Take This Test

Can You Guess Which of These Books Are Banned in Prison?

See if you have what it takes to be a prison censor.

By Bill Keller

For this week’s Quizzical, here’s a quiz from the Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering criminal justice reform. The original quiz is here and is republished below with permission.

For those doing time in prison, books and magazines can be a refuge, a civilizing influence and a source of skills that might help make them employable citizens when they get out. To those who run the prisons, the wrong books and magazines can seem a source of disorder and danger.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/quizzical/2016/03/quiz_can_you_guess_which_of_these_books_are_banned_in_prison.html?sid=554654ea10defb39638b510d&wpsrc=newsletter_tis

Yes, But . . .

From The Root - 

11 Actresses Who Could Play Nina Simone Without Blackface

For colored girls whose dark skin ain’t enough ...

Colorism is real. It's the reason women like Jennifer Lopez and Sofía Vergara represent Hispanic culture in Hollywood. It's the reason darker skin is mostly celebrated by black people. There's a melanin comfort zone or a threshold in Hollywood that is rarely disturbed.

So when the powers that be decided that they would create a biopic for the troubled, yet extremely talented and dark-skinned songstress Nina Simone, we were excited. This meant that Hollywood was confronting that threshold. But not so fast—because they cast Zoe Saldana as the leading lady.

