Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Monday, February 26, 2018
Saturday, February 24, 2018
These Postcards Tell a Story
From the NY Times -
https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/2018/02/24/race-related?nlid=38867499
https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/2018/02/24/race-related?nlid=38867499
The Dismantling of a Legacy
An excerpt from Politico -
Billy Graham Built a Movement. Now His Son Is Dismantling It.
If you want to understand the evangelical decline in the United States, look no further than the transition from Billy to Franklin Graham.
By STEPHEN PROTHERO
The qualities of temper and judgment that made Billy Graham so singularly successful are almost entirely lacking in his son, who now imperils his father’s legacy. Thanks to Franklin Graham and his cronies on the Religious Right, American evangelicalism has now become first and foremost a political rather than a spiritual enterprise. The life of Billy Graham helped build it up. And his death may well have ensured its demise.
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/02/24/billy-graham-evangelical-decline-franklin-graham-217077?cid=apn
Billy Graham Built a Movement. Now His Son Is Dismantling It.
If you want to understand the evangelical decline in the United States, look no further than the transition from Billy to Franklin Graham.
By STEPHEN PROTHERO
The qualities of temper and judgment that made Billy Graham so singularly successful are almost entirely lacking in his son, who now imperils his father’s legacy. Thanks to Franklin Graham and his cronies on the Religious Right, American evangelicalism has now become first and foremost a political rather than a spiritual enterprise. The life of Billy Graham helped build it up. And his death may well have ensured its demise.
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/02/24/billy-graham-evangelical-decline-franklin-graham-217077?cid=apn
Cartoons
From The NIB -
Four Cartoonists on Their Favorite Unsung Black History Heroes
by The Response
https://thenib.com/black-history-response
Four Cartoonists on Their Favorite Unsung Black History Heroes
by The Response
https://thenib.com/black-history-response
Friday, February 23, 2018
Night and Day
From the Washington Post -
Mueller and Trump: Born to wealth, raised to lead. Then, sharply different choices.
By Marc Fisher and Sari Horwitz
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mueller-and-trump-born-to-wealth-raised-to-lead-then-sharply-different-choices/2018/02/22/ad50b7bc-0a99-11e8-8b0d-891602206fb7_story.html?utm_term=.c2f49103cdf1
Mueller and Trump: Born to wealth, raised to lead. Then, sharply different choices.
By Marc Fisher and Sari Horwitz
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mueller-and-trump-born-to-wealth-raised-to-lead-then-sharply-different-choices/2018/02/22/ad50b7bc-0a99-11e8-8b0d-891602206fb7_story.html?utm_term=.c2f49103cdf1
Roadblock to Success
An excerpt from OZY -
IT'S HARDER TO BECOME A HAIR-BRAIDER THAN AN EMT. WHO'S TO BLAME?
By Nick Fouriezos
Last year, Jocelyn DoCouto stood before a handful of lawmakers at the Rhode Island capitol — and began to braid her daughter’s hair. Typically, the 26-year-old works with clients in the privacy of her home in Pawtucket, just north of Providence. But on that day, DoCouto was testifying before members of the House Corporations committee. Her goal? To prove the state shouldn’t require a cumbersome, and costly, license to practice natural hair-braiding.
Considering that braiders don’t always use chemicals, like other stylists or cosmetologists, it may seem like a no-brainer. Yet about half of all states require some license for natural hair-braiders. The cost can be prohibitive to small-time entrepreneurs — not just financially, but also timewise. According to the Institute for Justice, a libertarian-leaning law firm that has pushed to end braiding regulations in more than a dozen states:
IT'S HARDER TO BECOME A HAIR-BRAIDER THAN AN EMT. WHO'S TO BLAME?
By Nick Fouriezos
Last year, Jocelyn DoCouto stood before a handful of lawmakers at the Rhode Island capitol — and began to braid her daughter’s hair. Typically, the 26-year-old works with clients in the privacy of her home in Pawtucket, just north of Providence. But on that day, DoCouto was testifying before members of the House Corporations committee. Her goal? To prove the state shouldn’t require a cumbersome, and costly, license to practice natural hair-braiding.
