Happy Mother's Day!

As we celebrate this day, my thoughts always turn to my mom, as I'm sure is true for most of you.

I wish I had appreciated her more while she was alive.

She had a third-grade education, but a Ph.D. in common sense.

For years, I thought she was old and crazy. What she said went in one ear and out the other.

When I finally had sense enough to realize the treasure that she was (when I became a mom), I couldn't get enough of conversations with her.  I didn't want them to end.

She had a tough life.

Her mom died when she was seven, and she went to live with her grandmother, who died when she was thirteen.  From that time until she got married, she moved from pillar to post, from one relative to the next, working as their maid for her room and board.  No wonder she married one of the first guys who showed an interest in her, anything to escape life as she knew it.

The thing is though; she went from the frying pan into the fire.  The good life she was hoping for did not materialize.  She was now the wife of a drunk, a mean one to boot.

Once my brothers and I came along, we were her absolute focus.  She was bound and determined that we would have a better life than she did, in spite of the alcoholism that permeated our upbringing.

I asked her why she put up with my father and the hardships that entailed, and she said she stayed for us (her kids).  I remember thinking then that I would NEVER do that.

Never say never . . .

Because that's exactly what I did.

I stayed in a marriage long after its expiration date because I wanted my boys to have their father in their lives for as long as possible.

Her example helped me to get through that.

She was the strongest, kindest woman I have ever known.

God knows we didn't have much, but if she knew of someone in need, she lent a hand, every single time.

Was she perfect?

Far from it, but I know now that everything she did was from a good place, a good heart.

If you're lucky enough to still have your mom in your life, appreciate her, and not just on Mother's Day.

She may not be perfect, but if she's there, active in your life, she's trying to be.

Thank her while you can.

Texas

An excerpt from The New York Times -

What Makes Texas Texas
People in this rapidly changing state believe their way of life is under
attack, and they are making a kind of last stand by simply being Texan.

~~~~~~~~~~

I was born and raised in Central California, and I moved to Houston from Brooklyn in June 2011 to cover Texas for The New York Times. I live here with my wife, my 7-year-old son and my 3-year-old daughter, who keeps a pair of pink cowboy boots outside on the porch or inside by the front door. I have covered stories in the South, the Midwest and other parts of the country. People in those places identified with their political party, their job, their cause, their sexual orientation, their city, their race. Almost no one identified with their state the way Texans do.

Who are these people, these Texans? What do they tell us about America? What to make of a state that is so focused on itself? I wrestle with these questions all the time.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/08/us/what-makes-texas-texas.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&region=CColumn&module=MostEmailed&version=Full&src=me&WT.nav=MostEmailed

Obama Delivers Commencement Speech at Howard

Profiling Gone Wrong . . . Again

From The Washington Post - 

Ivy League economist ethnically profiled, interrogated for doing math on American Airlines flight

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/rampage/wp/2016/05/07/ivy-league-economist-interrogated-for-doing-math-on-american-airlines-flight/

~~~~~~~~~~

Yes, it has come to this.

Sad.

Forgiveness Quotes

Remember, forgiveness is not about them, it's about you.

http://www.oprah.com/quote/Iyanla-Vanzant-Quotes-Forgiveness

Super Long Lasting Clothes

From News 360 -

What if you didn’t have to buy another jacket, sweatshirt, or T-shirt until the year 2046?

Thomas Cridland, a young UK designer, is hoping to make that possible with clothing designed to last and backed by a 30-year guarantee, promising to repair any rips or tears.

http://news360.com/digestarticle/ywJdgLvWq0iTKA3wTrAe-w

Baffling Medical Mystery

An excerpt from CBS News -

ISLAMABAD -- The two brothers have come to be known as the "solar kids" and their case has completely mystified Pakistani doctors.

Aged nine and 13, the boys are normal active children during the day. But once the sun goes down, they both lapse into a vegetative state -- unable to move or talk. Javed Akram, a professor of medicine at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he had no idea what was causing the symptoms.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pakistan-solar-kids-medical-mystery-doctors-baffled-brothers-vegetative-night/?google_editors_picks=true

Aunties

An excerpt from Slate - 

In Praise of the Auntie


They’re the rule-breaking, adventure-taking, hug-dispensing women who make every family stronger.

Aunties are the rule-breakers. When they come over to babysit, the fancy dishes come out, the kitchen becomes a playground, and screen time and bedtime extend. They go on adventures, take my kids to slightly inappropriate movies and shows, and they expose them to new music. They are also the culture-keepers who can share family stories and the histories of our people. They are the oracles who answer questions children don’t want to ask their parents (sex! drugs!) and share knowledge about subjects children didn’t know existed. They see children as their own people, which enables them to talk to kids as whole individuals and understand what they are truly capable of. Parents say, “Let me help” and “That’s not safe.” Aunties just say, “Yes!” —maybe without even lifting their eyes up from the book they’re reading. They expand children’s internal and external boundaries.

