Thursday, December 14, 2017
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Quote
From USA Today Editorial -
A president who would all but call Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand a whore is not fit to clean the toilets in the Barack Obama Presidential Library or to shine the shoes of George W. Bush.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/12/12/trump-lows-ever-hit-rock-bottom-editorials-debates/945947001/
A president who would all but call Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand a whore is not fit to clean the toilets in the Barack Obama Presidential Library or to shine the shoes of George W. Bush.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/12/12/trump-lows-ever-hit-rock-bottom-editorials-debates/945947001/
Monday, December 11, 2017
Sunday, December 10, 2017
Fighting Mass Incarceration With An App
An excerpt from Salon -
Want to fight America’s racist mass-incarceration system? There’s an app for that
The app Appolition automatically collects your spare change to help bail disadvantaged black people out of jail
By Rachel Leah
As a social engineer, Kortney Ziegler is always thinking of new ideas and posting them to his Twitter.
"An app that converts your daily change into bail money to free black people," he tweeted in July.
Like many of his brainstorms, it was a one-off gesture thrown into the digital ether. But something was different about this one. It quickly got hundreds of retweets and affirmations. "I'd sign up!" many users wrote back.
Impressed and inspired by the response, Ziegler decided to make the app a reality.
The result is the web-based service "Appolition," which officially came to life on Nov. 14. Ziegler, along with his co-founders in Atlanta, hoped to reach 200 users by mid-December. As of today, Appolition has close to 6,000. And its current, web-based form is just the beginning. Ziegler says mobile apps for iPhone and Android users are on the way.
Here's how it works: Appolition connects to your bank account and rounds up each purchase you make to the nearest dollar. The spare change is then donated automatically once it accrues to at least 50 cents. By signing in to the website, it takes you to a personal secure dashboard where you can track your contributions to bail relief as you spend. It's both passive — you don't even notice you're using it — and effective.
https://www.salon.com/2017/12/09/want-to-fight-americas-racist-mass-incarceration-system-theres-an-app-for-that/
https://appolition.us
Want to fight America’s racist mass-incarceration system? There’s an app for that
The app Appolition automatically collects your spare change to help bail disadvantaged black people out of jail
By Rachel Leah
As a social engineer, Kortney Ziegler is always thinking of new ideas and posting them to his Twitter.
"An app that converts your daily change into bail money to free black people," he tweeted in July.
Like many of his brainstorms, it was a one-off gesture thrown into the digital ether. But something was different about this one. It quickly got hundreds of retweets and affirmations. "I'd sign up!" many users wrote back.
Impressed and inspired by the response, Ziegler decided to make the app a reality.
The result is the web-based service "Appolition," which officially came to life on Nov. 14. Ziegler, along with his co-founders in Atlanta, hoped to reach 200 users by mid-December. As of today, Appolition has close to 6,000. And its current, web-based form is just the beginning. Ziegler says mobile apps for iPhone and Android users are on the way.
Here's how it works: Appolition connects to your bank account and rounds up each purchase you make to the nearest dollar. The spare change is then donated automatically once it accrues to at least 50 cents. By signing in to the website, it takes you to a personal secure dashboard where you can track your contributions to bail relief as you spend. It's both passive — you don't even notice you're using it — and effective.
https://www.salon.com/2017/12/09/want-to-fight-americas-racist-mass-incarceration-system-theres-an-app-for-that/
https://appolition.us
Saturday, December 9, 2017
It Shouldn't Be This Hard
An excerpt from Salon -
NYC’s high school wars: Helicopter parenting hits a new peak
“School choice” in New York has birthed a bizarre system that rewards parental madness and reinforces inequality
By ANDREW O'HEHIR
I spent eight hours trapped with hundreds of other parents in the prison-like cafeteria at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School — that’s the performing arts school from “Fame” — while my daughter auditioned for a spot in their drama program. (Hey, she got a call-back.) We waited in a four-block-long line for 90 minutes to get into a brief presentation at a former groovy-lefty alternative school that is now — this is not so much ironic as inevitable — intensely competitive and desirable. My son and I tried to visit a tiny math-and-science target school in Harlem (which features, I kid you not, mandatory German) and found ourselves in a mob scene perhaps five times the size of the school’s entire student population. But there was one small moment, in itself neither controversial nor alarming, that summed up this whole strange experience.
https://www.salon.com/2017/12/09/nycs-high-school-wars-helicopter-parenting-hits-a-new-peak/?source=newsletter
NYC’s high school wars: Helicopter parenting hits a new peak
“School choice” in New York has birthed a bizarre system that rewards parental madness and reinforces inequality
By ANDREW O'HEHIR
I spent eight hours trapped with hundreds of other parents in the prison-like cafeteria at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School — that’s the performing arts school from “Fame” — while my daughter auditioned for a spot in their drama program. (Hey, she got a call-back.) We waited in a four-block-long line for 90 minutes to get into a brief presentation at a former groovy-lefty alternative school that is now — this is not so much ironic as inevitable — intensely competitive and desirable. My son and I tried to visit a tiny math-and-science target school in Harlem (which features, I kid you not, mandatory German) and found ourselves in a mob scene perhaps five times the size of the school’s entire student population. But there was one small moment, in itself neither controversial nor alarming, that summed up this whole strange experience.
https://www.salon.com/2017/12/09/nycs-high-school-wars-helicopter-parenting-hits-a-new-peak/?source=newsletter
It Says It All
An excerpt from the Huffington Post -
This Book’s Title Says What We’re All Thinking About Donald Trump
“The windows are dark in D.C./ Your staff huddles down to silently weep/ I’ll read you one last story from InfoWars/ If you promise you’ll then go to sleep.”
By David Moye
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/stop-tweeting-donald-trump-book_us_5a27127de4b0c2117626883e?ncid=APPLENEWS00001
This Book’s Title Says What We’re All Thinking About Donald Trump
“The windows are dark in D.C./ Your staff huddles down to silently weep/ I’ll read you one last story from InfoWars/ If you promise you’ll then go to sleep.”
