Monday, December 31, 2018
Good Riddance
Good riddance, Paul Ryan. And good luck on the board of Oxycontin-Mortgage Fraud-Child Prisons Incorporated. You know, the masters you were actually serving while in office. pic.twitter.com/NzR7m5Z4Gy— Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) December 30, 2018
Sunday, December 30, 2018
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Winter Break
From the Huffington Post -
35 Funny Tweets About Parents' Winter Break Struggles
"It's called winter break because it breaks a parent's will to live."
By Caroline Bologna
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tweets-parenting-winter-break_n_5c23bba1e4b0407e907f5e99?ec_carp=7988843402193980653
35 Funny Tweets About Parents' Winter Break Struggles
"It's called winter break because it breaks a parent's will to live."
By Caroline Bologna
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tweets-parenting-winter-break_n_5c23bba1e4b0407e907f5e99?ec_carp=7988843402193980653
Friday, December 28, 2018
Athlete of the Year
From the Guardian -
My picks for athlete of the year are the ones who carried that weight
By Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Today’s athletes have to carry a lot more baggage than a smelly gym bag and the giddy dreams of their parents. If they hope to achieve true greatness (or GOAT-ness) – and not just fleeting athletic notoriety – they also have to shoulder the leg-wobbling weight of responsibility to the community. This responsibility can come in different forms: charity work, as a role model and/or political activism. At the same time as they’re pushing the boundaries of their sport, they have to help define and promote the values of their community, even if that goes against some of the members of that community. That kind of athlete needs as much courage off the court as they do on it. Maybe more. With that in mind, in no particular order, here are my picks for athlete of the year, based on conduct most becoming a professional athlete.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/dec/27/kareem-abdul-jabbar-kaepernick-nichols-serena
My picks for athlete of the year are the ones who carried that weight
By Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Today’s athletes have to carry a lot more baggage than a smelly gym bag and the giddy dreams of their parents. If they hope to achieve true greatness (or GOAT-ness) – and not just fleeting athletic notoriety – they also have to shoulder the leg-wobbling weight of responsibility to the community. This responsibility can come in different forms: charity work, as a role model and/or political activism. At the same time as they’re pushing the boundaries of their sport, they have to help define and promote the values of their community, even if that goes against some of the members of that community. That kind of athlete needs as much courage off the court as they do on it. Maybe more. With that in mind, in no particular order, here are my picks for athlete of the year, based on conduct most becoming a professional athlete.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/dec/27/kareem-abdul-jabbar-kaepernick-nichols-serena
Busted!
Lmfao should i whoop him now or later pic.twitter.com/mZEJsWWn4W— Yerelyn (@spanishbarbie22) December 20, 2018
Thursday, December 27, 2018
12 Minutes
From the New York Times -
In 12 Minutes, Everything Went Wrong
How the pilots of Lion Air Flight 610 lost control.
BY MIKA GRÖNDAHL, ALLISON MCCANN, JAMES GLANZ, BLACKI MIGLIOZZI AND UMI SYAM
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/12/26/world/asia/lion-air-crash-12-minutes.html
In 12 Minutes, Everything Went Wrong
How the pilots of Lion Air Flight 610 lost control.
BY MIKA GRÖNDAHL, ALLISON MCCANN, JAMES GLANZ, BLACKI MIGLIOZZI AND UMI SYAM
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/12/26/world/asia/lion-air-crash-12-minutes.html
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
Monday, December 24, 2018
Sunday, December 23, 2018
The Grinch
It could be head wasn't screwed on just right. It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. But we think that the most likely reason of all may have been that his heart was two sizes too small. https://t.co/Vf44qMAj8m— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) December 22, 2018
An early look at Saturday's front cover... pic.twitter.com/9sah0EwdBP
Friday, December 21, 2018
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Monday, December 17, 2018
Sunday, December 16, 2018
Saturday, December 15, 2018
A Powerful Story of Friendship Between Two Unlikely People
An excerpt from WBUR.org
My Dad's Friendship With Charles Barkley
By Shirley Wang
https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2018/12/14/lin-wang-charles-barkley
My Dad's Friendship With Charles Barkley
By Shirley Wang
https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2018/12/14/lin-wang-charles-barkley
Blog Love
Everyone’s got their thing
Their own fears.
Their own narrative.
Their own drama.
You’re not the only one.
On any given day, your thing is smaller than their thing.
And when things aren’t going the way you expect, it’s worth focusing on that.
https://seths.blog/2018/12/everyones-got-their-thing/
Their own fears.
Their own narrative.
Their own drama.
You’re not the only one.
On any given day, your thing is smaller than their thing.
And when things aren’t going the way you expect, it’s worth focusing on that.
https://seths.blog/2018/12/everyones-got-their-thing/
Friday, December 14, 2018
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Snoop's Fried Chicken Recipe
An excerpt from Slate -
Snoop Dogg’s Fried Chicken Recipe Involves BBQ Potato Chips, Is a Game Changer
By ERIN ALEXANDER
Snoop Dogg might be the world’s most unlikely culinary star, but a culinary star he is. The rapper, actor, and producer is no longer just a bonafide hip hop legend, he also has a cooking show with BFF Martha Stewart, where the duo put their own spins on dinner party dishes with celebrity guests like Seth Rogen, Ashley Graham, and 50 Cent. If you haven’t given it a watch yet, you must. In no other place will you see Martha Stewart jump out of a giant cake or discuss edibles without skipping a beat.
https://slate.com/culture/2018/12/snoop-dogg-fried-chicken-wings-recipe-potato-chip.html
Snoop Dogg’s Fried Chicken Recipe Involves BBQ Potato Chips, Is a Game Changer
By ERIN ALEXANDER
Snoop Dogg might be the world’s most unlikely culinary star, but a culinary star he is. The rapper, actor, and producer is no longer just a bonafide hip hop legend, he also has a cooking show with BFF Martha Stewart, where the duo put their own spins on dinner party dishes with celebrity guests like Seth Rogen, Ashley Graham, and 50 Cent. If you haven’t given it a watch yet, you must. In no other place will you see Martha Stewart jump out of a giant cake or discuss edibles without skipping a beat.
