Mama Has Spoken

From Rolling Stone -

How to Stop Shaquille O'Neal: His Mother
Hall of Famer's feud with Golden State Warrirors center JaVale McGee comes to an end
By Scott Rafferty

Golden State Warriors center JaVale McGee and hall of famer Shaquille O'Neal have never been on the friendliest of terms. After becoming the poster child for O'Neal's "Shaqtin' a Fool" – a segment in which he mocks NBA players for their mistakes made on the court – McGee criticized the former Lakers and Heat star in 2016 for making basketball fans think he's a "dumb person." McGee then took it a step further by comparing O'Neal to Bert Williams, a comedian who performed in blackface in the early 1900s, after O'Neal made fun of his hair earlier this season.

~~~~~~~~~~

"I have orders from the top to leave it alone," O'Neal told The Undefeated. "No, [not NBA commissioner Adam Silver]. My mama. Just say Shaq's mom, called him, told him, 'Stop this silliness. Leave him alone.' So that's the end of the beef. You won't be hearing about it from my side anymore. Mama has spoken."

http://www.rollingstone.com/sports/shaqs-mom-tells-him-to-leave-javale-mcgee-alone-w469422

Swearing Explained

From the BBC -

Why do people swear?
By David Edmonds

But back to the conundrum. If writing F with asterisks alleviates the offence of the full word why should this be? Roache says swearing is best viewed as a breach of etiquette. It is a little like putting your shoes on a table when you are the guest in someone's house. If you know it would offend, and do it anyway, you are guilty of showing insufficient respect.

"It doesn't matter that it's a swear word. Imagine meeting someone who has a fear of crisps, and who finds references to crisps traumatic. If you carry on talking about crisps in their presence, even after discovering about their phobia, you are sending a signal that you don't respect them, you don't have any concern for their feelings."

Using the F-with-asterisks version acknowledges that we are taking the feelings of others into account. By censoring the word we show respect. It's a view shared by Oliver Kamm, who endorses his newspaper's policy on asterisking swear words. Readers cannot help, he says, finding the full word "involuntarily off-putting".

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-39082467

Denzel Washington's audience get involved - The Graham Norton Show: 2017...

Following Harriet

From the New York Times -

Harriet Tubman’s Path to Freedom
By RON STODGHILL

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/02/24/travel/underground-railroad-slavery-harriet-tubman-byway-maryland.html

Mary's Room: A philosophical thought experiment - Eleanor Nelsen

They Want Him Too

From the Daily Mail -

Obama for French president? Petition calls for former U.S. commander in chief to run for office in France

The French are set to elect a new president in April.

But those who are unhappy with the current candidates are making a last ditch attempt to recruit another contender - Barack Obama.

The Obama17 petition is currently circulating with the aim of gathering 1 million signatures to convince the former U.S. president to run for office in France.

About 500 posters of Obama's face have been plastered across Paris in recent days, urging people to visit the petition website.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4260676/Petition-calls-Barack-Obama-president-France.html#ixzz4ZpoaxGiT

My Curiosity Won

I went to see the horror movie, "Get Out."

I loved it!

As I've mentioned before, horror is not my genre.  It's the one I'm sure to decline.

But . . .

The guy who wrote and directed this is smart, the reviews were great, and I wanted to see for myself what all the fuss was about.

It did not disappoint.

Highly recommended.

Not a Gamer, But . . .

If you are, you might check out this article form the New York Times -

A Fresh Narrative in Gaming
By JUSTIN PORTER

The game pulls no punches in depicting Lincoln’s violent nature, and it does the same in showing players what it meant to be a black man in the Jim-Crow-era South. Some shopkeepers refuse you service and call you names. Several police cars hunt you down if you commit a crime in a white, middle-class neighborhood. Do the same in a predominantly black neighborhood and one car will show up, if that. No matter where Lincoln is, the police are watching. He fights racist organizations, casual bias and the prejudice of friends.

