Most-Spoken Languages Besides English And Spanish

An excerpt from Mental Floss - 

The Most-Spoken Language Besides English and Spanish in Every State, Mapped

The analysis from WordFinderX took a deep dive into the languages of the United States—and revealed some fascinating trends along the way.

By Paul Anthony Jones 

The United States is, famously, a linguistic melting pot, with estimates ranging from 350 to as many as 430 different languages being used across the country.

Out of all those, English understandably comes out on top nationwide. Almost four-fifths of Americans reported in the last census that they only speak English at home, making English America’s de facto official language (though, oddly, no de jure official language has ever been legally or formally recognized in the United States). After that, Spanish is America’s second most widely-spoken language, used in 62 percent of non-English speaking households, and giving America the world’s second-largest Spanish-speaking population, after Mexico.

But what would happen if we were to take English and Spanish off the table, and look instead at how the other 400 or so languages of the United States are used? A fascinating new analysis has done precisely that.

Language blog WordFinderX took household population data from the last census to discover the most spoken languages—outside of English and Spanish—across the United States. Breaking down the Census Bureau data by regions, states, major cities, and even individual districts and neighborhoods showed just how linguistically diverse American households truly are, and revealed some surprising geographic and linguistic trends in the process.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/most-spoken-language-in-every-state-besides-english-and-spanish-map

Let's Give Our Girls a Heads Up

An excerpt from YourTango - 

12 Lessons Most Women Learn Too Late In Life

We all want to better ourselves, but learning how isn't always easy.

By Marielisa Reyes

Here are 12 lessons most women learn too late in life

1. You're responsible for how people treat you

                                                                     Dragana Gordic | Shutterstock

We've all been disrespected or undermined, and in the moment we might feel like nobody respects us or people don't know how to treat us right. But the reality of the situation is this: you are responsible for how people treat you.

You set the limits and you set the boundaries. And if someone treats you with disrespect, you step away from them. Because if you don't, this will only lead to more disrespect later down the road.

In fact, one study found that those who are disrespected have cynical views about human nature. This, in turn, leads to treating yourself and others with disrespect, and losing the respect of people around you.

2. Attitude is everything

                                                                Andrea Piacquadio | Pexels

Whether we had a bad morning or a raging headache, most of us struggle to keep a positive mindset. Even more, most of us learn far too late what a change in mindset can accomplish.

For instance, multiple studies have shown that a change in mindset leads to greater motivation and academic success among students. According to an additional study, "Positive thinking and interventions can increase older adults' resilience, and thereby improve their quality of life. High quality of life can lead to greater life satisfaction."

So, even when it's hard, find things to be grateful for each and every day. Focus on the positives throughout your day and keep yourself in high spirits — your overall health depends on it. 

4. Actions speak louder than words

New Africa | Shutterstock

According to licensed counselor Lee Wichman, "The unconscious is incredibly powerful and one's behaviors cannot help but betray one's true sentiments." This means that if a friend or partner says, "I care about you," but their actions don't align, they likely don't care or value you.

It's a tough pill to swallow for most, but it's important to truly understand the meaning of that phrase. Because if we don't, we might find ourselves in relationships that drain us instead of inspire us.

https://www.yourtango.com/self/lessons-most-women-learn-too-late-life

Costco Snacks Rated

From CouponBirds - 

https://www.couponbirds.com/research/the-50-most-loved-costco-snacks

At-Home Salad Bar

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Melanie Renee (@raisingcades10)

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-ySg7tJTzL/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading 

Magnificent Time Covers For Sale

From Time - 

Chadwick Boseman

https://timecoverstore.com/collections/100+years+of+time

Old Man's Invention Will Save Your Life - Most Ingenious Inventions You ...

https://youtu.be/GqNUbiSf8D4?si=gvl1zzsXBGT9SWA4

An Earnest Attempt to End Racism

 

https://vimeo.com/1003183502/30dd2bcbfa

Featuring Dr. Terrence Keel 

https://afam.ucla.edu/person/terence-keel/

Best Lunch Prayer Ever!

https://youtube.com/shorts/DrLZfC7aTZg?si=QTouv6Fcrv8pCI27

Dell Curry Still Got It! Hits Pregame 3 Off Dish From Steph & Everyone G...

https://youtu.be/70K3vH6ep3U?si=H9Xosoj-79goQ1Xa

Why "Windy City?"

