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Wednesday, May 31, 2017

UAE = United American Emirate

An excerpt from the NY Times -

Trump’s United American Emirate
By Thomas L. Friedman

No U.S. president before had ever put a crack in the Atlantic alliance on his inaugural tour. Historic.

Merkel is just the first major leader to say out loud what every American ally is now realizing: America is under new management. “Who is America today?” is the first question I’ve been asked on each stop through New Zealand, Australia and South Korea. My answer: We’re not the U.S.A. anymore. We’re the new U.A.E.: the United American Emirate.

We have an emir. His name is Donald. We have a crown prince. His name is Jared. We have a crown princess. Her name is Ivanka. We have a consultative council (Congress) that rubber-stamps whatever the emir wants. And like any good monarchy, our ruling family sees no conflict of interest between its personal businesses and those of the state.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/31/opinion/trumps-united-american-emirate.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&region=CColumn&module=MostEmailed&version=Full&src=me&WT.nav=MostEmailed&_r=0

Trevor Noah Remembers



http://ew.com/tv/2017/05/31/trevor-noah-stepfather-shot-mother/?xid=email-email-ewtv-20170531PM-tout5

Performing Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ in Prison

The Truth About "Covfefe" & The Trump Propaganda Machine: The Daily Show

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Trailer: Oprah's Master Class Season 6 | Oprah’s Master Class | Oprah Wi...

How obsessive artists colorize old photos

MONOPRIX - Label of Love



https://www.fastcompany.com/40422833/this-is-the-cutest-love-story-youll-see-from-a-grocery-store-all-day

Speaking Out

An excerpt from the LA Times -

They dismissed her as a lightweight. But California's top judge has found her voice — and uses it to call out Trump policies
By Maura Dolan

Settled in as California’s top judge, she is speaking her mind, calling on the Trump administration to keep its immigration agents away from state courthouses and giving a highly publicized address that reflected California’s jitters about the new president.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-chief-justice-20170528-story.html

Sweden on Airbnb



https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/sweden-lists-whole-country-on-airbnb-freedom-to-roam

Sunday, May 28, 2017

Chayanne - Qué Me Has Hecho (Official Video) ft. Wisin

Close To You | Songs | Tommy Emmanuel

Quote

From the NY Times -

Trump’s Hand-to-Hand Combat
By Maureen Dowd

“We’re beyond grief and into disbelief,” David Axelrod, Obama’s old guru, told me. “I feel like a 6-year-old has gotten controls of the 747 and we’re all strapped in our seats hoping either he’ll land the plane or somebody else will co-pilot. But meanwhile, we’re just getting jerked around in turbulence on a constant basis here. It is just debilitating.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/27/opinion/sunday/trumps-hand-to-hand-combat.html?ribbon-ad-idx=6&rref=opinion&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Opinion&pgtype=article

Ladybugs Folding Their Wings

Saturday, May 27, 2017

Ed Sheeran - What Do I Know? [Official Audio]

Mayor Mitch Landrieu's full address on the removal of the Confederate mo...

The Farm of the Future Could Fit in Your Backyard

Caroline Kennedy on John F. Kennedy: I miss him more each and every day ...

WATCH Black Farmer Calls Out Liberal Racism



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-farmer-calls-out-liberal-racism-in-powerful-facebook-message_us_5925a027e4b0650cc020eb4d

A Great Book!

If you're in the mood for a funny, thought-provoking, "too good to put down" kind of book, then grab The Transformation of a Lost Soul by Forrest J. Beverly.

You'll share the experiences with the author as he moves from his life in rural China, Texas to the halls of Florida A & M University, to life as an undercover Drug Enforcement Agent.

Full disclosure.

The author is my brother and these are stories I was familiar with.  However, I was enthralled from cover to cover.  I think you will be, too.

https://www.amazon.com/Transformation-Lost-Soul-Spiritual-Journey/dp/1478770759/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1470835162&sr=1-2&keywords=The+transformation+of+a+lost+soul


Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix

This tilting house forces roommates to cooperate

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Gabe Bondoc – 'Gentlemen Don't'

2CELLOS - Moon River [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

Making a big splash with the Super Soaker

7 people who were rejected before reaching incredible success

An Insult to 4-Year-Olds

An excerpt from the NY Times -

4-Year-Olds Don’t Act Like Trump
By ALISON GOPNIK

The analogy is pervasive among his critics: Donald Trump is like a child. Making him the president was like making a 4-year-old the leader of the free world.

But the analogy is profoundly wrong, and it’s unfair to children. The scientific developmental research of the past 30 years shows that Mr. Trump is utterly unlike a 4-year-old.

Four-year-olds care deeply about the truth. They constantly try to seek out information and to figure out how the world works. Of course, 4-year-olds, as well as adults, occasionally lie. But Mr. Trump doesn’t just lie; he seems not even to care whether his statements are true.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/20/opinion/sunday/4-year-olds-children-trump-gopnik.html?_r=0

Friday, May 19, 2017

How I learned to read -- and trade stocks -- in prison | Curtis "Wall St...

Fox News’ 5 steps for handling a Trump scandal

Turning the Tables

Look closely at the pictures below.

An excerpt from the Huffington Post -

These Profound Photos Masterfully Turn Racial Stereotypes On Their Head
A powerful new photo essay reexamines our relationship with race.
By Lilly Workneh

The pictures are indeed eye-opening, and force us to reexamine damaging stereotypes and explore how race, class and power can intersect.