By David Moye
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/stop-tweeting-donald-trump-book_us_5a27127de4b0c2117626883e?ncid=APPLENEWS00001
Black Superpower of Detection
An excerpt from Very Smart Brothas -
Is It Safe Yet to Admit How Shocked I Am That There Are Actual Black People Who Had No Idea Meghan Markle Is (Partially) Black?
By Damon Young
From “The One Superpower All Black People Possess? Detecting Blackness”:
It doesn’t matter if you have one drop or a KFC bucket full of Zulu blood. We see Black down the hall. We see Black in the mall. We see Black across the street. We see Black across the tweets. Shit, we see Black before Black sees itself. And sometimes even when Black refuses to see itself.
Somewhere in America today a Black person is passing for White. And he’s been able to fool the people at his job, the people at his church, and the people in his girlfriend’s family. And that Black person is going to be in the same supermarket aisle as another Black person. And that Black person is going to take one look at him and think “Nah, bruh.”
https://verysmartbrothas.theroot.com/is-it-safe-yet-to-admit-how-shocked-i-am-that-there-are-1821098302?utm_source=theroot_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2017-12-08
Is It Safe Yet to Admit How Shocked I Am That There Are Actual Black People Who Had No Idea Meghan Markle Is (Partially) Black?
By Damon Young
From “The One Superpower All Black People Possess? Detecting Blackness”:
It doesn’t matter if you have one drop or a KFC bucket full of Zulu blood. We see Black down the hall. We see Black in the mall. We see Black across the street. We see Black across the tweets. Shit, we see Black before Black sees itself. And sometimes even when Black refuses to see itself.
Somewhere in America today a Black person is passing for White. And he’s been able to fool the people at his job, the people at his church, and the people in his girlfriend’s family. And that Black person is going to be in the same supermarket aisle as another Black person. And that Black person is going to take one look at him and think “Nah, bruh.”
https://verysmartbrothas.theroot.com/is-it-safe-yet-to-admit-how-shocked-i-am-that-there-are-1821098302?utm_source=theroot_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2017-12-08
Friday, December 8, 2017
Thieving Squirrel
An excerpt from the Boston Globe -
Fat squirrel steals pricey goods left out for delivery folks
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
MAPLEWOOD, N.J. — An obese squirrel was caught on video stealing gourmet chocolate and lip balm that a family leaves outside as a holiday treat for delivery people.
Michele Boudreaux, of Maplewood, N.J., said on her blog she provides candy, snacks, tissues, hand warmers, and other goodies on her doorstep every year. She’s never had any issues before, but this year, her basket was raided within hours of being set outside her home.
The thief seemed to be targeting the priciest stuff, including about 25 squares of Ghirardelli chocolate, she said.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2017/12/07/fat-squirrel-steals-pricey-goods-left-out-for-delivery-folks/D0AYhIWpj0XLoHmaupdtdL/story.html?et_rid=606374700&s_campaign=todaysheadlines:newsletter
Fat squirrel steals pricey goods left out for delivery folks
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
MAPLEWOOD, N.J. — An obese squirrel was caught on video stealing gourmet chocolate and lip balm that a family leaves outside as a holiday treat for delivery people.
Michele Boudreaux, of Maplewood, N.J., said on her blog she provides candy, snacks, tissues, hand warmers, and other goodies on her doorstep every year. She’s never had any issues before, but this year, her basket was raided within hours of being set outside her home.
The thief seemed to be targeting the priciest stuff, including about 25 squares of Ghirardelli chocolate, she said.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2017/12/07/fat-squirrel-steals-pricey-goods-left-out-for-delivery-folks/D0AYhIWpj0XLoHmaupdtdL/story.html?et_rid=606374700&s_campaign=todaysheadlines:newsletter
Thursday, December 7, 2017
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
Black Wall Street
An excerpt from OZY -
HISTORY HANGS HEAVILY OVER TULSA’S LONE BLACK COUNCILWOMAN
By Nick Fouriezos
To engage with Vanessa Hall-Harper is to grapple with the tragic history of race relations in Tulsa. Reckoning is the only option when sitting down with the 46-year-old, who, within minutes, is digging into what was — and what could have been.
They called the city councilor’s North Tulsa district “Black Wall Street” in the early 20th century, when African-American aristocrats paraded their automobiles down roads lined with more than 200 Black-owned businesses. But on May 31, 1921, everything changed. Resentment over Black wealth erupted, with white vigilantes taking to the streets, killing at least 300 of their neighbors of color and firebombing their businesses in what would be dubbed a “race riot” by the history books — and then promptly forgotten.
http://www.ozy.com/politics-and-power/history-hangs-heavily-over-tulsas-lone-black-councilwoman/82011
HISTORY HANGS HEAVILY OVER TULSA’S LONE BLACK COUNCILWOMAN
By Nick Fouriezos
To engage with Vanessa Hall-Harper is to grapple with the tragic history of race relations in Tulsa. Reckoning is the only option when sitting down with the 46-year-old, who, within minutes, is digging into what was — and what could have been.
They called the city councilor’s North Tulsa district “Black Wall Street” in the early 20th century, when African-American aristocrats paraded their automobiles down roads lined with more than 200 Black-owned businesses. But on May 31, 1921, everything changed. Resentment over Black wealth erupted, with white vigilantes taking to the streets, killing at least 300 of their neighbors of color and firebombing their businesses in what would be dubbed a “race riot” by the history books — and then promptly forgotten.
http://www.ozy.com/politics-and-power/history-hangs-heavily-over-tulsas-lone-black-councilwoman/82011
Rugby's Changing Face
An excerpt from OZY -
RUGBY'S CHANGING FACE: FROM THE PRIVILEGED TO THE DOWNTRODDEN
By Tal Pinchevsky
Since its birth in early 19th-century Britain, rugby has largely remained a bastion of upper-class privilege. The sport spread across the breadth of the British Empire but remained an elite activity in most countries even after the end of colonial rule, despite occasional dents to that shell of privilege. Now, an emerging breed of young rugby players is challenging that old order more decisively than ever.
