Monday, January 2, 2017
In Spite of
An excerpt from the New Yorker - (Bold is mine)
STARMAN
Neil deGrasse Tyson, the new guide to the “Cosmos.”
By Rebecca Mead
Tyson attended public schools, and was not a distinguished student. He was social, and teachers criticized him for being inattentive. When speaking to other educators, he stresses the importance of reaching not just the A students, who are already likely to succeed, but the B students, who might succeed if they were more deeply engaged by their teachers. He is on the board of the Harlem Educational Activities Fund, which seeks to offer such encouragement to students in public schools. Calvin Sims, a former chairman of the fund, says, “To have someone in Neil’s position talking about these great ideas, and to do it in a humorous and animated way—and to have someone who looks like them do that—I think means the world.” Not long ago, Tyson’s elementary school, P.S. 81, invited him to give a commencement address; he declined. He recalls telling the administrators, “I am where I am not because of what happened in school but in spite of it, and that is probably not what you want me to say. Call me back, and I will address your teachers and give them a piece of my mind.”
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/02/17/starman
STARMAN
Neil deGrasse Tyson, the new guide to the “Cosmos.”
By Rebecca Mead
Tyson attended public schools, and was not a distinguished student. He was social, and teachers criticized him for being inattentive. When speaking to other educators, he stresses the importance of reaching not just the A students, who are already likely to succeed, but the B students, who might succeed if they were more deeply engaged by their teachers. He is on the board of the Harlem Educational Activities Fund, which seeks to offer such encouragement to students in public schools. Calvin Sims, a former chairman of the fund, says, “To have someone in Neil’s position talking about these great ideas, and to do it in a humorous and animated way—and to have someone who looks like them do that—I think means the world.” Not long ago, Tyson’s elementary school, P.S. 81, invited him to give a commencement address; he declined. He recalls telling the administrators, “I am where I am not because of what happened in school but in spite of it, and that is probably not what you want me to say. Call me back, and I will address your teachers and give them a piece of my mind.”
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/02/17/starman
A Better Name?
From the Los Angeles Times -
Hollywood sign altered to read 'Hollyweed'
By Laura Nelson
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-hollywood-sign-hollyweed-20170101-htmlstory.html
Hollywood sign altered to read 'Hollyweed'
By Laura Nelson
 |
| Los Angeles residents awoke New Year's Day to find a prankster had altered the famed Hollywood sign to read "HOLLYWeeD." (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press) |
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-hollywood-sign-hollyweed-20170101-htmlstory.html
Check Out the Prizes . . . Geez Louise!
From the Huffington Post -
Top 10 Gadgets of the Last 50 Years
By Stewart Wolpin
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stewart-wolpin/top-10-gadgets-of-the-las_b_13924614.html?ir=Technology&utm_hp_ref=technology
Top 10 Gadgets of the Last 50 Years
By Stewart Wolpin
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stewart-wolpin/top-10-gadgets-of-the-las_b_13924614.html?ir=Technology&utm_hp_ref=technology
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Humanitarian of the year is building futures
Apologies if this is a repeat. Worth another look even if it is.
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Ingenuity on Display
An excerpt from the New Yorker -
MY PRISON CELL: LEARNING TO HEAR ON A CARDBOARD PIANO
By Demetrius Cunningham
On my bottom bunk bed, I sat in deep thought. I had an unusual problem. The prison choir that I sang in needed a piano player, and they needed one quickly. I thought to myself, How could I teach myself to play? I had no prior experience with the piano, but I can still remember running down the hallways of my grandmother’s house as a boy. Every time I ran past her old upright piano, I would slam all the keys at the same time. Sometimes in the mornings before school, as I listened to cassette tapes of my favorite R. & B. and gospel songs by Mary J. Blige and John P. Kee, I imagined myself playing the piano. I sang in the church choir from the age of seven on. In the sixth grade, I learned to play the xylophone. I had an uncle who played piano professionally at Las Vegas casinos and on cruise ships. When he came to visit, I sat in awe as he played our upright. Music has been my constant companion. It’s like my DNA has tiny quarter notes infused into it.
One day while I was watching TV in my cell, I flipped past a show on BET that highlighted famous musicians, including the gospel singer Andrae Crouch, who described his first piano. It was made out of cardboard. I had an idea that was literally out of the box.
The first moment I could, I searched for a cardboard box. I wandered by cells, examining the garbage. I rummaged through every trash bag I could find. I soon realized that it was tissue day. Every Tuesday, the institution hands out hundreds of rolls of tissue, one roll per inmate. I knew that there would be plenty of cardboard boxes around. I found a large empty box abandoned at the end of the gallery. I tore off the top flaps and quickly went back to my cell.
http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/my-cell-learning-to-hear-on-a-cardboard-piano
MY PRISON CELL: LEARNING TO HEAR ON A CARDBOARD PIANO
By Demetrius Cunningham
On my bottom bunk bed, I sat in deep thought. I had an unusual problem. The prison choir that I sang in needed a piano player, and they needed one quickly. I thought to myself, How could I teach myself to play? I had no prior experience with the piano, but I can still remember running down the hallways of my grandmother’s house as a boy. Every time I ran past her old upright piano, I would slam all the keys at the same time. Sometimes in the mornings before school, as I listened to cassette tapes of my favorite R. & B. and gospel songs by Mary J. Blige and John P. Kee, I imagined myself playing the piano. I sang in the church choir from the age of seven on. In the sixth grade, I learned to play the xylophone. I had an uncle who played piano professionally at Las Vegas casinos and on cruise ships. When he came to visit, I sat in awe as he played our upright. Music has been my constant companion. It’s like my DNA has tiny quarter notes infused into it.
One day while I was watching TV in my cell, I flipped past a show on BET that highlighted famous musicians, including the gospel singer Andrae Crouch, who described his first piano. It was made out of cardboard. I had an idea that was literally out of the box.
The first moment I could, I searched for a cardboard box. I wandered by cells, examining the garbage. I rummaged through every trash bag I could find. I soon realized that it was tissue day. Every Tuesday, the institution hands out hundreds of rolls of tissue, one roll per inmate. I knew that there would be plenty of cardboard boxes around. I found a large empty box abandoned at the end of the gallery. I tore off the top flaps and quickly went back to my cell.
http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/my-cell-learning-to-hear-on-a-cardboard-piano
2016 in Pictures
From the Washington Post -
Here are the best photos of 2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/here-are-the-best-photos-of-2016/2016/12/22/b8bf6cd4-c13d-11e6-9a51-cd56ea1c2bb7_gallery.html?hpid=hp_no-name_photo-story-b-2%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.4a87616515cc
Here are the best photos of 2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/here-are-the-best-photos-of-2016/2016/12/22/b8bf6cd4-c13d-11e6-9a51-cd56ea1c2bb7_gallery.html?hpid=hp_no-name_photo-story-b-2%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.4a87616515cc
The Irony of It All
An excerpt from the Mercury News -
Bay Area stalled in a wireless traffic jam
By LOUIS HANSEN
Silicon Valley, capital of high-tech and hub of innovation, is stalled in a wireless traffic jam of its own making. Increasing demand for data — driven by the products made by Bay Area tech companies – and lagging infrastructure coupled with intense local politics have helped create the dropped calls, frozen videos and blank web pages on our screens.
Industry analytics company RootMetrics ranks San Jose at 49 and San Francisco at 58 out of 125 metropolitan areas in quality of mobile network service. That puts the Bay Area ahead of Santa Rosa (122) but lagging far behind Modesto and Sacramento (7 and 8).
http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/12/30/bay-area-stalled-in-a-wireless-traffic-jam/
Bay Area stalled in a wireless traffic jam
By LOUIS HANSEN
Silicon Valley, capital of high-tech and hub of innovation, is stalled in a wireless traffic jam of its own making. Increasing demand for data — driven by the products made by Bay Area tech companies – and lagging infrastructure coupled with intense local politics have helped create the dropped calls, frozen videos and blank web pages on our screens.
Industry analytics company RootMetrics ranks San Jose at 49 and San Francisco at 58 out of 125 metropolitan areas in quality of mobile network service. That puts the Bay Area ahead of Santa Rosa (122) but lagging far behind Modesto and Sacramento (7 and 8).
http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/12/30/bay-area-stalled-in-a-wireless-traffic-jam/
Friday, December 30, 2016
Camel Beauty Contest Crowns a Winner
From the National -
http://www.thenational.ae/uae/heritage/winners-of-camel-beauty-contest-at-al-dhafra-festival-crowned#5
 |
| The winners of this year’s camel beauty contest at the Al Dhafra Festival in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi have been crowned. Wam |
http://www.thenational.ae/uae/heritage/winners-of-camel-beauty-contest-at-al-dhafra-festival-crowned#5
Before the Holocaust
From the New York Times -
Germany Grapples With Its African Genocide
By NORIMITSU ONISHI
WATERBERG, Namibia — In this faraway corner of southern Africa, scores of German soldiers lie in a military cemetery, their names, dates and details engraved on separate polished tombstones.