Considering that braiders don’t always use chemicals, like other stylists or cosmetologists, it may seem like a no-brainer. Yet about half of all states require some license for natural hair-braiders. The cost can be prohibitive to small-time entrepreneurs — not just financially, but also timewise. According to the Institute for Justice, a libertarian-leaning law firm that has pushed to end braiding regulations in more than a dozen states:
THE AVERAGE COSMETOLOGIST MUST COMPLETE 386 DAYS OF TRAINING, COMPARED TO JUST 34 FOR THE AVERAGE EMT.
http://www.ozy.com/acumen/its-harder-to-become-a-hair-braider-than-an-emt-whos-to-blame/83708
She Didn't Sign Up For This
An excerpt from Medium -
A letter from a furious teacher
By Rebecca Berlin Field
Dear every elected official,
Nowhere in my contract does it state that if the need arises, I have to shield students from gunfire with my own body. If it did, I wouldn’t have signed it. I love my job. I love my students. I am also a mother with 2 amazing daughters. I am a wife of a wonderful man. I have a dog that I adore. I don’t want to die defending other people’s children; I want to teach kindness and responsibility…and Art History. That’s what I am supposed to do each day. Blocking bullets? I am not supposed to do that. I imagine that if someone was trying to kill my students, that I would try to save them with all my being. I probably would jump on top of a child to save her life. And yes, I might be one of those heroic teachers that the media writes tributes to after their death. But I am furious that I would have to make this sacrifice. I am incensed that my own children would lose their mother because I chose to be a teacher.
https://medium.com/@rebeccaberlinfield/a-letter-from-a-furious-teacher-81d0590e3b0
A letter from a furious teacher
By Rebecca Berlin Field
Dear every elected official,
Nowhere in my contract does it state that if the need arises, I have to shield students from gunfire with my own body. If it did, I wouldn’t have signed it. I love my job. I love my students. I am also a mother with 2 amazing daughters. I am a wife of a wonderful man. I have a dog that I adore. I don’t want to die defending other people’s children; I want to teach kindness and responsibility…and Art History. That’s what I am supposed to do each day. Blocking bullets? I am not supposed to do that. I imagine that if someone was trying to kill my students, that I would try to save them with all my being. I probably would jump on top of a child to save her life. And yes, I might be one of those heroic teachers that the media writes tributes to after their death. But I am furious that I would have to make this sacrifice. I am incensed that my own children would lose their mother because I chose to be a teacher.
https://medium.com/@rebeccaberlinfield/a-letter-from-a-furious-teacher-81d0590e3b0
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Defending the Kids
There’s only one group Stephen thinks can actually defend the kids. And it is… the kids. pic.twitter.com/p962tuW9sv— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) February 21, 2018
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
The Road to Redemption?
Former Carolina Panthers player Rae Carruth breaks silence behind bars, hopes for relationship with son
By Sarah-Blake Morgan, Reporter
By Nick Ochsner, Reporter
http://www.wbtv.com/clip/14137538/rae-carruth-breaks-silence-in-letter-call-from-behind-bars
By Sarah-Blake Morgan, Reporter
By Nick Ochsner, Reporter
http://www.wbtv.com/clip/14137538/rae-carruth-breaks-silence-in-letter-call-from-behind-bars
Monday, February 19, 2018
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Chocolate Pound Cake
From the Washington Post -
https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/chocolate-pound-cake/16298/?utm_term=.7bb6bdcd2225&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1
https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/chocolate-pound-cake/16298/?utm_term=.7bb6bdcd2225&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Friday, February 16, 2018
Cowardly Response
An excerpt form the NY Times -
The Bad Parent Caucus
By Timothy Egan
Here’s a thought: The next politician to express sorrow over the slaughter of students at a school without offering any specific remedy should be run out of office, for cowardice and failure to protect American children.
Here’s a prayer: Let us remember to hold that thought for at least seven months, to the next election.
President Trump delivered 702 words to the nation Thursday on the murder of 17 kids in Parkland, Fla. — one of more than 150 school shootings over the last decade. Not once did he mention guns, or more specifically the semiautomatic rifle used by the mentally unstable white-supremacist teenager who entered a school with an AR-15.
The president did order the flag lowered to half-staff. He should have run up a white flag of surrender. Along with a gutless majority in Congress, Trump is hiding behind the shield of “thoughts and prayers” while showing himself derelict of duty in failing to defend the lives of school children.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/opinion/florida-school-shooting-guns.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share
The Bad Parent Caucus
By Timothy Egan
Here’s a thought: The next politician to express sorrow over the slaughter of students at a school without offering any specific remedy should be run out of office, for cowardice and failure to protect American children.
Here’s a prayer: Let us remember to hold that thought for at least seven months, to the next election.
President Trump delivered 702 words to the nation Thursday on the murder of 17 kids in Parkland, Fla. — one of more than 150 school shootings over the last decade. Not once did he mention guns, or more specifically the semiautomatic rifle used by the mentally unstable white-supremacist teenager who entered a school with an AR-15.
