@doctorhoeflinger Knowing this about drinking could save your life! #fyp #party #drinking #alcohol #foryou #holiday #christmas ♬ Storytelling - Adriel
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
This Info Could Save Your Life
Denzel Breaks It Down
An excerpt from MadameNoire
Denzel Washington Breaks Down Why ‘Fences’ Needed A Black
by marysymone
Washington began, “It’s not color, it’s culture. Steven Spielberg did Schindler’s List. Martin Scorsese did Goodfellas, right? Steven Spielberg could direct Goodfellas. Martin Scorsese probably could have done a good job with Schindler’s List. But there are cultural differences.”
He continued to give an example, “I know, you know, we all know what it is when a hot comb hits your head on a Sunday morning, what it smells like. That’s a cultural difference, not just color difference.”
The Equalizer star expressed the importance of what August Wilson did for the culture. “August Wilson is writing how we feel. That’s why I’m producing all 10 of [his plays]. Because of all those people who laid the groundwork for me to be in the position I’m in, I’m going to make sure that there’s hundreds of roles for the next generation and utilize the power that I have at this moment to do that, and nobody’s going to get in my way,” he told SiriusXM.
Repurposing Old Teacups
An excerpt from House Digest -
18 Clever Ways To Repurpose Old Teacups Around The House
BY MASIE O'TOOLE
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1. Bird feeder
Bird feeders are easy to make out of just about anything, but this teacup idea is one of the most fun and whimsical out there. All you need is a teacup, a saucer, some string, and an adhesive. Turn your teacup on its side with the handle facing upwards, then attach it to the saucer with your adhesive of choice. Once it's dry, attach your string to the handle of the teacup to hang it from a branch. After you fill the cup (and likely some of the saucer, too) up with birdseed, birds can fly up and rest on the rim of the saucer to eat.
2. Candle vessel
Making your own soy candles is surprisingly easy, so much so that finding appropriate vessels for your creations is oftentimes the hardest part. If you're tired of filling plain jars with wax, try thinking outside the box and making a teacup candle. Teacups are already meant to withstand high heat, so there's a low risk of cracking as you fill the teacup and eventually burn your creation, and the handle on the side can make it easy for you to move the candle from place to place, even when it's still hot. Add on the fact that it's absolutely adorable, and you have a winning DIY idea.
3. Succulent garden
Succulent gardens are a low-maintenance way to bring some interesting greenery and freshness to your home décor. Once you start adding to your collection of plants, however, it can be hard to find planters that are the perfect fit for a collection of different succulents. To give yourself more freedom, consider potting your succulents in individual teacups, then displaying them together. Teacups are small and shallow, making them a great choice for succulent planters, and putting your succulents in several tiny pots instead of one large one can make it easier add on new plants and take away old ones that might not be faring so well.
Sunday, May 12, 2024
Still Want 'Em?
@elle.cordova Replying to @the_lonelyest_pickle dare accepted. RX Side Effects Redux! (Deja vu now also makes a recurring appearance per commenter requests) #rx ♬ original sound - Elle Cordova
A Mother's Love
An excerpt from USA Today -
She was the chauffeur, the encourager and worked for the NSA. But mostly, she was my mom
By Mike Freeman
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| Mike Freeman and his mom in the 1970s. Provided by Mike Freeman |
I remember the exact day I first saw my mother’s strength. I mean, really saw it. My father had left us. Not long after, my mom sat next to me on the stairs of the house, put her arm around me, and kissed me on the cheek. She told me we were going to be OK, and there was no doubt in my mind she was right. Because she was Mom. She always made everything right. Even moments like that one.
She’s called me Mickey or Mickey Joe forever. We’ll be all right, Mickey. I promise. And her promises meant something. They meant everything.
She was the chauffeur who took me to soccer practice, the cook, the child psychologist, the encourager, the disciplinarian and the empath. She did all of that while working at the National Security Agency, where she was a senior executive, and one of the highest-ranking Black women at the agency. She’d also get her law degree by going to classes at night.
We sometimes think of power as physical strength or wealth, but true power is what my mom did for me growing up, and what so many other moms have done. She used her strength to create a protective forcefield over the ordinary and mundane, which are so important to kids: going to school; playing sports; hanging with friends; having food and clothes and support.
