Greater Challenges

An excerpt from the Washington Post -

He’s going home for Christmas. But most people at his prestigious college have no idea what he’s facing there. 
By Valerie Strauss

Here is a new, personal and moving piece by Wood that reflects not only his own experiences but that of millions of other students who come from impoverished backgrounds.

By Zachary Wood

On Thanksgiving Day, my uncle, who’s 48, asked me if I could help him find a job. My dad, who works late hours to ensure that I attend college, was at work, so I was the only one around who could assist him.

While we worked together, he kneeled on the floor and I sat on the pile of luggage that had formed in the living room as my family gathered for the holiday.

He didn’t have a résumé, or email, and he didn’t know how to use a computer to fill out online job applications. So we had to start from square one. We began by looking at job descriptions online. For many of the jobs, I had to read the descriptions aloud to him because he couldn’t read some of the vocabulary. After looking through 43 job postings, we narrowed the pool down to a list of 10.

But before we applied, I had to set up his email account and show him how to use it.

After setting up email for him, we began working on his resume. He had never used Microsoft Word before and did not know what a resume should consist of, so the process was tedious. I figured the best way to proceed would be for me to ask him questions about previous experiences and qualifications. As he described each of his previous jobs and credentials, I tried to organize them into coherent sections. After editing what I’d written, he read over it and we began filling out job applications.

As an African-American college student from a poor family, I frequently have to help my family navigate tasks that students from upper-income backgrounds don’t need to explain to their families. But I’m not the only one.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/12/17/hes-going-home-for-christmas-but-most-people-at-his-prestigious-college-have-no-idea-what-hes-facing-there/?utm_term=.5a8e55fa4342&wpisrc=nl_most-draw7&wpmm=1

Real Live Cave Music: Marvel at the World's Largest Instrument

GOING IN STYLE - Official Trailer

All-New "DuckTales" Cast Sings Original Theme Song | Disney XD

Lost History

From the Undefeated -

This doctor’s prescription for the game changed tennis
Dr. Robert ‘Whirlwind’ Johnson helped shape the careers of tennis greats Arthur Ashe, Althea Gibson and others  
BY KELLEY D. EVANS

http://theundefeated.com/features/this-doctors-prescription-for-the-game-changed-tennis/

Christmas Lights Anyone?

From Thrillist -



https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/best-outdoor-christmas-light-displays-set-to-music

12 Best Alexa Skills You Must Have For Your Amazon Echo

'All I Want for Christmas' Carpool Karaoke

Farewell President Obama

From the Root - 

(Sorry.  Had trouble embedding the video.  If it doesn't work, click the link below).

http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2016/12/watch-our-favorite-celebrities-bid-farewell-to-president-barack-obama/

Catching the Moon read by Kevin Costner and Jillian Estell

http://www.storylineonline.net/catching-the-moon-the-story-of-a-young-girls-baseball-dream/

Worth the Read

From the Washington Post -

A student asked Ken Burns what to do in Trump’s America. He gave her this advice.
By Alyssa Rosenberg

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2016/12/15/a-student-asked-ken-burns-what-to-do-in-trumps-america-he-gave-her-this-advice/?utm_term=.6678338aea64&wpisrc=nl_most-draw7&wpmm=1

Pretty Smart Jewelry

As seen on AARP -

Smart Solution

An excerpt from Upworthy -

Sweden has a weird but awesome problem: They're running out of trash.
Garbage is a perennial problem, but Sweden's found a way to put their garbage to work.
By James Gaines

Sweden built 32 waste-to-energy plants that burn garbage, providing heat and electricity to surrounding towns. According to the Swedish government, the plants heat about 810,000 homes and provide electricity to 250,000 more. That must be nice, considering Sweden can get pretty chilly during the winter.

But at the same time, Sweden's also really good at keeping things out of the trash in the first place. They just straight-up recycle about half their stuff. There are special trucks that pick up used electronics, and even the stuff sent to the plants get sorted first.

http://www.upworthy.com/sweden-has-a-weird-but-awesome-problem-theyre-running-out-of-trash?c=upw1&u=6861cbea6edfdfe5a709ee39ad3c14b64135e61f

The War on Drugs = Failure

From Salon -

WATCH: Colombia’s president condemns war on drugs
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos receives Nobel Peace Prize and uses speech to condemn U.S.-led war on drugs 
By PETER COOPER AND CHARLIE MAY

http://www.salon.com/2016/12/15/watch-colombias-president-condemns-war-on-drugs/

Shonda's Masterclass

An excerpt from Entertainment Weekly -

Shonda Rhimes wants to teach you how to be a television writer — exclusive
The 'Scandal' creator discusses her upcoming MasterClass course
BY DEREK LAWRENCE

For $90, Rhimes will take students through more than five hours of lessons, teaching them how to craft a script, sell a pilot, and run a writers’ room. Ahead of the announcement, EW chatted with Rhimes about what to expect from her course, why this is such a great time to be a television writer, and whom she wants to take a MasterClass from.



http://www.ew.com/article/2016/12/15/shonda-rhimes-masterclass-course?iid=sr-link1

Keurig for Wine!

An excerpt from Reviewed -

There is now a Keurig for wine, and it's actually making 2016 great again
By Lee Neikirk

While the $1,200 price is—ironically—hard cheese to swallow, with flacons (the machine's version of Keurig K-cups) starting as low as $6, it might just pay for itself in a quality-of-glass to quantity-per-flacon ratio. But you'd better drink a lot of wine just to be sure.

Sadly the D-Vine is not available stateside yet, but it recently launched in Singapore, which is also a rough description of what everyone is doing there right now. But we shiraz heck hope it launches in the US soon. Dionysus, have mercy!

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And from the International CES (Consumer Electrics Show) this demo:

Bailando en Cuba (Dancing in Cuba)

From The Undefeated -

MISTY COPELAND EN POINTE
America’s most famous prima ballerina heads to Cuba to represent female athleticism. (Yes, athleticism.)
BY KELLEY L. CARTER

http://theundefeated.com/features/misty-copeland-in-cuba-en-pointe/

SHOWDOWN: Google Home VS Amazon Echo!

He Chose . . .

Rick Perry for Secretary of Energy.

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From the Daily Beast -

But in recent years, the trend has been to appoint a Secretary of Energy with real technical expertise. President Bush appointed Samuel Bodman, who had a distinguished career as an MIT-trained chemical engineer before making a fortune in the private sector. President Obama upped the ante, appointing Berkeley’s Steven Chu and MIT’s Ernest Moniz to the position. Both are physicists. Chu has a Nobel Prize. By contrast, Perry took four chemistry courses and got two Cs, a D and an F. He got a C in physics. And a D in something called “Meat.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/12/13/rick-perry-will-really-run-the-department-of-nukes-not-energy.html

Before you pull in to that burger joint . . .

Check this out.

http://flowingdata.com/2016/12/12/calories-in-fast-food-menu-items/