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2016/05/in_praise_of_the_auntie.html?sid=554654ea10defb39638b510d&wpsrc=newsletter_tis

A love Letter to Nia

An excerpt from The Root -

When Nia Long Told Larry King That J. Cole Wasn’t Too Young, I Lost My Mind
Man, he had a shot.

Nia Long . . . Another example of "black don't crack."

To say that Nia Long is a national treasure is an understatement. Long has been a part of most of our lives since at least the mid-’90s, when she played Beulah “Lisa” Wilkes on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and when a visionary Ice Cube saw fit to cast her in cult classic Friday.

Thank you, Ice Cube.

And then there’s Love Jones. Because of course, Love Jones.

Since then, Long has been in movies, music videos, Target ... other stuff, basically. Nia Long needs no introduction. We all know who Nia Long is. Because she’s gorgeous and has been for a very long time and we love her, especially within the hip-hop community. Hip-hop loves Nia Long; I’d wear that as a T-shirt and use it as a bumper sticker for my car.

http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2016/05/when_nia_long_told_larry_king_that_j_cole_wasn_t_too_young_i_lost_my_mind.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content%26

An Engineering Feat

http://www.wired.com/2016/05/fly-massive-tunnel-theyre-carving-seattle/?mbid=nl_5616

Quote

From Vox - 

"If you had to choose a moment in human history to live — even if you didn’t know what gender or race, what nationality or sexual orientation you’d be — you’d choose now. There’s power in nostalgia, but the fact is the world is wealthier, healthier, better educated, less violent, more tolerant, more socially conscious and more attentive to the vulnerable than it has ever been." [Barack Obama to NYT / Philip Galanes]

http://www.vox.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/08/fashion/barack-obama-bryan-cranston-table-for-three.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Vox%20Sentences%205/6/16&utm_term=Vox%20Newsletter%20All&_r=0

Beautiful, Smart & Talented

http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/04/chloe-halle-bailey-beyonce-generation-c-v-r.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Vox%20Sentences%205/6/16&utm_term=Vox%20Newsletter%20All

Let's Here It For Cooking Grandmas

Grandmas Project – Teaser from Chaï Chaï Films on Vimeo.

(If the video clip is missing, you can find it in the article linked below.)

https://www.good.is/articles/grandmas-project-jonas-pariente-kickstarter?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailygood

~~~~~~~~~~

Side note - I can be described in many ways - loud, opinionated, someone who loves to laugh, but a good cook would not be listed.  In fact, cooking is one of my least favorite things to do.  Do I shy away from it because I'm not good at it, or am I not good at it because I don't do it much?

Who knows?

Who cares, right?

Anyway, heads up Ben and Frankie.

If you consider doing a project like this involving me, you'll have to come from a different angle.

But you knew that already, huh?

More Mom Tributes

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nba-players-mothers-day_us_572a2f81e4b016f378945d90

Message to His Mom

From The Root -

The Real MVP: TV Movie About Wanda Durant’s Life Offers a Powerful Tribute to Single Moms

She was made famous by an emotional MVP speech given by her son, NBA star Kevin Durant. Now she’s the subject of a Lifetime TV movie.

http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2016/05/the_real_mvp_tv_movie_about_wanda_durant_s_life_offers_a_powerful_tribute.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content%26

~~~~~~~~~~

This clip is from a couple of years ago, but its message is timeless.  He begins talking about his Mom at 2:25.

Mugs, Mugs, Mugs

From Atlas Obscura - A house covered in cups!

http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-house-of-mugs?utm_source=Atlas+Obscura&utm_campaign=15f427b1b7-Newsletter_5_6_20165_5_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_62ba9246c0-15f427b1b7-59905913&ct=t(Newsletter_5_6_20165_5_2016)&mc_cid=15f427b1b7&mc_eid=866176a63f

Reading Matters

An excerpt from Salon -
Why every parent should read to their kids 

Research indicates shared reading can strengthen a child's vocabulary and listening skills, among other benefits

~~~~~~~~~~

British researcher Don Holdaway was the first to point out the benefits of shared reading. He noted that children found these moments to be some of their happiest. He also found that children developed positive and strong associations with spoken language and the physical book itself, during these moments.

Since then a number of studies have been conducted showing the value of shared reading in children’s language development, especially in vocabulary and concept development.

http://www.salon.com/2016/05/06/why_every_parent_should_read_to_their_child_partner/?source=newsletter

Not All Created Equal

Toilets around the world.

They are definitely not all created equal.

http://matadornetwork.com/life/infographic-heres-international-bathroom-guide-youve-waiting/?utm_source=Traverse&utm_campaign=6908aa1369-Thursday_April_14_Traverse&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c4e20459d5-6908aa1369-80146797

CAN'T STOP THE FEELING!

JetBlue | FlyBabies

Help Wanted: Lego Engineers

An excerpt from Atlas Obscura -

5 Amazing LEGO Jobs Currently Open

If you're tired of your day job, there are hundreds of careers available with LEGO.

LEGO is the biggest toy brand in the world, thanks in part to its many licenses (Star Wars, Harry Potter, everything) and digital products, but their good old plastic building brick sets are still the core of the company. At any given time, the company website offers hundreds of jobs, at locations all over the world. If you’re looking for that new dream job with your favorite toy company, we sifted through the jobs available on their website right now, and picked out the coolest ones that you could apply for right now.

