Thursday, March 9, 2017
Tiny Homes for Vets
From Good -
Volunteers Constructed An Entire Community To House Homeless Veterans
by Penn Collins
Many veterans sacrifice comfortable, lucrative lives to protect the liberties of their home country—only to find nothing left of those former lives when they return. In the face of rising veteran homelessness rates, due in part to inadequate medical and psychological resources, Missouri volunteers pooled their creativity, time, and money to create a community that welcomes veterans, completely free of charge.
The Veterans Community Project created Veterans Village, which sits on four acres of land outside of Kansas City and consists of 50 tiny homes, complete with bathrooms, kitchens, sleeping, and living areas.
The community is strategically situated near an outreach center which provides social and medical services to the residents and other veterans. A community center intended for more socializing and recreation is also in the works.
https://www.good.is/articles/veteran-home-community
Volunteers Constructed An Entire Community To House Homeless Veterans
by Penn Collins
Many veterans sacrifice comfortable, lucrative lives to protect the liberties of their home country—only to find nothing left of those former lives when they return. In the face of rising veteran homelessness rates, due in part to inadequate medical and psychological resources, Missouri volunteers pooled their creativity, time, and money to create a community that welcomes veterans, completely free of charge.
The Veterans Community Project created Veterans Village, which sits on four acres of land outside of Kansas City and consists of 50 tiny homes, complete with bathrooms, kitchens, sleeping, and living areas.
The community is strategically situated near an outreach center which provides social and medical services to the residents and other veterans. A community center intended for more socializing and recreation is also in the works.
https://www.good.is/articles/veteran-home-community
LSAT Not Required
From the Washington Post -
Harvard Law School will no longer require the LSAT for admission
By Susan Svrluga
For 70 years, the LSAT has been a rite of passage to legal education, a test designed to gauge students’ ability to learn the law.
But its dominance could change. Beginning this fall, Harvard Law School will allow applicants to submit their scores from either the Graduate Record Examination or the Law School Admission Test.
The dramatic change in admissions, a pilot program at Harvard, is part of a broader strategy at the school to expand access. Because many students consider graduate school as well as law school, and because the GRE is offered often and in many places around the world, the decision could make it easier and less expensive for people to apply, school officials said.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/03/08/harvard-law-school-will-no-longer-require-the-lsat-for-admission/?hpid=hp_hp-cards_hp-card-national%3Ahomepage%2Fcard&utm_term=.f2300c2774d6
Harvard Law School will no longer require the LSAT for admission
By Susan Svrluga
For 70 years, the LSAT has been a rite of passage to legal education, a test designed to gauge students’ ability to learn the law.
But its dominance could change. Beginning this fall, Harvard Law School will allow applicants to submit their scores from either the Graduate Record Examination or the Law School Admission Test.
The dramatic change in admissions, a pilot program at Harvard, is part of a broader strategy at the school to expand access. Because many students consider graduate school as well as law school, and because the GRE is offered often and in many places around the world, the decision could make it easier and less expensive for people to apply, school officials said.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/03/08/harvard-law-school-will-no-longer-require-the-lsat-for-admission/?hpid=hp_hp-cards_hp-card-national%3Ahomepage%2Fcard&utm_term=.f2300c2774d6
Jihad Against Regulations
From Wired -
Want to Gut Emission Rules? Prepare for War With California
By Alex Davies
IN ITS ONGOING jihad against federal regulations, the Trump administration has indicated some interest in targeting the ones that attempt to fight climate change. First in its sights: a funky law that gives the state of California the right to make its own rules on automotive emissions. But because of the way laws and business work, the California exemption is one of the most powerful environmental tools in the world.
So California’s not going down without a fight.
A quick history lesson: When legislators wrote the 1963 Clean Air Act, they acknowledged that California already had pollution-fighting rules, and that its environmental situation was especially dire. So they gave the state the right to write its own, stricter standards.
“It’s hard to overstate how important the ability for California to set its standards has been to public health and clean air over the past 40 years,” says Don Anair, deputy director for the clean vehicles program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “Time and again, California’s been willing and able to move forward.”
https://www.wired.com/2017/03/want-gut-emission-rules-prepare-war-california/
Want to Gut Emission Rules? Prepare for War With California
By Alex Davies
IN ITS ONGOING jihad against federal regulations, the Trump administration has indicated some interest in targeting the ones that attempt to fight climate change. First in its sights: a funky law that gives the state of California the right to make its own rules on automotive emissions. But because of the way laws and business work, the California exemption is one of the most powerful environmental tools in the world.
So California’s not going down without a fight.
A quick history lesson: When legislators wrote the 1963 Clean Air Act, they acknowledged that California already had pollution-fighting rules, and that its environmental situation was especially dire. So they gave the state the right to write its own, stricter standards.
“It’s hard to overstate how important the ability for California to set its standards has been to public health and clean air over the past 40 years,” says Don Anair, deputy director for the clean vehicles program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “Time and again, California’s been willing and able to move forward.”
https://www.wired.com/2017/03/want-gut-emission-rules-prepare-war-california/
Quote
Samantha Bee Explains Donald Trump’s Obama Wiretap Tweet: “White Guy Shoots Self In D*ck, Tries To Pin On Black Guy”
Weighing the Pro & Cons
From Politico -
A Letter From Black America
Yes, we fear the police. Here’s why.