https://slate.com/culture/2018/12/snoop-dogg-fried-chicken-wings-recipe-potato-chip.html
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Sunday, December 9, 2018
Friday, December 7, 2018
Thursday, December 6, 2018
What I Want for Christmas
Dear Mr. Mueller: Be my secret Santa. You know what I want for Christmas. pic.twitter.com/ipzWVTuRdW— Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) December 5, 2018
Monday, December 3, 2018
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Saturday, December 1, 2018
Friday, November 30, 2018
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Round-the-Clock Church Services
An excerpt from the Huffington Post -
Church Holds Continuous Worship Service To Prevent Family’s Deportation
Dutch police aren’t allowed to enter churches during services. So a Netherlands church is worshipping 24/7 to protect a family of asylum-seekers.
By Carol Kuruvilla
After hearing that a refugee family faced imminent deportation, a Netherlands church sprung into action ― and members have continued stepping up for over one month.
Bethel, a church and community center in The Hague, has taken dramatic steps to protect the Tamrazyans, an Armenian family of five asylum-seekers who have lived in the Netherlands for nine years. The government has reportedly denied the family’s asylum request and approved them for deportation ― even though there’s a law in place that allows children who have lived in the country for over five years to be eligible for a residence permit, if they also fulfill other requirements. The Tamrazyans applied for a permit under that law and were denied, according to Bethel.
Knowing that Dutch law prevents police officers from entering houses of worship during religious services, church members decided to hold a nonstop worship service at Bethel that would allow the Tamrazyans to take shelter in the church.
The continuous worship service started on Oct. 26 at 1:30 p.m. ― and it hasn’t stopped since.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/church-worship-service-continuous-asylum_us_5bfd636ae4b03b230fa72d08
Church Holds Continuous Worship Service To Prevent Family’s Deportation
Dutch police aren’t allowed to enter churches during services. So a Netherlands church is worshipping 24/7 to protect a family of asylum-seekers.
By Carol Kuruvilla
After hearing that a refugee family faced imminent deportation, a Netherlands church sprung into action ― and members have continued stepping up for over one month.
Bethel, a church and community center in The Hague, has taken dramatic steps to protect the Tamrazyans, an Armenian family of five asylum-seekers who have lived in the Netherlands for nine years. The government has reportedly denied the family’s asylum request and approved them for deportation ― even though there’s a law in place that allows children who have lived in the country for over five years to be eligible for a residence permit, if they also fulfill other requirements. The Tamrazyans applied for a permit under that law and were denied, according to Bethel.
Knowing that Dutch law prevents police officers from entering houses of worship during religious services, church members decided to hold a nonstop worship service at Bethel that would allow the Tamrazyans to take shelter in the church.
The continuous worship service started on Oct. 26 at 1:30 p.m. ― and it hasn’t stopped since.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/church-worship-service-continuous-asylum_us_5bfd636ae4b03b230fa72d08
Sunday, November 25, 2018
Saturday, November 24, 2018
1921 Tulsa Race Riot Survivor Dies
An excerpt from the AP -
1 of the last survivors of 1921 Tulsa race riot dies at 103
By KEN MILLER
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Olivia Hooker, one of the last survivors of the 1921 Tulsa race riots and among the first black women in the U.S. Coast Guard, has died. She was 103.
Hooker was 6 years old when one of the worst race riots in U.S. history broke out and destroyed much of a Tulsa neighborhood known as “Black Wall Street.” She hid under a table as a torch-carrying mob destroyed her family’s home, she told National Public Radio in an interview this year.
She recalled hearing the mob use an axe to destroy her sister’s piano. For a child, she said, it was horrifying trying to keep quiet.
“The most shocking was seeing people you’d never done anything to irritate would just, took it upon themselves to destroy your property because they didn’t want you to have those things,” said Hooker, who died this week at her home in New York, according to her goddaughter.
The number of deaths from the riot was never confirmed, but estimates vary from about three dozen to 300 or more. The violence began after a black man allegedly assaulted a white woman in an elevator in Tulsa.
https://apnews.com/5834f70be49645669f4aae2a4570d242
1 of the last survivors of 1921 Tulsa race riot dies at 103
By KEN MILLER
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Olivia Hooker, one of the last survivors of the 1921 Tulsa race riots and among the first black women in the U.S. Coast Guard, has died. She was 103.
Hooker was 6 years old when one of the worst race riots in U.S. history broke out and destroyed much of a Tulsa neighborhood known as “Black Wall Street.” She hid under a table as a torch-carrying mob destroyed her family’s home, she told National Public Radio in an interview this year.
She recalled hearing the mob use an axe to destroy her sister’s piano. For a child, she said, it was horrifying trying to keep quiet.
“The most shocking was seeing people you’d never done anything to irritate would just, took it upon themselves to destroy your property because they didn’t want you to have those things,” said Hooker, who died this week at her home in New York, according to her goddaughter.
The number of deaths from the riot was never confirmed, but estimates vary from about three dozen to 300 or more. The violence began after a black man allegedly assaulted a white woman in an elevator in Tulsa.
https://apnews.com/5834f70be49645669f4aae2a4570d242
Friday, November 23, 2018
A Clueless Clown
An excerpt from the Washington Post -
Trump is not a champion of human rights. He is a clueless clown.
By Eugene Robinson
In Riyadh, they must be laughing at President Trump. In Pyongyang, too, and in Tehran. In Beijing and, of course, in Moscow, they must be laughing until it hurts. They look at Washington and they don’t see a champion of freedom and human rights. They see a preening, clueless clown.