~~~~~~~~~~

Job: Head of Large Scale Model DesignWhere: Kladno, Czech Republic

In a nutshell: Ever see those large-scale LEGO models at malls or comic-cons that use an unfathomable amount of bricks to create a life-size Batman, or scale model of the Sphinx? Well this job lets you come up with, design, and implement such monumental, one of a kind builds. You would get to play with an infinite amount of LEGO to build things as large and crazy as you can imagine.

http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/5-amazing-lego-jobs-currently-open?utm_source=Atlas+Obscura&utm_campaign=e20c81fa08-Newsletter_5_5_20165_4_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_62ba9246c0-e20c81fa08-59905913&ct=t(Newsletter_5_5_20165_4_2016)&mc_cid=e20c81fa08&mc_eid=866176a63f

You Might Reconsider

An excerpt from Good -

Why Ugly Apples Taste Yummier—And May Be Better For You

Do you overlook scarred, pockmarked fruits and veggies while hunting for perfect produce? If so, you’re not alone, but new research suggests you might want to rethink your shopping strategy.

There is mounting evidence that when apples fight off disease, pests and other stressors—the cause of unsightly scabs, blisters and misshapen fruit—they develop more healthy antioxidants, including polyphenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins.

https://www.good.is/articles/ugly-apples-taste-better-less-waste?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailygood

Hounded by the FBI

Excerpts from The Root -
Director Steve McQueen’s Art Project Offers a Haunting Look at the FBI Surveillance of Paul Robeson

Working on the project, now on display at the Whitney Museum in New York City, inspired the 12 Years a Slave filmmaker to begin making a biopic of the legendary performer and activist.

~~~~~~~~~~

When director Steve McQueen was 14, a neighbor introduced him to the work of Paul Robeson. McQueen was initially intrigued by the legendary performer and activist’s commanding presence, and he began to research his career. He, like many others who have studied Robeson, was amazed. Of the level of inspiration, he said that “it was a like a whale rising from the sea.”

~~~~~~~~~~

About six years ago he embarked on a project about Robeson. Titled End Credits, like the final roll of a movie, McQueen’s project is plaintive, compelling and exhaustive. He takes reams of reports from FBI surveillance and scrolls them on a screen as male and female actors do voice-overs of the reports. Initially a three-hour installation, the current iteration is 11 hours long and is on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City until May 14 as part of its “Open Plan” exhibition series. The series offers pop-up exhibits to leading artists and musicians in its fifth-floor Neil Bluhm Family Gallery. 

~~~~~~~~~~

It's absolutely astonishing,” said McQueen during the museum’s opening-night Q&A session Friday about the breadth and detail of the FBI monitoring of Robeson, noting that even leisure activities were reported on and that surveillance of the legend’s associates continued for two years after his death in 1976. 

http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2016/05/director_steve_mcqueen_s_art_project_offers_a_haunting_look_at_the_fbi_surveillance.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content%26

Where's the Love?

An excerpt from Salon -

More popular than Reagan: The press refuses to give Obama his due 

The president's approval rating just hit a three-year high. Maybe America isn't really on the brink of disaster

~~~~~~~~~~

For a leader regularly written off by the press as a lame duck 18 months ago, President Obama has tallied some major wins during his second term, and voters have taken notice. He’s normalized relations with Cuba, implemented a historic Iranian nuclear deal, signed a global climate pact with nearly 200 nations, overseen the continued success of Obamacare, all while the economy has recorded 73 straight months of job growth.

No wonder that polls point toward a Democrat succeeding him in the White House.

So why isn’t there more media credit directed his way? Is the press making the mistake of reading off the Republican campaign script this year, which insists America is teetering on collapse? (Obama joked at the White House Correspondents Dinner: “The end of the Republic has never looked better.”)

http://www.salon.com/2016/05/04/more_popular_than_reagan_the_press_refuses_to_give_obama_his_due_partner/?source=newsletter

The Home T - State T-shirts

Cutting Prescription Cost

http://www.goodrx.com

H/T Alisha

Mikaila Ulmer | Saving the Bees

Puerto Ricans vs. Dominicans

The Carmichael Show - Cynthia Has a Breakthrough (Episode Highlight)

The Brain Behind the Operation

Puerto Ricans in Paris Official Trailer #1 (2016) - Rosario Dawson, Luis...