As the game was developed, police shootings of black men rose, the Black Lives Matter movement was born, and the development team realized they’d created a game that talked about race in ways that sometimes bridged the gap of history.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/25/us/a-fresh-narrative-in-gaming.html?emc=edit_rr_20170225&nl=race-related&nlid=38867499&te=1

A Storyboard Artist

From the New York Times -

My Path to Hollywood
The storyboard artist for “Fences” talks diversity and visual storytelling in the film industry.
By WARREN DRUMMOND

Warren Drummond working on “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” in 2010. Betty K. Bynum

As a storyboard artist, my job is to visually tell a director’s concept of a film scene, frame by frame. I draw the close-ups, medium shots, and wide shots. I have drawn Stallone hanging from a helicopter on “The Escape Plan”; the always cool Samuel L. Jackson running, shooting and fighting in the “Shaft” reboot; Russell Crowe seeing imaginary friends and foes in “A Beautiful Mind”; and drawn hyper-intelligent chimpanzees in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/25/us/my-path-to-hollywood.html?emc=edit_rr_20170225&nl=race-related&nlid=38867499&te=1&_r=0

Wishing Him the Best

From the Undefeated -

DEMARCUS COUSINS SHARES WHY THE SACRAMENTO KINGS’ TRADE DECISION WAS SO HURTFUL
The league firecracker opens up about the trade’s emotional aftermath and his plans to move forward with the New Orleans Pelicans
BY MARC J. SPEARS

https://theundefeated.com/features/demarcus-cousins-sacramento-kings-trade/

It Matters

From the Washington Post -

Bradford Young, Oscar firsts and why inclusive film crews matter
By Ann Hornaday

Bradford Young is nominated for a cinematography Academy Award for his work on “Arrival.”
(Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/bradford-young-oscar-firsts-and-why-inclusive-film-crews-matter/2017/02/23/bf5aeed4-f9db-11e6-be05-1a3817ac21a5_story.html?utm_term=.2e467ad3b1bc&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1

The Value in Questioning

From the New York Times -

The Power of ‘Why?’ and ‘What If?’
By WARREN BERGER

Recently I had a conversation with a chief executive who expressed concern about several of her senior managers. They were smart, experienced, competent. So what was the problem? “They’re not asking enough questions,” she said.

This wouldn’t have been a bad thing in the business world of a few years ago, where the rules for success were: Know your job, do your work, and if a problem arises, solve it and don’t bother us with a lot of questions.

But increasingly I’m finding that business leaders want the people working around them to be more curious, more cognizant of what they don’t know, and more inquisitive — about everything, including “Why am I doing my job the way I do it?” and “How might our company find new opportunities?”

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/03/jobs/the-power-of-why-and-what-if.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share&_r=0

Why You Need Me

From Chef's Feed -

I'M A BLACK FOOD WRITER. HERE'S WHY WE NEED MORE LIKE ME.
By Stephen Satterfield

A common part of the black experience is once you’ve reached any level of authority, it is often met with skepticism or surprise. Black chefs know this well: we must validate our presence, where others exist unquestioned. And what does it mean to be a black food writer? It means that you’ll never just be a food writer, you’ll be a black food writer. It will come up lots of times, maybe not every time, but in lots of ways, the way race does in just about every other facet of our lives.

People make all kinds of assumptions about food writers, but fundamentally, that they are academic, learned, polished. I am academic, learned, polished. But when people construct this image, they don’t see a black person, because, when they look around in real life, there are not that many black people writing about food. It then becomes even more important that I do — if only so those who feel unwelcome in this space see someone who looks like them and are compelled to go forth.

https://www.chefsfeed.com/stories/591-i-m-a-black-food-writer-here-s-why-we-need-more-like-me

It Can Feel Like a Horror Show

From Slate -

Get Out
Jordan Peele’s first feature film is an instant comedy-horror classic about the hilarious nightmare that is existing while black.
