Thursday, May 12, 2016
Black Baseball
An excerpt from The New Yorker -
The Mission of a Black Baseball Team
BY JOHN FLORIO AND OUISIE SHAPIRO
Sports fans know that black participation in Major League Baseball has dropped precipitously in the past few decades. According to a report published last year by USA Today, less than eight per cent of major-league players in 2015 were African-American; that figure was nineteen per cent in 1986. And the decline can be seen at every level of the game: Little League, the minors, high school, college—even H.B.C.U.s. Thirty years ago, it was virtually impossible to find a white player on an H.B.C.U. team. Today, Winston-Salem State, Florida A&M, Prairie View A&M, and North Carolina Central all field teams in which the majority of players are not black. Only a few schools—Clark Atlanta, Morehouse College, and Lane College—regularly fill their rosters entirely with black players.
http://www.newyorker.com/news/sporting-scene/the-mission-of-a-black-baseball-team?mbid=nl_160512_Daily&CNDID=27124505&spMailingID=8914754&spUserID=MTE0MzE0NDEyNDUyS0&spJobID=921243805&spReportId=OTIxMjQzODA1S0
The Mission of a Black Baseball Team
BY JOHN FLORIO AND OUISIE SHAPIRO
Sports fans know that black participation in Major League Baseball has dropped precipitously in the past few decades. According to a report published last year by USA Today, less than eight per cent of major-league players in 2015 were African-American; that figure was nineteen per cent in 1986. And the decline can be seen at every level of the game: Little League, the minors, high school, college—even H.B.C.U.s. Thirty years ago, it was virtually impossible to find a white player on an H.B.C.U. team. Today, Winston-Salem State, Florida A&M, Prairie View A&M, and North Carolina Central all field teams in which the majority of players are not black. Only a few schools—Clark Atlanta, Morehouse College, and Lane College—regularly fill their rosters entirely with black players.
http://www.newyorker.com/news/sporting-scene/the-mission-of-a-black-baseball-team?mbid=nl_160512_Daily&CNDID=27124505&spMailingID=8914754&spUserID=MTE0MzE0NDEyNDUyS0&spJobID=921243805&spReportId=OTIxMjQzODA1S0
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Wanting to Go Home Again
It's easy to understand why Ta-Nehisi Coates is the celebrated author that he is.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/05/on-homecomings/481818/?utm_source=nl-atlantic-daily-051016
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/05/on-homecomings/481818/?utm_source=nl-atlantic-daily-051016
New Titles
An excerpt from The Atlantic -
U.S. Laws Will No Longer Sound Like a Vaguely Racist Uncle
Congress removed the last uses of “Oriental” and “Negro” from federal statutes on Monday.
Congress unanimously passed a bill Monday to remove the last pockets of archaic racial terminology such as “Oriental” or “Negro” from federal law, replacing them instead with more modern terms.
The law targeted two anti-discrimination subsections of the U.S. Code that used outdated language to describe racial groups. In one section of the Department of Energy Organization Act, “a Negro, Puerto Rican, American Indian, Eskimo, Oriental, or Aleut or is a Spanish speaking individual of Spanish descent” will be replaced with “Asian American, Native Hawaiian, a Pacific Islander, African American, Hispanic, Puerto Rican, Native American, or an Alaska Native.”
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/05/congress-race-oriental-negro/482238/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Vox%20Sentences%205/11/16&utm_term=Vox%20Newsletter%20All
U.S. Laws Will No Longer Sound Like a Vaguely Racist Uncle
Congress removed the last uses of “Oriental” and “Negro” from federal statutes on Monday.
Congress unanimously passed a bill Monday to remove the last pockets of archaic racial terminology such as “Oriental” or “Negro” from federal law, replacing them instead with more modern terms.
The law targeted two anti-discrimination subsections of the U.S. Code that used outdated language to describe racial groups. In one section of the Department of Energy Organization Act, “a Negro, Puerto Rican, American Indian, Eskimo, Oriental, or Aleut or is a Spanish speaking individual of Spanish descent” will be replaced with “Asian American, Native Hawaiian, a Pacific Islander, African American, Hispanic, Puerto Rican, Native American, or an Alaska Native.”
