Saturday, June 4, 2016
We've Come A Long Way
From Salon -
Black women are now the most educated group in the United States
http://media.salon.com/2016/06/6.1.2016_BlackWomenCollege_ashaparker.mp4
Black women are now the most educated group in the United States
http://media.salon.com/2016/06/6.1.2016_BlackWomenCollege_ashaparker.mp4
Mohamed Ali - The Greatest
An excerpt form The Root -
President Obama quotes Mohamed Ali and shares his thoughts on the impact of his life -
“I am America,” he once declared. “I am the part you won’t recognize. But get used to me – black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own. Get used to me.”
That’s the Ali I came to know as I came of age – not just as skilled a poet on the mic as he was a fighter in the ring, but a man who fought for what was right. A man who fought for us. He stood with King and Mandela; stood up when it was hard; spoke out when others wouldn’t. His fight outside the ring would cost him his title and his public standing. It would earn him enemies on the left and the right, make him reviled, and nearly send him to jail. But Ali stood his ground. And his victory helped us get used to the America we recognize today.
http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2016/06/obama-on-ali-he-shook-up-the-world-and-the-world-is-better-for-it/?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content%26
President Obama quotes Mohamed Ali and shares his thoughts on the impact of his life -
“I am America,” he once declared. “I am the part you won’t recognize. But get used to me – black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own. Get used to me.”
That’s the Ali I came to know as I came of age – not just as skilled a poet on the mic as he was a fighter in the ring, but a man who fought for what was right. A man who fought for us. He stood with King and Mandela; stood up when it was hard; spoke out when others wouldn’t. His fight outside the ring would cost him his title and his public standing. It would earn him enemies on the left and the right, make him reviled, and nearly send him to jail. But Ali stood his ground. And his victory helped us get used to the America we recognize today.
http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2016/06/obama-on-ali-he-shook-up-the-world-and-the-world-is-better-for-it/?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content%26
High Tech Sac Stadium
An excerpt from Wired -
The Highest-Tech Stadium in Sports Is Pretty Much a Giant Tesla
FOR AN ARENA that will soon play host to more than 17,500 fans nightly, the new Golden 1 Center doesn’t make a huge first impression. Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive may have likened his team’s new arena to the Roman Colosseum, and it may be a much-needed cultural centerpiece for a city that desperately needs one, but the arena feels almost modest in its proportions.
Except for what’s underneath. Construction on the Golden 1 Center began in October 2014 after the city fought successfully to keep the Kings in Sacramento. Eventually Sacramento officials promised $255.5 million to the project, which Kings president Chris Granger says will be a billion-dollar project in all. And a not insignificant amount of that money is going toward building what the team hopes will be the most technologically advanced sports arena ever built.
~~~~~~~~~~
Gameday 2016
One day this fall, here’s the way Granger and his team hope you’ll spend an evening. You unlock your phone, open up the Kings app, and look for tickets. You buy them (and a parking pass) in the app, which is connected to the team’s loyalty program, so you’re automatically on the list for last-minute ticket upgrades. As you approach the stadium, your phone buzzes: a notification from the team telling you which lot’s the easiest to park in right now. You park, walk up to the arena, scan the ticket displayed on your smartwatch and stroll through the turnstile. Your app guides you to your seat and asks if you want a hot dog or a foam finger. Attendants can bring either one to your seat in a few minutes. You’re late, but that’s fine; the app has replays and stats. Or you can just look up at the 84-foot (that’s foot, not inch) screen that’s carefully designed to make sure you can see it perfectly no matter where you are in the stadium. (Or out of the stadium—more on that in a minute.)
http://www.wired.com/2016/06/highest-tech-stadium-sports-built-like-tesla/?mbid=nl_6316
The Highest-Tech Stadium in Sports Is Pretty Much a Giant Tesla
FOR AN ARENA that will soon play host to more than 17,500 fans nightly, the new Golden 1 Center doesn’t make a huge first impression. Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive may have likened his team’s new arena to the Roman Colosseum, and it may be a much-needed cultural centerpiece for a city that desperately needs one, but the arena feels almost modest in its proportions.
Except for what’s underneath. Construction on the Golden 1 Center began in October 2014 after the city fought successfully to keep the Kings in Sacramento. Eventually Sacramento officials promised $255.5 million to the project, which Kings president Chris Granger says will be a billion-dollar project in all. And a not insignificant amount of that money is going toward building what the team hopes will be the most technologically advanced sports arena ever built.
