How About Adding a Layover?

An excerpt from Afar.com - 

6 Places You Can Visit for (Almost) Free on a Stopover Flight

Airline stopover programs provide a great, affordable way to extend your trip and visit an additional destination. Here’s how to see two countries for the price of one. 

By Bailey Berg

Heading to Europe? Why not stop in Lisbon, Portugal,
en route to your final destination when flying with TAP Air Portugal?
Photo by Diego Garcia/Unsplash

Often, when you’re traveling from one country to another on a connecting flight, the time spent in the connecting hub feels a bit like being lost in a no-man’s-land of travel—neither here, nor there. However, a growing number of airlines are working to reshape travelers’ relationships with extra-long layovers.

In recent years, more carriers have started offering airline stopover programs that encourage travelers to explore additional destinations along their journey, spending between 24 hours and 10 days (depending on the program) in a locale without incurring additional airfare charges. It’s a more extended break in the itinerary than a layover, which generally refers to a relatively short stop between connecting flights. Stopovers are typically free to schedule and often include complimentary or heavily discounted hotel stays and on-ground transit. It’s an opportunity for the airline to direct more tourism dollars to a capital city or flagship country and offer travelers the opportunity to visit multiple destinations for (more or less) the price of one.

Here are six of the best airline stopover programs to help extend your vacation.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Take a detour to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
in Abu Dhabi.Photo by Katerina Kerdi/Unsplash

Those transiting through Abu Dhabi can opt to stay in the capital of the United Arab Emirates for a spell with Etihad Airways’ stopover program.

Travelers transiting through Etihad’s home base can choose a complimentary one- or two-night stay at various three-, four-, and even five-star hotels across the capital city. Some of the luxury options include the Shangri La Qaryat Al Beri, Bab Al Qasr, and the Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel & Residences Emirates Pearl. You can find the full spread of hotel options on Etihad’s stopover page.

Other perks of the program include up to 30 percent off dining at select restaurants (many of which are within the hotels offered through the program) and free tickets to attractions like the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, and Saadiyat Island. There is also a free shuttle service that connects travelers to the various sites.

The program is only available to those who book directly through Etihad’s website. To be eligible, you must book at least three days before you arrive in the Persian Gulf city. Other stipulations include a handful of blackout periods (including November 3 through 8, December 5 through 8, and December 23 through January 2), and the offer is only valid in one direction (so you can’t score a free stay on both your away and return tickets).

Reykjavík, Iceland

Spending some time in the utterly charming city of Reykjavík, Iceland.
Photo by Annie Spratt/Unsplash

Icelandair is credited as the pioneer of the free airline stopover; it has been offering some iteration of the program since the early 1960s, which greatly helped increase tourism to the land of fire and ice.

The current program allows travelers to book a stopover in Reykjavík, Iceland, for one to seven days at no additional cost. All you have to do is select the “Stopover in Iceland” option and input how many days you’d like to stay when booking your ticket. It’s particularly useful for flights between the United States and mainland Europe.

Unlike some other destinations, Icelandair’s program doesn’t offer free or discounted accommodation or transportation, so be sure to factor travel within the country into your costs. However, it is possible to book some tours (like an abbreviated Golden Circle tour, where guests can visit Gullfoss waterfall and the Geysir geothermal area, two of Iceland’s most famous natural wonders) directly through the airline.

https://www.afar.com/magazine/a-guide-to-airline-stopover-programs

Classic Bill Withers

An excerpt from AmericanSongwriter.com - 

3 Eternal Songs by Bill Withers that Have Stood the Test of Time

by Jacob Uitti

Bill Withers was the essence of simplicity. His songs were tight, compact, and illustrious. Like a little box that opened up into a world of color and poetry, his songs knew how to implore and explode all at the same time. And along the way, the Slab Fork, West Virginia-born songwriter and smooth-voiced performer released several songs that have since stood the test of time.

Withers, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 81, composed songs people still put on today in order to feel something. Whether that’s joy, pain, sorrow, or the concept of community, what he did for music listeners will continue to last well into the future. Here below, we wanted to dive into three songs he wrote that remain iconic. Indeed, here below are a trio of eternal songs by the artist.

https://youtu.be/bEeaS6fuUoA?si=IO-hWyXxHokbDoqo

https://youtu.be/fOZ-MySzAac?si=5S_6fG-Ftuhcai-T

https://youtu.be/CICIOJqEb5c?si=E8_ZXoKJC04UQci-

Do you agree with these choices? Where's "Grandma's Hands?" Check out the link to the article and see why these were chosen.

https://americansongwriter.com/3-eternal-songs-by-bill-withers/

Why Flying Is So Terrible Even As Airlines Spend Billions | Big Business

https://youtu.be/MhhJuDap4CU?si=dP1S8kFTfqLSuoSN

CIA Honors Harriet Tubman As Model Spy With Statue

https://youtu.be/hdIo56gyTnM?si=VSJS-41bBvpTbp2H

CIA's First Black Spymaster

An excerpt from NBC News - 

George Hocker broke through barriers as one of the CIA’s first Black spymasters

After witnessing Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, Hocker decided he wasn't "going to let discrimination define me, and I was going to be a Black spy for my country.”

By Dan De Luce

George Hocker, left, with Robert Gates, former director of the CIA
and secretary of defense.CIA Archive

When George Hocker underwent a grueling training course to become a CIA spy, much of America was still segregated. That meant Hocker, as a Black man, could not go to restaurants in Virginia to meet with agency instructors playing the part of foreign informants.