Easily missed is a single small plaque on the cemetery wall that gives a nod in German to the African “warriors” who died in the fighting as well. Nameless, they are among the tens of thousands of Africans killed in what historians have long considered — and what the German government is now close to recognizing — as the 20th century’s first genocide.
A century after losing its colonial possessions in Africa, Germany and its former colony, Namibia, are now engaged in intense negotiations to put an end to one of the ugliest chapters of Europe’s past in Africa.
During German rule in Namibia, called South-West Africa back then, colonial officers studying eugenics developed ideas on racial purity, and their forces tried to exterminate two rebellious ethnic groups, the Herero and Nama, some of them in concentration camps.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/29/world/africa/germany-genocide-namibia-holocaust.html
Germany Grapples With Its African Genocide
By NORIMITSU ONISHI
WATERBERG, Namibia — In this faraway corner of southern Africa, scores of German soldiers lie in a military cemetery, their names, dates and details engraved on separate polished tombstones.
Easily missed is a single small plaque on the cemetery wall that gives a nod in German to the African “warriors” who died in the fighting as well. Nameless, they are among the tens of thousands of Africans killed in what historians have long considered — and what the German government is now close to recognizing — as the 20th century’s first genocide.
A century after losing its colonial possessions in Africa, Germany and its former colony, Namibia, are now engaged in intense negotiations to put an end to one of the ugliest chapters of Europe’s past in Africa.
During German rule in Namibia, called South-West Africa back then, colonial officers studying eugenics developed ideas on racial purity, and their forces tried to exterminate two rebellious ethnic groups, the Herero and Nama, some of them in concentration camps.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/29/world/africa/germany-genocide-namibia-holocaust.html
This Breathalyzer Can Do So Much More!
From LiveScience -
One Breath Into This Breathalyzer Can Diagnose 17 Diseases
By Laura Geggel, Senior Writer
A single breath into a newfangled breathalyzer is all doctors need to diagnose 17 different diseases, including lung cancer, irritable bowel syndrome and multiple sclerosis, a new study found.
Researchers invited about 1,400 people from five different countries to breathe into the device, which is still in its testing phases. The breathalyzer could identify each person's disease with 86 percent accuracy, the researchers said.
http://www.livescience.com/57345-breathalyzer-detects-17-different-diseases.html
One Breath Into This Breathalyzer Can Diagnose 17 Diseases
By Laura Geggel, Senior Writer
A single breath into a newfangled breathalyzer is all doctors need to diagnose 17 different diseases, including lung cancer, irritable bowel syndrome and multiple sclerosis, a new study found.
Researchers invited about 1,400 people from five different countries to breathe into the device, which is still in its testing phases. The breathalyzer could identify each person's disease with 86 percent accuracy, the researchers said.
http://www.livescience.com/57345-breathalyzer-detects-17-different-diseases.html
Shopping Trends
From Vox -
Check out the charts in this article. Really interesting.
At what age do people stop shopping at Ikea?
Updated by Zachary Crockett
http://www.vox.com/culture/2016/12/30/14114306/ikea-shopping
Check out the charts in this article. Really interesting.
At what age do people stop shopping at Ikea?
Updated by Zachary Crockett
http://www.vox.com/culture/2016/12/30/14114306/ikea-shopping
Prison Routines
An excerpt from the New Yorker -
Below is an introduction to the story that follows.
In February, Jennifer Lackey, a philosophy professor at Northwestern University, where I teach journalism, invited me to speak to a class she teaches at the Stateville Correctional Center, a maximum-security prison an hour outside of Chicago. Her students, fifteen men, are all serving long sentences, mostly for violent crimes. Some will be at Stateville until they die. I talked with the students about storytelling, and had them complete an exercise in which they described their cells.
I was so taken by what they wrote that I suggested that they develop these stories about the space, which, for some, had been home for twenty years. Over the past ten months, I have worked with them from draft to draft to draft. This process was not without obstacles. Sometimes, Jennifer couldn’t return my marked-up drafts because the prison was on lockdown. One student missed class for a month because, after surgery, he had to wear a knee brace, which the prison considered a potential weapon. Another student was transferred to a different prison. (I continued working with him by mail and phone.) One despaired at my comments and edits, writing to me that “this must be my last draft because clearly I’m incapable of doing it correctly.” But with encouragement and gentle nudging they kept going. Below is one of five of these stories that will appear on the site this week.
—Alex Kotlowitz
MY PRISON CELL: A PLACE KEPT COMPULSIVELY CLEAN
By Ramon Delgado
It’s not uncommon for me to receive a compliment from other inmates who take notice of how neat and organized I keep my cell. I love cleaning. Maybe a little too much.
I’ve been cleaning practically all my life. My mother demanded it from us. I can remember the day my mother put a mop in my hands. I was just six years old. We were living on the second floor, in the back end of a four-unit apartment building. There were five of us in a two-bedroom apartment. While my mother was showing me how to hold the mop handle—one hand at the top of the mop stick and the other in the middle—and how to maneuver it across the floor, my older brother and younger sister were each busy with a small rag in their hands, wiping dust off the few pieces of furniture we owned. This is how we cleaned our house every Saturday morning. So I come by my compulsion honestly.
http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/my-prison-cell-a-place-kept-compulsively-clean
Below is an introduction to the story that follows.
In February, Jennifer Lackey, a philosophy professor at Northwestern University, where I teach journalism, invited me to speak to a class she teaches at the Stateville Correctional Center, a maximum-security prison an hour outside of Chicago. Her students, fifteen men, are all serving long sentences, mostly for violent crimes. Some will be at Stateville until they die. I talked with the students about storytelling, and had them complete an exercise in which they described their cells.
I was so taken by what they wrote that I suggested that they develop these stories about the space, which, for some, had been home for twenty years. Over the past ten months, I have worked with them from draft to draft to draft. This process was not without obstacles. Sometimes, Jennifer couldn’t return my marked-up drafts because the prison was on lockdown. One student missed class for a month because, after surgery, he had to wear a knee brace, which the prison considered a potential weapon. Another student was transferred to a different prison. (I continued working with him by mail and phone.) One despaired at my comments and edits, writing to me that “this must be my last draft because clearly I’m incapable of doing it correctly.” But with encouragement and gentle nudging they kept going. Below is one of five of these stories that will appear on the site this week.
—Alex Kotlowitz
MY PRISON CELL: A PLACE KEPT COMPULSIVELY CLEAN
By Ramon Delgado
It’s not uncommon for me to receive a compliment from other inmates who take notice of how neat and organized I keep my cell. I love cleaning. Maybe a little too much.
I’ve been cleaning practically all my life. My mother demanded it from us. I can remember the day my mother put a mop in my hands. I was just six years old. We were living on the second floor, in the back end of a four-unit apartment building. There were five of us in a two-bedroom apartment. While my mother was showing me how to hold the mop handle—one hand at the top of the mop stick and the other in the middle—and how to maneuver it across the floor, my older brother and younger sister were each busy with a small rag in their hands, wiping dust off the few pieces of furniture we owned. This is how we cleaned our house every Saturday morning. So I come by my compulsion honestly.
http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/my-prison-cell-a-place-kept-compulsively-clean
Thursday, December 29, 2016
A Surprising Benefit of DNA Testing
An excerpt from the Washinton Post -
To bring a divided country together, start with a little spit
By Susan Svrluga
Anita Foeman’s students had just gotten the results from their genetic tests, and they couldn’t wait to talk.
One said her dad cheered when she told him she has Zulu roots. A girl with curly red hair said her family always gathers around a Nativity scene on Christmas Eve and sings carols over the baby Jesus, and this year, after learning that she’s 1 percent Jewish, she said: “We’re going to sing the dreidel song!”
When a white student said that 1 percent of his ancestry was African, two black students sitting next to him gave him a fist bump and said: “Yes! Brother.”
“Some people have never had a happy conversation about race,” Foeman said. But in her class at West Chester University, there’s laughter. Eagerness. And easy connections where there might have been chasms. “Our differences are fascinating,” she said.