By NIKOLE HANNAH-JONES
My friends and I locked eyes in stunned silence. Between the four adults, we hold six degrees. Three of us are journalists. And not one of us had thought to call the police. We had not even considered it.
We also are all black. And without realizing it, in that moment, each of us had made a set of calculations, an instantaneous weighing of the pros and cons.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/03/letter-from-black-america-police-115545.html#ixzz4aqOVdXSb
A Letter From Black America
Yes, we fear the police. Here’s why.
By NIKOLE HANNAH-JONES
My friends and I locked eyes in stunned silence. Between the four adults, we hold six degrees. Three of us are journalists. And not one of us had thought to call the police. We had not even considered it.
We also are all black. And without realizing it, in that moment, each of us had made a set of calculations, an instantaneous weighing of the pros and cons.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/03/letter-from-black-america-police-115545.html#ixzz4aqOVdXSb
Whiplash
From the LA Times -
To black Americans, Trump behaves like a classic Southerner — and we feel erased
By Erin Aubry Kaplan
To black Americans, Trump behaves like a classic Southerner — and we feel erased
By Erin Aubry Kaplan
Talk about whiplash. During the brief era of Donald Trump, black people have been living in trepidation and silent outrage, grappling with the meaning of a man who took office largely on the promise to nullify or reverse whatever America’s first black president, Barack Obama, had accomplished — good, bad or indifferent.
Seeing our historical gains dissolve at the whim of white rage is all too familiar for black folks, which is not to say that the last two months haven’t been a shock. That Trump is not just another white politician but one who is spectacularly unqualified to be president makes the setback that much more racially charged, and ominous.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-kaplan-trump-as-a-southern-man-20170309-story.html
Comedian Dave Chappelle addresses Village of Yellow Springs council meeting
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2017/03/08/dave_chappelle_speaks_at_his_town_council_meeting.html
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Rock Arch Washed Away
From the BBC -
Malta's Azure Window collapses into the sea
Malta's famous Azure Window rock arch has collapsed into the sea after heavy storms.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said the news was "heartbreaking".
A study in 2013 said that while erosion was inevitable, the structure was not in imminent danger of collapsing, the Times of Malta reports.
The popular limestone arch on Gozo island was featured on the first episode of the HBO series Game of Thrones and in several films.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39207196
Malta's Azure Window collapses into the sea
Malta's famous Azure Window rock arch has collapsed into the sea after heavy storms.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said the news was "heartbreaking".
A study in 2013 said that while erosion was inevitable, the structure was not in imminent danger of collapsing, the Times of Malta reports.
The popular limestone arch on Gozo island was featured on the first episode of the HBO series Game of Thrones and in several films.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39207196
Honoring Teachers
From OZY -
WE SHOULD BUILD STATUES FOR TEACHERS
By Fiona Zublin
Building statues is one way communities decide on, and indicate to the world, what they value. There are statues of generals, presidents, reformers, ministers, Oscar Wilde and, in the Loire Valley, a jarringly naked statue of Leonardo da Vinci. What we don’t have are statues honoring the thousands of extraordinary teachers who, day in and day out, motivate American youth, keep them from dropping out, spend their summers crafting lesson plans and make a visible, lasting difference.
http://www.ozy.com/immodest-proposal/we-should-build-statues-for-teachers/74783
WE SHOULD BUILD STATUES FOR TEACHERS
By Fiona Zublin
Building statues is one way communities decide on, and indicate to the world, what they value. There are statues of generals, presidents, reformers, ministers, Oscar Wilde and, in the Loire Valley, a jarringly naked statue of Leonardo da Vinci. What we don’t have are statues honoring the thousands of extraordinary teachers who, day in and day out, motivate American youth, keep them from dropping out, spend their summers crafting lesson plans and make a visible, lasting difference.
http://www.ozy.com/immodest-proposal/we-should-build-statues-for-teachers/74783
Grab Your Pen and Paper . . .
It's time for school.
WARNING: Don't read if you have not seen the movie, "Get Out."
How Get Out deconstructs racism for white people
“Stay woke.”
By Aja Romano
Get Out ingeniously uses common horror tropes to reveal truths about how pernicious racism is in the world. It doesn’t walk back any of its condemnations by inserting a “white savior” or making overtures to pacifism and tolerance. No: In this film, white society is a conscious purveyor of evil, and Chris must remain alert to its benevolent racism. He has to in order to survive.
http://www.vox.com/culture/2017/3/7/14759756/get-out-benevolent-racism-white-feminism
WARNING: Don't read if you have not seen the movie, "Get Out."
How Get Out deconstructs racism for white people
“Stay woke.”
By Aja Romano
Get Out ingeniously uses common horror tropes to reveal truths about how pernicious racism is in the world. It doesn’t walk back any of its condemnations by inserting a “white savior” or making overtures to pacifism and tolerance. No: In this film, white society is a conscious purveyor of evil, and Chris must remain alert to its benevolent racism. He has to in order to survive.
http://www.vox.com/culture/2017/3/7/14759756/get-out-benevolent-racism-white-feminism
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
12 Angry Men Trailer 1997
This is another one of favorite movies. It is a remake of the 1957 version.
