Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Clever Ideas
From Buzzfeed -
19 Completely Random Ideas That Will Make You Say, “Clever!”
Why didn’t I think of that?
By Mike Spohr
I love #2, #4 and #5.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/xx-random-ideas-that-are-lifechangingly-brilliant?utm_term=.vwQllONPb#.ekbAAmN7M
19 Completely Random Ideas That Will Make You Say, “Clever!”
Why didn’t I think of that?
By Mike Spohr
I love #2, #4 and #5.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/xx-random-ideas-that-are-lifechangingly-brilliant?utm_term=.vwQllONPb#.ekbAAmN7M
Monday, February 27, 2017
A Running Record of Calamity
From the Huffington Post -
I Gave Donald Trump A Chance, And Then He...
By Jesse Mechanic, Contributor
1. Restarted the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines.
2. Instituted a federal hiring freeze that blocked 2,000 vital, new positions at the VA, and indefinitely suspended Army childcare programs for vets.
3. Approved a raid in Yemen that killed 30 people including at least 10 civilians, many of whom were women and children, as well as U.S. Navy Seal Ryan Owens.
4. Reinstated and strengthened the global gag rule thereby pulling all world-wide federal funding from any institutions that even attempt to educate patients about abortion.
5. Rescinded federal bathroom protections for trans students.
(From me - Click the link below to see the rest. There are 57 and counting).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/i-gave-donald-trump-a-chance-and-then-he_us_58b41f40e4b0e5fdf61974a9?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
I Gave Donald Trump A Chance, And Then He...
By Jesse Mechanic, Contributor
1. Restarted the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines.
2. Instituted a federal hiring freeze that blocked 2,000 vital, new positions at the VA, and indefinitely suspended Army childcare programs for vets.
3. Approved a raid in Yemen that killed 30 people including at least 10 civilians, many of whom were women and children, as well as U.S. Navy Seal Ryan Owens.
4. Reinstated and strengthened the global gag rule thereby pulling all world-wide federal funding from any institutions that even attempt to educate patients about abortion.
5. Rescinded federal bathroom protections for trans students.
(From me - Click the link below to see the rest. There are 57 and counting).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/i-gave-donald-trump-a-chance-and-then-he_us_58b41f40e4b0e5fdf61974a9?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
Pot Calling the Kettle Black
From USA Today -
My Hispanic son: Why is Apple so white at the top?
By Tony Maldonado
When Apple and over 90 tech companies filed an amicus brief in opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration moratorium, I was dumbfounded to see an industry wade into a political debate in the name of protecting diversity in our country, when that same industry has done so little to foster diversity and inclusion in its own ranks among senior management and boards.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2017/02/27/shareholder-calls-on-apple-to-fix-diversity-senior-management-board-tony-maldonado/98196276/
My Hispanic son: Why is Apple so white at the top?
By Tony Maldonado
When Apple and over 90 tech companies filed an amicus brief in opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration moratorium, I was dumbfounded to see an industry wade into a political debate in the name of protecting diversity in our country, when that same industry has done so little to foster diversity and inclusion in its own ranks among senior management and boards.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2017/02/27/shareholder-calls-on-apple-to-fix-diversity-senior-management-board-tony-maldonado/98196276/
It's Frankie & Zadie!
From Grist -
Why the People’s Climate March matters to people of color like me
By Aura Vasquez
http://buff.ly/2lDRFnA
Why the People’s Climate March matters to people of color like me
By Aura Vasquez
 |
| a katz / Shutterstock, Inc. |
http://buff.ly/2lDRFnA
Click For Your Choice of President
From Salon -
POLL: Which fictional president would you rather have in the White House?
Tell us which big-screen president you'd prefer to have as commander-in-chief
http://www.salon.com/2017/02/27/poll-which-fictional-president-would-you-rather-have-in-the-white-house/?source=newsletter
POLL: Which fictional president would you rather have in the White House?
Tell us which big-screen president you'd prefer to have as commander-in-chief
http://www.salon.com/2017/02/27/poll-which-fictional-president-would-you-rather-have-in-the-white-house/?source=newsletter
Mama Has Spoken
From Rolling Stone -
How to Stop Shaquille O'Neal: His Mother
Hall of Famer's feud with Golden State Warrirors center JaVale McGee comes to an end
By Scott Rafferty
Golden State Warriors center JaVale McGee and hall of famer Shaquille O'Neal have never been on the friendliest of terms. After becoming the poster child for O'Neal's "Shaqtin' a Fool" – a segment in which he mocks NBA players for their mistakes made on the court – McGee criticized the former Lakers and Heat star in 2016 for making basketball fans think he's a "dumb person." McGee then took it a step further by comparing O'Neal to Bert Williams, a comedian who performed in blackface in the early 1900s, after O'Neal made fun of his hair earlier this season.
~~~~~~~~~~
"I have orders from the top to leave it alone," O'Neal told The Undefeated. "No, [not NBA commissioner Adam Silver]. My mama. Just say Shaq's mom, called him, told him, 'Stop this silliness. Leave him alone.' So that's the end of the beef. You won't be hearing about it from my side anymore. Mama has spoken."
http://www.rollingstone.com/sports/shaqs-mom-tells-him-to-leave-javale-mcgee-alone-w469422
How to Stop Shaquille O'Neal: His Mother
Hall of Famer's feud with Golden State Warrirors center JaVale McGee comes to an end
By Scott Rafferty
Golden State Warriors center JaVale McGee and hall of famer Shaquille O'Neal have never been on the friendliest of terms. After becoming the poster child for O'Neal's "Shaqtin' a Fool" – a segment in which he mocks NBA players for their mistakes made on the court – McGee criticized the former Lakers and Heat star in 2016 for making basketball fans think he's a "dumb person." McGee then took it a step further by comparing O'Neal to Bert Williams, a comedian who performed in blackface in the early 1900s, after O'Neal made fun of his hair earlier this season.
~~~~~~~~~~
"I have orders from the top to leave it alone," O'Neal told The Undefeated. "No, [not NBA commissioner Adam Silver]. My mama. Just say Shaq's mom, called him, told him, 'Stop this silliness. Leave him alone.' So that's the end of the beef. You won't be hearing about it from my side anymore. Mama has spoken."
http://www.rollingstone.com/sports/shaqs-mom-tells-him-to-leave-javale-mcgee-alone-w469422
Swearing Explained
From the BBC -
Why do people swear?
By David Edmonds
But back to the conundrum. If writing F with asterisks alleviates the offence of the full word why should this be? Roache says swearing is best viewed as a breach of etiquette. It is a little like putting your shoes on a table when you are the guest in someone's house. If you know it would offend, and do it anyway, you are guilty of showing insufficient respect.
"It doesn't matter that it's a swear word. Imagine meeting someone who has a fear of crisps, and who finds references to crisps traumatic. If you carry on talking about crisps in their presence, even after discovering about their phobia, you are sending a signal that you don't respect them, you don't have any concern for their feelings."
Using the F-with-asterisks version acknowledges that we are taking the feelings of others into account. By censoring the word we show respect. It's a view shared by Oliver Kamm, who endorses his newspaper's policy on asterisking swear words. Readers cannot help, he says, finding the full word "involuntarily off-putting".
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-39082467
Why do people swear?
By David Edmonds
But back to the conundrum. If writing F with asterisks alleviates the offence of the full word why should this be? Roache says swearing is best viewed as a breach of etiquette. It is a little like putting your shoes on a table when you are the guest in someone's house. If you know it would offend, and do it anyway, you are guilty of showing insufficient respect.
"It doesn't matter that it's a swear word. Imagine meeting someone who has a fear of crisps, and who finds references to crisps traumatic. If you carry on talking about crisps in their presence, even after discovering about their phobia, you are sending a signal that you don't respect them, you don't have any concern for their feelings."
Using the F-with-asterisks version acknowledges that we are taking the feelings of others into account. By censoring the word we show respect. It's a view shared by Oliver Kamm, who endorses his newspaper's policy on asterisking swear words. Readers cannot help, he says, finding the full word "involuntarily off-putting".
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-39082467
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Following Harriet
From the New York Times -
Harriet Tubman’s Path to Freedom
By RON STODGHILL
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/02/24/travel/underground-railroad-slavery-harriet-tubman-byway-maryland.html
Harriet Tubman’s Path to Freedom
By RON STODGHILL
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/02/24/travel/underground-railroad-slavery-harriet-tubman-byway-maryland.html
They Want Him Too
From the Daily Mail -
Obama for French president? Petition calls for former U.S. commander in chief to run for office in France
The French are set to elect a new president in April.
But those who are unhappy with the current candidates are making a last ditch attempt to recruit another contender - Barack Obama.
The Obama17 petition is currently circulating with the aim of gathering 1 million signatures to convince the former U.S. president to run for office in France.
About 500 posters of Obama's face have been plastered across Paris in recent days, urging people to visit the petition website.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4260676/Petition-calls-Barack-Obama-president-France.html#ixzz4ZpoaxGiT
Obama for French president? Petition calls for former U.S. commander in chief to run for office in France
The French are set to elect a new president in April.
But those who are unhappy with the current candidates are making a last ditch attempt to recruit another contender - Barack Obama.
The Obama17 petition is currently circulating with the aim of gathering 1 million signatures to convince the former U.S. president to run for office in France.
About 500 posters of Obama's face have been plastered across Paris in recent days, urging people to visit the petition website.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4260676/Petition-calls-Barack-Obama-president-France.html#ixzz4ZpoaxGiT
My Curiosity Won
I went to see the horror movie, "Get Out."
I loved it!
As I've mentioned before, horror is not my genre. It's the one I'm sure to decline.
But . . .
The guy who wrote and directed this is smart, the reviews were great, and I wanted to see for myself what all the fuss was about.
It did not disappoint.
Highly recommended.
I loved it!
As I've mentioned before, horror is not my genre. It's the one I'm sure to decline.
But . . .
The guy who wrote and directed this is smart, the reviews were great, and I wanted to see for myself what all the fuss was about.
It did not disappoint.
Highly recommended.
Not a Gamer, But . . .
If you are, you might check out this article form the New York Times -
A Fresh Narrative in Gaming
By JUSTIN PORTER
The game pulls no punches in depicting Lincoln’s violent nature, and it does the same in showing players what it meant to be a black man in the Jim-Crow-era South. Some shopkeepers refuse you service and call you names. Several police cars hunt you down if you commit a crime in a white, middle-class neighborhood. Do the same in a predominantly black neighborhood and one car will show up, if that. No matter where Lincoln is, the police are watching. He fights racist organizations, casual bias and the prejudice of friends.
As the game was developed, police shootings of black men rose, the Black Lives Matter movement was born, and the development team realized they’d created a game that talked about race in ways that sometimes bridged the gap of history.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/25/us/a-fresh-narrative-in-gaming.html?emc=edit_rr_20170225&nl=race-related&nlid=38867499&te=1
A Fresh Narrative in Gaming
By JUSTIN PORTER
The game pulls no punches in depicting Lincoln’s violent nature, and it does the same in showing players what it meant to be a black man in the Jim-Crow-era South. Some shopkeepers refuse you service and call you names. Several police cars hunt you down if you commit a crime in a white, middle-class neighborhood. Do the same in a predominantly black neighborhood and one car will show up, if that. No matter where Lincoln is, the police are watching. He fights racist organizations, casual bias and the prejudice of friends.