Her love has always had the power of a splitting atom. But another strength was just as buttressing. Mom’s almost unrelenting desire to educate me about the world and how things work, from making pancake batter, to handling myself if stopped by the police, to emphasizing the power of Black pride when much of the outside world constantly told Black people how awful we were.
If We Only Knew Then What We Know Now
An excerpt from Buzzfeed -
People Over 60 Are Revealing "Time-Sucking" Habits They Wasted WAY Too Much Time On In Their 30s, 40s, Or 50s
"That may have worked for men, but definitely not for women at that time."
by Raven Ishak - BuzzFeed Staff
3. "Trying so hard to be friends with people who had no time or interest in being friends with me or only wanted my friendship when it was convenient for them." —Jayne, 62 1/2, California
4. "I spent way too much time people-pleasing. Being a caregiver for my parents at a very young age left me struggling for good coping skills as I grew older. The insecurity made me way too concerned about what others thought. The best part of getting older is not giving a crap about what anyone thinks!"—Anonymous, 62, Illinois
5. "When I was younger, I wasted too much time worrying about whether a man liked me or not. My self-esteem was not very high, and I suspect I thought most men I liked were thinking about anything else besides me. Nowadays, I don't worry about whether a man likes me or not. If he likes me, he'll show it by wanting to be with me. It's now all about whether I find him interesting enough to want to be with him!"—Suzanne, 63, United Kingdom
10. "Don’t waste time being angry over something you can’t control. Don’t waste time on gossip or negativity. Don’t waste time blaming others or your childhood on present bad decisions, behavior, or situations."—fiercemoon84
https://www.buzzfeed.com/ravenishak/things-older-people-wish-they-didnt-waste-time-on
Sacramento State University's president speaks on peaceful end to campus...
It's long, but worth the time. He has a powerful backstory that makes his message all the more meaningful.
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Southern Sayings
An excerpt from the Wealthy Nickel -
15 Phrases Only a True Southerner Would Understand
By Rebecca Holcomb
1. Yonder
There are several versions of this saying. “Right Yonder” or “Over Yonder” are the two most common examples of a word that means “over there.” If a Southerner is trying to tell you the general direction something is in or where something is at, they’ll likely say “Right yonder” or “Over yonder” and point with a finger to help guide you.
3. Y’all
In Michigan, most people will say “you guys” when referring to a group of people. Being a proper Southerner, however, my husband uses “Y’all.” Thankfully, it is an appropriate contraction of the words you and all. We use it most often when talking to our mix of children.
5. Bless Your Heart
This phrase is one of my favorite Southern expressions because it can be a passive insult or a meaningful compliment. As an insult, it means that you’re dim in the mental acuity department. As a compliment, it means that whoever is saying it appreciated that you thought of them.
6. Fixin’ To
When I was a sophomore in college, I met a couple of girls from Texas, and it was the first time I ever heard the phrase “Fixin’ to.” This phrase can mean anything you’re planning to do in the future. However, it usually refers to something you’re hoping to do.
https://wealthynickel.com/15-southern-sayings-that-northerners-need-a-translator-to-understand-0424/
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Who Benefits From Racism?
An excerpt from CNN.com -
A White author calculated just how much racism has benefited her. Here’s what she found
By Harmeet Kaur, CNN
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| Tracie McMillan, journalist and author of "The White Bonus," outside her home in Detroit, Michigan. Sarah Rice |
Exactly how much has racism benefited White Americans?
Journalist and author Tracie McMillan did the math: The advantages she’s gotten over her life from being White, she estimates, amount to $371,934.30.
To calculate that number, McMillan tallied those benefits and divided them into two categories: A family bonus, which includes money her parents spent on her college tuition, educational loans she got from her grandfather and an inheritance; and a social bonus, which includes jobs, apartments and access to credit she’s gotten throughout her life.
Those resources and capital, she concludes, wouldn’t have been available to her if it weren’t for her race.
In her new book, “The White Bonus: Five Families and the Cash Value of Racism in America,” which publishes Tuesday, McMillan traces just how much of her family’s modest wealth can be attributed to policies and practices that have systematically hurt Black Americans.
