Thursday, April 27, 2017
Safest Seat
From the Huffington Post -
The Safest Seat On A Plane, According To Studies Of Crash Data
One block of seats has a better survival rate than others.
By Suzy Strutner
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/safest-seat-on-a-plane_us_58f7dbd8e4b091e58f382505?ncid=APPLENEWS00001
The Safest Seat On A Plane, According To Studies Of Crash Data
One block of seats has a better survival rate than others.
By Suzy Strutner
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/safest-seat-on-a-plane_us_58f7dbd8e4b091e58f382505?ncid=APPLENEWS00001
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Transportation Innovations
From Vox -
9 radical changes that are coming to transportation
By Timothy B. Lee
http://www.vox.com/new-money/2017/4/26/15363592/tesla-uber-google-waymo-spacex-innovation
9 radical changes that are coming to transportation
By Timothy B. Lee
http://www.vox.com/new-money/2017/4/26/15363592/tesla-uber-google-waymo-spacex-innovation
Our Time in Tulsa
Years ago, when Ben and Frankie were five and three respectively, we moved to Oklahoma so that Frank (ex-husband) could attend seminary in preparation for a career change from active duty military to an active church pastor. This was after ten years or so of our being in the Navy.
The year was 1986.
I was never especially keen on this idea because that meant I would have the role of the "preacher's wife." The problem was I was outspoken and cussed like a sailor. Not handy attributes for the church's first lady.
That didn't stop us from going down this path though. I'm sure Frank thought he'd be able to "pray away" my rough edges.
Long story short.
Frank finished school and just when we should have commenced the process of starting a church, he decided to pursue a job as a commercial pilot, in keeping with what he did in the military.
I was relieved.
No lie.
But this post is about our time in Tulsa.
Of course, one of the most important things we had to do while there was to find a church. There was a lot of buzz about one in particular that fit our criteria. It was Charismatic, with a preacher who taught the Word, and as a bonus, it was predominantly black.
The church was Higher Dimensions.
Now, this whole notion of a Charismatic Church was different for me. I was raised Catholic and used to being in service for 45 minutes. Max. These two-hour services were a hard sell for me, but I'd be OK if they were entertaining.
Boy oh boy.
Higher Dimensions was definitely that.
The pastor, Carlton Pearson, was a rock star preacher. He was in demand all over town, all over the country, and indeed, all over the world. He was single at the time, and the church would be filled with beautiful women, dressed to the nines, all vying for his attention. He's a good looking guy and watching these mating dances was too much fun.
And, he could sing.
He could sho' nuff bring the house down as he would break out in song and dance at any given time.
He could preach, too.
After our first visit, I was sold.
I loved this church and this preacher man.
Now, it's taken me a while to get to the point, but here it is.
Years after we left Tulsa, Carlton continued to rock the Chrisitan world, but he had an epiphany that changed his thinking, and ultimately his message, when he announced that there wasn't a hell and that all people, no matter who they were or what they believed, were heaven-bound. That was considered heresy and he was denounced. This way of thinking was scandalous.
Well, I loved his message (or maybe it was his delivery) then (pre-epiphany), but I especially love it now. This lands me square in the minority though. Church folks have denounced him far and wide.
You can hear a well-done segment of This American Life, produced in 2005, that describes, in detail, Carlton Pearson's rise and fall from grace.
Judge for yourself.
http://tal.fm/304
Side note - There's a movie being made now of Carlton's life entitled "Come Sunday" starring Chiwetel Ejiofor.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1690967/
The year was 1986.
I was never especially keen on this idea because that meant I would have the role of the "preacher's wife." The problem was I was outspoken and cussed like a sailor. Not handy attributes for the church's first lady.
That didn't stop us from going down this path though. I'm sure Frank thought he'd be able to "pray away" my rough edges.
Long story short.
Frank finished school and just when we should have commenced the process of starting a church, he decided to pursue a job as a commercial pilot, in keeping with what he did in the military.
I was relieved.
No lie.
But this post is about our time in Tulsa.
Of course, one of the most important things we had to do while there was to find a church. There was a lot of buzz about one in particular that fit our criteria. It was Charismatic, with a preacher who taught the Word, and as a bonus, it was predominantly black.
The church was Higher Dimensions.
Now, this whole notion of a Charismatic Church was different for me. I was raised Catholic and used to being in service for 45 minutes. Max. These two-hour services were a hard sell for me, but I'd be OK if they were entertaining.
Boy oh boy.
Higher Dimensions was definitely that.
The pastor, Carlton Pearson, was a rock star preacher. He was in demand all over town, all over the country, and indeed, all over the world. He was single at the time, and the church would be filled with beautiful women, dressed to the nines, all vying for his attention. He's a good looking guy and watching these mating dances was too much fun.
And, he could sing.
He could sho' nuff bring the house down as he would break out in song and dance at any given time.
He could preach, too.
After our first visit, I was sold.
I loved this church and this preacher man.
Now, it's taken me a while to get to the point, but here it is.
Years after we left Tulsa, Carlton continued to rock the Chrisitan world, but he had an epiphany that changed his thinking, and ultimately his message, when he announced that there wasn't a hell and that all people, no matter who they were or what they believed, were heaven-bound. That was considered heresy and he was denounced. This way of thinking was scandalous.
Well, I loved his message (or maybe it was his delivery) then (pre-epiphany), but I especially love it now. This lands me square in the minority though. Church folks have denounced him far and wide.
You can hear a well-done segment of This American Life, produced in 2005, that describes, in detail, Carlton Pearson's rise and fall from grace.
Judge for yourself.
http://tal.fm/304
Side note - There's a movie being made now of Carlton's life entitled "Come Sunday" starring Chiwetel Ejiofor.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1690967/
Black & White in the NFL
From the Undefeated -
The NFL’s racial divide
Teams don’t consciously build rosters based on race, it just ends up that way
BY JASON REID AND JANE MCMANUS
On the field, the modern NFL, for the most part, is a meritocracy. But the individual positions on a roster can resemble the ordered black-and-white squares of a chessboard. The story of the enduring blackness of the running back position is part of a much bigger narrative about race and football that dates to a period when African-Americans were unofficially banned from playing in the NFL. And even today, the racial composition of NFL lineups is shaped as much by societal factors as the inclination of decision-makers to stick with what has worked so well for so long.
In the past few decades, critics have decried the way black players historically were blocked from playing quarterback in the NFL – an insulting and economically disenfranchising move. However, statistics show that times are changing – albeit still way too slowly. And although the league’s percentage of African-American signal-callers increased from 18 percent to only 19 percent during a 14-year span analyzed by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida, the emergence of young superstars such as Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, Dak Prescott and others have proved over and over again that those anachronistic ideas about leadership and intellect are no longer applicable. Warren Moon could write a book on it. Actually, he did.
https://theundefeated.com/features/the-nfls-racial-divide/
The NFL’s racial divide
Teams don’t consciously build rosters based on race, it just ends up that way
BY JASON REID AND JANE MCMANUS
On the field, the modern NFL, for the most part, is a meritocracy. But the individual positions on a roster can resemble the ordered black-and-white squares of a chessboard. The story of the enduring blackness of the running back position is part of a much bigger narrative about race and football that dates to a period when African-Americans were unofficially banned from playing in the NFL. And even today, the racial composition of NFL lineups is shaped as much by societal factors as the inclination of decision-makers to stick with what has worked so well for so long.
In the past few decades, critics have decried the way black players historically were blocked from playing quarterback in the NFL – an insulting and economically disenfranchising move. However, statistics show that times are changing – albeit still way too slowly. And although the league’s percentage of African-American signal-callers increased from 18 percent to only 19 percent during a 14-year span analyzed by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida, the emergence of young superstars such as Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, Dak Prescott and others have proved over and over again that those anachronistic ideas about leadership and intellect are no longer applicable. Warren Moon could write a book on it. Actually, he did.
https://theundefeated.com/features/the-nfls-racial-divide/
HBCUs on Display
From Essence -
Photos From The HBCU Springcoming 2017
The rain didn't stop these HBCU grads from having a good time during the third annual HBCU Springcoming in New York City.
By Mariya Moseley
http://www.essence.com/culture/photos-hbcu-graduates-springcoming-nyc-2017?xid=nl_essence_daily_am_042617
Photos From The HBCU Springcoming 2017
The rain didn't stop these HBCU grads from having a good time during the third annual HBCU Springcoming in New York City.