By Aisha Harris

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/2017/02/get_out_jordan_peele_s_horror_movie_reviewed.html

Paper Drones

From Wired - https://www.wired.com/2017/02/brilliant-drone-thatll-deliver-medicine-rot-away/?mbid=nl_22417_p4&CNDID=

Republicans Face Town Hall Protests, Trump Golfs: A Closer Look

Dino Peace

From Upworthy -

A dad helped his son make protest signs for his toy dinosaurs and they went viral.
By EVAN PORTER

http://www.upworthy.com/a-dad-helped-his-son-make-protest-signs-for-his-toy-dinosaurs-and-they-went-viral?c=upw1&u=6861cbea6edfdfe5a709ee39ad3c14b64135e61f

Dear Mr. President: Kids Talk Donald Trump | NBC News

See the World for $65

From Bloomberg -

The $65 European Airfare Is Coming to the U.S.
Norwegian Airlines is using the new 737 Max to inaugurate 10 new routes to the Northeast.
by Justin Bachman

Boeing Co.’s 787 Dreamliner has acquitted itself nicely in opening smaller destinations to nonstop international service. Think London-Austin, Tokyo-San Jose, Calif., and even Shanghai-Tijuana.

Norwegian Air International Ltd., no stranger to going where others won’t, is about to try this strategy with a new, smaller Boeing jet: the 737 Max. Norwegian, which has the honor of being the first airline to fly one, is using the first six of its planes to open 10 routes starting this summer. It will begin service June 15 from Edinburgh, Scotland, to Stewart International Airport, about 60 miles north of New York City.

To fill all these new trans-Atlantic seats, Norwegian is setting promotional fares to Europe at $65. The carrier will have “quite a few thousand seats for that specific fare,” Lars Sande, Norwegian’s senior vice president of sales, said in a telephone interview. The next fare level will be $99, rising from there.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-23/the-65-european-airfare-is-coming-to-the-u-s?bcomANews=true

Inside Japan's Tricked-Out DIY Truck Culture

Are Boys Smarter Than Girls?

Found Sounds: Making Instruments From Trash

I Won't Pay Someone to Scare Me, But . . .

If I did, I'd go see this one.

From the Huffington Post -

Horror Film About Racism Earns Coveted 100 Percent On Rotten Tomatoes
“I take a devilish glee in putting something that’s not politically correct into the mainstream,” said Jordan Peele, who wrote and directed "Get Out."
By Carla Herreria

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jordan-peele-get-out-rotten-tomatoes_us_58ae08dbe4b01406012f7905?37mtxl0nvaafxhia4i&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

This Dog Raises Baby Cheetahs (And Wallabies and Ocelots)

The Oscars' voting process awards safe movies

His Five

What are yours?

From Salon -

5 black actors who should have won Oscars for these roles
This year, 6 black actors are nominated for Academy Awards. Let's salute those in the past who should have won VIDEO
By D. WATKINS

http://www.salon.com/2017/02/22/watch-5-black-actors-who-should-have-won-oscars-for-these-roles/

On a Mission

From OZY -

http://www.ozy.com/politics-and-power/the-ex-mormon-feminist-who-paints-womens-naked-bodies/75663

Capable of So Much More

An excerpt from the Atlantic -

Stuck in an American Retail Job With a Foreign MBA
In a new book, a journalist reflects on working as a salesperson in small-town Virginia when he first arrived in America.
By BOURREE LAM

Deepak Singh grew up in northern India. He had a bachelor’s degree in commerce, an MBA, and a job with the BBC World Service in his hometown of Lucknow. Unexpectedly, he met a young woman visiting from western Pennsylvania at a local library; the two fell in love, got married, and decided that Singh would move to Virginia, where she was attending graduate school.

In his new book, How May I Help You?: An Immigrant’s Journey From M.B.A. to Minimum Wage, Singh chronicles his move to small-town Virginia, where he started working a job in retail.* The book reads like an ethnography, documenting Singh’s work experience, his colleagues, and his surroundings, and includes reflections on how the job taught him about American mores and norms. Though Singh was doing minimum-wage work, his book is not a story of poverty, but rather an account of the daily grind of America’s service workers through the lens of an immigrant with an MBA.