Trump’s reaction — or non-reaction — to the Saudi regime’s brutal killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is a holiday-season gift to autocrats around the globe. It shows them that if you just shower Trump with over-the-top flattery, feed him some geopolitical mumbo jumbo and make vague promises to perhaps buy some American-made goods in the future, he will literally let you get away with murder.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-is-not-a-champion-of-human-rights-he-is-a-clueless-clown/2018/11/22/979a1342-edd7-11e8-8679-934a2b33be52_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.b8d4ef2aef5a
Trump is not a champion of human rights. He is a clueless clown.
By Eugene Robinson
In Riyadh, they must be laughing at President Trump. In Pyongyang, too, and in Tehran. In Beijing and, of course, in Moscow, they must be laughing until it hurts. They look at Washington and they don’t see a champion of freedom and human rights. They see a preening, clueless clown.
Trump’s reaction — or non-reaction — to the Saudi regime’s brutal killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is a holiday-season gift to autocrats around the globe. It shows them that if you just shower Trump with over-the-top flattery, feed him some geopolitical mumbo jumbo and make vague promises to perhaps buy some American-made goods in the future, he will literally let you get away with murder.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-is-not-a-champion-of-human-rights-he-is-a-clueless-clown/2018/11/22/979a1342-edd7-11e8-8679-934a2b33be52_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.b8d4ef2aef5a
Thursday, November 22, 2018
Powerful
An excerpt from the Atlantic -
Letters: ‘I Want to Grow Up to Be Someone That Fights for Families Like Yours’
Teenagers in California respond to the story of a mother and son separated at the border.
‘The Separation Was So Long. My Son Has Changed So Much.’
In September, Jeremy Raff reported on the story of Anita and Jenri, a mother and her six-year-old son. Anita and Jenri fled Honduras and crossed the Rio Grande on a raft near McAllen, Texas, in mid-June; they immediately turned themselves over to Border Patrol and asked for asylum. In accordance with Trump administration policy, agents separated Anita and Jenri; they were detained 25 miles apart from one another for a month before a lawyer helped them reunite.
Christsna Sot, an eighth grade teacher at Impact Academy of Arts in Hayward, California, showed Raff’s video to his students, who wrote letters to Anita and Jenri. Here is a selection of those letters.
https://www.theatlantic.com/letters/archive/2018/11/eighth-graders-respond-story-family-separation/574024/
Letters: ‘I Want to Grow Up to Be Someone That Fights for Families Like Yours’
Teenagers in California respond to the story of a mother and son separated at the border.
‘The Separation Was So Long. My Son Has Changed So Much.’
In September, Jeremy Raff reported on the story of Anita and Jenri, a mother and her six-year-old son. Anita and Jenri fled Honduras and crossed the Rio Grande on a raft near McAllen, Texas, in mid-June; they immediately turned themselves over to Border Patrol and asked for asylum. In accordance with Trump administration policy, agents separated Anita and Jenri; they were detained 25 miles apart from one another for a month before a lawyer helped them reunite.
Christsna Sot, an eighth grade teacher at Impact Academy of Arts in Hayward, California, showed Raff’s video to his students, who wrote letters to Anita and Jenri. Here is a selection of those letters.
https://www.theatlantic.com/letters/archive/2018/11/eighth-graders-respond-story-family-separation/574024/
A Quiet Impact
An excerpt from the New York Times -
How a $15,000 Movie Rallied a New Generation of Black Auteurs
By Reggie Ugwu
It’s not so hard to find them now. But nearly 10 years ago, when they appeared in “Medicine for Melancholy,” the first film by the “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins, characters like Micah and Jo’ — young, black, financially overdrawn but rolling in polished pop culture references — were, if not exactly unicorns, a protected species, rare enough to be worthy of tapping the person next to you and spreading the word.
Aimless and anxious 20-somethings in popular culture were nothing new, of course. But they tended to be monochromatic, as if early-onset ennui and the shallow comforts of art snobbery were the exclusive inventions of white people.
So cinephiles at the time took note when, seemingly out of nowhere, came a convincing counternarrative in the form of “Medicine.” It followed Micah and Jo’, a would-be couple whose one-night stand stretched fitfully into two, as they walked and biked around an artfully desaturated San Francisco, waxing on about indie rock and Barbara Loden in one breath, and black identity, the politics of interracial relationships and gentrification in the next.
~~~~~~~~~~
With Jenkins’s third film, “If Beale Street Could Talk,” due next month, the people who made “Medicine” as well as prominent admirers — including Lena Waithe (“Master of None,” “The Chi”), Justin Simien (“Dear White People”) and Terence Nance (“Random Acts of Flyness”) — discussed its outsize legacy and quiet influence.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/21/movies/medicine-for-melancholy-black-auteurs.html
How a $15,000 Movie Rallied a New Generation of Black Auteurs
By Reggie Ugwu
It’s not so hard to find them now. But nearly 10 years ago, when they appeared in “Medicine for Melancholy,” the first film by the “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins, characters like Micah and Jo’ — young, black, financially overdrawn but rolling in polished pop culture references — were, if not exactly unicorns, a protected species, rare enough to be worthy of tapping the person next to you and spreading the word.
Aimless and anxious 20-somethings in popular culture were nothing new, of course. But they tended to be monochromatic, as if early-onset ennui and the shallow comforts of art snobbery were the exclusive inventions of white people.
So cinephiles at the time took note when, seemingly out of nowhere, came a convincing counternarrative in the form of “Medicine.” It followed Micah and Jo’, a would-be couple whose one-night stand stretched fitfully into two, as they walked and biked around an artfully desaturated San Francisco, waxing on about indie rock and Barbara Loden in one breath, and black identity, the politics of interracial relationships and gentrification in the next.
~~~~~~~~~~
With Jenkins’s third film, “If Beale Street Could Talk,” due next month, the people who made “Medicine” as well as prominent admirers — including Lena Waithe (“Master of None,” “The Chi”), Justin Simien (“Dear White People”) and Terence Nance (“Random Acts of Flyness”) — discussed its outsize legacy and quiet influence.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/21/movies/medicine-for-melancholy-black-auteurs.html
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Allowance by App
An excerpt from the New York Times -
How Parents Teach Smart Spending With Apps, Not Cash
By Ann Carrns
Jonathan and Erin Kraftchick started out by paying their two children’s allowance the old-fashioned way, using paper money.
