Saturday, January 4, 2020
Thursday, January 2, 2020
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
For Whites Only?
An excerpt from the NYTimes -
In a Homecoming Video Meant to Unite Campus, Almost Everyone Was White
The video was created to show off the University of Wisconsin. Instead, it set off a furor, and a reckoning over what it means to be a black student on campus.
By Julie Bosman, Emily Shetler and Natalie Yahr
MADISON, Wis. — The video was just two minutes long: a sunny montage of life at the University of Wisconsin’s flagship campus in Madison. Here were hundreds of young men and women cheering at a football game, dancing in unison, riding bicycles in a sleek line, “throwing the W” for the camera, singing a cappella, leaping into a lake.
“Home is where we grow together,” a voice-over said. “It’s where the hills are. It’s eating our favorite foods. It’s where we can all harmonize as one. Home is Wisconsin cheese curds. It’s welcoming everyone into our home.”
This is the story of a video that galvanized and divided a university plagued by a history of racist incidents, as told by the people who saw it happen. Black students in particular say the homecoming video crystallized a daily fact of life: They feel they are not wanted at the University of Wisconsin, where there are significantly fewer African-Americans per capita than in the state, which is mostly white. This fall, more than 30,000 undergraduates began the school year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Fewer than 1,000 of them are African-American.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/01/us/university-of-wisconsin-race-video.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
In a Homecoming Video Meant to Unite Campus, Almost Everyone Was White
The video was created to show off the University of Wisconsin. Instead, it set off a furor, and a reckoning over what it means to be a black student on campus.
By Julie Bosman, Emily Shetler and Natalie Yahr
MADISON, Wis. — The video was just two minutes long: a sunny montage of life at the University of Wisconsin’s flagship campus in Madison. Here were hundreds of young men and women cheering at a football game, dancing in unison, riding bicycles in a sleek line, “throwing the W” for the camera, singing a cappella, leaping into a lake.
“Home is where we grow together,” a voice-over said. “It’s where the hills are. It’s eating our favorite foods. It’s where we can all harmonize as one. Home is Wisconsin cheese curds. It’s welcoming everyone into our home.”
This is the story of a video that galvanized and divided a university plagued by a history of racist incidents, as told by the people who saw it happen. Black students in particular say the homecoming video crystallized a daily fact of life: They feel they are not wanted at the University of Wisconsin, where there are significantly fewer African-Americans per capita than in the state, which is mostly white. This fall, more than 30,000 undergraduates began the school year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Fewer than 1,000 of them are African-American.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/01/us/university-of-wisconsin-race-video.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Largest 3-D Building
From Business Insider -
This building in Dubai is the largest 3D-printed structure in the world — and it took just 3 workers and a printer to build it
By Mary Meisenzahl
https://www.businessinsider.com/dubai-largest-3d-printed-building-apis-cor-photos-2019-12
This building in Dubai is the largest 3D-printed structure in the world — and it took just 3 workers and a printer to build it
By Mary Meisenzahl
https://www.businessinsider.com/dubai-largest-3d-printed-building-apis-cor-photos-2019-12
Monday, December 30, 2019
Jewish Thinking
An excerpt from the New York Times -
The Secrets of Jewish Genius
It’s about thinking different.
By Bret Stephens
An eminent Lithuanian rabbi is annoyed that his yeshiva students devote their lunch breaks to playing soccer instead of discussing Torah. The students, intent on convincing their rav of the game’s beauty, invite him to watch a professional match. At halftime, they ask what he thinks.
“I have solved your problem,” the rabbi says.
“How?”
“Give one ball to each side, and they will have nothing to fight over.”
I have this (apocryphal) anecdote from Norman Lebrecht’s new book, “Genius & Anxiety,” an erudite and delightful study of the intellectual achievements and nerve-wracked lives of Jewish thinkers, artists, and entrepreneurs between 1847 and 1947. Sarah Bernhardt and Franz Kafka; Albert Einstein and Rosalind Franklin; Benjamin Disraeli and (sigh) Karl Marx — how is it that a people who never amounted even to one-third of 1 percent of the world’s population contributed so seminally to so many of its most pathbreaking ideas and innovations?