At a time when tensions over race and politics are so raw, the stakes, Foeman said, seem particularly high. Her students have been talking all fall about riots, building walls, terrorist attacks, immigration, the election. “You can feel it buzzing around the halls like electricity,” Foeman said.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/12/24/to-bring-a-divided-country-together-start-with-a-little-spit/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_dnatesting-830pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.73ef2f745961
To bring a divided country together, start with a little spit
By Susan Svrluga
Anita Foeman’s students had just gotten the results from their genetic tests, and they couldn’t wait to talk.
One said her dad cheered when she told him she has Zulu roots. A girl with curly red hair said her family always gathers around a Nativity scene on Christmas Eve and sings carols over the baby Jesus, and this year, after learning that she’s 1 percent Jewish, she said: “We’re going to sing the dreidel song!”
When a white student said that 1 percent of his ancestry was African, two black students sitting next to him gave him a fist bump and said: “Yes! Brother.”
“Some people have never had a happy conversation about race,” Foeman said. But in her class at West Chester University, there’s laughter. Eagerness. And easy connections where there might have been chasms. “Our differences are fascinating,” she said.
At a time when tensions over race and politics are so raw, the stakes, Foeman said, seem particularly high. Her students have been talking all fall about riots, building walls, terrorist attacks, immigration, the election. “You can feel it buzzing around the halls like electricity,” Foeman said.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/12/24/to-bring-a-divided-country-together-start-with-a-little-spit/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_dnatesting-830pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.73ef2f745961
My Kinda Momma
From Buzzfeed -
A Mom Put A Message For Her Teen Son On A Vodka Bottle If He Ever Tried To Drink It
People are applauding Cheryl’s “extra” parenting methods.
By Tanya Chen
https://www.buzzfeed.com/tanyachen/drink-this-n-cheryl-will-whoop-ya-ass?utm_term=.didLLgzWK#.pg800YKjz
A Mom Put A Message For Her Teen Son On A Vodka Bottle If He Ever Tried To Drink It
People are applauding Cheryl’s “extra” parenting methods.
By Tanya Chen
https://www.buzzfeed.com/tanyachen/drink-this-n-cheryl-will-whoop-ya-ass?utm_term=.didLLgzWK#.pg800YKjz
Priceless Tips
From the New York Times -
11 Ways to Be a Better Person in 2017
By ANYA STRZEMIEN
My favorite - #3
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/28/style/ways-to-be-a-better-person-in-2017.html?action=click&contentCollection=fashion®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=sectionfront
11 Ways to Be a Better Person in 2017
By ANYA STRZEMIEN
My favorite - #3
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/28/style/ways-to-be-a-better-person-in-2017.html?action=click&contentCollection=fashion®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=sectionfront
Very Black Things
From Vulture -
29 Very Black Things That Happened on TV in 2016
By Dee Lockett
http://www.vulture.com/2016/12/29-very-black-things-that-happened-on-tv-in-2016.html
29 Very Black Things That Happened on TV in 2016
By Dee Lockett
http://www.vulture.com/2016/12/29-very-black-things-that-happened-on-tv-in-2016.html
Patterns Galore
An excerpt from Phys.org -
Love of sewing patterns leads to world-class collection
by Jennifer Mcdermott
If a costume designer wanted to recreate a World War I era wraparound dress, a 1940s zoot suit or even a bodice from 1875, the sewing patterns are in Rhode Island.
The University of Rhode Island has the largest known collection of sewing patterns in the world, according to the collection's curator, Joy Spanabel Emery, and the United States Institute for Theatre Technology.
About 50,000 are on paper and 62,000 are in an electronic database. They're at the university because of Emery's love of patterns.
Emery donated her personal collection of patterns and periodicals to the university years ago and has painstakingly sorted through the donations sent there as word spread about the growing repository. Three more boxes full just arrived to be added to the overflowing filing cabinets.
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-12-patterns-world-class.html#jCp
Love of sewing patterns leads to world-class collection
by Jennifer Mcdermott
If a costume designer wanted to recreate a World War I era wraparound dress, a 1940s zoot suit or even a bodice from 1875, the sewing patterns are in Rhode Island.
The University of Rhode Island has the largest known collection of sewing patterns in the world, according to the collection's curator, Joy Spanabel Emery, and the United States Institute for Theatre Technology.
About 50,000 are on paper and 62,000 are in an electronic database. They're at the university because of Emery's love of patterns.
Emery donated her personal collection of patterns and periodicals to the university years ago and has painstakingly sorted through the donations sent there as word spread about the growing repository. Three more boxes full just arrived to be added to the overflowing filing cabinets.
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-12-patterns-world-class.html#jCp
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Black on Ice
An excerpt from the Undefeated -
FLYERS’ WAYNE SIMMONDS IS TRYING TO ADD SOME COLOR TO HOCKEY
He’s having his best season ever, and he wants more than NHL fans to know that
BY DARYL BELL
Philadelphia Flyers right winger Wayne Simmonds is on a mission to change hockey’s appearance.
Enjoying arguably his greatest season ever, Simmonds wants to be revered as more than a player. He wants to be thought of as a role model, and he believes he’s on his way to becoming one.
An African-Canadian, Simmonds is an oddity. According to the National Hockey League, only 16 players of African descent have played in a game this season.
“I’m playing the game I love,” he said. “For me, I’m just trying to set an example for kids who are like me, who have been in my situation. They can look up to me as an example. If I can make it, they can make it, too. When I was a young kid, I looked up at people as inspiration. Willie O’Ree was the first African [-Canadian] to play. He was my goal.”
Simmonds knows his history and is aware that he’s earning a lofty place in NHL lore. He’s playing well enough to earn an All-Star team berth. His quiet but confident play and demeanor stands out on the rink. It also stands out away from the arena.
A bachelor millionaire, Simmonds can arguably walk through any black neighborhood with his uniform on and not be recognized. By contrast, because of his hockey notoriety, he would need a police escort to trek through a white enclave dressed in a suit.
http://theundefeated.com/features/flyers-wayne-simmonds-is-trying-to-add-some-color-to-hockey/
FLYERS’ WAYNE SIMMONDS IS TRYING TO ADD SOME COLOR TO HOCKEY
He’s having his best season ever, and he wants more than NHL fans to know that
BY DARYL BELL
Philadelphia Flyers right winger Wayne Simmonds is on a mission to change hockey’s appearance.
Enjoying arguably his greatest season ever, Simmonds wants to be revered as more than a player. He wants to be thought of as a role model, and he believes he’s on his way to becoming one.
An African-Canadian, Simmonds is an oddity. According to the National Hockey League, only 16 players of African descent have played in a game this season.
“I’m playing the game I love,” he said. “For me, I’m just trying to set an example for kids who are like me, who have been in my situation. They can look up to me as an example. If I can make it, they can make it, too. When I was a young kid, I looked up at people as inspiration. Willie O’Ree was the first African [-Canadian] to play. He was my goal.”
Simmonds knows his history and is aware that he’s earning a lofty place in NHL lore. He’s playing well enough to earn an All-Star team berth. His quiet but confident play and demeanor stands out on the rink. It also stands out away from the arena.
A bachelor millionaire, Simmonds can arguably walk through any black neighborhood with his uniform on and not be recognized. By contrast, because of his hockey notoriety, he would need a police escort to trek through a white enclave dressed in a suit.
http://theundefeated.com/features/flyers-wayne-simmonds-is-trying-to-add-some-color-to-hockey/
Keratin
As a black woman who wears her hair straight, I was used to using products geared for women of color. However, when I lived in the Middle East, I was forced to try something different. When I went to my local salon and asked about a perm, they had no idea what I was talking about, and recommended I get a Keratin Hair Treatment instead.
I've always been game to try new things, so I thought, "What the heck."
Long story short, I got the Keratin and have been using this for the past five years.
When I first started out getting the treatment, the formula was really strong, resulting in face masks for everyone in the place.
Thankfully, they have steadily improved on it and now there is very little odor. I still made sure the room was well ventilated, but it wasn't a big deal at all.
The reason I'm writing about this is two-fold.
First, to introduce folks to it who might not have considered this as an alternative to straightening their hair.
And second, to let you know this is something you can do at home.
Truth be told, now that I'm back in the US, I knew the local black salons wouldn't provide the service, and I wasn't interested in searching to find someplace else. Nor was I interested in paying the enormous fees that are usually charged for the service. I've always been comfortable taking care of my hair, including giving myself perms and regularly coloring it, so I researched and found the product on Amazon and did it myself for the first time three week ago.
I was thrilled with the result.
In a nutshell, here's how it works.
1) Wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo that strips your hair of any product. Your hair will feel rough.
2) Blow dry it thoroughly.
3) Apply the Keratin Hair Treatment to tiny sections of your hair, using a small-tooth comb to make sure it's on every strand. Leave on for about 30 minutes.
4) Do Not Wash Out.
5) Blow dry it thoroughly.
6) Flat iron hair.
7) Wait until the next day to wash it. I use a Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner that helps to prolong the treatment.
That's it.
If you're still a little queasy about doing this, check out this video.
I've always been game to try new things, so I thought, "What the heck."
Long story short, I got the Keratin and have been using this for the past five years.
When I first started out getting the treatment, the formula was really strong, resulting in face masks for everyone in the place.
Thankfully, they have steadily improved on it and now there is very little odor. I still made sure the room was well ventilated, but it wasn't a big deal at all.
The reason I'm writing about this is two-fold.
First, to introduce folks to it who might not have considered this as an alternative to straightening their hair.
And second, to let you know this is something you can do at home.
Truth be told, now that I'm back in the US, I knew the local black salons wouldn't provide the service, and I wasn't interested in searching to find someplace else. Nor was I interested in paying the enormous fees that are usually charged for the service. I've always been comfortable taking care of my hair, including giving myself perms and regularly coloring it, so I researched and found the product on Amazon and did it myself for the first time three week ago.
I was thrilled with the result.
In a nutshell, here's how it works.
1) Wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo that strips your hair of any product. Your hair will feel rough.
2) Blow dry it thoroughly.
3) Apply the Keratin Hair Treatment to tiny sections of your hair, using a small-tooth comb to make sure it's on every strand. Leave on for about 30 minutes.
4) Do Not Wash Out.
5) Blow dry it thoroughly.
6) Flat iron hair.
7) Wait until the next day to wash it. I use a Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner that helps to prolong the treatment.
That's it.
If you're still a little queasy about doing this, check out this video.
Here are the products I used:
Once the application is complete, it lasts about six months. I can walk in the rain, fog, and other damp weather conditions without my hair curling up. My hair feels healthy and strong.
I wash it; blow dry it and flat iron it and I'm able to wake up with my hair ready to go until it's time to wash it again.
As I've said many times before, I should have been in sales because when I find something that I like, I want the world to know about it.
Here's hoping you find this useful.
 |
| This is the shampoo I used, along with the Keratin Hair Treatment and comb. A regular small-tooth comb works just as well. |
 |
| This is the shampoo & conditioner I use. |
Once the application is complete, it lasts about six months. I can walk in the rain, fog, and other damp weather conditions without my hair curling up. My hair feels healthy and strong.
I wash it; blow dry it and flat iron it and I'm able to wake up with my hair ready to go until it's time to wash it again.
As I've said many times before, I should have been in sales because when I find something that I like, I want the world to know about it.
Here's hoping you find this useful.
These Maps Tell the Story
From the New York Times -
‘Duck Dynasty’ vs. ‘Modern Family’:
50 Maps of the U.S. Cultural Divide
By JOSH KATZ
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/26/upshot/duck-dynasty-vs-modern-family-television-maps.html?_r=0
‘Duck Dynasty’ vs. ‘Modern Family’:
50 Maps of the U.S. Cultural Divide
By JOSH KATZ
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/26/upshot/duck-dynasty-vs-modern-family-television-maps.html?_r=0
I'm Making an Exception
I don't usually post anything about Trump, but today I'm making an exception.
From CNN -
A giant rooster figure, sporting a Donald Trump hairstyle, has popped up outside a shopping mall in downtown Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/28/asia/donald-trump-rooster/index.html
From CNN -
A giant rooster figure, sporting a Donald Trump hairstyle, has popped up outside a shopping mall in downtown Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/28/asia/donald-trump-rooster/index.html
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Sistas!
An excerpt from the New York Times -
An App to Help Black Women With Hair Care
By CRYSTAL MARTIN
Ms. Thompson and her longtime friend Jennifer Lambert introduced their app to digitize the hair salon vetting process for black and Hispanic women, a group largely ignored by the beauty app craze.
“Sometimes you get lucky with your 11 hours of Yelp research, but we’re trying to streamline that process,” Ms. Lambert said.
Swivel users select a desired service and indicate their hair type. The services list includes traditionally black hairstyles — cornrows, twist-outs, Bantu knots, silk press — and addresses hair types like curly, kinky and transitioning from relaxed hair to natural. Based on that information and the user’s location (Swivel is available only in New York City at the moment), the app offers a list of salons selected for their skill and service level. Either Ms. Lambert or Ms. Thompson has visited each of the salons on the app.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/26/fashion/black-hair-care-app-swivel.html
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/swivel-beauty/id1114706145?mt=8
An App to Help Black Women With Hair Care
By CRYSTAL MARTIN
Ms. Thompson and her longtime friend Jennifer Lambert introduced their app to digitize the hair salon vetting process for black and Hispanic women, a group largely ignored by the beauty app craze.
“Sometimes you get lucky with your 11 hours of Yelp research, but we’re trying to streamline that process,” Ms. Lambert said.
Swivel users select a desired service and indicate their hair type. The services list includes traditionally black hairstyles — cornrows, twist-outs, Bantu knots, silk press — and addresses hair types like curly, kinky and transitioning from relaxed hair to natural. Based on that information and the user’s location (Swivel is available only in New York City at the moment), the app offers a list of salons selected for their skill and service level. Either Ms. Lambert or Ms. Thompson has visited each of the salons on the app.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/26/fashion/black-hair-care-app-swivel.html
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/swivel-beauty/id1114706145?mt=8
Monday, December 26, 2016
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Saturday, December 24, 2016
One of My Favorite Quotes
“When someone shows you who they are believe them; the first time.”
― Maya Angelou
― Maya Angelou
Friday, December 23, 2016
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Stephon Marbury: Beijing's Favorite Athlete
See also -
http://theundefeated.com/features/stephon-marbury-re-made-in-china/
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Taking It To the Streets
From KQED -
Teaching Computer Programming Through Making in Oakland’s Fruitvale
By Queena Sook Kim
Making computer programming a part of the K-13 curriculum is becoming a rallying call in the United States. But just because you teach a subject doesn’t mean you get kids interested in it. So the real challenge is how to get kids, who might not necessarily be into computers, to pursue a career in coding?
Google and MIT’s Media Lab are trying to answer that question at Code Next, an after-school program located in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland. Coding programs put on by tech companies are often in a Google office or held at a local school. But Code Next is a storefront space in a shopping center next to the Fruitvale BART Station. The idea is to capture high school students from this working-class neighborhood.
https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2016/12/21/teaching-computer-programing-through-making-in-oaklands-fruitvale/
Teaching Computer Programming Through Making in Oakland’s Fruitvale
By Queena Sook Kim
Making computer programming a part of the K-13 curriculum is becoming a rallying call in the United States. But just because you teach a subject doesn’t mean you get kids interested in it. So the real challenge is how to get kids, who might not necessarily be into computers, to pursue a career in coding?
Google and MIT’s Media Lab are trying to answer that question at Code Next, an after-school program located in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland. Coding programs put on by tech companies are often in a Google office or held at a local school. But Code Next is a storefront space in a shopping center next to the Fruitvale BART Station. The idea is to capture high school students from this working-class neighborhood.
https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2016/12/21/teaching-computer-programing-through-making-in-oaklands-fruitvale/
From Russia With . . . Say What?
From the Root -
From Russia With Blackness: Terrell J. Starr, Black America’s Russian Translator
Starr is an expert on Russian and Eastern European politics, and he has a few warnings for us.
By Jason Johnson
Terrell J. Starr has been Columbused by many in the mainstream media in the last several weeks. As the Russian hack on the 2016 election and President-elect Donald Trump’s relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin dominate the headlines, outlets are looking for a fresh take on Russian politics and American vulnerabilities.
Terrell J. Starr—tall, black, lanky, with a Detroit accent, and who is just as likely to lay out facts in Russian as he is to compare Putin to Marlo Stansfield from The Wire—has stepped into the gap.
He may not “look” like your typical Russian/Eastern European political expert, but with a Fulbright scholarship and degrees in journalism and ethnic conflict, Terrell J. Starr just might be black Generation X’s best chance to understand what is happening in this postelection Trump/Putin world.
http://www.theroot.com/articles/politics/2016/12/from-russia-with-blackness-terrell-j-starr-black-americas-russian-translator/
From Russia With Blackness: Terrell J. Starr, Black America’s Russian Translator
Starr is an expert on Russian and Eastern European politics, and he has a few warnings for us.