An excerpt from Readers' Digest - 

The Surprising Reason Why Chicago Is Called the "Windy City"

It's got nothing to do with the weather.

By Meghan Jones

Grey Tree Studios/Shutterstock

When you hear someone mention the “Windy City,” you immediately know they’re talking about Chicago, as surely as the “Big Apple” means New York and “Sin City” refers to Las Vegas. Knowing this, you might make sure to pack your best windbreaker for your first trip to Illinois’ biggest city. But it turns out that, while Chicago is as prone to a blustery day as any other metropolis, its wind isn’t particularly exceptional. How did the city get this nickname?

Well, when the nickname came to be, the “Windy City” meaning wasn’t describing the weather but the people. (Don’t worry, not that kind of wind.) Nineteenth-century journalists first gave Chicago this designation when criticizing the city’s elite as “full of hot air.” In the Chicago Daily Tribune, a reporter wrote in 1858 that “[a] hundred militia officers, from corporal to commander … air their vanity … in this windy city.” Another reporter, a proud citizen of Milwaukee, boasted that his own city was the better of the two: “We are proud of Milwaukee because she is not overrun with a lazy police force as is Chicago—because her morals are better … than Chicago, the windy city of the West.” They meant that the city was full of “windbags,” people with inflated egos who cared about nothing but profit. (Learn these 12 signs someone has a massive ego.)

https://www.rd.com/article/chicago-windy-city/

31 Interesting Facts about Left Handed People

https://youtu.be/UU0xSBsUBGU?si=5ZyjOM-_kdoGJzRz

Watch how these ladies transformed from 50 to 20 years asap #haircut #1...

https://youtu.be/OWyfkZoOBXE?si=1JkXrE3p7J0f1PQB

Harris’ great-nieces on how to pronounce ‘Kamala’ at the DNC

https://youtu.be/NdMced94cNA?si=Djv9W1_lEsLZsyzh

Secrets of US President’s $3.2 Billion Air Force One

https://youtu.be/F-JFlEEjqCw?si=3d4V5jQEWPgiik0B

The Person Who Invented This Walking Bike Is Genius #shorts

https://youtu.be/g96SQ3njjng?si=WhdINX2Q_sbtzH8n

How do art auctions really work

https://youtu.be/BLdwnohtDVg?si=hhOxlXrnUpv6IwBN

21 Clever Memory Tools

An excerpt from Buzzfeed - 

21 Clever Mnemonic Devices That Will Help You Remember Almost Everything

Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally.

By Sarah Aspler, BuzzFeed Staff, Canada

1. The order of planets from the sun:

BuzzFeed / Getty

4. The order of mathematical operations:

BuzzFeed / Getty

5. When to use "affect" or "effect":

BuzzFeed / Getty

7. How to remember who is on which bill:

Buzzfeed / Getty

14. How to set the table:

Buzzfeed / Getty

https://www.buzzfeed.com/sarahaspler/mnemonic-devices-that-will-help-you-remember-al

Upgrading a Cooler

 

@unclejhonn What a Women… #diy #patiodiy ♬ original sound - Uncle Jhonn

A Freshman at Georgia Tech at 13

An excerpt from CBS Evening News - 

He was reading at 1 and doing fractions by 2. At 13 years old, he's majoring in aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech.