~~~~~~~~~~
Gameday 2016
One day this fall, here’s the way Granger and his team hope you’ll spend an evening. You unlock your phone, open up the Kings app, and look for tickets. You buy them (and a parking pass) in the app, which is connected to the team’s loyalty program, so you’re automatically on the list for last-minute ticket upgrades. As you approach the stadium, your phone buzzes: a notification from the team telling you which lot’s the easiest to park in right now. You park, walk up to the arena, scan the ticket displayed on your smartwatch and stroll through the turnstile. Your app guides you to your seat and asks if you want a hot dog or a foam finger. Attendants can bring either one to your seat in a few minutes. You’re late, but that’s fine; the app has replays and stats. Or you can just look up at the 84-foot (that’s foot, not inch) screen that’s carefully designed to make sure you can see it perfectly no matter where you are in the stadium. (Or out of the stadium—more on that in a minute.)
http://www.wired.com/2016/06/highest-tech-stadium-sports-built-like-tesla/?mbid=nl_6316
Anonymous Guy
An excerpt from Vox -
Confessions of a stock photography model
by Andrew Kimler
You don't know me, but chances are you've seen me. I did some things I'm not proud of for money. I was desperate.
I was a stock photography model.
I began stock photography modeling (or "modeling," if you want to get fancy) when I was in my mid-20s. I didn't do it often — maybe once a year or so, if and when a job fell into my lap. To date I've probably been a part of 10 to 20 stock photo shoots.
It was never a passion; I never had illusions about becoming a model or walking down a runway. I was an actor, and I did it for a buck when I desperately needed a buck fifty. I would shoot, collect my money, and be on my way. Most of the time those photos never saw the light of day. This all happened many years ago. But time, just like a well-placed stock photo, makes fools of us all.
Here are four lessons I learned as a stock photography model.
http://www.vox.com/2016/6/3/11841828/stock-photography-model
Confessions of a stock photography model
by Andrew Kimler
You don't know me, but chances are you've seen me. I did some things I'm not proud of for money. I was desperate.
I was a stock photography model.
I began stock photography modeling (or "modeling," if you want to get fancy) when I was in my mid-20s. I didn't do it often — maybe once a year or so, if and when a job fell into my lap. To date I've probably been a part of 10 to 20 stock photo shoots.
It was never a passion; I never had illusions about becoming a model or walking down a runway. I was an actor, and I did it for a buck when I desperately needed a buck fifty. I would shoot, collect my money, and be on my way. Most of the time those photos never saw the light of day. This all happened many years ago. But time, just like a well-placed stock photo, makes fools of us all.
Here are four lessons I learned as a stock photography model.
http://www.vox.com/2016/6/3/11841828/stock-photography-model
The Best
From Salon -
The Black Film Canon
The 50 greatest movies by black directors.
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/cover_story/2016/05/the_50_greatest_films_by_black_directors.html?sid=554654ea10defb39638b510d&wpsrc=newsletter_culture
The Black Film Canon
The 50 greatest movies by black directors.
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/cover_story/2016/05/the_50_greatest_films_by_black_directors.html?sid=554654ea10defb39638b510d&wpsrc=newsletter_culture
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Adding Some Perspective to the Conversation
An excerpt from VerySmartBrothas -
ON HARAMBE, WORST CASE SCENARIOS, AND BEING JUDGMENTAL WHEN THE RAINBOW ISN’T ENOUGH
by Panama Jackson
Let’s cut to the chase. It’s sad that this animal had to be put down. But it had to be done. People over animals, b. We have no fucking clue what Harambe may or may not have done to that child. The situation itself lasted 1o minutes. Imagine being a parent watching your child effectively living in the wild with a behemoth animal that can literally crush a coconut with his hands for 10 damn minutes. Have you ever tried to do that? You can’t do that. It’s a wild animal. It’s a zoo. I know some of us have this INSANE belief in this country that the lives of animals are more precious than humans, but its simply not true. While man has definitely been an asshole towards nature, the fact is, we run this earth shit. #factsonly
It sucks that this main attraction had to die this way, but it was the only plausible and reasonable solution for each and every reason that the have-something-to-lose zoo officials presented.
But the part that gives me the redass is the people pretending, and yes all of you motherfuckers are pretending, that in NO way, shape, or form could anything remotely “irresponsible” happen to you and your brood.
Get. The. Fuck. Over. Your. Selves.
For those of you without kids, do you know what parenting really is all about? Especially up to, say, age six? Keeping your kids alive. That’s it really. Everything is about making sure they don’t get dead. Keeping them from chasing that ball into the street. Making sure they understand to walk on sidewalks. Looking both ways before crossing the street. Not touching the stove. Not walking out the door without a parent. Always holding hands with an adult. ALWAYS walking in front of me so that I can see you, etc.