Different exercises had to be developed for Hocker. “I had to have car meetings, whereas my classmates could go and have a nice meal in a restaurant,” he said.

Out of a class of 75, Hocker was the only Black person. He passed the course and went on to blaze a trail as one of the Central Intelligence Agency’s first Black clandestine officers, the first to open a CIA station abroad and the first to lead a branch inside the Directorate of Operations.

Hocker’s pioneering experience at the spy agency — along with a small number of other African Americans who joined in the 1960s — has been largely overlooked until recently, partly due to the secrecy that requires most CIA officers to serve in anonymity.

But the agency recently installed an exhibit dedicated to Hocker at its museum at CIA headquarters, and interviewed him on its official podcast. And he is now writing a memoir, saying he wants to pass on the lessons he learned as a “Black spymaster” about resilience and determination.

n an interview with NBC News, Hocker, 84, described the discrimination he faced throughout his career and his sometimes harrowing missions overseas.

After starting out in the CIA’s records department in 1957 while a student at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Hocker was later promoted to be an analyst at the CIA. But he was apprehensive about signing up for the spy training course.

Seeing no African American role models at the agency, he planned to leave for the Labor Department to work as economist.

“I had pretty much decided that this was not a place where I wanted to try to make a career,” he said.

Then Hocker attended the historic 1963 March on Washington, where he stood only 100 yards away as Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. He was deeply affected by what he saw and heard that day, including seeing Black and white Americans walking together peacefully, in common cause.

Hocker said it was “a defining moment for me, and I decided that I wasn’t going to let bigotry and discrimination define me, and that I was going to be a Black spy for my country.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/investigations/george-hocker-cia-first-black-spy-spymasters-rcna160148

Military Trick to Cool Down in Minutes

An excerpt from Upworthy - 

Here’s a military trick that can help you cool down in minutes, even in scorching heat

It's cheap, fast and effective.

Tod Perry

With temperatures rising worldwide, it's essential to know how to stay cool by reducing your body heat. It’s important to keep hydrated and wear breathable clothing, but if you want to cool off quickly, the military has a trick to reduce body temperature in minutes.

According to a CBS report, research shows that submerging your forearms and biceps in ice-cold water can help prevent overheating. That’s why the military uses arm immersion tables when training in hot weather or stationed in places where the heat is unbearable and it's impossible to get to an air-conditioned room.

"It's low-tech, it's inexpensive, it's easy to implement," Lt. Col. Dave DeGroot, who runs the Army Heat Center at Fort Moore, told CBS. "It's a bucket of water." Arm immersion tables are long, narrow troughs filled with ice-cold water that stand on four legs.

To cool down, soldiers place their hands, arms, and wrists in the cold water for 3 to 5 minutes. Then, they raise their arms above their heads. This allows cooled blood to circulate throughout the body, lowering its temperature. It also allows the water to drip down their arms, cooling their core from the outside.

Arm immersion! Participating and observing every POI helps effectively plan, resource and implement training. #RockSteady #Brave&Bold #ItWasCold!!!! #GAHeat pic.twitter.com/QrCyQ6i8PL

— Dysha Harrison (@BarcliffDysha) June 17, 2022

https://www.upworthy.com/heres-a-military-trick-that-can-help-you-cool-down-in-minutes-even-in-scorching-heat 

One Stop Shopping: Groceries & Ammunition in Vending Machines

An excerpt from Newsweek - 

Ammunition Vending Machines Appear in Grocery Stores

By Alia Shoaib

A vending machine stocked with ammunition
produced by company American Rounds.
American Rounds

Vending machines stocked with ammunition have been installed in several grocery stores across the United States.

The machines are made by American Rounds and allow customers over the age of 21 to buy ammunition with the same ease as using an ATM, the company says.

"Our automated ammo dispensers are accessible 24/7, ensuring that you can buy ammunition on your own schedule, free from the constraints of store hours and long lines," American Rounds says on its website.

The company says that their vending machines have "built-in AI technology, card scanning capability and facial recognition software."

The software can verify the buyer's identity and determine whether the machine matches the identification scanned, according to American Rounds.

The CEO of American Rounds, Grant Magers, told Newsweek that there are eight machines installed or in the process of being installed across four states.

https://www.newsweek.com/ammunition-vending-machines-grocery-stores-1921976

Southern Sandwiches

An excerpt from Southern Living - 

11 “Weird” Southern Sandwiches We’ll Never Stop Making

We'll put almost anything between two pieces of soft bread and mayonnaise.

By Kaitlyn Yarborough

1. Southern Tomato Sandwich

Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

There are those who get it, and the ones who are just too scared to try. The basic formula of a Southern tomato sandwich is soft white bread, mayonnaise, tomatoes, salt, and pepper sprinkled on generously. Typically, the juicy summer delicacy is eaten over the kitchen sink. Warning: You won't get the same sort of joyful flavor from a grocery store tomato, which typically lacks some of the juiciness and sweetness.

2. Pineapple Sandwich

Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

This is usually one of those foods people don't admit they eat and love, but plenty of Southerners know of this sweet sandwich. With just three ingredients—mayonnaise, pineapple, and sandwich bread—it's simple but surprisingly tasty. Some people tweak the combo a bit. It's not odd to see people add cheese, evoking the same flavor as the classic pineapple casserole. Others have been known to add ham, and there's even rumors of a few adding a fried egg.