“I tried the cash thing,” said Mr. Kraftchick, an accountant and financial-literacy advocate in Raleigh, N.C. First, they used glass jars, then switched to a system that involved slipping money for different purposes into separate paper envelopes, for each child.
But keeping up with multiple envelopes became unwieldy.
“It’s a lot of hassle,” Ms. Kraftchick, an artist, said with a laugh.
So when Mr. Kraftchick read about a “smart” debit card called goHenry earlier this year, he quickly signed the family up for an account.
~~~~~~~~~~
“We got tired of having a drawer full of dollars,” said Brandi Tzonev, a sales manager and personal trainer in Lawrenceville, Ga., who uses goHenry with her 15-year-old son, Alex, and 10-year-old daughter, Gabriella.
Some banks have long had accounts aimed at children and teenagers, and many families use prepaid debit cards — rather than traditional debit cards, linked to a checking account — as a way to help children manage money. But the newest generation of “smart” debit cards are managed by advanced mobile apps that give parents detailed control over how much the young people spend — and even where they spend — with a few taps on a phone.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/15/business/children-allowance-apps.html?action=click&module=Discovery&pgtype=Homepage
How Parents Teach Smart Spending With Apps, Not Cash
By Ann Carrns
Jonathan and Erin Kraftchick started out by paying their two children’s allowance the old-fashioned way, using paper money.
“I tried the cash thing,” said Mr. Kraftchick, an accountant and financial-literacy advocate in Raleigh, N.C. First, they used glass jars, then switched to a system that involved slipping money for different purposes into separate paper envelopes, for each child.
But keeping up with multiple envelopes became unwieldy.
“It’s a lot of hassle,” Ms. Kraftchick, an artist, said with a laugh.
So when Mr. Kraftchick read about a “smart” debit card called goHenry earlier this year, he quickly signed the family up for an account.
~~~~~~~~~~
“We got tired of having a drawer full of dollars,” said Brandi Tzonev, a sales manager and personal trainer in Lawrenceville, Ga., who uses goHenry with her 15-year-old son, Alex, and 10-year-old daughter, Gabriella.
Some banks have long had accounts aimed at children and teenagers, and many families use prepaid debit cards — rather than traditional debit cards, linked to a checking account — as a way to help children manage money. But the newest generation of “smart” debit cards are managed by advanced mobile apps that give parents detailed control over how much the young people spend — and even where they spend — with a few taps on a phone.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/15/business/children-allowance-apps.html?action=click&module=Discovery&pgtype=Homepage
Monday, November 19, 2018
Saturday, November 17, 2018
Friday, November 16, 2018
Thursday, November 15, 2018
Survivor recalls Jonestown tragedy 40 years later
https://apnews.com/08719a0375204841ba4efaa718b96dff
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Monday, November 12, 2018
Sunday, November 11, 2018
What Would He Think
An excerpt from the Washington Post -
I was Pat Tillman’s wife, but I can’t speak for him. Neither can you.
By Marie Tillman
I think that patriotism is complex, like Pat himself. It is not blind or unquestioning. And it’s a fool’s errand to argue over who’s allowed to claim sacrifice. Many of the kneeling athletes say they are protesting as American patriots who want the nation to be better than it is. When I look around at the vitriol aimed at them for expressing their beliefs, and at the compulsion to simplify complicated issues to pit people on opposing sides, I want to kneel, too. Because I believe we are at our best as Americans when we engage in constructive dialogue around our differences with the goal of understanding one another.
This mind-set is where change happens, progress is made and bridges are built. I believe that in our hearts we are all the same: We all want our children to be healthy and safe and to have opportunities. We may have significant differences in how we think we should get there, but divisive rhetoric will only deepen the chasm and make us forget all that we share.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/i-was-pat-tillmans-wife-but-i-cant-speak-for-him-neither-can-you/2018/11/08/18374652-d8a0-11e8-83a2-d1c3da28d6b6_story.html?utm_term=.6b244a1f165c
I was Pat Tillman’s wife, but I can’t speak for him. Neither can you.
By Marie Tillman
I think that patriotism is complex, like Pat himself. It is not blind or unquestioning. And it’s a fool’s errand to argue over who’s allowed to claim sacrifice. Many of the kneeling athletes say they are protesting as American patriots who want the nation to be better than it is. When I look around at the vitriol aimed at them for expressing their beliefs, and at the compulsion to simplify complicated issues to pit people on opposing sides, I want to kneel, too. Because I believe we are at our best as Americans when we engage in constructive dialogue around our differences with the goal of understanding one another.
This mind-set is where change happens, progress is made and bridges are built. I believe that in our hearts we are all the same: We all want our children to be healthy and safe and to have opportunities. We may have significant differences in how we think we should get there, but divisive rhetoric will only deepen the chasm and make us forget all that we share.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/i-was-pat-tillmans-wife-but-i-cant-speak-for-him-neither-can-you/2018/11/08/18374652-d8a0-11e8-83a2-d1c3da28d6b6_story.html?utm_term=.6b244a1f165c
Saturday, November 10, 2018
Getting Into Harvard
An excerpt from the NY Times -
Getting Into Harvard Is Hard. Here Are 4 Ways Applicants Get an Edge.
By Anemona Hartocollis
Harvard gives advantages to recruited athletes (A’s); legacies (L’s), or the children of Harvard graduates; applicants on the dean’s or director’s interest list (D’s), which often include the children of very wealthy donors and prominent people, mostly white; and the children (C’s) of faculty and staff. ALDCs make up only about 5 percent of applicants but 30 percent of admitted students.