Not Good
From Slate -
Early Reports Indicate That Everyone, Literally Everyone, Hates the Republican Health Care Plan
By Ben Mathis-Lilley
Congressional Republicans led by right-wing think tank test-tube baby Paul Ryan have been claiming for a solid eight years to be putting the finishing touches on a workable alternative to Obamacare. On Monday, Paul Ryan finally, really unveiled an Obamacare replacement bill. Everyone hates it.
No, seriously. Obviously liberals/leftists/Democrats were almost certainly not going to like it no matter what, and indeed, there has been nary a whisper of a rumor that even the most moderate Dems are interested in voting for the bill. But what's been really remarkable is how much heat it's gotten immediately from both the moderate and hard-line and insider and grassroots segments of Ryan's own party.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/03/07/the_reviews_are_in_paul_ryan_s_obamacare_plan_makes_everyone_want_to_barf.html
Early Reports Indicate That Everyone, Literally Everyone, Hates the Republican Health Care Plan
By Ben Mathis-Lilley
Congressional Republicans led by right-wing think tank test-tube baby Paul Ryan have been claiming for a solid eight years to be putting the finishing touches on a workable alternative to Obamacare. On Monday, Paul Ryan finally, really unveiled an Obamacare replacement bill. Everyone hates it.
No, seriously. Obviously liberals/leftists/Democrats were almost certainly not going to like it no matter what, and indeed, there has been nary a whisper of a rumor that even the most moderate Dems are interested in voting for the bill. But what's been really remarkable is how much heat it's gotten immediately from both the moderate and hard-line and insider and grassroots segments of Ryan's own party.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/03/07/the_reviews_are_in_paul_ryan_s_obamacare_plan_makes_everyone_want_to_barf.html
Neuroscientist Explains One Concept in 5 Levels of Difficulty | WIRED
The Connectome is a comprehensive diagram of all the neural connections existing in the brain. WIRED has challenged neuroscientist Bobby Kasthuri to explain this scientific concept to 5 different people; a 5 year-old, a 13 year-old, a college student, a neuroscience grad student and a connectome entrepreneur.
https://thescene.com/watch/wired/neuroscientist-explains-one-concept-in-5-levels-of-difficulty
Teaching Entreprenuership
From INC -
Inside the Schools That Want to Create the Next Mark Zuckerberg--Starting at Age 5
Inside the growing education movement that's training kids to be entrepreneurs.
By Tom Foster
On a cloudless October morning in Austin, hundreds of people stroll the grassy aisles between a half-dozen rows of white tents, where entrepreneurs sell everything from iced coffee to pottery to handmade dog treats, pickles, and gluten-free baked goods. One booth sells security software, and one sells wooden virtual reality headsets. At another, Baker Bros Designs, which sells stationery and change jars printed with psychedelic paint swirls, a handsome young man introduces himself and gestures to his younger brother--"the artist." He hands me a business card that lists their Etsy page in case we want to buy more.
This is no hipster flea market. The sellers are kids as young as 5 years old. We're on the oak-shaded grounds of the Pease Mansion--also known as Woodlawn--a legendary white-columned edifice atop a hill in the city's toniest historic district. The house belongs to Jeff Sandefer, a billionaire Texas oilman, and his wife. Three decades ago, he began educating entrepreneurs at the University of Texas; later, he and others launched the independent Acton School of Business, which runs an MBA program. Then he and his wife co-founded Acton Academy, a private Austin K-12 school that has spun off affiliate locations in 25 other cities as far-flung as Kuala Lumpur; 26 more are slated to open this year. He also started, as an offshoot of that school, the Acton Children's Business Fair, a small but fast-growing series of events like the one here at his house, where kids aged 5 to 15 spend half a day selling goods and services they create.
http://www.inc.com/magazine/201703/tom-foster/kids-inc-entrepreneurship-training.html
Inside the Schools That Want to Create the Next Mark Zuckerberg--Starting at Age 5
Inside the growing education movement that's training kids to be entrepreneurs.
By Tom Foster
On a cloudless October morning in Austin, hundreds of people stroll the grassy aisles between a half-dozen rows of white tents, where entrepreneurs sell everything from iced coffee to pottery to handmade dog treats, pickles, and gluten-free baked goods. One booth sells security software, and one sells wooden virtual reality headsets. At another, Baker Bros Designs, which sells stationery and change jars printed with psychedelic paint swirls, a handsome young man introduces himself and gestures to his younger brother--"the artist." He hands me a business card that lists their Etsy page in case we want to buy more.