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/02/may-i-help-you-deepak-singh/517167/?utm_source=nl-atlantic-daily-022117

The hotline Hollywood calls for science advice

A Calendar We All Need

From Salon -

Michael Moore launches website devoted to stopping President Trump
Called "Resistance calendar," the site is committed to helping anti-Trump protesters organize nationwide 
By MATTHEW ROZSA

http://www.salon.com/2017/02/21/michael-moore-launches-website-devoted-to-stopping-president-trump/?source=newsletter

https://www.resistancecalendar.org

Luther | Comic Relief

You have to know "Luther" to fully appreciate this.  For those who do, enjoy.

The World's First Rotating Skyscraper | NextWorld

Letters to the President

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/presidents-day-student-letters-trump_us_58a6f7aae4b045cd34c0b25e?

Town Hall Project

From The Town Hall Project - 

We are a volunteer-powered, grassroots effort that empowers constituents across the country to have face-to-face conversations with their elected representatives. We are campaign veterans and first time volunteers. We come from a diversity of backgrounds and live across the country. We share progressive values and believe strongly in civic engagement. We research every district and state for public events with Members of Congress. Then we share our findings far and wide to promote participation in the democratic process and make it as accessible as possible for everyone. We have a team of organizers that works with local groups on the ground to coordinate efforts and encourage citizens to amplify their voices.

https://townhallproject.com

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: Official Tease (HBO)

Black Campus Life

From BlackAmericaWeb -

BET’s new show scripted show about a fictional Black college, The Quad, has generated some positive reviews. But its storylines that include a shady band director, a strip club-owning alumnus, a college president with secrets and issues of her own have angered others. Hampton University’s president, William R. Harvey had several issues with the show after seeing the first extended episode and fired off an angry letter to BET’s president Debra L. Lee.

While Black Twitter reminded Harvey that the show was fictional, Lee took the criticism seriously and responded to Harvey, as did the show’s star, FAMU grad Anika Noni Rose.

~~~~~~~~~~

Rose, herself an HBCU grad, told Ebony:

“I think what’s important when we’re referencing that letter is that this is someone who saw one episode and made a lot of opinions off of one episode.”

“The show is a fiction, but the show is a fiction based in fact. A lot of the things that we are dealing with and talking about are taken straight from the headlines of what has happened at schools,” she explained. “So to pretend that these things don’t happen is ridiculous.”

~~~~~~~~~~

To the Quad’s critics who have a problem with the show, the actress has some simple advice: “If it’s not for you, turn the station.”

https://blackamericaweb.com/2017/02/20/debra-lee-anika-noni-rose-respond-to-quad-criticism/

Another Shameful Act

From the LA Times -

A chilling moment to mark the 75th anniversary of the executive order that led to Japanese American internment

By Teresa Watanabe

Exactly 75 years ago Sunday, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which paved the way for the incarceration of Yoshihashi and 120,000 other Japanese Americans in desolate camps scattered across deserts and swampland. Yoshihashi remembers his anxiety at being locked up and the shock of seeing the barbed wire and armed military guards at his camp in Gila River, Ariz.

http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-japanese-executive-order-20170219-story.html

Home Buying in America

From Thrillist -

HOW MUCH MONEY YOU NEED TO MAKE TO BUY A HOME IN AMERICA
By SAM BLUM

https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/how-much-it-costs-to-own-a-home-in-america

Denied No More

From the Washington Post -

For decades they hid Jefferson’s relationship with her. Now Monticello is making room for Sally Hemings.
By Krissah Thompson

The room where historians believe Sally Hemings slept was just steps away from Thomas Jefferson’s bedroom. But in 1941, the caretakers of Monticello turned it into a restroom.