Through investigative research, interviews and personal recollections, McMillan examines how racism has shaped her life, as well as the lives of four other White, middle class families.
“It was the one story about White people that I didn’t know,” she says.
McMillan, who grew up in rural Michigan and now lives in New York, didn’t have a particularly privileged upbringing by most standards. As she details in the book, she grew up in an abusive household and an unfortunate accident left her mother unable to care for her. In college, McMillan juggled numerous jobs to support herself, and as a working journalist, she’s had her own brushes with poverty.
Despite those hardships, McMillan says the financial advantages she’s experienced because of her race are undeniable. Her grandparents benefited from federal programs that largely excluded Black people, allowing them to build wealth that was then passed on to the next generation. That enabled her parents to help her pay to attend an elite university, which in turn opened doors to employment opportunities.
But, as she writes in the book, those advantages also come with a cost — not just to Black Americans, but White people like her.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/22/us/the-white-bonus-book-tracie-mcmillan-cec/index.html
Friday, March 8, 2024
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
NFL Player Warrick Dunn Helped Build Over 145 Homes For Single Moms
An excerpt from the Secret Life of Mom -
Warrick Dunn: The NFL Player Who Helped Build Over 145 Homes For Single Mothers So They Could Have Better Lives
By Sarah Biren
Warrick Dunn is famous for his professional football career, which spanned 12 seasons in the NFL, but he deserves more acclaim for his philanthropy. Ever since his rookie season in 1997, Dunn has supported single-parents and underprivileged families with his Homes for the Holidays program. He started the organization to honor his mother’s memory, since she had always dreamed of homeownership. So Dunn has made this dream a reality for many families in the United States.
Warrick Dunn Helps House Over 200 Families
Dun’s mother, Betty Dunn Smothers, worked as a police officer in Louisiana. She was killed while working her second job as a security guard. Corporal Smothers was in uniform and driving a patrol car when she and the store manager went to make a deposit at a bank. Three men shot them as they sat in the car, killing Corporal Smothers and injuring the manager. This happened a few days before her oldest son’s birthday, Warwick Dunn. [1]
Dunn was already a father figure for his five younger siblings. “I never really had a childhood,” he said in a 1994 interview with the Los Angeles Times. “I’ve never been able to go out and just go crazy, like most kids, because I grew up staying in the house a lot, baby-sitting.” [2]
Monday, March 4, 2024
45 Fascinating Maps
From Bored Panda -
Exploring America: 45 Maps That Might Shift Your View Of The US
By Robertas Lisickis and Mindaugas Balčiauskas
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Still Fighting at 101 Years Old!
An excerpt from Dan Rather's Steady Column -
A 101-Year-Old’s Fight Against Book Banning
Inspiring young 92-year-olds like me
DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY
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| Credit: PEN America/Damarcus Adisa |
I’m often inspired by those younger than I who work tirelessly to help our country survive and thrive. But at 92, it’s not every day I find someone older who is such an inspiration. Grace Linn is a spry 101-year-old with strong opinions about what’s happening where she lives in Martin County, Florida. The school board there has been at the forefront of book bans in the state, removing more than 80 titles from county classrooms.
I recently came upon a remarkable and inspirational interview with Linn. Her husband died in 1944 fighting the Nazis, who were notorious book burners. Linn was so disgusted by the book bans in her Florida school district that she made a quilt depicting 84 banned books and displayed it while testifying before the school board. “Banning books and burning books are the same. Both are done for the same reason: fear of knowledge,” Linn said. “Fear is not freedom. Fear is not liberty. Fear is control.”
Linn’s dedicated activism got me thinking about the surge in book bans specifically and the culture war being waged more broadly. The idea of a culture war is not something new in America.
https://steady.substack.com/p/a-101-year-olds-fight-against-book?