This is no hipster flea market. The sellers are kids as young as 5 years old. We're on the oak-shaded grounds of the Pease Mansion--also known as Woodlawn--a legendary white-columned edifice atop a hill in the city's toniest historic district. The house belongs to Jeff Sandefer, a billionaire Texas oilman, and his wife. Three decades ago, he began educating entrepreneurs at the University of Texas; later, he and others launched the independent Acton School of Business, which runs an MBA program. Then he and his wife co-founded Acton Academy, a private Austin K-12 school that has spun off affiliate locations in 25 other cities as far-flung as Kuala Lumpur; 26 more are slated to open this year. He also started, as an offshoot of that school, the Acton Children's Business Fair, a small but fast-growing series of events like the one here at his house, where kids aged 5 to 15 spend half a day selling goods and services they create.
http://www.inc.com/magazine/201703/tom-foster/kids-inc-entrepreneurship-training.html
Jobs Instead
From the Portland Press Herald -
To Portland panhandlers, program may offer welcome change: Jobs
Using Albuquerque as a model, Portland would pay $10.68 per hour to those willing and able to work.
BY RANDY BILLINGS
City officials are working on a 36-week pilot program to offer day jobs to panhandlers. A city social worker would drive a van around to busy intersections and offer panhandlers a chance to earn $10.68 an hour cleaning up parks and other light labor jobs. They would be paid at the end of each day.
http://www.pressherald.com/2017/03/05/to-panhandlers-program-may-offer-welcome-change-jobs/
To Portland panhandlers, program may offer welcome change: Jobs
Using Albuquerque as a model, Portland would pay $10.68 per hour to those willing and able to work.
BY RANDY BILLINGS
City officials are working on a 36-week pilot program to offer day jobs to panhandlers. A city social worker would drive a van around to busy intersections and offer panhandlers a chance to earn $10.68 an hour cleaning up parks and other light labor jobs. They would be paid at the end of each day.
http://www.pressherald.com/2017/03/05/to-panhandlers-program-may-offer-welcome-change-jobs/
Monday, March 6, 2017
How This Ban Hurts Trump Voters
From the Huffington Post -
Here’s Why Trump’s New Travel Ban Could Make Us Sicker, Not Safer
Doctors from the six affected countries provide vital health care in underserved regions of the U.S.
By Anna Almendrala
While Monday’s new executive order doesn’t apply to people who already have some kind of authorization to move in and out of the U.S. (whether it be through legal permanent residency, dual citizenship, visa, waiver, or some other kind of permit), a group of 10 researchers points out that if the new policy slows the immigration of doctors from these regions, Americans in underserved counties — particularly those who voted for President Donald Trump — will suffer.
“The people who are most hurt by the executive order in terms of health are the Trump base from the Midwest,” said Peter Ganong, an assistant professor of public policy at the University of Chicago. “It’s a particularly sad irony that people who voted for Trump will potentially end up getting worse medical care because of this.”
~~~~~~~~~~
To bring attention to the positive contributions these immigrants make to people in the U.S., Ganong and his colleagues launched the Immigrant Doctors Project — an interactive map showing just how vital doctors from these six countries are at helping Americans access health care.
There are more than 7,000 doctors from the six affected countries practicing in the U.S. right now, and they provide 14 million doctor’s appointments each year — 2.3 million of which occur in areas facing doctor shortages. The five cities that have the highest share of doctors from these countries, and would thus be most affected if physician immigration from these countries stopped, are Detroit, Toledo, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Dayton.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trumps-new-travel-ban-will-make-us-sicker-not-safer_us_58bdc55de4b033be146771e0?ftfiy2lxgwe1att9&
Check out the interactive map in the link below.
https://immigrantdoctors.org
Here’s Why Trump’s New Travel Ban Could Make Us Sicker, Not Safer
Doctors from the six affected countries provide vital health care in underserved regions of the U.S.
By Anna Almendrala
While Monday’s new executive order doesn’t apply to people who already have some kind of authorization to move in and out of the U.S. (whether it be through legal permanent residency, dual citizenship, visa, waiver, or some other kind of permit), a group of 10 researchers points out that if the new policy slows the immigration of doctors from these regions, Americans in underserved counties — particularly those who voted for President Donald Trump — will suffer.
“The people who are most hurt by the executive order in terms of health are the Trump base from the Midwest,” said Peter Ganong, an assistant professor of public policy at the University of Chicago. “It’s a particularly sad irony that people who voted for Trump will potentially end up getting worse medical care because of this.”
~~~~~~~~~~
To bring attention to the positive contributions these immigrants make to people in the U.S., Ganong and his colleagues launched the Immigrant Doctors Project — an interactive map showing just how vital doctors from these six countries are at helping Americans access health care.
There are more than 7,000 doctors from the six affected countries practicing in the U.S. right now, and they provide 14 million doctor’s appointments each year — 2.3 million of which occur in areas facing doctor shortages. The five cities that have the highest share of doctors from these countries, and would thus be most affected if physician immigration from these countries stopped, are Detroit, Toledo, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Dayton.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trumps-new-travel-ban-will-make-us-sicker-not-safer_us_58bdc55de4b033be146771e0?ftfiy2lxgwe1att9&
Check out the interactive map in the link below.
https://immigrantdoctors.org
Quote
From the Huffington Post -
Samuel L. Jackson On Ben Carson’s Slavery Comment: ‘Mothaf***a Please’
Carson referred to those on “slave ships” as “immigrants.”