As the game was developed, police shootings of black men rose, the Black Lives Matter movement was born, and the development team realized they’d created a game that talked about race in ways that sometimes bridged the gap of history.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/25/us/a-fresh-narrative-in-gaming.html?emc=edit_rr_20170225&nl=race-related&nlid=38867499&te=1
A Storyboard Artist
From the New York Times -
My Path to Hollywood
The storyboard artist for “Fences” talks diversity and visual storytelling in the film industry.
By WARREN DRUMMOND
As a storyboard artist, my job is to visually tell a director’s concept of a film scene, frame by frame. I draw the close-ups, medium shots, and wide shots. I have drawn Stallone hanging from a helicopter on “The Escape Plan”; the always cool Samuel L. Jackson running, shooting and fighting in the “Shaft” reboot; Russell Crowe seeing imaginary friends and foes in “A Beautiful Mind”; and drawn hyper-intelligent chimpanzees in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/25/us/my-path-to-hollywood.html?emc=edit_rr_20170225&nl=race-related&nlid=38867499&te=1&_r=0
My Path to Hollywood
The storyboard artist for “Fences” talks diversity and visual storytelling in the film industry.
By WARREN DRUMMOND
 | |
| Warren Drummond working on “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” in 2010. Betty K. Bynum |
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/25/us/my-path-to-hollywood.html?emc=edit_rr_20170225&nl=race-related&nlid=38867499&te=1&_r=0
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Wishing Him the Best
From the Undefeated -
DEMARCUS COUSINS SHARES WHY THE SACRAMENTO KINGS’ TRADE DECISION WAS SO HURTFUL
The league firecracker opens up about the trade’s emotional aftermath and his plans to move forward with the New Orleans Pelicans
BY MARC J. SPEARS
https://theundefeated.com/features/demarcus-cousins-sacramento-kings-trade/
DEMARCUS COUSINS SHARES WHY THE SACRAMENTO KINGS’ TRADE DECISION WAS SO HURTFUL
The league firecracker opens up about the trade’s emotional aftermath and his plans to move forward with the New Orleans Pelicans
BY MARC J. SPEARS
https://theundefeated.com/features/demarcus-cousins-sacramento-kings-trade/
It Matters
From the Washington Post -
Bradford Young, Oscar firsts and why inclusive film crews matter
By Ann Hornaday
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/bradford-young-oscar-firsts-and-why-inclusive-film-crews-matter/2017/02/23/bf5aeed4-f9db-11e6-be05-1a3817ac21a5_story.html?utm_term=.2e467ad3b1bc&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1
Bradford Young, Oscar firsts and why inclusive film crews matter
By Ann Hornaday
 |
| Bradford Young is nominated for a cinematography Academy Award for his work on “Arrival.” (Matt McClain/The Washington Post) |
The Value in Questioning
From the New York Times -
The Power of ‘Why?’ and ‘What If?’
By WARREN BERGER
Recently I had a conversation with a chief executive who expressed concern about several of her senior managers. They were smart, experienced, competent. So what was the problem? “They’re not asking enough questions,” she said.
This wouldn’t have been a bad thing in the business world of a few years ago, where the rules for success were: Know your job, do your work, and if a problem arises, solve it and don’t bother us with a lot of questions.
But increasingly I’m finding that business leaders want the people working around them to be more curious, more cognizant of what they don’t know, and more inquisitive — about everything, including “Why am I doing my job the way I do it?” and “How might our company find new opportunities?”
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/03/jobs/the-power-of-why-and-what-if.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share&_r=0
The Power of ‘Why?’ and ‘What If?’
By WARREN BERGER
Recently I had a conversation with a chief executive who expressed concern about several of her senior managers. They were smart, experienced, competent. So what was the problem? “They’re not asking enough questions,” she said.
This wouldn’t have been a bad thing in the business world of a few years ago, where the rules for success were: Know your job, do your work, and if a problem arises, solve it and don’t bother us with a lot of questions.
But increasingly I’m finding that business leaders want the people working around them to be more curious, more cognizant of what they don’t know, and more inquisitive — about everything, including “Why am I doing my job the way I do it?” and “How might our company find new opportunities?”
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/03/jobs/the-power-of-why-and-what-if.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share&_r=0
Why You Need Me
From Chef's Feed -
I'M A BLACK FOOD WRITER. HERE'S WHY WE NEED MORE LIKE ME.
By Stephen Satterfield
A common part of the black experience is once you’ve reached any level of authority, it is often met with skepticism or surprise. Black chefs know this well: we must validate our presence, where others exist unquestioned. And what does it mean to be a black food writer? It means that you’ll never just be a food writer, you’ll be a black food writer. It will come up lots of times, maybe not every time, but in lots of ways, the way race does in just about every other facet of our lives.
People make all kinds of assumptions about food writers, but fundamentally, that they are academic, learned, polished. I am academic, learned, polished. But when people construct this image, they don’t see a black person, because, when they look around in real life, there are not that many black people writing about food. It then becomes even more important that I do — if only so those who feel unwelcome in this space see someone who looks like them and are compelled to go forth.
https://www.chefsfeed.com/stories/591-i-m-a-black-food-writer-here-s-why-we-need-more-like-me
I'M A BLACK FOOD WRITER. HERE'S WHY WE NEED MORE LIKE ME.
By Stephen Satterfield
A common part of the black experience is once you’ve reached any level of authority, it is often met with skepticism or surprise. Black chefs know this well: we must validate our presence, where others exist unquestioned. And what does it mean to be a black food writer? It means that you’ll never just be a food writer, you’ll be a black food writer. It will come up lots of times, maybe not every time, but in lots of ways, the way race does in just about every other facet of our lives.
People make all kinds of assumptions about food writers, but fundamentally, that they are academic, learned, polished. I am academic, learned, polished. But when people construct this image, they don’t see a black person, because, when they look around in real life, there are not that many black people writing about food. It then becomes even more important that I do — if only so those who feel unwelcome in this space see someone who looks like them and are compelled to go forth.
https://www.chefsfeed.com/stories/591-i-m-a-black-food-writer-here-s-why-we-need-more-like-me
It Can Feel Like a Horror Show
From Slate -
Get Out
Jordan Peele’s first feature film is an instant comedy-horror classic about the hilarious nightmare that is existing while black.
By Aisha Harris
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/2017/02/get_out_jordan_peele_s_horror_movie_reviewed.html
Get Out
Jordan Peele’s first feature film is an instant comedy-horror classic about the hilarious nightmare that is existing while black.
By Aisha Harris
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/2017/02/get_out_jordan_peele_s_horror_movie_reviewed.html
Paper Drones
From Wired - https://www.wired.com/2017/02/brilliant-drone-thatll-deliver-medicine-rot-away/?mbid=nl_22417_p4&CNDID=
Dino Peace
From Upworthy -
A dad helped his son make protest signs for his toy dinosaurs and they went viral.
By EVAN PORTER
A dad helped his son make protest signs for his toy dinosaurs and they went viral.
By EVAN PORTER
http://www.upworthy.com/a-dad-helped-his-son-make-protest-signs-for-his-toy-dinosaurs-and-they-went-viral?c=upw1&u=6861cbea6edfdfe5a709ee39ad3c14b64135e61f
See the World for $65
From Bloomberg -
The $65 European Airfare Is Coming to the U.S.
Norwegian Airlines is using the new 737 Max to inaugurate 10 new routes to the Northeast.
by Justin Bachman
Boeing Co.’s 787 Dreamliner has acquitted itself nicely in opening smaller destinations to nonstop international service. Think London-Austin, Tokyo-San Jose, Calif., and even Shanghai-Tijuana.
Norwegian Air International Ltd., no stranger to going where others won’t, is about to try this strategy with a new, smaller Boeing jet: the 737 Max. Norwegian, which has the honor of being the first airline to fly one, is using the first six of its planes to open 10 routes starting this summer. It will begin service June 15 from Edinburgh, Scotland, to Stewart International Airport, about 60 miles north of New York City.
To fill all these new trans-Atlantic seats, Norwegian is setting promotional fares to Europe at $65. The carrier will have “quite a few thousand seats for that specific fare,” Lars Sande, Norwegian’s senior vice president of sales, said in a telephone interview. The next fare level will be $99, rising from there.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-23/the-65-european-airfare-is-coming-to-the-u-s?bcomANews=true
The $65 European Airfare Is Coming to the U.S.
Norwegian Airlines is using the new 737 Max to inaugurate 10 new routes to the Northeast.
by Justin Bachman
Boeing Co.’s 787 Dreamliner has acquitted itself nicely in opening smaller destinations to nonstop international service. Think London-Austin, Tokyo-San Jose, Calif., and even Shanghai-Tijuana.
Norwegian Air International Ltd., no stranger to going where others won’t, is about to try this strategy with a new, smaller Boeing jet: the 737 Max. Norwegian, which has the honor of being the first airline to fly one, is using the first six of its planes to open 10 routes starting this summer. It will begin service June 15 from Edinburgh, Scotland, to Stewart International Airport, about 60 miles north of New York City.
To fill all these new trans-Atlantic seats, Norwegian is setting promotional fares to Europe at $65. The carrier will have “quite a few thousand seats for that specific fare,” Lars Sande, Norwegian’s senior vice president of sales, said in a telephone interview. The next fare level will be $99, rising from there.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-23/the-65-european-airfare-is-coming-to-the-u-s?bcomANews=true
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
I Won't Pay Someone to Scare Me, But . . .
If I did, I'd go see this one.
From the Huffington Post -
Horror Film About Racism Earns Coveted 100 Percent On Rotten Tomatoes
“I take a devilish glee in putting something that’s not politically correct into the mainstream,” said Jordan Peele, who wrote and directed "Get Out."
By Carla Herreria
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jordan-peele-get-out-rotten-tomatoes_us_58ae08dbe4b01406012f7905?37mtxl0nvaafxhia4i&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
From the Huffington Post -
Horror Film About Racism Earns Coveted 100 Percent On Rotten Tomatoes
“I take a devilish glee in putting something that’s not politically correct into the mainstream,” said Jordan Peele, who wrote and directed "Get Out."
By Carla Herreria
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jordan-peele-get-out-rotten-tomatoes_us_58ae08dbe4b01406012f7905?37mtxl0nvaafxhia4i&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
His Five
What are yours?
From Salon -
5 black actors who should have won Oscars for these roles
This year, 6 black actors are nominated for Academy Awards. Let's salute those in the past who should have won VIDEO
By D. WATKINS
http://www.salon.com/2017/02/22/watch-5-black-actors-who-should-have-won-oscars-for-these-roles/
From Salon -
5 black actors who should have won Oscars for these roles
This year, 6 black actors are nominated for Academy Awards. Let's salute those in the past who should have won VIDEO
By D. WATKINS
http://www.salon.com/2017/02/22/watch-5-black-actors-who-should-have-won-oscars-for-these-roles/
On a Mission
From OZY -
http://www.ozy.com/politics-and-power/the-ex-mormon-feminist-who-paints-womens-naked-bodies/75663
http://www.ozy.com/politics-and-power/the-ex-mormon-feminist-who-paints-womens-naked-bodies/75663
Capable of So Much More
An excerpt from the Atlantic -
Stuck in an American Retail Job With a Foreign MBA
In a new book, a journalist reflects on working as a salesperson in small-town Virginia when he first arrived in America.