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
CIA's Former Chief of Disguise Reveals Secrets
An excerpt from People -
CIA's Former Chief of Disguise Reveals Spy Secrets: 'People Who Knew Me Well Will Be Shocked' (Exclusive)
Trailblazer Jonna Mendez revolutionized the CIA’s techniques — and now she’s finally sharing her own story
By Dawn Klavon
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| “I didn’t join the CIA thinking I’d drive over the Alps in a Jaguar like James Bond,” says Jonna Mendez (in 2023 and, opposite, disguised as a man in 2005). PHOTO: NANCY PASTOR/THE WASHINGTON TIMES; TINA LEU |
When Jonna Mendez, then the CIA’s chief of disguise, was asked to brief President George H.W. Bush on the agency’s new mask technology in the early 1990s, she wanted to make a powerful impression to secure more funding.
“It’s expensive to make these masks,” says Mendez, 78.
Meeting Bush in the Oval Office disguised as a Latina woman with black curly hair, she described the extraordinary results her team achieved to evade Russia’s KGB. Bush curiously glanced to her side, perhaps looking for a briefcase holding the new disguise. She told him she was wearing it.
“He said, ‘Hold on, don’t take it off yet.’ Then he got up and took a closer look,” she recalls. “He said, ‘Okay, do it.’ ”
Like a Mission: Impossible character, Mendez slowly peeled off a remarkably lifelike mask, revealing her true face: blue eyes, fair skin and short, dark blonde hair. When she held up the disguise that duped everyone in the room, Bush and his advisers seemed dazzled.
“The masks were something that no one else, not even Hollywood, could do,” she says.
That’s just one memory from Mendez’s 27-year tenure as a master of disguise that she’s mined for her CIA-reviewed memoir In True Face: A Woman’s Life in the CIA Unmasked, out March 5.
“This is my career that no one knows about,” she tells PEOPLE in this week's issue from her Reston, Va., home. “You step into that world, and the door closes behind you. I thought it would be interesting to open the door. People who knew me well will be shocked.”
 |
| The cover of Jonna Mendez's book, "In True Face," out March 5. Photo: PUBLICAFFAIRS |
https://people.com/cias-former-chief-of-disguise-reveals-spy-secrets-people-who-knew-me-well-will-be-shocked-exclusive-8594627
10 Landmark R & B Albums Turning 50 This Year
An excerpt from People -
The Sound of '74: 10 Landmark R&B Albums Turning 50 This Year
Learn more about the making of iconic albums by Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Al Green and more.
By Jordan Runtagh
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| PHOTO: Getty |
The year 1974 saw a host of legendary Black performers reach the peak of their powers, with icons like Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Millie Jackson and Aretha Franklin releasing works that defined both their careers and the decade through bold sonic innovations or powerful social commentary. It was a transitional time for the sound of Black America, as the ever-expanding scope of R&B grew to include emerging genres including funk, disco and even early hip-hop. In celebration of Black History Month, learn about — and listen to! — these landmark works by some of the greatest Black artists of all time.
01 'Perfect Angel' by Minnie Riperton
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| 'Perfect Angel' by Minnie Riperton. |
Released: Aug. 6, 1974
Standout Tracks: "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe,” "You're the First, the Last, My Everything"
Far more than just a velvet-voice, White was a writer, producer, arranger and key pioneer of the developing disco sound thanks to his run of early ‘70s solo albums that fused Memphis funk, Philly Soul, lush strings, and infectious four-on-the-floor beats with his unmistakable stage-rattling croon. Can’t Get Enough, his third solo disc, is the maestro at his peak. "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe,” the lead single, became his first No. 1 under his own name, and “You’re the First, the Last, My Everything” — which began life as an unreleased country song from the 1950s before White reworked it — remains a sultry R&B standard half a century after its release.
The amped-up romance came from a real place for White. While producing the R&B group Love Unlimited, he fell in love with their singer, Glodean James. During one sleepless night, he poured his passionate sweet nothings for James into a song that became the title track. They were married by the time it topped the charts that September.
2nd HBCU Vet School to Open
An excerpt from Black Enterprise -
THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE TO BECOME 2ND HBCU TO HAVE VETERINARIAN SCHOOL
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore is making strides in diversity, becoming the second HBCU to host a veterinarian program.
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Maryland, is set to become the second HBCU to have a veterinarian school. Classes are set to begin in 2026.
Not only will the school join Tuskegee University as the only HBCU in the nation to have the program, it will soon be part of the just over three dozen schools that grant the degree, as reported by USA Today on Feb. 20, granting more opportunities for aspiring Black veterinarians.