By Mark Strassmann

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/caleb-anderson-georgia-tech-aerospace-engineering/

The 360 Degree Revolving, Titling House

An excerpt from designboom - 

alex schweder + ward shelley's 'ReActor' house rotates atop a concrete column

the house has been conceived as a piece of performance architecture

video courtesy of art OMI / © richard barnes 

‘ReActor’ is the latest work in an experimental, performative series of ‘social relationship architecture’ designed and built by artists alex schweder and ward shelley. this summer, for a total of five days, the architect-artist duo lived in the rotating house, located in upstate new york. the habitable sculpture measures 44-foot by 8-foot (13.4 x 2.4m) and rotates a complete 360-degrees atop a 15-foot (4.5m) concrete column.

https://www.designboom.com/architecture/reactor-house-alex-schweder-ward-shelley-omi-international-arts-center-new-york-08-21-2016/

The Valley of the Dolls

An excerpt from AllThatsInteresting - 

Haunting Photos Of Nagoro, The Japanese Village Where The Dead Are Replaced With Life-Size Dolls

Artist Tsukimi Ayano has made at least 400 dolls to repopulate the dwindling village of Nagoro

By Erin Kelly | Edited By Jaclyn Anglis

The streets in the tiny village of Nagoro, Japan are far from bustling. In fact, things are remarkably still. Then, through the corner of your eye, you see a figure — then a group of figures huddled together.

Then you realize they're everywhere you look.

But these aren't people. They're actually life-size dolls — and they make up most of Nagoro's population. The dolls outnumber humans by a ratio of more than ten to one.

The handmade dolls are one woman's attempt to fill the loneliness that exists in Nagoro. This small village becomes increasingly void of people as time goes on. The elderly die and the young people leave for city jobs. Not even a local grocery store remains open.

The village, also called Kakashi No Sato, or Scarecrow Village, is not unlike other rural areas in Japan facing this depopulation trend. Since 2010, the nation has lost about 1.4 million of its people — and it's having a major impact on both the economy and society.

However, here in Nagoro, it's like no one has left; each doll seems to contain the soul of a departed villager. A local official told one tourist that "the figures have even been added to the census records of the village, with detail descriptions of each figure."

In this way, it really does seem like the dolls have a larger-than-life presence in the village of Nagoro.

Several dolls sit lined on a bench. KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images

https://allthatsinteresting.com/nagoro-japan#18

BACK-TO-SCHOOL

 

It’s BACK TO SCHOOL time in America. And if we don’t trust Trump with our kids, we can’t trust him with our country.

🎬WATCH my new ad pic.twitter.com/2qGmeWAPm7

— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) August 14, 2024

https://x.com/i/status/1823817240791191558 

Time Magazine's 2024 Kid of the Year

An excerpt from Time -  

Heman Bekele Is TIME’s 2024 Kid of the Year

Dreaming of a cure

By Jeffrey Kluger

https://youtu.be/ugxW77Wk3P8?si=wcGYlcbQzwtPLHfN

Heman Bekele whipped up the most dangerous of what he called his “potions” when he was just over 7 years old. He’d been conducting his own science experiments for about three years by that point, mixing up whatever he could get his hands on at home and waiting to see if the resulting goo would turn into anything.

“They were just dish soap, laundry detergent, and common household chemicals,” he says today of the ingredients he’d use. “I would hide them under my bed and see what would happen if I left them overnight. There was a lot of mixing together completely at random.”

But soon, things got less random. For Christmas before his 7th birthday, Heman was given a chemistry set that came with a sample of sodium hydroxide. By then, he had been looking up chemical reactions online and learned that aluminum and sodium hydroxide can together produce prodigious amounts of heat. That got him thinking that perhaps he could do the world some good. “I thought that this could be a solution to energy, to making an unlimited supply,” he says. “But I almost started a fire.”

After that, his parents kept a closer eye on him. As it turned out, having adults watching what he does is something that Heman, now 15, would have to get used to. These days, a whole lot of people are paying him a whole lot of attention. Last October, the 3M company and Discovery Education selected Heman, a rising 10th-grader at Woodson High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, as the winner of its Young Scientist Challenge. His prize: $25,000. His accomplishment: inventing a soap that could one day treat and even prevent multiple forms of skin cancer. It may take years before such a product comes to market, but this summer Heman is already spending part of every weekday working in a lab at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, hoping to bring his dream to fruition. When school is in session, he’ll be there less often, but will continue to plug away. “I’m really passionate about skin-cancer research,” he says, “whether it’s my own research or what’s happening in the field. It’s absolutely incredible to think that one day my bar of soap will be able to make a direct impact on somebody else’s life. That’s the reason I started this all in the first place.”