By Mariya Moseley
http://www.essence.com/culture/photos-hbcu-graduates-springcoming-nyc-2017?xid=nl_essence_daily_am_042617
Connecting Kids
From the New York Times -
Lifting Kids to College
By Frank Bruni
LOS ANGELES — If you go by the odds, Sierra Williams shouldn’t be in college, let alone at a highly selective school like the University of Southern California.
Many kids in her low-income neighborhood here don’t get to or through the 12th grade. Her single mother isn’t college-educated. Neither are Sierra’s two brothers, one of whom is in prison. Her sister has only a two-year associate degree.
But when Sierra was in the sixth grade, teachers spotted her potential and enrolled her in the Neighborhood Academic Initiative, or N.A.I., a program through which U.S.C. prepares underprivileged kids who live relatively near its South Los Angeles campus for higher education. She repeatedly visited U.S.C., so she could envision herself in such an environment and reach for it. She took advanced classes. Her mother, like the parents or guardians of all students in the N.A.I., got counseling on turning college into a reality for her child.
Sierra, 20, just finished her junior year at U.S.C. An engineering major, she’s already enrolled in a master’s program. “My end goal is to get my Ph.D.,” she told me when I met her recently. She wants to be a professor and, through her example as a black woman in engineering, correct the paucity of minorities in the field.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/26/opinion/usc-neighborhood-academic-initiative-lifting-kids-to-college.html?emc=edit_ca_20170426&nl=california-today&nlid=38867499&te=1&_r=0
Lifting Kids to College
By Frank Bruni
LOS ANGELES — If you go by the odds, Sierra Williams shouldn’t be in college, let alone at a highly selective school like the University of Southern California.
Many kids in her low-income neighborhood here don’t get to or through the 12th grade. Her single mother isn’t college-educated. Neither are Sierra’s two brothers, one of whom is in prison. Her sister has only a two-year associate degree.
But when Sierra was in the sixth grade, teachers spotted her potential and enrolled her in the Neighborhood Academic Initiative, or N.A.I., a program through which U.S.C. prepares underprivileged kids who live relatively near its South Los Angeles campus for higher education. She repeatedly visited U.S.C., so she could envision herself in such an environment and reach for it. She took advanced classes. Her mother, like the parents or guardians of all students in the N.A.I., got counseling on turning college into a reality for her child.
Sierra, 20, just finished her junior year at U.S.C. An engineering major, she’s already enrolled in a master’s program. “My end goal is to get my Ph.D.,” she told me when I met her recently. She wants to be a professor and, through her example as a black woman in engineering, correct the paucity of minorities in the field.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/26/opinion/usc-neighborhood-academic-initiative-lifting-kids-to-college.html?emc=edit_ca_20170426&nl=california-today&nlid=38867499&te=1&_r=0
No Ink Please
An excerpt from the Washington Post -
A Japanese artist takes on a country that despises tattoos
By Anna Fifield
OSAKA, Japan — Visitors to Japan who have tattoos bigger than a Band-Aid can forget about going to hot springs or swimming in a public pool. They also can rule out some beaches and gyms, certain restaurants and karaoke rooms, and even some convenience stores.
This is because tattoos are strongly associated with organized crime here — specifically the yakuza, or Japanese mafia — and are therefore almost universally viewed with repugnance. Case in point: When Disney released the animated movie “Moana” here recently, the advertising featured only the young girl in the title, and not the heavily tattooed Maui, who was shown on posters elsewhere (although the company says it was simply a marketing decision).
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/japanese-tattoo-artist-goes-to-court-to-challenge-a-national-revulsion-to-body-art/2017/04/24/d3bfbdee-25f2-11e7-928e-3624539060e8_story.html?utm_term=.6c89d0917632&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1
This is NUTS!
From the Huffington Post -
Nordstrom Sells $425 Jeans That Are Covered In Fake Mud
They’re the opposite of dirt cheap.
By Jamie Feldman
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nordstrom-mud-jeans_us_58ff7777e4b0c46f07829179
Nordstrom Sells $425 Jeans That Are Covered In Fake Mud
They’re the opposite of dirt cheap.
By Jamie Feldman
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nordstrom-mud-jeans_us_58ff7777e4b0c46f07829179
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
"Hidden Figures" in the Classroom
From the Undefeated -
Now we can find ‘Hidden Figures’ in the classroom
The story moves from the big screen into a new curriculum
BY KELLEY D. EVANS
The eye-opening, Academy Award-winning film Hidden Figures made big strides on the big screen. Now the box-office smash can be taught in middle school social studies classes thanks to Journeys in Film, a nonprofit organization that integrates film into education.
https://theundefeated.com/features/now-we-can-find-hidden-figures-in-the-classroom/
http://journeysinfilm.org/films/hidden-figures/
Now we can find ‘Hidden Figures’ in the classroom
The story moves from the big screen into a new curriculum
BY KELLEY D. EVANS
The eye-opening, Academy Award-winning film Hidden Figures made big strides on the big screen. Now the box-office smash can be taught in middle school social studies classes thanks to Journeys in Film, a nonprofit organization that integrates film into education.
https://theundefeated.com/features/now-we-can-find-hidden-figures-in-the-classroom/
http://journeysinfilm.org/films/hidden-figures/
Quote
From the Huffington Post -
“America’s greatness has never depended on the strength of any individual person, but on all of us, working together towards a common goal. But when we’ve failed to stay true to our core values ― when we deny another person our nation’s promise of opportunity ― our national strength suffers.
“When a child can’t access the tools to succeed in school, when a woman can’t afford basic health care, when refugees fleeing terror see the door slammed in their face, when we deny civil rights on the basis of skin color or sexual orientation or religion, and when a working family can’t put food on the table, our whole nation suffers.” - Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tammy-duckworth-first-senate-speech-donald-trump_us_58ffbe9ee4b07ba261e69f64?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
“America’s greatness has never depended on the strength of any individual person, but on all of us, working together towards a common goal. But when we’ve failed to stay true to our core values ― when we deny another person our nation’s promise of opportunity ― our national strength suffers.
“When a child can’t access the tools to succeed in school, when a woman can’t afford basic health care, when refugees fleeing terror see the door slammed in their face, when we deny civil rights on the basis of skin color or sexual orientation or religion, and when a working family can’t put food on the table, our whole nation suffers.” - Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tammy-duckworth-first-senate-speech-donald-trump_us_58ffbe9ee4b07ba261e69f64?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
Overdue for Praise
An excerpt from the Huffington Post -
‘If You Take Out Kenan Thompson, The Studio Will Explode’
Insiders at SNL consider Kenan Thompson to be one of the greatest sketch comics ever. As he approaches a record 15th season on the show, maybe you should, too.
By Maxwell Strachan
‘If You Take Out Kenan Thompson, The Studio Will Explode’
Insiders at SNL consider Kenan Thompson to be one of the greatest sketch comics ever. As he approaches a record 15th season on the show, maybe you should, too.
By Maxwell Strachan
After almost a lifetime on television, Kenan Thompson might be on a first-name basis with the general public, but he doesn’t come close to registering as one of the most famous people to walk through the doors of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. His time on the show has never translated into Hollywood stardom or his own TV show. Even at SNL, there has always been someone else who took the title of favorite ― a Tina Fey, or an Andy Samberg, or a Kristen Wiig, or a Kate McKinnon.
But quietly, Thompson, who joined the cast in 2003, has strung together a run at SNL that will soon be without precedent.
Should he return next fall for another season, Thompson will make SNL history, becoming the single longest-running cast member ever at 15 seasons.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kenan-thompson-snl_us_58fdedc3e4b018a9ce5cbb02?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
Black Ivy
From Essence -
#BlackMenOfYaleUniversity Photos Give A Fresh Perspective On The Black Ivy League Experience
By Danielle Kwateng-Clark
#BlackMenOfYaleUniversity Photos Give A Fresh Perspective On The Black Ivy League Experience
By Danielle Kwateng-Clark
http://www.essence.com/news/black-men-of-yale-university-viral-photo?xid=nl_essence_daily_pm_042517
Young, Gifted, & Black Rock Climber
From the Undefeated -
Kai Lightner, 17, aims to be the best rock climber in the country
One of the few blacks at the top of the sport, he’s shooting for the Tokyo Olympics
BY PAUL WACHTER
In March, Lightner, now 17, stood in front of another climbing wall inside Denver’s Movement Climbing and Fitness gym. He was one of 69 men competing in U.S.A. Climbing’s Sport & Speed Open National Championships, and, despite his age, he arguably was the favorite. Two years ago, when he first entered the competition as a 15-year-old, he won. And last year he finished second.