“We are hoping that our new school will open the door and create plenty of opportunities in an underserved field,” said Moses Kairo, the dean of agricultural and natural sciences at the university.
“There are very few vet schools being established, so there’s room for growth. We feel our timing is just right.”
Black veterinarians only make up 1.2% of all professionals in the United States, according to a 2021 Bureau of Labor Statistics report.
First Medical School Staff President
An excerpt from Black Enterprise -
MEDICAL SCHOOL’S FIRST BLACK GRADUATE MAKES HISTORY AGAIN AS FIRST BLACK MEDICAL STAFF PRESIDENT
Dr. James D. Griffin, the first Black graduate of the University of Texas Southwestern’s medical school, was elected as the first Black president of the Medical Staff at Parkland Health.
By Daniel JohnsonDr. James D. Griffin is the first Black graduate of the University of Texas Southwestern’s medical school to join the school’s faculty, as well as the chief of Anesthesiology at Parkland Health, a hospital located in Dallas, Texas. Griffin made even more history, recently he was elected as the first Black president of the medical staff at Parkland Health.
Griffin, as NBC DFW reported, shares a special connection with Parkland; he was born in the hospital’s segregated wing in 1958. In an interview with the outlet, Griffin reflected on that history and his parents, who he says pushed him to believe in himself, beyond the limits that society placed on Black people in the Jim Crow South. “To be born at Parkland in a time when my mother could not receive health care in any other hospital was important. At that time, Parkland’s maternity ward was segregated so the African American babies were born in one part of the hospital and everyone else was born somewhere else,” Griffin said.
Griffin continued, praising the values his parents instilled in him, “We never talked about what we couldn’t do. It was always based in faith on what was possible if we put our minds to it.
https://www.blackenterprise.com/first-black-president-parkland-health/
Monday, February 12, 2024
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Scarf Bombing
An excerpt from the Washington Post -
‘Scarf bombing’ is helping keep people warm in the winter months
The act of leaving handmade garments in public places when it’s cold out has spread across Canada and the U.S.
By Sydney Page
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| A "scarf bomb" in Pittsburgh in December 2022. (Scarf Bombardiers) |
The 14 handmade scarves were a mystery.
Ten years ago, they appeared around the necks of famous statues in Ottawa on a chilly January day. Each scarf was tagged with a note that read: “I am not lost! If you are stuck out in the cold, take this scarf to keep warm.” It was later revealed that a few university students were behind the good deed.
The incident went viral, and is part of a movement now known as “scarf bombing” — leaving handmade scarves in public places to warm people up during the winter months. The scarves are typically tied around fences, benches and railings, and are especially intended to support those experiencing homelessness.
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While the Ottawa scarf bombing was the first to go big online, the phenomenon had already arrived in other places, including Winnipeg.
The scarf bombing movement has spread across Canada and the United States — including in Maryland, Virginia, Iowa, New York City, the Twin Cities and Jacksonville, Fla.
“Most of us are doing it because that one person did,” said Michelle Chance-Sangthong, who saw the Ottawa story online in 2014 and started scarf bombing in Jacksonville. She created a Facebook group called Scarf Bomb Jax and has recruited dozens of volunteers over the past decade. They range in age from their teens to their 80s.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2024/02/02/scarf-bomb-winter-homeless-kindness/
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Why He's "The Boss"
This is a truly wonderful story from Bruce @springsteen and I hope you listen to the end of it.
— Don Winslow (@donwinslow) July 26, 2023
It's a reminder to all artists...be humble, be grateful.pic.twitter.com/QC380HC1ua
Driven by Curiosity: The Lanny Smoot Story
An excerpt from AfroTech -
Lanny Smoot Becomes The Second Person From Disney, Since Walt Disney Himself, To Get Inducted Into The National Inventors Hall Of Fame
By Ashley Turner
Smoot is making history as the first Disney Imagineer to receive this honor. He’s also only the second Walt Disney Company employee since Walt Disney to earn the recognition.
During Smoot’s 45-year career, he has been a theatrical technology creator, inventor, electrical engineer, scientist, and researcher. The innovator has amassed a collection of over 100 patents, 74 of them created during his 25-year stint at the Walt Disney Company.