By Jason Johnson
Terrell J. Starr has been Columbused by many in the mainstream media in the last several weeks. As the Russian hack on the 2016 election and President-elect Donald Trump’s relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin dominate the headlines, outlets are looking for a fresh take on Russian politics and American vulnerabilities.
Terrell J. Starr—tall, black, lanky, with a Detroit accent, and who is just as likely to lay out facts in Russian as he is to compare Putin to Marlo Stansfield from The Wire—has stepped into the gap.
He may not “look” like your typical Russian/Eastern European political expert, but with a Fulbright scholarship and degrees in journalism and ethnic conflict, Terrell J. Starr just might be black Generation X’s best chance to understand what is happening in this postelection Trump/Putin world.
http://www.theroot.com/articles/politics/2016/12/from-russia-with-blackness-terrell-j-starr-black-americas-russian-translator/
Rewarding Ingenuity
From the Washington Post -
How Ford turned thousands of employees into inventors
By Steven Overly
To jump-start its inventive culture, the company implemented a number of internal initiatives, from altering its financial incentives for inventors to creating companywide innovation challenges. The efforts appear to be paying off. As of Tuesday, Ford is poised to have more U.S. utility patents granted this year than any other automaker, according to agency data.
These patents include a flying drone that acts as a lookout for your self-driving car. A filter that purifies air conditioner condensation into drinkable water. And, more recently, an electric wheelchair that loads itself into the car.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2016/12/14/how-ford-turned-thousands-of-employees-into-inventors/?utm_term=.e9fd16cdb1ce&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1
How Ford turned thousands of employees into inventors
By Steven Overly
To jump-start its inventive culture, the company implemented a number of internal initiatives, from altering its financial incentives for inventors to creating companywide innovation challenges. The efforts appear to be paying off. As of Tuesday, Ford is poised to have more U.S. utility patents granted this year than any other automaker, according to agency data.
These patents include a flying drone that acts as a lookout for your self-driving car. A filter that purifies air conditioner condensation into drinkable water. And, more recently, an electric wheelchair that loads itself into the car.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2016/12/14/how-ford-turned-thousands-of-employees-into-inventors/?utm_term=.e9fd16cdb1ce&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1
Books! Books! Books!
From the Undefeated -
NEW BEGINNINGS: THE FRESHEST BOOKS OF 2016
Sports, fiction, nonfiction, poetry and children’s lit — 59 soulful books to rock your world
By Tierra R. Wilkins
http://theundefeated.com/features/new-beginnings-the-freshest-books-of-2016/
NEW BEGINNINGS: THE FRESHEST BOOKS OF 2016
Sports, fiction, nonfiction, poetry and children’s lit — 59 soulful books to rock your world
By Tierra R. Wilkins
http://theundefeated.com/features/new-beginnings-the-freshest-books-of-2016/
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Cleared to Help
From the Washington Post -
A black doctor barred from helping on a flight gets an apology — and triggers a policy change
By Carolyn Y. Johnson
In October, physician Tamika Cross took a Delta Air Lines flight home from the wedding of a childhood friend. A man fell ill and a call went out for medical help. But when Cross tried to come to his aid, a flight attendant dismissed the young, black doctor. "We are looking for actual physicians or nurses," the flight attendant said, according to Cross. The story, shared via Facebook, triggered thousands of comments, and an outpouring of stories from minorities and women who had faced skepticism from people who didn't think they looked like doctors.
Now, Cross's experience has helped trigger changes in Delta policy. As of Dec. 1, the airline has stopped requiring medical professionals to furnish credentials before assisting passengers.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/12/20/a-black-doctor-barred-from-helping-on-a-flight-gets-an-apology-and-triggers-a-policy-change/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_doctorflight-0450pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.ea0fa3b8e4dd
A black doctor barred from helping on a flight gets an apology — and triggers a policy change
By Carolyn Y. Johnson
In October, physician Tamika Cross took a Delta Air Lines flight home from the wedding of a childhood friend. A man fell ill and a call went out for medical help. But when Cross tried to come to his aid, a flight attendant dismissed the young, black doctor. "We are looking for actual physicians or nurses," the flight attendant said, according to Cross. The story, shared via Facebook, triggered thousands of comments, and an outpouring of stories from minorities and women who had faced skepticism from people who didn't think they looked like doctors.
Now, Cross's experience has helped trigger changes in Delta policy. As of Dec. 1, the airline has stopped requiring medical professionals to furnish credentials before assisting passengers.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/12/20/a-black-doctor-barred-from-helping-on-a-flight-gets-an-apology-and-triggers-a-policy-change/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_doctorflight-0450pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.ea0fa3b8e4dd
Monday, December 19, 2016
Color in Hollywood
From the New York Times -
What It’s Really Like to Work in Hollywood*
(*If you’re not a straight white man.)
The statistics are unequivocal: Women and minorities are vastly underrepresented in front of and behind the camera. Here, 27 industry players reveal the stories behind the numbers — their personal experiences of not feeling seen, heard or accepted, and how they pushed forward. In Hollywood, exclusion goes far beyond #OscarsSoWhite. (Interviews have been edited and condensed.)
By MELENA RYZIK
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/02/24/arts/hollywood-diversity-inclusion.html
What It’s Really Like to Work in Hollywood*
(*If you’re not a straight white man.)
The statistics are unequivocal: Women and minorities are vastly underrepresented in front of and behind the camera. Here, 27 industry players reveal the stories behind the numbers — their personal experiences of not feeling seen, heard or accepted, and how they pushed forward. In Hollywood, exclusion goes far beyond #OscarsSoWhite. (Interviews have been edited and condensed.)
By MELENA RYZIK
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/02/24/arts/hollywood-diversity-inclusion.html
Homemade Butter | How To Make Butter Using A Kilner Butter Churner
Available for purchase at the Grommet and Amazon.
So True
From Vulture -
The 10 Essentials of Any Hallmark Christmas Movie
By Brian Moylan
http://www.vulture.com/2016/12/hallmark-christmas-movie-essentials.html
The 10 Essentials of Any Hallmark Christmas Movie
By Brian Moylan
http://www.vulture.com/2016/12/hallmark-christmas-movie-essentials.html
Celebrating Stevie Wonder
From Slate -
Love’s in Need of Love Today
Introducing Wonder Week, a toast to Stevie’s greatness—and a reminder to appreciate the artists who inspire you, while they’re still around to hear it.
By Jack Hamilton
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/wonder_week/2016/12/introducing_wonder_week_slate_s_celebration_of_stevie_wonder_and_all_the.html
~~~~~~~~~~
WONDER WEEK
The Greatest Creative Run in the History of Popular Music
It’s Stevie Wonder’s “classic period.”
By Jack Hamilton
https://redux.slate.com/cover_story/2016/12/the-greatest-creative-run-in-the-history-of-pop-music.html
Love’s in Need of Love Today
Introducing Wonder Week, a toast to Stevie’s greatness—and a reminder to appreciate the artists who inspire you, while they’re still around to hear it.
By Jack Hamilton
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/wonder_week/2016/12/introducing_wonder_week_slate_s_celebration_of_stevie_wonder_and_all_the.html
~~~~~~~~~~
WONDER WEEK
The Greatest Creative Run in the History of Popular Music
It’s Stevie Wonder’s “classic period.”
By Jack Hamilton
https://redux.slate.com/cover_story/2016/12/the-greatest-creative-run-in-the-history-of-pop-music.html
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Serena
From the Undefeated -
http://media.video-cdn.espn.com/motion/2016/1215/dm_161215_UNDEFEATED_SUNDAY_SERENA/dm_161215_UNDEFEATED_SUNDAY_SERENA.m3u8
http://media.video-cdn.espn.com/motion/2016/1215/dm_161215_UNDEFEATED_SUNDAY_SERENA/dm_161215_UNDEFEATED_SUNDAY_SERENA.m3u8
Great Kitchen Gadgets Under $50
http://www.businessinsider.com/innovative-kitchen-gadgets-cook-gifts-chefs-2016-12
Greater Challenges
An excerpt from the Washington Post -
He’s going home for Christmas. But most people at his prestigious college have no idea what he’s facing there.
By Valerie Strauss
Here is a new, personal and moving piece by Wood that reflects not only his own experiences but that of millions of other students who come from impoverished backgrounds.
By Zachary Wood
On Thanksgiving Day, my uncle, who’s 48, asked me if I could help him find a job. My dad, who works late hours to ensure that I attend college, was at work, so I was the only one around who could assist him.