The Coolest One in the Room

From The Huffington Post -

President Obama blows a kiss & drops the mic at his final
White House Correspondents Dinner - April 30, 2016

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/obama-white-house-correspondents-dinner-2016_us_57226a0ee4b0b49df6aab899

He Said WHAT?

HOW THE REACTION TO LARRY WILMORE’S “NIGGA” DROP AT THE WHCD WAS PEAK WHITE TEARS, EXPLAINED

http://verysmartbrothas.com/how-the-reaction-to-larry-wilmores-nigga-drop-at-the-whcd-was-peak-white-tears-explained/

Quote

From The Root - 

Professor’s Op-Ed Is Final Blow for Confederate Statue

The 121-year-old monument at the University of Louisville is coming down in part because of the words of an African-American academic.

"For 20 years, I have walked by that towering granite and bronze eyesore glorifying the nadir of America’s past. For 20 years, I have listened to cries for its removal. For 20 years, we have been plagued by confusion, compromises, excuses and half measures. One hundred twenty-one years is too long. Twenty years is too long. Twenty more weeks is too long. We’ve waited long enough. It's time for the statue to go. . . ."

Ricky L. Jones, chair of Pan-African Studies at the University of Louisville on the 121-year-old Confederate monument.

http://www.theroot.com/blogs/journalisms/2016/04/op_ed_is_final_blow_for_confederate_statue.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content%26 

A prosecutor's vision for a better justice system | Adam Foss

The Blessings & Burdens of Being the First

An excerpt from The Washington Post -

Being first is never easy. Living with the label can be just as hard.

By William Wan April 22, 2016

When the United States elected its first black president in 2008, it felt like a turning point — a cultural milestone for our country, a moment of grace in its fraught history of race relations, the fulfillment of an equality long promised by our founding fathers.

Seven years later, a new turning point awaits: What next?

No one knows. By their very nature, such “firsts” thrust us into uncharted territory.

But ask other black pioneers about their experiences, and they agree on this: Being first is never easy, but life afterward can be just as hard — both for the person who broke the barrier and the country at large.

Like Obama, they endured the challenge and scrutiny of breaking barriers, and they emerged with victories of their own: the first black governor. The first black billionaire. The first black Ivy League president.

If becoming a first requires determination and sacrifice, they say, then life after that first takes an equal amount of patience and perspective.

The label, they say, is something you contend with for the rest of your life — questioning it, probing for what it means, striving to preserve an identity outside of it and, if you’re lucky, learning to harness its power in a way that helps others.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/obama-legacy/first-black-heroes.html?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_olp-afterthefirst-906pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

Passing the Test, or Not

An excerpt from Salon -

Failing the “DuVernay Test”: 6 signs your on-screen black character is a tired stereotype 

Exhibit A: Eddie Murphy's new film "Mr. Church," which has been dubbed a "spiritual sequel" to "Driving Miss Daisy"

2. Does your character exist to serve white people or aid them in a quest for fulfillment?

In a 2001 speech, director Spike Lee coined the phrase “Magical Negro” to describe the phenomenon of black characters whose only job in life is to the servants, mentors, and spiritual guides for white people. The most famous example is the jolly, apple-cheeked “Uncle Remus” from Disney’s “Song of the South,” who reads the stories of Brer Rabbit to a group of white children. The TV Tropes website sums up the awfulness of Disney’s Remus in its entry on this trope: “Even the horrors of Jim Crow can’t dampen his determination to be a cheerful mentor for the children.” 

Lee, however, called attention to movies like “The Legend of Bagger Vance,” “What Dreams May Come,” and “The Green Mile,” which respectively cast Will Smith, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Michael Clarke Duncan as Christ figures that come to earth to teach white people about forgiveness and redemption. If they are not literally God, like Morgan Freeman in “Bruce Almighty,” they act as his messengers or stand-ins. In “Dreams,” Gooding Jr. plays Albert, a guide tasked with helping the film’s Dante character, Chris Nielsen (Robin Williams), find his Beatrice in the afterlife. Albert doesn’t have depth, flaws, or conflicts because he’s a ghost; ghosts don’t need character development.

http://www.salon.com/2016/04/29/failing_the_duvernay_test_6_signs_your_on_screen_black_character_is_a_tired_trope/?source=newsletter

Not Making Out Like Bandits

An excerpt from The Atlantic -

The Divorce Gap

There’s a common perception that women siphon off the wealth of their exes and go on to live in comfort. It’s wrong.

Despite the common perception that women make out better than men in divorce proceedings, women who worked before, during, or after their marriages see a 20 percent decline in income when their marriages end, according to Stephen Jenkins, a professor at the London School of Economics. His research found that men, meanwhile, tend to see their incomes rise more than 30 percent post-divorce. Meanwhile, the poverty rate for separated women is 27 percent, nearly triple the figure for separated men.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/04/the-divorce-gap/480333/?utm_source=nl-atlantic-daily-042916

Honoring His Mom

This video clip was sent to me by a dear friend.  It is in English with Arabic subtitles.  I hope that this won't be a distraction of the powerful message being presented.