CHRIS BUCK/O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE



CHRIS BUCK/O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/these-profound-photos-masterfully-turn-racial-stereotypes-on-their-head_us_591dceece4b03b485caf8c6d?h1&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Jeanette Harris - All I Do

Girl Scouts new CEO is a rocket scientist

How Trump made it harder for the US to fight terrorism

Liberal Redneck - What's It Gonna Take Yall

We’ve got your back . . . hair.

This Cat Needs a Home

From the Huffington Post -

Animal Shelter Writes Badass Adoption Memo For ‘Utter Bastard Of A Cat’
“Mr. Biggles is a despot and dictator.”
By Rebecca Shapiro

Mr. Biggles
Pet adoption agency Cats of Melbourne, located in Melbourne, Australia, posted a darkly hilarious memo about Mr. Biggles (also known as Lord Bigglesworth) on its website this week, practically daring a future owner to take him in.

Founder and group co-ordinator Gina Brett wrote the ad, describing the shiny black cat as “an utter utter utter bastard” who throws tantrums and does not like to be thwarted.

“Mr. Biggles is a despot and dictator, he will let you know he is not happy, which is often because things are often just not up to his high standards,” the memo reads. “Mr Biggles likes his cuddles on his terms, and will sit in your lap when he decides it’s time. If the stroking is not up to his standards, he will nip you.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/animal-shelter-writes-badass-adoption-memo-about-utter-bastard-of-a-cat_us_591d0240e4b034684b095160?3af&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

A Special Prosecutor Steps In & Fox News Doesn't Get the Comey Memo: The...

The fight to rethink (and reinvent) nuclear power

Trump Asked Comey to End Flynn Probe, Gave Russians Intel: A Closer Look

The Master Matador Tailor

Pretty Please!

An excerpt from the New Yorker -

OBAMA WILLING TO SERVE AS TEMP PRESIDENT WHILE TRUMP RECEIVES PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION
By Andy Borowitz

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Amid concerns about Donald Trump’s fitness to be President, former President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that he was willing to serve as “temp President” while Trump undergoes psychiatric evaluation.

“It would just be a temp thing,” Obama told reporters. “As soon as psychiatrists determine that Donald Trump is mentally stable and fit to serve as the most powerful officeholder in the world, I’d step aside.”

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/obama-willing-to-serve-as-temp-president-while-trump-receives-psychiatric-evaluation

Sunday, May 14, 2017

An Exhaustive List That Will Keep Growing

From the NY Times -

The Republican’s Guide to Presidential Behavior
By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

It wasn’t so long ago that Republicans in Congress cared about how a president comported himself in office. They cared a lot! The president is, after all, commander in chief of the armed forces, steward of the most powerful nation on earth, role model for America’s children — and he should act at all times with the dignity his station demands. It’s not O.K. to behave in a manner that demeans the office and embarrasses the country. Shirt sleeves in the Oval Office? Disrespectful. Shoes on the Resolute desk? Even worse. Lying? Despicable, if not impeachable.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/13/opinion/sunday/the-republicans-guide-to-presidential-behavior.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region&region=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region&_r=0

Not Smart

An excerpt from the Washington Post -

In Arizona, teachers can now be hired with absolutely no training in how to teach
By Valerie Strauss

New legislation signed into law in Arizona by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey (R) will allow teachers to be hired with no formal teaching training, as long as they have five years of experience in fields “relevant” to the subject they are teaching. What’s “relevant” isn’t clear.

The Arizona law is part of a disturbing trend nationwide to allow teachers without certification or even any teacher preparation to be hired and put immediately to work in the classroom in large part to help close persistent teacher shortages. It plays into a misconception that anyone can teach if they know a particular subject and that it is not really necessary to first learn about curriculum, classroom management and instruction.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/05/14/in-arizona-teachers-can-now-be-hired-with-absolutely-no-training-in-how-to-teach/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_as-arizona-955am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.44c3524d23bd

Amazon Echo - SNL

Lester Holt Cold Open - SNL

Happy Mother's Day

As a mother to two sons and a grandmother to three precious little girls, I've learned some things.

I've learned that the greatest impact on a child's life happens in the first five years.

This is tough because as a new mother, or even a seasoned one, the first five years of a child's life are hectic.  You're busy taking care of them and they're busy discovering and exploring the world around them.  But it is in the first five years that lifelong lessons are learned.  In those first five years, kids learn how to behave, how to treat others, how to take care of themselves, and how to think for themselves, to name a few.  And the tricky part is, as a parent you have no idea if what you're doing is right or good for that child until much later.  In these first five years, you're operating on a hope and a prayer.

I've learned you don't do your child any favors by always coming to their rescue.

When a child blows it, they need to understand that they need to figure out what to do to solve their issue.  I'm not suggesting that we let them suffer, but I am saying that they need to understand that the world will not bail them out.  When they screw up, they need to fess up, correct the problem, make amends and move on.  Too often parents become a lifelong crutch.  In their desire to help, they become a hindrance.

I've learned that kids have to be taught how to work; how to complete a task and do a good job.

If kids are allowed to get away with doing half-ass work, they will grow up thinking that's good enough in school, at work, and in relationships.  Kids have to be explicitly taught how to do a job and do it well.  That begins with picking up their toys and cleaning their rooms.  Simple things that have a lifelong impact.

I've learned that once your kids are grown, you have to step aside and let them live their lives.

And to me . . .

That's the hardest lesson of all.