Parenting is one big ass exercise in survival training. So, yes, the parent of that three-year-old (or four-year-old, I’ve seen conflicting age reports, though it matters not) should have been paying attention to her kid. Because of course she should. Then again, there’s no proof that she wasn’t. But you know what else? Kids are fast as fuck, fam. And when they get an idea in their head they get tunnel vision. As somebody with small children, I’m aware of this and its a herculean task. The zoo? The zoo is where you put your skills to the test. If you’re one of those parents who put your kids on a leash at the zoo, well, congrats, I get it. You decided to avoid the game altogether and ensure a favorable result. But the rest of us, we spend all of our time looking at and for our kids. But look, nobody is perfect. It is entirely possible to take your eye off your child for a SPLIT second and then feel like you’re trying to find fucking Waldo.
Kids are fast and they move quick. In 99 percent of the instances, we eventually locate our children, avert a national calamity (see Harambe) and go on about our lives like usual until the next time we avert a national calamity (see Harambe). But every now and then, we get a calamity (see Harambe). That’s what happened here. The absolute (well second to absolute) worst case scenario happened. A child managed to find himself in an enclosure with a wild animal and LUCKILY is alive. We can talk about how that parent should have been looking out for her children. And yes, she should be. But who is to say that she wasn’t? All it takes is a split second. And if you’re a parent, even the best parent alive, you’ve definitely taken your eyes off of your child for a second. You have. Shit, half of you people text and drive and that’s LITERALLY playing with other people’s lives.
And likely, something has happened to your child before that just isn’t national news or common knowledge.
http://verysmartbrothas.com/on-harambe-worst-case-scenarios/
ON HARAMBE, WORST CASE SCENARIOS, AND BEING JUDGMENTAL WHEN THE RAINBOW ISN’T ENOUGH
by Panama Jackson
Let’s cut to the chase. It’s sad that this animal had to be put down. But it had to be done. People over animals, b. We have no fucking clue what Harambe may or may not have done to that child. The situation itself lasted 1o minutes. Imagine being a parent watching your child effectively living in the wild with a behemoth animal that can literally crush a coconut with his hands for 10 damn minutes. Have you ever tried to do that? You can’t do that. It’s a wild animal. It’s a zoo. I know some of us have this INSANE belief in this country that the lives of animals are more precious than humans, but its simply not true. While man has definitely been an asshole towards nature, the fact is, we run this earth shit. #factsonly
It sucks that this main attraction had to die this way, but it was the only plausible and reasonable solution for each and every reason that the have-something-to-lose zoo officials presented.
But the part that gives me the redass is the people pretending, and yes all of you motherfuckers are pretending, that in NO way, shape, or form could anything remotely “irresponsible” happen to you and your brood.
Get. The. Fuck. Over. Your. Selves.
For those of you without kids, do you know what parenting really is all about? Especially up to, say, age six? Keeping your kids alive. That’s it really. Everything is about making sure they don’t get dead. Keeping them from chasing that ball into the street. Making sure they understand to walk on sidewalks. Looking both ways before crossing the street. Not touching the stove. Not walking out the door without a parent. Always holding hands with an adult. ALWAYS walking in front of me so that I can see you, etc.
Parenting is one big ass exercise in survival training. So, yes, the parent of that three-year-old (or four-year-old, I’ve seen conflicting age reports, though it matters not) should have been paying attention to her kid. Because of course she should. Then again, there’s no proof that she wasn’t. But you know what else? Kids are fast as fuck, fam. And when they get an idea in their head they get tunnel vision. As somebody with small children, I’m aware of this and its a herculean task. The zoo? The zoo is where you put your skills to the test. If you’re one of those parents who put your kids on a leash at the zoo, well, congrats, I get it. You decided to avoid the game altogether and ensure a favorable result. But the rest of us, we spend all of our time looking at and for our kids. But look, nobody is perfect. It is entirely possible to take your eye off your child for a SPLIT second and then feel like you’re trying to find fucking Waldo.
Kids are fast and they move quick. In 99 percent of the instances, we eventually locate our children, avert a national calamity (see Harambe) and go on about our lives like usual until the next time we avert a national calamity (see Harambe). But every now and then, we get a calamity (see Harambe). That’s what happened here. The absolute (well second to absolute) worst case scenario happened. A child managed to find himself in an enclosure with a wild animal and LUCKILY is alive. We can talk about how that parent should have been looking out for her children. And yes, she should be. But who is to say that she wasn’t? All it takes is a split second. And if you’re a parent, even the best parent alive, you’ve definitely taken your eyes off of your child for a second. You have. Shit, half of you people text and drive and that’s LITERALLY playing with other people’s lives.