Fire Stick on Sale

Amazon Fire Stick is on sale for $34.99.

It's the best thing since sliced bread.

Shining Bright

From The Huffington Post - 

100 Percent Of Seniors At Chicago School Admitted To College For 7th Year In A Row

These young men at Urban Prep Charter Academy are what black excellence looks like.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/100-percent-of-seniors-at-chicago-school-admitted-to-college-for-7th-year-in-a-row_us_5722273ee4b0b49df6aa5aaa?utm_hp_ref=black-voices

Quote 2

"Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."


~John Wooden

SNOWDEN - Official Trailer

Quote

From The New York Times -

John Boehner on Ted Cruz:

“I have Democrat friends and Republican friends,” Mr. Boehner told David Kennedy, an emeritus history professor, at the event. “I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life.”

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/04/28/john-boehner-ted-cruz/

Undercover Lyft with Richard Sherman

Southside with You Official Trailer #1 (2016) - Parker Sawyers, Tika Sum...

A Helping Hand

An excerpt from Upworthy - 

We did this sweet lady's lawn today. She is 93, the neighbors told us that she been out their trying to cut her own lawn 😳. Have no fear, raising men lawn care is going to make sure her lawn is done every two weeks ! Making a difference in our community ! Terrence Stroy

Smith is the founder of Raising Men Lawn Care Service, a group that's lending a hugely helpful hand to neighbors in need.

Smith, a student at Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, launched his organization so elderly folks, single parents, and people with disabilities — those who may not "have the time, resources and/or money to manicure their yards" — could still have well-kept lawns free of charge. 

"The typical response is tears of joy," he told Upworthy of his group's impact.

http://www.upworthy.com/why-a-photo-of-this-93-year-old-and-her-lawn-mowers-is-going-viral?c=upw1

Brothas on Blast

An excerpt from Very Smart Brothas -

WHERE “BECKY” COMES FROM, AND WHY IT’S NOT RACIST, EXPLAINED

What is Lemonade?

Remember when you were a kid, and your grandma left you alone in the kitchen, and said “don’t take any cookies from the cookie jar,” but there were like 17 cookies in the jar, so you took one thinking she wouldn’t notice, but when she came back in the kitchen you started acting all guilty like you know she knows you took a cookie? Well, if you’re a man in a relationship with a woman, both Lemonade the album and the short film are that cookie jar. The only other thing that’s ever made this many men this self-conscious is Lexington Steele.

It’s that bad, huh?

Let’s just say that 60% of the men in America are spending this week vacillating between feeling bad for Jay Z and being mad at Jay Z for doing whatever he did with Becky With The Good Hair and putting the spotlight on all of us. It’s one thing to do some fuckshit when you have 600 million to fall back on. You might be forgiven. You’ll be memed. But forgiven. It’s another thing if your girl is paying your wifi bill. And your Netflix bill. And your electric bill. You have much less of a rope. You’re practically ropeless. And there are A LOT of ropeless niggas out there, and I’d imagine they’re all very mad at Jay Z.

http://verysmartbrothas.com/where-becky-comes-from-and-why-its-not-racist-explained/

Nature vs. Nuture

An excerpt from The New Yorker -

Same but Different

How epigenetics can blur the line between nature and nurture.

BY SIDDHARTHA MUKHERJEE

Why are identical twins alike? In the late nineteen-seventies, a team of scientists in Minnesota set out to determine how much these similarities arose from genes, rather than environments—from “nature,” rather than “nurture.” Scouring thousands of adoption records and news clips, the researchers gleaned a rare cohort of fifty-six identical twins who had been separated at birth. Reared in different families and different cities, often in vastly dissimilar circumstances, these twins shared only their genomes. Yet on tests designed to measure personality, attitudes, temperaments, and anxieties, they converged astonishingly. Social and political attitudes were powerfully correlated: liberals clustered with liberals, and orthodoxy was twinned with orthodoxy. The same went for religiosity (or its absence), even for the ability to be transported by an aesthetic experience. Two brothers, separated by geographic and economic continents, might be brought to tears by the same Chopin nocturne, as if responding to some subtle, common chord struck by their genomes.

One pair of twins both suffered crippling migraines, owned dogs that they had named Toy, married women named Linda, and had sons named James Allan (although one spelled the middle name with a single “l”). Another pair—one brought up Jewish, in Trinidad, and the other Catholic, in Nazi Germany, where he joined the Hitler Youth—wore blue shirts with epaulets and four pockets, and shared peculiar obsessive behaviors, such as flushing the toilet before using it. Both had invented fake sneezes to diffuse tense moments. Two sisters—separated long before the development of language—had invented the same word to describe the way they scrunched up their noses: “squidging.” Another pair confessed that they had been haunted by nightmares of being suffocated by various metallic objects—doorknobs, fishhooks, and the like.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/05/02/breakthroughs-in-epigenetics?mbid=nl_TNY%20Template%20-%20With%20Photo%20(33)&CNDID=27124505&spMailingID=8841059&spUserID=MTE0MzE0NDEyNDUyS0&spJobID=902696804&spReportId=OTAyNjk2ODA0S0

He Lost His Way

This is the story of how Tiger Woods lost his father, and in turn, lost his way.