By BOURREE LAM
Deepak Singh grew up in northern India. He had a bachelor’s degree in commerce, an MBA, and a job with the BBC World Service in his hometown of Lucknow. Unexpectedly, he met a young woman visiting from western Pennsylvania at a local library; the two fell in love, got married, and decided that Singh would move to Virginia, where she was attending graduate school.
In his new book, How May I Help You?: An Immigrant’s Journey From M.B.A. to Minimum Wage, Singh chronicles his move to small-town Virginia, where he started working a job in retail.* The book reads like an ethnography, documenting Singh’s work experience, his colleagues, and his surroundings, and includes reflections on how the job taught him about American mores and norms. Though Singh was doing minimum-wage work, his book is not a story of poverty, but rather an account of the daily grind of America’s service workers through the lens of an immigrant with an MBA.
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/02/may-i-help-you-deepak-singh/517167/?utm_source=nl-atlantic-daily-022117
Stuck in an American Retail Job With a Foreign MBA
In a new book, a journalist reflects on working as a salesperson in small-town Virginia when he first arrived in America.
By BOURREE LAM
Deepak Singh grew up in northern India. He had a bachelor’s degree in commerce, an MBA, and a job with the BBC World Service in his hometown of Lucknow. Unexpectedly, he met a young woman visiting from western Pennsylvania at a local library; the two fell in love, got married, and decided that Singh would move to Virginia, where she was attending graduate school.
In his new book, How May I Help You?: An Immigrant’s Journey From M.B.A. to Minimum Wage, Singh chronicles his move to small-town Virginia, where he started working a job in retail.* The book reads like an ethnography, documenting Singh’s work experience, his colleagues, and his surroundings, and includes reflections on how the job taught him about American mores and norms. Though Singh was doing minimum-wage work, his book is not a story of poverty, but rather an account of the daily grind of America’s service workers through the lens of an immigrant with an MBA.
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/02/may-i-help-you-deepak-singh/517167/?utm_source=nl-atlantic-daily-022117
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
A Calendar We All Need
From Salon -
Michael Moore launches website devoted to stopping President Trump
Called "Resistance calendar," the site is committed to helping anti-Trump protesters organize nationwide
By MATTHEW ROZSA
http://www.salon.com/2017/02/21/michael-moore-launches-website-devoted-to-stopping-president-trump/?source=newsletter
https://www.resistancecalendar.org
Michael Moore launches website devoted to stopping President Trump
Called "Resistance calendar," the site is committed to helping anti-Trump protesters organize nationwide
By MATTHEW ROZSA
http://www.salon.com/2017/02/21/michael-moore-launches-website-devoted-to-stopping-president-trump/?source=newsletter
https://www.resistancecalendar.org
Monday, February 20, 2017
Letters to the President
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/presidents-day-student-letters-trump_us_58a6f7aae4b045cd34c0b25e?
Town Hall Project
From The Town Hall Project -
We are a volunteer-powered, grassroots effort that empowers constituents across the country to have face-to-face conversations with their elected representatives. We are campaign veterans and first time volunteers. We come from a diversity of backgrounds and live across the country. We share progressive values and believe strongly in civic engagement. We research every district and state for public events with Members of Congress. Then we share our findings far and wide to promote participation in the democratic process and make it as accessible as possible for everyone. We have a team of organizers that works with local groups on the ground to coordinate efforts and encourage citizens to amplify their voices.
Black Campus Life
From BlackAmericaWeb -
BET’s new show scripted show about a fictional Black college, The Quad, has generated some positive reviews. But its storylines that include a shady band director, a strip club-owning alumnus, a college president with secrets and issues of her own have angered others. Hampton University’s president, William R. Harvey had several issues with the show after seeing the first extended episode and fired off an angry letter to BET’s president Debra L. Lee.
While Black Twitter reminded Harvey that the show was fictional, Lee took the criticism seriously and responded to Harvey, as did the show’s star, FAMU grad Anika Noni Rose.
~~~~~~~~~~
Rose, herself an HBCU grad, told Ebony:
“I think what’s important when we’re referencing that letter is that this is someone who saw one episode and made a lot of opinions off of one episode.”
“The show is a fiction, but the show is a fiction based in fact. A lot of the things that we are dealing with and talking about are taken straight from the headlines of what has happened at schools,” she explained. “So to pretend that these things don’t happen is ridiculous.”
~~~~~~~~~~
To the Quad’s critics who have a problem with the show, the actress has some simple advice: “If it’s not for you, turn the station.”
https://blackamericaweb.com/2017/02/20/debra-lee-anika-noni-rose-respond-to-quad-criticism/
BET’s new show scripted show about a fictional Black college, The Quad, has generated some positive reviews. But its storylines that include a shady band director, a strip club-owning alumnus, a college president with secrets and issues of her own have angered others. Hampton University’s president, William R. Harvey had several issues with the show after seeing the first extended episode and fired off an angry letter to BET’s president Debra L. Lee.
While Black Twitter reminded Harvey that the show was fictional, Lee took the criticism seriously and responded to Harvey, as did the show’s star, FAMU grad Anika Noni Rose.
~~~~~~~~~~
Rose, herself an HBCU grad, told Ebony:
“I think what’s important when we’re referencing that letter is that this is someone who saw one episode and made a lot of opinions off of one episode.”
“The show is a fiction, but the show is a fiction based in fact. A lot of the things that we are dealing with and talking about are taken straight from the headlines of what has happened at schools,” she explained. “So to pretend that these things don’t happen is ridiculous.”
~~~~~~~~~~
To the Quad’s critics who have a problem with the show, the actress has some simple advice: “If it’s not for you, turn the station.”
https://blackamericaweb.com/2017/02/20/debra-lee-anika-noni-rose-respond-to-quad-criticism/
Another Shameful Act
From the LA Times -
A chilling moment to mark the 75th anniversary of the executive order that led to Japanese American internment
By Teresa Watanabe
Exactly 75 years ago Sunday, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which paved the way for the incarceration of Yoshihashi and 120,000 other Japanese Americans in desolate camps scattered across deserts and swampland. Yoshihashi remembers his anxiety at being locked up and the shock of seeing the barbed wire and armed military guards at his camp in Gila River, Ariz.
http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-japanese-executive-order-20170219-story.html
A chilling moment to mark the 75th anniversary of the executive order that led to Japanese American internment
By Teresa Watanabe
Exactly 75 years ago Sunday, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which paved the way for the incarceration of Yoshihashi and 120,000 other Japanese Americans in desolate camps scattered across deserts and swampland. Yoshihashi remembers his anxiety at being locked up and the shock of seeing the barbed wire and armed military guards at his camp in Gila River, Ariz.
http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-japanese-executive-order-20170219-story.html
Home Buying in America
From Thrillist -
HOW MUCH MONEY YOU NEED TO MAKE TO BUY A HOME IN AMERICA
By SAM BLUM
https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/how-much-it-costs-to-own-a-home-in-america
HOW MUCH MONEY YOU NEED TO MAKE TO BUY A HOME IN AMERICA
By SAM BLUM
https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/how-much-it-costs-to-own-a-home-in-america
Denied No More
From the Washington Post -
For decades they hid Jefferson’s relationship with her. Now Monticello is making room for Sally Hemings.
By Krissah Thompson
The room where historians believe Sally Hemings slept was just steps away from Thomas Jefferson’s bedroom. But in 1941, the caretakers of Monticello turned it into a restroom.
The floor tiles and bathroom stalls covered over the story of the enslaved woman, who was owned by Jefferson and had a long-term relationship with him. Their involvement was a scandal during his life and was denied for decades by his descendants. But many historians now believe the third president of the United States was the father of her six children.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/for-decades-they-hid-jeffersons-mistress-now-monticello-is-making-room-for-sally-hemings/2017/02/18/d410d660-f222-11e6-8d72-263470bf0401_story.html?utm_term=.b2cada5c809b&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1
For decades they hid Jefferson’s relationship with her. Now Monticello is making room for Sally Hemings.
By Krissah Thompson
The room where historians believe Sally Hemings slept was just steps away from Thomas Jefferson’s bedroom. But in 1941, the caretakers of Monticello turned it into a restroom.
The floor tiles and bathroom stalls covered over the story of the enslaved woman, who was owned by Jefferson and had a long-term relationship with him. Their involvement was a scandal during his life and was denied for decades by his descendants. But many historians now believe the third president of the United States was the father of her six children.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/for-decades-they-hid-jeffersons-mistress-now-monticello-is-making-room-for-sally-hemings/2017/02/18/d410d660-f222-11e6-8d72-263470bf0401_story.html?utm_term=.b2cada5c809b&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1
Only in Texas
From Atlas Obscura -
Pecan Pie Vending Machine
A 24-hour vending machine restocked daily with homemade full-sized pecan pies.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pecan-pie-vending-machine
Pecan Pie Vending Machine
A 24-hour vending machine restocked daily with homemade full-sized pecan pies.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pecan-pie-vending-machine
Enablers
One of the things that I loved about my Mom was the fact she called it like she saw it, no matter who was at fault.
I remember one of my brothers had done something stupid. She was the first to call him on it and refused to defend him when asked about it by someone outside the family.
I am reminded of Tiger Woods after his many indiscretions were made public, standing on a podium with his mother standing behind him. I lost all respect for her.
As my Mom was known to say, "I didn't help you get in the mess, and I'm not going to help you get out of it. You're on your own."
Now, that might seem harsh to some, but my brothers and I understood that if we ended up in jail, it would have been a waste of time calling Mom with our one allotted phone call. She would have let us rot in there.
Enablers.
I see them every day in my work with kids.
Parents who come in and defend their kids no matter what.
Of course, they think they're helping them. Supporting them even. When, in reality, they are stunting their growth because they will be the crutch that these kids will rely on for years to come.
On a larger scale, enabling bad behavior is what the Republican Party is doing. They're turning a blind eye to the crazies in charge by refusing to call out the nonsense that is spewing from Trump and his minions' mouths every day.
I thank God for my third-grade-educated Mom, who was infused with common sense from head to toe, and who was quick to call bullish*t, no matter who it was.
I remember one of my brothers had done something stupid. She was the first to call him on it and refused to defend him when asked about it by someone outside the family.
I am reminded of Tiger Woods after his many indiscretions were made public, standing on a podium with his mother standing behind him. I lost all respect for her.
As my Mom was known to say, "I didn't help you get in the mess, and I'm not going to help you get out of it. You're on your own."
Now, that might seem harsh to some, but my brothers and I understood that if we ended up in jail, it would have been a waste of time calling Mom with our one allotted phone call. She would have let us rot in there.
Enablers.
I see them every day in my work with kids.
Parents who come in and defend their kids no matter what.
Of course, they think they're helping them. Supporting them even. When, in reality, they are stunting their growth because they will be the crutch that these kids will rely on for years to come.