~~~~~~~~~~
But being the best male climber in the country isn’t Lightner’s only goal. After graduating from high school this spring, he’ll take a year off before college to expand his international competition schedule and tackle difficult outdoor routes. There’s also the Olympics. “Tokyo in 2020 will be the first time that climbing will be in the Olympics,” Lightner said. “There will only be one male climber and one female climber from the United States, and I’ll be training for that.”
Kai Lightner, 17, aims to be the best rock climber in the country
One of the few blacks at the top of the sport, he’s shooting for the Tokyo Olympics
BY PAUL WACHTER
 |
| Kai Lightner looks up at the climbing wall in – while participating in the USA Climbing Courtesy of USA Climbing |
In March, Lightner, now 17, stood in front of another climbing wall inside Denver’s Movement Climbing and Fitness gym. He was one of 69 men competing in U.S.A. Climbing’s Sport & Speed Open National Championships, and, despite his age, he arguably was the favorite. Two years ago, when he first entered the competition as a 15-year-old, he won. And last year he finished second.
~~~~~~~~~~
But being the best male climber in the country isn’t Lightner’s only goal. After graduating from high school this spring, he’ll take a year off before college to expand his international competition schedule and tackle difficult outdoor routes. There’s also the Olympics. “Tokyo in 2020 will be the first time that climbing will be in the Olympics,” Lightner said. “There will only be one male climber and one female climber from the United States, and I’ll be training for that.”
https://theundefeated.com/features/kai-lightner-17-aims-to-be-the-best-rock-climber-in-the-country/
Insecurity Defines Him
An excerpt from Slate -
Trump’s Defining Trait
It’s his insecurity. Why that should frighten us all.
By Jamelle Bouie
Each president brings with him more than just his agenda to Washington. He also brings personal qualities, those traits of character that shape and define his time in office as much as any event or policy. For Barack Obama, that quality was a confidence—or, critics might say, aloofness—exemplified by the nickname “No Drama Obama.” For George W. Bush, it was a resolve that crossed into stubborn rigidity. For Bill Clinton, a malleability that sometimes—or even often—skirted principle.
Donald Trump has just three months in office, but even now, we can see what he brings to the White House. Not the strength or mastery he works to project with every public appearance, but its opposite: insecurity. As president, Trump is profoundly insecure: insecure about his electoral victory, insecure about his public standing, and insecure about his progress as chief executive.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2017/04/donald_trump_s_defining_trait_his_insecurity.html?wpsrc=newsletter_tis&sid=554654ea10defb39638b510d
Trump’s Defining Trait
It’s his insecurity. Why that should frighten us all.
By Jamelle Bouie
Each president brings with him more than just his agenda to Washington. He also brings personal qualities, those traits of character that shape and define his time in office as much as any event or policy. For Barack Obama, that quality was a confidence—or, critics might say, aloofness—exemplified by the nickname “No Drama Obama.” For George W. Bush, it was a resolve that crossed into stubborn rigidity. For Bill Clinton, a malleability that sometimes—or even often—skirted principle.
Donald Trump has just three months in office, but even now, we can see what he brings to the White House. Not the strength or mastery he works to project with every public appearance, but its opposite: insecurity. As president, Trump is profoundly insecure: insecure about his electoral victory, insecure about his public standing, and insecure about his progress as chief executive.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2017/04/donald_trump_s_defining_trait_his_insecurity.html?wpsrc=newsletter_tis&sid=554654ea10defb39638b510d
Beyonce Scholarships - Please Share This
From Vulture -
Beyoncé Is Sending 4 Women to College on Formation Scholarships
By Dee Lockett
http://www.vulture.com/2017/04/beyonce-formation-scholarship-will-send-women-to-college.html
Beyoncé Is Sending 4 Women to College on Formation Scholarships
By Dee Lockett
http://www.vulture.com/2017/04/beyonce-formation-scholarship-will-send-women-to-college.html
Making a Statement
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTKtc_yhzzK/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-lives-matter-prom-dress_us_58fdfb99e4b06b9cb91865dc
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-lives-matter-prom-dress_us_58fdfb99e4b06b9cb91865dc
Monday, April 24, 2017
Snubbed by the US
An excerpt from OZY -
WHICH LEADER SNUBBED JESSE OWENS? HINT: IT WASN'T HITLER
By James Watkins
Adolf Hitler famously refused to shake Owens’ hand, not wanting the humiliation of acknowledging a Black athlete’s brilliance, or so the story goes. But the truth is that, after the first day of competition, Hitler didn’t shake any athlete’s hand because the head of the International Olympic Committee told him he must congratulate all gold medalists or none at all. Sure, the führer wasn’t keen on photo ops with Black or Jewish athletes, but he simply chose to steer clear of the stadium altogether. So Owens was never personally snubbed by Hitler, but his story is still defined by systematic racism — not in Nazi Germany, but in the United States.
After the Olympics, in which 18 African-American athletes competed with record-breaking success, only white athletes were invited to meet President Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the White House. It was an election year, and FDR “did not want to be perceived as being soft on the negro issue,” says Harry Edwards, a sociologist and campaigner for Black participation in professional sports. The most decorated American athlete of the Games, Owens had to enter his own celebratory reception at the Waldorf Astoria through the freight elevator. After being banned from amateur competition because he declined to take part in a post-Olympics promotional tour, and with no professional opportunities or sponsorships, Owens worked as a playground janitor. He would later work as a gas station attendant before eventually filing for bankruptcy and being prosecuted for tax evasion. Owens began smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, a habit that would eventually kill him.
http://www.ozy.com/the-huddle/which-leader-snubbed-jesse-owens-hint-it-wasnt-hitler/71998
WHICH LEADER SNUBBED JESSE OWENS? HINT: IT WASN'T HITLER
By James Watkins
Adolf Hitler famously refused to shake Owens’ hand, not wanting the humiliation of acknowledging a Black athlete’s brilliance, or so the story goes. But the truth is that, after the first day of competition, Hitler didn’t shake any athlete’s hand because the head of the International Olympic Committee told him he must congratulate all gold medalists or none at all. Sure, the führer wasn’t keen on photo ops with Black or Jewish athletes, but he simply chose to steer clear of the stadium altogether. So Owens was never personally snubbed by Hitler, but his story is still defined by systematic racism — not in Nazi Germany, but in the United States.
After the Olympics, in which 18 African-American athletes competed with record-breaking success, only white athletes were invited to meet President Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the White House. It was an election year, and FDR “did not want to be perceived as being soft on the negro issue,” says Harry Edwards, a sociologist and campaigner for Black participation in professional sports. The most decorated American athlete of the Games, Owens had to enter his own celebratory reception at the Waldorf Astoria through the freight elevator. After being banned from amateur competition because he declined to take part in a post-Olympics promotional tour, and with no professional opportunities or sponsorships, Owens worked as a playground janitor. He would later work as a gas station attendant before eventually filing for bankruptcy and being prosecuted for tax evasion. Owens began smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, a habit that would eventually kill him.
http://www.ozy.com/the-huddle/which-leader-snubbed-jesse-owens-hint-it-wasnt-hitler/71998
Sunday, April 23, 2017
Fueled by Taunts
From the Washington Post -
These robotics students were told ‘to go back to Mexico.’ The taunt only fueled their success.
By Kristine Phillips
Just a few months ago, not many knew about these five fourth-graders from a low-income community in Indianapolis.
But now, the Panther Bots, a thriving robotics team at Pleasant Run Elementary School, have become the face of a success story about a group of kids who were taunted with racial slurs but were too determined to let that affect their confidence. Earlier this month, they found themselves being honored on the Senate floor of the Indiana Statehouse. The group travels to Louisville on Sunday to compete in a worldwide robotics contest.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2017/04/23/these-robotics-students-were-told-to-go-back-to-mexico-the-taunt-only-fueled-their-success/?utm_term=.c0e0ecee6c44&wpisrc=nl_most-draw7&wpmm=1
These robotics students were told ‘to go back to Mexico.’ The taunt only fueled their success.
By Kristine Phillips
Just a few months ago, not many knew about these five fourth-graders from a low-income community in Indianapolis.
But now, the Panther Bots, a thriving robotics team at Pleasant Run Elementary School, have become the face of a success story about a group of kids who were taunted with racial slurs but were too determined to let that affect their confidence. Earlier this month, they found themselves being honored on the Senate floor of the Indiana Statehouse. The group travels to Louisville on Sunday to compete in a worldwide robotics contest.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2017/04/23/these-robotics-students-were-told-to-go-back-to-mexico-the-taunt-only-fueled-their-success/?utm_term=.c0e0ecee6c44&wpisrc=nl_most-draw7&wpmm=1
See Your Mail Before It Arrives
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/nation-now/2017/04/20/postal-service-offers-look-your-mail-before-arrives/100693104/
Signs of the Times
 |
| March for Science Rally, Paris - April 22, 2017 Francois Guillot, AFP/Getty Images |
Friday, April 21, 2017
The Invisible Monument at UC Berkeley
An excerpt from 99percentinvisible.org -
Be sure to check out the podcast that accompanies this article. It came be found on the bottom of the page.