It's a sad story.

I often wonder why some people blossom and flourish in the face of adversity like divorce or death, and others flounder, never to recover.

Why is that?

From ESPN -

http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/15278522/how-tiger-woods-life-unraveled-years-father-earl-woods-death

Sh*t Still Hitting the Fan

Excerpts from The New York Times - H/T Ben

VW Presentation in ’06 Showed How to Foil Emissions Tests

A PowerPoint presentation was prepared by a top technology executive at Volkswagen in 2006, laying out in detail how the automaker could cheat on emissions tests in the United States.

The presentation has been discovered as part of the continuing investigations into Volkswagen, according to two people who have seen the document and who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the legal action against the company. It provides the most direct link yet to the genesis of the deception at Volkswagen, which admitted late last year that 11 million vehicles worldwide were equipped with software to cheat on tests that measured pollution in emissions.

~~~~~~~~~~

What is now clear is that the current crisis at Volkswagen traces back to the PowerPoint presentation a decade ago.

Volkswagen engineers at the company’s research and development complex in Wolfsburg realized that the emissions equipment in their newest diesel engine would wear out too quickly if it were calibrated to meet American pollution standards. The emissions rules in the United States are more stringent than those in Europe.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/27/business/international/vw-presentation-in-06-showed-how-to-foil-emissions-tests.html?smid=nytcore-iphone-share&smprod=nytcore-iphone&_r=0

GlowBowl - Motion Activated Night Light For Your Toilet

It's available now at Amazon.

Two Guys Met on a Road . . .

An Escape Route

From The Daily Good -

UK Bar Has Exit Strategy for Patrons Suffering Through Bad Tinder Dates

“Your safety and happiness is our highest priority,” reads a sign hanging in the women’s bathroom. “If anyone is bothering you or making you feel uncomfortable please tell us. We will discreetly move them away, and if necessary, ask them to leave.”

https://www.good.is/articles/bar-tinder-bad-date?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailygood

Traffic News

An excerpt from Wired -

Widening Highways Never Fixes Traffic. But Darnit, It Did in Texas

The Texas Department of Transportation repaved the shoulders along both sides of a 6.3-mile stretch of State Highway 161 between Dallas and Fort Worth in September. Then it opened them up to traffic during the daily rush hour, keeping tow trucks on standby in case someone breaks down. Based on figures released this month, with the extra lanes in place, traffic “started sailing,” The Dallas Morning News reported this week.

It isn’t supposed to work that way. The rule of induced demand says widening highways does not ease congestion, and often makes it worse. Transportation officials could see this anomaly as a Texas-sized reason to build more highways—but shouldn’t.

http://www.wired.com/2016/04/widening-highways-never-fixes-traffic-darnit-texas/?mbid=nl_42516

Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back

Quote

From Very Smart Brothas - 

HOW AND WHY I FORGAVE THE FATHER I NEVER HAD

Patti Swayne, 4/21/16

When I became an adult, no matter how begrudgingly, I started to see everything differently. My father, no matter how flawed, is just a man. He is as imperfect as I am. He has made mistakes, and so have I. He has disappointed people, and so have I. He hasn’t lived up to my expectations, and neither have I. But in order to be happy, whole, and open to life’s goodness, we have to accept and love our situations and ourselves exactly as they are before we set out to change them. In understanding that my father is who he is because of his experiences, I was able to forge a relationship from a different perspective. Talking to him about his interests and the happenings of his life became more natural, because I was no longer trying to force the father out of him. I was simply talking to a man about his day, his favorite song of the moment, and what he was going to eat for dinner. And acceptance does not mean that you won’t still be saddened or disappointed by this person, it just means that by engaging with them, you are accepting the risks that come with it. I accepted that this is the father I have; if this is who God gave me, what am I to learn from him?

http://verysmartbrothas.com/how-and-why-i-forgave-the-father-i-never-had/

Omar for President

This will only make sense if you know the fabulous show from HBO, The Wire.

An excerpt from Very Smart Brothas -

FIVE GREAT ALTERNATIVES BLACK AMERICA SHOULD SERIOUSLY CONSIDER FOR PRESIDENT

Michael Harriot, 4/15/16

5. Omar from The Wire

Not the actor Michael K. Williamson, I’m talking about the character Omar Little from HBO’s hit television series. I’m sure some people will say “but he’s a fictional character”—but so is Donald Trump. I’m convinced I’m going to wake up one day and all White America will be laughing at how they convinced us that the orange-haired Hitler could actually become head of State. I’m holding out hope that his candidacy is all an elaborate prank from the producers of Punk’d.

Omar, however, would make a great President, especially if he selected Brother Mouzone as VP. America needs a chief executive who garners global respect. Omar is that man. You think Putin would act like an asshole if O was sitting in the United Nations General Assembly in his trench coat with a do-rag tied tightly over his cornrows? You think Kim Jong Un would continue testing nuclear missiles off the coast of North Korea after President Little called him up on the red phone and whispered “You come at the king, you best not miss”?

Campaign Slogan: Omar Coming!

http://verysmartbrothas.com/five-great-alternatives-black-america-should-seriously-consider-for-president/

You'll Never Look at Laundry the Same Again

Check out this riveting (YES riveting!) look at laundry drying on clotheslines around the world.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-sight/wp/2016/04/22/if-you-live-in-romania-your-laundry-may-be-airing-on-instagram/?hpid=hp_no-name_photo-story-b%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

Quote

From The New York Times -

Beyoncé Unearths Pain and Lets It Flow in ‘Lemonade’

But she’s daring to think beyond herself. The heavy hangover of the piece involves what lots of men have done to lots of women, black women in particular. Between songs, we hear Malcolm X intone that no one has had it rougher than they have. Think about what it takes to make lemonade. You have to split open a lot of citrus, remove the seeds, strain for pulp and add a lot of sugar. It’s a process. Black women are good at lemonade.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/25/arts/music/beyonce-unearths-pain-and-lets-it-flow-in-lemonade.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=photo-spot-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