The floor tiles and bathroom stalls covered over the story of the enslaved woman, who was owned by Jefferson and had a long-term relationship with him. Their involvement was a scandal during his life and was denied for decades by his descendants. But many historians now believe the third president of the United States was the father of her six children.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/for-decades-they-hid-jeffersons-mistress-now-monticello-is-making-room-for-sally-hemings/2017/02/18/d410d660-f222-11e6-8d72-263470bf0401_story.html?utm_term=.b2cada5c809b&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1

Only in Texas

From Atlas Obscura -

Pecan Pie Vending Machine
A 24-hour vending machine restocked daily with homemade full-sized pecan pies. 

http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pecan-pie-vending-machine

Enablers

One of the things that I loved about my Mom was the fact she called it like she saw it, no matter who was at fault.

I remember one of my brothers had done something stupid.  She was the first to call him on it and refused to defend him when asked about it by someone outside the family.

I am reminded of Tiger Woods after his many indiscretions were made public, standing on a podium with his mother standing behind him.  I lost all respect for her.

As my Mom was known to say, "I didn't help you get in the mess, and I'm not going to help you get out of it.  You're on your own."

Now, that might seem harsh to some, but my brothers and I understood that if we ended up in jail, it would have been a waste of time calling Mom with our one allotted phone call.  She would have let us rot in there.

Enablers.

I see them every day in my work with kids.

Parents who come in and defend their kids no matter what.

Of course, they think they're helping them.  Supporting them even.  When, in reality, they are stunting their growth because they will be the crutch that these kids will rely on for years to come.

On a larger scale, enabling bad behavior is what the Republican Party is doing. They're turning a blind eye to the crazies in charge by refusing to call out the nonsense that is spewing from Trump and his minions' mouths every day.

I thank God for my third-grade-educated Mom, who was infused with common sense from head to toe, and who was quick to call bullish*t, no matter who it was.

Quote

From Facebook - 

Already Exhausted

From Vanity Fair -

TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE: THE GANG THAT COULDN’T SHOOT STRAIGHT
The Constitution-straining conflicts surrounding the president, his top aides, some of his children, and his licensing-and-development business are a problem with no end in sight.
BY GRAYDON CARTER

We aren’t even a third of the way through the administration’s 100-day honeymoon period and let’s face it: we’re plumb exhausted. We’re exhausted from the flurry of rash executive orders. Exhausted from the human carnage in the wake of the president’s ban on travelers from majority-Muslim countries. Exhausted from the battles with neighbors, allies, and strategic adversaries on the world stage. Exhausted from the lies, the alternative facts, the boasts, the conflicts, and the scandals from this “fine-tuned machine.” Exhausted from our president’s cavalier habit of belittling our judiciary and intelligence services. Exhausted from having craven boneheads chosen to lead departments governing the environment, the Treasury, education, and the interior. Exhausted from an administration that turns a blind eye to Russian intrusions into Crimea, our election, and the imminent elections in Europe. Exhausted from the West Wing circus of misfits, clowns, and ghouls—politics’ answer to the Kardashians. Exhausted from the preening arrogance of the members of the First Family. Exhausted from waking up and not knowing what fresh hell this new president and his birdcage of a mind have cooked up overnight.

http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/02/graydon-carter-on-trumps-white-house

These 5 Pop Culture Throwbacks Will Take You On A Nostalgia Trip

Garth Brooks & Keb Mo-Hand it over

Keb Mo God trying to get your attention

I Am an Immigrant: 81 Fashion Celebrities Stand Together | W Magazine

Ain't Too Proud To Beg - Temptations

"Guess Who I Saw Today" - Nancy Wilson

Hair Stylin'

From the Undefeated -

HAAAAAAIR-BALL!
Pseudo-conks. ‘Faids.’ Fresh buns. Beard gangs. NBA hair is at the bleeding edge of style
BY JESSE WASHINGTON

Mohawks to ‘frohawks, fades to braids. Dreadlocks, dyes, twists, parts, and something in the NBA Finals that came close to a conk. Peak hair expression has hit black America, with pro basketball at the forefront of the evolution.