The Invisible Monument to Free Speech
“This soil and the air space extending above it shall not be a part of any nation and shall not be subject to any entity’s jurisdiction.”
http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/episode-22-the-invisible-monument-to-free-speech/
From Atlas Obscura - http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/free-speech-monument
From RoadsideAmerica - http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/30278
Be sure to check out the podcast that accompanies this article. It came be found on the bottom of the page.
The Invisible Monument to Free Speech
“This soil and the air space extending above it shall not be a part of any nation and shall not be subject to any entity’s jurisdiction.”
http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/episode-22-the-invisible-monument-to-free-speech/
From Atlas Obscura - http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/free-speech-monument
From RoadsideAmerica - http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/30278
From Prisoner to Law Professor
From the Washington Post -
He robbed banks and went to prison. His time there put him on track for a new job: Georgetown law professor.
By Susan Svrluga
Hopwood’s new job as a tenure-track faculty member at the Georgetown University Law Center is only the latest improbable twist in a remarkable life: In the last 20 years, he has robbed banks in small towns in Nebraska, spent 11 years in federal prison, written a legal petition for a fellow inmate so incisive that the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, done that again, earned undergraduate and law degrees and extremely competitive clerkships, written a book, married his hometown crush and started a family.
But this could be his most compelling role yet. His time in prison gave him a searing understanding of the impact of sentencing and the dramatic growth in incarceration in the United States, an unusual perspective on the law that allows him to see things other lawyers overlook. And he takes the job at a time when criminal-justice issues have real urgency, from lawmakers to protesters to students.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/04/21/bank-robber-turned-georgetown-law-professor-is-just-getting-started-on-his-goals/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_georgetown1100am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.dd54e4087b44
He robbed banks and went to prison. His time there put him on track for a new job: Georgetown law professor.
By Susan Svrluga
Hopwood’s new job as a tenure-track faculty member at the Georgetown University Law Center is only the latest improbable twist in a remarkable life: In the last 20 years, he has robbed banks in small towns in Nebraska, spent 11 years in federal prison, written a legal petition for a fellow inmate so incisive that the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, done that again, earned undergraduate and law degrees and extremely competitive clerkships, written a book, married his hometown crush and started a family.
But this could be his most compelling role yet. His time in prison gave him a searing understanding of the impact of sentencing and the dramatic growth in incarceration in the United States, an unusual perspective on the law that allows him to see things other lawyers overlook. And he takes the job at a time when criminal-justice issues have real urgency, from lawmakers to protesters to students.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/04/21/bank-robber-turned-georgetown-law-professor-is-just-getting-started-on-his-goals/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_georgetown1100am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.dd54e4087b44
Fixed
From Full Frontal Samantha Bee -
https://twitter.com/FullFrontalSamB/status/854835411486740487/photo/1
https://twitter.com/FullFrontalSamB/status/854835411486740487/photo/1
History Lesson - African-American Female Activists
From Upworthy -
They're here: photos released of 8 female activists that history almost forgot.
JAMES GAINES
In 2013, the Library of Congress got a hold of the photograph collection of William Henry Richards, a prominent African-American leader who taught at Howard University from 1890 to 1928.
In the collection, they found portraits of the young, badass female African-American activists whom Richards worked alongside.
http://www.upworthy.com/theyre-here-photos-released-of-8-female-activists-that-history-almost-forgot?c=upw1&u=6861cbea6edfdfe5a709ee39ad3c14b64135e61f
They're here: photos released of 8 female activists that history almost forgot.
JAMES GAINES
In 2013, the Library of Congress got a hold of the photograph collection of William Henry Richards, a prominent African-American leader who taught at Howard University from 1890 to 1928.
In the collection, they found portraits of the young, badass female African-American activists whom Richards worked alongside.
http://www.upworthy.com/theyre-here-photos-released-of-8-female-activists-that-history-almost-forgot?c=upw1&u=6861cbea6edfdfe5a709ee39ad3c14b64135e61f
Prison Reform With Potential
An excerpt from the Los Angeles Times -
'I took someone’s life — now I am giving back': In California's prisons, inmates teach each other how to start over
By Jazmine Ulloa
The men Daniel Hopper teaches about drug and alcohol abuse are serving sentences of 10 years to life at a state prison tucked away in the Vaca Mountains of Northern California. They grew up in different places, most of them under difficult circumstances: dangerous schools and neighborhoods, fathers behind bars, brothers in gangs.
Hopper, a tall 35-year-old with cropped black hair, rectangular glasses and piercing wit, can relate to them on a level few others can. He is doing time for killing another teenager when he was 17 and a San Diego gang leader.
“Going to prison was one of the best things that ever happened to me,” Hopper said. It forced him to face what he did — and live differently, he said.
A largely self-educated inmate who had resigned himself to dying within prison walls, Hopper became a substance abuse counselor through the Offender Mentor Certification Program. Now, with Proposition 57 ushering in a massive overhaul of the state’s prison parole system, the program could bring him and his students closer to an early release that some of them thought they would never see.
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-prop-57-prison-programs-20170420-htmlstory.html
'I took someone’s life — now I am giving back': In California's prisons, inmates teach each other how to start over
By Jazmine Ulloa
The men Daniel Hopper teaches about drug and alcohol abuse are serving sentences of 10 years to life at a state prison tucked away in the Vaca Mountains of Northern California. They grew up in different places, most of them under difficult circumstances: dangerous schools and neighborhoods, fathers behind bars, brothers in gangs.
Hopper, a tall 35-year-old with cropped black hair, rectangular glasses and piercing wit, can relate to them on a level few others can. He is doing time for killing another teenager when he was 17 and a San Diego gang leader.
“Going to prison was one of the best things that ever happened to me,” Hopper said. It forced him to face what he did — and live differently, he said.
A largely self-educated inmate who had resigned himself to dying within prison walls, Hopper became a substance abuse counselor through the Offender Mentor Certification Program. Now, with Proposition 57 ushering in a massive overhaul of the state’s prison parole system, the program could bring him and his students closer to an early release that some of them thought they would never see.
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-prop-57-prison-programs-20170420-htmlstory.html
Undoing Years of Progress
An excerpt from ProPublica -
DeVos Pick to Head Civil Rights Office Once Said She Faced Discrimination for Being White
Candice Jackson’s intellectual journey raises questions about how actively she will investigate allegations of unfair treatment of minorities and women.
by Annie Waldman
The new acting head of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights once complained that she experienced discrimination because she is white.
As an undergraduate studying calculus at Stanford University in the mid-1990s, Candice Jackson “gravitated” toward a section of the class that provided students with extra help on challenging problems, she wrote in a student publication. Then she learned that the section was reserved for minority students.
“I am especially disappointed that the University encourages these and other discriminatory programs,” she wrote in the Stanford Review. “We need to allow each person to define his or her own achievements instead of assuming competence or incompetence based on race.”
https://www.propublica.org/article/devos-candice-jackson-civil-rights-office-education-department
DeVos Pick to Head Civil Rights Office Once Said She Faced Discrimination for Being White
Candice Jackson’s intellectual journey raises questions about how actively she will investigate allegations of unfair treatment of minorities and women.
by Annie Waldman
The new acting head of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights once complained that she experienced discrimination because she is white.
As an undergraduate studying calculus at Stanford University in the mid-1990s, Candice Jackson “gravitated” toward a section of the class that provided students with extra help on challenging problems, she wrote in a student publication. Then she learned that the section was reserved for minority students.
“I am especially disappointed that the University encourages these and other discriminatory programs,” she wrote in the Stanford Review. “We need to allow each person to define his or her own achievements instead of assuming competence or incompetence based on race.”
https://www.propublica.org/article/devos-candice-jackson-civil-rights-office-education-department
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Rang True For Me
I was raised in the segregated South, in rural China, Texas.
I entered first grade in 1962. We didn't have kindergarten back then. The school I attended housed first thru twelfth grades. My oldest brother Willie was fourteen years older than me and already in the military by the time I was school age. My second brother Forrest was a junior, and my third brother Terry was in second grade, and we were all in the same building.