While being an A.L.D.C. helps — their acceptance rate is about 45 percent, compared with 4.5 to 5 percent for the rest of the pool — it is no guarantee. (One of those rejected despite being a legacy was the judge in the federal case, Allison D. Burroughs. She went to Middlebury College instead.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/07/us/getting-into-harvard.html
Getting Into Harvard Is Hard. Here Are 4 Ways Applicants Get an Edge.
By Anemona Hartocollis
Harvard gives advantages to recruited athletes (A’s); legacies (L’s), or the children of Harvard graduates; applicants on the dean’s or director’s interest list (D’s), which often include the children of very wealthy donors and prominent people, mostly white; and the children (C’s) of faculty and staff. ALDCs make up only about 5 percent of applicants but 30 percent of admitted students.
While being an A.L.D.C. helps — their acceptance rate is about 45 percent, compared with 4.5 to 5 percent for the rest of the pool — it is no guarantee. (One of those rejected despite being a legacy was the judge in the federal case, Allison D. Burroughs. She went to Middlebury College instead.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/07/us/getting-into-harvard.html
Talking to a Jacka**
.@acosta has comported himself with remarkable restraint while dealing with this Imposter-in-Chief. But as people in Hollywood have long known -- everything is harder when you're working with animals. pic.twitter.com/5sQGaEgeeT— Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) November 10, 2018
Friday, November 9, 2018
Finding Peace at the Spot
https://bittersoutherner.com/why-am-i-on-this-stage-ray-christian-storyteller?utm_source=The+Bitter+News&utm_campaign=3fa05c3f0f-97s_2018_11_09&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8269ec3593-3fa05c3f0f-92175213&goal=0_8269ec3593-3fa05c3f0f-92175213&mc_cid=3fa05c3f0f&mc_eid=0b6dd8ed2d
Calling It Like It Is
An excerpt from the Atlantic -
America's Problem Isn't Tribalism—It's Racism
Only one of America’s major political parties relies on stoking hatred and fear against those outside its coalition.
By Adam Serwer
In the fallout from Tuesday’s midterm elections, many political analysts have concluded that blue America and red America are ever more divided, ever more at each other’s throats. But calling this “tribalism” is misleading, because only one side of this divide remotely resembles a coalition based on ethnic and religious lines, and only one side has committed itself to a political strategy that relies on stoking hatred and fear of the other. By diagnosing America’s problem as tribalism, chin-stroking pundits and their sorrowful semi-Trumpist counterparts in Congress have hidden the actual problem in American politics behind a weird euphemism.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/11/racism-not-tribalism/575173/
America's Problem Isn't Tribalism—It's Racism
Only one of America’s major political parties relies on stoking hatred and fear against those outside its coalition.
By Adam Serwer
In the fallout from Tuesday’s midterm elections, many political analysts have concluded that blue America and red America are ever more divided, ever more at each other’s throats. But calling this “tribalism” is misleading, because only one side of this divide remotely resembles a coalition based on ethnic and religious lines, and only one side has committed itself to a political strategy that relies on stoking hatred and fear of the other. By diagnosing America’s problem as tribalism, chin-stroking pundits and their sorrowful semi-Trumpist counterparts in Congress have hidden the actual problem in American politics behind a weird euphemism.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/11/racism-not-tribalism/575173/
They Do It Better
An excerpt from CNN -
10 things the UAE does better than anywhere else
By Manar Al Hinai
The United Arab Emirates is famous for its relentless sunshine, its golden dunes that roll on for miles and some of the most ambitious, opulent building projects of modern times.
But it's not all super-tall skyscrapers and shifting sands. The country founded just 47 years ago by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is now home to more than 200 nationalities and a world pioneer in many sectors.
Each year, we welcome millions of tourists from around the world to explore the rich and diverse experiences that our Arabian gem has to offer.
Here are 10 things that make the UAE special when you travel here:
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/uae-reasons-to-visit/index.html
10 things the UAE does better than anywhere else
By Manar Al Hinai
The United Arab Emirates is famous for its relentless sunshine, its golden dunes that roll on for miles and some of the most ambitious, opulent building projects of modern times.
But it's not all super-tall skyscrapers and shifting sands. The country founded just 47 years ago by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is now home to more than 200 nationalities and a world pioneer in many sectors.
Each year, we welcome millions of tourists from around the world to explore the rich and diverse experiences that our Arabian gem has to offer.
Here are 10 things that make the UAE special when you travel here:
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/uae-reasons-to-visit/index.html
From FAMU to the Daily Show
An excerpt from the Tallahassee Democrat -
Roy Wood Jr. of 'The Daily Show' grew into comedy at FAMU
By Mark Hinson
Stand-up Roy Wood Jr. was a student at FAMU in the late ‘90s when he took the Greyhound Bus from Tallahassee to do the opening spot at an Atlanta comedy club.
He bombed. Stunk up the joint. Tanked.
“They rattled their keys at me,” Wood, 39, said on the phone and chuckled from Manhattan recently. “The worst part of them rattling their keys is that they do it under the table. You can’t tell who is rattling and who is not.”
Instead of leaving, Wood stuck around to learn from other comics performing that night. Maybe he could get a few pointers. That is when a server walked up to his table.
“There is a two-drink minimum at this club,” she said.
“But I’m talent, I did comedy earlier tonight,” Wood said.
“No, you didn’t,” she said, offering a withering critique.
Wood ordered two bottles of water and then took the bus home. Chalk it up to tough lesson learned. He has never forgotten the trip.
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/entertainment/2018/11/07/roy-wood-jr-daily-show-comedy-central-famu-trevor-noah/1905991002/
Roy Wood Jr. of 'The Daily Show' grew into comedy at FAMU
By Mark Hinson
 |
| Getty Images |
Stand-up Roy Wood Jr. was a student at FAMU in the late ‘90s when he took the Greyhound Bus from Tallahassee to do the opening spot at an Atlanta comedy club.
He bombed. Stunk up the joint. Tanked.