By Jenna Amatulli
Samuel L. Jackson ✔@SamuelLJackson (Twitter)
OK!! Ben Carson....I can't! Immigrants ? In the bottom of SLAVE SHIPS??!! MUTHAFUKKA PLEASE!!!#dickheadedtom
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/samuel-l-jackson-on-ben-carsons-slavery-comment-mothafa-please_us_58bdd2f5e4b09ab537d5e4b0?x4oyldi&
Samuel L. Jackson On Ben Carson’s Slavery Comment: ‘Mothaf***a Please’
Carson referred to those on “slave ships” as “immigrants.”
By Jenna Amatulli
Samuel L. Jackson ✔@SamuelLJackson (Twitter)
OK!! Ben Carson....I can't! Immigrants ? In the bottom of SLAVE SHIPS??!! MUTHAFUKKA PLEASE!!!#dickheadedtom
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/samuel-l-jackson-on-ben-carsons-slavery-comment-mothafa-please_us_58bdd2f5e4b09ab537d5e4b0?x4oyldi&
Where to Find Local Black Farmers
From Blavity -
Black Farmers to buy from instead of Whole Foods
By Victoria Massie
Black Farmers to buy from instead of Whole Foods
By Victoria Massie
Philadelphia
- The Philadelphia Urban Creators
- Mill Creek Farm
Photo via Philly Urban Creators Website.
NYC
 | |
| Photo via Black Urban Grower's Website. |
Oakland
- Afrika Town Community Garden
- Farms to Grow, Inc.
- People’s Grocery
- Phat Beets Produce
https://blavity.com/black-farmers-to-buy-from
Black Farmers
From OZY -
A COMEBACK FOR THE BLACK AMERICAN FARMER?
By Nick Fouriezos
Minority-led farms have sprouted from New York City to Philadelphia, from Stone Mountain in Georgia to the hills and molehills of Mississippi, a national phenomenon writer Victoria Massie recognized last year by suggesting 35 Black-owned farms that Americans could buy from instead of Whole Foods. Maryland has been especially attractive, both in the fertile fields of the Eastern Shore, home to the Black Dirt Farm Collective, and in Baltimore, site of Tha Flower Factory, among others. Lavette Blue, who with her husband has farmed the Greener Garden in Northeast Baltimore for three decades, says 75 percent of the students in the local small-scale farming classes are African-American. “It’s picking up steam,” adds Staycie Francisco with the Farm Alliance of Baltimore. Recently elected U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who is the first Marylander in decades to sit on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, tells OZY that the next federal farm bill will consider “legislation to provide incentives for more young people to go into farming.” Van Hollen also points to work done by the historically Black University of Maryland Eastern Shore; its Small Farm Program provides funds and literature to help limited-resource and socially disadvantaged farmers.
http://www.ozy.com/politics-and-power/a-comeback-for-the-black-american-farmer/75920
A COMEBACK FOR THE BLACK AMERICAN FARMER?
By Nick Fouriezos
Minority-led farms have sprouted from New York City to Philadelphia, from Stone Mountain in Georgia to the hills and molehills of Mississippi, a national phenomenon writer Victoria Massie recognized last year by suggesting 35 Black-owned farms that Americans could buy from instead of Whole Foods. Maryland has been especially attractive, both in the fertile fields of the Eastern Shore, home to the Black Dirt Farm Collective, and in Baltimore, site of Tha Flower Factory, among others. Lavette Blue, who with her husband has farmed the Greener Garden in Northeast Baltimore for three decades, says 75 percent of the students in the local small-scale farming classes are African-American. “It’s picking up steam,” adds Staycie Francisco with the Farm Alliance of Baltimore. Recently elected U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who is the first Marylander in decades to sit on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, tells OZY that the next federal farm bill will consider “legislation to provide incentives for more young people to go into farming.” Van Hollen also points to work done by the historically Black University of Maryland Eastern Shore; its Small Farm Program provides funds and literature to help limited-resource and socially disadvantaged farmers.
http://www.ozy.com/politics-and-power/a-comeback-for-the-black-american-farmer/75920
Flying High
From BlackWebAmerica -
Little Known Black History Fact: Stephanie Johnson
Female pilots make history at Delta Airlines.
By D.L. Chandler
Captain Stephanie Johnson is the first Black female captain for Delta Airlines, the second of her historic achievements as a pilot. Twenty years ago, Captain Johnson became the first Black female pilot for Northwest Airlines and last year, Delta promoted her to her current post.
The Kent State University graduate caught the flying bug in high school after a physics teacher took Johnson and a few friends on a flight. Johnson even got to fly the airplane for a spell and from there, she was hooked. After leaving Kent State with a degree in Aerospace Technology, she became the instructor for the school’s aviation program.
https://blackamericaweb.com/2017/03/06/little-known-black-history-fact-stephanie-johnson/
Little Known Black History Fact: Stephanie Johnson
Female pilots make history at Delta Airlines.
By D.L. Chandler
Captain Stephanie Johnson is the first Black female captain for Delta Airlines, the second of her historic achievements as a pilot. Twenty years ago, Captain Johnson became the first Black female pilot for Northwest Airlines and last year, Delta promoted her to her current post.