Ditch These Folks . . . Fast

From the Huffington Post -

10 Toxic People You Should Avoid Like The Plague
Quit trying to beat them at their own game.
Dr. Travis Bradberry

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/10-toxic-people-you-should-avoid-like-the-plague_us_591344f2e4b07e366cebb80e

Saturday, May 13, 2017

Billy Porter, Pentatonix - Oh, What a Beautiful Morning

Bobby Charles - I Must Be in a Good Place Now

Johnny Mathis Deniece Williams, Too Much Too Little Too Late

Roberta Flack / Donny Hathaway - Where is the Love (1972)

Carpenters - Close to you

✿ LUTHER VANDROSS - What The World Needs Now Is Love (1994) ✿

The White House press briefing is dying

Cute Baby Animals Meet Their Stuffed Counterparts

Still Happening

An excerpt from the Root -

Mass. Charter School Students Sent to Detention, Banned From Prom Because They Wear Braids 
By Breanna Edwards

Why black hair in school environments is still an issue in this, the year of our Lord 2017, is beyond me. But here we are, yet again. This time, in an apparent sudden enforcement of the “rules,” black students at a charter school in Malden, Mass., have been subject to punishment over braids (yes, the same hairstyle almost every little black girl has had at least once). And parents are upset.

According to the Boston Globe, Colleen Cook, whose twin 15-year-old daughters, Deanna and Mya, attend the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School, have been subject to several detentions since last week and now could actually be suspended from school over their hairstyle.

http://www.theroot.com/mass-charter-school-students-sent-to-detention-banned-1795173513

Friday, May 12, 2017

We Need His Calmness Now More Than Ever

From the Huffington Post -

Happy Little You Can Now Surf Random Bob Ross Videos Online, Forever
You never have to choose between Bob Ross videos ever again.
By Priscilla Frank



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/random-bob-ross-videos_us_5914ce4ce4b0fe039b33549e?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

Patti's Cinnamon Crumb Cake Recipe

From Entertainment Weekly -

Celebrate Mother's Day with Patti LaBelle's cinnamon crumb cake
It’s soul sweetening
By RUTH KINANE

Ingredients:

For the cake:
1,1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. table salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk

For the streusel topping:

1,1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon


http://ew.com/books/2017/05/12/mothers-day-patti-labelle-cinnamon-crumb-cake-recipe/?xid=email-email-ewbooks-20170512PM-tout3

President Rock?

An excerpt from GQ -

Dwayne Johnson for President!
BY CAITY WEAVER

The cold, hard truth is that if Donald Trump can be elected president, Dwayne Johnson can be elected president. Easily. He probably has better odds of winning an election than Trump, and Trump did win, so what does that tell you? If anything, Trump's election proved that celebrities can just dive right in—they don't even have to make a pit stop as governor of California before the presidency.

“If [becoming the president] is something he focused on,” says Ron Meyer, the NBCUniversal vice chairman, “he probably would accomplish it. I think there's nothing that he couldn't do.”

http://www.gq.com/story/dwayne-johnson-for-president-cover

Unforgiven



http://www.salon.com/2017/05/12/watch-unforgiven-casts-spotlight-on-americas-6-1-million-forgotten-voters/?source=newsletter

Between the Scenes - Trump's Dictator Tendencies: The Daily Show

New Orleans’ Queen of Creole Cooking Still Reigns at 94

Son Shows Mom a Good Time

Will Trump's lies cost lives? Can we break his spell? Killer cognitive b...

"I Won"


http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/11/media/stephen-colbert-trump-no-talent-comment/

Young, Gifted & Black 14-Year-Old Physics Graduate

From the Huffington Post -

This 14-Year-Old Is Already Graduating College With A Physics Degree
Oh, and his 11-year-old brother is also a freshman at the university.
By Lilly Workneh

While most 14-year-old students are about to enter high school, Carson Huey-You is ready to graduate from Texas Christian University with a physics degree.

Carson, who also completed a double minor in math and Chinese, enrolled in the school as a freshman at the age of 11 and is set to graduate Saturday.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/this-14-year-old-is-already-graduating-college-with-a-physics-degree_us_59148dcae4b066b421720e2f?kjh


Planet-Saving Inventions

From CNN -

5 cool inventions that could save the planet
By Tricia Escobedo

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/11/tech/ecosolutions-5-ways-tech/index.html

Thursday, May 11, 2017

The chemistry of cookies - Stephanie Warren

He's a Lousy Poker Player

From the NY Times -

The Easy Tells of Comey’s Canning
By Bret Stephens

Tell: After the president publicly impugned his own F.B.I. director, it meant Rosenstein’s memo was a pro forma, pretextual exercise.

Tell: When the president boasts about his great campaign, you know he’s less than sure about just how great it really was.

Tell: When the president calls news “fake” or a story “phony,” you know the truth quotient is likely to be high. And, again, you know he knows you know it.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/10/opinion/comey-firing-donald-trump.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region&region=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region

The Native American Code Talkers Who Helped Win WWI

Familiarity Breeds Contempt

I hope this is not true because if it is, he comes off as a first class jerk.

You decide.

http://www.thewrap.com/steve-harvey-bizarre-email-to-employees-do-not-open-my-dressing-room-door/

A Tough Job

An excerpt from the NY Times -

An Open Letter to the Deputy Attorney General
Rod Rosenstein has more authority than anyone else
to restore Americans’ confidence in their government.
By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

Dear Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein:

Few public servants have found themselves with a choice as weighty as yours, between following their conscience and obeying a leader trying to evade scrutiny — Elliot Richardson and William Ruckelshaus, who behaved nobly in Watergate, come to mind. You can add your name to this short, heroic list. Yes, it might cost you your job. But it would save your honor, and so much more besides.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/11/opinion/deputy-attorney-general-open-letter.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share&_r=0

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

the girl from ipanema, astrud gilberto, instrumental music, smooth jazz,...