The trailer for Nina, the Simone biopic that shockingly stars a medium-complected Saldana as the late singer, has been released. The film was heavily criticized in production when several photos of a painted-on Saldana were leaked. And it seems that the film will still be getting the side eye from many of us because Saldana is fully painted in blackface, black body—I bet they even painted her toes.

~~~~~~~~~~

Check out the gallery at the link below.

http://www.theroot.com/blogs/the_grapevine/2016/03/_11_actresses_who_could_play_nina_simone_without_blackface.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content%26

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Donald Trump (HBO)

This is twenty minutes of truth.

I wasn't going to share this, but in light of this train wreck that keeps plowing on, here's a "balanced" perspective.

Zootopia Official US Trailer #2

http://www.vox.com/2016/3/2/11147378/zootopia-review-disney

How Architecture Changes For the Deaf

Heading North?

Does It Tastes Better If It Cost More?

From NOW I KNOW - 

You Can Taste the Price

The hamburger pictured above is from a fancy restaurant. It costs $17. And it probably tastes good. No, it has to -- who would pay $17 for a burger and fries which didn't? No one, at least not twice.

That makes sense: in order to stay in business with an expensive menu, whatever your selling better make for a good dining experience. But at some point, our palates can't really discern between foods. When that happens, other signals take over. And at times, those signals can be so powerful that it overwhelms the rest of the experience. For example, would the same burger and fries above taste as good if it cost, say, $4? Maybe not.

In the fall of 2014, the Journal of Sensory Studies published a paper which investigated the effect on a meal's price on a diner's experience, and specifically, on how the diners rated their meals. The researchers teamed up with an of all-you-can-eat buffet Italian buffet which offered unlimited pizza to its customers, and invited a bunch of people -- 139, to be exact -- to partake in a chow down. Afterward, each of the 139 customers was asked to rate their experience. There was only one wrinkle: some of the customers paid $4 for the privilege while others paid $8. And no, the former group didn't know that they were getting a 50%-off deal. (Similarly, the latter didn't know that they were paying twice as much as the other group.)

So, who liked their meal more? The ones who paid double, per the Atlantic: "Those who paid $8 rated the pizza 11 percent tastier than those who paid $4. Moreover, the latter group suffered from greater diminishing returns—each additional slice of pizza tasted worse than that of the $8 group." Yes, even though they paid twice as more for the exact same product, the $8 group had a better time -- and thought they got a better deal, even though objectively, it wasn't. 

What's going on here? In a press release about the study, one of the authors of the paper, a Cornell professor named Dr. David Just, explained that, basically, a quality experience at a $4 all-you-can-eat pizzafest is simply too good to be true: "People set their expectation of taste partially based on the price -- and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If I didn't pay much it can't be that good." 

So that $17 burger? It may taste good because of its high quality ingredients, a superior recipe, and better preparation than a $5 burger at a less fancy joint. Or maybe you've just convinced yourself that it does because hey, you paid $17 for it, and you had to have gotten your money's worth... right? 

http://nowiknow.com/you-can-taste-the-price/
 

Blaxicans

An excerpt from CNN - 

'Blaxicans' photos explore Angelenos straddling two worlds

"Duality: Blaxicans of L.A." is a photo exhibit that explores multiracial identity among the city's two largest minority groups. The show is a Humans of New York-esque portrait series of Angelenos of African and Latino backgrounds accompanied by captions detailing family history, experiences with colorism and self-identity. 

The exhibit grew from an Instagram account of the same name started by Walter Thompson-Hernandez, who has a Mexican mother and an African-American father. He launched Blaxicans of L.A. while researching the topic as a graduate student at Stanford University's Center for Latin American Studies in response to what he saw as a gap in multiracial studies.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/01/living/blaxicans-of-los-angeles-photo-exhibit-feat/index.html

More Folks We Need to Know About

Book synopsis from Amazon - 

We Could Not Fail: The First African Americans in the Space Program

by Richard Paul (Author), Steven Moss (Author)

4.3 out of 5 stars   7 customer reviews

The Space Age began just as the struggle for civil rights forced Americans to confront the long and bitter legacy of slavery, discrimination, and violence against African Americans. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson utilized the space program as an agent for social change, using federal equal employment opportunity laws to open workplaces at NASA and NASA contractors to African Americans while creating thousands of research and technology jobs in the Deep South to ameliorate poverty. We Could Not Fail tells the inspiring, largely unknown story of how shooting for the stars helped to overcome segregation on earth.