On a larger scale, enabling bad behavior is what the Republican Party is doing. They're turning a blind eye to the crazies in charge by refusing to call out the nonsense that is spewing from Trump and his minions' mouths every day.
I thank God for my third-grade-educated Mom, who was infused with common sense from head to toe, and who was quick to call bullish*t, no matter who it was.
Already Exhausted
From Vanity Fair -
TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE: THE GANG THAT COULDN’T SHOOT STRAIGHT
The Constitution-straining conflicts surrounding the president, his top aides, some of his children, and his licensing-and-development business are a problem with no end in sight.
BY GRAYDON CARTER
We aren’t even a third of the way through the administration’s 100-day honeymoon period and let’s face it: we’re plumb exhausted. We’re exhausted from the flurry of rash executive orders. Exhausted from the human carnage in the wake of the president’s ban on travelers from majority-Muslim countries. Exhausted from the battles with neighbors, allies, and strategic adversaries on the world stage. Exhausted from the lies, the alternative facts, the boasts, the conflicts, and the scandals from this “fine-tuned machine.” Exhausted from our president’s cavalier habit of belittling our judiciary and intelligence services. Exhausted from having craven boneheads chosen to lead departments governing the environment, the Treasury, education, and the interior. Exhausted from an administration that turns a blind eye to Russian intrusions into Crimea, our election, and the imminent elections in Europe. Exhausted from the West Wing circus of misfits, clowns, and ghouls—politics’ answer to the Kardashians. Exhausted from the preening arrogance of the members of the First Family. Exhausted from waking up and not knowing what fresh hell this new president and his birdcage of a mind have cooked up overnight.
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/02/graydon-carter-on-trumps-white-house
TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE: THE GANG THAT COULDN’T SHOOT STRAIGHT
The Constitution-straining conflicts surrounding the president, his top aides, some of his children, and his licensing-and-development business are a problem with no end in sight.
BY GRAYDON CARTER
We aren’t even a third of the way through the administration’s 100-day honeymoon period and let’s face it: we’re plumb exhausted. We’re exhausted from the flurry of rash executive orders. Exhausted from the human carnage in the wake of the president’s ban on travelers from majority-Muslim countries. Exhausted from the battles with neighbors, allies, and strategic adversaries on the world stage. Exhausted from the lies, the alternative facts, the boasts, the conflicts, and the scandals from this “fine-tuned machine.” Exhausted from our president’s cavalier habit of belittling our judiciary and intelligence services. Exhausted from having craven boneheads chosen to lead departments governing the environment, the Treasury, education, and the interior. Exhausted from an administration that turns a blind eye to Russian intrusions into Crimea, our election, and the imminent elections in Europe. Exhausted from the West Wing circus of misfits, clowns, and ghouls—politics’ answer to the Kardashians. Exhausted from the preening arrogance of the members of the First Family. Exhausted from waking up and not knowing what fresh hell this new president and his birdcage of a mind have cooked up overnight.
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/02/graydon-carter-on-trumps-white-house
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Hair Stylin'
From the Undefeated -
HAAAAAAIR-BALL!
Pseudo-conks. ‘Faids.’ Fresh buns. Beard gangs. NBA hair is at the bleeding edge of style
BY JESSE WASHINGTON
Mohawks to ‘frohawks, fades to braids. Dreadlocks, dyes, twists, parts, and something in the NBA Finals that came close to a conk. Peak hair expression has hit black America, with pro basketball at the forefront of the evolution.
Not all of these styles are new — black folks have been creative with their hair since forever. But in past eras, particular cuts heated up the ‘hood, and then the NBA reflected and magnified those individual trends. Think all of the NBA’s 1970s Afros or 1990s cornrows.
Today, when it comes to black men’s hairstyles, never has one league rocked so many. No one particular style is the style. Anything and everything goes — gloriously so.
https://theundefeated.com/features/haaaaaair-ball-nba-hair/
HAAAAAAIR-BALL!
Pseudo-conks. ‘Faids.’ Fresh buns. Beard gangs. NBA hair is at the bleeding edge of style
BY JESSE WASHINGTON
Mohawks to ‘frohawks, fades to braids. Dreadlocks, dyes, twists, parts, and something in the NBA Finals that came close to a conk. Peak hair expression has hit black America, with pro basketball at the forefront of the evolution.
Not all of these styles are new — black folks have been creative with their hair since forever. But in past eras, particular cuts heated up the ‘hood, and then the NBA reflected and magnified those individual trends. Think all of the NBA’s 1970s Afros or 1990s cornrows.
Today, when it comes to black men’s hairstyles, never has one league rocked so many. No one particular style is the style. Anything and everything goes — gloriously so.
https://theundefeated.com/features/haaaaaair-ball-nba-hair/
Sweet Decisions
From the Washington Post -
WHY FEW PEOPLE DARE EAT THE BOSS’S M&MS
The sweet psychology behind the office candy jar, including why no one wants to be caught taking the last piece.
By Bonnie Berkowitz
The office candy dish is like the watering hole in the Serengeti: If you observe long enough and don’t spook the more timid creatures, you’ll get a peek into the inner workings of an entire social ecosystem.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/health/candy-dish/?hpid=hp_no-name_graphic-story-b%3Ahomepage%2Fstory
WHY FEW PEOPLE DARE EAT THE BOSS’S M&MS
The sweet psychology behind the office candy jar, including why no one wants to be caught taking the last piece.
By Bonnie Berkowitz
The office candy dish is like the watering hole in the Serengeti: If you observe long enough and don’t spook the more timid creatures, you’ll get a peek into the inner workings of an entire social ecosystem.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/health/candy-dish/?hpid=hp_no-name_graphic-story-b%3Ahomepage%2Fstory
LeBron vs. Charles
From Salon -
5 things LeBron James should say to Charles Barkley next time he sees him
LeBron took the high road too often during Barkley's trash talk. Here's some ammo if Sir Charles comes at him again
By D. Watkins
http://www.salon.com/2017/02/19/watch-5-things-lebron-james-should-say-to-charles-barkley-next-time-he-sees-him/
5 things LeBron James should say to Charles Barkley next time he sees him
LeBron took the high road too often during Barkley's trash talk. Here's some ammo if Sir Charles comes at him again
By D. Watkins
http://www.salon.com/2017/02/19/watch-5-things-lebron-james-should-say-to-charles-barkley-next-time-he-sees-him/
Saturday, February 18, 2017
Stockton's Young Mayor
http://www.ozy.com/rising-stars/michael-tubbs-redefining-the-stocktons-of-the-world/64896
Black Fighter Pilot
An excerpt from OZY -
THE FIRST BLACK FIGHTER PILOT
By Jack Doyle
You never know who you’re sharing an elevator with — and back when Rockefeller Center still had elevator operators, it was easy to ignore the elderly Black man in the corner. Neither Eugene Bullard nor his neat uniform commanded the same attention as the 1950s Manhattan elites who shared his little space every evening.
But little did they know that they were sharing a lift with an American who had been smack in the middle of the most dramatic twists and turns of the 20th century. Bullard was a boxer, World War I fighter pilot, Paris nightclub owner and World War II resistance fighter. He escaped the Gestapo and was beaten by police at a civil-rights demonstration. But even for many years after his death, his legacy remained that of an unnoticed, forgotten elevator operator.
http://www.ozy.com/flashback/the-first-black-fighter-pilot/67003
THE FIRST BLACK FIGHTER PILOT
By Jack Doyle
You never know who you’re sharing an elevator with — and back when Rockefeller Center still had elevator operators, it was easy to ignore the elderly Black man in the corner. Neither Eugene Bullard nor his neat uniform commanded the same attention as the 1950s Manhattan elites who shared his little space every evening.
But little did they know that they were sharing a lift with an American who had been smack in the middle of the most dramatic twists and turns of the 20th century. Bullard was a boxer, World War I fighter pilot, Paris nightclub owner and World War II resistance fighter. He escaped the Gestapo and was beaten by police at a civil-rights demonstration. But even for many years after his death, his legacy remained that of an unnoticed, forgotten elevator operator.
http://www.ozy.com/flashback/the-first-black-fighter-pilot/67003
Handy Gadget
Especially if you have little ones.
Flushable toilet wipe holder that attaches to the toilet roll holder already in place. It's designed to be used with any wipes.
Available at Amazon.
Enjoy!
Flushable toilet wipe holder that attaches to the toilet roll holder already in place. It's designed to be used with any wipes.
Available at Amazon.
Enjoy!
Desperate Women
Why ladies?
Why would you hook up with a nasty, trifling, lying, cheating man?
Why would you demean and debase yourself to sleep with a guy who smells like six-month-old funk?
Why would you lower your standards to a point where you have to crawl up to reach the bottom?
Are you that desperate to say you have a man?
Take it from me - an old woman who has been around the block a few times - you deserve so much better.
Be good to yourself.
Dump the trash.
Better yet . . .
Be good to your environment and live trash-free.
Why would you hook up with a nasty, trifling, lying, cheating man?
Why would you demean and debase yourself to sleep with a guy who smells like six-month-old funk?
Why would you lower your standards to a point where you have to crawl up to reach the bottom?
Are you that desperate to say you have a man?
Take it from me - an old woman who has been around the block a few times - you deserve so much better.
Be good to yourself.
Dump the trash.
Better yet . . .
Be good to your environment and live trash-free.
Friday, February 17, 2017
Shepard Smith slams Trump!! For "Crazy" Press Conference, fox news
I love the fact that this Fox News guy has the balls to call it like it is.
Go Shep!
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Michael K. Williams Asks: Am I Typecast? #QuestionAnswers
https://www.theatlantic.com/questionanswers/?utm_source=nl-atlantic-daily-021617
Quote - God Help Us!
From Slate -
A Selection of Verbatim Quotes From Trump’s First Solo Press Conference as President
By Osita Nwanevu
A Selection of Verbatim Quotes From Trump’s First Solo Press Conference as President
By Osita Nwanevu
On his Electoral College margin of victory:
NBC’s Peter Alexander: Mr. President, very simply you said today that you had the biggest electoral margin since Ron Reagan. In fact, president Obama had 365,
President Trump: I was talking about Republicans—
Alexander: George Bush, 426 when he won. So why should Americans trust—
President Trump: I was given that information. I was just given it. We had a very, very big margin.
Alexander: I guess my question is why should the American people trust you when you accuse the information they receive as being fake when you’re providing information that’s not accurate?
President Trump: I was given that information. Actually, I’ve seen that information around. But it was a very substantial victory. Do you agree with that?
Alexander: You’re the president.
President Trump: Yes.
What Makes Us American?
From the New York Times -
Hyphen-Nation
What makes someone American? How do you define American identity? When do you feel most American? Or least? Nine American citizens describe their struggle to belong in a nation that both embraces and rejects them. Watch a video selected at random or choose a name. Then share your own stories.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/storywall/hyphen-nation?emc=edit_rr_20170216&nl=race-related&nlid=38867499&te=1
Hyphen-Nation
What makes someone American? How do you define American identity? When do you feel most American? Or least? Nine American citizens describe their struggle to belong in a nation that both embraces and rejects them. Watch a video selected at random or choose a name. Then share your own stories.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/storywall/hyphen-nation?emc=edit_rr_20170216&nl=race-related&nlid=38867499&te=1
App To Help With Travel Ban
From Upworthy -
With Trump's travel ban still in flux, these lawyers created a brilliant way to help.