It’s that ambition—to say nothing of that selflessness—that has earned Heman recognition as TIME’s Kid of the Year for 2024. 

https://time.com/6996507/heman-bekele/

Facts About the US Black Population

An excerpt from Face2Face Africa - 

8 facts about the U.S. Black population you should know

BY Kofi Oppong Kyekyeku

Facts about Black people in U.S. - Original photo credits:
Pew Research Center and ABC News

Population

The U.S. Black population in 2022 can be categorized into four distinct groups:

1. The total U.S. Black population
2. Single-race, non-Hispanic Black people
3. Multiracial, non-Hispanic Black people
4. Black Hispanic people

Geography

Geographically, the majority of Black Americans reside in the South, with more than half (56%) living there in 2022. Meanwhile, 17% live in the Midwest and Northeast, and 10% reside in the West. Texas is home to the largest Black population among the states, with approximately 4.2 million Black residents. Florida follows with 3.9 million, and Georgia ranks third with 3.7 million.

The New York City metropolitan area, which includes parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, is the preferred metropolitan area for Black Americans, with 3.6 million residents. The Atlanta metro area is the second most popular, with 2.2 million Black residents, followed by Chicago, which is home to 1.7 million Black residents.

https://face2faceafrica.com/article/8-facts-about-the-u-s-black-population-you-should-know

The Tiffany Problem - As told by Abraham Piper

 From Abraham Piper

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Abraham Piper (@abraham.piper)

https://www.instagram.com/p/C-n2r2jJ3be/ 

Daddies and Daughters

An excerpt from The Daily Beast - 

Why Every Father Needs to Watch the Netflix Film ‘Daughters’

The new documentary is about a father-daughter dance at a prison. As one dad of two girls writes, it’s a must-see film that brings all of parenthood into perspective.

By Andrew Crump

Reams of data exist that highlight the range of effects a father’s absence can have on his daughters. They’re likely to struggle with trust issues. Their confidence might flag. They may wrestle with feelings of abandonment, low self-esteem, and rejection, or develop aggressive or otherwise antisocial behaviors, or risk-taking behaviors; they may become depressed, detached, or anxious. Fathers shape their daughters’ relational lives—the foundation and maintenance of meaningful relationships, with family, with friends, with romantic partners, with communities—and spur their creativity.

Angela Patton and Natalie Rae’s Daughters, the Festival Favorite and Audience Choice: U.S. Documentary Competition winner at this year’s Sundance Film Festival—now available to watch on Netflix—side steps statistical analysis and instead strives for emotional impact.

I have two daughters myself. For their privacy’s sake, I’ll refer to them by their nicknames: Brontosaurus, my eldest, and Elephant, my youngest. I love them more than anything I’ve loved in my forty years on this Earth.

On behalf of that, I intentionally avoided Daughters in my remote coverage of Sundance, knowing full well a movie with that title, focused on the subject of barriers forced between young girls and their incarcerated dads, would likely break me in two; the idea of being separated from my girls is the stuff of my nightmares, as unlikely as it is that we’ll ever be separated. (Sending them off to summer camp and, soon, back to school is hard enough.) I am not a statistic. Brownie and Elephant aren’t, either. All the same, my reality didn’t blunt Daughters’ effect on me.

This is not a film about the numbers: How many girls grow up fatherless in the U.S.; how many of those girls end up in bad partnerships; how many of them become teen mothers; how many are burdened by mental health problems; how many attempt suicide. Frankly, that wouldn’t be a film at all, had Patton and Rae chosen these details as their subject. It would be an academic paper instead, dry and sans any human sensation.

Sensation is what Daughters is all about, of course, a front row seat to an overwhelming reconnection between a cadre of girls and their fathers, each behind bars for reasons Patton and Rae refuse to detail. (Those reasons are neither our business nor relevant to the film’s thesis.). At the same time, it’s an elegant condemnation of America’s love affair with crime and punishment, exhibited through varied atrocities carried out within its prison system.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/netflixs-daughters-the-movie-every-father-needs-to-watch

Veteran SHREDS Trump-Vance for Attacking Walz's Service –They're Running...

https://youtu.be/mL_DwKNzqT8?si=Ax_lw4GxfKciiwbb

August 13 is Left Handers Day!