Everyone in that school was black - the principal, the teachers, and the support staff. The advantages of that world were that at an early age we mingled with professionals who looked like us. People who had a vested interest in our learning and who understood the importance of teaching us so much more than just the three R's - reading writing and arithmetic. They, along with our parents, taught us how to navigate our segregated world so that we'd live to tell about it.
That black oasis ended when I entered seventh grade and the school was integrated. I went from having all black teachers for my first six years of schooling to having just one black teacher for the next six years. All of the black staff from our school were fired, except for one. The educational, social and economic impact of that decision was enormous.
In our push for integration, the assumption was if we were in the same class as white kids, we'd get the same education. That was incredibly naive thinking.
The teachers' role in students' achievement was/is HUGE. When teachers believe in their students, even when they don't believe in themselves, it makes a tremendous difference. Does the teacher have to be black to teach black kids? No, but it's a value-added endeavor when the teachers and students can relate to each other on a deeper level.
So, this author's comments and analysis in the article below rang true for me.
I understood them completely because I lived them.
~~~~~~~~~~
An excerpt from the New York Times -
Where Did All the Black Teachers Go?
By BRENT STAPLES
When black schools were shuttered or absorbed, celebrated black principals were demoted or fired. By some estimates, nearly a third of African-American teachers lost their jobs. Those who survived the purge were sometimes selected on the basis of a lighter skin color that made them more palatable to white communities.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/20/opinion/where-did-all-the-black-teachers-go.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region
I entered first grade in 1962. We didn't have kindergarten back then. The school I attended housed first thru twelfth grades. My oldest brother Willie was fourteen years older than me and already in the military by the time I was school age. My second brother Forrest was a junior, and my third brother Terry was in second grade, and we were all in the same building.
Everyone in that school was black - the principal, the teachers, and the support staff. The advantages of that world were that at an early age we mingled with professionals who looked like us. People who had a vested interest in our learning and who understood the importance of teaching us so much more than just the three R's - reading writing and arithmetic. They, along with our parents, taught us how to navigate our segregated world so that we'd live to tell about it.
That black oasis ended when I entered seventh grade and the school was integrated. I went from having all black teachers for my first six years of schooling to having just one black teacher for the next six years. All of the black staff from our school were fired, except for one. The educational, social and economic impact of that decision was enormous.
In our push for integration, the assumption was if we were in the same class as white kids, we'd get the same education. That was incredibly naive thinking.
The teachers' role in students' achievement was/is HUGE. When teachers believe in their students, even when they don't believe in themselves, it makes a tremendous difference. Does the teacher have to be black to teach black kids? No, but it's a value-added endeavor when the teachers and students can relate to each other on a deeper level.
So, this author's comments and analysis in the article below rang true for me.
I understood them completely because I lived them.
~~~~~~~~~~
An excerpt from the New York Times -
Where Did All the Black Teachers Go?
By BRENT STAPLES
When black schools were shuttered or absorbed, celebrated black principals were demoted or fired. By some estimates, nearly a third of African-American teachers lost their jobs. Those who survived the purge were sometimes selected on the basis of a lighter skin color that made them more palatable to white communities.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/20/opinion/where-did-all-the-black-teachers-go.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region
Ouch!
An excerpt from Vox -
Henry Kissinger just damned Jared Kushner with the faintest of praise
By Zack Beauchamp
The entire thing is the most lukewarm of lukewarm praise, about as generic and uninspired as it comes. One academic I follow on Twitter called it “the letter of recommendation you never want an advisor to send,” which sounds about right.
http://www.vox.com/world/2017/4/20/15373668/henry-kissinger-jared-kushner-time-100
Henry Kissinger just damned Jared Kushner with the faintest of praise
By Zack Beauchamp
The entire thing is the most lukewarm of lukewarm praise, about as generic and uninspired as it comes. One academic I follow on Twitter called it “the letter of recommendation you never want an advisor to send,” which sounds about right.
http://www.vox.com/world/2017/4/20/15373668/henry-kissinger-jared-kushner-time-100
How TED Became TED
An excerpt from Wired -
The Oral History of TED, a Club for the Rich That Became a Global Phenomenon
By Emma Grey Ellis
BEFORE ITS 2,000-PLUS videos had been viewed 8 billion times, TED was an annual conference for wealthy eggheads. Starting in February 1984, 1,000 people who could afford to pay $4,000 (and up) would gather in Monterey, California, to hear 18-minute lectures on technology, entertainment, and design. (TED, get it?) Then, in 2006, TED started posting the presentations on its website, transforming a once-exclusive conference into a viral think-piece factory. As TED kicks off its 33rd conference this spring, here’s how the talks went global.
https://www.wired.com/2017/04/an-oral-history-of-ted-talks/
The Oral History of TED, a Club for the Rich That Became a Global Phenomenon
By Emma Grey Ellis
BEFORE ITS 2,000-PLUS videos had been viewed 8 billion times, TED was an annual conference for wealthy eggheads. Starting in February 1984, 1,000 people who could afford to pay $4,000 (and up) would gather in Monterey, California, to hear 18-minute lectures on technology, entertainment, and design. (TED, get it?) Then, in 2006, TED started posting the presentations on its website, transforming a once-exclusive conference into a viral think-piece factory. As TED kicks off its 33rd conference this spring, here’s how the talks went global.
https://www.wired.com/2017/04/an-oral-history-of-ted-talks/
Jordan Gets An Undeserved Pass
An excerpt from the Guardian -
Craig Hodges: 'Jordan didn't speak out because he didn't know what to say'
He was one of the NBA’s finest sharpshooters and a two-time champion alongside Michael Jordan, but was run out of the league for his outspoken views. A quarter of a century on, Craig Hodges is still fighting the good fight
By Donald McRae
Hodges has told his compelling life story with fiery passion, looping around a cast of characters stretching from Jordan, Magic Johnson and Phil Jackson back to Muhammad Ali, Arthur Ashe and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, before returning to the present. Sport and politics are entwined again in a country where Donald Trump is president and Colin Kaepernick remains locked outside football as an unsigned free agent who had the temerity to sink to one knee during the national anthem. And teenage African American boys, just like they were when Hodges was trying to shake up the NBA, are still being gunned down.
Hodges always wanted to voice his opposition to injustice. In June 1991, before the first game of the NBA finals between the Bulls and the LA Lakers, Hodges tried to convince Jordan and Magic Johnson that both teams should stage a boycott. Rodney King, an African American, had been beaten brutally by four white policemen in Los Angeles three months earlier – while 32% of the black population in Illinois lived below the poverty line.
As he writes in his new book Longshot: The Triumphs and Struggles of an NBA Freedom Fighter, Hodges told the sport’s two leading players that the Bulls and Lakers should sit out the opening game, so “we would stand in solidarity with the black community while calling out racism and economic inequality in the NBA, where there were no black owners and almost no black coaches despite the fact that 75% of the players in the league were African American”.
Jordan told Hodges he was “crazy” while Johnson said: “That’s too extreme, man.”
“What’s happening to our people in this country is extreme,” Hodges replied.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/apr/20/craig-hodges-michael-jordan-nba-chicago-bulls?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-1
Craig Hodges: 'Jordan didn't speak out because he didn't know what to say'
He was one of the NBA’s finest sharpshooters and a two-time champion alongside Michael Jordan, but was run out of the league for his outspoken views. A quarter of a century on, Craig Hodges is still fighting the good fight
By Donald McRae
Hodges has told his compelling life story with fiery passion, looping around a cast of characters stretching from Jordan, Magic Johnson and Phil Jackson back to Muhammad Ali, Arthur Ashe and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, before returning to the present. Sport and politics are entwined again in a country where Donald Trump is president and Colin Kaepernick remains locked outside football as an unsigned free agent who had the temerity to sink to one knee during the national anthem. And teenage African American boys, just like they were when Hodges was trying to shake up the NBA, are still being gunned down.
Hodges always wanted to voice his opposition to injustice. In June 1991, before the first game of the NBA finals between the Bulls and the LA Lakers, Hodges tried to convince Jordan and Magic Johnson that both teams should stage a boycott. Rodney King, an African American, had been beaten brutally by four white policemen in Los Angeles three months earlier – while 32% of the black population in Illinois lived below the poverty line.
As he writes in his new book Longshot: The Triumphs and Struggles of an NBA Freedom Fighter, Hodges told the sport’s two leading players that the Bulls and Lakers should sit out the opening game, so “we would stand in solidarity with the black community while calling out racism and economic inequality in the NBA, where there were no black owners and almost no black coaches despite the fact that 75% of the players in the league were African American”.