3. Funeral Sandwiches

Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf

Some might know these ham-and-cheese sliders as "party sandwiches," but Southern folks also gave them another name: "funeral sandwiches." A few simple ingredients—a Hawaiian roll, deli-style ham, mustard, and cheese—combine to create a ham sandwich that is so much greater than the sum of its parts. These are customarily served anywhere from funerals to potlucks to tailgates to parties.

https://www.southernliving.com/weird-southern-sandwiches-7556056

The First African-American Woman Neurosurgeon Graduate at Johns Hopkins

An excerpt from Face2FaceAfrica - 

Ghanaian becomes first African-American woman to graduate from Johns Hopkins neurosurgery program 

BY Dollita Okine, 

Dr. Nancy Abu-Bonsrah makes history. Photo Credit: X, Anna/Dr. Nancy Abu-Bonsrah

Born in Ghana, Dr. Nancy Abu-Bonsrah is now the first African-American woman to graduate from the seven-year neurosurgery program at Johns Hopkins in the United States.

She made headlines in 2017 when she became the first African-American female resident in the program’s 30-year history. Only two to five residents are accepted into the esteemed program, which is ranked second in the nation. Neurosurgeon and author Dr. Ben Carson is one of its most renowned alumni.

Abu-Bonsrah commemorated her achievements on X on June 21, with the caption, “12 years @HopkinsMedicine came to an end last weekend, surrounded by family. Surreal that I’m done @HopkinsNsurg! #olderandwiser #latenightreflections.”

https://face2faceafrica.com/article/ghanaian-becomes-first-african-american-woman-to-graduate-from-johns-hopkins-neurosurgery-program

How "You're Right" Decreases Stress

An excerpt from INC. - 

With 2 Words, Keanu Reeves Taught a Powerful Lesson on How to Decrease Stress. The answer is surprisingly simple.

Expert Opinion By Kelly Main, Writer and adviser @thekellymain

Keanu Reeves. Illustration: Inc; Photo: Getty Images

Stress is all around us, and for many of us, it is all-consuming. 

Slowly, it is sapping our energy, diminishing our productivity, and, of course, eating away not just at our happiness but our very ability to be happy. With 77 percent of people in the U.S. reportedly feeling burnt out, according to Deloitte, and anxiety becoming increasingly commonplace, stress is a devil most of us know. 

It's certainly one that I know too well -- despite my best efforts to pretend I don't. Sick of being stressed out, I went to the other side of the world, where I found an unexpected cure to burnout. Yet putting what I learned into practice proved no easy feat. Every which way we look, there is something going on and something to be stressed about. 

There are the wars plaguing the world, upcoming elections, mass layoffs, and fears of an impending economic collapse. If that weren't enough, there are crumbling relationships, deteriorating mental health, the bills that need to be paid, and the energy you don't have to deal with it all. 

At one point or another, or in one way or another, we've all been there. 

While we might be hard-pressed to get everyone to agree when families still can't get along, we can all agree we would benefit from less stress. With one short quote and two powerful key words Keanu Reeves taught a masterclass on how to decrease your stress levels, and with that, increase your happiness:

"I'm at a stage in my life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right -- have fun."

"You're right" is the key word -- even if the person is, in fact, incorrect. While it might be one of the hardest things for us to say -- especially when we know we are right -- it is one of the fastest ways to decrease stress and anxiety. And it's not simply a brush-off that can quickly decrease your own stress -- it could also reduce the stress of those around you. 

Effectively using this simple, two-word anxiety reducer comes down to two things that help you uncover the cost-benefit of buying into the discussion. 

Water the flowers, not the weeds 

In other words, the things to which we give our energy grow. And so it's key to learn how to allocate your energy appropriately so that you focus on the things you want -- not the things you don't. 

https://www.inc.com/kelly-main/with-2-words-keanu-reeves-taught-a-powerful-lesson-on-how-to-decrease-stress.html

Rather on Netflix

 

An Olympic Legend Masters Jazz

An excerpt from the Washington Post -

He’s 77, an Olympic legend and just made a hip-hop jazz album

In Mexico City in 1968, Bob Beamon soared to one of the Games’ most enduring records. Now he has started a new life as a percussionist. 

By Les Carpenter

NEW YORK — The B.O.N.E. Squad is the kind of jazz band that makes your knees quiver and feet convulse. Hip-hop jazz they call it, filled with funk and groove and soul. To some in New York, the B.O.N.E. Squad is a local institution, with a standing gig as the opening act for a theater in the Bronx.

But on this January night, the B.O.N.E. Squad is in a packed Manhattan music hall called The Cutting Room to play songs from its latest album with its newest member: a tall, lean 77-year-old Olympic legend who is standing behind a set of bongo and conga drums. Stix Bones, the band’s leader and main drummer, introduces him

“The man himself,” he yells into a microphone. “Bob Beamon!”

And Beamon, who for nearly six decades has held the Olympic long jump record, starts slapping his palms across the congas. Bop-a-bop-a-bop. The beat builds fast, until it feels as though the whole room is filled with the sound of Bob Beamon playing congas. People in the crowd start to shout.