A refugee from the Ivory Coast, 21-year-old Karwhin recently joined the Redcliffe Dolphins rugby club near Brisbane, Australia, a team that in the past has given the country several national players. After living in a refugee camp along the Bosnia-Croatia border as a child, Admir Cejvanovic is now a fixture on Canada’s national team for rugby sevens — a faster, seven-a-side version of the sport. Mo Mustafa, a Palestinian refugee who settled in Britain, represented England students internationally before taking up medical studies. Italian national team player Mata Maxime Mbanda’s parents came to Italy from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ohio-born Carlin Isles bounced around the foster care system before emerging as among the United States’ top rugby sevens players. In war-torn Benghazi, young Libyan men have formed a rugby union, and the city is building a stadium that will host Middle Eastern and North African teams in an international tournament next year. And the Tre Rose rugby club in the Italian province of Alessandria is made up almost entirely of Syrian refugees who have fled the civil war in their homeland.
http://www.ozy.com/the-huddle/rugbys-changing-face-from-the-privileged-to-the-downtrodden/82159
RUGBY'S CHANGING FACE: FROM THE PRIVILEGED TO THE DOWNTRODDEN
By Tal Pinchevsky
Since its birth in early 19th-century Britain, rugby has largely remained a bastion of upper-class privilege. The sport spread across the breadth of the British Empire but remained an elite activity in most countries even after the end of colonial rule, despite occasional dents to that shell of privilege. Now, an emerging breed of young rugby players is challenging that old order more decisively than ever.
A refugee from the Ivory Coast, 21-year-old Karwhin recently joined the Redcliffe Dolphins rugby club near Brisbane, Australia, a team that in the past has given the country several national players. After living in a refugee camp along the Bosnia-Croatia border as a child, Admir Cejvanovic is now a fixture on Canada’s national team for rugby sevens — a faster, seven-a-side version of the sport. Mo Mustafa, a Palestinian refugee who settled in Britain, represented England students internationally before taking up medical studies. Italian national team player Mata Maxime Mbanda’s parents came to Italy from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ohio-born Carlin Isles bounced around the foster care system before emerging as among the United States’ top rugby sevens players. In war-torn Benghazi, young Libyan men have formed a rugby union, and the city is building a stadium that will host Middle Eastern and North African teams in an international tournament next year. And the Tre Rose rugby club in the Italian province of Alessandria is made up almost entirely of Syrian refugees who have fled the civil war in their homeland.
http://www.ozy.com/the-huddle/rugbys-changing-face-from-the-privileged-to-the-downtrodden/82159
He Tried to Help
An excerpt from CNN -
Obama tried to save Trump from a colossal mistake
By Michael D'Antonio
With every revelation in the Trump-Russia controversy it's becoming clear that the most important moment in Donald Trump's transition involved the man he seems to detest the most.
Two days after the election, Barack Obama delivered a face-to-face warning to Trump about the risk of keeping retired Gen. Michael Flynn around. Trump ignored the advice and instead invested maximum trust in Flynn as he made him national security adviser.
Obama's effort to save Trump and the nation from Flynn is full of painful irony. Remember, Trump is the man who spent years promoting racist conspiracy theories suggesting Obama was foreign-born and thus not legally qualified to be president. Flynn, whom Obama dismissed because of concerns about his leadership, then mocked Obama's ally, Hillary Clinton, with chants of "lock her up" during the campaign.
Obama could have stayed mum. A lesser man would have savored the knowledge that Trump and Flynn were headed for crisis. Obama did his duty by trying to help his successor.
The judgment Obama showed was typical for a president who, prior to politics, was an expert in constitutional law and understood his responsibilities to fulfill the oath he took to "preserve, protect and defend" it.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/04/opinions/obama-tried-to-save-trump-from-mistake-opinion-dantonio/index.html
Obama tried to save Trump from a colossal mistake
By Michael D'Antonio
With every revelation in the Trump-Russia controversy it's becoming clear that the most important moment in Donald Trump's transition involved the man he seems to detest the most.
Two days after the election, Barack Obama delivered a face-to-face warning to Trump about the risk of keeping retired Gen. Michael Flynn around. Trump ignored the advice and instead invested maximum trust in Flynn as he made him national security adviser.
Obama's effort to save Trump and the nation from Flynn is full of painful irony. Remember, Trump is the man who spent years promoting racist conspiracy theories suggesting Obama was foreign-born and thus not legally qualified to be president. Flynn, whom Obama dismissed because of concerns about his leadership, then mocked Obama's ally, Hillary Clinton, with chants of "lock her up" during the campaign.
Obama could have stayed mum. A lesser man would have savored the knowledge that Trump and Flynn were headed for crisis. Obama did his duty by trying to help his successor.
The judgment Obama showed was typical for a president who, prior to politics, was an expert in constitutional law and understood his responsibilities to fulfill the oath he took to "preserve, protect and defend" it.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/04/opinions/obama-tried-to-save-trump-from-mistake-opinion-dantonio/index.html
Monday, December 4, 2017
Sunday, December 3, 2017
Saturday, December 2, 2017
Friday, December 1, 2017
Trapped in Trump's World
An excerpt from New York Magazine -
America Is Trapped in Trump’s Delusional World
By Andrew Sullivan
This past week was, in some ways, the most potent distillation of the Trump era we have yet encountered. This is not because any single incident is worse than any previous one over the past year. It’s because the last few days have brought all of them together in a new, concentrated way — a super-storm, as it were, of liberal democratic destruction. We have deranged tweeting; truly surreal lies; mindless GOP tribalism; evangelicals making excuses for the molestation of minors; further assaults on the free press; an unprecedented attack on the most reliable Atlantic ally; the demonization of personal enemies; stupendous tribal hypocrisy with respect to sexual abuse; the White House’s endorsement of a foreign neo-fascist hate group; the vengeful hanging out to dry of a Cabinet member; and the attempt to pass a catastrophic omnibus piece of legislation in one mad, blind rush in order to get a “win.” And all in a few days!