Jordan told Hodges he was “crazy” while Johnson said: “That’s too extreme, man.”
“What’s happening to our people in this country is extreme,” Hodges replied.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/apr/20/craig-hodges-michael-jordan-nba-chicago-bulls?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-1
Birds of a Feather?
From the Los Angeles Times -
The Bill O'Reilly case shows how much Fox News and UC Berkeley have (horrors!) in common
By Michael Hiltzik
What may be most telling about the O’Reilly case is that it’s far from unique. Indeed, many of its features were replicated at an institution that, on the surface, is as different from Fox as one could imagine: UC Berkeley. Neither Fox nor Berkeley would probably relish being discussed in the same sentence as the other, but it’s their handling of accused serial harassers that makes them cousins.
The Berkeley case involves renowned astronomer Geoff Marcy, who was forced to resign his tenured professorship in 2015 after reports surfaced of multiple accusations from students of unwanted sexual overtures. Marcy had joined the Berkeley faculty in 1999 from San Francisco State University and was touted as one of its stars. Often cited as a candidate for the Nobel Prize, he commanded millions of dollars in research funds.
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-berkeley-sexual-harassment-20170418-story.html
The Bill O'Reilly case shows how much Fox News and UC Berkeley have (horrors!) in common
By Michael Hiltzik
What may be most telling about the O’Reilly case is that it’s far from unique. Indeed, many of its features were replicated at an institution that, on the surface, is as different from Fox as one could imagine: UC Berkeley. Neither Fox nor Berkeley would probably relish being discussed in the same sentence as the other, but it’s their handling of accused serial harassers that makes them cousins.
The Berkeley case involves renowned astronomer Geoff Marcy, who was forced to resign his tenured professorship in 2015 after reports surfaced of multiple accusations from students of unwanted sexual overtures. Marcy had joined the Berkeley faculty in 1999 from San Francisco State University and was touted as one of its stars. Often cited as a candidate for the Nobel Prize, he commanded millions of dollars in research funds.
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-berkeley-sexual-harassment-20170418-story.html
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Keep Saying "Good Morning"
From the Los Angeles Times -
Getting older, and falling apart, but no shortage of role models for fighting on
By Steve Lopez
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lopez-20170418-story.html
Getting older, and falling apart, but no shortage of role models for fighting on
By Steve Lopez
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lopez-20170418-story.html
Paid Time Off to Protest
From the Washington Post -
The newest Silicon Valley perk? Paid time off to protest Trump.
By Abha Bhattarai
Silicon Valley firms have long been known for offering a litany of employee perks: home-cooked lunches, free massages, climbing walls and dog-friendly offices.
Now some are adding yet another incentive to attract — and retain — workers: paid time off to protest.
Fauna, a San Francisco-based database start-up, recently began allowing its 13 employees to take unlimited paid leave to participate in rallies, vote, write letters to elected officials and take part in other civic activities. Before February, employees could take time off on an as-needed basis. But the political climate — and polarization — after President Trump’s inauguration called for more defined measures, said Amna Pervez, director of recruiting and retention.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2017/04/18/the-newest-silicon-valley-perk-paid-time-off-to-protest-trump/?utm_term=.d06dd727f125&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1
The newest Silicon Valley perk? Paid time off to protest Trump.
By Abha Bhattarai
Silicon Valley firms have long been known for offering a litany of employee perks: home-cooked lunches, free massages, climbing walls and dog-friendly offices.
Now some are adding yet another incentive to attract — and retain — workers: paid time off to protest.
Fauna, a San Francisco-based database start-up, recently began allowing its 13 employees to take unlimited paid leave to participate in rallies, vote, write letters to elected officials and take part in other civic activities. Before February, employees could take time off on an as-needed basis. But the political climate — and polarization — after President Trump’s inauguration called for more defined measures, said Amna Pervez, director of recruiting and retention.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2017/04/18/the-newest-silicon-valley-perk-paid-time-off-to-protest-trump/?utm_term=.d06dd727f125&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1
Jesuits & Georgetown Repent
An excerpt from CNN -
In emotional service, Jesuits and Georgetown repent for slave trading
By Daniel Burke
(CNN)There is wide gulf, Frederick Douglass wrote in 1845, between Christianity proper and the "slaveholding religion of this land." One is "good, pure and holy," the other corrupt and wicked, the "climax of all misnomers, the boldest of all frauds."
"We have men-stealers for ministers, women-whippers for missionaries and cradle-plunderers for church members," Douglass wrote in "Life of an American Slave."
For Douglass, as for other African-Americans, the sin of slavery was intolerable; the complicity of Christians unforgivable.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/18/living/georgetown-slavery-service/index.html
In emotional service, Jesuits and Georgetown repent for slave trading
By Daniel Burke
(CNN)There is wide gulf, Frederick Douglass wrote in 1845, between Christianity proper and the "slaveholding religion of this land." One is "good, pure and holy," the other corrupt and wicked, the "climax of all misnomers, the boldest of all frauds."
"We have men-stealers for ministers, women-whippers for missionaries and cradle-plunderers for church members," Douglass wrote in "Life of an American Slave."
For Douglass, as for other African-Americans, the sin of slavery was intolerable; the complicity of Christians unforgivable.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/18/living/georgetown-slavery-service/index.html
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Pie Thrower Trial
An excerpt from Deadspin -
Will The First Amendment Save The Kevin Johnson Pie Bandit
By Dave McKenna
Can pie throwing be considered a protected form of speech? Will Kevin Johnson be asked, for the first time ever, to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about his seamy side, so help him God? Will Michelle Rhee get cross-examined—or even examined?
Getting the answers to those questions will be among the reasons folks who’ve followed the never-ending soap opera of Johnson, the ex-NBA superstar turned disgraced (and now former) mayor of Sacramento, are excited about the upcoming trial of Sean Thompson, the man who hit Johnson with a pie at a fall charity gala, then took a beating from the pied politico. Thompson was charged with counts of assaulting a public official, a felony, and committing assault on school grounds, a misdemeanor. At a hearing last week in Sacramento Superior Court, a judge confirmed that the trial will indeed start on April 19. The court has set aside two weeks, a huge amount of time for a typical assault case. But nobody expects this trial to proceed typically.
http://deadspin.com/will-the-first-amendment-save-the-kevin-johnson-pie-ban-1794317698
Will The First Amendment Save The Kevin Johnson Pie Bandit
By Dave McKenna
Can pie throwing be considered a protected form of speech? Will Kevin Johnson be asked, for the first time ever, to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about his seamy side, so help him God? Will Michelle Rhee get cross-examined—or even examined?
Getting the answers to those questions will be among the reasons folks who’ve followed the never-ending soap opera of Johnson, the ex-NBA superstar turned disgraced (and now former) mayor of Sacramento, are excited about the upcoming trial of Sean Thompson, the man who hit Johnson with a pie at a fall charity gala, then took a beating from the pied politico. Thompson was charged with counts of assaulting a public official, a felony, and committing assault on school grounds, a misdemeanor. At a hearing last week in Sacramento Superior Court, a judge confirmed that the trial will indeed start on April 19. The court has set aside two weeks, a huge amount of time for a typical assault case. But nobody expects this trial to proceed typically.
http://deadspin.com/will-the-first-amendment-save-the-kevin-johnson-pie-ban-1794317698
I Don't Drink, But I'd Go to This Bar
From Thrillist -
THIS JUST-OPENED NYC BAR IS DONATING ALL PROCEEDS TO CAUSES THREATENED UNDER TRUMP
By TANNER SAUNDERS
Get ready to drink, New York, because there’s a new bar putting all your pricey cocktail money towards charity.
Coup, which opened Friday night, is the city’s first 100% not-for-profit cocktail bar. Founded by Ravi DeRossi, the brains behind some of the city’s most influential cocktail bars (like Death & Co. and Amor y Amargo) and bartenders Sother Teague and Max Green, Coup was founded in response to the policies of President Trump. The goal is to offer people a way to support causes threatened by the new administration, and to celebrate the diversity of New York. “The way we define ourselves is: we’re not an anti-Trump bar, we’re just a pro-charity bar and the charities we happen to be working with right now are organizations that need money right now to fight this current administration or are being defunded,” DeRossi tells Thrillist.
https://www.thrillist.com/drink/new-york/east-village/coup-bar-nyc-protests-trump-donates-profits
THIS JUST-OPENED NYC BAR IS DONATING ALL PROCEEDS TO CAUSES THREATENED UNDER TRUMP
By TANNER SAUNDERS
Get ready to drink, New York, because there’s a new bar putting all your pricey cocktail money towards charity.