Beamon peers at them through round glasses that appear to change color in the light and look almost like a pair of Olympic rings. A small smile slides across his lips. Watching him, it would be impossible to imagine that less than a year earlier he could barely play, that he had never been trained and had to relearn many of the basics. Getting to this night, with this band, took months of agonizing work.

The B.O.N.E. Squad’s album cover is a black-and-white photograph of a brick apartment building that looks much like the 40 Projects in South Jamaica, Queens, where Beamon grew up. It bears two names: Stix Bones and Bob Beamon.

“I’m big time now,” Beamon said.

The album is called “Olimpik Soul.” The first song — an exaltation of saxophone, bass and drums — is called “Leap.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/interactive/2024/bob-beamon-olympic-long-jump-record-jazz-drums/

Honest Movie Reviews

 

popcorn-dropping farter brought more of a unique and nuanced experience than this dreadful Costner film. stand strong, king.

— Carmela-by-the-Sea 🇵🇸 (@SocialistSubaru) July 7, 2024

Subtle Signs Folks Are Super Smart

An excerpt from Upworthy - 

How do you know someone is very smart? Here are 15 'subtle signs' people notice.

"You can understand both sides of an issue and still think one is wrong."

Tod Perry

Here are 15 “subtle” signs that someone is highly intelligent.

1. They admit their mistakes

"When someone can admit a mistake and they know they don’t know everything."

2. Great problem-solvers

"They're very good at problem-solving. Even if it's something they have no experience with they always approach the problem from the right angle."

3. They appreciate nuance

"'I can hold two opposing ideas in my head at the same time.' Anyone who is willing to do that is intriguing to me. Especially with polarizing issues. They might actually be interesting to talk to."

4. They say 'I don't know'

"I like to call it being smart enough to know how stupid you are."

"100% this. I have a good friend who is a teaching professor at Cambridge. He is acutely aware of how ‘little’ he knows about areas outside his specialization."

5. They have self-doubt

"They struggle with imposter syndrome. Dumb people always think they’re [great]."

"It can happen but I’ve met plenty who don’t really doubt themselves. Instead, they take not knowing or not having any experience as an opportunity, just like people go down interesting internet rabbit holes. Really smart people can view mistakes as opportunities for growth and inexperience as an opportunity to gather new experiences."

The great American poet Charles Bukowski once wrote, “The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts and the stupid ones are full of confidence,” and according to science, he’s correct.

“Ignorance is associated with exaggerated confidence in one’s abilities, whereas experts are unduly tentative about their performance,” Stephan Lewandowsky Chair of Cognitive Psychology, University of Bristol, writes for the World Economic Forum. “This basic finding has been replicated numerous times in many different circumstances. There is very little doubt about its status as a fundamental aspect of human behavior.”

6. They ask questions

"They are ok with being perceived as 'stupid' by asking questions — if we hold back in fear, we'll never truly learn. Plus, it's a good way to show others it's ok to question things if you don't understand — better off if we're on the same page instead of hoping things work out without being informed."

https://www.upworthy.com/how-do-you-know-someone-is-very-smart-here-are-15-subtle-signs-people-notice

A Former Slave's Response To His Master Wanting Him Back

From Upworthy - 

Formerly enslaved man's response to his 'master' wanting him back is a literary masterpiece

"I would rather stay here and starve — and die, if it come to that — than have my girls brought to shame by the violence and wickedness of their young masters."

By Tod Perry, Upworthy Staff

In 1825, at the approximate age of 8, Jordan Anderson (sometimes spelled "Jordon") was sold into slavery and would live as a servant of the Anderson family for 39 years. In 1864, the Union Army camped out on the Anderson plantation and he and his wife, Amanda, were liberated. The couple eventually made it safely to Dayton, Ohio, where, in July 1865, Jordan received a letter from his former owner, Colonel P.H. Anderson. The letter kindly asked Jordan to return to work on the plantation because it had fallen into disarray during the war.

On Aug. 7, 1865, Jordan dictated his response through his new boss, Valentine Winters, and it was published in the Cincinnati Commercial. The letter, entitled "Letter from a Freedman to His Old Master," was not only hilarious, but it showed compassion, defiance, and dignity. That year, the letter would be republished in theNew York Daily Tribune and Lydia Marie Child's "The Freedman's Book."

The letter mentions a "Miss Mary" (Col. Anderson's Wife), "Martha" (Col. Anderson's daughter), Henry (most likely Col. Anderson's son), and George Carter (a local carpenter).

Dayton, Ohio,

August 7, 1865

To My Old Master, Colonel P.H. Anderson, Big Spring, Tennessee

Sir: I got your letter, and was glad to find that you had not forgotten Jordon, and that you wanted me to come back and live with you again, promising to do better for me than anybody else can. I have often felt uneasy about you. I thought the Yankees would have hung you long before this, for harboring Rebs they found at your house. I suppose they never heard about your going to Colonel Martin's to kill the Union soldier that was left by his company in their stable. Although you shot at me twice before I left you, I did not want to hear of your being hurt, and am glad you are still living. It would do me good to go back to the dear old home again, and see Miss Mary and Miss Martha and Allen, Esther, Green, and Lee. Give my love to them all, and tell them I hope we will meet in the better world, if not in this. I would have gone back to see you all when I was working in the Nashville Hospital, but one of the neighbors told me that Henry intended to shoot me if he ever got a chance.