While we worked together, he kneeled on the floor and I sat on the pile of luggage that had formed in the living room as my family gathered for the holiday.
He didn’t have a résumé, or email, and he didn’t know how to use a computer to fill out online job applications. So we had to start from square one. We began by looking at job descriptions online. For many of the jobs, I had to read the descriptions aloud to him because he couldn’t read some of the vocabulary. After looking through 43 job postings, we narrowed the pool down to a list of 10.
But before we applied, I had to set up his email account and show him how to use it.
After setting up email for him, we began working on his resume. He had never used Microsoft Word before and did not know what a resume should consist of, so the process was tedious. I figured the best way to proceed would be for me to ask him questions about previous experiences and qualifications. As he described each of his previous jobs and credentials, I tried to organize them into coherent sections. After editing what I’d written, he read over it and we began filling out job applications.
As an African-American college student from a poor family, I frequently have to help my family navigate tasks that students from upper-income backgrounds don’t need to explain to their families. But I’m not the only one.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/12/17/hes-going-home-for-christmas-but-most-people-at-his-prestigious-college-have-no-idea-what-hes-facing-there/?utm_term=.5a8e55fa4342&wpisrc=nl_most-draw7&wpmm=1
He’s going home for Christmas. But most people at his prestigious college have no idea what he’s facing there.
By Valerie Strauss
Here is a new, personal and moving piece by Wood that reflects not only his own experiences but that of millions of other students who come from impoverished backgrounds.
By Zachary Wood
On Thanksgiving Day, my uncle, who’s 48, asked me if I could help him find a job. My dad, who works late hours to ensure that I attend college, was at work, so I was the only one around who could assist him.
While we worked together, he kneeled on the floor and I sat on the pile of luggage that had formed in the living room as my family gathered for the holiday.
He didn’t have a résumé, or email, and he didn’t know how to use a computer to fill out online job applications. So we had to start from square one. We began by looking at job descriptions online. For many of the jobs, I had to read the descriptions aloud to him because he couldn’t read some of the vocabulary. After looking through 43 job postings, we narrowed the pool down to a list of 10.
But before we applied, I had to set up his email account and show him how to use it.
After setting up email for him, we began working on his resume. He had never used Microsoft Word before and did not know what a resume should consist of, so the process was tedious. I figured the best way to proceed would be for me to ask him questions about previous experiences and qualifications. As he described each of his previous jobs and credentials, I tried to organize them into coherent sections. After editing what I’d written, he read over it and we began filling out job applications.
As an African-American college student from a poor family, I frequently have to help my family navigate tasks that students from upper-income backgrounds don’t need to explain to their families. But I’m not the only one.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/12/17/hes-going-home-for-christmas-but-most-people-at-his-prestigious-college-have-no-idea-what-hes-facing-there/?utm_term=.5a8e55fa4342&wpisrc=nl_most-draw7&wpmm=1
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Friday, December 16, 2016
Lost History
From the Undefeated -
This doctor’s prescription for the game changed tennis
Dr. Robert ‘Whirlwind’ Johnson helped shape the careers of tennis greats Arthur Ashe, Althea Gibson and others
BY KELLEY D. EVANS
http://theundefeated.com/features/this-doctors-prescription-for-the-game-changed-tennis/
This doctor’s prescription for the game changed tennis
Dr. Robert ‘Whirlwind’ Johnson helped shape the careers of tennis greats Arthur Ashe, Althea Gibson and others
BY KELLEY D. EVANS
http://theundefeated.com/features/this-doctors-prescription-for-the-game-changed-tennis/
Christmas Lights Anyone?
From Thrillist -
https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/best-outdoor-christmas-light-displays-set-to-music
https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/best-outdoor-christmas-light-displays-set-to-music
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Farewell President Obama
From the Root -
(Sorry. Had trouble embedding the video. If it doesn't work, click the link below).
http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2016/12/watch-our-favorite-celebrities-bid-farewell-to-president-barack-obama/
Catching the Moon read by Kevin Costner and Jillian Estell
http://www.storylineonline.net/catching-the-moon-the-story-of-a-young-girls-baseball-dream/
Worth the Read
From the Washington Post -
A student asked Ken Burns what to do in Trump’s America. He gave her this advice.
By Alyssa Rosenberg
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2016/12/15/a-student-asked-ken-burns-what-to-do-in-trumps-america-he-gave-her-this-advice/?utm_term=.6678338aea64&wpisrc=nl_most-draw7&wpmm=1
A student asked Ken Burns what to do in Trump’s America. He gave her this advice.
By Alyssa Rosenberg
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2016/12/15/a-student-asked-ken-burns-what-to-do-in-trumps-america-he-gave-her-this-advice/?utm_term=.6678338aea64&wpisrc=nl_most-draw7&wpmm=1
Smart Solution
An excerpt from Upworthy -
Sweden has a weird but awesome problem: They're running out of trash.
Garbage is a perennial problem, but Sweden's found a way to put their garbage to work.
By James Gaines
Sweden built 32 waste-to-energy plants that burn garbage, providing heat and electricity to surrounding towns. According to the Swedish government, the plants heat about 810,000 homes and provide electricity to 250,000 more. That must be nice, considering Sweden can get pretty chilly during the winter.
But at the same time, Sweden's also really good at keeping things out of the trash in the first place. They just straight-up recycle about half their stuff. There are special trucks that pick up used electronics, and even the stuff sent to the plants get sorted first.
http://www.upworthy.com/sweden-has-a-weird-but-awesome-problem-theyre-running-out-of-trash?c=upw1&u=6861cbea6edfdfe5a709ee39ad3c14b64135e61f
Sweden has a weird but awesome problem: They're running out of trash.
Garbage is a perennial problem, but Sweden's found a way to put their garbage to work.
By James Gaines
Sweden built 32 waste-to-energy plants that burn garbage, providing heat and electricity to surrounding towns. According to the Swedish government, the plants heat about 810,000 homes and provide electricity to 250,000 more. That must be nice, considering Sweden can get pretty chilly during the winter.
But at the same time, Sweden's also really good at keeping things out of the trash in the first place. They just straight-up recycle about half their stuff. There are special trucks that pick up used electronics, and even the stuff sent to the plants get sorted first.
http://www.upworthy.com/sweden-has-a-weird-but-awesome-problem-theyre-running-out-of-trash?c=upw1&u=6861cbea6edfdfe5a709ee39ad3c14b64135e61f
The War on Drugs = Failure
From Salon -
WATCH: Colombia’s president condemns war on drugs
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos receives Nobel Peace Prize and uses speech to condemn U.S.-led war on drugs
By PETER COOPER AND CHARLIE MAY
http://www.salon.com/2016/12/15/watch-colombias-president-condemns-war-on-drugs/
WATCH: Colombia’s president condemns war on drugs
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos receives Nobel Peace Prize and uses speech to condemn U.S.-led war on drugs
By PETER COOPER AND CHARLIE MAY
http://www.salon.com/2016/12/15/watch-colombias-president-condemns-war-on-drugs/
Shonda's Masterclass
An excerpt from Entertainment Weekly -
Shonda Rhimes wants to teach you how to be a television writer — exclusive
The 'Scandal' creator discusses her upcoming MasterClass course
BY DEREK LAWRENCE
For $90, Rhimes will take students through more than five hours of lessons, teaching them how to craft a script, sell a pilot, and run a writers’ room. Ahead of the announcement, EW chatted with Rhimes about what to expect from her course, why this is such a great time to be a television writer, and whom she wants to take a MasterClass from.
http://www.ew.com/article/2016/12/15/shonda-rhimes-masterclass-course?iid=sr-link1
Shonda Rhimes wants to teach you how to be a television writer — exclusive
The 'Scandal' creator discusses her upcoming MasterClass course
BY DEREK LAWRENCE
For $90, Rhimes will take students through more than five hours of lessons, teaching them how to craft a script, sell a pilot, and run a writers’ room. Ahead of the announcement, EW chatted with Rhimes about what to expect from her course, why this is such a great time to be a television writer, and whom she wants to take a MasterClass from.
http://www.ew.com/article/2016/12/15/shonda-rhimes-masterclass-course?iid=sr-link1
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Keurig for Wine!
An excerpt from Reviewed -
There is now a Keurig for wine, and it's actually making 2016 great again
By Lee Neikirk
While the $1,200 price is—ironically—hard cheese to swallow, with flacons (the machine's version of Keurig K-cups) starting as low as $6, it might just pay for itself in a quality-of-glass to quantity-per-flacon ratio. But you'd better drink a lot of wine just to be sure.