Richard Paul and Steven Moss profile ten pioneer African American space workers whose stories illustrate the role NASA and the space program played in promoting civil rights. They recount how these technicians, mathematicians, engineers, and an astronaut candidate surmounted barriers to move, in some cases literally, from the cotton fields to the launching pad. The authors vividly describe what it was like to be the sole African American in a NASA work group and how these brave and determined men also helped to transform Southern society by integrating colleges, patenting new inventions, holding elective office, and reviving and governing defunct towns. Adding new names to the roster of civil rights heroes and a new chapter to the story of space exploration, We Could Not Fail demonstrates how African Americans broke the color barrier by competing successfully at the highest level of American intellectual and technological achievement.

Not Sure Why You'd Want To But . . .

It's good to see this young man charting a path in NASCAR.

From The Root -

Darrell Wallace Jr.

MIKE EHRMANN/GETTY IMAGES

For many, NASCAR is not a sport “for us.” But that stigma is slowly changing, especially with Darrell Wallace Jr. in the game.

Wallace, affectionately known as “Bubba” to family and friends, made history in 2013 when he became the second African American in history to win a NASCAR national series (the first was Wendell Scott, in 1963). Finally, we had someone we could root for. As a product of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, Wallace may be the second to make waves in the sport but, hopefully, won’t be the last.

http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2016/03/darrell_wallace_jr_continues_to_pave_new_roads_in_nascar.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content%26

Primary Voters Don't Really Look Like America

Black Geniuses, Part 2

These gifted folks with ingenious inventions were left out of my history books.

Just in case they were left out of yours too, check them out and please pass this on. Our kids need to see this.

http://blackinventor.com

Black Geniuses

From The Huffington Post - 

10 Things You Never Knew Were Invented By Black People

We have black pioneers to thank for these useful inventions.

Three-Signal Traffic Light

After he saw a carriage crash in a Cleveland intersection, Garrett Morgan created a version of the modern three-way traffic signal in 1923. He was also the first black man to own a car in his city.

Closed Circuit TV

Marie Van Brittan Brown created a device in 1966 that would be the precursor to home surveillance as we know it. She connected a motorized security camera to a monitor, where one could view images from the camera.

Mailbox

In 1891, Philip Downing invented the "street letter box," which became the predecessor to the metal letter-drop mailboxes we use today.

Potato Chip

George Crum is widely credited for coming up with the potato chip as we know it. While he was working as a chef at a resort, a disgruntled patron sent his french fry order back to the kitchen and complained that they were cut too thick. So Crum made a new batch, cut them as thin as possible and added a bit of salt. Thus, potato chips were born.

Laser Cataract Surgery

Howard University alum Patricia Bath is responsible for creating the laserphaco probe, a device used for laser cataract surgery. With the help of the instrument, she was able to recover the sight of several individuals who had been blind for over 30 years.

Touch-Tone Phone

Shirley Ann Jackson made several telecommunications breakthroughs while employed with Bell Laboratories. Her scientific discoveries led to the touch-tone phone, caller I.D. and call waiting. Jackson was also the first black woman to graduate with a Ph.D. from M.I.T.

Super Soaker

'90s kids have Lonnie Johnson to thank for their super soaked summer water gun battles. The former NASA engineer created the toy in his spare time and after several rebranding attempts, his Super Soaker, known for its high-powered water blasting function, hit $200 million in sales in 1991.

3-D Special Effects

Computer graphics designer Marc Hannah co-founded Silicon Graphics, Inc. His computer programs were instrumental in the creation of special effects for films like "Jurassic Park," "Aladdin," "Beauty and the Beast" and more.

The Blood Bank

African American physician Charles Drew developed a way to process and preserve blood plasm, which lasts much longer than actual blood. His discovery was crucial to creating blood banks and assisting in the war effort during World War II. He was working on a blood bank for U.S. military personnel when he grew unhappy with the military's request to segregate the blood and left his position.

Refrigerated Trucks

Before Frederick McKinley Jones invented his portable cooling unit, perishable items were transported in trucks filled with ice.  He revolutionized the industry by creating a cooling system that could be mounted on the roof of the vehicle and would keep food fresh during long journeys.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-inventors_us_56d0d33ee4b0bf0dab3236d5

Living in Peace

These critters could teach us a thing or two about living in harmony.

From The Huffington Post -

Three Brothers Haven’t Left Each Other’s Side For 15 Years

https://www.thedodo.com/lion-tiger-bear-15-years-1627302473.html?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pubexchange