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/27/opinion/jewish-culture-genius-iq.html
The Secrets of Jewish Genius
It’s about thinking different.
By Bret Stephens
An eminent Lithuanian rabbi is annoyed that his yeshiva students devote their lunch breaks to playing soccer instead of discussing Torah. The students, intent on convincing their rav of the game’s beauty, invite him to watch a professional match. At halftime, they ask what he thinks.
“I have solved your problem,” the rabbi says.
“How?”
“Give one ball to each side, and they will have nothing to fight over.”
I have this (apocryphal) anecdote from Norman Lebrecht’s new book, “Genius & Anxiety,” an erudite and delightful study of the intellectual achievements and nerve-wracked lives of Jewish thinkers, artists, and entrepreneurs between 1847 and 1947. Sarah Bernhardt and Franz Kafka; Albert Einstein and Rosalind Franklin; Benjamin Disraeli and (sigh) Karl Marx — how is it that a people who never amounted even to one-third of 1 percent of the world’s population contributed so seminally to so many of its most pathbreaking ideas and innovations?
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/27/opinion/jewish-culture-genius-iq.html
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Friday, December 27, 2019
Thursday, December 26, 2019
2019 Sunset
From the New York Times -
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/12/23/magazine/luke-perry-90210.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/12/23/magazine/luke-perry-90210.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Monday, December 23, 2019
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Terrorized at Home
An except from Yahoo News -
Why has the Tulsa Race Massacre been largely forgotten?
By Mike Bebernes
Using ground-penetrating radar, scientists in Tulsa, Okla., recently discovered evidence of mass graves connected to the 1921 race massacre there. Like much of the evidence of the deadly event, the history of what’s been called “the single worst incident of racial violence in American history” has been buried.
In the early 1920s, the Greenwood District of Tulsa, home to most of the city’s black population, was a vibrant neighborhood that was so successful, it was known as "Black Wall Street." All that changed on May 31, 1921. An unproven accusation of an assault of a white woman by a black man caused long-bubbling white resentment to boil over into violence. White mobs flooded into Greenwood, looting homes, burning businesses and killing residents.
By June 1, 35 city blocks had been burned to the ground and thousands were left homeless. The official count tallied 36 deaths, but historians now believe the number could have been as high as 300.
Despite the scale of violence, the Tulsa race massacre has been a largely forgotten part of U.S. history. Many Americans said they first became aware of the incident this year, when the HBO drama “Watchmen” featured a fictionalized reenactment in its premiere episode.
https://news.yahoo.com/why-has-the-tulsa-race-massacre-been-largely-forgotten-164707438.html
Why has the Tulsa Race Massacre been largely forgotten?
By Mike Bebernes
Using ground-penetrating radar, scientists in Tulsa, Okla., recently discovered evidence of mass graves connected to the 1921 race massacre there. Like much of the evidence of the deadly event, the history of what’s been called “the single worst incident of racial violence in American history” has been buried.
In the early 1920s, the Greenwood District of Tulsa, home to most of the city’s black population, was a vibrant neighborhood that was so successful, it was known as "Black Wall Street." All that changed on May 31, 1921. An unproven accusation of an assault of a white woman by a black man caused long-bubbling white resentment to boil over into violence. White mobs flooded into Greenwood, looting homes, burning businesses and killing residents.
By June 1, 35 city blocks had been burned to the ground and thousands were left homeless. The official count tallied 36 deaths, but historians now believe the number could have been as high as 300.