Not all of these styles are new — black folks have been creative with their hair since forever. But in past eras, particular cuts heated up the ‘hood, and then the NBA reflected and magnified those individual trends. Think all of the NBA’s 1970s Afros or 1990s cornrows.

Today, when it comes to black men’s hairstyles, never has one league rocked so many. No one particular style is the style. Anything and everything goes — gloriously so.

https://theundefeated.com/features/haaaaaair-ball-nba-hair/

Sweet Decisions

From the Washington Post -

WHY FEW PEOPLE DARE EAT THE BOSS’S M&MS
The sweet psychology behind the office candy jar, including why no one wants to be caught taking the last piece.
By Bonnie Berkowitz

The office candy dish is like the watering hole in the Serengeti: If you observe long enough and don’t spook the more timid creatures, you’ll get a peek into the inner workings of an entire social ecosystem.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/health/candy-dish/?hpid=hp_no-name_graphic-story-b%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

LeBron vs. Charles

From Salon -

5 things LeBron James should say to Charles Barkley next time he sees him
LeBron took the high road too often during Barkley's trash talk. Here's some ammo if Sir Charles comes at him again 
By D. Watkins

http://www.salon.com/2017/02/19/watch-5-things-lebron-james-should-say-to-charles-barkley-next-time-he-sees-him/

Ludwick Marishane: A bath without water

The Spinners - Sadie

Isley Brothers- Living for the Love of you

Cause I Love You - Lenny Williams

For All We Know

In the Barbershop: Mothers

Meet OZY

Stockton's Young Mayor

http://www.ozy.com/rising-stars/michael-tubbs-redefining-the-stocktons-of-the-world/64896

Black Fighter Pilot

An excerpt from OZY -

THE FIRST BLACK FIGHTER PILOT
By Jack Doyle

You never know who you’re sharing an elevator with — and back when Rockefeller Center still had elevator operators, it was easy to ignore the elderly Black man in the corner. Neither Eugene Bullard nor his neat uniform commanded the same attention as the 1950s Manhattan elites who shared his little space every evening.

But little did they know that they were sharing a lift with an American who had been smack in the middle of the most dramatic twists and turns of the 20th century. Bullard was a boxer, World War I fighter pilot, Paris nightclub owner and World War II resistance fighter. He escaped the Gestapo and was beaten by police at a civil-rights demonstration. But even for many years after his death, his legacy remained that of an unnoticed, forgotten elevator operator.

http://www.ozy.com/flashback/the-first-black-fighter-pilot/67003

Handy Gadget

Especially if you have little ones.

Flushable toilet wipe holder that attaches to the toilet roll holder already in place.  It's designed to be used with any wipes.

Available at Amazon.

Enjoy!

Desperate Women

Why ladies?

Why would you hook up with a nasty, trifling, lying, cheating man?

Why would you demean and debase yourself to sleep with a guy who smells like six-month-old funk?

Why would you lower your standards to a point where you have to crawl up to reach the bottom?

Are you that desperate to say you have a man?

Take it from me - an old woman who has been around the block a few times - you deserve so much better.

Be good to yourself.

Dump the trash.

Better yet . . .

Be good to your environment and live trash-free.

New Rule: The Magic R | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)

MILO Confronts the Panel | Overtime with Bill Maher (HBO)

Presidential Rankings

https://www.c-span.org/presidentsurvey2017/?page=overall

Tiger presents Air-Ink

Foster kids deserve better than trash bags for their belongings.

Shepard Smith slams Trump!! For "Crazy" Press Conference, fox news

I love the fact that this Fox News guy has the balls to call it like it is.

Go Shep!