There Goes the Neighborhood

An excerpt From Atlas Obscura - 

THE FORMER WIÑAY WAYNA PUB

This is why we can't have nice things on the Incan Trail 

BARS, RUINS, ABANDONED

Despite its extremely remote location, the pub's downfall will sound familiar to anyone who's visited bars catering to masses of tourists. The fault didn't lay with the staff or locals as some have suggested (although Caruso was ultimately apprehended for tax evasion), but rather the irresponsible tourists themselves. Drunken backpackers were picking fights with each other, fighting over issues of national pride and using broken bottles as weapons, sometimes assaulting their own porters. As backpackers elected to party all night, they often slept through wake-up calls, thereby missing the entire reason they had, theoretically, visited the region. In the end, the government shut down the bar because, in the words of Edwar Pacheco, a guide who has led groups along the Inca Trail for seven years, "tourists were selling cocaine to each other.” Everyone agreed the "scene" had simply gotten out of hand, so it was time to put an end to Wiñay Wayna Pub.

http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-former-winay-wayna-pub?utm_source=Atlas+Obscura&utm_campaign=cb74bf7359-Newsletter_29_2_20162_26_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_62ba9246c0-cb74bf7359-59905913&ct=t(Newsletter_29_2_20162_26_2016)&mc_cid=cb74bf7359&mc_eid=866176a63f

I Call Bullsh*t

True confession.

I have funky feet.

Really FUNKY FEET.

I can't imagine wearing socks for days.

Of course, I shouldn't talk about these before giving them a try, but . . .

I don't buy it.

So, to be fair, somebody try them out and let me know.

Chris Rock Targets Race and Hollywood in Oscars Opening Monologue

Apologies.  I heard the previous clip was removed, so here it is again.

Chris Rock's Opening Monologue at the 2016 Oscars

Contrary to Popular Belief

From The Root -

Black Skiers and Snowboarders Hit the Slopes in Japan at the 2016 Japow! Powder Party

Beautiful scenery and a chance to experience a different culture are the highlights of this annual event. BY: HAKIM I. FAJARDO

Japow! Powder Party members at the Rusutsu Resort atop Mount Isola in Hokkaido, Japan LACRECIA WILLIAMS

Eric Rhea goes waist-deep while snowboarding in the back country of
Asahidake, Hokkaido, Japan, with Hokkaido Outdoor Adventures. 

Fanon Wilkins and Leon Henderson at the
Niseko ski resort in Hokkaido, Japan 

http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2016/02/japow_powder_party_black_skiers_and_snowboarders_hit_the_slopes_in_japan.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content%26

What Does This Say & Does It Matter?

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/5HqyFH/:icxGkEgU:jlUm4fHB/aplus.com/a/two-kinds-of-people-tumblr?c=8276

How Leap Year Works

Every Bucket from Steph Curry's 51-Point Night

This kid is good.

Meet President Obama's Nominee for Librarian of Congress

Perfect Timing

From Wired - 

SERGIO TAPIRO HAS a love affair with volcanoes. Well, one volcano. He’s spent 14 years making thousands of photos of the Colima Volcano in the southwest corner of Mexico. His perseverance paid off in December with the shot of a lifetime.

His photo captures a remarkable moment—the volcano erupting in a plume of ash and lava as lightning strikes, illuminating the scene against a sky filled with stars. For Tapiro, it underscores everything that makes Colima beautiful. “Every time you take a picture of a volcano, it reminds you of the beginning of this world,” he says.

http://www.wired.com/2016/02/sergio-tapiro-lava-ash-lightning-perfect-volcano-photo/?mbid=nl_22616

Door Design

The narrator of this clip is an annoying kid who looks like he's 12.  Ignore him and enjoy the very interesting clip.

A Love Letter to Michael

Spike Lee's documentary entitled "Michael Jackson's Journey From Motown to Off the Wall" is wonderful.  It truly is a snapshot into the genius of Michael.

There are several trailers for the film, but I don't think any other them do the film justice.  If I'd seen the trailers, I probably would not have watched the film, and believe me when I say, I would have missed a treat.

So, if time permits and you so desire, check out this masterpiece.

It's currently playing on Showtime.

Do the Right Thing

We all know we should do the right thing, but knowing it and doing it are two very different things.

Do we stand up for what is right, or go along to get along?

Do we turn a blind eye to injustices, or do we take a stand?

Do we give in to the pressures to agree, when we know that we know that in doing that we compromise what is right?  Or do we take a stand and say, "Enough?"

Do we have more courage to stand up when we've reached a certain age, now better able to understand that being able to face ourselves in the mirror is more important than trying to please others?

Every day we have a choice.

Do the right thing . . .

Or not.

Here's hoping that you and I both have the courage to do choose the former.

Quote

By Jeffrey Toobin on Antonin Scalia in The New Yorker - (Bold is mine)