Celebrate the lefties in your world! 

Did you guess?  I'm a lefty, too!

https://www.lefthandersday.com/

Who Decides Who's Black Enough?

An excerpt from the LA Times - 

Opinion: Denigrating Drake, and Kamala Harris, as ‘Not Like Us’

By Michael Eric Dyson

Arguments that question the racial identity of the hip-hop artist

and the presidential candidate deny the complexity of Blackness.

(Los Angeles Times photo illustration;

photos by Carmen Mandato / Getty Images, Matt Rourke/ Associated Press)

On the same day that former President Trump claimed before a national gathering of Black journalists that Vice President Kamala Harris “was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden she made a turn, and she became a Black person,” his running mate Sen. JD Vance accused Harris of being a “phony” who “grew up in Canada” (she attended high school in Montreal) and used “a fake Southern accent” at a rally.

Both men’s accusations sound eerily like those leveled against the rapper Drake by his fellow hip-hop titan Kendrick Lamar (and many others) in a rap beef whose effects linger. Drake has been accused of being a “colonizer” whose Canadian identity and eager embrace of various aspects and accents of a wide range of Black culture make him racially suspect.

Such arguments, whether made by racially troubled white men or Black icons, deny the complexity and diversity of Blackness.

~~~~~

Ironically, that cosmopolitan vision of Blackness is at the heart of the Lamar and Drake dustup. Their kerfuffle — playing out fiercely this spring in a series of releases — is a battle over cultural cachet, racial authenticity and group pride. And it exposes a provincialism that undercuts the global currents of hip-hop.

In his hit “Not Like Us,” Lamar accuses Drake of being a “colonizer” because Drake supposedly “run[s]” to Atlanta to partner with some of the paragons of its trap music to bolster his Blackness. Lamar’s argument echoes long-standing criticisms that Drake’s biracial Canadian roots render him suspect as a bona fide Black artist. Drake’s artistic experimentation with different accents and musical genres has prompted many to claim, as Vance did with Harris, that Drake is a phony.

Lamar’s beef with Drake is rooted in a parochial, claustrophobic vision of Blackness.

Drake grew up in Toronto the son of a Jewish Canadian mother; he spent summers in Memphis, Tenn., with his Black American musician father. His artistic tastes were deeply influenced by a wide swath of the Black diaspora — Afro-Caribbeans, Londoners, American Southerners, especially Memphians, and Torontonians. The multicultural makeup of Toronto, with its sizable Italian, Portuguese, Jamaican and Filipino immigrant populations, also fed his musical appetite.

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-08-11/kendrick-lamar-drake-hip-hop-kamala-harris-blackness

Comparing Crowd Size

 

Meanwhile at @realdonaldtrump’s rally... https://t.co/uZ73w1de7D pic.twitter.com/lhCZvG4KxF

— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 10, 2024

Fmr. Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura shares his impressions of Gov. Tim...

https://youtu.be/WWMZcwcDFA8?si=03iEvVfdGcg-8xSo

An Obamacare Convert

My apologies.  I couldn't figure out how to post this other than just linking the page.   I promise.  It's worth the watch.  It is one minute long.

https://youtube.com/shorts/Ly1Dt3fXNBI?si=-hU9MUsI0q4bdvDN

A Teacher's Profound Impact on Her Student

 

@ms.e_hustla Teacher's life is saved by the very student she never gave up on#fy #cupcut #cupcuteditvideo❤️✨ #foryou #fypシ゚viral #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #wow #fypシ #fypツ♡❦࿐foryoupageシ༄🖤💕💙stay #fypツ♡❦࿐foryoupageシ༄🖤 #yppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppシ #CapCut #husbandwife #trending #beautifull #new #viral #friends #viral_video #women ♬ Emotional - Bang Nono

https://www.tiktok.com/@ms.e_hustla/video/7399750483205688606?embed_source=121374463%2C121451205%2C121439635%2C121433650%2C121404359%2C121351166%2C121331973%2C120811592%2C120810756%3Bnull%3Bembed_masking&refer=embed&referer_url=wegotthiscovered.com%2Fsocial-media%2Ftouching-story-comes-full-circle-after-teacher-receives-operation-from-the-student%2F&referer_video_id=7399750483205688606 