Before working at Disney, Smoot was talented.
After graduating with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Columbia University, Smoot developed multiple innovations, such as video-on-demand technology, video conferencing, and specialized television for remote locations, to name a few.
Smoot has been integral in creating some of the most technically advanced special effects at Disney theme parks and experiences. Some examples of these special effects include Madame Leota’s floating in the Séance Room at Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion, Disney Live Entertainment’s extendable lightsaber, the Magic Playfloor interactive game experience on the Disney Cruise Line, and the Fortress Explorations adventure at Tokyo DisneySea.
Thursday, January 18, 2024
Tuesday, January 16, 2024
Sunday, January 14, 2024
A Classy Dude
An excerpt from the Whiskey Riff -
Derrick Henry Thanked The Kitchen Staff, Security And Cleaning Staff By Name After His Last Game With The Tennessee Titans
By Aaron Ryan
It’s been said a million times that you should treat the cleaning staff the same way you treat the CEO. And NFL superstar Derrick Henry lives by that philosophy.
Henry has been one of the best running backs in the league for years now, since being selected by the Tennessee Titans in the 2016 NFL Draft. He’s a four-time Pro Bowl selection, led the NFL in rushing in 2019, and in 2020 was selected as the AP Offensive Player of the Year after becoming just the eighth player in history to rush for over 2,000 yards.
But despite all of the accolades and accomplishments, Henry has managed to stay humble.
It’s likely that yesterday’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars is Henry’s last game in Nashville. And after the game, he took a moment to address the fans and thank them for their support over the past 8 years:
Pretty incredible two-plus minutes from #Titans RB Derrick Henry @KingHenry_2 after today’s game — thanked countless members of the organization by name, from equipment staff to cafeteria staff to custodial staff and many, many more.
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) January 7, 2024
🎥 pic.twitter.com/aND2GiL0my
Friday, January 12, 2024
Regina Hall's Acceptance Speech
Kevin Costner’s best Golden Globe appearance is still last year when he didn’t show up pic.twitter.com/vlOvSrnZAW
— Ryan Aguirre (@aguirreryan) January 8, 2024
Monday, January 8, 2024
Thursday, December 21, 2023
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Saturday, December 16, 2023
FLYING ETIQUETTE - AN ESSENTIAL READ!
An excerpt from the Washington Post -
The 52 Definitive Rules of Flying
The Handbook of Behaving Like a Civilized Person, From Airport Arrival to Landing
By Natalie Compton and Andrea Sachs
Etiquette is more important than ever these days. For most of this year, more than 2 million people have been streaming through security checkpoints each day, according to the Transportation Security Administration. One ill-placed limb on the arm rest or acrid hard-boiled egg can sour the air travel experience for many.
To help you become a model passenger, we compiled 52 rules that cover every step in the flying process, from arriving at the airport to exiting the aircraft. To reinforce these tenets, we inserted several pop quizzes. Ace these tests and adopt these behaviors and you will earn your wings — angel’s, not pilot’s.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/interactive/2023/flying-airport-etiquette/
This is Faye - PLEASE READ AND SHARE FAR AND WIDE.
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
Monday, December 4, 2023
Inmates Can Now Make Free Phone Calls in Five States
An excerpt from CNN.com
Making phone calls from prison is now free in Massachusetts
By Zoe Sottile, CNN
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| Inmates at Massachusetts correctional facilities can now make an unlimited number of calls cost-free. WichienTep/iStockphoto/Getty Images |
Massachusetts has now become the fifth state in the US to allow inmates to make phone calls for free, thanks to a new bill signed into law by Governor Maura Healey.
The new law went into effect on Friday and includes all 14 correctional facilities in the state, according to a news release from the Massachusetts Department of Correction.
The change will “provide equitable access to sustained communication between incarcerated individuals and their loved ones,” says the news release.
There is no limit to the number of calls each inmate can make, according to the release.
“The Massachusetts Department of Correction recognizes the importance of incarcerated individuals maintaining bonds with their loved ones,” said the Department of Correction commissioner Carol Mici in the release. “No cost calls will alleviate the financial burden and remove barriers for an individual in MA DOC custody to stay connected with their outside support system. Strong family support helps to advance the rehabilitative process, reduces recidivism, and contributes to successful reentry upon release.”