The Kent State University graduate caught the flying bug in high school after a physics teacher took Johnson and a few friends on a flight. Johnson even got to fly the airplane for a spell and from there, she was hooked. After leaving Kent State with a degree in Aerospace Technology, she became the instructor for the school’s aviation program.
https://blackamericaweb.com/2017/03/06/little-known-black-history-fact-stephanie-johnson/
Mandatory High Heels?
From the Washington Post -
Are high heel dress codes sexist? UK lawmakers hold debate
By Jill Lawless | AP
LONDON — British lawmakers focused on footwear Monday, asking whether employers should be able to make women wear high heels as part of a corporate dress code.
Members of Parliament were to debate a ban on mandatory workplace high heels, in response to a petition started by a receptionist who was sent home without pay for wearing flat shoes.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/are-high-heel-dress-codes-sexist-uk-lawmakers-debate-topic/2017/03/06/47752f40-0266-11e7-9d14-9724d48f5666_story.html?utm_term=.19ae4d0058c5
Are high heel dress codes sexist? UK lawmakers hold debate
By Jill Lawless | AP
LONDON — British lawmakers focused on footwear Monday, asking whether employers should be able to make women wear high heels as part of a corporate dress code.
Members of Parliament were to debate a ban on mandatory workplace high heels, in response to a petition started by a receptionist who was sent home without pay for wearing flat shoes.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/are-high-heel-dress-codes-sexist-uk-lawmakers-debate-topic/2017/03/06/47752f40-0266-11e7-9d14-9724d48f5666_story.html?utm_term=.19ae4d0058c5
Sunday, March 5, 2017
A Celebration of American Women
From Vogue -
American Women
http://www.vogue.com/projects/13529125/american-women-vogue-125-anniversary-project/
American Women
http://www.vogue.com/projects/13529125/american-women-vogue-125-anniversary-project/
How Low?
An excerpt from the New York Times -
How Low Can the ‘Presidential’ Bar Go?
By JESSICA BENNETT and AMANDA DUARTE
The old bar: Read speech from teleprompter before members of Congress without ad-libbing.
The new, Trumpian bar: Read speech from teleprompter before members of Congress without ad-libbing repeatedly about the flaws of the opposing candidate you beat nearly four months ago.
The old bar: Inspire viewers with oratorical flair.
The new bar: Prove capable of speaking for 60 minutes without throwing a temper tantrum and ranting about ratings, the failing New York Times, fake news or the size of your inaugural crowd. Bonus points: Refrain, for eight days, from tweeting in ALL CAPS.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/04/opinion/how-low-can-the-presidential-bar-go.html?hpw&rref=opinion&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region®ion=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well
How Low Can the ‘Presidential’ Bar Go?
By JESSICA BENNETT and AMANDA DUARTE
The old bar: Read speech from teleprompter before members of Congress without ad-libbing.
The new, Trumpian bar: Read speech from teleprompter before members of Congress without ad-libbing repeatedly about the flaws of the opposing candidate you beat nearly four months ago.
The old bar: Inspire viewers with oratorical flair.
The new bar: Prove capable of speaking for 60 minutes without throwing a temper tantrum and ranting about ratings, the failing New York Times, fake news or the size of your inaugural crowd. Bonus points: Refrain, for eight days, from tweeting in ALL CAPS.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/04/opinion/how-low-can-the-presidential-bar-go.html?hpw&rref=opinion&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region®ion=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well
Saturday, March 4, 2017
Another Unknown First
From the Undefeated -
An Undefeated history: Golfer Alfred ‘Tup’ Holmes
The desegregation of the Bobby Jones golf course in Atlanta
BY OSMAN NOOR
http://theundefeated.com/videos/golfer-alfred-tup-holmes/
An Undefeated history: Golfer Alfred ‘Tup’ Holmes
The desegregation of the Bobby Jones golf course in Atlanta
BY OSMAN NOOR
http://theundefeated.com/videos/golfer-alfred-tup-holmes/
Biracial Advantages
An excerpt from the New York Times -
What Biracial People Know
By Moises Velasquez-Manoff
Consider this: By 3 months of age, biracial infants recognize faces more quickly than their monoracial peers, suggesting that their facial perception abilities are more developed. Kristin Pauker, a psychologist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and one of the researchers who performed this study, likens this flexibility to bilingualism.
Early on, infants who hear only Japanese, say, will lose the ability to distinguish L’s from R’s. But if they also hear English, they’ll continue to hear the sounds as separate. So it is with recognizing faces, Dr. Pauker says. Kids naturally learn to recognize kin from non-kin, in-group from out-group. But because they’re exposed to more human variation, the in-group for multiracial children seems to be larger.
This may pay off in important ways later. In a 2015 study, Sarah Gaither, an assistant professor at Duke, found that when she reminded multiracial participants of their mixed heritage, they scored higher in a series of word association games and other tests that measure creative problem solving. When she reminded monoracial people about their heritage, however, their performance didn’t improve. Somehow, having multiple selves enhanced mental flexibility.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/04/opinion/sunday/what-biracial-people-know.html?hpw&rref=sunday-review&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region®ion=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well
What Biracial People Know
By Moises Velasquez-Manoff
Consider this: By 3 months of age, biracial infants recognize faces more quickly than their monoracial peers, suggesting that their facial perception abilities are more developed. Kristin Pauker, a psychologist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and one of the researchers who performed this study, likens this flexibility to bilingualism.