Despite the scale of violence, the Tulsa race massacre has been a largely forgotten part of U.S. history. Many Americans said they first became aware of the incident this year, when the HBO drama “Watchmen” featured a fictionalized reenactment in its premiere episode.
https://news.yahoo.com/why-has-the-tulsa-race-massacre-been-largely-forgotten-164707438.html
Some Eggnog History
An excerpt from HEATED -
The Black History of Eggnog
The spiced drink parallels America’s fraught history with African Americans
By Kayla Stewart
Creamy, aromatic eggnog is a staple in American homes during the winter — we consume an estimated 135 million pounds per year, to be exact. Whether served in mugs at holiday parties or paired with whiskey, rum, or brandy, the beverage inevitably makes an appearance on drink menus around Christmastime.
But how the drink’s popularity spiked, and who increased its visibility on a national stage is, like many things, intertwined with America’s fraught history with African Americans.
https://heated.medium.com/the-black-history-of-eggnog-f79ee01eb278
The Black History of Eggnog
The spiced drink parallels America’s fraught history with African Americans
By Kayla Stewart
Creamy, aromatic eggnog is a staple in American homes during the winter — we consume an estimated 135 million pounds per year, to be exact. Whether served in mugs at holiday parties or paired with whiskey, rum, or brandy, the beverage inevitably makes an appearance on drink menus around Christmastime.
But how the drink’s popularity spiked, and who increased its visibility on a national stage is, like many things, intertwined with America’s fraught history with African Americans.
https://heated.medium.com/the-black-history-of-eggnog-f79ee01eb278
Lions and Tigers and BEARS!
WILD ENCOUNTER: A Glendale man and his dog were leaving Sequoia National Park last week when a curious bear climbed onto their car (Video by Karo Orudzhyan) https://t.co/VQkYvjpdv9 pic.twitter.com/1AcmbzNRav— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) December 18, 2019
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Friday, December 20, 2019
Standing in front of the slave quarters of our ancestors, at The Whitney Plantation, with my medical school classmates. We are truly our ancestors’ wildest dreams ✨✊š¾ pic.twitter.com/d8E1g2Ojbm— Syd✨ (@_botttt) December 14, 2019
Monday, December 16, 2019
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Way Beyond Football
An excerpt from the Undefeated -
For black fans in Baltimore, Lamar Jackson’s success ‘resonates way beyond football’
Black excellence, black love, a nappy ‘fro and an MVP-caliber season for the Ravens quarterback
BY LONNAE O'NEAL
For many black NFL fans who thrill to Jackson’s football smarts and physical gifts, the 22-year-old is more than just that dude who can lead the Ravens back to the Super Bowl. He’s part of a wave of 13 black starting quarterbacks who are not only changing the game on the field, but are expanding conceptions of leadership and affirming black excellence to themselves and the nation.
“It resonates way beyond football,” says Antonio “Rod” Womack, a real estate developer, human resources director and today’s host. Jackson’s success “might change the way CEOs decide who’s going to sit on the board.” The lesson here “is really about give us a true shot — without tying one arm behind us — and we can win at any level. At anything.”
https://theundefeated.com/features/for-black-fans-in-baltimore-lamar-jacksons-success-resonates-way-beyond-football/
For black fans in Baltimore, Lamar Jackson’s success ‘resonates way beyond football’
Black excellence, black love, a nappy ‘fro and an MVP-caliber season for the Ravens quarterback
BY LONNAE O'NEAL
For many black NFL fans who thrill to Jackson’s football smarts and physical gifts, the 22-year-old is more than just that dude who can lead the Ravens back to the Super Bowl. He’s part of a wave of 13 black starting quarterbacks who are not only changing the game on the field, but are expanding conceptions of leadership and affirming black excellence to themselves and the nation.