Sadly the D-Vine is not available stateside yet, but it recently launched in Singapore, which is also a rough description of what everyone is doing there right now. But we shiraz heck hope it launches in the US soon. Dionysus, have mercy!
~~~~~~~~~~
And from the International CES (Consumer Electrics Show) this demo:
There is now a Keurig for wine, and it's actually making 2016 great again
By Lee Neikirk
While the $1,200 price is—ironically—hard cheese to swallow, with flacons (the machine's version of Keurig K-cups) starting as low as $6, it might just pay for itself in a quality-of-glass to quantity-per-flacon ratio. But you'd better drink a lot of wine just to be sure.
Sadly the D-Vine is not available stateside yet, but it recently launched in Singapore, which is also a rough description of what everyone is doing there right now. But we shiraz heck hope it launches in the US soon. Dionysus, have mercy!
~~~~~~~~~~
And from the International CES (Consumer Electrics Show) this demo:
Bailando en Cuba (Dancing in Cuba)
From The Undefeated -
MISTY COPELAND EN POINTE
America’s most famous prima ballerina heads to Cuba to represent female athleticism. (Yes, athleticism.)
BY KELLEY L. CARTER
http://theundefeated.com/features/misty-copeland-in-cuba-en-pointe/
MISTY COPELAND EN POINTE
America’s most famous prima ballerina heads to Cuba to represent female athleticism. (Yes, athleticism.)
BY KELLEY L. CARTER
http://theundefeated.com/features/misty-copeland-in-cuba-en-pointe/
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
He Chose . . .
Rick Perry for Secretary of Energy.
~~~~~~~~~~
From the Daily Beast -
But in recent years, the trend has been to appoint a Secretary of Energy with real technical expertise. President Bush appointed Samuel Bodman, who had a distinguished career as an MIT-trained chemical engineer before making a fortune in the private sector. President Obama upped the ante, appointing Berkeley’s Steven Chu and MIT’s Ernest Moniz to the position. Both are physicists. Chu has a Nobel Prize. By contrast, Perry took four chemistry courses and got two Cs, a D and an F. He got a C in physics. And a D in something called “Meat.”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/12/13/rick-perry-will-really-run-the-department-of-nukes-not-energy.html
~~~~~~~~~~
From the Daily Beast -
But in recent years, the trend has been to appoint a Secretary of Energy with real technical expertise. President Bush appointed Samuel Bodman, who had a distinguished career as an MIT-trained chemical engineer before making a fortune in the private sector. President Obama upped the ante, appointing Berkeley’s Steven Chu and MIT’s Ernest Moniz to the position. Both are physicists. Chu has a Nobel Prize. By contrast, Perry took four chemistry courses and got two Cs, a D and an F. He got a C in physics. And a D in something called “Meat.”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/12/13/rick-perry-will-really-run-the-department-of-nukes-not-energy.html
Before you pull in to that burger joint . . .
Check this out.
http://flowingdata.com/2016/12/12/calories-in-fast-food-menu-items/
http://flowingdata.com/2016/12/12/calories-in-fast-food-menu-items/
Why a Great Teacher Quit
An excerpt from Wired & Quanta Magazine -
A Great Science Teacher Quit Because US Schools Are Broken
By Thomas Lin
Comer does anything and everything, including videos, songs (she has students clap and chant: “S-C-I-E-N-C-E, scientists is what we’ll be! Solve. Create. Investigate. Evaluate. Notice. Classify. Experiment!”), kinesthetic movements (on this morning, she calls students up to act out how molecules behave), physical models (students roll little balls of Play-Doh to model molecular characteristics) and analytical reading to “ensure that every kid gets some point of access based on their level.” Throughout her lessons she interrogates students with reflexive urgency: “What’s your evidence? I need to know,” followed by the kicker, “How do you know?” Then come hands-on experiments to reinforce meaning and evoke wonder.
Why do master math and science teachers, who are passionate about their content area and about developing their craft, who are creative, smart and engaging, and who adore their students—why do they quit teaching? Some have given all they can; they’re burned out from thinking and worrying about their students seven days a week, and from battling with school officials over resources, scheduling, a shortage of support, and an abundance of rigidity. Often these talented, driven individuals are lured away by career options that offer greater professional stature and higher pay. And some are just so naturally adventurous that they were always bound to move on. For Comer, it was all of the above.
https://www.wired.com/2016/12/master-science-teacher-got-away/?mbid=nl_121316_p2&CNDID=
A Great Science Teacher Quit Because US Schools Are Broken
By Thomas Lin
Comer does anything and everything, including videos, songs (she has students clap and chant: “S-C-I-E-N-C-E, scientists is what we’ll be! Solve. Create. Investigate. Evaluate. Notice. Classify. Experiment!”), kinesthetic movements (on this morning, she calls students up to act out how molecules behave), physical models (students roll little balls of Play-Doh to model molecular characteristics) and analytical reading to “ensure that every kid gets some point of access based on their level.” Throughout her lessons she interrogates students with reflexive urgency: “What’s your evidence? I need to know,” followed by the kicker, “How do you know?” Then come hands-on experiments to reinforce meaning and evoke wonder.
Why do master math and science teachers, who are passionate about their content area and about developing their craft, who are creative, smart and engaging, and who adore their students—why do they quit teaching? Some have given all they can; they’re burned out from thinking and worrying about their students seven days a week, and from battling with school officials over resources, scheduling, a shortage of support, and an abundance of rigidity. Often these talented, driven individuals are lured away by career options that offer greater professional stature and higher pay. And some are just so naturally adventurous that they were always bound to move on. For Comer, it was all of the above.
https://www.wired.com/2016/12/master-science-teacher-got-away/?mbid=nl_121316_p2&CNDID=
They Don't Play
An excerpt from the Washington Post -
A Saudi woman tweeted a photo of herself without a hijab. Police have arrested her.
By Samantha Schmidt
The Saudi woman was going out for breakfast when she decided to make a statement. Violating the country’s moral codes, she reportedly stepped out in public wearing a multicolored dress, a black jacket and ankle boots — without a hijab or abaya, a loosefitting garment.
Late last month, she tweeted a photo of her outfit, and the post circulated through Saudi Arabia, drawing death threats and demands to imprison or even execute the woman.
On Monday, police in the country’s capital of Riyadh said they had arrested the woman, following their duty to monitor “violations of general morals,” a spokesman, Fawaz al-Maiman, said, AFP reported. The woman, who is in her 20s, was imprisoned after posting the tweet of herself standing next to a popular Riyadh cafe, he said.
He also accused her of “speaking openly about prohibited relations” with unrelated men, according to AFP.
“Riyadh police stress that the action of this woman violates the laws applied in this country,” Maiman said, urging the public to “adhere to the teachings of Islam.” Saudi women are expected to wear headscarves and loosefitting garments such as an abaya when in public.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/12/13/a-saudi-woman-tweeted-a-photo-of-herself-without-a-hijab-police-have-now-arrested-her/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_mm-saudiwoman-1235pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.6c55dd26178c
A Saudi woman tweeted a photo of herself without a hijab. Police have arrested her.
By Samantha Schmidt
 |
| Twitter - A Saudi woman went out yesterday without an Abaya or a hijab in Riyadh Saudi Arabia and many Saudis are now demanding her execution. |
The Saudi woman was going out for breakfast when she decided to make a statement. Violating the country’s moral codes, she reportedly stepped out in public wearing a multicolored dress, a black jacket and ankle boots — without a hijab or abaya, a loosefitting garment.
Late last month, she tweeted a photo of her outfit, and the post circulated through Saudi Arabia, drawing death threats and demands to imprison or even execute the woman.
On Monday, police in the country’s capital of Riyadh said they had arrested the woman, following their duty to monitor “violations of general morals,” a spokesman, Fawaz al-Maiman, said, AFP reported. The woman, who is in her 20s, was imprisoned after posting the tweet of herself standing next to a popular Riyadh cafe, he said.
He also accused her of “speaking openly about prohibited relations” with unrelated men, according to AFP.