I want to know particularly what the good chance is you propose to give me. I am doing tolerably well here. I get twenty-five dollars a month, with victuals and clothing; have a comfortable home for Mandy, — the folks call her Mrs. Anderson, — and the children — Milly, Jane, and Grundy — go to school and are learning well. The teacher says Grundy has a head for a preacher. They go to Sunday school, and Mandy and me attend church regularly. We are kindly treated. Sometimes we overhear others saying, "Them colored people were slaves" down in Tennessee. The children feel hurt when they hear such remarks; but I tell them it was no disgrace in Tennessee to belong to Colonel Anderson. Many darkeys would have been proud, as I used to be, to call you master. Now if you will write and say what wages you will give me, I will be better able to decide whether it would be to my advantage to move back again.

As to my freedom, which you say I can have, there is nothing to be gained on that score, as I got my free papers in 1864 from the Provost-Marshal-General of the Department of Nashville. Mandy says she would be afraid to go back without some proof that you were disposed to treat us justly and kindly; and we have concluded to test your sincerity by asking you to send us our wages for the time we served you. This will make us forget and forgive old scores, and rely on your justice and friendship in the future. I served you faithfully for thirty-two years, and Mandy twenty years. At twenty-five dollars a month for me, and two dollars a week for Mandy, our earnings would amount to eleven thousand six hundred and eighty dollars. Add to this the interest for the time our wages have been kept back, and deduct what you paid for our clothing, and three doctor's visits to me, and pulling a tooth for Mandy, and the balance will show what we are in justice entitled to. Please send the money by Adams's Express, in care of V. Winters, Esq., Dayton, Ohio. If you fail to pay us for faithful labors in the past, we can have little faith in your promises in the future. We trust the good Maker has opened your eyes to the wrongs which you and your fathers have done to me and my fathers, in making us toil for you for generations without recompense. Here I draw my wages every Saturday night; but in Tennessee there was never any pay-day for the negroes any more than for the horses and cows. Surely there will be a day of reckoning for those who defraud the laborer of his hire.

In answering this letter, please state if there would be any safety for my Milly and Jane, who are now grown up, and both good-looking girls. You know how it was with poor Matilda and Catherine. I would rather stay here and starve — and die, if it come to that — than have my girls brought to shame by the violence and wickedness of their young masters. You will also please state if there has been any schools opened for the colored children in your neighborhood. The great desire of my life now is to give my children an education, and have them form virtuous habits.

Say howdy to George Carter, and thank him for taking the pistol from you when you were shooting at me.

From your old servant,

Jordon Anderson

https://www.upworthy.com/formerly-enslaved-mans-letter-to-former-master-rp3

Making Jeans Fit

 

@fabianacristinx Reply to @justmatou here’s how to make every pair of jeans fit like magic 🤍 #fashionhacks #fashiontrick #jeanshack #shoelacejeans #springoutfitideas #fashioneducation ♬ Intimidated (feat. H.E.R.) - KAYTRANADA

iPhone Hack

 

@dnay1.0 Iphone picture hack #toxictipsforgirls #socialmediahacks #techtipsandtricks #phonetipsandtricks #iphonetipsandtricks #iphone101 #iphonephotographytricks #iphoneforbeginners #iphonehelp #socialmediatips #ios #appleiphones #apple ♬ original sound - dnay

Great Advice From a Kid

 

@jeronimoooo0000

Homeboy better seize the day, his friends brain was on full at 8am

♬ original sound - Jeronimo

What's White Privilege Worth?

 An excerpt from The Nation - 

Can You Put a Dollar Amount on White Privilege?

Tracie McMillan’s The White Bonus attempts to quantify the literal cost of racism in America.

By KRISTEN MARTIN

                                    The first family to move into the Levittown development in New York, 1947.

(Photo by Edna Murray / Newsday RM via Getty Images)

When Tracie McMillan was a student at New York University in the mid-1990s, she landed an internship at The Village Voice and worked under Wayne Barrett, an investigative journalist who considered himself a “detective for the people.” Barrett’s tutelage shaped McMillan’s mission: “To hold the powerful to account by reporting rigorously and telling full, honest stories about the poor.” McMillan came to focus her own journalism career on the travails of American workers—particularly those struggling to earn a living wage—primarily through the lens of food. In outlets like City Limits, McMillan explored New York City’s food deserts; later, her first book, The American Way of Eating: Undercover at Walmart, Applebee’s, Farm Fields and the Dinner Table, exposed the underpayment of undocumented farm laborers and the racial and gender inequities in restaurant kitchens. She would come to identify as working-class herself, in part because she barely earned more than her subjects. 

McMillan had grown up white and middle-class in an exurb of Detroit. Her parents had jobs good enough to afford home ownership, albeit with help from their own parents. This domestic stability soon crumbled, however. On New Year’s Day 1982, when McMillan was 5, her mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and soon after suffered a debilitating, traumatic brain injury in a car accident. She lived the rest of her life in institutional care. When McMillan lost her mother—first to institutionalization, then to death at age 44 in 1993—her father, who had long struggled to control his temper, took out his rage on her. But even these adversities did not cause the family to lose their class position.