And likely, something has happened to your child before that just isn’t national news or common knowledge.
http://verysmartbrothas.com/on-harambe-worst-case-scenarios/
Hiding in Plain Sight
An excerpt from Atlas Obscura -
How a Black Man From Missouri Passed as an Indian Pop Star
Korla Pandit's true identity wasn't discovered until after his death.
By John Turner
Turning on the TV in Los Angeles in 1949, you might have come face-to-face with a young man in a jeweled turban with a dreamy gaze accentuated by dark eye shadow. Dressed in a fashionable coat and tie, Korla Pandit played the piano and the organ—sometimes both at once—creating music that was both familiar and exotic.
According to press releases from the time, Pandit was born in New Delhi, India, the son of a Brahmin government worker and a French opera singer. A prodigy on the piano, he studied music in England and later moved to the United States, where he mastered the organ at the University of Chicago. Not once in 900 performances did he speak on camera, preferring instead to communicate with viewers via that hypnotic gaze.
~~~~~~~~~~
In June of 2001, a friend sent me a story in Los Angeles Magazine written by R.J. Smith called “The Many Faces of Korla Pandit.” I started reading the article with excitement, which was soon followed by a clouded curiosity and later capped with a disclosure that shook what I knew about him (which apparently wasn’t that much because the name he was born with was John Roland Redd). I shared the article with a fellow KGO producer, Eric Christensen, who grew up in San Francisco and remembered his mother saying she was mesmerized by Pandit’s eyes, which seemed to see right through her.
We agreed that Pandit’s true story was astonishing, tragic, and yet illuminating—the foundation for a movie and a true American archetype of self-invention. Unbeknownst to the rest of us, he had actually been one of the first African-American television stars. Twelve years later, when we were both retired, Eric and I decided to use our pensions and social security to make that movie.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-a-black-man-from-missouri-passed-as-an-indian-pop-star
How a Black Man From Missouri Passed as an Indian Pop Star
Korla Pandit's true identity wasn't discovered until after his death.
By John Turner
Turning on the TV in Los Angeles in 1949, you might have come face-to-face with a young man in a jeweled turban with a dreamy gaze accentuated by dark eye shadow. Dressed in a fashionable coat and tie, Korla Pandit played the piano and the organ—sometimes both at once—creating music that was both familiar and exotic.
According to press releases from the time, Pandit was born in New Delhi, India, the son of a Brahmin government worker and a French opera singer. A prodigy on the piano, he studied music in England and later moved to the United States, where he mastered the organ at the University of Chicago. Not once in 900 performances did he speak on camera, preferring instead to communicate with viewers via that hypnotic gaze.
~~~~~~~~~~
In June of 2001, a friend sent me a story in Los Angeles Magazine written by R.J. Smith called “The Many Faces of Korla Pandit.” I started reading the article with excitement, which was soon followed by a clouded curiosity and later capped with a disclosure that shook what I knew about him (which apparently wasn’t that much because the name he was born with was John Roland Redd). I shared the article with a fellow KGO producer, Eric Christensen, who grew up in San Francisco and remembered his mother saying she was mesmerized by Pandit’s eyes, which seemed to see right through her.
We agreed that Pandit’s true story was astonishing, tragic, and yet illuminating—the foundation for a movie and a true American archetype of self-invention. Unbeknownst to the rest of us, he had actually been one of the first African-American television stars. Twelve years later, when we were both retired, Eric and I decided to use our pensions and social security to make that movie.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-a-black-man-from-missouri-passed-as-an-indian-pop-star
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
A Father-Daughter Story
An excerpt from The New York Times "What We're Reading Now" -
The idea took hold a few months ago. It’s hard to say exactly what sparked it other than … well, have you ever been the parent of a 14-year-old girl? It is a daunting experience. Elizabeth is a good person. She’s a good student. She has a huge heart. She’s a loyal friend. She’s funny too. She likes Death Cab and Spinal Tap and comic books and reading. The other day, she told me that her favorite movie of all time is “The Godfather.” I mean, she is more me than I am.
But she is 14, and in some ways that explains everything. In some ways it doesn’t. There are times I feel closer to her than ever … and times I feel so much further away. Farther away? Further away? One gorgeous day in autumn, I was sitting on the porch, working, and she came outside and sat next to me, and it became clear after a few choice words about tattoos and nose rings and such that she had come out for the sole purpose of starting a fight. There was no specific reason for it other than she’s 14, and I’m her father, and this is the timeless story.
http://joeposnanski.com/hamilton/
The idea took hold a few months ago. It’s hard to say exactly what sparked it other than … well, have you ever been the parent of a 14-year-old girl? It is a daunting experience. Elizabeth is a good person. She’s a good student. She has a huge heart. She’s a loyal friend. She’s funny too. She likes Death Cab and Spinal Tap and comic books and reading. The other day, she told me that her favorite movie of all time is “The Godfather.” I mean, she is more me than I am.
