the pursuit of the best means to realize those values. If the nation strays, then it must be corrected. The patriot is the person who, spotting the need for change, says so clearly and loudly, without hate or rancor. The nationalist is the person who spurns such correction and would rather take refuge in bigotry than fight it. It is the nationalists who wrap themselves in a flag and loudly proclaim themselves as patriots. That is dangerous, as glimpsed in Trump’s amplification of the worst racist and xenophobic sentiments in a generation. In the end, Trump is a nationalist, and Kaepernick is a patriot.
~~~~~~~~~~
What the controversy has also revealed is that, for the most part, the world of sports, especially football, despite all of the black bodies that make it go, is still a deeply and profoundly white enterprise that cherishes its own viewpoints and recoils at true difference. That’s why only the gridiron is integrated, with nearly 70 percent of the players black. The league’s front offices teem with white men whose outdated viewpoints, and narrow understandings of race – and sometimes, whether intending to be or not, their bigoted perspectives – hamper true progress. The players in football and basketball may be overwhelmingly black – and in the case of baseball, increasingly Latino – but the front offices of major sports are a white man’s game.
Thus when we hear statements by anonymous NFL executives that they don’t want Kaepernick near their teams because he’s a traitor, that he has no respect for our country, and “[expletive] that guy,” and that “I have never seen a guy so hated by front office guys as Kaepernick,” they betray the tolerance for fatally narrow views of black life. As long as black athletes keep their mouths shut and play the game, they’re fine. Once they range beyond deference and obedience, they’re out of bounds, and huge penalty flags are thrown.
Kaepernick’s courage has also thrown a harsh light on just how painfully inadequate are the memories, historical consciousness, and learning of some of our leading, black former football players, who now offer commentary in the media. They clearly don’t understand that without some brave soul in the past like Jim Brown within their guild speaking up at the “wrong” time, they wouldn’t today enjoy the perks of fame and wealth. Without protest and social pressure, the major sports leagues would not have been integrated. Rodney Harrison, Hines Ward and Jerry Rice were incredible athletes who offer insightful commentary about football. However, criticism of Kaepernick reveals their atrocious ignorance. Harrison argued that Kaepernick’s heart is in the right place, but that he’s “going about it in the wrong way.”
http://theundefeated.com/features/the-courage-of-colin-kaepernick/
Spot On!
I ran into technical difficulties trying to embed this video, so here's the link instead. It's Trevor Noah on Comedy Central discussing Trump's effort to get the black vote.
Hilarious!
http://www.cc.com/video-clips/4vdhn2/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah-donald-trump-tries-to-woo-black-voters
Hilarious!
http://www.cc.com/video-clips/4vdhn2/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah-donald-trump-tries-to-woo-black-voters
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Saturday, September 3, 2016
Friday, September 2, 2016
Code of Conduct
An excerpt from the Root -
White America’s Definitive Code of Conduct for Black Athletes
And if you don’t follow these rules, you’ll get Kaepernicked.
BY: MICHAEL HARRIOT
Recently, black athletes have faced an enormous amount of scrutiny for their untoward behavior. They have continually sullied the regard and expectations of the virtuous masses of the noble, patriotic public by showing contempt for the spectators, fans and America itself. As such, we have assembled one of the whitest teams since (insert hockey team name here) to create this definitive code of conduct as both an instruction guide and a manual for how black professional athletes should represent themselves, their individual sports and their country.
http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2016/09/white-americas-definitive-code-of-conduct-for-black-athletes/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=theroot&utm_campaign=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content%26
White America’s Definitive Code of Conduct for Black Athletes
And if you don’t follow these rules, you’ll get Kaepernicked.
BY: MICHAEL HARRIOT
Recently, black athletes have faced an enormous amount of scrutiny for their untoward behavior. They have continually sullied the regard and expectations of the virtuous masses of the noble, patriotic public by showing contempt for the spectators, fans and America itself. As such, we have assembled one of the whitest teams since (insert hockey team name here) to create this definitive code of conduct as both an instruction guide and a manual for how black professional athletes should represent themselves, their individual sports and their country.
http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2016/09/white-americas-definitive-code-of-conduct-for-black-athletes/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=theroot&utm_campaign=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content%26
Just in Case You're Interested
An excerpt from Vox -
Donald Trump volunteers are signing a lifelong contract never to criticize him
By Jeff Stein
Sign up to volunteer for Donald Trump’s campaign, and you might be giving up more than you bargained for.
Earlier this week, reporters began poring over the 2,271-word nondisclosure agreement that Trump’s campaign requires its volunteers sign. The forms are extraordinarily broad, virtually prohibiting any volunteers from criticizing Trump or his family for the rest of their lifetimes, according to Rachel Sklar, a lawyer and CNN contributor.
http://www.vox.com/2016/9/2/12769084/donald-trump-volunteers
Donald Trump volunteers are signing a lifelong contract never to criticize him
By Jeff Stein
Sign up to volunteer for Donald Trump’s campaign, and you might be giving up more than you bargained for.
Earlier this week, reporters began poring over the 2,271-word nondisclosure agreement that Trump’s campaign requires its volunteers sign. The forms are extraordinarily broad, virtually prohibiting any volunteers from criticizing Trump or his family for the rest of their lifetimes, according to Rachel Sklar, a lawyer and CNN contributor.
http://www.vox.com/2016/9/2/12769084/donald-trump-volunteers
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Game Day Matter
From Rolling Stone - (Bold is mine)
Racism is much more complex than we like to imagine. It's more than a word; it's a system that is backed up money, politics and the criminal justice system. We live in a country where when media pundits called U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte, a 32-year-old man, a "kid," for lying about his brotastic experience at the Rio Olympics, but a Cleveland police officer can kill Tamir Race for doing just that – being a kid. A country where Kaepernick is deemed as being unpatriotic, for exercising his constitutional right to freedom of speech, but Dylann Roof can burn the American flag and walk into an A.M.E. church and murder people. A country where a presidential candidate whose slogan is "Make America Great Again," wants to criticize a black man who just wants justice is the epitome of not just hypocrisy, but it's also downright fucking absurd. Black lives seem to matter on game day when America needs to be entertained. The rest of the week, not so much.
http://www.rollingstone.com/sports/what-white-fans-dont-understand-about-black-athletes-w437292?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=daily&utm_campaign=083116_12
Racism is much more complex than we like to imagine. It's more than a word; it's a system that is backed up money, politics and the criminal justice system. We live in a country where when media pundits called U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte, a 32-year-old man, a "kid," for lying about his brotastic experience at the Rio Olympics, but a Cleveland police officer can kill Tamir Race for doing just that – being a kid. A country where Kaepernick is deemed as being unpatriotic, for exercising his constitutional right to freedom of speech, but Dylann Roof can burn the American flag and walk into an A.M.E. church and murder people. A country where a presidential candidate whose slogan is "Make America Great Again," wants to criticize a black man who just wants justice is the epitome of not just hypocrisy, but it's also downright fucking absurd. Black lives seem to matter on game day when America needs to be entertained. The rest of the week, not so much.
http://www.rollingstone.com/sports/what-white-fans-dont-understand-about-black-athletes-w437292?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=daily&utm_campaign=083116_12
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