At its center is mental illness. It radiates out of the center like a toxin in the blood. And this, again, is nothing new. On Trump’s first day in office, with respect to the size of his inauguration crowd, he insisted that what was demonstrably, visibly, incontrovertibly false was actually true. At that moment, we learned that all the lies and exaggerations and provocations of the previous year were not just campaign tools, designed to con and distract, but actually constitutive of his core mental health. He was not lying, as lying is usually understood. He was expressing what he believed to be true, because his ego demanded it be true. And for Trump, as we now know, there is no reality outside his own perfervidly narcissistic consciousness.
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/12/andrew-sullivan-america-is-trapped-in-trumps-delusions.html
America Is Trapped in Trump’s Delusional World
By Andrew Sullivan
This past week was, in some ways, the most potent distillation of the Trump era we have yet encountered. This is not because any single incident is worse than any previous one over the past year. It’s because the last few days have brought all of them together in a new, concentrated way — a super-storm, as it were, of liberal democratic destruction. We have deranged tweeting; truly surreal lies; mindless GOP tribalism; evangelicals making excuses for the molestation of minors; further assaults on the free press; an unprecedented attack on the most reliable Atlantic ally; the demonization of personal enemies; stupendous tribal hypocrisy with respect to sexual abuse; the White House’s endorsement of a foreign neo-fascist hate group; the vengeful hanging out to dry of a Cabinet member; and the attempt to pass a catastrophic omnibus piece of legislation in one mad, blind rush in order to get a “win.” And all in a few days!
At its center is mental illness. It radiates out of the center like a toxin in the blood. And this, again, is nothing new. On Trump’s first day in office, with respect to the size of his inauguration crowd, he insisted that what was demonstrably, visibly, incontrovertibly false was actually true. At that moment, we learned that all the lies and exaggerations and provocations of the previous year were not just campaign tools, designed to con and distract, but actually constitutive of his core mental health. He was not lying, as lying is usually understood. He was expressing what he believed to be true, because his ego demanded it be true. And for Trump, as we now know, there is no reality outside his own perfervidly narcissistic consciousness.
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/12/andrew-sullivan-america-is-trapped-in-trumps-delusions.html
Kaep Receives Ali Award
An excerpt from the Washington Post -
Colin Kaepernick receives Muhammad Ali Legacy Award from Sports Illustrated
By Des Bieler
For risking a lucrative athletic career in his prime by staging protests against injustice, Colin Kaepernick has often been compared to Muhammad Ali. Thus, in giving the former 49ers quarterback an annual award named in honor of the boxing icon, Sports Illustrated declared that “no winner has been more fitting than Kaepernick.”
In an essay, Sports Illustrated’s Michael Rosenberg wrote, “In the last 16 months, Kaepernick’s truth has been twisted, distorted and used for political gain. It has cost him at least a year of his NFL career and the income that should have come with it. But still, it is his truth. He has not wavered from it. He does not regret speaking it. He has caused millions of people to examine it. And, quietly, he has donated nearly a million dollars to support it.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/11/30/colin-kaepernick-receives-muhammad-ali-legacy-award-from-sports-illustrated/?utm_term=.5cf0c25fffe8
Colin Kaepernick receives Muhammad Ali Legacy Award from Sports Illustrated
By Des Bieler
For risking a lucrative athletic career in his prime by staging protests against injustice, Colin Kaepernick has often been compared to Muhammad Ali. Thus, in giving the former 49ers quarterback an annual award named in honor of the boxing icon, Sports Illustrated declared that “no winner has been more fitting than Kaepernick.”
In an essay, Sports Illustrated’s Michael Rosenberg wrote, “In the last 16 months, Kaepernick’s truth has been twisted, distorted and used for political gain. It has cost him at least a year of his NFL career and the income that should have come with it. But still, it is his truth. He has not wavered from it. He does not regret speaking it. He has caused millions of people to examine it. And, quietly, he has donated nearly a million dollars to support it.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/11/30/colin-kaepernick-receives-muhammad-ali-legacy-award-from-sports-illustrated/?utm_term=.5cf0c25fffe8
Thursday, November 30, 2017
The Power of Howard
An excerpt from the Undefeated -
‘This Is Us’ recognizes the power of Howard University
As a senior, I know exactly how the show’s character Randall Pearson felt visiting The Mecca for the first time
BY PAUL HOLSTON
If you didn’t catch the midseason finale of the NBC series This Is Us, you missed seeing on national television the moment a young black boy full of joy arrives on the main campus of Howard University, a place where blackness is unapologetic and excellence is vivacious.
One of the most touching moments of the show’s second season is a throwback to the ’90s in which high school junior Randall Pearson (Niles Fitch) asks his adoptive father, Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia), if he could visit the historically black university after initially filling out an application for Harvard University. Randall has been trying to figure out for a while where he would like to go to college.
After Jack agrees to plan a trip to Howard with Randall, the episode soon shifts to The Yard, the symbolic heart of the campus. The environment and the Afrocentric energy that thrives throughout The Mecca immediately overwhelms Randall. Randall and Jack then walk to the Valley on campus and are greeted by Keith, a friend of Randall’s who is a Howard freshman, and Craig, another student who is a member of my fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma (shout out to the MAB!). Keith offers to give Randall a tour, and to Randall’s surprise, he gets the comfort of being at an HBCU (historically black college or university). From walking the halls of Founders Library to eyeing a young woman who walks by him on The Yard to chilling in one of the dormitories with Nas and Lauryn Hill’s If I Ruled The World gliding in the background, the show does a great job of showing how many Howard students feel during their first experiences at The Mecca.
https://theundefeated.com/features/this-is-us-recognizes-the-power-of-howard-university/
‘This Is Us’ recognizes the power of Howard University
As a senior, I know exactly how the show’s character Randall Pearson felt visiting The Mecca for the first time
BY PAUL HOLSTON
If you didn’t catch the midseason finale of the NBC series This Is Us, you missed seeing on national television the moment a young black boy full of joy arrives on the main campus of Howard University, a place where blackness is unapologetic and excellence is vivacious.