By EVAN PORTER
The app "Airport Lawyer" connects travelers coming into the U.S. with volunteer attorneys who can help them navigate U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Using a nationwide network of thousands of volunteers — Yamada said there are hundreds of attorneys in Seattle alone willing to help, free of charge — travelers from abroad can arrange to have a lawyer meet them at the airport when they land.
http://www.upworthy.com/with-trumps-travel-ban-still-in-flux-these-lawyers-created-a-brilliant-way-to-help?c=upw1&u=6861cbea6edfdfe5a709ee39ad3c14b64135e61f
With Trump's travel ban still in flux, these lawyers created a brilliant way to help.
By EVAN PORTER
The app "Airport Lawyer" connects travelers coming into the U.S. with volunteer attorneys who can help them navigate U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
 |
| AirportLawyer.org |
http://www.upworthy.com/with-trumps-travel-ban-still-in-flux-these-lawyers-created-a-brilliant-way-to-help?c=upw1&u=6861cbea6edfdfe5a709ee39ad3c14b64135e61f
Fill Up Soon!
From Thrillist -
Check out the link below for a larger view.
https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/chart-details-how-far-you-can-drive-on-empty
Check out the link below for a larger view.
https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/chart-details-how-far-you-can-drive-on-empty
Restaurant Receipts
From the Washington Post -
The new political battleground: Your restaurant receipt
By Maura Judkis
First there was the Trump administration’s travel ban, then talk about the Mexican border wall and, finally, last week, Alfredo Solis decided it was time to send a message. So the owner of Mezcalero, the hottest new Mexican restaurant in the District, put it at the bottom of his receipts: “Immigrants help make America great!”
“I came to this country 17 years ago, and I work hard. I want to help make America great,” said Solis. “America is great already.”
Around the same time, a customer in San Antonio used a receipt to send a very different message. After a meal at Di Frabo, a local Italian restaurant, the customer wrote on a receipt: “The food was tasty and the service was attentive. However the owner is ‘Mexican.’ We will not return. ‘America first.’ ”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/food/wp/2017/02/14/the-new-political-battleground-your-restaurant-receipt/?utm_term=.6c8e27f39a26
The new political battleground: Your restaurant receipt
By Maura Judkis
First there was the Trump administration’s travel ban, then talk about the Mexican border wall and, finally, last week, Alfredo Solis decided it was time to send a message. So the owner of Mezcalero, the hottest new Mexican restaurant in the District, put it at the bottom of his receipts: “Immigrants help make America great!”
“I came to this country 17 years ago, and I work hard. I want to help make America great,” said Solis. “America is great already.”
Around the same time, a customer in San Antonio used a receipt to send a very different message. After a meal at Di Frabo, a local Italian restaurant, the customer wrote on a receipt: “The food was tasty and the service was attentive. However the owner is ‘Mexican.’ We will not return. ‘America first.’ ”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/food/wp/2017/02/14/the-new-political-battleground-your-restaurant-receipt/?utm_term=.6c8e27f39a26
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Curling Captain
From the Undefeated -
Redskins star Vernon Davis: U.S. Curling’s honorary captain
The tight end loves the sport of curling ‘because it’s just you and the stone and the broom’
BY MONIS KHAN, OSMAN NOOR & JANET WEINSTEIN
http://theundefeated.com/videos/redskins-vernon-davis-us-curling-honorary-captain/
Redskins star Vernon Davis: U.S. Curling’s honorary captain
The tight end loves the sport of curling ‘because it’s just you and the stone and the broom’
BY MONIS KHAN, OSMAN NOOR & JANET WEINSTEIN
http://theundefeated.com/videos/redskins-vernon-davis-us-curling-honorary-captain/
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
You First
From the BBC -
Dubai announces passenger drone plans
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-38967235
Dubai announces passenger drone plans
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-38967235
Quote 2
From the New York Times -
Flynn Is Exactly What Trump Deserves
By Frank Bruni
And the cornerstone of management is the assembling of a team that’s competent and trustworthy. Trump put his together in a cavalier fashion, enchanted by people who were high on energy even if they were low on sanity, decency, discretion, humility or some combination of the above.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/opinion/flynn-is-trumps-just-deserts.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region
Flynn Is Exactly What Trump Deserves
By Frank Bruni
And the cornerstone of management is the assembling of a team that’s competent and trustworthy. Trump put his together in a cavalier fashion, enchanted by people who were high on energy even if they were low on sanity, decency, discretion, humility or some combination of the above.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/opinion/flynn-is-trumps-just-deserts.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region
Quote
From the New Yorker -
THE EMBARRASSMENT OF PRESIDENT TRUMP
By Jeffrey Frank
This can’t go on much longer, can it? In the past, the nation has had do-nothing Presidencies, and scandal-ridden Presidencies, and failed Presidencies, but until Donald J. Trump came along there hasn’t been a truly embarrassing Presidency.
http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-embarrassment-of-president-trump
THE EMBARRASSMENT OF PRESIDENT TRUMP
By Jeffrey Frank
This can’t go on much longer, can it? In the past, the nation has had do-nothing Presidencies, and scandal-ridden Presidencies, and failed Presidencies, but until Donald J. Trump came along there hasn’t been a truly embarrassing Presidency.
http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-embarrassment-of-president-trump
Weighted Blankets
An excerpt from OZY -
WHY I'M OBSESSED WITH WEIGHTED BLANKETS
By Taylor Mayol
Insomnia sucks. It interferes with your physical and mental health and can feel like an impossible situation. Trust me, an intermittent sufferer who, for seemingly endless bouts, wakes up multiple times a night with that terrible can’t-shut-off-my-brain thing. Insomniacs will try anything to get some sleep: herbal remedies, meditation, pills, sometimes a glass of wine. But what if the answer could be as simple as a piece of bedding?
Recently my mom gave me a gift: a plain-looking, seemingly quilted, excessively heavy “weighted blanket.” She’d read that these blankets help calm people with anxiety or insomnia. They’re also used to help autistic kids, sufferers of OCD, those with sensory disorders and even veterans with PTSD.
http://www.ozy.com/good-sht/why-im-obsessed-with-weighted-blankets/75244
WHY I'M OBSESSED WITH WEIGHTED BLANKETS
By Taylor Mayol
Insomnia sucks. It interferes with your physical and mental health and can feel like an impossible situation. Trust me, an intermittent sufferer who, for seemingly endless bouts, wakes up multiple times a night with that terrible can’t-shut-off-my-brain thing. Insomniacs will try anything to get some sleep: herbal remedies, meditation, pills, sometimes a glass of wine. But what if the answer could be as simple as a piece of bedding?
Recently my mom gave me a gift: a plain-looking, seemingly quilted, excessively heavy “weighted blanket.” She’d read that these blankets help calm people with anxiety or insomnia. They’re also used to help autistic kids, sufferers of OCD, those with sensory disorders and even veterans with PTSD.
http://www.ozy.com/good-sht/why-im-obsessed-with-weighted-blankets/75244
Drug Enforcement Agency Museum
From Atlas Obscura -
DEA Museum
An extensive, if one-sided, history of U.S. law enforcement's war on drugs.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/dea-drug-enforcement-agency-museum
DEA Museum
An extensive, if one-sided, history of U.S. law enforcement's war on drugs.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/dea-drug-enforcement-agency-museum
Monday, February 13, 2017
How Many Robes and Hoods Have You Collected?
An excerpt from the Atlantic -
'Every Racist I Know Voted for Donald Trump'
Daryl Davis believes the method he used to persuade many klansmen to defect from the hate group can help America to bridge its political divides.
By CONOR FRIEDERSDORF
As a hobby, the black musician Daryl Davis persuades members of the Ku Klux Klan to defect from the organization. Over the years, he has spoken with hundreds of white supremacists. And due to his work, a couple dozen people have left the organization, including at least two prominent figures in senior leadership positions.
Two years ago, after listening to his life story on Love+Radio, the peerless character-driven interview podcast, I wrote about his belief that “when you are actively learning about someone else you are passively teaching them about yourself.” In listening to his most bitter enemies, Davis heard words and ideas that chilled him to the bone—yet he found that by listening and conversing he could subvert them. Some men even handed over their Klan garb, as he reminds critics of his approach. “I pull out my robes and hoods and say, ‘This is what I've done to put a dent in racism,” he explained. “I've got robes and hoods hanging in my closet by people who've given up that belief because of my conversations sitting down to dinner. They gave it up. How many robes and hoods have you collected?”
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/02/every-racist-i-know-voted-for-donald-trump/516420/?utm_source=nl-atlantic-daily-021317
'Every Racist I Know Voted for Donald Trump'
Daryl Davis believes the method he used to persuade many klansmen to defect from the hate group can help America to bridge its political divides.
By CONOR FRIEDERSDORF
As a hobby, the black musician Daryl Davis persuades members of the Ku Klux Klan to defect from the organization. Over the years, he has spoken with hundreds of white supremacists. And due to his work, a couple dozen people have left the organization, including at least two prominent figures in senior leadership positions.
Two years ago, after listening to his life story on Love+Radio, the peerless character-driven interview podcast, I wrote about his belief that “when you are actively learning about someone else you are passively teaching them about yourself.” In listening to his most bitter enemies, Davis heard words and ideas that chilled him to the bone—yet he found that by listening and conversing he could subvert them. Some men even handed over their Klan garb, as he reminds critics of his approach. “I pull out my robes and hoods and say, ‘This is what I've done to put a dent in racism,” he explained. “I've got robes and hoods hanging in my closet by people who've given up that belief because of my conversations sitting down to dinner. They gave it up. How many robes and hoods have you collected?”
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/02/every-racist-i-know-voted-for-donald-trump/516420/?utm_source=nl-atlantic-daily-021317
Most Googled
From Thrillist -
https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/estately-map-shows-what-states-have-googled-since-2016-election
https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/estately-map-shows-what-states-have-googled-since-2016-election
Cool Schools
From Buzzfeed -
7 Awesome Schools That Make The Whole Day Feel Like Recess
There’s a classroom on an airplane. An airplane!!!
By Terri Pous
https://www.buzzfeed.com/terripous/school-is-cool?utm_term=.icpddQ5VE#.toDllY2xW
7 Awesome Schools That Make The Whole Day Feel Like Recess
There’s a classroom on an airplane. An airplane!!!
By Terri Pous
https://www.buzzfeed.com/terripous/school-is-cool?utm_term=.icpddQ5VE#.toDllY2xW
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Who Says?
From the Undefeated -
White immigrants weren’t always considered white — and acceptable
Italians, Greeks, Poles, Hungarians, Slavs and other European groups had to overcome prejudice over many years
BY BRANDO SIMEO STARKEY
Who, exactly, is white?
The answer sounds obvious — we know a white person when we see one, we think. But when Italians poured into America in the late 1800s and early 1900s, they were not considered white upon arrival. A century later, though, when Teresa Giudice of The Real Housewives of New Jersey maniacally hoisted a table on national television, she did not do so as a member of a supposedly inferior people. No, she was a crazy white lady throwing furniture.