THE Arizona Turnout for VP Harris & Gov Walz

 

I've been to dozens of campaign rallies this cycle: Trump, Biden, Haley, DeSantis, etc. This Harris rally in Glendale, AZ, is — by far — the biggest crowd (and biggest venue) I've seen. pic.twitter.com/o8r0tz9nb3

— Samuel Benson (@sambbenson) August 9, 2024

https://x.com/sambbenson/status/1822042965298311628 

Lawyer's New Secretary Defies Stereotypes with Wisdom! | Suits | PD TV

https://youtu.be/02iRhdA4x8A?si=NsZMfhJW25VHuNRH

Kamala Harris 2024: 'How Qualified Does a Black Person Have to Be?'

https://youtu.be/PcbaK84pXDg?si=J-NuFEOE7_vYy13q

Please Stop Giving Your Children Weird Names. Angel Gaines

https://youtu.be/yifb0ePNnXA?si=WgyGwpUtwfxlT7Qi

THE SUPREMES AT EARL'S ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT Trailer (2024) Julian McMahon

https://youtu.be/_SCfsgpEGa0?si=nwcEDljA_aOZ9vwl

Do you Know Your Salts?

An excerpt from ChowHound - 

Table Salt Vs Sea Salt Vs Kosher Salt: When To Use Each Type In Your Kitchen

BY MATTHEW LEE

Westend61/Getty Images

It doesn't matter if it's the kitchen of an amateur home cook who barely uses the space or that of a professional chef, you'll be hard-pressed to find one that doesn't have a jar of salt somewhere. And that jar will most likely contain table salt, also known as "common salt." This fine-grained variety is super versatile and can be used for both seasoning and cooking just fine. But if you want to get the most out of your cooking, you'll need to expand your salt collection, stat. There are dozens of notable salt varieties; but to start, try adding sea salt and kosher salt to your pantry.

Table salt is great for most applications

Ws Studio / Getty Images

The salt you'll find sitting in those fancy glass shakers at restaurants and cafés is most likely table salt. Odds are good that the one you have in your kitchen right now is this type, too. Table salt is produced by blasting high-pressure water at underground salt deposits to reduce them to brine. It's taken up to the surface by a pipe and into a factory where it's dried. After going through several more processing steps, the results are tiny, dense salt crystals that — under a microscope — look like perfect little cubes.

Sea salt for extra flavor

Sea salt, as its name suggests, comes straight from the ocean. Large puddles of seawater are left to bake in the sun, and once all the water has evaporated, flakes of salt appear at the bottom of these pools, ready for harvesting. Unlike table salt, sea salt doesn't go through a lot of processing steps, so it retains trace minerals like magnesium and calcium. 

Kosher salt for everything

AlexPro9500 / Getty Images

Even though table salt is the most common, if you can only choose one type of salt to stock your pantry with, pick kosher salt. Think of it like a salty Swiss Army knife. Whatever task you have in mind — from cooking and seasoning a dish, to canning, pickling, and curing — kosher salt can handle it.

https://www.chowhound.com/1629820/kosher-vs-table-sea-salt-when-to-use/

Houston barbershop now officially recognized as historical site

https://youtu.be/acA_5aIKIg4?si=UvPvC5oYalijXYj0

I'm a Republican, not a fool."

An excerpt from WeGotThisCovered - 

‘I’m a Republican but not a fool’: If you think all GOPs are voting for Donald Trump, you might want to take a look at this

Who's gonna tell him?

By Nahila Bonfiglio

Meanwhile in Philly pic.twitter.com/4AxBd9sxzj

— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) August 3, 2024

Every presidential election is a vital moment in history, but it’s hard to argue the truly unprecedented urgency of the 2024 election.

This November, the American public will make the choice between a heavily convicted felon who has no remorse, who plans to establish a dictatorship, and who has an avenue in place to contest a free election process, and a capable leader who has experience, poise, and decades of experience under her belt. The choice will come down to the security of Kamala Harris or the unhinged bluster of Donald Trump, and it’s truly unclear which option has a better shot at the White House.