The president did order the flag lowered to half-staff. He should have run up a white flag of surrender. Along with a gutless majority in Congress, Trump is hiding behind the shield of “thoughts and prayers” while showing himself derelict of duty in failing to defend the lives of school children.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/opinion/florida-school-shooting-guns.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share
My Inspiration
My mom trains this 93 year old and it’s the cutest thing ever. Her laugh and smile makes her young #blessed pic.twitter.com/oeRWylrLV4— jo (@joana_zanin10) February 15, 2018
Black Panther
An excerpt form the Hollywood Reporter -
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on 'Black Panther': All This Fuss Over a Superhero Movie?
by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
At its Hollywood premiere, Black Panther received a rousing standing ovation. What's impressive is that this ovation occurred before the movie was shown. Equally significant is that presales for tickets have broken Fandango's record for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Also, in the weeks before the film was set to open Feb. 16, more than 200 grassroots campaigns in black communities from Denver to Toronto to Ghana were arranging screenings in order to commemorate the movie event. This is an unprecedented global rallying for something that doesn't include Beyonce. All this fuss over a superhero movie?
Black Panther is not just another comic-book film but a cultural spearhead disguised as a thrilling action adventure. You may go for the hard-core action and hard-muscled bodies, but, if you're white, you'll leave with an anti-"shithole" appreciation for Africa and African-American cultural origins. If you're black, you'll leave with a straighter walk, a gratitude for your African heritage and a superhero whom black children can relate to.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/kareem-abdul-jabbar-black-panther-all-fuss-a-superhero-movie-1084545
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on 'Black Panther': All This Fuss Over a Superhero Movie?
by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
At its Hollywood premiere, Black Panther received a rousing standing ovation. What's impressive is that this ovation occurred before the movie was shown. Equally significant is that presales for tickets have broken Fandango's record for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Also, in the weeks before the film was set to open Feb. 16, more than 200 grassroots campaigns in black communities from Denver to Toronto to Ghana were arranging screenings in order to commemorate the movie event. This is an unprecedented global rallying for something that doesn't include Beyonce. All this fuss over a superhero movie?
Black Panther is not just another comic-book film but a cultural spearhead disguised as a thrilling action adventure. You may go for the hard-core action and hard-muscled bodies, but, if you're white, you'll leave with an anti-"shithole" appreciation for Africa and African-American cultural origins. If you're black, you'll leave with a straighter walk, a gratitude for your African heritage and a superhero whom black children can relate to.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/kareem-abdul-jabbar-black-panther-all-fuss-a-superhero-movie-1084545
Gun Violence Mapped
From the Washington Post -
Eighteen years of gun violence in U.S. schools, mapped
By Philip Bump
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/02/14/eighteen-years-of-gun-violence-in-u-s-schools-mapped/?utm_term=.215940a36d93
Eighteen years of gun violence in U.S. schools, mapped
By Philip Bump
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/02/14/eighteen-years-of-gun-violence-in-u-s-schools-mapped/?utm_term=.215940a36d93
Thursday, February 15, 2018
ENOUGH!
From the Huffington Post -
Kimmel Writer Calls Out GOP In Blistering Replies To ‘Prayers’ After Florida Shooting
Bess Kalb has names and dollar amounts for NRA-linked lawmakers.
By Ed Mazza
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bess-kalb-nra-tweets_us_5a84ee69e4b0058d5565cbac
Kimmel Writer Calls Out GOP In Blistering Replies To ‘Prayers’ After Florida Shooting
Bess Kalb has names and dollar amounts for NRA-linked lawmakers.
By Ed Mazza
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bess-kalb-nra-tweets_us_5a84ee69e4b0058d5565cbac
When the Doctor Becomes the Patient
An excerpt from The Atlantic -
A Breast-Cancer Surgeon Returns to Work After Breast Cancer
Liz O’Riordan went from doctor to patient, and back again. Here’s what she learned on the way.
By ED YONG
Doctors face particular challenges when they become patients—challenges that they are rarely prepared for. It is hard to relinquish control and allow others to dictate the treatments that you yourself are used to doling out. It is crushing to know your own prognosis in the starkest terms—a 65 percent chance of surviving for 10 years, in O’Riordan’s case. It is awkward to see your own former patients while you’re being treated: To strike up a chat would break confidentiality.
And it is difficult to be cut off from the same supportive forums and networks that other patients use to share experiences and support; if you let slip that you’re a doctor, you become a source of information, rather than a comrade in illness. After getting her diagnosis, O’Riordan tweeted about it, and began blogging about her experiences. She was contacted privately by several people who said: I’m a doctor, and no one knows I have cancer. She ended up with a secret network of 15 such people. Two of them have since died.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/02/a-breast-cancer-surgeon-returns-to-work-after-breast-cancer/553199/
A Breast-Cancer Surgeon Returns to Work After Breast Cancer
Liz O’Riordan went from doctor to patient, and back again. Here’s what she learned on the way.