The story of how European immigrants during that era became white enlightens us on our current political realities. Italians, Greeks, Poles, Hungarians, Slavs and other European groups, at the time called “new immigrants,” sought to overcome their subordination by showing, through their behavior, to be deserving of being considered white.
In 1911, Henry Pratt Fairchild, an influential American sociologist, said about new immigrants, “If he proves himself a man, and … acquires wealth and cleans himself up — very well, we might receive him in a generation or two. But at present he is far beneath us, and the burden of proof rests with him.” They ultimately met that burden and crucial to their success was that they were not black and they actively helped in maintaining a racist society.
https://theundefeated.com/features/white-immigrants-werent-always-considered-white-and-acceptable/
White immigrants weren’t always considered white — and acceptable
Italians, Greeks, Poles, Hungarians, Slavs and other European groups had to overcome prejudice over many years
BY BRANDO SIMEO STARKEY
Who, exactly, is white?
The answer sounds obvious — we know a white person when we see one, we think. But when Italians poured into America in the late 1800s and early 1900s, they were not considered white upon arrival. A century later, though, when Teresa Giudice of The Real Housewives of New Jersey maniacally hoisted a table on national television, she did not do so as a member of a supposedly inferior people. No, she was a crazy white lady throwing furniture.
The story of how European immigrants during that era became white enlightens us on our current political realities. Italians, Greeks, Poles, Hungarians, Slavs and other European groups, at the time called “new immigrants,” sought to overcome their subordination by showing, through their behavior, to be deserving of being considered white.
In 1911, Henry Pratt Fairchild, an influential American sociologist, said about new immigrants, “If he proves himself a man, and … acquires wealth and cleans himself up — very well, we might receive him in a generation or two. But at present he is far beneath us, and the burden of proof rests with him.” They ultimately met that burden and crucial to their success was that they were not black and they actively helped in maintaining a racist society.
https://theundefeated.com/features/white-immigrants-werent-always-considered-white-and-acceptable/
A Viable Alternative
An excerpt from OZY -
WHY DETENTION SUCKS ... AND MANUAL LABOR IS BETTER
By James Watkins
When OZY’s Sean Culligan, then 16, hurled a water balloon that hit a car passing outside his high school, the effect was not quite what he’d hoped. Caught in the act by a teacher, who viewed the “prank” as a serious misdemeanor, young Culligan was given a one-way ticket to detention for the rest of the week. But his punishment wasn’t to sit in silence or write “I must not throw things at cars” 100 times. Instead, detention involved janitorial work — picking up litter, carrying supplies, even cleaning the bathrooms. That was par for the course at a Catholic school back then.
Too severe? We might not see eye to eye with young Culligan’s tormentors, but something might be said for making detention a bit more … physical. When detention in the majority of schools across the world is spent in silence, reading or writing lines of penance, couldn’t it be made more productive? How about using the time to teach misbehaving children the value of hard work and community service, and respect for the environment and teamwork, rather than trying to bore them into obedience? Whether working alongside the janitor to tidy classrooms or tending to a community garden, schools should ditch detention and replace it with manual labor.
http://www.ozy.com/immodest-proposal/why-detention-sucks-and-manual-labor-is-better/74515
WHY DETENTION SUCKS ... AND MANUAL LABOR IS BETTER
By James Watkins
When OZY’s Sean Culligan, then 16, hurled a water balloon that hit a car passing outside his high school, the effect was not quite what he’d hoped. Caught in the act by a teacher, who viewed the “prank” as a serious misdemeanor, young Culligan was given a one-way ticket to detention for the rest of the week. But his punishment wasn’t to sit in silence or write “I must not throw things at cars” 100 times. Instead, detention involved janitorial work — picking up litter, carrying supplies, even cleaning the bathrooms. That was par for the course at a Catholic school back then.
Too severe? We might not see eye to eye with young Culligan’s tormentors, but something might be said for making detention a bit more … physical. When detention in the majority of schools across the world is spent in silence, reading or writing lines of penance, couldn’t it be made more productive? How about using the time to teach misbehaving children the value of hard work and community service, and respect for the environment and teamwork, rather than trying to bore them into obedience? Whether working alongside the janitor to tidy classrooms or tending to a community garden, schools should ditch detention and replace it with manual labor.
http://www.ozy.com/immodest-proposal/why-detention-sucks-and-manual-labor-is-better/74515
Gift Ideas
From StumbleUpon -
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1q8v12/:1Gs+Y_unE:nqF@Fcuw/mentalfloss.com/article/75376/most-popular-valentines-day-gift-searches-state
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1q8v12/:1Gs+Y_unE:nqF@Fcuw/mentalfloss.com/article/75376/most-popular-valentines-day-gift-searches-state
A Renaissance Man
From the Public Domain Review -
W. E. B. Du Bois’ Hand-Drawn Infographics of African-American Life (1900)
http://publicdomainreview.org/collections/w-e-b-du-bois-hand-drawn-infographics-of-african-american-life-1900/
W. E. B. Du Bois’ Hand-Drawn Infographics of African-American Life (1900)
http://publicdomainreview.org/collections/w-e-b-du-bois-hand-drawn-infographics-of-african-american-life-1900/
101 Books to Read Before Kindergarten
From Pinterest -
http://growingbookbybook.com/101-books-read-kids-kindergarten/#_a5y_p=5828592
http://growingbookbybook.com/101-books-read-kids-kindergarten/#_a5y_p=5828592
The South's First Black Millionaire
From OZY -
THE STORY OF THE SOUTH’S FIRST BLACK MILLIONAIRE
By Sean Braswell
http://www.ozy.com/flashback/the-story-of-the-souths-first-black-millionaire/75532
THE STORY OF THE SOUTH’S FIRST BLACK MILLIONAIRE
By Sean Braswell
http://www.ozy.com/flashback/the-story-of-the-souths-first-black-millionaire/75532
Friday, February 10, 2017
I Wish You Were
An excerpt from the NewYork Times -
Am I Imagining This?
By Roger Cohen
The enormity of the defiling of the White House in just three weeks is staggering. For decades the world’s security was undergirded by America’s word. The words that issued from the Oval Office were solemn. It was on America’s word, as expressed by the president, that the European continent and allies like Japan built their postwar security.
Now the words that fall from Trump’s pursed lips or, often misspelled, onto his Twitter feed are trite or false or meaningless. He’s angry with Nordstrom, for heaven’s sake, because the department store chain dropped his daughter Ivanka’s clothing line! This is the concern of the leader of the free world.
Unpresidented! (sic)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/opinion/preserving-the-sanctity-of-all-facts.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region&_r=0
Am I Imagining This?
By Roger Cohen
The enormity of the defiling of the White House in just three weeks is staggering. For decades the world’s security was undergirded by America’s word. The words that issued from the Oval Office were solemn. It was on America’s word, as expressed by the president, that the European continent and allies like Japan built their postwar security.
Now the words that fall from Trump’s pursed lips or, often misspelled, onto his Twitter feed are trite or false or meaningless. He’s angry with Nordstrom, for heaven’s sake, because the department store chain dropped his daughter Ivanka’s clothing line! This is the concern of the leader of the free world.
Unpresidented! (sic)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/opinion/preserving-the-sanctity-of-all-facts.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region&_r=0
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Shaking Up the World
From the Undefeated -
The Undefeated 44: African-Americans Who Shook Up the World
https://theundefeated.com/features/the-undefeated-44-most-influential-black-americans-in-history/
The Undefeated 44: African-Americans Who Shook Up the World
https://theundefeated.com/features/the-undefeated-44-most-influential-black-americans-in-history/
His Underhanded Approach
From the Washington Post -
How Trump’s travel ban broke from the normal executive order process
President Trump differed from tradition when it came to writing, reviewing and implementing his immigration executive order, which temporarily banned people from seven Muslim-majority countries and all refugees from entering the United States.
By Kim Soffen and Darla Cameron
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/trump-travel-ban-process/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_graphic-travelban-7pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory
How Trump’s travel ban broke from the normal executive order process
President Trump differed from tradition when it came to writing, reviewing and implementing his immigration executive order, which temporarily banned people from seven Muslim-majority countries and all refugees from entering the United States.
By Kim Soffen and Darla Cameron
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/trump-travel-ban-process/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_graphic-travelban-7pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Forgotten Terrorists
From the Huffington Post -
Trevor Noah: Trump Ignores ‘Hard-Working White American Terrorists’
“I guess the forgotten man has been forgotten after all."
By David Moye
http://www.cc.com/video-clips/83b3tv/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah-team-trump-lists--underreported--terror-attacks
Trevor Noah: Trump Ignores ‘Hard-Working White American Terrorists’
“I guess the forgotten man has been forgotten after all."
By David Moye
http://www.cc.com/video-clips/83b3tv/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah-team-trump-lists--underreported--terror-attacks
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
This Headline Speaks Volumes
An excerpt form the Root -
Breaking News: Donald Trump Tells the Truth
By Michael Harriot
We interrupt your Facebook scrolling, Candy Crush game, tweets or whatever you were doing (although we can’t imagine what you’d be doing on the internet besides reading The Root) to bring you this important announcement:
News agencies across the country are reporting the collective, nationwide shock at the unthinkable incident that happened on Fox News on Sunday night when President Donald Trump briefly—and perhaps accidentally—said something that was actually true.
That is not a misprint. You read it correctly. Although there is some speculation that it might have been a mistake or a glitch in the matrix, a guest on a Fake News—I mean, Fox News—show uttered a nonfiction statement that was based in reality.
http://www.theroot.com/breaking-news-donald-trump-tells-the-truth-1792047768
Breaking News: Donald Trump Tells the Truth
By Michael Harriot
We interrupt your Facebook scrolling, Candy Crush game, tweets or whatever you were doing (although we can’t imagine what you’d be doing on the internet besides reading The Root) to bring you this important announcement:
News agencies across the country are reporting the collective, nationwide shock at the unthinkable incident that happened on Fox News on Sunday night when President Donald Trump briefly—and perhaps accidentally—said something that was actually true.
That is not a misprint. You read it correctly. Although there is some speculation that it might have been a mistake or a glitch in the matrix, a guest on a Fake News—I mean, Fox News—show uttered a nonfiction statement that was based in reality.
http://www.theroot.com/breaking-news-donald-trump-tells-the-truth-1792047768
Monday, February 6, 2017
Black Innovators
From the Huffington Post -
7 Black Innovators Who Are Creating A Better Tomorrow
Their impact is undeniable.
By Taryn Finley
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-innovators-creating-a-better-tomorrow_us_588fc553e4b02772c4e8b346?section=us_black-voices
7 Black Innovators Who Are Creating A Better Tomorrow
Their impact is undeniable.
By Taryn Finley
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-innovators-creating-a-better-tomorrow_us_588fc553e4b02772c4e8b346?section=us_black-voices
Judge Was a Refugee
An excerpt from the Huffington Post -
Like Many Americans, A Judge On The Court Weighing Trump’s Refugee Ban Was A Refugee
Judge Alex Kozinski’s family fled communism when he was a child.