“They rattled their keys at me,” Wood, 39, said on the phone and chuckled from Manhattan recently. “The worst part of them rattling their keys is that they do it under the table. You can’t tell who is rattling and who is not.”
Instead of leaving, Wood stuck around to learn from other comics performing that night. Maybe he could get a few pointers. That is when a server walked up to his table.
“There is a two-drink minimum at this club,” she said.
“But I’m talent, I did comedy earlier tonight,” Wood said.
“No, you didn’t,” she said, offering a withering critique.
Wood ordered two bottles of water and then took the bus home. Chalk it up to tough lesson learned. He has never forgotten the trip.
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/entertainment/2018/11/07/roy-wood-jr-daily-show-comedy-central-famu-trevor-noah/1905991002/
Winners in Texas
An excerpt from Upworthy -
19 black women ran for Texas county judge posts. Every single candidate won.
by Leo Shvedsky
Tuesday night’s midterm elections had a series of historic firsts, including a record-breaking year for female candidates across the nation. but the results out of one Texas county may be the most feel good story of the year.
In Harris County Texas, 19 black woman ran for judge posts. And guess what? Every single candidate won their campaign.
https://www.upworthy.com/19-black-women-ran-for-texas-county-judge-posts-every-single-candidate-won?c=upw1
Thursday, November 8, 2018
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
HBCU!
An excerpt from the Huffington Post -
The Candidates Embracing Their Black-College Roots
Andrew Gillum and Stacey Abrams are part of a wave of black politicians who are playing up their HBCU bona fides, and in turn raising the profile of the beleaguered institutions.
By ADAM HARRIS
Another, perhaps unforeseen renaissance, however, has been the rise of black politicians who graduated from these colleges. In addition to Gillum, Stacey Abrams, a gubernatorial candidate in Georgia, and Mandela Barnes, a candidate for lieutenant governor in Wisconsin, both attended historically black colleges. The prospect of so many black-college graduates being elected to statewide office in the same year is unprecedented, Keneshia Grant, an assistant professor of political science at Howard University, told me.
Now, of course, there are HBCU alums across all levels of government. Senator Kamala Harris graduated from Howard University, and the mayors of Atlanta, New Orleans, and Birmingham—all of whom were elected in 2017—also attended HBCUs. And there have previously been governors who attended black colleges: In 1989, Douglas Wilder became the governor of Virginia and the first elected black governor in the United States. In the 1870s, there was P. B. S. Pinchback, who very briefly served as the governor of Louisiana. These candidates—Abrams, Gillum, and Barnes—are continuing that black political tradition.
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/11/gillum-abrams-and-blue-wave-hbcu-politicians/574921/?utm_source=feed
The Candidates Embracing Their Black-College Roots
Andrew Gillum and Stacey Abrams are part of a wave of black politicians who are playing up their HBCU bona fides, and in turn raising the profile of the beleaguered institutions.
By ADAM HARRIS
Another, perhaps unforeseen renaissance, however, has been the rise of black politicians who graduated from these colleges. In addition to Gillum, Stacey Abrams, a gubernatorial candidate in Georgia, and Mandela Barnes, a candidate for lieutenant governor in Wisconsin, both attended historically black colleges. The prospect of so many black-college graduates being elected to statewide office in the same year is unprecedented, Keneshia Grant, an assistant professor of political science at Howard University, told me.
Now, of course, there are HBCU alums across all levels of government. Senator Kamala Harris graduated from Howard University, and the mayors of Atlanta, New Orleans, and Birmingham—all of whom were elected in 2017—also attended HBCUs. And there have previously been governors who attended black colleges: In 1989, Douglas Wilder became the governor of Virginia and the first elected black governor in the United States. In the 1870s, there was P. B. S. Pinchback, who very briefly served as the governor of Louisiana. These candidates—Abrams, Gillum, and Barnes—are continuing that black political tradition.
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/11/gillum-abrams-and-blue-wave-hbcu-politicians/574921/?utm_source=feed
VOTE!
On the road to all 254 counties of Texas. No one written off. No one taken for granted. Watch our new ad featuring Willie Nelson and RT to share. pic.twitter.com/dIVtVqF8ZK— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) November 5, 2018
Monday, November 5, 2018
Brown Ballet Shoes
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/entertainment-arts-46065366/brown-ballet-shoes-made-for-first-time
Sunday, November 4, 2018
Comfortable in His Skin
An excerpt from HuffPost -
Andrew Gillum Is At Home With His Blackness
Florida’s Democratic nominee for governor is black in a way that is commonplace in real life but basically nonexistent in high-level American politics.
By Julia Craven
See, it’s homecoming, y’all. And Gillum is a fixture of FAMU’s homecoming parade. They love him here, not in the way that fans love a celebrity or adherents love their leader. It’s simpler than that — something like a mother doting on a long-lost son. Except that Gillum is at home here. He served on the Tallahassee City Commission from 2003 to 2014 before he was elected mayor, a position he has held since. He’s a Rattler, having graduated from the university in 2003. This is his element.
Around here, Gillum needs no introduction, and he don’t meet no strangers. These are his talents. He is at home everywhere, and everywhere he is loved like someone who finally came home.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/andrew-gillum-florida-governor-race_us_5bdc8bc1e4b09d43e31ec713
Andrew Gillum Is At Home With His Blackness
Florida’s Democratic nominee for governor is black in a way that is commonplace in real life but basically nonexistent in high-level American politics.
By Julia Craven
See, it’s homecoming, y’all. And Gillum is a fixture of FAMU’s homecoming parade. They love him here, not in the way that fans love a celebrity or adherents love their leader. It’s simpler than that — something like a mother doting on a long-lost son. Except that Gillum is at home here. He served on the Tallahassee City Commission from 2003 to 2014 before he was elected mayor, a position he has held since. He’s a Rattler, having graduated from the university in 2003. This is his element.