One of the most touching moments of the show’s second season is a throwback to the ’90s in which high school junior Randall Pearson (Niles Fitch) asks his adoptive father, Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia), if he could visit the historically black university after initially filling out an application for Harvard University. Randall has been trying to figure out for a while where he would like to go to college.
After Jack agrees to plan a trip to Howard with Randall, the episode soon shifts to The Yard, the symbolic heart of the campus. The environment and the Afrocentric energy that thrives throughout The Mecca immediately overwhelms Randall. Randall and Jack then walk to the Valley on campus and are greeted by Keith, a friend of Randall’s who is a Howard freshman, and Craig, another student who is a member of my fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma (shout out to the MAB!). Keith offers to give Randall a tour, and to Randall’s surprise, he gets the comfort of being at an HBCU (historically black college or university). From walking the halls of Founders Library to eyeing a young woman who walks by him on The Yard to chilling in one of the dormitories with Nas and Lauryn Hill’s If I Ruled The World gliding in the background, the show does a great job of showing how many Howard students feel during their first experiences at The Mecca.
https://theundefeated.com/features/this-is-us-recognizes-the-power-of-howard-university/
Black Vegans
An excerpt from the NY Times -
Black Vegans Step Out, for Their Health and Other Causes
By KIM SEVERSON
Aph Ko got tired of hearing that eating vegan was something only white people did. So in 2015, she created a list of 100 black vegans for a website. It included pioneering figures like Dick Gregory and Coretta Scott King and younger, less famous writers, filmmakers, cooks and activists.
“When you say ‘vegan,’ a lot of people tend to only think of PETA, which doesn’t reflect the massive landscape of vegan activism,” said Ms. Ko, 28, a Floridian whose favorite dish at the moment is the spinach pie in “The Vegan Stoner Cookbook.” “The black vegan movement is one of the most diverse, decolonial, complex and creative movements.”
So many other people wanted to be included on the list after it appeared, she started a website, Black Vegans Rock. That spawned a Twitter hashtag (#blackvegansrock) and a T-shirt business. In June, she published ”Aphro-ism: Essays on Pop Culture, Feminism, and Black Veganism from Two Sisters,” a book she wrote with her older sister, Syl Ko.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/28/dining/black-vegan-cooking.html
Black Vegans Step Out, for Their Health and Other Causes
By KIM SEVERSON
Aph Ko got tired of hearing that eating vegan was something only white people did. So in 2015, she created a list of 100 black vegans for a website. It included pioneering figures like Dick Gregory and Coretta Scott King and younger, less famous writers, filmmakers, cooks and activists.
“When you say ‘vegan,’ a lot of people tend to only think of PETA, which doesn’t reflect the massive landscape of vegan activism,” said Ms. Ko, 28, a Floridian whose favorite dish at the moment is the spinach pie in “The Vegan Stoner Cookbook.” “The black vegan movement is one of the most diverse, decolonial, complex and creative movements.”
So many other people wanted to be included on the list after it appeared, she started a website, Black Vegans Rock. That spawned a Twitter hashtag (#blackvegansrock) and a T-shirt business. In June, she published ”Aphro-ism: Essays on Pop Culture, Feminism, and Black Veganism from Two Sisters,” a book she wrote with her older sister, Syl Ko.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/28/dining/black-vegan-cooking.html
Monday, November 27, 2017
Teaching Through Giving
An excerpt from the Daily Good -
These Professors Offered Students $10,000 In Real Money. The Catch? They Had To Give It Away.
by Lindsey McDougle, David Campbell & Jodi Benenson
If someone asked you to picture a philanthropist, chances are a billionaire like Bill Gates or John D. Rockefeller Sr. would come to mind. But not all philanthropists are billionaires — or even millionaires for that matter. People who make modest gifts of time or money can make a big difference in their communities.
We are professors who teach and do research about philanthropy, the practice of expressing generosity by giving away money and, in some cases, time. We see our job as motivating and preparing college and graduate students to become future leaders of nonprofit organizations or donors with good ideas about how to make a difference, starting right now.
Teaching about giving
One approach, known as “experiential philanthropy,” teaches about charitable giving through hands-on experiences. Students get real money, typically about $10,000 per class, to give away to local nonprofits. One of us (David) has determined that these courses are being taught on more than 80 different campuses.
https://education.good.is/articles/teaching-college-students-to-give-back?utm_source=thedailygood&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailygood
These Professors Offered Students $10,000 In Real Money. The Catch? They Had To Give It Away.
by Lindsey McDougle, David Campbell & Jodi Benenson
If someone asked you to picture a philanthropist, chances are a billionaire like Bill Gates or John D. Rockefeller Sr. would come to mind. But not all philanthropists are billionaires — or even millionaires for that matter. People who make modest gifts of time or money can make a big difference in their communities.
We are professors who teach and do research about philanthropy, the practice of expressing generosity by giving away money and, in some cases, time. We see our job as motivating and preparing college and graduate students to become future leaders of nonprofit organizations or donors with good ideas about how to make a difference, starting right now.