The masses are praying for a Harris victory, but it’s unsettling to see how much support Trump still boasts. Even beyond his support of the Heritage Foundation and Project 2025, his promises that Christians will only need to vote “this once” and then never again; even beyond his insistence that Harris happened to “turn Black” in order to win the election, he still has unwavering support from a huge number of people.

But not everyone on the right side of the political aisle is so enamored with the former Cheeto-in-Chief. Despite the overwhelming support he continues to boast from his most dedicated followers, Trump is hemorrhaging support from pretty much anyone with a brain and right-leaning tendencies. These poor souls, left with no Republican options that aren’t outright dangerous for the nation, have decided to step across the political aisle, and they’ve masterminded the perfect sign for their unique position.

That sign is starting to decorate lawns now that the election is mere months out. Straightforward and truly stunning, the simple piece of cardboard states that its owner is “a Republican but not a fool,” before proclaiming its support for “Harris for President.”

https://wegotthiscovered.com/politics/if-you-think-all-gops-are-voting-for-donald-trump-you-might-want-to-take-a-look-at-this/

Mr. Harris

An excerpt from WeGotThisCovered - 

Kamala Harris’ father Donald J. Harris’ ethnicity, confirmed

What is Kamala Harris' father's cultural background?

By Kevin Stewart

This is Kamala Harris, father Donald Harris, distinguished emeritus, professor of economics from Stanford University. Stanford called him their first Black tenured economics, professor.
pic.twitter.com/l1K2AztmAe

— Mr. Reynolds (@MrReynolds52) August 2, 2024

Donald J. Harris is an award-winning economist and professor emeritus at Stanford University and the father of Democratic Party Presidential candidate Kamala Harris, and her lawyer sister, Maya Harris.

In 1960, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of London, and in 1966, he achieved a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.

He is the author of several books and articles, including the 1978 monograph Capital Accumulation and Income Distribution and the 1993 article “Economic Growth and Equity: Complements or Opposites?” in The Review of Black Political Economy.

https://wegotthiscovered.com/politics/donald-j-harris-ethnicity-confirmed/

Afro-Latina Stanford Grad Wins Miss USA

An excerpt from CNN - 

New Miss USA crowned, capping tumultuous year of pageant controversy

By Oscar Holland, CNN

Michigan's Alma Cooper wins Miss USA 2024 at the
73rd annual Miss USA pageant at the Peacock Theater
in Los Angeles, California. Gilbert Flores/Variety/Getty Images

Michigan’s Alma Cooper, a US Army officer, was named Miss USA on Sunday, becoming the third person to hold the title this year following the shock resignation of 2023’s winner.

The 22-year-old, who has a Master’s in data science from Stanford University, beat 50 other contestants in a pageant that included swimwear and evening gown competitions. Kentucky’s Connor Perry and Oklahoma’s Danika Christopherson were named first and second runners up, respectively.

“As the daughter of a migrant worker, a proud Afro Latina woman and an officer of the United States Army, I am living the American dream,” she had told judges during a Q&A session at Sunday’s finale. “If there’s anything that my life and my mother have taught me, it’s that your circumstances never define your destiny: You can make success accessible through demanding excellence.”

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/04/style/miss-usa-winner-alma-cooper-michigan/index.html

The History of Theme From Shaft

An excerpt from American Songwriter - 

The Groundbreaking Story Behind the “Theme From Shaft” by Isaac Hayes

By Hal Horowitz

“Theme From Shaft”

Written by Isaac Hayes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTU_9T5ufzY&t=12s

Right on. Can ya dig it? Shut your mouth… 

Sound like the early ‘70s? You’re daaaamn right! Those by-now iconic words are some of the few, mostly spoken, lyrics to Isaac Hayes’ 1971 No. 1-charting title track to the motion picture considered one of the first and best examples of the “Blaxploitation” genre. 