By Matt Ferner
A federal judge who sits on the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which is set to rule on a block of President Donald Trump’s refugee ban, came to the United States as a refugee when he was a boy.
All of the judges on the panel descended from immigrants, but Judge Alex Kozinski is likely the only one who specifically entered the country as a refugee.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-immigration-ban-federal-judge-alex-kozinski_us_58993830e4b0c1284f27d7e9?
Like Many Americans, A Judge On The Court Weighing Trump’s Refugee Ban Was A Refugee
Judge Alex Kozinski’s family fled communism when he was a child.
By Matt Ferner
A federal judge who sits on the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which is set to rule on a block of President Donald Trump’s refugee ban, came to the United States as a refugee when he was a boy.
All of the judges on the panel descended from immigrants, but Judge Alex Kozinski is likely the only one who specifically entered the country as a refugee.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-immigration-ban-federal-judge-alex-kozinski_us_58993830e4b0c1284f27d7e9?
Scary!
An excerpt from the Washington Post - (Bold is mine)
The ‘best fortnight in a decade’ for conservatives? Uh-oh.
By Michael Gerson
Stepping back, cooling off a bit, displaying some strategic patience, taking the long view: The first two weeks of the Trump administration have been the most abso-friggin-lutely frightening of the modern presidency.
President Trump has managed to taunt and alienate some of our closest allies — Mexico and Australia (!) — while continuing an NC-17-rated love fest with Russia. He has engaged in moral equivalence that places America on the level of Vladimir Putin’s bloody dictatorship. “Well, you think our country’s so innocent?” he said — a statement of such obscenity that it would haunt any liberal to the grave. He has issued an immigration executive order of unparalleled incompetence and cruelty, further victimizing refugees who are already fate’s punching bag. He has lied about things large (election fraud) and small (inaugural crowd size), refused to allow facts to modify his claims, and attempted to create his own reality through the repetition of deception. He has abused his standing as president to attack individuals, from a respected judge to the movie star who took over his God-awful reality-TV show. He has demonstrated a limitless appetite for organizational chaos and selected a staff that leaks like a salad spinner. He has become a massively polarizing figure within the United States and a risible figure on the global stage.
All in a fortnight.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-best-fortnight-in-a-decade-for-conservatives-uh-oh/2017/02/06/93e2f1aa-ec9a-11e6-9973-c5efb7ccfb0d_story.html?hpid=hp_no-name_opinion-card-d%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.7d52a3167f47
The ‘best fortnight in a decade’ for conservatives? Uh-oh.
By Michael Gerson
Stepping back, cooling off a bit, displaying some strategic patience, taking the long view: The first two weeks of the Trump administration have been the most abso-friggin-lutely frightening of the modern presidency.
President Trump has managed to taunt and alienate some of our closest allies — Mexico and Australia (!) — while continuing an NC-17-rated love fest with Russia. He has engaged in moral equivalence that places America on the level of Vladimir Putin’s bloody dictatorship. “Well, you think our country’s so innocent?” he said — a statement of such obscenity that it would haunt any liberal to the grave. He has issued an immigration executive order of unparalleled incompetence and cruelty, further victimizing refugees who are already fate’s punching bag. He has lied about things large (election fraud) and small (inaugural crowd size), refused to allow facts to modify his claims, and attempted to create his own reality through the repetition of deception. He has abused his standing as president to attack individuals, from a respected judge to the movie star who took over his God-awful reality-TV show. He has demonstrated a limitless appetite for organizational chaos and selected a staff that leaks like a salad spinner. He has become a massively polarizing figure within the United States and a risible figure on the global stage.
All in a fortnight.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-best-fortnight-in-a-decade-for-conservatives-uh-oh/2017/02/06/93e2f1aa-ec9a-11e6-9973-c5efb7ccfb0d_story.html?hpid=hp_no-name_opinion-card-d%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.7d52a3167f47
Saving Lives
An excerpt from BBC News -
Flight attendant shares story of saving trafficking victim
When Shelia Fedrick saw a dishevelled girl sitting beside an older, well-dressed man on her flight, she was concerned.
The teenager "looked like she had been through pure hell", the flight attendant told NBC, and the man would not let her speak to the girl.
Ms Fedrick left a note for the girl in the plane's toilet - enabling the girl to explain that she needed help.
It turned out the girl was a human trafficking victim - and Ms Fedrick's instincts had helped to save her.
The pilot was able to inform the police, who were waiting when the plane landed.
The 2011 incident on Alaska Airlines was reported in US media this week, as charity Airline Ambassadors seeks to train airline staff in ways to combat human trafficking.
Airline Ambassadors' website says a trafficking victim may appear afraid of uniformed security, unsure of their destination and nervous. They may also provide scripted answers, and be wearing clothing unsuitable for their destination.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38880612
Flight attendant shares story of saving trafficking victim
 |
| Shelia Fedrick has been sharing her story with US media |
When Shelia Fedrick saw a dishevelled girl sitting beside an older, well-dressed man on her flight, she was concerned.
The teenager "looked like she had been through pure hell", the flight attendant told NBC, and the man would not let her speak to the girl.
Ms Fedrick left a note for the girl in the plane's toilet - enabling the girl to explain that she needed help.
It turned out the girl was a human trafficking victim - and Ms Fedrick's instincts had helped to save her.
The pilot was able to inform the police, who were waiting when the plane landed.
The 2011 incident on Alaska Airlines was reported in US media this week, as charity Airline Ambassadors seeks to train airline staff in ways to combat human trafficking.
Airline Ambassadors' website says a trafficking victim may appear afraid of uniformed security, unsure of their destination and nervous. They may also provide scripted answers, and be wearing clothing unsuitable for their destination.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38880612
Not Welome
From the Huffington Post -
Donald Trump Is Not Welcome To Address Parliament, U.K. Speaker Declares
The chance to address Parliament is “an earned honor,” John Bercow said.
By Matt Ferner
A top-ranking British lawmaker vowed on Monday to block President Donald Trump from speaking before the U.K. Parliament in the historic Westminster Hall, citing that body’s opposition to racism and sexism and its support for equality and an independent judiciary.
Check out the video at the link below.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-parliament-address-speaker_us_5898b426e4b09bd304bc967a?
Donald Trump Is Not Welcome To Address Parliament, U.K. Speaker Declares
The chance to address Parliament is “an earned honor,” John Bercow said.
By Matt Ferner
A top-ranking British lawmaker vowed on Monday to block President Donald Trump from speaking before the U.K. Parliament in the historic Westminster Hall, citing that body’s opposition to racism and sexism and its support for equality and an independent judiciary.
Check out the video at the link below.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-parliament-address-speaker_us_5898b426e4b09bd304bc967a?
Quote
As seen on Vox -
His chief strategist ran a viciously anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim news site with a section devoted to "black crime." His senior adviser worked with Richard Spencer at Duke. At what point do we just start describing the Trump administration as white nationalist?
[Slate / Jamelle Bouie]
His chief strategist ran a viciously anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim news site with a section devoted to "black crime." His senior adviser worked with Richard Spencer at Duke. At what point do we just start describing the Trump administration as white nationalist?
[Slate / Jamelle Bouie]
Honest Car Salesman
An excerpt from Newser -
Car buyers who fear getting fooled into purchasing a lemon, take solace: There is at least one honest car salesman out there. An ad posted on Facebook Wednesday for a 2002 Oldsmobile Alero has gone viral, and the first line gives a taste as to why: "Nothing special or pretty about this car." The car, available for sale at Journee Autos in Largo, Fla., has racked up 200,000+ miles and is being offered for $900, and "You're getting 900 dollars worth of car," reads the post by Shelmar Pierre Roseman. The side is rusted, and the photos zoom in on that, so "don't bring your a-- down here saying it looks different in the pics or you didn't know it had that much rust. I'm telling you right now. This b-tch rusty."
http://www.newser.com/story/237900/ad-for-2002-oldsmobile-is-delightfully-honest.html
Car buyers who fear getting fooled into purchasing a lemon, take solace: There is at least one honest car salesman out there. An ad posted on Facebook Wednesday for a 2002 Oldsmobile Alero has gone viral, and the first line gives a taste as to why: "Nothing special or pretty about this car." The car, available for sale at Journee Autos in Largo, Fla., has racked up 200,000+ miles and is being offered for $900, and "You're getting 900 dollars worth of car," reads the post by Shelmar Pierre Roseman. The side is rusted, and the photos zoom in on that, so "don't bring your a-- down here saying it looks different in the pics or you didn't know it had that much rust. I'm telling you right now. This b-tch rusty."
http://www.newser.com/story/237900/ad-for-2002-oldsmobile-is-delightfully-honest.html
Smart Thinking
From Thrillist -
37 QUESTIONS YOU MUST ASK SOMEONE BEFORE YOU GET MARRIED
By GIGI ENGLE
1. What makes you happy?
2. Do you want children?
3. What is your financial situation? How much student loan debt do you have?
4. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What are your long-term goals?
5. Do you have a close relationship with your parents?
https://www.thrillist.com/sex-dating/nation/relationship-questions-to-ask-before-you-get-married
37 QUESTIONS YOU MUST ASK SOMEONE BEFORE YOU GET MARRIED
By GIGI ENGLE
1. What makes you happy?
2. Do you want children?
3. What is your financial situation? How much student loan debt do you have?
4. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What are your long-term goals?
5. Do you have a close relationship with your parents?
https://www.thrillist.com/sex-dating/nation/relationship-questions-to-ask-before-you-get-married
She Nailed It
An excerpt from Salon -
Notes from a trailing spouse: the hot sauce is great but grocery shopping can feel like a roller derby and Abu Dhabi is no place for a barfly
There are high high-end bars and low high-end bars; both are enough to make a deeply committed social drinker weep
By Bex B
No matter where I am in the world or for how long, the first order of business is to go to a local market and do what I call buy and spy. You’d be amazed what you can learn about a culture by checking out what people have in their shopping baskets. So on our first morning, while still reeling with jet lag and that particular horror of meeting 104-degree heat married with 100 percent humidity, I set out to find my market.
My early expeditions had me rolling up to a couple of the French outfits, Géant and Carrefour. Great for butter and the odd black chicken, but they didn’t have the array of hot sauces that I needed to fill the gaping hole left by not having jerk.
Then I found Lulu’s. Aptly named, it’s a lulu. Hypermarkets, as they are called here, which now that I think of it, must be an anglicized version of the French word hypermarché. Which brings up another point: Why all the French-owned markets? In every other aspect, Britain has its fingerprints all over this place.
Lulu’s is not for the faint-hearted, especially if you go there on a Friday night after evening prayer. All at once every guest worker, whether they are from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the Philippines, America, Britain, or Australia, along with large Emirati families with squads of children careening up and down the aisles, descends on the store.