“Riyadh police stress that the action of this woman violates the laws applied in this country,” Maiman said, urging the public to “adhere to the teachings of Islam.” Saudi women are expected to wear headscarves and loosefitting garments such as an abaya when in public.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/12/13/a-saudi-woman-tweeted-a-photo-of-herself-without-a-hijab-police-have-now-arrested-her/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_mm-saudiwoman-1235pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.6c55dd26178c
Monday, December 12, 2016
Not Funny
An excerpt from Now I Know -
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Homeless Students
An excerpt from KQED -
Homeless U: How Students Study and Survive on the Streets
By Laura Klivans & Carrie Feibel
To study and survive at the same time, she must answer the same questions over and over. Can she afford dinner tonight? Will she be able to sit next to the secret outlet in the BART car so she can charge her phone? Can she get a job that still allows her to go to class and keep her grades up? These are just some of the challenges Jones and other homeless college students face in California.
https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2016/12/08/homeless-u-homework-without-a-home/
Homeless U: How Students Study and Survive on the Streets
By Laura Klivans & Carrie Feibel
To study and survive at the same time, she must answer the same questions over and over. Can she afford dinner tonight? Will she be able to sit next to the secret outlet in the BART car so she can charge her phone? Can she get a job that still allows her to go to class and keep her grades up? These are just some of the challenges Jones and other homeless college students face in California.
https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2016/12/08/homeless-u-homework-without-a-home/
Call to Prayer Controversy
An excerpt from the Washington Post -
Israel wants mosques to turn the volume way down
By William Booth and Ruth Eglash
JERUSALEM — When the call to prayer begins in the Palestinian neighborhoods here, the Muslim faithful hear a song beautiful and sublime. Hour by hour, five times a day, it is the soundtrack of their lives. And it stirs deep emotions.
Across the walls, across the lines that separate Arabs from Jews, the Muslims’ call to prayer means something very different.
The Jews hear noise, they say. And worse.
During periods of heightened violence, when the Jews who live near Palestinians hear the Arabs proclaim that “God is great!” in a broadcast that travels far from the mosque’s loudspeakers, they say they do not think of God.
They hear a threat.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/israel-wants-mosques-to-turn-the-volume-way-down/2016/12/11/8631e9b0-b538-11e6-939c-91749443c5e5_story.html?utm_term=.04a9ab4ef5d1&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1
~~~~~~~~~~
I loved hearing the call to prayer. It was very soothing and reverential. It was foreign to me, but I didn't perceive it as being intrusive.
The issue here is so much more than these simple prayers recited throughout the day.
Israel wants mosques to turn the volume way down
By William Booth and Ruth Eglash
JERUSALEM — When the call to prayer begins in the Palestinian neighborhoods here, the Muslim faithful hear a song beautiful and sublime. Hour by hour, five times a day, it is the soundtrack of their lives. And it stirs deep emotions.
Across the walls, across the lines that separate Arabs from Jews, the Muslims’ call to prayer means something very different.
The Jews hear noise, they say. And worse.
During periods of heightened violence, when the Jews who live near Palestinians hear the Arabs proclaim that “God is great!” in a broadcast that travels far from the mosque’s loudspeakers, they say they do not think of God.
They hear a threat.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/israel-wants-mosques-to-turn-the-volume-way-down/2016/12/11/8631e9b0-b538-11e6-939c-91749443c5e5_story.html?utm_term=.04a9ab4ef5d1&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1
~~~~~~~~~~
I loved hearing the call to prayer. It was very soothing and reverential. It was foreign to me, but I didn't perceive it as being intrusive.
The issue here is so much more than these simple prayers recited throughout the day.
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Brought Back Memories
An excerpt from the New Yorker -
SHOPGIRLS in Saudi Arabia
The art of selling lingerie.
By Katherine Zoepf
One morning in Riyadh, I was with a female photographer from the States and a male Saudi translator at Granada Center, another shopping mall. We were preparing to interview managers at a supermarket that had recently begun hiring women, and we’d stopped to buy breakfast at a Krispy Kreme stand. In the food court’s family section, frosted-glass partitions separate women and their male escorts from the section for single men. (Customers who don’t find this arrangement private enough sit at tables inside the family section, which are entirely surrounded by frosted-glass partitions.) We’d chosen a table next to windows overlooking a parking lot fringed by desiccated palm trees. I had spilled half a cup of coffee down the front of my abaya, and had shaken off my head scarf for a moment to dry myself with a wad of paper napkins. Our translator suddenly stopped talking, and I looked up to see two young men with long, untidy beards hovering over our table. They wore white thobe robes above their ankles, several inches shorter than is typical, and red-and-white checked ghutra headdresses without bands of black cord—styles favored by deeply religious Muslims and meant to indicate a rejection of vanity. They appeared to be in their early twenties, and it took me a moment to recognize them as members of the religious police. Our translator stood up. “If you could cover your hair,” he murmured, without looking at me.
The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the Saudi government group responsible for enforcing Sharia, is known as the Hai’a (the Arabic word means “committee”). Six years ago, Hai’a members were ordered to stop carrying canes, and they can no longer publicly strike miscreants, but they can detain and humiliate people and shut down businesses. Although the committee technically does not allow individual members to decide whether something is an affront to Sharia, they usually act as they see fit.
More than four thousand members of the Hai’a patrol in public places, making sure, among other things, that all women and girls past puberty are properly covered, and that men and women who are spotted together are either spouses or close relatives. We had violated both of these rules. The Hai’a men took our translator a few paces away and began rebuking him. He returned to our table to say that the men had asked for our passports. “You may need to call your embassy,” he whispered.
About twenty minutes later, the Hai’a men returned our passports, but took our translator away. As he was led out of the food court, I noticed other shoppers sneaking glances at us. A few of them had an expression that I recognized from elementary school—the sly, intent look of children enjoying the spectacle of schoolmates being disciplined by a teacher. An hour later, after our translator was released, he told us that he’d been taken to the Hai’a members’ S.U.V., and made to sign a “confession.” He laughed off our concern—forced confessions are something that young Saudi men take in stride.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/12/23/shopgirls
~~~~~~~~~~
As expats living in the UAE, we were not required to cover our hair.
SHOPGIRLS in Saudi Arabia
The art of selling lingerie.
By Katherine Zoepf
One morning in Riyadh, I was with a female photographer from the States and a male Saudi translator at Granada Center, another shopping mall. We were preparing to interview managers at a supermarket that had recently begun hiring women, and we’d stopped to buy breakfast at a Krispy Kreme stand. In the food court’s family section, frosted-glass partitions separate women and their male escorts from the section for single men. (Customers who don’t find this arrangement private enough sit at tables inside the family section, which are entirely surrounded by frosted-glass partitions.) We’d chosen a table next to windows overlooking a parking lot fringed by desiccated palm trees. I had spilled half a cup of coffee down the front of my abaya, and had shaken off my head scarf for a moment to dry myself with a wad of paper napkins. Our translator suddenly stopped talking, and I looked up to see two young men with long, untidy beards hovering over our table. They wore white thobe robes above their ankles, several inches shorter than is typical, and red-and-white checked ghutra headdresses without bands of black cord—styles favored by deeply religious Muslims and meant to indicate a rejection of vanity. They appeared to be in their early twenties, and it took me a moment to recognize them as members of the religious police. Our translator stood up. “If you could cover your hair,” he murmured, without looking at me.
The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the Saudi government group responsible for enforcing Sharia, is known as the Hai’a (the Arabic word means “committee”). Six years ago, Hai’a members were ordered to stop carrying canes, and they can no longer publicly strike miscreants, but they can detain and humiliate people and shut down businesses. Although the committee technically does not allow individual members to decide whether something is an affront to Sharia, they usually act as they see fit.
More than four thousand members of the Hai’a patrol in public places, making sure, among other things, that all women and girls past puberty are properly covered, and that men and women who are spotted together are either spouses or close relatives. We had violated both of these rules. The Hai’a men took our translator a few paces away and began rebuking him. He returned to our table to say that the men had asked for our passports. “You may need to call your embassy,” he whispered.
About twenty minutes later, the Hai’a men returned our passports, but took our translator away. As he was led out of the food court, I noticed other shoppers sneaking glances at us. A few of them had an expression that I recognized from elementary school—the sly, intent look of children enjoying the spectacle of schoolmates being disciplined by a teacher. An hour later, after our translator was released, he told us that he’d been taken to the Hai’a members’ S.U.V., and made to sign a “confession.” He laughed off our concern—forced confessions are something that young Saudi men take in stride.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/12/23/shopgirls
~~~~~~~~~~
As expats living in the UAE, we were not required to cover our hair.
International Number Ones
From Stumbleupon -
World Map Reveals What Different Countries Are Best At
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2rRrhr/:IZEHddkX:mWGShWS4/www.boredpanda.com/international-number-ones-statistics-world-map-2016
World Map Reveals What Different Countries Are Best At
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2rRrhr/:IZEHddkX:mWGShWS4/www.boredpanda.com/international-number-ones-statistics-world-map-2016
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