Around here, Gillum needs no introduction, and he don’t meet no strangers. These are his talents. He is at home everywhere, and everywhere he is loved like someone who finally came home.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/andrew-gillum-florida-governor-race_us_5bdc8bc1e4b09d43e31ec713
A Grim Education: 72 Years of School Shootings
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/10/school-shooting-survivors.html
Friday, November 2, 2018
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
96-and-a-half
What is on my mind will be coming out of my mouth as you watch this: pic.twitter.com/fZkyGg8rlU— carl reiner (@carlreiner) October 30, 2018
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Monday, October 29, 2018
Sunday, October 28, 2018
Meet a Hallmark Card Writer
An excerpt from the New York Times -
She Made the Shift From Academic Writing to Hallmark Cards
As told to Perry Garfinkel
 |
| Through her writing at Hallmark, Melvina Young tries to reach people on a direct, emotional level. CreditCreditChristopher Smith for The New York Times |
How hard could it be to write pithy lines for a greeting card?
That’s what many people think, that we are the lowbrow ditch diggers of the writing profession, the punch lines of jokes and films. Frankly I, too, thought this would be a quotidian task.
But it requires a specific, well-honed skill set. I do a lot of research, sit in on focus groups, read The New York Times, check discussion boards, Tumblr, Pew Research, Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight, consumer trend studies, and we have team brainstorming sessions before I sit down to write.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/26/business/from-academic-writing-to-hallmark-cards.html
Quote
An excerpt from ELLE - (Bold is mine)
Megyn Kelly Has Always Been Racist
BY MICHAEL ARCENEAUX
Lack and others at NBC News who championed Kelly made a calculated choice to sacrifice the humanity of others for the sake of a perceived ratings boost. They wanted a return on their investment and were willing to put up with the stench until it became unbearable. But you can’t Febreze a defense of blackface—particularly when you managed to never match the ratings of the Black talent you replaced.
https://www.elle.com/culture/a24317698/megyn-kelly-has-always-been-racist/
Megyn Kelly Has Always Been Racist
BY MICHAEL ARCENEAUX
Lack and others at NBC News who championed Kelly made a calculated choice to sacrifice the humanity of others for the sake of a perceived ratings boost. They wanted a return on their investment and were willing to put up with the stench until it became unbearable. But you can’t Febreze a defense of blackface—particularly when you managed to never match the ratings of the Black talent you replaced.
https://www.elle.com/culture/a24317698/megyn-kelly-has-always-been-racist/
Saturday, October 27, 2018
Friday, October 26, 2018
Libraries Around the World
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2018/10/a-photo-appreciation-of-libraries/573811/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=atlantic-daily-newsletter&utm_content=20181026&silverid-ref=MzEwMTkwMTQ4ODk4S0
Words Matter
Today they tried to murder two Presidents as well as public servants and journalists. Make no mistake, these terrorists were encouraged and emboldened by the hate speech of Donald Trump. If you can’t see the clear menace of this man’s influence by now then you are a part of it. pic.twitter.com/L7kYcpcPKO— Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) October 24, 2018
Monday, October 22, 2018
Sunday, October 21, 2018
10-year-old Coder
An excerpt from Business Insider -
This 10-year-old coder is already so successful she's caught the attention of Google and Microsoft
By Julie Bort
Samaira Mehta is a 10-year-old girl growing up in Silicon Valley who has quietly attracted an almost cult-like following because of her work as a programmer.
She's the founder and CEO of a company called CoderBunnyz that's earned national media recognition and landed her speaker roles at nearly a dozen Valley conferences (and counting).
It all started when she was just eight and created a game called CoderBunnyz to help teach other kids how to code. She'd been coding since she was six.
https://www.businessinsider.com/10-year-old-coder-so-successful-now-a-valley-sensation-2018-10
This 10-year-old coder is already so successful she's caught the attention of Google and Microsoft
By Julie Bort
She's the founder and CEO of a company called CoderBunnyz that's earned national media recognition and landed her speaker roles at nearly a dozen Valley conferences (and counting).
It all started when she was just eight and created a game called CoderBunnyz to help teach other kids how to code. She'd been coding since she was six.
https://www.businessinsider.com/10-year-old-coder-so-successful-now-a-valley-sensation-2018-10
Saturday, October 20, 2018
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Monday, October 15, 2018
Samuel L. Jackson Helping Out
I got lots of shit to deal with, but I don’t mind helping out @AngieCraigMN — this election is THAT important. https://t.co/byhvG2zmdC pic.twitter.com/UbpkfgSPmg— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) October 11, 2018
Restroom Signs for Men
https://www.buzzfeed.com/kevinsmith/18-bathroom-signs-that-might-just-make-you-pee-a-little-bit
Saturday, October 13, 2018
Can This Be Replicated?
An excerpt from the Atlantic -
The Little College Where Tuition Is Free and Every Student Is Given a Job
Berea College, in Kentucky, has paid for every enrollee’s education using its endowment for 126 years. Can other schools replicate the model?
By ADAM HARRIS
Berea College isn’t like most other colleges. It was founded in 1855 by a Presbyterian minister who was an abolitionist. It was the first integrated, co-educational college in the South. And it has not charged students tuition since 1892. Every student on campus works, and its labor program is like work-study on steroids. The work includes everyday tasks such as janitorial services, but older students are often assigned jobs aligned to their academic program, and work on things such as web production or managing volunteer programs. And students receive a physical check for their labor that can go toward housing and living expenses. Forty-five percent of graduates have no debt, and the ones who do have an average of less than $7,000 in debt, according to Luke Hodson, the college’s director of admissions.
On top of all of that: More than 90 percent of Berea College students are eligible to receive the Pell Grant—often used as a proxy for low-income enrollment. Most of those students, 70 percent to be exact, are from Appalachia—where nearly one of every five people live below the poverty line. And that recruiting pipeline in Appalachia produces a rather diverse class—more than 40 percent of the student body identify as racial minorities.