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/03/us/massachusetts-prison-call-free-trnd/index.html
Sunday, December 3, 2023
TSA Canine Calendar
An excerpt from the Washington Post -
Meet the hard-working dogs of TSA’s 2024 canine calendar
You can get your paws on one this second because it’s free to download
By Natalie B. Compton
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| Zita, a German shorthaired pointer, works at Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport. (TSA photo) |
The Transportation Security Administration has just released the perfect antidote to this week’s capitalistic overload of holiday sale mania: a 2024 calendar of very good dogs with airport jobs. And it’s free.
Travel better with news, tips and guides that make you feel like a local wherever you go. In your inbox, Thursdays.
The TSA Canine Calendar is an annual tradition celebrating the work of America’s explosives-detection dogs. More than 1,000 patrol our airports and 300 more are trained every year to sniff out explosive materials.
“We screen passengers, baggage, we do terminal searches, we even screen cargo,” said TSA canine handler Caitlyn Winn, who’s been working with her dog, Puk (featured in this year’s calendar for October), at the Boston Logan International Airport since 2019. Like all the dazzlers in the calendar, Puk lives at home with her handler and leads a pretty normal life. But at the office (or, airport) she goes from pet to professional.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2023/11/29/tsa-dog-calendar-2024/
The Billionaire Myth
An excerpt from the Washington Post -
Opinion: The billionaire myth takes a beating
By Jennifer Rubin
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| New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin, left, and Elon Musk at an event in New York on Wednesday. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) |
Long before Donald Trump rode down the golden escalator or Elon Musk purchased Twitter (now X) or Sam Bankman-Fried built a crypto empire, Americans lionized billionaires.
“The idea of a self-made American billionaire is the super-sized version of all other self-made myths, and outlandish to the point of being at least mildly insulting,” BSchools.org, a blog about business schools, explained. “Individual achievement still deserves recognition. But these things don’t operate in a vacuum — and massive wealth is never solely attributable to the actions of a single person.”
But, as we have learned again and again this year, sometimes the self-appointed “genius” billionaire is simply a crank, a con man or a beneficiary of familial wealth and luck.
Never has the billionaire myth looked shakier. Trump, the four-times-indicted former president, is facing civil liability for exaggerating his wealth (built on inheritance) and property values. Bankman-Fried is facing a lengthy prison sentence for fraud. And Musk, who lost more than half of Twitter’s value, self-incinerated in a now-viral interview in which he crassly told off advertisers.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/12/03/billionaire-myth-musk-trump/
Looking at 2023 in the Rearview Mirror
From CNN -
2023: The Year in Pictures
https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2023/specials/year-in-pictures/
Saturday, December 2, 2023
Thursday, November 30, 2023
Outstanding Travel Hacks
An excerpt from Travel Noire -
103 Travel Hacks to Make Jet-Setting a Little Easier
Travel Hacks
By Leah Jones
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| Photo Credit: Atikh and Khayriyyah/Unsplash |
Hitting the road can be exhilarating, but traveling also comes with its fair share of hassles. Between crowded airports, cramped flights, and language barriers in foreign destinations, getting from point A to point B can involve plenty of headaches. Luckily, there are all sorts of ingenious tips and tricks that can make travel less stressful and more enjoyable. Whether it’s your first time backpacking abroad or you’re a seasoned jet-setter, a few simple travel hacks can go a long way in making your trips simpler and smoother.
We’ve put together 103 of these hacks to help upgrade your next trip. From packing pointers to tech tools, these hacks cover all aspects of travel from start to finish. With these tips at your disposal, you can breeze through annoying logistics and focus on creating memorable experiences.
https://travelnoire.com/travel-hacks
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
Trevor Noah on Having Difficult Conversations
@spotifypodcasts Let’s have the conversation @Trevor Noah 🎯 #podcast #trevornoah #whatnow #podcastrecommendations #monologue #dailyshow #trevornoahclips #podcastclips ♬ original sound - Spotify Podcasts
https://youtube.com/shorts/phsbi4ibsck?si=ZYh18lHJFmLsdyad
Sunday, November 26, 2023
10 SHOCKING Things I Learned Driving Around Texas for 4 Months
When I moved back to Texas from California and the small town of China, Texas (population 1100) where I was raised to the big city of Houston, the biggest surprise was the Texas Turnaround (number 2). Every city should have these. They're the best.