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/05/congress-race-oriental-negro/482238/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Vox%20Sentences%205/11/16&utm_term=Vox%20Newsletter%20All
Check Out the New Smithsonian Museum
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/a-first-look-inside-the-smithsonians-african-american-museum-stunning-views-grand-scale/2016/05/10/80ac784e-160e-11e6-9e16-2e5a123aac62_story.html?hpid=hp_no-name_aahmc-7pm_1%3Ahomepage%2Fstory
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Stranger Than Fiction
From The Guardian -
The day we discovered our parents were Russian spies
For years Donald Heathfield, Tracey Foley and their two children lived the American dream. Then an FBI raid revealed the truth: they were agents of Putin’s Russia. Their sons tell their story
by Shaun Walker
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/07/discovered-our-parents-were-russian-spies-tim-alex-foley
The day we discovered our parents were Russian spies
For years Donald Heathfield, Tracey Foley and their two children lived the American dream. Then an FBI raid revealed the truth: they were agents of Putin’s Russia. Their sons tell their story
by Shaun Walker
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/07/discovered-our-parents-were-russian-spies-tim-alex-foley
Not Sure Why We Care
From Wired -
No, Jose Ramirez’s Helmet Doesn’t Defy the Laws of Physics
http://www.wired.com/2016/05/no-jose-ramirezs-helmet-doesnt-defy-laws-physics/?mbid=nl_51016
No, Jose Ramirez’s Helmet Doesn’t Defy the Laws of Physics
http://www.wired.com/2016/05/no-jose-ramirezs-helmet-doesnt-defy-laws-physics/?mbid=nl_51016
A Toy That Teaches Coding
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/05/16/sphero-teaches-kids-to-code?mbid=nl_160510_Daily&CNDID=27124505&spMailingID=8902853&spUserID=MTE0MzE0NDEyNDUyS0&spJobID=921027606&spReportId=OTIxMDI3NjA2S0
Hmmmm
An excerpt from The New Yorker -
There is no more room on the subway, yet at every stop additional passengers keep boarding the train.
If you don’t tell your mother about your new tattoo, does it exist for her?
How many people need to show up to your party before it can actually be considered a party? How many people need to leave before the party is over? Why is Mark still here?
http://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/modern-philosophical-paradoxes-and-conundrums?mbid=nl_160510_Daily&CNDID=27124505&spMailingID=8902853&spUserID=MTE0MzE0NDEyNDUyS0&spJobID=921027606&spReportId=OTIxMDI3NjA2S0
Modern Philosophical Paradoxes and Conundrums
BY JASON ADAM KATZENSTEIN
There is no more room on the subway, yet at every stop additional passengers keep boarding the train.
If you don’t tell your mother about your new tattoo, does it exist for her?
How many people need to show up to your party before it can actually be considered a party? How many people need to leave before the party is over? Why is Mark still here?
http://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/modern-philosophical-paradoxes-and-conundrums?mbid=nl_160510_Daily&CNDID=27124505&spMailingID=8902853&spUserID=MTE0MzE0NDEyNDUyS0&spJobID=921027606&spReportId=OTIxMDI3NjA2S0
What is a Superdelegate?
An excerpt from The Wrap -
But what in the world is a superdelegate anyway? It’s a fancy term for major elected officials, notable party members (including former presidents) and some members of the Democratic National Committee who can support any candidate they choose and can switch their support at any time, right up to the actual nomination.
These elite party members represent 712 of the 4,763 delegates who will attend July’s Democratic convention in Philadelphia — and therefore hold serious sway in determining the party’s presidential nominee.
http://www.thewrap.com/what-is-superdelegate-short-explainer-democrat-hillary-clinton/
But what in the world is a superdelegate anyway? It’s a fancy term for major elected officials, notable party members (including former presidents) and some members of the Democratic National Committee who can support any candidate they choose and can switch their support at any time, right up to the actual nomination.
These elite party members represent 712 of the 4,763 delegates who will attend July’s Democratic convention in Philadelphia — and therefore hold serious sway in determining the party’s presidential nominee.
http://www.thewrap.com/what-is-superdelegate-short-explainer-democrat-hillary-clinton/
YES to Early Bedtimes
I have always been a proponent of early bedtimes for kids.