Teaching about giving
One approach, known as “experiential philanthropy,” teaches about charitable giving through hands-on experiences. Students get real money, typically about $10,000 per class, to give away to local nonprofits. One of us (David) has determined that these courses are being taught on more than 80 different campuses.
https://education.good.is/articles/teaching-college-students-to-give-back?utm_source=thedailygood&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailygood
This is an Apple
“Some people might try to tell you that it’s a banana.” #FactsFirst pic.twitter.com/LbmRKiGJe9— CNN (@CNN) October 23, 2017
The Clink - Prison Restaurant
From the Daily Mail -
Prison restaurants with bars on the windows and a panic button for diners beat celebrity chefs' eateries to the top of the TripAdvisor charts
The Clink restaurant is a chain that operates at four secure prisons in England
The restaurant chain is currently beating establishments by celebrity chefs
TripAdvisor says that three of the four restaurants are rated No 1 in their areas
Inmates with 6 to 18 months left of their sentence can apply for the restaurant
By Ian Drury
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5119799/Prison-restaurants-beat-celebrity-chefs-eateries.html#ixzz4zdpr6Rej
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Prison restaurants with bars on the windows and a panic button for diners beat celebrity chefs' eateries to the top of the TripAdvisor charts
The Clink restaurant is a chain that operates at four secure prisons in England
The restaurant chain is currently beating establishments by celebrity chefs
TripAdvisor says that three of the four restaurants are rated No 1 in their areas
Inmates with 6 to 18 months left of their sentence can apply for the restaurant
By Ian Drury
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5119799/Prison-restaurants-beat-celebrity-chefs-eateries.html#ixzz4zdpr6Rej
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
My Thoughts Exactly
An excerpt from Vox -
Why can’t This Is Us tell good stories about characters other than Randall?
A Kate-centric episode only underlines how much the show’s structure has shortchanged its characters.
by Todd VanDerWerff
Shortly after the blockbuster debut of This Is Us in 2016, I had lunch with a TV writer friend whose previous credits made me think he’d be a fan of the show. And, indeed, he had generally liked the pilot. But then he said something that stuck with me, when he explained why he wasn’t as enthusiastic about the overall series as I had expected he would be: “They only have enough story for Randall.”
Over the course of This Is Us’s now one and a half seasons, my friend’s prophecy has more or less come true. Randall and his family occupy one of the best shows on television, a beautiful story about a black adopted child who grew up in a white family, anchored by an Emmy-winning performance from Sterling K. Brown and no less exceptional work from Susan Kelechi Watson as Randall’s wife, Beth. Randall’s side of the show is everything family dramas can and should be.
https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/11/26/16688404/this-is-us-episode-9-recap-number-two-kate-miscarriage
Why can’t This Is Us tell good stories about characters other than Randall?
A Kate-centric episode only underlines how much the show’s structure has shortchanged its characters.
by Todd VanDerWerff
Shortly after the blockbuster debut of This Is Us in 2016, I had lunch with a TV writer friend whose previous credits made me think he’d be a fan of the show. And, indeed, he had generally liked the pilot. But then he said something that stuck with me, when he explained why he wasn’t as enthusiastic about the overall series as I had expected he would be: “They only have enough story for Randall.”
Over the course of This Is Us’s now one and a half seasons, my friend’s prophecy has more or less come true. Randall and his family occupy one of the best shows on television, a beautiful story about a black adopted child who grew up in a white family, anchored by an Emmy-winning performance from Sterling K. Brown and no less exceptional work from Susan Kelechi Watson as Randall’s wife, Beth. Randall’s side of the show is everything family dramas can and should be.
https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/11/26/16688404/this-is-us-episode-9-recap-number-two-kate-miscarriage
Eco-Friendly Fabric
http://mashable.com/2017/11/26/ably-liquid-and-odor-repelent-clothing/#LePoiNGA7sqZ
He Didn't Have to Beg
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Flowers From Her Deceased Dad
My dad passed away when I was 16 from cancer and before he died he pre payed flowers so i could receive them every year on my birthday. Well this is my 21st birthday flowers and the last. Miss you so much daddy. 💜 pic.twitter.com/vSafKyB2uO— Bailey Sellers (@SellersBailey) November 24, 2017
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/11/26/students-simple-homage-deceased-dad-lights-up-twitter/895964001/
60 Years in the Skies
An excerpt from the Washington Post -
Meet the woman who’s spent 60 years making the skies a little friendlier
By Lori Aratani
It’s early on a Thursday morning and flight attendant Bette Nash has just strolled up to Gate 19 at Reagan National Airport, where American Airlines Flight 2160 bound for Boston is parked and preparing for boarding.
As she pauses at the counter to adjust her scarf, a 20-something guy looks up. He lets out a gasp.
“Oh, my God,” he says excitedly. “Are you Bette Nash? Can I have your picture?”
This is what life is like when you are Nash, 81, who has been flying since Dwight D. Eisenhower was in the White House and a ticket for a flight cost $12.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/meet-the-woman-whos-spent-60-years-making-the-skies-a-little-friendlier/2017/11/25/04cf6054-c8ac-11e7-8321-481fd63f174d_story.html?undefined=&utm_term=.0b94c8e0d6a3&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1
Meet the woman who’s spent 60 years making the skies a little friendlier
By Lori Aratani
It’s early on a Thursday morning and flight attendant Bette Nash has just strolled up to Gate 19 at Reagan National Airport, where American Airlines Flight 2160 bound for Boston is parked and preparing for boarding.
As she pauses at the counter to adjust her scarf, a 20-something guy looks up. He lets out a gasp.
“Oh, my God,” he says excitedly. “Are you Bette Nash? Can I have your picture?”
This is what life is like when you are Nash, 81, who has been flying since Dwight D. Eisenhower was in the White House and a ticket for a flight cost $12.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/meet-the-woman-whos-spent-60-years-making-the-skies-a-little-friendlier/2017/11/25/04cf6054-c8ac-11e7-8321-481fd63f174d_story.html?undefined=&utm_term=.0b94c8e0d6a3&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1
A Catch 22
An excerpt from the Boston Globe -
For black students, a college degree means long-term debt
By Deirdre Fernandes
Jasmine Reyes’s college degree landed her a stable post-graduation job and opened up a wealth of learning opportunities, from an internship in Los Angeles to study abroad in the Netherlands.
But for Reyes, 23, that Emerson College degree came at a sapping financial and emotional cost: a near-constant worry each semester about being able to afford the tuition, guilt over her grandmother’s decision to apply early for Social Security to help pay for her education, and ultimately, the burden of $40,000 in student loans.