Nonetheless, McMillan saw herself as downwardly mobile because she refused to rely on her abusive father’s money. Unlike many of her NYU peers, she worked multiple jobs throughout college to pay for rent, living expenses, and a portion of tuition. Though McMillan’s upbringing was full of personal loss and maltreatment, her economic precarity in young adulthood was a choice—and, as she would come to realize, she was never truly without a safety net. Even when she went undercover as a grape-picker, Walmart shelf-stocker, and in the kitchen of an Applebee’s for The American Way of Eating and mostly lived off her wages from those jobs, McMillan’s connection to her coworkers was tenuous. They may have had similar paychecks, but her skin color ensured that she was treated differently. She was buoyed all along the way by her whiteness.

In The White Bonus: Five Families and the Cash Value of Racism in America, McMillan comes to terms with what her race has given her, turning her investigative eye toward telling a “full, honest” story about whiteness. She attempts to provide a literal accounting for the monetary difference in how white Americans like herself “directly benefit from racism,” tallying, in dollar amounts, the flip side of “‘the ‘Black tax’—the higher costs faced by Black Americans who have been denied so much of the aid extended freely to whites.” This “white bonus” has its roots in public policies for housing, employment, education, crime, and social welfare, as well as the accrual and distribution of familial wealth facilitated by generations of racist policies in both the public and private sectors. As the book unfolds, McMillan tracks how she and four other middle-class white families she profiles have profited from racism—and, ultimately, what racism has cost them. 

But The White Bonus has an inherent flaw, one McMillan acknowledges in the introduction. “I cannot take a full measure of the material benefits of racism—and, as many economists have told me, it is likely that no one can,” she writes. “Racism is too complex, too slippery, too multifaceted to pin down its value in a definitive way…. any estimate I offer will be woefully, dramatically, impossibly insufficient.” Still, McMillan proceeds to offer estimates, down to the cent, in “The White Bonus Index” at the back of the book. Reading The White Bonus, it’s hard not to wonder why McMillan proceeded with this methodology. Her book attempts to answer whether the benefits of racism are worth their cost to white Americans, but in taking an individualist approach to a systemic problem, it poses another question: Whom is McMillan really trying to hold to account with this rough accounting?

McMillan begins her “story of white advantage in America” with her grandparents, focusing on how housing policies from the early 1900s through World War II allowed them to build wealth. She proceeds to take the reader through two more generations of her own family’s finances through an analysis of the federal, state, and local policies that have long subsidized life for white people at the expense of taxpayers of color.

https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/white-bonus-tracie-cotton-review/

HBCU Leggings: Celebrating the Legacy of Historically Black Colleges and...

https://youtu.be/HgZS1kbRIsc?si=Oa_rq5STtE-GXR3K

Job Interview Red Flags

An excerpt from the Daily Mail - 

Job recruiter reveals the biggest RED FLAGS that instantly turn employers off during an interview

Emily Levine, from LA, said there are a few simple mistakes that people make

She said sharing too much about what you expect can turn off employers

The expert also advised against seeming overeager to get promoted at first

By LILLIAN GISSEN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

A recruiter with more than a decade of experience has shared the biggest 'red flags' that will instantly turn off employers during a job interview. 

Emily Levine - executive vice president at Career Group Companies, from Los Angeles, California, who has worked in recruiting since 2010 - recently told Business Insider about the worst things that people can do while meeting with prospective new employers.

She explained that the way you handle yourself and the information you divulge during a job interview is vital.

And according to Emily, there are a few simple mistakes that people make that often cost them the position. 

First, she warned against sharing too much about what you expect from the position at first.

She also said seeming 'overeager to get promoted instead of focusing on the job they applied for' could be a major red flag to employers.

'[Already thinking about your next steps] sounds the alarm in the interviewer's mind,' she dished. 

In addition, Emily recommended that people do as much research about the company they re applying to before going in for an interview.

She said interviewers can always tell when someone is 'winging it,' and can be turned off by that. 

'Even if they're provided with the link of who they're meeting with, [some people] show up completely blind, and they have no idea of anything about the company or the person that they're interviewing with,' she explained. 'Which is just so insulting.'

If you're scheduled to have a virtual interview rather than one in person, Emily added that where you decide to do it matters more than you might think.

She said that employers may be unhappy if you do the interview while you're in the midst of doing something else or if you seem 'too comfortable' during the chat.

Continue at https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-13659457/job-recruiter-red-flags-employer-interview.html

Miss Kansas Takes a Stand

 

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#blackAF | Tyler Perry Scene | Netflix

https://youtu.be/tDY4N6I345Y?si=rYbvoRrfRvTSe43A

Trump's Attack Backfired Quick

An excerpt from Huff Post - 

Trump's 4-Word Attack On Kamala Harris Gets Turned Back At Him In Most Humiliating Way

The former president's insult was quickly turned into a reminder of his own recent past.

By Ed Mazza

Donald Trump’s latest attack on Vice President Kamala Harris quickly backfired on social media as his critics used his insult against him.

One day after President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid and endorsed Harris, Trump dismissed her as “dumb as a rock,” causing the phrase to trend on X.

But most of those messages weren’t in support of the former president.