“It resonates way beyond football,” says Antonio “Rod” Womack, a real estate developer, human resources director and today’s host. Jackson’s success “might change the way CEOs decide who’s going to sit on the board.” The lesson here “is really about give us a true shot — without tying one arm behind us — and we can win at any level. At anything.”
https://theundefeated.com/features/for-black-fans-in-baltimore-lamar-jacksons-success-resonates-way-beyond-football/
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Black Beauty
From the New York Times -
Black Women Reign at Beauty Pageants
by Laura M. Holson
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/us/beauty-pageant-winners-black-women.html
Black Women Reign at Beauty Pageants
by Laura M. Holson
 |
| Paras Griffin/Getty Images; Steven Ferdman/Getty Images; Stephen R. Sylvanie/USA Today Sports, via Reuters; Paras Griffin/Getty Images |
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/us/beauty-pageant-winners-black-women.html
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Sunday, December 1, 2019
Saturday, November 30, 2019
Friday, November 29, 2019
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Rowing to a Better Life
An excerpt from the NY Times -
She Wants to Row to Get From N.Y.C. Into College
That goal, Sebastiana Lopez says, is worth the grind of six days a week leading her crew team. “I know this will help me get there.”
By Juliet Macur
Rainy-day practices are the worst, especially in the cold. As she leads her rowing team, Sebastiana Lopez feels the rain pelting her face, soaking her clothes and working its way into her bones. Her fingers go numb.
Yet Lopez, 17, a high school senior, calls this the best thing she has ever done for herself.
As an eighth grader, she had signed up for this test of toughness at Row New York, a nonprofit that teaches city students how to row and gives them academic support and college counseling. Now, more than four years later, her routine includes pushing through her grueling sport’s trying moments.
“I can handle the hard days,” Lopez said. “I make myself do it because I really want to go to college and I know this will help me get there.”
She tries not to cry, but fails, and says, “I do want a better life for my family.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/25/sports/she-wants-to-row-to-get-from-nyc-into-college.html
She Wants to Row to Get From N.Y.C. Into College
That goal, Sebastiana Lopez says, is worth the grind of six days a week leading her crew team. “I know this will help me get there.”
By Juliet Macur
Rainy-day practices are the worst, especially in the cold. As she leads her rowing team, Sebastiana Lopez feels the rain pelting her face, soaking her clothes and working its way into her bones. Her fingers go numb.
Yet Lopez, 17, a high school senior, calls this the best thing she has ever done for herself.
As an eighth grader, she had signed up for this test of toughness at Row New York, a nonprofit that teaches city students how to row and gives them academic support and college counseling. Now, more than four years later, her routine includes pushing through her grueling sport’s trying moments.
“I can handle the hard days,” Lopez said. “I make myself do it because I really want to go to college and I know this will help me get there.”
She tries not to cry, but fails, and says, “I do want a better life for my family.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/25/sports/she-wants-to-row-to-get-from-nyc-into-college.html
Buffet's Advice
An excerpt from Inc. -
Warren Buffett Told a Teenager His Secret to Success 15 Years Ago. It's Still the Best Advice You'll Hear Today
It may be time to find some new friends.
By Marcel Schwantes
Fifteen years ago, while taking questions from shareholders and fans at the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting, the billionaire Buffett was asked by a teenager what advice he would give a young person in order to become successful.
Buffett's response was a bullseye, whatever your age or stage of life. The Oracle of Omaha replied:
It's better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you'll drift in that direction.
The people you choose to be around truly do matter for career progression. When you choose to surround yourself with better and smarter individuals and learn from their success habits, you absorb their knowledge and become better and smarter yourself.
https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/warren-buffett-told-a-teenager-his-secret-to-success-15-years-ago-its-still-best-advice-youll-hear-today.html
Warren Buffett Told a Teenager His Secret to Success 15 Years Ago. It's Still the Best Advice You'll Hear Today
It may be time to find some new friends.
By Marcel Schwantes
Fifteen years ago, while taking questions from shareholders and fans at the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting, the billionaire Buffett was asked by a teenager what advice he would give a young person in order to become successful.
Buffett's response was a bullseye, whatever your age or stage of life. The Oracle of Omaha replied:
It's better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you'll drift in that direction.
The people you choose to be around truly do matter for career progression. When you choose to surround yourself with better and smarter individuals and learn from their success habits, you absorb their knowledge and become better and smarter yourself.
https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/warren-buffett-told-a-teenager-his-secret-to-success-15-years-ago-its-still-best-advice-youll-hear-today.html
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