By ED YONG
Doctors face particular challenges when they become patients—challenges that they are rarely prepared for. It is hard to relinquish control and allow others to dictate the treatments that you yourself are used to doling out. It is crushing to know your own prognosis in the starkest terms—a 65 percent chance of surviving for 10 years, in O’Riordan’s case. It is awkward to see your own former patients while you’re being treated: To strike up a chat would break confidentiality.
And it is difficult to be cut off from the same supportive forums and networks that other patients use to share experiences and support; if you let slip that you’re a doctor, you become a source of information, rather than a comrade in illness. After getting her diagnosis, O’Riordan tweeted about it, and began blogging about her experiences. She was contacted privately by several people who said: I’m a doctor, and no one knows I have cancer. She ended up with a secret network of 15 such people. Two of them have since died.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/02/a-breast-cancer-surgeon-returns-to-work-after-breast-cancer/553199/
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Monday, February 12, 2018
Official Portraits
Wow!
http://www.vulture.com/2018/02/barack-and-michelle-obamas-official-portraits-are-revealed.html
 |
| Kehinde Wiley’s official portrait of Barack Obama. Photo: Kehinde Wiley/Mark Gulezian/NPG |
 |
| Amy Sherald’s official portrait of Michelle Obama. Photo: Amy Sherald/Mark Gulezian/NPG |
http://www.vulture.com/2018/02/barack-and-michelle-obamas-official-portraits-are-revealed.html
Sunday, February 11, 2018
She's the Badass Tesla Robot Builder
An excerpt from Business Insider -
A Tesla employee who builds robots told us why production hell is actually a good thing
By Matthew DeBord
Tesla turned out to be the perfect fit — and Patterson's decision to join the company was perfect timing.
She started just as Tesla was launching the Model X, a complicated vehicle to build. With her expertise in systems design and robotics, which dates to her undergraduate days, she could make an immediate contribution.
She designed a robot that now sits on the combined Model S-Model X assembly line where glass panels are glued and attached to the Model X.
Smaller than the massive orange robots at Fremont that can sling around entire vehicle bodies, Patterson's robot — named Gambit, for the superhero from the "X-Men" comics — is yellow, about as large as an adult, and encased in Plexiglas.
Its job is to apply adhesive — something formerly done by multiple workers, who had to use glue guns and work on tables set up next to the assembly line. Gambit draws adhesive from large barrels and can save Tesla time and money on this delicate phase of production.
It's a glimpse into Musk's plans for factories of the future: almost fully automated, with robots that can build cars so fast that air resistance becomes a problem.
Patterson is smack in the middle of that revolution. She's currently working on the new highly automated Model 3 assembly line.
http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-employee-explains-why-production-hell-is-good-2018-2?pt=385758&ct=Sailthru_BI_Newsletters&mt=8&utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email_article
A Tesla employee who builds robots told us why production hell is actually a good thing
By Matthew DeBord
 | ||
| Sheena Patterson with one of Tesla's giant robots. Matthew DeBord/Business Insider |
Tesla turned out to be the perfect fit — and Patterson's decision to join the company was perfect timing.
She started just as Tesla was launching the Model X, a complicated vehicle to build. With her expertise in systems design and robotics, which dates to her undergraduate days, she could make an immediate contribution.
She designed a robot that now sits on the combined Model S-Model X assembly line where glass panels are glued and attached to the Model X.
Smaller than the massive orange robots at Fremont that can sling around entire vehicle bodies, Patterson's robot — named Gambit, for the superhero from the "X-Men" comics — is yellow, about as large as an adult, and encased in Plexiglas.
Its job is to apply adhesive — something formerly done by multiple workers, who had to use glue guns and work on tables set up next to the assembly line. Gambit draws adhesive from large barrels and can save Tesla time and money on this delicate phase of production.
It's a glimpse into Musk's plans for factories of the future: almost fully automated, with robots that can build cars so fast that air resistance becomes a problem.