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/10/how-berea-college-makes-tuition-free-with-its-endowment/572644/
The Little College Where Tuition Is Free and Every Student Is Given a Job
Berea College, in Kentucky, has paid for every enrollee’s education using its endowment for 126 years. Can other schools replicate the model?
By ADAM HARRIS
Berea College isn’t like most other colleges. It was founded in 1855 by a Presbyterian minister who was an abolitionist. It was the first integrated, co-educational college in the South. And it has not charged students tuition since 1892. Every student on campus works, and its labor program is like work-study on steroids. The work includes everyday tasks such as janitorial services, but older students are often assigned jobs aligned to their academic program, and work on things such as web production or managing volunteer programs. And students receive a physical check for their labor that can go toward housing and living expenses. Forty-five percent of graduates have no debt, and the ones who do have an average of less than $7,000 in debt, according to Luke Hodson, the college’s director of admissions.
On top of all of that: More than 90 percent of Berea College students are eligible to receive the Pell Grant—often used as a proxy for low-income enrollment. Most of those students, 70 percent to be exact, are from Appalachia—where nearly one of every five people live below the poverty line. And that recruiting pipeline in Appalachia produces a rather diverse class—more than 40 percent of the student body identify as racial minorities.
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/10/how-berea-college-makes-tuition-free-with-its-endowment/572644/
"Whitey on the Moon"
An excerpt from the Washington Post -
Why ‘First Man’ prominently features Gil Scott-Heron’s spoken-word poem ‘Whitey on the Moon’
By Sonia Rao
Chazelle and Singer executed the idea by depicting both the perseverance of those in the space program and the passionate feelings of those opposed to its cost. A memorable scene captures this dissonance by juxtaposing the Apollo 1 disaster, in which a fire killed three astronauts during preflight testing, with people protesting NASA’s program — all set to a rousing reading of musician and poet Gil Scott-Heron’s work “Whitey on the Moon.”
“A rat done bit my sister Nell, with whitey on the moon,” Leon Bridges, who plays Scott-Heron, recites over a drum beat. “Her face and arms begin to swell, and whitey’s on the moon. I can’t pay no doctor bills, but whitey’s on the moon. Ten years from now I’ll be payin' still, while whitey’s on the moon.” (Click here to read the full poem.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2018/10/13/why-first-man-prominently-features-gil-scott-herons-spoken-word-poem-whitey-moon/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.b0d49a834a2a
Why ‘First Man’ prominently features Gil Scott-Heron’s spoken-word poem ‘Whitey on the Moon’
By Sonia Rao
Chazelle and Singer executed the idea by depicting both the perseverance of those in the space program and the passionate feelings of those opposed to its cost. A memorable scene captures this dissonance by juxtaposing the Apollo 1 disaster, in which a fire killed three astronauts during preflight testing, with people protesting NASA’s program — all set to a rousing reading of musician and poet Gil Scott-Heron’s work “Whitey on the Moon.”
“A rat done bit my sister Nell, with whitey on the moon,” Leon Bridges, who plays Scott-Heron, recites over a drum beat. “Her face and arms begin to swell, and whitey’s on the moon. I can’t pay no doctor bills, but whitey’s on the moon. Ten years from now I’ll be payin' still, while whitey’s on the moon.” (Click here to read the full poem.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2018/10/13/why-first-man-prominently-features-gil-scott-herons-spoken-word-poem-whitey-moon/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.b0d49a834a2a
Thursday, October 11, 2018
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Voter Registration Deadlines by States
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/voter-registration-deadlines-2018-midterms_us_5bbcdf43e4b0876edaa28d19
Sunday, October 7, 2018
It's a White Thing at HBCUs
An excerpt from the NY Times -
White Kickers and Punters at Black Colleges Are a Thing
There are not many black kickers and punters in the country, even at the nation’s historically black colleges and universities.
By Marc Tracy
When Granville Eastman was Austin Peay’s defensive coordinator several years ago, his team frequently played Tennessee State, a historically black university in Nashville.
Every time Tennessee State sent players onto the field who were not black, he recalled half-jokingly last week, “that’s when you knew they were punting.”
Now Eastman is the interim head coach at another historically black university, North Carolina Central, and opposing coaches can say similar things about his team. The Eagles’ place-kicker is white. Same goes for the long snapper and the punter, who also holds the ball on field goals. An Italian, who is also white, handles the kickoffs.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/05/sports/white-kickers.html
White Kickers and Punters at Black Colleges Are a Thing
There are not many black kickers and punters in the country, even at the nation’s historically black colleges and universities.
By Marc Tracy
When Granville Eastman was Austin Peay’s defensive coordinator several years ago, his team frequently played Tennessee State, a historically black university in Nashville.
Every time Tennessee State sent players onto the field who were not black, he recalled half-jokingly last week, “that’s when you knew they were punting.”
Now Eastman is the interim head coach at another historically black university, North Carolina Central, and opposing coaches can say similar things about his team. The Eagles’ place-kicker is white. Same goes for the long snapper and the punter, who also holds the ball on field goals. An Italian, who is also white, handles the kickoffs.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/05/sports/white-kickers.html
Me Too
From the NY Times -
To move forward, we have to excavate the past.
Megan Twohey
By Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey
 |
| Melinda Beck |
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/06/sunday-review/me-too-weinstein-a-year-later.html
Saturday, October 6, 2018
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Hero
This week's cover of @TIME: Using words and phrases from Christine Blasey Ford's testimony, artist John Mavroudis (@zenpopart) "recreated her likeness by drawing each letter by hand." pic.twitter.com/f9c6CNEZtR— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) October 4, 2018
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Sunday, September 30, 2018
This is Why
Ever wonder why women don’t report sexual abuse? Look no further than the hideous and hateful face of Lindsey Graham who offered nothing but anger and absolute disdain to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford following her courageous, and very credible, testimony. Talk about “a disgrace." pic.twitter.com/PSCNZv2cnp— Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) September 29, 2018
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