An Unlikely Voice

An excerpt from the AP - 

'I am here' - Silenced by autism, young man finds his voice

By MARTHA IRVINE

 

Apr. 24, 2016 12:18 AM EDT

Benjamin Alexander cannot speak, but he is determined to be heard. He cannot type without a hand to support his, and yet he writes and writes, his inner voice shouting out his thoughts. He returns repeatedly to the "fiend" that tried to silence him, the autism he sarcastically calls his "gift."

"Who in the hell gave me this gift?" he once wrote. "Please, take it back."

Ben is a junior at Tulane University, an English major with a 3.7 GPA and a computer full of essays, one of them published in a local journal and another on the university's news site. He wants to help educate people about autism and challenge stereotypes. That's not easy because he still needs some assistance when he types, leading some to doubt him over the years.

On a recent evening, Ben's father settles him at the keyboard and rests his hand under his son's arm. He lightly squeezes Ben's forearm, a subtle move that sets him into action. Ben begins to punch the keys with one finger.

http://bigstory.ap.org/urn:publicid:ap.org:34993946f50443cfbc98e7e2b9f0675b

A Hologram for the King Official Trailer #1 (2016)

OK.

Here's the deal.

He wouldn't have a female doctor.

He wouldn't be allowed to see her hair, at all.

He wouldn't be allowed to be in the car with her.  Women are only allowed to be in cars with males that are relatives.

He wouldn't be allowed to be touched by her.

He definitely wouldn't be allowed to be in a relationship with her, at all.

However, if you don't mind putting on your "pretend" cap, only then does this make sense.  If you can do that, then you have a chance of enjoying the story.

Empowerment in Houston

An excerpt from The Huffington Post -

How Artists Are Using Row Houses To Empower Citizens In Houston

How Rick Lowe’s “Project Row Houses” brings art and change to ordinary places and ordinary lives.

In 1993, Lowe was part of a group of artists that bought 22 run-down row houses in Houston’s historically black Third Ward. In the years since, the string of houses has blossomed into an arts community, offering everything from artist residencies to after-school programs to temporary shelter for single mothers. 

“At its core, it’s really just about thinking [of] the social environment as a sculptural form so that we understand some of the everyday, mundane things that happen,” Lowe explained to Art Practical, “from transitional housing for single mothers or education programs or real-estate development — not only from the standpoint of the practical outcomes from these services but also the poetic elements that can be layered into them.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/project-row-houses-houston_us_5717a1f6e4b0060ccda5090a?ir=Black+Voices&section=us_black-voices&utm_hp_ref=black-voices

Bedtime Stories

That speak to the millions of kids who have parents, especially fathers, who are incarcerated.

https://newrepublic.com/article/132808/bedtime-stories-jail?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=New%20Campaign&utm_term=TNR%20Daily%20Newsletter

Vindicated

Frankie, this one's for you.

As most of you know, I have two sons, Ben (34) and Frankie (32).

Although they were born in the same week (September 16 and 10 respectively), under the same astrological sign (if you believe in that stuff), they're as different as night and day.

Growing up, Ben was focused and driven; Frankie was carefree and fun loving.

Ben always did his homework, with projects turned in early.

Frankie's used to say, "Mom, you know I know how to do this.  My teacher knows I know how to do this, so why do I have to do it?"

Yeah, getting Frankie to do his homework was always a struggle.

There was no doubt in my mind that Frankie was innately smarter than Ben, but Ben worked harder, so his grades were better.

In sports, Ben was a fierce competitor, disappointed with every loss, no matter how strong his performance was.  Frankie was equally competitive, but he kept it in perspective.  He'd say, "Mom, the coach is taking this way too seriously."

They played soccer, football, basketball, baseball, and in high school, Frankie wrestled and played rugby.

Ben was neat and Frankie, not so much.

Back then, OK maybe even now, I was the queen of nagging.

I used to ride Ben and Frankie all the time about everything it seems, but I especially got on Frankie about his hair ( that's another message for another day) and his messy room.

His room was in a constant state of disarray, until finally, after hearing me complain enough, he'd clean it.

And I mean he'd really clean it from top to bottom.

In fact, no one cleans and organizes better than Frankie; he just doesn't do it often.

And now, as I sit in my apartment, surrounded by empty boxes (under the pretense of saving them to ship things back to the US), cabinets and drawers pulled out and not returned to their rightful places when I was searching for something, where dust bunnies have found a home and keep adding to their spread, where piles of wind-blown sand are making mini pyramids near the doors and windows, where clothes are hanging on every door instead of returned to the closet, where the floors haven't been swept or mopped in forever, I realize even more that Frankie is just like me.

I, too, am that messy person who is content to live in the mess, until I'm not, who then goes in like a storm, scrubbing, purging, and making it clean again.

The apple truly doesn't fall far from the tree.

So Frankie, for all the times I was on your case, I'm sorry.

Maybe even then, I realized you were just like me, and as I worked overtime in trying to correct your bad habits, I should have used some of that time to fix my own.

Know this.

I love you.

I love your thoughtfulness, your kindness, and your unique way of seeing the world.  I love how you wear your intelligence, not as a badge of honor, but as a tool to better understand those around you.

And most of all, I love the man you have become, mess and all.  I could not be prouder of the husband, father, and man you've grown up to be.

Quote

From The New York Times - 

Prince’s Holy Lust
By TOURÉ

It’s as if Prince introduced himself to us by talking about his dirty mind and how he was all about controversy, and once we got intrigued by him, because he’d told us how much hot sex he was having, then he said, well, now that I’ve got your attention, let me tell you about my lord and savior, Jesus Christ.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/24/opinion/sunday/princes-holy-lust.html?ribbon-ad-idx=15&rref=opinion&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Opinion&pgtype=article

A Moving Tribute

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/goodbye-prince-you-were-the-best-of-us-20160422

Not Quite All

Amazon's same day delivery excludes many predominantly black areas where its needed the most.