La Vie En Rose

Build 2017: Project Emma

Where There's Smoke, There's Fire

An excerpt from Salon -

Americans are witnessing a slow-motion coup
Rule of law be damned, President Trump was mad as hell and casting around looking for a reason to fire James Comey
By LUCIAN K. TRUSCOTT IV

How incredibly clueless is Trump that he would think this would work? Did he really expect them to endorse his obvious cover-up? Who came up with this insane strategy? Do they really think when the man who is under investigation fires the guy investigating him that people are going to buy it? Do they think nobody remembers when former President Richard Nixon fired the special prosecutor Archibald Cox? Watergate isn’t water under the bridge; it’s history. And there are still people in Washington who know that Archibald Cox wasn’t a character on “The Simpsons” and the night Nixon fired him was called the Saturday Night Massacre. Trump’s pathetic political naĂŻvetĂ© is coming into focus. If this is his best game, it’s the fourth quarter: He’s down by double digits; he’s the quarterback and his name isn’t Brady.

http://www.salon.com/2017/05/10/americans-are-witnessing-a-slow-motion-coup/

A Damn Shame! 2

From CBS News & the Associated Press -

Tuskegee syphilis study descendants speak about tragedy, seek healing

Decades later, it's hard to grasp what the federal government did to hundreds of black men in rural Alabama. Especially if you're among their descendants, who continue to gather in memory of their fathers and grandfathers.

For 40 years starting in 1932, medical workers in the segregated South withheld treatment for unsuspecting men infected with a sexually transmitted disease simply so doctors could track the ravages of the horrid illness and dissect their bodies afterward.

Finally exposed in 1972, the study ended and the men sued, resulting in a $9 million settlement. Twenty years ago this May, then President Bill Clinton apologized for the U.S. government.

But it did not mark the end of the study's ugly legacy.


Relatives of the men still struggle with the stigma of being linked to the experiment, what's commonly known as the "Tuskegee Syphilis Study." For years they have met privately to share their pain and to honor the victims.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tuskegee-syphilis-study-descendants-speak-about-tragedy-call-for-action/

A Damn Shame!

From Reading Eagle -

AP WAS THERE: Black men untreated in Tuskegee Syphilis Study
By JEAN HELLER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — EDITOR'S NOTE: On July 25, 1972, Associated Press reporter Jean Heller broke news that rocked the American medical establishment. The federal government, she reported, had let hundreds of black men in rural Alabama go untreated for syphilis for 40 years for research purposes. A public outcry ensued, and the "Tuskegee Syphilis Study" ended three months later. The men filed a lawsuit that resulted in a $9 million settlement, and then-President Bill Clinton formally apologized years later.

Still, the chilling effects of the study linger to this day — it's routinely cited as a reason some African-Americans are reluctant to participate in medical research, or even go to the doctor for routine check-ups.

http://www.readingeagle.com/ap/article/ap-was-there-black-men-untreated-in-tuskegee-syphilis-study

The Gallaudet Way (ESPN) - Captioned

The Hitman’s Bodyguard Trailer #1 (2017) | Movieclips Trailers

Through Our Eyes

Excerpts from the Undefeated -

Here’s why black teachers are so important to education and to our children
‘Through Our Eyes: Perspectives and Reflection From Black Teachers’ reinforces necessity to get more of them in classrooms
BY KELLEY D. EVANS

“Teachers of color bring benefits to classrooms beyond content knowledge and pedagogy.”