Patterson is smack in the middle of that revolution. She's currently working on the new highly automated Model 3 assembly line.
http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-employee-explains-why-production-hell-is-good-2018-2?pt=385758&ct=Sailthru_BI_Newsletters&mt=8&utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email_article
Indian Home Remedies
An excerpt from OZY -
THE HOME REMEDIES INDIANS SWEAR BY
By Joanna Lobo
The turmeric latte and golden milk trend abroad had many of us Indians thanking our mothers for foreseeing their popularity. I was given warm milk with haldi (what we called haldi doodh) to treat an impending cold or sore throat pain. Sometimes garlic was added as a disinfectant. As a child, I hated it. As an adult, I swear by it. There are many similar home remedies, passed down by our grandmothers and mothers, whose value I am discovering only as an adult. Some involved alcohol too — brandy rubbed on the chest brought relief from congestion, and a shot of feni with sugar cleared up blocked sinuses in a trice.
These simple remedies are a mix of herbs and spices, easily available in kitchens and gardens. The best part: no side effects.
TREATING COLIC IN KIDS
A light brew of fennel, a pinch of ajwain (carom seeds) and vavding (false black pepper), diluted with lukewarm water, is an old-fashioned remedy for colic. “I fed my daughter this brew every day for two years” and never had a cranky baby, says Nandita Godbole, a cookbook and fiction author from Mumbai now settled in Atlanta. When they traveled, they even carried a little kettle and a bottle of seeds.
Why it works: Useful for treating digestive problems, ajwain “reduces gas in the stomach,” says Raj Merchant, a naturopath in Mumbai.
http://www.ozy.com/good-sht/the-home-remedies-indians-swear-by/83096
THE HOME REMEDIES INDIANS SWEAR BY
By Joanna Lobo
The turmeric latte and golden milk trend abroad had many of us Indians thanking our mothers for foreseeing their popularity. I was given warm milk with haldi (what we called haldi doodh) to treat an impending cold or sore throat pain. Sometimes garlic was added as a disinfectant. As a child, I hated it. As an adult, I swear by it. There are many similar home remedies, passed down by our grandmothers and mothers, whose value I am discovering only as an adult. Some involved alcohol too — brandy rubbed on the chest brought relief from congestion, and a shot of feni with sugar cleared up blocked sinuses in a trice.
These simple remedies are a mix of herbs and spices, easily available in kitchens and gardens. The best part: no side effects.
TREATING COLIC IN KIDS
A light brew of fennel, a pinch of ajwain (carom seeds) and vavding (false black pepper), diluted with lukewarm water, is an old-fashioned remedy for colic. “I fed my daughter this brew every day for two years” and never had a cranky baby, says Nandita Godbole, a cookbook and fiction author from Mumbai now settled in Atlanta. When they traveled, they even carried a little kettle and a bottle of seeds.
Why it works: Useful for treating digestive problems, ajwain “reduces gas in the stomach,” says Raj Merchant, a naturopath in Mumbai.
http://www.ozy.com/good-sht/the-home-remedies-indians-swear-by/83096
Black History Month Playlist
From YouTube -
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKB8zkQFlMyKNmK6qGqdOX2_l5ArBH_mD
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKB8zkQFlMyKNmK6qGqdOX2_l5ArBH_mD
Kumbaya
An excerpt from the NY Times -
About That Song You’ve Heard, Kumbaya
By John Eligon
We chant it with locked arms and closed eyes, at campfires, in protests lines and from the pews at church, but the truth is, many of us have no clue what the lyrics mean or exactly where they come from.
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya. Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya.
Thanks to research and lobbying by residents of a coastal community descended from slaves, the origins and meaning of “Kumbaya” have been recognized in Congress, raising hopes that a fading culture might get a boost. The song may be sung more often than usual this month, especially in the part of Georgia where its soulful lyrics are said to have originated almost a century ago.
Speaking on the House floor two months ago, Representative Buddy Carter of Georgia recognized the Gullah Geechee, whose ancestors were brought to America’s southeastern coast from West Africa, as the probable creators of the famous folk song.
https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/2018/02/10/race-related?nlid=38867499
About That Song You’ve Heard, Kumbaya
By John Eligon
We chant it with locked arms and closed eyes, at campfires, in protests lines and from the pews at church, but the truth is, many of us have no clue what the lyrics mean or exactly where they come from.
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya. Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya.
Thanks to research and lobbying by residents of a coastal community descended from slaves, the origins and meaning of “Kumbaya” have been recognized in Congress, raising hopes that a fading culture might get a boost. The song may be sung more often than usual this month, especially in the part of Georgia where its soulful lyrics are said to have originated almost a century ago.
Speaking on the House floor two months ago, Representative Buddy Carter of Georgia recognized the Gullah Geechee, whose ancestors were brought to America’s southeastern coast from West Africa, as the probable creators of the famous folk song.
https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/2018/02/10/race-related?nlid=38867499
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)