Coup, which opened Friday night, is the city’s first 100% not-for-profit cocktail bar. Founded by Ravi DeRossi, the brains behind some of the city’s most influential cocktail bars (like Death & Co. and Amor y Amargo) and bartenders Sother Teague and Max Green, Coup was founded in response to the policies of President Trump. The goal is to offer people a way to support causes threatened by the new administration, and to celebrate the diversity of New York. “The way we define ourselves is: we’re not an anti-Trump bar, we’re just a pro-charity bar and the charities we happen to be working with right now are organizations that need money right now to fight this current administration or are being defunded,” DeRossi tells Thrillist.
https://www.thrillist.com/drink/new-york/east-village/coup-bar-nyc-protests-trump-donates-profits
Yes Ladies!
From Oakland Magazine -
The Oakland Sisterhood
Women hold every top leadership job in the city’s bureaucracy. Plus, Libby Schaaf’s mayoral staff has six women in senior roles.
By Robert Gammon, Sarah Phelan, Matthew Artz, and Steven Tavares
Oakland has long been a liberal bastion, but it took 159 years for the city to swear in its first-ever female mayor. And now, just six years after that precedent-setting event, Oakland is making up for lost time. Not only did the city’s second female mayor take office in 2015, but women currently dominate nearly every corner of City Hall.
When Mayor Libby Schaaf swore in the city’s first-ever female police chief, Anne Kirkpatrick, on Feb. 27, women for the first time held all the major leadership roles in the city’s bureaucracy: the mayor, the city administrator, the city administrator’s three top deputies, the police chief, and the fire chief. Schaaf’s mayoral office staff also has six women in senior management jobs, plus 10 more women in supporting roles. And that’s not counting the four female city councilmembers and the city attorney.
Call it the Oakland Sisterhood.
http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/April-2017/The-Oakland-Sisterhood/
The Oakland Sisterhood
Women hold every top leadership job in the city’s bureaucracy. Plus, Libby Schaaf’s mayoral staff has six women in senior roles.
By Robert Gammon, Sarah Phelan, Matthew Artz, and Steven Tavares
Oakland has long been a liberal bastion, but it took 159 years for the city to swear in its first-ever female mayor. And now, just six years after that precedent-setting event, Oakland is making up for lost time. Not only did the city’s second female mayor take office in 2015, but women currently dominate nearly every corner of City Hall.
When Mayor Libby Schaaf swore in the city’s first-ever female police chief, Anne Kirkpatrick, on Feb. 27, women for the first time held all the major leadership roles in the city’s bureaucracy: the mayor, the city administrator, the city administrator’s three top deputies, the police chief, and the fire chief. Schaaf’s mayoral office staff also has six women in senior management jobs, plus 10 more women in supporting roles. And that’s not counting the four female city councilmembers and the city attorney.
Call it the Oakland Sisterhood.
http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/April-2017/The-Oakland-Sisterhood/
She's Fired Up
An excerpt from Salon -
Maxine Waters, Donald Trump and impeachment: One Democrat is ready — her party and the American people may follow
A California Democrat calls for impeachment, and the world says it's too early. That might change — and quickly
By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
The anti-Trump resistance is very much a grassroots effort, but there are leaders emerging. One of the most vocal is Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat who represents Los Angeles. Appearing at the Washington Tax Day march last Saturday, Waters put it bluntly: “I don’t respect this president,” she said. “I don’t trust this president. He’s not working in the best interests of the American people. I will fight every day until he is impeached!” Then she led the crowd in a chant of “Impeach 45!” It doesn’t get any more resistant than that.
Waters has always been a tough and forceful politician, unafraid to take a position and speak her mind. She first came to national attention after the violence following the acquittal of police officers in the beating of Rodney King when she went on TV and explained to America through gritted teeth that the African-American community in L.A. hadn’t just exploded out of nowhere. It was a message a lot of people didn’t want to hear, but she made sure they received it anyway. She has been a thorn in the side of conservatives ever since then, once inspiring Ann Coulter to venomously spew that without affirmative action Waters “wouldn’t have a job that didn’t involve wearing a paper hat.” Right-wingers often lose their composure when confronted with such a strong, unapologetic African-American woman who is unafraid of getting right up in their faces.
http://www.salon.com/2017/04/17/maxine-waters-donald-trump-and-impeachment-one-democrat-is-ready-her-party-and-the-american-people-may-follow/
Maxine Waters, Donald Trump and impeachment: One Democrat is ready — her party and the American people may follow
A California Democrat calls for impeachment, and the world says it's too early. That might change — and quickly
By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
The anti-Trump resistance is very much a grassroots effort, but there are leaders emerging. One of the most vocal is Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat who represents Los Angeles. Appearing at the Washington Tax Day march last Saturday, Waters put it bluntly: “I don’t respect this president,” she said. “I don’t trust this president. He’s not working in the best interests of the American people. I will fight every day until he is impeached!” Then she led the crowd in a chant of “Impeach 45!” It doesn’t get any more resistant than that.
Waters has always been a tough and forceful politician, unafraid to take a position and speak her mind. She first came to national attention after the violence following the acquittal of police officers in the beating of Rodney King when she went on TV and explained to America through gritted teeth that the African-American community in L.A. hadn’t just exploded out of nowhere. It was a message a lot of people didn’t want to hear, but she made sure they received it anyway. She has been a thorn in the side of conservatives ever since then, once inspiring Ann Coulter to venomously spew that without affirmative action Waters “wouldn’t have a job that didn’t involve wearing a paper hat.” Right-wingers often lose their composure when confronted with such a strong, unapologetic African-American woman who is unafraid of getting right up in their faces.
http://www.salon.com/2017/04/17/maxine-waters-donald-trump-and-impeachment-one-democrat-is-ready-her-party-and-the-american-people-may-follow/
Monday, April 17, 2017
He's a Heartless Idiot
From the Washington Post -
Charles Barkley ‘uncomfortable’ as Isaiah Thomas cries, playing one day after sister’s death
By Cindy Boren
Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas struggled with his emotions Sunday, tearing up before the team’s playoff game as he stared down at sneakers on which he had written “RIP Lil Sis,” “Chyna” and “I love you.”
He was playing about 37 hours after his 22-year-old sister had been killed in a car crash in Washington and, while most people were moved by his emotions, Charles Barkley was not. The TNT commentator and former NBA player felt “that’s just not a good look for him.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/04/17/charles-barkley-uncomfortable-as-isaiah-thomas-cries-playing-one-day-after-sisters-death/?utm_term=.a1b2f4297db9&wpisrc=nl_most-draw7&wpmm=1
Charles Barkley ‘uncomfortable’ as Isaiah Thomas cries, playing one day after sister’s death
By Cindy Boren
Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas struggled with his emotions Sunday, tearing up before the team’s playoff game as he stared down at sneakers on which he had written “RIP Lil Sis,” “Chyna” and “I love you.”
He was playing about 37 hours after his 22-year-old sister had been killed in a car crash in Washington and, while most people were moved by his emotions, Charles Barkley was not. The TNT commentator and former NBA player felt “that’s just not a good look for him.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/04/17/charles-barkley-uncomfortable-as-isaiah-thomas-cries-playing-one-day-after-sisters-death/?utm_term=.a1b2f4297db9&wpisrc=nl_most-draw7&wpmm=1
Hilariously Scary
From the New Yorker -
IVANKA’S NOTES FOR THE BABYSITTER
By Ellis Weiner
http://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/ivankas-notes-for-the-babysitter?intcid=mod-latest
IVANKA’S NOTES FOR THE BABYSITTER
By Ellis Weiner
http://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/ivankas-notes-for-the-babysitter?intcid=mod-latest
Great App
I just discovered Mr. Number, the call blocking and scam protection app. It immediately identifies scam calls and blocks them.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mr-number-call-block-reverse-lookup/id1047334922?mt=8
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mr-number-call-block-reverse-lookup/id1047334922?mt=8
Sunday, April 16, 2017
It Matters
An excerpt from the New York Times -
The Real Reason Black Kids Benefit From Black Teachers
By David Jackson
For black students, having even one black teacher can make a huge difference. That’s the conclusion of a new study, which found that that black boys who had a black teacher during their elementary school years were less likely to drop out of high school. It also linked the presence of black teachers to kids’ expectations of attending college.