Why are some people left-handed? - Daniel M. Abrams

Trump's First Solo Press Conference as President: A Closer Look

The exceptional life of Benjamin Banneker - Rose-Margaret Ekeng-Itua

Fans of Love | Love Has No Labels | Ad Council

Michael K. Williams Asks: Am I Typecast? #QuestionAnswers

https://www.theatlantic.com/questionanswers/?utm_source=nl-atlantic-daily-021617

Meet Gita, the Personal Delivery Robot

Quote - God Help Us!

From Slate -

A Selection of Verbatim Quotes From Trump’s First Solo Press Conference as President
By Osita Nwanevu

On his Electoral College margin of victory:

NBC’s Peter Alexander: Mr. President, very simply you said today that you had the biggest electoral margin since Ron Reagan. In fact, president Obama had 365,

President Trump: I  was talking about Republicans—

Alexander: George Bush, 426 when he won. So why should Americans trust—

President Trump: I was given that information. I was just given it. We had a very, very big margin.

Alexander: I guess my question is why should the American people trust you when you accuse the information they receive as being fake when you’re providing information that’s not accurate?

President Trump: I was given that information. Actually, I’ve seen that information around. But it was a very substantial victory. Do you agree with that?

Alexander: You’re the president.

President Trump: Yes.

What Makes Us American?

From the New York Times -

Hyphen-Nation

What makes someone American? How do you define American identity? When do you feel most American? Or least? Nine American citizens describe their struggle to belong in a nation that both embraces and rejects them. Watch a video selected at random or choose a name. Then share your own stories.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/storywall/hyphen-nation?emc=edit_rr_20170216&nl=race-related&nlid=38867499&te=1

These dads have no shame in their ballet game

App To Help With Travel Ban

From Upworthy -

With Trump's travel ban still in flux, these lawyers created a brilliant way to help.
By EVAN PORTER

The app "Airport Lawyer" connects travelers coming into the U.S. with volunteer attorneys who can help them navigate U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

AirportLawyer.org

Using a nationwide network of thousands of volunteers — Yamada said there are hundreds of attorneys in Seattle alone willing to help, free of charge — travelers from abroad can arrange to have a lawyer meet them at the airport when they land.

http://www.upworthy.com/with-trumps-travel-ban-still-in-flux-these-lawyers-created-a-brilliant-way-to-help?c=upw1&u=6861cbea6edfdfe5a709ee39ad3c14b64135e61f

Why do cats act so weird? - Tony Buffington

What happens during a heart attack? - Krishna Sudhir

Fill Up Soon!

From Thrillist -

Check out the link below for a larger view.

https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/chart-details-how-far-you-can-drive-on-empty

Restaurant Receipts

From the Washington Post -

The new political battleground: Your restaurant receipt
By Maura Judkis

First there was the Trump administration’s travel ban, then talk about the Mexican border wall and, finally, last week, Alfredo Solis decided it was time to send a message. So the owner of Mezcalero, the hottest new Mexican restaurant in the District, put it at the bottom of his receipts: “Immigrants help make America great!”

“I came to this country 17 years ago, and I work hard. I want to help make America great,” said Solis. “America is great already.”

Around the same time, a customer in San Antonio used a receipt to send a very different message. After a meal at Di Frabo, a local Italian restaurant, the customer wrote on a receipt: “The food was tasty and the service was attentive. However the owner is ‘Mexican.’ We will not return. ‘America first.’ ”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/food/wp/2017/02/14/the-new-political-battleground-your-restaurant-receipt/?utm_term=.6c8e27f39a26

Curling Captain

From the Undefeated -

Redskins star Vernon Davis: U.S. Curling’s honorary captain
The tight end loves the sport of curling ‘because it’s just you and the stone and the broom’
BY MONIS KHAN, OSMAN NOOR & JANET WEINSTEIN

http://theundefeated.com/videos/redskins-vernon-davis-us-curling-honorary-captain/

One Husband’s Tribute to a Timeless Love

To be loved like that.

Priceless.