This is what a recent study from The Education Trust, a national nonprofit advocacy organization that promotes high academic achievement, claims. And it has data to back it up.

~~~~~~~~~~

“The difference I would like to make is a difference that my fifth-grade teacher, an African American woman, made [for] me,” says an elementary teacher from Oakland, California, who is also a Black woman.

She credits that teacher with instilling in her a love of math, but also with fostering the self-confidence that would buoy her when other teachers doubted her ability. Now, she tries to give all her students — and especially her Black students — that same assurance.

https://theundefeated.com/features/black-teachers-are-important-to-education/

First Word = Idiot

An excerpt from Salon -

Poll: The first word that comes to mind when we think of Trump is . . .
According to a new survey, when most Americans are asked to describe him, they aren''t thinking "president"
By KATIE SERENA

Question 9 of the poll asked, “What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of Donald Trump?”

The word was “idiot” was repeated 39 times, more so than another. The second most cited word? “Incompetent.” In third place? “Liar.”

http://www.salon.com/2017/05/10/the-first-word-that-comes-to-mind-when-we-think-of-trump-is/

Tower Of Power - So Very Hard To Go

CNN's Jeffrey Toobin Loses His Mind Over Comey Being Fired

Help With Purging

An excerpt from the NY Times -

Decluttering? Yes, There’s an App
By ROY FURCHGOTT

And, of course, Craigslist, the granddaddy of free online classified listings, has several apps as well. “Craigslist is the workhorse,” Mr. Carlini said. “But I have been having more success with 5Miles, which I supplemented with OfferUp and LetGo.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/realestate/spring-cleaning-and-decluttering-help-apps.html?emc=edit_nn_20170510&nl=morning-briefing&nlid=38867499&te=1&_r=0

100X25

From Upworthy -

This foundation is working to fight stereotypes and get more women into leadership roles.

https://www.facebook.com/Upworthy/videos/1498307943543392/

http://www.upworthy.com/this-foundation-is-working-to-fight-stereotypes-and-get-more-women-into-leadership-roles?c=upw1&u=6861cbea6edfdfe5a709ee39ad3c14b64135e61f

Food waste is the world's dumbest problem

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Ouch!

Check out some of the comments on this tweet.

https://twitter.com/hashtag/notNixonian?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fonpolitics%2F2017%2F05%2F09%2Fnotnixonian-richard-nixon-library-pokes-trump-over-comey-firing%2F101491832%2F

Quote

An excerpt from the NY Times -

Donald Trump’s Firing of James Comey
By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

Mr. Comey was fired because he was leading an active investigation that could bring down a president. Though compromised by his own poor judgment, Mr. Comey’s agency has been pursuing ties between the Russian government and Mr. Trump and his associates, with potentially ruinous consequences for the administration.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/09/opinion/donald-trumps-firing-of-james-comey.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-top-region&region=opinion-c-col-top-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-top-region

Trump Fires James Comey & Sally Yates Testifies: The Daily Show

OBAMA: You get the politicians you deserve

Monday, May 8, 2017

Obama urges Congress not to repeal Obamacare

HBCU Graduates Tell the Story

An excerpt from the Washinton Post -

How crucial are historically black colleges? Just look at who’s graduated from them. 
By DeNeen L. Brown

From Thurgood Marshall to Oprah Winfrey, the nation’s historically black colleges and universities have educated generations of African American pioneers and professionals — doctors, lawyers, scientists, ministers, writers and thinkers. The most famous graduate of a historically black college, slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., has a monument on the Mall and a federal holiday to celebrate his birthday.

So on Friday, there was consternation among black lawmakers and educators when the White House released a statement raising questions about the constitutionality of federal funding measures that help historically black colleges and universities obtain low-cost construction loans for repairs, renovations and new buildings.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/05/08/from-mlk-to-oprah-winfrey-historically-black-colleges-educate-african-american-pioneers/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_retro-hbcu-115pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.d0ab9fb46a66

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Validation not Segregation

An excerpt from the Root -

Black Students at Harvard Will Host Individual Graduation Ceremony 
By Monique Judge

“This is an opportunity to celebrate Harvard’s Black excellence and Black brilliance,” Michael Huggins, who is graduating with a master’s in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, said. “It’s an event where we can see each other and our parents and family can see us as a collective, whole group. A community.”

“This is not about segregation,” Huggins added. “It’s about fellowship and building a community. This is a chance to reaffirm for each other that we enter the work world with a network of supporters standing with us.

http://www.theroot.com/black-students-at-harvard-will-host-individual-graduati-1794977320

Condoleezza Rice on Putin and new book "Democracy"

Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing - Jacob Collier

Amar Y Vivir (En Vivo Desde La Ciudad De MĂ©xico, 2017)

Background Voices

An excerpt from the LA Times -

Need a background voice for a movie or TV show? Barbara Harris is the person to call
By Daniel Vaillancourt


Barbara Harris, who provides background voices for movies and television. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-barbara-harris-background-voices-20170410-story.html

Hollywood Goes to HBCUs

From the LA Times -

These black colleges in Atlanta are some of Hollywood's best kept filming secrets
By Tre'vell Anderson

To the unfamiliar eye, Morehouse seems like many other colleges. But it’s not.

Most schools are not used as filming locations for big-budget Hollywood productions. Morehouse, however, has been the setting for two in just a single year, the Oscar-nominated “Hidden Figures” and BET’s “The Quad.”

In fact, the entire Atlanta University Center, or AUC, a consortium of historically black colleges and universities in the city, has ties with Hollywood that run deeper than the Chattahoochee River. In the last 30 years, Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse School of Medicine have all been used in countless films and television shows.

Together, they are one of the industry’s best kept secrets in the city known as the Hollywood of the South.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-morehouse-spelman-clark-atlanta-20170505-story.html

Seen as a Threat

An excerpt from the LA Times -

The killing of Jordan Edwards shows again how black males — even children — are viewed as a threat
By Kurtis Lee

As the death reignited a national conversation about race and the police, it’s also elevated what’s viewed as a well-understood fact in many African American communities: When you’re black — even if you’re a child — you can be viewed as a threat to police.

“These are trained professionals, who are supposed to make rational decisions, but they’re not,” said Benjamin Crump, a civil rights attorney and former president of the National Bar Assn., a network of black lawyers and judges. “And yet again our children — I repeat, children — are paying the ultimate price.”

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-jordan-edwards-20170506-story.html

Why People?

An excerpt from the Washington Post -

What’s it like getting married at Disney? It’s not always a fairy tale.
By Megan McDonough

In 2013, Disney held 1,500 weddings on its properties. Last year, that number swelled to more than 4,000, with about 11 ceremonies a day globally. That trend is likely to continue, as Disney rolls out live-action updates of its classic films over the next several years, such as the recent “Beauty and the Beast” update starring Emma Watson.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/whats-it-like-getting-married-at-disney-its-not-always-a-fairy-tale/2017/05/04/59390a66-2c24-11e7-be51-b3fc6ff7faee_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_disney-1051am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.9a8a89704c34

Rosa Parks' Pancake Recipe

From the Huffington Post -

Rosa Parks’ Pancake Recipe Will Blow Yours Out Of The Water
There’s peanut butter in there.
By Julie R. Thomson

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Rosa Parks’ “featherlite pancakes” recipe written on the back of an envelope.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rosa-parks-pancake-recipe_us_590b5591e4b0104c734c94f6

Where in the World Is Kellyanne Conway? - SNL

Saturday, May 6, 2017

French parliament sings La Marseillaise - BBC News

Norah Jones - Carry On

Workman Stuns Audience With His Piano Skills

Tony Jackson - The Grand Tour (George Jones Tribute)

What's the Difference Between Brown Eggs and White Eggs?

These 10 maps will change the way you see the world

What happens to your social media when you die?

Ascend the Greek Sanctuaries in the Sky

From Game Concept to Full Mobile Game - How Students Made "Tangram Jam"

This is dated, but interesting nonetheless.



The article below is current and features the guy on the left in the video.

http://college.usatoday.com/2017/05/04/how-i-became-a-video-game-designer-bugi-kaigwa/

Mukbang With Millions: Inside the World of Livestream Eating

New Rule: The Lesser of Two Evils | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)

Yes, Still

An excerpt from CNN -

What's changed -- and what hasn't -- 70 years after Jackie Robinson
By Mike Downey

(CNN)Still? STILL? A baseball player being subjected to racial taunts? A full 70 years after Jackie Robinson endured this kind of despicable behavior while smashing through the sport's white ceiling, it's hard to believe, but here we are again.

Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles was literally minding his business, manning a position in the outfield Monday night against the Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston, when the N-word came flying at him. Jones heard it, tolerated it best he knew how, then talked about it candidly after the game.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/04/opinions/70-years-after-jackie-robinson-racist-taunt-adam-jones-downey/index.html

Judge Holding Court

Excerpt from the NY Times -

Judge in Puerto Rico’s Debt Lawsuit Handled Major Financial Cases
By MATTHEW GOLDSTEIN

Judge Laura Taylor Swain


As a federal court judge, Laura Taylor Swain has played a role in two of the highest-profile financial criminal cases of the past decade. Now she will preside over one of the biggest local government financial failure cases ever filed.