~~~~~~~~~~
As you can imagine, this state of affairs has me drinking at home more often than not. Buying liquor, as the Brits like to say, is jolly good fun. There are designated stores; all tucked away with blacked-out windows. The one we like to go to is accessed through a basement door in the garage of the St. Regis. The cloak-and-dagger feel is amplified by the fact that the garage floor is coated with the squeakiest paint so that when driving any turn of the wheel makes you feel like you’re in one of those squealing car-chase scenes in the movies. Once upstairs it’s all pretty pro forma, that is, until they put your purchase in the thickest, blackest plastic bag I’ve ever seen — body bags have nothing on these suckers — all to ensure that your offending vodka is kept well out of sight. Once home, I have the strangest urge to whisper as I unsheath my bottle, “It’s all right, you’re safe.”
http://www.salon.com/2017/02/05/notes-from-a-trailing-spouse-madwoman-in-the-desert2-eating-and-drinking/?source=newsletter
Notes from a trailing spouse: the hot sauce is great but grocery shopping can feel like a roller derby and Abu Dhabi is no place for a barfly
There are high high-end bars and low high-end bars; both are enough to make a deeply committed social drinker weep
By Bex B
No matter where I am in the world or for how long, the first order of business is to go to a local market and do what I call buy and spy. You’d be amazed what you can learn about a culture by checking out what people have in their shopping baskets. So on our first morning, while still reeling with jet lag and that particular horror of meeting 104-degree heat married with 100 percent humidity, I set out to find my market.
My early expeditions had me rolling up to a couple of the French outfits, Géant and Carrefour. Great for butter and the odd black chicken, but they didn’t have the array of hot sauces that I needed to fill the gaping hole left by not having jerk.
Then I found Lulu’s. Aptly named, it’s a lulu. Hypermarkets, as they are called here, which now that I think of it, must be an anglicized version of the French word hypermarché. Which brings up another point: Why all the French-owned markets? In every other aspect, Britain has its fingerprints all over this place.
Lulu’s is not for the faint-hearted, especially if you go there on a Friday night after evening prayer. All at once every guest worker, whether they are from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the Philippines, America, Britain, or Australia, along with large Emirati families with squads of children careening up and down the aisles, descends on the store.
~~~~~~~~~~
As you can imagine, this state of affairs has me drinking at home more often than not. Buying liquor, as the Brits like to say, is jolly good fun. There are designated stores; all tucked away with blacked-out windows. The one we like to go to is accessed through a basement door in the garage of the St. Regis. The cloak-and-dagger feel is amplified by the fact that the garage floor is coated with the squeakiest paint so that when driving any turn of the wheel makes you feel like you’re in one of those squealing car-chase scenes in the movies. Once upstairs it’s all pretty pro forma, that is, until they put your purchase in the thickest, blackest plastic bag I’ve ever seen — body bags have nothing on these suckers — all to ensure that your offending vodka is kept well out of sight. Once home, I have the strangest urge to whisper as I unsheath my bottle, “It’s all right, you’re safe.”
http://www.salon.com/2017/02/05/notes-from-a-trailing-spouse-madwoman-in-the-desert2-eating-and-drinking/?source=newsletter
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Love, Peace, & Soul
From the Huffington Post -
A Look Back At 28 Memorable ‘Soul Train’ Performances
Celebrating “Love, Peace, Soul!”
By Brennan Williams
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/28-memorable-soul-train-performances_us_5890f1d3e4b02772c4e9d24f?section=us_black-voices
A Look Back At 28 Memorable ‘Soul Train’ Performances
Celebrating “Love, Peace, Soul!”
By Brennan Williams
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/28-memorable-soul-train-performances_us_5890f1d3e4b02772c4e9d24f?section=us_black-voices
Young, Gifted, & Black
From the Huffington Post -
This 22-Year-Old Is Already An Engineer At NASA
And she’s yet to graduate from MIT... with a 5.0. Yah.
By Zahara Hill
Tiera Guinn is just 22 years old and she’s already working for NASA.
As a Rocket Structural Design and Analysis Engineer for the Space Launch System that aerospace company Boeing is building for NASA, Guinn designs and analyzes parts of a rocket that she said will be one of the biggest and most powerful in history.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/this-22-year-old-is-already-an-engineer-at-nasa_us_5894c59be4b0c1284f25c913?section=us_black-voices
This 22-Year-Old Is Already An Engineer At NASA
And she’s yet to graduate from MIT... with a 5.0. Yah.
By Zahara Hill
Tiera Guinn is just 22 years old and she’s already working for NASA.
As a Rocket Structural Design and Analysis Engineer for the Space Launch System that aerospace company Boeing is building for NASA, Guinn designs and analyzes parts of a rocket that she said will be one of the biggest and most powerful in history.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/this-22-year-old-is-already-an-engineer-at-nasa_us_5894c59be4b0c1284f25c913?section=us_black-voices
Saturday, February 4, 2017
Visit the Tina Turner Museum
From Atlas Obscura -
Tina Turner Museum
A restored one-room African American schoolhouse in the diva's hometown now preserves the legacy of its most famous student.
While driving from Nashville to Memphis there is a bit of musical history that’s not to be missed. In Brownsville, Tennessee an old blacks-only schoolhouse has been restored and turned into a museum honoring the legacy of its student-turned-superstar, Anna Mae Bullock, better known as Tina Turner.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tina-turner-museum
Tina Turner Museum
A restored one-room African American schoolhouse in the diva's hometown now preserves the legacy of its most famous student.
While driving from Nashville to Memphis there is a bit of musical history that’s not to be missed. In Brownsville, Tennessee an old blacks-only schoolhouse has been restored and turned into a museum honoring the legacy of its student-turned-superstar, Anna Mae Bullock, better known as Tina Turner.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tina-turner-museum
How Not to Run a Complex Organization
An excerpt from the New York Times -
Case Study in Chaos: How Management Experts Grade a Trump White House
By JAMES B. STEWART
The unanimous verdict: Thus far, the Trump administration is a textbook case of how not to run a complex organization like the executive branch.
“This is so basic, it’s covered in the introduction to the M.B.A. program that all our students take,” said Lindred Greer, an assistant professor of organizational behavior at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. By all outward indications, Mr. Trump “desperately needs to take the course,” she said.
Jeffrey Pfeffer, professor of organizational behavior at Stanford and the author of “Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don’t,” said Mr. Trump’s executive actions as president “are so far from any responsible management approach” that they all but defy analysis.
“Of course, this isn’t new,” he told me. “His campaign also violated every prudent management principle. Everyone including our friends on Wall Street somehow believed that once he was president he’d change. I don’t understand that logic.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/02/business/donald-trump-management-style.html
Case Study in Chaos: How Management Experts Grade a Trump White House
By JAMES B. STEWART
The unanimous verdict: Thus far, the Trump administration is a textbook case of how not to run a complex organization like the executive branch.
“This is so basic, it’s covered in the introduction to the M.B.A. program that all our students take,” said Lindred Greer, an assistant professor of organizational behavior at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. By all outward indications, Mr. Trump “desperately needs to take the course,” she said.
Jeffrey Pfeffer, professor of organizational behavior at Stanford and the author of “Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don’t,” said Mr. Trump’s executive actions as president “are so far from any responsible management approach” that they all but defy analysis.
“Of course, this isn’t new,” he told me. “His campaign also violated every prudent management principle. Everyone including our friends on Wall Street somehow believed that once he was president he’d change. I don’t understand that logic.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/02/business/donald-trump-management-style.html
Friday, February 3, 2017
We've Been Here Before
From Salon -
“We’ve been here before”: Black Panther Jamal Joseph discusses present day political climate and offers words of wisdom
By D. WATKINS
http://www.salon.com/?post_type=post&p=14696142
“We’ve been here before”: Black Panther Jamal Joseph discusses present day political climate and offers words of wisdom
By D. WATKINS
http://www.salon.com/?post_type=post&p=14696142
Quote
From the LA Times -
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Thursday, February 2, 2017
A Powerful Message
From the Huffington Post -
The Moving Story Behind This Viral Photo Of A Doctor’s Powerful Sign
A union reacts after a doctor in Brooklyn is stranded in Sudan due to Trump’s travel ban.
By Elyse Wanshel
When a fellow doctor was detained in Sudan, his colleagues at a Brooklyn hospital got on it. Stat. Their outraged reaction became a viral photo.
On Jan. 31, a picture of a doctor holding a sign that reads, “I am taking care of your mom … but I can’t go see mine,” was posted to Twitter by Khaled Beydoun.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/doctor-holding-sign-mom-trump-muslim-travel-ban_us_58937a91e4b07595d05a4b3b?
The Moving Story Behind This Viral Photo Of A Doctor’s Powerful Sign
A union reacts after a doctor in Brooklyn is stranded in Sudan due to Trump’s travel ban.
By Elyse Wanshel
 |
| Dr. Mazin Khalid went to medical school with Dr. Kamal Fadlalla and is his friend. He’s holding a sign written by another doctor. |
When a fellow doctor was detained in Sudan, his colleagues at a Brooklyn hospital got on it. Stat. Their outraged reaction became a viral photo.
On Jan. 31, a picture of a doctor holding a sign that reads, “I am taking care of your mom … but I can’t go see mine,” was posted to Twitter by Khaled Beydoun.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/doctor-holding-sign-mom-trump-muslim-travel-ban_us_58937a91e4b07595d05a4b3b?
Celebrating Our Gifts
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-jaimie-milner-gifted-20160131-story.html
All Aboard
From Thrillist -
THE MOST STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL TRAIN RIDES IN AMERICA
By MATT MELTZER
https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/best-scenic-train-rides-us
THE MOST STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL TRAIN RIDES IN AMERICA
By MATT MELTZER
https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/best-scenic-train-rides-us
It's Personal
An excerpt from the NYTimes -
A Washington Correspondent’s Own Refugee Experience
By HELENE COOPER
WASHINGTON — When I was 13 years old, my family fled our home for the United States.
We were refugees, even though we came here on visitor visas that we simply outstayed. The country of my birth, Liberia, had just seen a military coup, where enlisted soldiers took over the government, disemboweled the president and launched an orgy of retribution against the old guard. My father was shot. My cousin was executed on the beach by firing squad. My mom was gang-raped by soldiers in the basement of our house after she volunteered to submit to them on the condition that they leave my sisters and me, ages 8 to 16, alone.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/31/insider/a-washington-correspondents-own-refugee-experience.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share&_r=0
A Washington Correspondent’s Own Refugee Experience
By HELENE COOPER
WASHINGTON — When I was 13 years old, my family fled our home for the United States.
We were refugees, even though we came here on visitor visas that we simply outstayed. The country of my birth, Liberia, had just seen a military coup, where enlisted soldiers took over the government, disemboweled the president and launched an orgy of retribution against the old guard. My father was shot. My cousin was executed on the beach by firing squad. My mom was gang-raped by soldiers in the basement of our house after she volunteered to submit to them on the condition that they leave my sisters and me, ages 8 to 16, alone.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/31/insider/a-washington-correspondents-own-refugee-experience.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share&_r=0
Playing Dress Up
From the Huffington Post -
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| Ambrielle-Baker Rogers, Morgan Coleman and Miah Bell-Olson dressed as Dorothy Vaughan, Katherine Johnson and Mary Jackson, the trio of black women featured in the movie “Hidden Figures” who helped NASA send astronaut John Glenn into orbit. Courtesy of Amanda Evans
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/girls-dress-up-as-hidden-figures-characters-totally-nail-it_us_5892016ce4b02772c4ea6d7d?
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