Instead, Trump’s critics used the phrase to remind him of some of his most infamous claims and comments, from injecting disinfectant as a potential COVID-19 treatment to windmill cancer to the time he looked up at the sun during an eclipse:

"Dumb as a Rock" Trump is pic.twitter.com/fo0ZsNe7pR

— MAGA is anti-Democracy 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 #KHive (@JanSImagine) July 22, 2024

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-dumb-rock-insult_n_669f1460e4b03375f56ef8ed 

VIRAL: Pete Buttigieg utterly HUMILIATES Trump's new VP pick live on air

https://youtu.be/zMzpAcdxBP0?si=Yp3g7MBg0G3ND7Y5

David Justice speaks on the decline of black players in MLB | All Facts ...

https://youtu.be/I8HKCJyOjQI?si=eyMvvKf9lvjcl_5O

Unwritten Rules of Work

 

@drkallschmidt Yes I know white collar can have emergencies and blue collar can not. There are 3 min caps on these videos people. #unwrittenrules #leadership #tiptok #communication #whitecollar ♬ original sound - Dr K

First Responders Tell What You Should & Shouldn't Do In Emergencies

An excerpt from Buzzfeed - 

First Responders Are Revealing What You Should And Should NOT Do In Dangerous Situations, And Please, Take Notes

"EMT here. DO NOT put your feet on the dashboard. You don't want to see what happens if that airbag goes off."

by Liz Richardson, BuzzFeed Staff

14. "My husband is a SAR (Search and Rescue) pilot. The one thing that shows up best on his night vision goggles is flicking a lighter. So, always pack a lighter, and when you hear the chopper, flick it — don't just keep it lit!"

15. "Always listen to your inner voice! If it tells you to leave, then leave."

18. "Use the 'Health' app on your iPhone to enter the medications taken, medical issues, allergies, and everything else medical for you and your family. This way, it's easily accessible when you're stressed out and frantic. Make sure the same info is on your family's phones, too. I'm not familiar with Android phones, but it wouldn't be shocking for them to have their version of the same app. Better yet, if you or a family member has a medical condition like epilepsy or is allergic to common drugs like penicillin, get them a Medic Alert bracelet, necklace, wristband, shoelace slide-on, watchband clip-on, or any other assorted products. As a nurse who often worked in the ER, we actively looked for and used them, even the wallet cards. We instantly could access whatever medical info you input into their system."

"When it comes to kids staying with grandparents or family and friends, I can't count how many times I have been able to access the child's medical info through Medic Alert, which saved a life. Giving us the number to a pediatrician's office is helpful, but reaching someone with access to the needed medical records can take hours. A yearly fee varies depending on services and the number of families using the service, but it's covered under healthcare spending accounts. The fee is tax-deductible, too. Some insurance companies cover the cost of serious medical conditions, and Medic Alert offers free services for those who qualify. Medic Alert can even store your emergency contacts, the contact info for every doctor you see, a copy of your advanced directives, if you're a registered organ donor, and more. Even putting your medical info on a 3" x5" index card, laminating it, and keeping it in your purse/wallet is priceless in an emergency when you are unconscious, your phone is locked and doesn't have emergency access to the Health app activated, and/or there's no one with you that knows you're a type I diabetic or severely allergic to Vancomycin."

https://www.buzzfeed.com/lizmrichardson/safety-tips-life-saving-advice-first-responders

Is it even a city?

https://youtu.be/8vhD59ac7nw?si=c-pAkGhWpubvZv0T

Will Smith Performs "You Can Make It" For The First Time On The BET Awar...

https://youtu.be/OhDgNoqkTrw?si=jIEaILJUIAFkpkxx

Rolling With My Daddy

 

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Young, Gifted & Black - Yes Ma'am!

 

@that_crochet_gurl00 I was overwhelmed with compliments!🥹💕this is the best part of crocheting fr #crochet #fypage #fyp #crochetptomdress #prom #pink #fypviral #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp ♬ original sound - Sarah🐤🧶💕

From High School Buddies to Champions

An excerpt from SBNation - 

Jayson Tatum and Matthew Tkachuk were high school friends, now they’re both champions

The Celtics and the Panthers winning the NBA and NHL titles means these BFFs have PLENTY to celebrate.

By James Dator 

The Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup Champions, winning a hard-fought Game 7 against the Oilers to win their first title in team history. It comes just after the Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship — and at the center of both teams is a remarkable bond between friends.

Matthew Tkachuk: Stanley Cup Champion
Jayson Tatum: NBA Champion

Two kids from St. Louis 🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/aT0gHfDWgP

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) June 25, 2024

Jayson Tatum of the Celtics and Matthew Tkachuk of the Panthers are long-time friends, going back to their days at Chaminade Prep School in the suburbs of St. Louis. Tatum, a promising basketball player befriended Tkachuk, who wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps into the NHL (Matthew is the son of the legendary Keith Tkachuk).

The two spent time together, pushing each other, even making goofy videos together — as this assignment Tatum made for school stars Tkachuk briefly.

https://www.sbnation.com/2024/6/24/24185383/jayson-tatum-matthew-tkachuk-celtics-panthers-nba-nhl-champions

Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story | TRAILER

https://youtu.be/xnlvygHhqrM?si=EkMWkcEDW25tA7ig

https://www.queerty.com/watch-the-untold-story-of-the-singer-who-queered-soul-music-in-the-60s-then-disappeared-20240624

Old Ladies' Names Getting New Lives

From MamasUncut - 

50 Popular Old Lady Names & Their Meanings

via Shutterstock (New Africa)

https://mamasuncut.com/old-lady-names-making-comeback-2024/step8/

Thelma Trailer #1 (2024)

https://youtu.be/lyE_hYkZPPE?si=E6z1nXCdOYaly1pN

The Reason Why East Asians Don't Have Body Odor

An excerpt from NBCNews - 

Social media is heating up over why Asians don’t have body odor

Between 80 and 95% of East Asians have little to none of that typical acidic body odor smell. And it all comes down to a gene mutation. 