~~~~~~~~~~

Judge Swain has handled prominent cases in recent years. She was the presiding judge who accepted the guilty plea of SAC Capital Advisors, the giant group of hedge funds that the billionaire investor Steven A. Cohen led. And she presided over the lengthy criminal trial of several former employees of Bernard Madoff, who ran a huge Ponzi scheme.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/05/business/dealbook/judge-puerto-rico-case.html?_r=0


Friday, May 5, 2017

The World's Strangest Borders Part 3: Enclaves and Exclaves

Neil deGrasse Tyson Reviews This Summer's Sci-Fi Movies

It Happens Tonight

From the Washington Post -

Can science, Nike and three super-fast runners pull off a 2-hour marathon?
The first serious attempt at breaking the two-hour barrier will happen overnight.
By Bonnie Berkowitz

If you want to watch the attempt, which is scheduled to start at Friday at 11:45 p.m. Eastern, the Nike and Runner’s World websites will be live-streaming it. If not, you will most likely get more chances.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/sports/two-hour-marathon/?hpid=hp_no-name_graphic-story-a%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.c1d12c634a80

Amercia's Best High Schools

From the Washington Post -

America’s Most Challenging High Schools
The Washington Post's annual rankings of how successfully schools challenge their students.
By Jay Mathews

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/local/high-school-challenge-2017/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_hschallenge-810pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

Baby Making App

From the Huffington Post  -

This New App Is Tinder For Sperm And Egg Donors
“I figure if we can all get together, we’re going to find people who want to make babies with us, one way or another.”
By Olivia Campbell

Flicking through the profiles, you’ll see hopeful smiles paired with assurances of high IQs, emotional maturity, Harvard degrees, excellent genes, and clear medical histories.

But this isn’t a dating app.

Just a Baby, an app launched in February in Australia, can connect you with “biological conception partners.” It’s a Tinder-like matching service where you can offer or seek sperm, eggs, or surrogates. In its first two months, it’s been downloaded 3,000 times ― and while members are mainly based in Australia, membership is growing in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. as word spreads.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sperm-egg-donation-app-just-baby_us_58ffa2d5e4b091e8c71100af?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

Disney CEO Considering Presidential Run in 2020

From Axios -

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Disney CEO Bob Iger has been telling friends that he's considering a run for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020. That's due to a vibe in Hollywood that President Trump has opened the door for moguls to seek higher office (see also: Oprah's non-answer to Bloomberg).

https://www.axios.com/disney-ceo-bob-iger-considering-2020-run-2292812203.html

Adjective?

From the Huffington Post -

It can also mean "marked by a foreboding of death or calamity," so it's a versatile word.
(Not sure I like this second definition. - Faye)

LeBron James Honors Single Moms

America’s Working Single Mothers: An Appreciation
By LeBron James

http://shriverreport.org/americas-working-single-mothers-an-appreciation-lebron-james/

The Jazz in You

Ruth B. - Superficial Love (The Intro Live Sessions)

Some Words On Trumpcare's "Victory"

Quote

17-Year-Old Breaks the Internet With the Greatest Yearbook Quote of All Time
By Michael Harriot



http://thegrapevine.theroot.com/17-year-old-breaks-the-internet-with-the-greatest-yearb-1794925295

Clap Back

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTsILbvlgyv/

White House Fires Chief Usher


https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/05/05/white-house-fires-its-chief-usher-the-first-woman-in-that-job/?utm_term=.8d8374340f4e&wpisrc=nl_most-draw7&wpmm=1

How to erase just one number on the iPhone calculator.