Early on, infants who hear only Japanese, say, will lose the ability to distinguish L’s from R’s. But if they also hear English, they’ll continue to hear the sounds as separate. So it is with recognizing faces, Dr. Pauker says. Kids naturally learn to recognize kin from non-kin, in-group from out-group. But because they’re exposed to more human variation, the in-group for multiracial children seems to be larger.
This may pay off in important ways later. In a 2015 study, Sarah Gaither, an assistant professor at Duke, found that when she reminded multiracial participants of their mixed heritage, they scored higher in a series of word association games and other tests that measure creative problem solving. When she reminded monoracial people about their heritage, however, their performance didn’t improve. Somehow, having multiple selves enhanced mental flexibility.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/04/opinion/sunday/what-biracial-people-know.html?hpw&rref=sunday-review&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region®ion=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well
Friday, March 3, 2017
Don't Be Fooled
Welcome back Andrew. I've missed your voice.
An excerpt from NY Magazine -
Our President’s Emotional Bait and Switch
By Andrew Sullivan
After the terror, the smile. It suddenly beams, and the voice calms. You feel the warmth again and are momentarily overcome with gratitude and relief. Suddenly, all the man’s malice and rage and narcissism disappear and the world turns suddenly normal. And you thrill to that normality. It’s what you’ve craved for so long, and been denied for so long. You forgive. You hope. You wonder if all the fear and dread you felt only a few moments ago were just in your imagination.
Any victim of an abusive spouse knows this dynamic. And now America is getting used to it. The Donald Trump who put on his grown-up voice last Tuesday night, and fit into a reassuringly familiar ritual of civic democracy, was the very same Donald Trump who had spent much of his first month in office in a series of unprecedented dyspeptic fits against the media, NATO allies, illegal aliens, Meryl Streep … well, you know the list by now. For the first time in public, he spoke in his “indoor voice.” He occasionally smiled, even as he can’t quite rid himself of the Mussolini back-step whenever he earns his craved applause. He used a teleprompter. And of course the media swooned. Who wouldn’t at this point? It’s somewhat unfair to lambaste them for their instant acknowledgment of the speech’s success. It was a success — an emotional blast of pseudo-normality for a serial abuser of liberal democratic norms.
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/03/andrew-sullivan-our-presidents-emotional-bait-and-switch.html
An excerpt from NY Magazine -
Our President’s Emotional Bait and Switch
By Andrew Sullivan
After the terror, the smile. It suddenly beams, and the voice calms. You feel the warmth again and are momentarily overcome with gratitude and relief. Suddenly, all the man’s malice and rage and narcissism disappear and the world turns suddenly normal. And you thrill to that normality. It’s what you’ve craved for so long, and been denied for so long. You forgive. You hope. You wonder if all the fear and dread you felt only a few moments ago were just in your imagination.
Any victim of an abusive spouse knows this dynamic. And now America is getting used to it. The Donald Trump who put on his grown-up voice last Tuesday night, and fit into a reassuringly familiar ritual of civic democracy, was the very same Donald Trump who had spent much of his first month in office in a series of unprecedented dyspeptic fits against the media, NATO allies, illegal aliens, Meryl Streep … well, you know the list by now. For the first time in public, he spoke in his “indoor voice.” He occasionally smiled, even as he can’t quite rid himself of the Mussolini back-step whenever he earns his craved applause. He used a teleprompter. And of course the media swooned. Who wouldn’t at this point? It’s somewhat unfair to lambaste them for their instant acknowledgment of the speech’s success. It was a success — an emotional blast of pseudo-normality for a serial abuser of liberal democratic norms.
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/03/andrew-sullivan-our-presidents-emotional-bait-and-switch.html
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Plugging the Leak
From the New Yorker -
DAILY CARTOON: THURSDAY, MARCH 2ND
By Tom Toro
http://www.newyorker.com/cartoons/daily-cartoon-030217-trump-pacifier
DAILY CARTOON: THURSDAY, MARCH 2ND
By Tom Toro
http://www.newyorker.com/cartoons/daily-cartoon-030217-trump-pacifier
Creative Minds
From the Huffington Post -
7 Black Innovators Who Are Creating A Better Tomorrow
Their impact is undeniable.
By Taryn Finley
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-innovators-creating-a-better-tomorrow_us_588fc553e4b02772c4e8b346
7 Black Innovators Who Are Creating A Better Tomorrow
Their impact is undeniable.
By Taryn Finley
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-innovators-creating-a-better-tomorrow_us_588fc553e4b02772c4e8b346
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Live Like Royalty
Rent a fairy-tale castle for your next vacation
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2017/02/28/castle-vacation-rentals/98534146/?csp=travel
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2017/02/28/castle-vacation-rentals/98534146/?csp=travel
FAMU Grad, Mayor Soon Governor?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/03/01/the-2018-florida-governors-race-just-got-its-first-serious-candidate/?utm_term=.7fb5778a702b
Lego Honoring NASA Women
From the Huffington Post -
We Have Liftoff: Lego Set Honoring Women Of NASA Will Land On A Shelf Near You
From "Hidden Figures" to shiny plastic figurines!