Specifically named “Theme From Shaft,” the song was as groundbreaking as the film, winning an Oscar for Best Original Song, making Hayes the first Black composer to triumph in that category. It also grabbed two Grammys, for Best Instrumental Arrangement and Best Original Score.

Why Isaac Hayes?

Hayes was a hot property in the early ‘70s, especially in the Black community. He had recorded four solo albums since 1967. Hot Buttered Soul (1969) was the most successful; it topped the R&B chart and rose to No. 8 on the Billboard 200, showing that Hayes’ made-for-the-bedroom slow-jams could cross over to a more mainstream audience. 

Parks showed Hayes footage of the gritty opening scene of his film, where private detective John Shaft emerges from a Manhattan subway and weaves in and out of traffic like he owns New York City. Parks told Hayes he wanted “a driving, savage beat, so we’re right with him all the time.” 

Hayes responded with the propulsive 16th-note hi-hat opening that leads into arguably the most definitive and demonstrative use of distorted wah-wah guitar in soul music. But he paused writing the rest of the theme until he’d composed the remainder of the film’s score. “Theme From Shaft” was completed after Hayes had gained a better appreciation for who this guy confidently crisscrossing the crowded city streets really was.  

Then What?

https://americansongwriter.com/the-groundbreaking-story-behind-the-theme-from-shaft-by-isaac-hayes/

迈克杰克逊在我家开演唱会 #手影 #迈克尔杰克逊 #锦衣手影 #michaeljackson #dance #fingerdance

https://youtu.be/B7GY3RqFAEo?si=DeEM43NwwEXtkHSd

https://www.inspiremore.com/shadow-puppet-artists-michael-jackson-cover-is-like-nothing-youve-seen-before/

This Matters More Than the Game

An excerpt from Metro.co.uk - 

Injured Olympic athlete gets carried off court by her opponent to huge ovation from crowd

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By Chris Davie

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A post shared by Vinícius Coltri | Handebol (@portaldohandebol)

Brazil’s Tamires Morena produced one of the most touching moments of the Olympics in Paris after she carried her injured opponent off the court on Saturday.

Brazil were already up by ten goals in their final Preliminary Round Group B women’s handball match when Angola’s captain Albertina Kassoma fell to the ground after missing a shot.

Kassoma stayed down and received medical attention for her injured knee.

After being examined by Angola’s team doctor, Kassoma got to her feet and was supported by Brazil’s goalkeeper, Gabriela Moreschi. 

But before Kassoma moved, Morena stepped in to fully sweep her opponent off the ground and carry her to the side of the court.

Morena’s gesture was greeted by a huge ovation by the crowd inside South Paris Arena 6.

https://metro.co.uk/2024/08/04/beautiful-moment-injured-olympic-athlete-carried-off-court-opponent-21356420/

When Your Sister Wins Gold

 

The moment when you find out your sister won a gold medal at the Olympics!

Congratulations Thea LaFond!#GoNavy | #RollGoats pic.twitter.com/38p4NGpsXK

— Navy Football (@NavyFB) August 3, 2024

https://x.com/NavyFB/status/1819823335624118699 

I'm Rod Stewart's Newest Fan

 

An excerpt from Metro.co.uk - 

Rod Stewart slammed for mocking ‘orange’ Donald Trump during show as fans ‘walk out’

By Laura Harman and Brooke Ivey Johnson

Rod shared the snap from his show on social media (Picture: Rod Stewart/Instagram)

Rod Stewart has well and truly divided fans as he made his feelings towards Trump known mid-concert, mocking the former US President with a meme.

The 79-year-old singer is currently on tour in the US and has been performing a series of shows at the Colosseum that began on July 24 and is set to conclude on August 7.

But just months after he was ‘booed’ in Germany for showing the Ukraine flag, the singer has ruffled feathers again as he criticised Trump on stage.

While in Vegas performing, he decided to show a meme that mocked the Former President for being ‘orange’.

https://metro.co.uk/2024/08/03/rod-stewart-roasts-orange-donald-trump-mid-performance-us-21356034/