Schoolhouse Rock: America - I'm Just a Bill Music Video



From CNN -

“CNN Tonight” host Don Lemon said President Donald Trump took a “victory lap” with a big ceremony at the White House in celebration of the House passing its health care bill on Thursday.

“Is he celebrating a little prematurely?” Lemon asked senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta.

“They might want to call up ‘Schoolhouse Rock’ on YouTube,” Acosta suggested. “Holding a victory party in the Rose Garden of the White House after something passes in the House, that might be a bit premature.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cnn-trump-schoolhouse-rock_us_590bf518e4b0d5d9049b277f?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

Andy Allo - 10,000 Days (Official Audio)

''You should be ashamed!'' Dem lawmaker eviscerates Trumpcare on the Hou...

Thursday, May 4, 2017

What you need to know about the House vote to repeal Obamacare

James Comey's Testimony Summed Up In A Word: 'Lordy!'

Obama Unveils Plans For Presidential Center To Inspire Future Leaders

Kudos to Mutombo

An excerpt from the Undefeated -

Dikembe Mutombo receives humanitarian award from Harvard Medical School
The NBA All-Star was recognized for his international public health efforts
BY MAYA A. JONES

Mutombo, a global ambassador who has worked closely with several international organizations to help better communities around the world, was recognized for his philanthropic work and establishing the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital in his homeland, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The hospital, which has been operating since 2007, is one of the few in the area that offers services to patients with chronic illnesses and diseases such as cancer and sickle-cell anemia.

https://theundefeated.com/features/dikembe-mutombo-humanitarian-award-harvard-medical-school/

What Does It Say?

An excerpt from USA Today - (Bold is mine)

An unsigned Colin Kaepernick is a bad sign for NFL
Christine Brennan

What does it say about the NFL, and about us, when at least a half-dozen men who have been accused of physical or sexual assault have been welcomed into the NFL over the past week, while Colin Kaepernick still has not?

Is it worse to be known for not standing for the national anthem than for being accused of hitting or assaulting someone? Is Kaepernick a less desirable member of an NFL team or community than, say, Oakland Raiders first-round draft pick Gareon Conley, who is being investigated by the Cleveland police on a rape allegation, or Cincinnati Bengals second-round pick Joe Mixon, who was caught on videotape knocking out a woman with a devastating punch?

As of now, it appears the answer is yes. At the moment, Conley and Mixon have more of a foot in the door in the NFL than does Kaepernick, the 29-year-old, six-year veteran who took the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl during the 2012 season.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/brennan/2017/05/03/colin-kaepernick-free-agent-nfl-quarterback-national-anthem/101259582/

French Presidential Candidate is 24 Years Younger Than His Wife

From the Washington Post -

Emmanuel Macron is 39 and his wife is 64. French women say it’s about time. 
By Mary Jordan

PARIS — Emmanuel Macron, the front-runner in Sunday’s French presidential election, shares something with President Trump: a 24-year age gap with his wife. The difference is that Macron’s wife is the older one.

That cliche-busting fact — a candidate young enough to be his wife’s son, rather than old enough to be her father — is a little social “revenge” that delights many French women, including Martine Bergossi.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/french-women-see-revenge-in-macrons-marriage-to-an-older-woman/2017/05/03/3b21fc1a-2f47-11e7-9dec-764dc781686f_story.html?utm_term=.ec34ac100463&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1


Wednesday, May 3, 2017

A Navy SEAL explains why you should end a shower with cold water

A Navy SEAL explains how to escape if you've been tied up

Hillary Clinton: The One That Got Away: The Daily Show

Why your old phones collect in a junk drawer of sadness

Indiana teen graduating from college before getting high school diploma

Synthetic Cadavers

From Atlas Obscura -

A Visit to the Synthetic Cadaver Factory
Florida’s SynDaver Labs makes extraordinarily advanced anatomical models.
BY ERIC GRUNDHAUSER

Inside this otherwise unassuming facility, workers are creating what may be the world’s most advanced surgical and anatomical models out of little more than salt and water. Fully synthetic corpses like these, complete with skin, muscle, organs, and bone, might one day eliminate our need to test many new technologies on humans or animals.

http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/syndaver-labs-synthetic-cadavers-tour


Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Smart Girl

From the Huffington Post -

This Teen Took Her Harvard Acceptance Letter To Prom Instead Of A Date
Because who even needs boys?
By Jenavieve Hatch



Priscilla Samey found herself without a date to her high school’s prom on Saturday night, so the Minnesota-based teen did what any reasonable woman would do ― she took her Harvard University acceptance letter as her date instead.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/this-teen-took-her-harvard-acceptance-letter-to-prom-instead-of-a-date_us_5908824ee4b0bb2d08717ee4

Still Woke


After the Backlash

From the Huffington Post -

Netflix’s ‘Dear White People’ Earns A Rare 100 Percent On Rotten Tomatoes
Stay mad, racist critics.
By Taryn Finley

After backlash from mainly white critics, “Dear White People” is getting the last laugh.