“There are a lot of people who think that because I’m African-American I got to go to college for free,” said Reyes, who graduated in 2016. “But I am in so much debt. I would still do it again. But it was extremely stressful.”
Recent research and data from the US Department of Education indicate that African-American students, like Reyes, are taking a greater financial risk than other groups in going to college, even as a degree has grown increasingly vital for workers hoping to survive in the modern economy. They typically start with a smaller economic cushion, are more likely to borrow, and, on average, earn less upon graduation.
As a result, instead of bridging the racial equity gap by opening the prospect of well-paying jobs, getting a degree can actually widen the gulf in wealth between black and white adults.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/11/25/for-black-students-college-degree-means-long-term-debt/Hw8lOO4637pZY80QcIxDZM/story.html?et_rid=606374700&s_campaign=todaysheadlines:newsletter
For black students, a college degree means long-term debt
By Deirdre Fernandes
Jasmine Reyes’s college degree landed her a stable post-graduation job and opened up a wealth of learning opportunities, from an internship in Los Angeles to study abroad in the Netherlands.
But for Reyes, 23, that Emerson College degree came at a sapping financial and emotional cost: a near-constant worry each semester about being able to afford the tuition, guilt over her grandmother’s decision to apply early for Social Security to help pay for her education, and ultimately, the burden of $40,000 in student loans.
“There are a lot of people who think that because I’m African-American I got to go to college for free,” said Reyes, who graduated in 2016. “But I am in so much debt. I would still do it again. But it was extremely stressful.”
Recent research and data from the US Department of Education indicate that African-American students, like Reyes, are taking a greater financial risk than other groups in going to college, even as a degree has grown increasingly vital for workers hoping to survive in the modern economy. They typically start with a smaller economic cushion, are more likely to borrow, and, on average, earn less upon graduation.
As a result, instead of bridging the racial equity gap by opening the prospect of well-paying jobs, getting a degree can actually widen the gulf in wealth between black and white adults.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/11/25/for-black-students-college-degree-means-long-term-debt/Hw8lOO4637pZY80QcIxDZM/story.html?et_rid=606374700&s_campaign=todaysheadlines:newsletter
Colby College Honors a Former Slave
An excerpt from the Boston Globe -
At Colby College, an honor for a former slave
By Laura Krantz
WATERVILLE, Maine — At the elite college perched on a hill overlooking this former mill town, the buildings are named as you might expect.
The library honors the parents of a graduate. The theater is named for the 17th president. The tennis pavilion for generous donors to the school.
But now Colby College will have a building named after another sort of person entirely: a former slave who was the school janitor for 37 years starting right after the Civil War — a figure both beloved and disrespected by the college in his day.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/11/25/colby-college-honor-for-former-slave/BzFoklN3Gpw9flJvOnZtnJ/story.html?et_rid=606374700&s_campaign=todaysheadlines:newsletter
At Colby College, an honor for a former slave
By Laura Krantz
WATERVILLE, Maine — At the elite college perched on a hill overlooking this former mill town, the buildings are named as you might expect.
The library honors the parents of a graduate. The theater is named for the 17th president. The tennis pavilion for generous donors to the school.
But now Colby College will have a building named after another sort of person entirely: a former slave who was the school janitor for 37 years starting right after the Civil War — a figure both beloved and disrespected by the college in his day.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/11/25/colby-college-honor-for-former-slave/BzFoklN3Gpw9flJvOnZtnJ/story.html?et_rid=606374700&s_campaign=todaysheadlines:newsletter
Saturday, November 25, 2017
Black in Trump Country
An excerpt from Very Smart Brothas -
How to Survive in America When You’re Black and Your Hometown Is Donald Trump’s Base
By Raymar Hampshire
I grew up in Allen County, Ohio. I lived in the county seat of Lima and attended school in the village of Elida. The show Glee takes place in my hometown, and I have never watched a single episode of Glee, but I often use this fact to help orient people to where I grew up. I rarely visit my hometown outside of traveling there to spend time with my family during major holidays.
It feels honest and yet really vulnerable to admit this publicly. Facebook has become a window into the souls of so many people I grew up with, so much so that I often find myself unfriending them. The truth is that I have become a remarkably different person—and the place where I grew up feels like it has become a remarkably different place.
Today it seems as if the only time I bring up my hometown is when I’m having a conversation with someone about Donald Trump and we’re both shockingly/unshockingly lamenting his latest evil shenanigans. We might shake our heads thinking of his delusional supporters who are somehow able to look past it all.
These conversations happen almost daily. It’s in these conversations that I “rep” my hometown—mostly to prove that because I’m from a town of overwhelmingly white Trump supporters, I understand their delusions better than most.
https://verysmartbrothas.theroot.com/how-to-survive-in-america-when-you-re-black-and-your-ho-1819882549
How to Survive in America When You’re Black and Your Hometown Is Donald Trump’s Base
By Raymar Hampshire
I grew up in Allen County, Ohio. I lived in the county seat of Lima and attended school in the village of Elida. The show Glee takes place in my hometown, and I have never watched a single episode of Glee, but I often use this fact to help orient people to where I grew up. I rarely visit my hometown outside of traveling there to spend time with my family during major holidays.
It feels honest and yet really vulnerable to admit this publicly. Facebook has become a window into the souls of so many people I grew up with, so much so that I often find myself unfriending them. The truth is that I have become a remarkably different person—and the place where I grew up feels like it has become a remarkably different place.
Today it seems as if the only time I bring up my hometown is when I’m having a conversation with someone about Donald Trump and we’re both shockingly/unshockingly lamenting his latest evil shenanigans. We might shake our heads thinking of his delusional supporters who are somehow able to look past it all.