By Kimmy Yam

While some extra deodorant swipes can feel like a necessity during these sweltering temps, there’s one group that’s not really sweating it. 

Social media users are using the heat wave as a chance to point out many Asians simply don’t smell. According to experts, there’s actually a gene mutation behind it. 

Between 80 and 95% of East Asians have a dysfunction of the ABCCII gene, which is linked to smelly pits, a number of studies say. And this means their bodies don’t release the same acidic odor smell the rest of the population does when exposed to hot temperatures and perspiration.

“It’s just going to be a lot less pungent and a lot less prevalent,” Dr. Madalyn Nguyen, an Oregon-based dermatologist, said of those with East Asian ancestry, including herself. “So we can go a little bit longer without needing to mask our body odor.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Nguyen explained that body odor is primarily associated with apocrine sweat glands, found in the armpit and groin areas. For those without the mutation in the ABCC11 gene, protein in those sweat glands helps transport fatty compounds, or lipids, from the cell into the sweat. The bacteria on the skin breaks down those lipids in the oilier, thicker sweat to produce body odor. But for those with the mutation, the protein doesn’t function that way. 

“That transporter doesn’t work. And we don’t have those same lipids that cross into the earwax and into the sweat,” Nguyen explained of East Asians, adding that a dysfunctional ABCC11 gene is also connected to drier, less goopy earwax. “So less of that means less body odor, and also translates to dry earwax.” 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/east-asians-no-body-odor-dont-need-deodorant-rcna156778

Questions To Ask Your Parents While You Have the Chance

An excerpt from LoveToKnow - 

75 Big Questions to Ask Your Parents Before They Die

Of course you have questions for a dying parent, but maybe you're unsure where to start. Use these suggestions to get this meaningful conversation rolling.

By Gabrielle Applebury, LMFT

MoMo Productions/ DigitalVision via Getty Images

Questions to Ask Your Parents Before They Die

Asking your parent or parents questions before they pass away can help you better understand their life, their choices, as well as how they'd like to be remembered after they've passed. You may consider recording their answers in some way to have as a keepsake. You can do so by writing the answers in a notebook, video recording their responses, or audio recording your conversation with them.

Family Questions

Family questions you may consider asking:

• What were your nicknames growing up?
• Can you tell me a little about your siblings?
• Who were you closest to in your immediate family?
• What were your parent(s) or caregiver(s) like when you were growing up?
• What lessons were stressed in your household?
• How was family conflict resolved?
• How was love expressed?
• Who was the funniest member in the family?
• Who was the most competitive?
• Did you have any family pets?
• Where did you live?
• Did you share a room with anyone?
• What memory exemplifies your family's values?
• What was a difficult situation that your family overcame together?
• What did your parent(s) or caregiver(s) do for work?

https://www.lovetoknow.com/life/grief-loss/75-big-questions-ask-your-parents-before-they-die

From janitor to health care hero

https://youtu.be/FfB57nZykwY?si=Wm2tt32zLncF7uwd

Got Food Poisoning and Others Didn't?

An excerpt from HuffPost -  

So THAT'S Why Some People Get Food Poisoning And Others Don't

Yes, even when you have the exact same meal.

By Sydney Wingfield

Have you ever experienced food poisoning when none of your dining mates got sick from the same meal? It’ll make you question whether you really have food poisoning at all. But as it turns out, it’s entirely possible that several people can eat the same food and only one person can contract food poisoning.

“People always come into the emergency room stating, ‘I know I don’t have food poisoning because I’m the only one who got sick,’” said board-certified emergency physician Dr. Justin Mazur. “Patient education here is critical, as it is more common that not everyone gets sick from your garden variety food poisoning.”

If you’re not familiar with what food poisoning is, it refers to a plethora of gastrointestinal symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever.

“The symptoms are generally attributed to food that is contaminated with a virus, bacteria or, less commonly, a parasite,” Mazur said.

Why do some people get food poisoning and others don’t after eating the same thing?

To put it simply, your body may not be able to fight off food poisoning. Every single person is completely different in a multitude of ways, including their immune system and gut microbiome, the home of trillions of microorganisms that can influence your digestive system and overall health.

When it comes to food poisoning, it completely disrupts your gut microbiome, which is why you feel so sick. If you and your friend eat the same undercooked hamburger and you have an unhealthy microbiome while they have a healthier one, you may experience a bit of an upset stomach afterward.

Continue reading:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/food-poisoning-why-you-get-it_l_66699ffde4b076bcfea12fd2

A Lasting Lesson We All Need

 

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A post shared by Ms. Natalie Ringold 🍎 Elementary Teacher (@always.upper.elementary)

https://www.upworthy.com/teachers-rule-about-something-you-cant-change-in-30-seconds-is-a-lesson-for-all-ages 

HOFer Reggie Jackson Talks About The Racism He Experienced In Birmingham

https://youtu.be/R4mWOVy_02s?si=QXkOMcDz4ltjV1Rq

Snoop Runs the 200!

 

Snoop Dogg runs 34.44s over 200m at the US Olympic Trials!

Ato Boldon & Wallace Spearmon were his pacemakers.😅😅pic.twitter.com/yhhA9LTw2W

— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) June 23, 2024