The Netflix original series, which is about the role race plays at a fictional Ivy League school earned a coveted 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, as of Tuesday afternoon.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dear-white-people-rotten-tomatoes_us_5908e203e4b02655f8418848?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

Life After Football

An excerpt from OZY -

LIFE AFTER FOOTBALL — THE SURPRISING NEW SECOND CAREERS OF FORMER PLAYERS
By Felipe Patterson

When Arian Foster was introduced to Neil deGrasse Tyson, he said meeting the famed astrophysicist was “surreal.” Typically, it’s sports celebrities who generate the excitement, but the star-gazing moment of the former Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins running back makes sense once you learn Foster is hoping to pursue a degree in physics — just one example in a trend of Black NFL players leaving the football field for careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

~~~~~~~~~~

Some players are turning pro with a college degree in a STEM-related subject already in their pocket. Stanford University recently awarded degrees to Carolina Panthers offensive guard David Yankey (information science and technology in society), San Francisco 49ers guard Joshua Garnett (human biology) and Detroit Lions cornerback Alex Carter (sociology). Add to that list Washington Redskins wide receiver Jamison Crowder (sociology, Duke) and Lions offensive guard Laken Tomlinson (evolutionary anthropology and psychology, Duke), and it’s clear that opportunities are wide open for these individuals, and those in similar positions, in the burgeoning STEM marketplace. Still others are working toward STEM-related degrees while playing in the league. John Urschel, offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens, is pursuing his Ph.D. in mathematics at MIT (he already has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Penn State).

http://www.ozy.com/the-huddle/life-after-football-the-surprising-new-second-careers-of-former-players/77026

Automation nation

Jimmy Kimmel Reveals Details of His Son’s Birth & Heart Disease

Monday, May 1, 2017

Colbert Guts Trump

Check out the Twitter video.  It's spot on.

Stephen Colbert Guts Donald Trump Over Q&A Insults To CBS News’ John Dickerson
By Lisa de Moraes

http://deadline.com/2017/05/stephen-colbert-guts-donald-trump-john-dickerson-interview-insults-video-1202080331/

The Essence of Leadership

A Significant Impact

An excerpt from the Undefeated -

Study proves black teachers have a significant impact on black students
Black students with at least one black teacher are more inclined to continue education
BY MAYA A. JONES

The relationship between black students and black teachers is saving academic careers, and a new study is out to prove it.

The study, The Long Run Impacts of Same-Race Teachers, conducted by the IZA Institute of Labor Economics, found that low-income black students who have had at least one black teacher during their early academic career have higher chances of graduating from high school and attending college.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Black students matched to black teachers have been shown to have higher test scores, but we wanted to know if these student-teacher racial matches had longer-lasting benefits,” said Nicholas Papageorge, the study’s co-author and an assistant professor in the department of economics at Johns Hopkins. “We found the answer is a resounding yes. We’re seeing spending just one year with a teacher of the same race can move the dial on one of the most frustratingly persistent gaps in educational attainment — that of low-income black boys. It not only moves the dial, it moves the dial in a powerful way.”

https://theundefeated.com/features/study-black-teachers-have-significant-impact-on-black-students/

When a Techie Goes Really Rogue

An excerpt from Vanity Fair -

SILICON VALLEY MURDER MYSTERY: HOW DRUGS AND PARANOIA DOOMED SILK ROAD
Silk Road once reigned as the Internet’s premier destination for drug deals and even more illicit fare. But as the Web site became a billion-dollar enterprise, its creator, Ross Ulbricht, went from idealistic to dangerous. An adaptation from Nick Bilton’s new book shows how the empire collapsed.
By Nick Bilton

Ross Ulbricht had imagined that it might all come down to this one day. That at some point during the prodigious rise of his hot tech start-up he would be obliged to make a terrifyingly ruthless decision. Now, in early 2013, the time had arrived. The question was rather simple: Was he ready to kill someone to protect his billion-dollar company?

The technology business has long purported to change the world and make it a better place. But, in reality, there is a decidedly more cynical underside to all this euphoria. In Silicon Valley, after all, many founders will often do whatever is necessary to protect their creations—whether that means paying a hefty legal settlement to hush the people who helped hatch the idea for their company in the first place (Facebook, Square, Snapchat), callously vanquishing a co-founder (Twitter, Foursquare, Tinder), or remorselessly breaking laws and putting thousands of people out of work (Uber, Airbnb, among hundreds of others). But, for Ulbricht, the price was steeper. In order to save his beloved start-up, the Silk Road, an Amazon-like “everything store” for the Dark Web, he needed to “call on my muscle,” as he put it to one associate. He needed to have a guy whacked.

http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/04/silk-road-ross-ulbricht-drugs-murder

Lessons in Leadership

In Montreal, Teaching Empathy With Video Games

Sand pendulums - Lissajous patterns - part one // Homemade Science with ...

Tipping While Black

An excerpt from Salon -

Yes, black people do tip — even when we shouldn’t have to
If you're dining out while black, you can't leave less than 20 percent, no matter how terrible the service is
By D. WATKINS

My larger point was that “black people don’t tip” is a pervasive stereotype that floats around restaurants and we often automatically get bad service because of it. So I had to tip this guy even though I hated the service and the food. If I didn’t, I would be perpetuating the stereotype.

http://www.salon.com/2017/04/30/yes-black-people-do-tip-even-when-we-shouldnt-have-to/

David Lloyd introduces new 'napercise' classes

Book Review

A few days ago I posted a quote from the book, Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life and Maybe the World.

It is one of the best, most encouraging, most inspiring books I've read in a long time.

The author is a lifelong Navy Seal, and the book is an expanded version of a commencement address he gave a few years ago.

It's a real quick read, with ten short chapters, but it packs a punch, from start to finish.

It will put a smile on your face and a tear in your eye, but most importantly, it will leave you with the notion that you matter, and that what you do has a profound impact on the world around you.

I wholeheartedly recommend it.