Antonin Scalia, who died this month, after nearly three decades on the Supreme Court, devoted his professional life to making the United States a less fair, less tolerant, and less admirable democracy. Fortunately, he mostly failed. Belligerent with his colleagues, dismissive of his critics, nostalgic for a world where outsiders knew their place and stayed there, Scalia represents a perfect model for everything that President Obama should avoid in a successor. The great Justices of the Supreme Court have always looked forward; their words both anticipated and helped shape the nation that the United States was becoming. Chief Justice John Marshall read the new Constitution to allow for a vibrant and progressive federal government. Louis Brandeis understood the need for that government to regulate an industrializing economy. Earl Warren saw that segregation was poison in the modern world. Scalia, in contrast, looked backward.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/02/29/antonin-scalia-looking-backward?sid=554654ea10defb39638b510d&wpsrc=newsletter_slateplusweekly

Amazing Pictures

http://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2016/02/smithsonian-magazines-2015-photo-contest/470982/?utm_source=atl-daily-newsletter

Why Teams Matter

From The New York Times Magazine

In Silicon Valley, software engineers are encouraged to work together, in part because studies show that groups tend to innovate faster, see mistakes more quickly and find better solutions to problems. Studies also show that people working in teams tend to achieve better results and report higher job satisfaction. In a 2015 study, executives said that profitability increases when workers are persuaded to collaborate more. Within companies and conglomerates, as well as in government agencies and schools, teams are now the fundamental unit of organization. If a company wants to outstrip its competitors, it needs to influence not only how people work but also how they work together.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/magazine/what-google-learned-from-its-quest-to-build-the-perfect-team.html

Black-ish 2x16 Promo "Hope" (HD)

The Long, Winding Road

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/02/24/arts/hollywood-diversity-inclusion.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=mini-moth&region=top-stories-below&WT.nav=top-stories-below&_r=0

This Guy vs Our Front Running Village Idiot (Trump)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/justin-trudeau-pink-shirt-day-canada_us_56ce1bf6e4b0871f60e9ed00

It's Never Too Late

http://www.lifehack.org/364674/its-never-too-late-start-heres-why-infographic-2?mid=20160224&ref=mail&uid=789627&feq=daily

100 Years of Beauty - Episode 18: USA Men

The Blimp-Maker

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/02/29/a-new-generation-of-airships-is-born?mbid=nl_160224_Daily%20A&CNDID=27124505&spMailingID=8583208&spUserID=MTE0MzE0NDEyNDUyS0&spJobID=862402181&spReportId=ODYyNDAyMTgxS0

Algorithm Bias

From Slate - 

A Tale of Four Algorithms

Each of these government algorithms is supposed to stop fraud and waste. Which works better—the one aimed at the poor or the rich?

By Virginia Eubanks

Algorithms don’t just power search results and news feeds, shaping our experience of Google, Facebook, Amazon, Spotify, and Tinder. Algorithms are widely—and largely invisibly—integrated into American political life, policymaking, and program administration.

Algorithms can terminate your Medicaid benefits, exclude you from air travel, purge you from voter rolls, or predict if you are likely to commit a crime in the future. They make decisions about who has access to public services, who undergoes extra scrutiny, and where we target scarce resources.

But are all algorithms created equal? Does the kind of algorithm used by government agencies have anything to do with who it is aimed at?

Bias can enter algorithmic processes through many doors. Discriminatory data collection can mean extra scrutiny for whole communities, creating a feedback cycle of “garbage in, garbage out.” For example, much of the initial data that populated CalGang, an intelligence database used to target and track suspected gang members, was collected by the notorious Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums units of the LAPD, including in the scandal-ridden Rampart division. Algorithms can also mirror and reinforce entrenched cultural assumptions. For example, as Wendy Hui Kyong Chun has written, Googling “Asian + woman” a decade ago turned up more porn sites in the first 10 hits than a search for “pornography.”

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2016/02/a_close_look_at_four_government_algorithms_designed_to_stop_waste_and_fraud.html?sid=554654ea10defb39638b510d&wpsrc=newsletter_futuretense

Agree?

A sampling from The Root - 

The 15 most racist Oscar films of all time: Here’s why #OscarsSoWhite is not a surprise 

#OscarsSoWhite isn't just about the absence of Black nominees—it's about the Academy's history of racist narratives 

IBRAM X. KENDI

10. Rocky (1976)

3 Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Film Editing (plus eight more nominations)

If “Planet of the Apes” epitomized racists’ defeated sentiments amid the antiracist movements in 1968, then “Rocky” epitomized their fighting sentiment in 1976. Rocky Balboa—a kind, humble, hard-working, slow-talking journeyman boxer—symbolized the pride of racist White masculinity in the late 1970s. Rocky refused to be knocked out by the avalanche of punches from the antiracist movements—as symbolized by the rich, unkind, cocky, fast-punching Black heavyweight champion. Apollo Creed is a fictional stand-in for the actual heavyweight champion in 1976, Muhammad Ali, the personification of antiracist resistance.