By Rebecca Shapiro
The toy company announced the winner of its semiannual Lego Ideas competition this week: a set honoring five women of NASA. The women are computer scientist Margaret Hamilton, mathematician Katherine Johnson, astronaut Sally Ride, astronomer and executive Nancy Grace Roman and astronaut Mae Jemison.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lego-women-nasa_us_58b64f58e4b0780bac2e581a?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
We Have Liftoff: Lego Set Honoring Women Of NASA Will Land On A Shelf Near You
From "Hidden Figures" to shiny plastic figurines!
By Rebecca Shapiro
The toy company announced the winner of its semiannual Lego Ideas competition this week: a set honoring five women of NASA. The women are computer scientist Margaret Hamilton, mathematician Katherine Johnson, astronaut Sally Ride, astronomer and executive Nancy Grace Roman and astronaut Mae Jemison.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lego-women-nasa_us_58b64f58e4b0780bac2e581a?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Clever Ideas
From Buzzfeed -
19 Completely Random Ideas That Will Make You Say, “Clever!”
Why didn’t I think of that?
By Mike Spohr
I love #2, #4 and #5.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/xx-random-ideas-that-are-lifechangingly-brilliant?utm_term=.vwQllONPb#.ekbAAmN7M
19 Completely Random Ideas That Will Make You Say, “Clever!”
Why didn’t I think of that?
By Mike Spohr
I love #2, #4 and #5.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/xx-random-ideas-that-are-lifechangingly-brilliant?utm_term=.vwQllONPb#.ekbAAmN7M
Monday, February 27, 2017
A Running Record of Calamity
From the Huffington Post -
I Gave Donald Trump A Chance, And Then He...
By Jesse Mechanic, Contributor
1. Restarted the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines.
2. Instituted a federal hiring freeze that blocked 2,000 vital, new positions at the VA, and indefinitely suspended Army childcare programs for vets.
3. Approved a raid in Yemen that killed 30 people including at least 10 civilians, many of whom were women and children, as well as U.S. Navy Seal Ryan Owens.
4. Reinstated and strengthened the global gag rule thereby pulling all world-wide federal funding from any institutions that even attempt to educate patients about abortion.
5. Rescinded federal bathroom protections for trans students.
(From me - Click the link below to see the rest. There are 57 and counting).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/i-gave-donald-trump-a-chance-and-then-he_us_58b41f40e4b0e5fdf61974a9?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
I Gave Donald Trump A Chance, And Then He...
By Jesse Mechanic, Contributor
1. Restarted the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines.
2. Instituted a federal hiring freeze that blocked 2,000 vital, new positions at the VA, and indefinitely suspended Army childcare programs for vets.
3. Approved a raid in Yemen that killed 30 people including at least 10 civilians, many of whom were women and children, as well as U.S. Navy Seal Ryan Owens.
4. Reinstated and strengthened the global gag rule thereby pulling all world-wide federal funding from any institutions that even attempt to educate patients about abortion.
5. Rescinded federal bathroom protections for trans students.
(From me - Click the link below to see the rest. There are 57 and counting).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/i-gave-donald-trump-a-chance-and-then-he_us_58b41f40e4b0e5fdf61974a9?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
Pot Calling the Kettle Black
From USA Today -
My Hispanic son: Why is Apple so white at the top?
By Tony Maldonado
When Apple and over 90 tech companies filed an amicus brief in opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration moratorium, I was dumbfounded to see an industry wade into a political debate in the name of protecting diversity in our country, when that same industry has done so little to foster diversity and inclusion in its own ranks among senior management and boards.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2017/02/27/shareholder-calls-on-apple-to-fix-diversity-senior-management-board-tony-maldonado/98196276/
My Hispanic son: Why is Apple so white at the top?
By Tony Maldonado
When Apple and over 90 tech companies filed an amicus brief in opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration moratorium, I was dumbfounded to see an industry wade into a political debate in the name of protecting diversity in our country, when that same industry has done so little to foster diversity and inclusion in its own ranks among senior management and boards.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2017/02/27/shareholder-calls-on-apple-to-fix-diversity-senior-management-board-tony-maldonado/98196276/
It's Frankie & Zadie!
From Grist -
Why the People’s Climate March matters to people of color like me
By Aura Vasquez
http://buff.ly/2lDRFnA
Why the People’s Climate March matters to people of color like me
By Aura Vasquez
 |
| a katz / Shutterstock, Inc. |
http://buff.ly/2lDRFnA
Click For Your Choice of President
From Salon -
POLL: Which fictional president would you rather have in the White House?
Tell us which big-screen president you'd prefer to have as commander-in-chief
http://www.salon.com/2017/02/27/poll-which-fictional-president-would-you-rather-have-in-the-white-house/?source=newsletter
POLL: Which fictional president would you rather have in the White House?
Tell us which big-screen president you'd prefer to have as commander-in-chief
http://www.salon.com/2017/02/27/poll-which-fictional-president-would-you-rather-have-in-the-white-house/?source=newsletter
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
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
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
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