~~~~~~~~~~

An excerpt from Bloomberg via Vox -

Amazon Doesn’t Consider the Race of Its Customers. Should It?
By David Ingold and Spencer Soper
April 21, 2016

In six major same-day delivery cities, however, the service area excludes predominantly black ZIP codes to varying degrees, according to a Bloomberg analysis that compared Amazon same-day delivery areas with U.S. Census Bureau data.

In Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and Washington, cities still struggling to overcome generations of racial segregation and economic inequality, black citizens are about half as likely to live in neighborhoods with access to Amazon same-day delivery as white residents.

The disparity in two other big cities is significant, too. In New York City, same-day delivery is available throughout Manhattan, Staten Island, and Brooklyn, but not in the Bronx and some majority-black neighborhoods in Queens. In some cities, Amazon same-day delivery extends many miles into the surrounding suburbs but isn’t available in some ZIP codes within the city limits.

http://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2016-amazon-same-day/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=4/22/16&utm_term=Vox%20Newsletter%20All

http://www.vox.com

Eligible to Vote

From The Washington Post -

Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) will make all ex-felons in Virginia eligible to vote in the upcoming presidential election, part of a years-long effort to restore full voting rights to former convicts.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/04/22/about-200000-convicted-felons-in-virginia-will-now-have-the-right-to-vote-in-november/?hpid=hp_no-name_no-name%3Apage%2Fbreaking-news-bar

Formatting Issues

Sincere apologies for some formatting issues I'm experiencing.

There is USA graphic map that was included in a post a while ago, that is obnoxious and oversized and continues to appear in spite of sincere efforts to delete it.

So, until I figure this out, please excuse the mess.

Prince RIP

Quote

“When Eric Clapton was asked how it felt to be the world’s best guitarist he replied: ‘I don’t know. Ask Prince.’ #RIP”

Put Your Dancing Shoes on Sac!

http://www.californiamusicaltheatre.com/events/motown/

"Keanu" Red Band Trailer - From the Minds of Key & Peele - Uncensored

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/24/movies/with-keanu-key-peele-break-into-feature-films-with-kittens-in-tow.html?hpw&rref=movies&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well