When Ben and Frankie complained about going to bed at 8:00 (in California), I reminded them that on the East Coast, it was 11:00, so they should be grateful for the chance to stay up so late.
They didn't fall for this rationale long, but it worked great for a while.
~~~~~~~~~~
An excerpt from Slate -
In Defense of Absurdly Early Bedtimes
I make my kids go to sleep by 7:30 p.m., without exception. They’re happier and might even be smarter and healthier because of it.
By Melinda Wenner Moyer
Summer is right around the corner, which means I’ll soon undergo my annual metamorphosis into the monster of a parent who drags her kids away from barbecues and outdoor concerts an hour before other parents do. Yup, I make my almost 2-year-old and 5-year-old go to bed at 7 and 7:30 p.m., respectively. I know—you think I’m rigid, no fun, that I’m denying my kids a joyful childhood because they rarely get to frolic outside at dusk. I get a lot of crap for it. “Can’t you just … ?” My friends ask. No. I’m sorry, no, I can’t.
That’s because my kids are happier and more fun to be around when I stick with a consistent and early bedtime. And ever since I’ve started looking at the science, I’ve become only more convinced that the earlier you say night-night, the better. Research consistently shows that putting kids to bed early is beneficial for their physical, emotional, and cognitive development. Not only do kids tend to sleep more when the lights go out sooner, but they also may get a greater proportion of restorative sleep, too. Early kid bedtimes are also great for parental sanity. Sipping a glass of wine in silence? Snuggling up with your spouse to watch a grown-up movie for once? It’s really quite lovely.
http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/the_kids/2016/05/put_your_kids_to_bed_early_to_make_them_smarter_happier_and_fitter.html
When Ben and Frankie complained about going to bed at 8:00 (in California), I reminded them that on the East Coast, it was 11:00, so they should be grateful for the chance to stay up so late.
They didn't fall for this rationale long, but it worked great for a while.
~~~~~~~~~~
An excerpt from Slate -
In Defense of Absurdly Early Bedtimes
I make my kids go to sleep by 7:30 p.m., without exception. They’re happier and might even be smarter and healthier because of it.
By Melinda Wenner Moyer
Summer is right around the corner, which means I’ll soon undergo my annual metamorphosis into the monster of a parent who drags her kids away from barbecues and outdoor concerts an hour before other parents do. Yup, I make my almost 2-year-old and 5-year-old go to bed at 7 and 7:30 p.m., respectively. I know—you think I’m rigid, no fun, that I’m denying my kids a joyful childhood because they rarely get to frolic outside at dusk. I get a lot of crap for it. “Can’t you just … ?” My friends ask. No. I’m sorry, no, I can’t.
That’s because my kids are happier and more fun to be around when I stick with a consistent and early bedtime. And ever since I’ve started looking at the science, I’ve become only more convinced that the earlier you say night-night, the better. Research consistently shows that putting kids to bed early is beneficial for their physical, emotional, and cognitive development. Not only do kids tend to sleep more when the lights go out sooner, but they also may get a greater proportion of restorative sleep, too. Early kid bedtimes are also great for parental sanity. Sipping a glass of wine in silence? Snuggling up with your spouse to watch a grown-up movie for once? It’s really quite lovely.
http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/the_kids/2016/05/put_your_kids_to_bed_early_to_make_them_smarter_happier_and_fitter.html
Preparing to Give a Speech?
This app can help.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ummo/id1102924965?mt=8
From the iTunes Description:
Ummo is your personal speech coach. Whether you are practicing for a presentation or looking to improve your day-to-day communication, use Ummo to track your filler words ("Umms" and "Uhhs", "like", "You know"), pace, word power, clarity, and more.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ummo/id1102924965?mt=8
From the iTunes Description:
Ummo is your personal speech coach. Whether you are practicing for a presentation or looking to improve your day-to-day communication, use Ummo to track your filler words ("Umms" and "Uhhs", "like", "You know"), pace, word power, clarity, and more.
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