Saturday, November 25, 2023
Ten Commandments Bill - Best Rebuttal EVER!
@jamestalarico Texas Republicans are trying to force public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. I told the bill author: “This bill is not only un-constitutional and un-American, it’s deeply in-Christian.” #txlege ♬ original sound - James Talarico
Wednesday, November 22, 2023
Tuesday, November 21, 2023
Jenga Genius - Guinness World Records
An excerpt from Upworthy -
Teen with autism makes record-breaking Jenga block tower, inspiring Hallmark holiday movie
15-year-old Auldin Maxwell, who stacked an astonishing 1,840 Jenga pieces all on one single block, says using them helps tap into his creativity.
By Heather Wake
At the ripe old age of fifteen, Auldin Maxwell is already breaking world records and inspiring Hallmark movies.
Maxwell landed his first spot in the Guinness World Records in November 2020, when he successfully balanced 693 Jenga blocks all on top of one vertical facing Jenga block.
Only four months later, he broke his own record by stacking 1,400 Jenga blocks onto one vertical block, more than doubling the original amount. He then broke the record for most Jenga GIANT blocks (500) stacked on top of a single vertical Jenga GIANT block.
Monday, November 20, 2023
Rosalynn Carter: A Testament to Her Character (May She RIP)
An excerpt from Time.com
Rosalynn Carter Hired a Wrongfully Convicted Murderer to Serve as White House Nanny. They Remained Lifelong Friends
BY KATHY EHRICH DOWD
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| Amy Carter playing on the White House grounds with Mary Prince. National Archives and Records Administration/Wiki Commons |
Mary Prince, a Black woman who had been convicted of murder, was already a controversial figure at Jimmy Carter’s 1977 Presidential Inauguration.
Although she was incarcerated, Prince was given permission to travel to Washington, D.C. for the event and arrived in a dress made of material given to her by her fellow inmates at the Fulton County Jail and the Atlanta Work Release Center. At the end of the celebration, Prince remembers newly minted First Lady Rosalynn Carter pulling her aside. "Before I left, Mrs. Carter said, 'How would you like to work in this big old place?'" Prince told People that year.
Rosalynn Carter and Prince had known each other for years at that point, and had developed a close bond. Prince had been young Amy Carter's nanny when the family lived at the Georgia governor's mansion, not long after Prince was accused of—and subsequently sentenced to life for—murder. When the Carters arrived at the White House, most political operatives would have advised the family to keep their distance from Prince. But the first couple did the opposite.
After the inauguration, Prince told Rosalynn that she would indeed be interested in working at the White House. And Rosalynn pulled out all the stops: She secured a reprieve for Prince, helped make President Carter her parole officer and officially hired her to serve as Amy Carter's nanny at the White House.
Send Your Name to Space in a Bottle
An excerpt from the Washington Post -
Send your name to space via NASA’s ‘Message in a Bottle’
The space agency is inviting people to submit their names by the end of the year for inclusion on a mission to one of Jupiter’s moons
By Erin Blakemore
In 2024, a new spacecraft will hurtle toward Jupiter in a bid to learn whether its moon Europa is capable of supporting life. The craft will carry more than high-tech sensors: It also will bear a poem and hundreds of thousands of human names.
Yours could be one of them.
NASA is asking people to submit their names ahead of the mission’s October 2024 launch. Those submitted by the end of 2023 will go into space on the Europa Clipper spacecraft, which should enter Jupiter’s orbit in 2030.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2023/11/19/nasa-name-in-space-europa/
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Tuesday, August 29, 2023
Saturday, August 26, 2023
The Servers All Have Dementia at The Restaurant of Mistaken Orders in Tokyo
An excerpt from NPR -
It was founded as a way to raise awareness and celebrate the quirks of living with dementia. Even though 37% of the orders are delivered wrong, 99% of customers are happy, the restaurant says.
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