I wasn’t surprised to hear this. I’m one of a small fraction of black teachers in my district. I know that, as much as many would like to think that good intentions and talent are the only important qualities for educators, students respond differently to teachers whom they can relate to.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/15/opinion/sunday/the-real-reason-black-kids-benefit-from-black-teachers.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region
The Real Reason Black Kids Benefit From Black Teachers
By David Jackson
For black students, having even one black teacher can make a huge difference. That’s the conclusion of a new study, which found that that black boys who had a black teacher during their elementary school years were less likely to drop out of high school. It also linked the presence of black teachers to kids’ expectations of attending college.
I wasn’t surprised to hear this. I’m one of a small fraction of black teachers in my district. I know that, as much as many would like to think that good intentions and talent are the only important qualities for educators, students respond differently to teachers whom they can relate to.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/15/opinion/sunday/the-real-reason-black-kids-benefit-from-black-teachers.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region
A Heathen's Guide
An excerpt from the Root -
A Heathen’s Guide to Black Church on Easter Sunday
By Lawrence Ware
Easter—or, as the “woke” Christians call it, Resurrection Sunday—is one of my favorite holidays. Not because of the deep, symbolic weight of the day, but because of the fashion.
Black folks are aesthetically creative on a regular day—yet, on Easter, everyone is a black dandy.
There will be pastel suits, white hats and reflective sunglasses, but my favorite part of Easter, without question, are the little kids in ill-fitting suits and pouffy dresses.
... But let’s be honest.
Some of y’all who will be in church Sunday ain’t been there in a solid year—and that’s me being generous.
http://www.theroot.com/a-heathen-s-guide-to-black-church-on-easter-sunday-1794340498
A Heathen’s Guide to Black Church on Easter Sunday
By Lawrence Ware
Easter—or, as the “woke” Christians call it, Resurrection Sunday—is one of my favorite holidays. Not because of the deep, symbolic weight of the day, but because of the fashion.
Black folks are aesthetically creative on a regular day—yet, on Easter, everyone is a black dandy.
There will be pastel suits, white hats and reflective sunglasses, but my favorite part of Easter, without question, are the little kids in ill-fitting suits and pouffy dresses.
... But let’s be honest.
Some of y’all who will be in church Sunday ain’t been there in a solid year—and that’s me being generous.
http://www.theroot.com/a-heathen-s-guide-to-black-church-on-easter-sunday-1794340498
A Twitter Feud
From Thrillist -
WENDY'S JUST BURNED HARDEE'S SO BAD IT GOT BLOCKED
By DUSTIN NELSON
https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/wendys-hardees-twitter-feud-blocked
WENDY'S JUST BURNED HARDEE'S SO BAD IT GOT BLOCKED
By DUSTIN NELSON
https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/wendys-hardees-twitter-feud-blocked
Muted Ball
An excerpt from Slate -
Still a White Man’s Sport
Seventy years after Jackie Robinson integrated Major League Baseball, the game has yet to embrace black culture.
By Lawrence Ware
Black culture is American culture, and the flamboyance of players in the Negro Leagues was a major part of why that great American institution was so beloved. Unfortunately, as black athletes integrated baseball, major-league players and fans did not embrace much of what made the Negro Leagues unique. Many teams, for instance, warmed up by miming baseball moves with great flamboyance, a practice known as playing “shadow ball.” Players in the Negro Leagues wowed the crowds with their convincing reactions to balls that were, in fact, not there. But when they made it to the majors, shadow ball ceased to exist.
As William Rhoden noted in the New York Times in 2014, Robinson didn’t leave the style of the Negro Leagues behind when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. His “speed and daring,” particularly his steals of home, were a trademark of black baseball. “At that time, [white] baseball was a base-to base thing,” Negro Leagues legend Buck O’Neil said in an interview for Ken Burns’ documentary Baseball. “But in our baseball … if you walked, you stole second … you actually scored runs without a hit.” Robinson’s aggression on the base paths infuriated his opponents, particularly the white ones. Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Russ Meyer, annoyed at watching Robinson dance off third base, yelled, “Go ahead you nigger, try to steal.” Robinson did try. He was safe at home.
http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2017/04/seventy_years_after_jackie_robinson_mlb_is_still_a_white_man_s_sport.html
Making Music on His Phone
From Wired -
The Hot New Hip-Hop Producer Who Does Everything on His iPhone
By David Pierce
https://www.wired.com/2017/04/steve-lacy-iphone-producer/?mbid=nl_41417_p2&CNDID=
The Hot New Hip-Hop Producer Who Does Everything on His iPhone
By David Pierce
https://www.wired.com/2017/04/steve-lacy-iphone-producer/?mbid=nl_41417_p2&CNDID=
"A Wave of Withdrawals"
An excerpt from the Washington Post -
Even Canadians are skipping trips to the U.S. after Trump travel ban
By Abha Bhattarai
The cancellations came quickly and in rapid succession. Within days of President Trump’s first executive order restricting travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, a number of European travel groups pulled their plans, amounting to a loss of 2,000 overnight stays for Hostelling International USA.
The ban would complicate travel for citizens of the countries cited — among them Iran, Syria and Libya. But Canadians and Europeans and others were dropping their plans, too. As group organizers put it, people suddenly had an unsettling sense that the United States wasn’t as welcoming a place as it once was.
The result was a wave of withdrawals. “Getting those cancellations all at once, that was startling,” said Russ Hedge, chief executive of HIU, which oversees 52 hostels across the country. “We’ve never seen something like that.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/after-trumps-travel-ban-tourism-outfits-say-that-brand-usa-has-taken-a-hit/2017/04/14/d0eebf4e-158e-11e7-833c-503e1f6394c9_story.html?utm_term=.6bbb9ca0a975
Even Canadians are skipping trips to the U.S. after Trump travel ban
By Abha Bhattarai
The cancellations came quickly and in rapid succession. Within days of President Trump’s first executive order restricting travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, a number of European travel groups pulled their plans, amounting to a loss of 2,000 overnight stays for Hostelling International USA.
The ban would complicate travel for citizens of the countries cited — among them Iran, Syria and Libya. But Canadians and Europeans and others were dropping their plans, too. As group organizers put it, people suddenly had an unsettling sense that the United States wasn’t as welcoming a place as it once was.
The result was a wave of withdrawals. “Getting those cancellations all at once, that was startling,” said Russ Hedge, chief executive of HIU, which oversees 52 hostels across the country. “We’ve never seen something like that.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/after-trumps-travel-ban-tourism-outfits-say-that-brand-usa-has-taken-a-hit/2017/04/14/d0eebf4e-158e-11e7-833c-503e1f6394c9_story.html?utm_term=.6bbb9ca0a975
Great Analogy
An excerpt from the Atlantic -
Why Airlines Can Get Away With Bad Customer Service
As much as other types of companies might want to ignore their lowest-margin patrons, most don’t have that luxury.
By KAVEH WADDELL
A security guard stops a customer as she tries to enter a well-stocked aisle in a large department store. “Sorry, ma’am,” the guard says. “This sale is for our silver, gold, and platinum shoppers only.” He points her toward the meager discount corner at the back of the store, where bronze-status shoppers are allowed. She passes attendants who smile only at the elite shoppers, offering them refreshments and guiding them toward the best deals. When she stops for gas on the way home, she gets in a long line for the basic pump, while the priority pump sits empty and unused. At the grocery store, she doesn’t have enough points to approach the organic produce.
This beleaguered consumer lives in an alternate reality where businesses can discriminate between their high-value and low-value clientele at will, enticing the biggest spenders to stay while marginalizing bargain hunters and coupon cutters. Most companies couldn’t get away with triaging their customers this way. But some already do: airlines.
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/why-airlines-can-get-away-with-bad-customer-service/523011/
Why Airlines Can Get Away With Bad Customer Service
As much as other types of companies might want to ignore their lowest-margin patrons, most don’t have that luxury.
By KAVEH WADDELL
A security guard stops a customer as she tries to enter a well-stocked aisle in a large department store. “Sorry, ma’am,” the guard says. “This sale is for our silver, gold, and platinum shoppers only.” He points her toward the meager discount corner at the back of the store, where bronze-status shoppers are allowed. She passes attendants who smile only at the elite shoppers, offering them refreshments and guiding them toward the best deals. When she stops for gas on the way home, she gets in a long line for the basic pump, while the priority pump sits empty and unused. At the grocery store, she doesn’t have enough points to approach the organic produce.
This beleaguered consumer lives in an alternate reality where businesses can discriminate between their high-value and low-value clientele at will, enticing the biggest spenders to stay while marginalizing bargain hunters and coupon cutters. Most companies couldn’t get away with triaging their customers this way. But some already do: airlines.
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/why-airlines-can-get-away-with-bad-customer-service/523011/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)