These conversations happen almost daily. It’s in these conversations that I “rep” my hometown—mostly to prove that because I’m from a town of overwhelmingly white Trump supporters, I understand their delusions better than most.
https://verysmartbrothas.theroot.com/how-to-survive-in-america-when-you-re-black-and-your-ho-1819882549
25 Blackest Sports Moments of 2017
An excerpt from the Undefeated -
The top 25 blackest sports moments of 2017
If you don’t understand why these moments are important, you might need more black friends
By Clifton Yates
Black Friday. The day when people decide that the only way they can make themselves feel better about whatever they just went through with their families on Thanksgiving is with a whole lot of retail therapy. It’s the unofficial kickoff of the holiday shopping season, and according to the National Retail Federation, Americans are expected to spend an average of $967.13 each before the end of the year. That adds up to a cool $682 billion.
But forget all that. We black. So we’ll take this opportunity to reclaim our time and get back to using ham-handed puns for the culture. A point of clarification: There are a variety of items on this list. Some are groundbreaking accomplishments. Others are moments that made us laugh. A few are things that we might actually regret.
By the by, we’re doing this bad boy college football style. If you don’t understand why these moments are important, you might need more black friends.
https://theundefeated.com/features/the-top-25-blackest-sports-moments-of-2017/
The top 25 blackest sports moments of 2017
If you don’t understand why these moments are important, you might need more black friends
By Clifton Yates
Black Friday. The day when people decide that the only way they can make themselves feel better about whatever they just went through with their families on Thanksgiving is with a whole lot of retail therapy. It’s the unofficial kickoff of the holiday shopping season, and according to the National Retail Federation, Americans are expected to spend an average of $967.13 each before the end of the year. That adds up to a cool $682 billion.
But forget all that. We black. So we’ll take this opportunity to reclaim our time and get back to using ham-handed puns for the culture. A point of clarification: There are a variety of items on this list. Some are groundbreaking accomplishments. Others are moments that made us laugh. A few are things that we might actually regret.
By the by, we’re doing this bad boy college football style. If you don’t understand why these moments are important, you might need more black friends.
https://theundefeated.com/features/the-top-25-blackest-sports-moments-of-2017/
Friday, November 24, 2017
Thursday, November 23, 2017
The Guest List
An excerpt from the Root -
The Caucasian’s Guide to Black Thanksgiving, Part 1: The Guest List
By Michael Harriot
Aunts
The first thing you must know about the black family tradition is that the nomenclature assigned to relatives has nothing to do with the traditional definitions assigned by white people to their family members. For white people, an “aunt” refers to a woman who is the sister of their mother or father. This does not hold true in the black community.
In the black community, an aunt is any woman more than 15 years older than you who has been around the family for more than 10 years. Every lady on the street where you grew up is an aunt. All women on the usher board at your place of worship are aunts. And it is pronounced “aww-went,” not “ant.”
https://www.theroot.com/the-caucasians-guide-to-black-thanksgiving-part-1-the-1820643386?utm_source=theroot_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2017-11-23
The Caucasian’s Guide to Black Thanksgiving, Part 1: The Guest List
By Michael Harriot
Aunts
The first thing you must know about the black family tradition is that the nomenclature assigned to relatives has nothing to do with the traditional definitions assigned by white people to their family members. For white people, an “aunt” refers to a woman who is the sister of their mother or father. This does not hold true in the black community.
In the black community, an aunt is any woman more than 15 years older than you who has been around the family for more than 10 years. Every lady on the street where you grew up is an aunt. All women on the usher board at your place of worship are aunts. And it is pronounced “aww-went,” not “ant.”
https://www.theroot.com/the-caucasians-guide-to-black-thanksgiving-part-1-the-1820643386?utm_source=theroot_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2017-11-23
He's Using the Same Old Playbook
Excerpts from the Huffington Post -
There’s A Reason Powerful Americans Love To Attack Black Sports Figures
Donald Trump is just keeping with a long tradition in this country.
By Travis Waldron
Powerful white Americans have been scoring political points off black athletes for as long as there have been organized sports in America. In this respect, at least, Donald Trump is a traditionalist.
~~~~~~~~~~
If this has become a familiar routine for Trump, it is because it is a familiar one for America. The country has never been comfortable with assertive black sports figures. Despite all the caterwauling about athletes who refuse to “stick to sports,” powerful Americans have always understood the mere presence of black athletes to be fundamentally political, a threat to the larger project of black subordination. And if black athletes themselves could no longer be kept out of sports, the culture at large would have to circumscribe their behavior, crush any outward assertiveness, segregate their blackness.
~~~~~~~~~~
The point of all of this was easy to see: if black athletes could assert themselves in the ring or on the baseball field, black people could assert themselves everywhere else, too. If black athletes weren’t forced to stay in their place, black people wouldn’t be compelled, either. And so laws were passed, and policies were implemented, to ensure the absence of black athletes who could give voice to black people.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-white-america-black-athletes_us_5a15db6ce4b064948072a8c4?ncid=APPLENEWS00001
There’s A Reason Powerful Americans Love To Attack Black Sports Figures
Donald Trump is just keeping with a long tradition in this country.
By Travis Waldron
Powerful white Americans have been scoring political points off black athletes for as long as there have been organized sports in America. In this respect, at least, Donald Trump is a traditionalist.
~~~~~~~~~~
If this has become a familiar routine for Trump, it is because it is a familiar one for America. The country has never been comfortable with assertive black sports figures. Despite all the caterwauling about athletes who refuse to “stick to sports,” powerful Americans have always understood the mere presence of black athletes to be fundamentally political, a threat to the larger project of black subordination. And if black athletes themselves could no longer be kept out of sports, the culture at large would have to circumscribe their behavior, crush any outward assertiveness, segregate their blackness.
~~~~~~~~~~
The point of all of this was easy to see: if black athletes could assert themselves in the ring or on the baseball field, black people could assert themselves everywhere else, too. If black athletes weren’t forced to stay in their place, black people wouldn’t be compelled, either. And so laws were passed, and policies were implemented, to ensure the absence of black athletes who could give voice to black people.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-white-america-black-athletes_us_5a15db6ce4b064948072a8c4?ncid=APPLENEWS00001
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
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