You First

From the BBC -

Dubai announces passenger drone plans

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-38967235

How Steve Bannon sees the world

Quote 2

From the New York Times -

Flynn Is Exactly What Trump Deserves
By Frank Bruni

And the cornerstone of management is the assembling of a team that’s competent and trustworthy. Trump put his together in a cavalier fashion, enchanted by people who were high on energy even if they were low on sanity, decency, discretion, humility or some combination of the above.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/opinion/flynn-is-trumps-just-deserts.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region&region=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region

Quote

From the New Yorker -

THE EMBARRASSMENT OF PRESIDENT TRUMP
By Jeffrey Frank

This can’t go on much longer, can it? In the past, the nation has had do-nothing Presidencies, and scandal-ridden Presidencies, and failed Presidencies, but until Donald J. Trump came along there hasn’t been a truly embarrassing Presidency.

http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-embarrassment-of-president-trump

Weighted Blankets

An excerpt from OZY -

WHY I'M OBSESSED WITH WEIGHTED BLANKETS
By Taylor Mayol

Insomnia sucks. It interferes with your physical and mental health and can feel like an impossible situation. Trust me, an intermittent sufferer who, for seemingly endless bouts, wakes up multiple times a night with that terrible can’t-shut-off-my-brain thing. Insomniacs will try anything to get some sleep: herbal remedies, meditation, pills, sometimes a glass of wine. But what if the answer could be as simple as a piece of bedding?

Recently my mom gave me a gift: a plain-looking, seemingly quilted, excessively heavy “weighted blanket.” She’d read that these blankets help calm people with anxiety or insomnia. They’re also used to help autistic kids, sufferers of OCD, those with sensory disorders and even veterans with PTSD.

http://www.ozy.com/good-sht/why-im-obsessed-with-weighted-blankets/75244

Drug Enforcement Agency Museum

From Atlas Obscura -

DEA Museum
An extensive, if one-sided, history of U.S. law enforcement's war on drugs. 

http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/dea-drug-enforcement-agency-museum

It's a church. It's a mosque. It's Hagia Sophia. - Kelly Wall

Five Stories Of Animals And Their People

Kellyanne Conway's interview tricks, explained

How Many Robes and Hoods Have You Collected?

An excerpt from the Atlantic -

'Every Racist I Know Voted for Donald Trump'
Daryl Davis believes the method he used to persuade many klansmen to defect from the hate group can help America to bridge its political divides.
By CONOR FRIEDERSDORF

As a hobby, the black musician Daryl Davis persuades members of the Ku Klux Klan to defect from the organization. Over the years, he has spoken with hundreds of white supremacists. And due to his work, a couple dozen people have left the organization, including at least two prominent figures in senior leadership positions.

Two years ago, after listening to his life story on Love+Radio, the peerless character-driven interview podcast, I wrote about his belief that “when you are actively learning about someone else you are passively teaching them about yourself.” In listening to his most bitter enemies, Davis heard words and ideas that chilled him to the bone—yet he found that by listening and conversing he could subvert them. Some men even handed over their Klan garb, as he reminds critics of his approach. “I pull out my robes and hoods and say, ‘This is what I've done to put a dent in racism,” he explained. “I've got robes and hoods hanging in my closet by people who've given up that belief because of my conversations sitting down to dinner. They gave it up. How many robes and hoods have you collected?”

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/02/every-racist-i-know-voted-for-donald-trump/516420/?utm_source=nl-atlantic-daily-021317

Asking Questions

Cookie Cutter Sharks

Most Googled

From Thrillist -

https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/estately-map-shows-what-states-have-googled-since-2016-election

Flipping Flip Flops

http://flipsidez.com/shop/sand-imprint-flip-flop-categories/

Cool Schools

From Buzzfeed -

7 Awesome Schools That Make The Whole Day Feel Like Recess
There’s a classroom on an airplane. An airplane!!!
By Terri Pous

https://www.buzzfeed.com/terripous/school-is-cool?utm_term=.icpddQ5VE#.toDllY2xW