But she is 14, and in some ways that explains everything. In some ways it doesn’t. There are times I feel closer to her than ever … and times I feel so much further away. Farther away? Further away? One gorgeous day in autumn, I was sitting on the porch, working, and she came outside and sat next to me, and it became clear after a few choice words about tattoos and nose rings and such that she had come out for the sole purpose of starting a fight. There was no specific reason for it other than she’s 14, and I’m her father, and this is the timeless story.
http://joeposnanski.com/hamilton/
Quote
From Vox -
"The millions of admirers of the TV presentation of ‘Roots’ didn’t include Ronald Reagan, who said, ‘Very frankly, I thought the bias of all the good people being one color and all the bad people being another was rather destructive.’" [Washington Post in 1977, via Post / Bethonie Butler]
"The millions of admirers of the TV presentation of ‘Roots’ didn’t include Ronald Reagan, who said, ‘Very frankly, I thought the bias of all the good people being one color and all the bad people being another was rather destructive.’" [Washington Post in 1977, via Post / Bethonie Butler]
Monday, May 30, 2016
Rot at the Top 2
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/seducing-the-seventh-fleet/?hpid=hp_no-name_graphic-story-b%3Ahomepage%2Fstory
Quote
Leonard Matlovich's tombstone at the Congressional Cemetery, which reads:
"A Gay Vietnam Veteran
When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Matlovich
I've Learned . . .
There are wonderful people all over the world.
I've learned . . .
You don't have to speak the same language to communicate with someone.
I've learned . . .
We have so much more in common with people than we realize at first blush.
I've learned . . .
The US doesn't have a monopoly on red tape.
I've learned . . .
That religion can be scary, but relationships break the barriers.
I've learned . . .
That a smile is universal.
I've learned . . .
That connections matter. Not for what someone can do for you, but connecting because they matter.
I've learned . . .
That solitude doesn't equal loneliness.
I've learned . . .
To let go of the hurt, and move on.
I've learned . . .
How little I know.
I've learned . . .
You don't have to speak the same language to communicate with someone.
I've learned . . .
We have so much more in common with people than we realize at first blush.
I've learned . . .
The US doesn't have a monopoly on red tape.
I've learned . . .
That religion can be scary, but relationships break the barriers.
I've learned . . .
That a smile is universal.
I've learned . . .
That connections matter. Not for what someone can do for you, but connecting because they matter.
I've learned . . .
That solitude doesn't equal loneliness.
I've learned . . .
To let go of the hurt, and move on.
I've learned . . .
How little I know.
He Did It!
An excerpt from BlackAmericaWeb -
Harlem Drug Dealer Turned His Life Around In The Most Amazing Way
David Norman proves it's never too late to follow your dreams.
A former Harlem drug dealer just received his bachelor’s degree from New York City’s Columbia University. David Norman now holds a degree in philosophy and cried tears of joy as he reflected on the hardships he endured to get there.
Harlem Drug Dealer Turned His Life Around In The Most Amazing Way
David Norman proves it's never too late to follow your dreams.
A former Harlem drug dealer just received his bachelor’s degree from New York City’s Columbia University. David Norman now holds a degree in philosophy and cried tears of joy as he reflected on the hardships he endured to get there.
http://blackamericaweb.com/2016/05/29/harlem-drug-dealer-turned-his-life-around-in-the-most-amazing-way/?omcamp=es-baw-nl&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=New%20Campaign&utm_term=BAW%20Subscribers%20%28Daily%29
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Check This Out
An excerpt from StumbleUpon -
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/AGFkFR/:w02!$tLM:l6oW5fBF/mentalfloss.com/article/79130/14-totally-free-things-internet-everyone-should-take-advantage
2. SELF-DESTRUCTING EMAIL ADDRESSES
With 10 Minute Mail, you can create an extremely temporary email address that will automatically self-destruct in 10 minutes, allowing you to sign up for sites, lists, and deals without the unbearable spam cannon that normally accompanies your quiet compliance. Also good for anonymous threats and insults to friends/family members. Not that I'd do that, of course.
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/AGFkFR/:w02!$tLM:l6oW5fBF/mentalfloss.com/article/79130/14-totally-free-things-internet-everyone-should-take-advantage
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