~~~~~~~~~~

7. The Blind Side (2009)

1 Academy Award for Best Actress (plus nomination for Best Picture)

Possibly even more than the interracial buddy film, the #OscarsSoWhite enjoys honoring the White Savior Flicks. In these flicks, paternalistic White parents or coaches or journalists or soldiers or lawyers or educators are portrayed as saving needy Blacks from bad situations, or their inferior selves, or the Black jungle. Of all the White Savior Flicks in Hollywood history—and there are many—”The Blind Side” may have been the most egregious. It shared the “true story” of a White family caring for a homeless boy who they guide into professional football. The contrast between the film’s Black characters hindering and holding Michael Oher’s character back—and Sandra Bullock’s helpful White characters are intense to even the least discerning viewer. Filmmakers enjoy regularly searching out and projecting “true stories” of White saviors, hiding the reality of many Black saviors and White discriminators, reinforcing racist ideas of White paternalism and Black dependence.

http://www.salon.com/2016/02/24/the_15_most_racist_oscar_films_of_all_time_heres_why_oscarssowhite_is_not_a_surprise/?source=newsletter

The Thought of Him Representing Us on the World Stage is Nauseating

From Matt Taibbi at Rolling Stone - 

In person, you can't miss it: The same way Sarah Palin can see Russia from her house, Donald on the stump can see his future. The pundits don't want to admit it, but it's sitting there in plain view, 12 moves ahead, like a chess game already won:

President Donald Trump.

A thousand ridiculous accidents needed to happen in the unlikeliest of sequences for it to be possible, but absent a dramatic turn of events – an early primary catastrophe, Mike Bloomberg ego-crashing the race, etc. – this boorish, monosyllabic TV tyrant with the attention span of an Xbox-playing 11-year-old really is set to lay waste to the most impenetrable oligarchy the Western world ever devised.

It turns out we let our electoral process devolve into something so fake and dysfunctional that any half-bright con man with the stones to try it could walk right through the front door and tear it to shreds on the first go.

And Trump is no half-bright con man, either. He's way better than average.

~~~~~~~~~~

That put him in position to understand that the presidential election campaign is really just a badly acted, billion-dollar TV show whose production costs ludicrously include the political disenfranchisement of its audience. Trump is making a mockery of the show, and the Wolf Blitzers and Anderson Coopers of the world seem appalled. How dare he demean the presidency with his antics?

But they've all got it backward. The presidency is serious. The presidential electoral process, however, is a sick joke, in which everyone loses except the people behind the rope line. And every time some pundit or party spokesman tries to deny it, Trump picks up another vote.

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-america-made-donald-trump-unstoppable-20160224#ixzz419HnFTGQ
Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook

Atlas, The Next Generation

From Wired -



ONE OF THESE days, Boston Dynamics—the Alphabet-owned robot company from Beantown—is going to push its robots too far. I mean, just look at their latest video, in which they shove, trip, and play keep away from a robot named Atlas. Sure, the droid walks funny, but if they keep messing around I swear Atlas is going to flip the script on these guys and next thing you know it’s Judgment Day.

http://www.wired.com/2016/02/boston-dynamics-new-robot-wicked-good-getting-bullied/?mbid=nl_22416