From the Undefeated -
Emmett Ashford, first black umpire in the majors, makes his debut
‘He overwhelmed people with his endurance and his charm’
BY RHIANNON WALKER
Was it a bird? Maybe a plane? No, with catlike quickness and a knack for theatrics, it was none other than Emmett Ashford running down the third-base line.
The third-base umpire could turn his hips to chase down a ball with better precision than a cornerback. He had eyes like a hawk to make the calls and the ability to entertain everyone in the stadium.
Almost 20 years after Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, Ashford did the same when he became the first black umpire in the majors.
https://theundefeated.com/features/emmett-ashford-first-black-umpire-in-the-majors-makes-his-debut/
Thursday, April 13, 2017
Sorry
An excerpt from the New York Times -
Why ‘Sorry’ Is Still the Hardest Word
By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM
The fine art of repentance is a skill taught in business schools and promoted by high-priced consultants. But all kinds of offenders in public life still seem to struggle with the execution. Corporations like BP and Wells Fargo have faced criticism for dawdling responses to cascading crises, while politicians from Bill Clinton to Anthony Weiner have had difficulty admitting to peccadilloes.
The key to contrition, according to public-relations experts, is projecting sincerity, humanity, and a plain-spoken demeanor — the better to convince a cynical public. And in this age of whipsawing social media, you had better do it fast.
“The head of United should never have been allowed to take three swings at correcting and apologizing for an incident that was on more social media than Kim and Kanye’s wedding,” said Mortimer Matz, a New York consultant who has guided decades’ worth of clients through crises small and large.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/12/business/media/apology-sean-spicer-holocaust-oscar-munoz-united.html?emc=edit_nn_20170413&nl=morning-briefing&nlid=38867499&te=1
Why ‘Sorry’ Is Still the Hardest Word
By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM
The fine art of repentance is a skill taught in business schools and promoted by high-priced consultants. But all kinds of offenders in public life still seem to struggle with the execution. Corporations like BP and Wells Fargo have faced criticism for dawdling responses to cascading crises, while politicians from Bill Clinton to Anthony Weiner have had difficulty admitting to peccadilloes.
The key to contrition, according to public-relations experts, is projecting sincerity, humanity, and a plain-spoken demeanor — the better to convince a cynical public. And in this age of whipsawing social media, you had better do it fast.
“The head of United should never have been allowed to take three swings at correcting and apologizing for an incident that was on more social media than Kim and Kanye’s wedding,” said Mortimer Matz, a New York consultant who has guided decades’ worth of clients through crises small and large.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/12/business/media/apology-sean-spicer-holocaust-oscar-munoz-united.html?emc=edit_nn_20170413&nl=morning-briefing&nlid=38867499&te=1
Targeted Giving for Girls of Color
From the AP -
Buffett foundation unveils $90M plan to help girls of color
By DEEPTI HAJELA
In the 15-year existence of her girls' empowerment organization, Joanne Smith has dealt with funders and donors but never quite like this: a foundation putting $90 million toward helping girls of color by letting them determine their needs instead of being told what the funds have to be used for.
The NoVo Foundation, founded in 2006 by Jennifer and Peter Buffett, the youngest son and daughter-in-law of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, officially announced on Thursday how its $90 million commitment over seven years will be carried out.
http://bigstory.ap.org/23dfb87a8ece47ce81ba3e1445606615
Buffett foundation unveils $90M plan to help girls of color
By DEEPTI HAJELA
In the 15-year existence of her girls' empowerment organization, Joanne Smith has dealt with funders and donors but never quite like this: a foundation putting $90 million toward helping girls of color by letting them determine their needs instead of being told what the funds have to be used for.
The NoVo Foundation, founded in 2006 by Jennifer and Peter Buffett, the youngest son and daughter-in-law of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, officially announced on Thursday how its $90 million commitment over seven years will be carried out.
http://bigstory.ap.org/23dfb87a8ece47ce81ba3e1445606615
Teachers Cashing In
Excerpts from the AP -
Million-dollar teachers: Cashing in by selling their lessons
By CAROLYN THOMPSON
Miss Kindergarten is in the million-dollar club. So are Lovin Lit, the Moffatt Girls and about a dozen other teacher-entrepreneurs who are spinning reading, math, science and social studies into gold by selling their lesson plans online to fellow teachers around the world.
Despite worries from some educators, such online marketplaces are booming, driven by rising standards and the willingness of teachers to pay out of their own pockets for classroom-tested materials.
~~~~~~~~~~
Teachers Pay Teachers contends that it hit a milestone last year, when its 80,000 contributors earned more than $100 million, and that at least a dozen have become millionaires since the site launched a decade ago. Other major sites including Teachwise and Teacher's Notebook, and recently such corporate players as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Amazon, have launched sites of their own.
https://apnews.com/3c2537fcbb2b470c8e652bf5481e4dc1
Million-dollar teachers: Cashing in by selling their lessons
By CAROLYN THOMPSON
Miss Kindergarten is in the million-dollar club. So are Lovin Lit, the Moffatt Girls and about a dozen other teacher-entrepreneurs who are spinning reading, math, science and social studies into gold by selling their lesson plans online to fellow teachers around the world.
Despite worries from some educators, such online marketplaces are booming, driven by rising standards and the willingness of teachers to pay out of their own pockets for classroom-tested materials.
~~~~~~~~~~
Teachers Pay Teachers contends that it hit a milestone last year, when its 80,000 contributors earned more than $100 million, and that at least a dozen have become millionaires since the site launched a decade ago. Other major sites including Teachwise and Teacher's Notebook, and recently such corporate players as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Amazon, have launched sites of their own.
https://apnews.com/3c2537fcbb2b470c8e652bf5481e4dc1
Women Rocking in the OR
From CNN -
Why female surgeons are posing like this New Yorker cover
By Christina Zdanowicz
(CNN)Malika Favre has designed several covers for the New Yorker. But she's never seen any take off like her latest one.
It shows four women in blue doctors' scrubs over an operating table. And it has struck a chord.
Female surgeons around the world are now posting photos of themselves online, recreating the pose.
"It shows the power of an image and how you can touch a lot of people," Favre told CNN.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/12/health/female-surgeons-new-yorker-cover-trnd/index.html
Why female surgeons are posing like this New Yorker cover
By Christina Zdanowicz
 |
| Who runs the world? Female surgeons do. |
(CNN)Malika Favre has designed several covers for the New Yorker. But she's never seen any take off like her latest one.
It shows four women in blue doctors' scrubs over an operating table. And it has struck a chord.
Female surgeons around the world are now posting photos of themselves online, recreating the pose.
"It shows the power of an image and how you can touch a lot of people," Favre told CNN.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/12/health/female-surgeons-new-yorker-cover-trnd/index.html
Wasted Talent
From CNN -
Investigation found Ohio inmates built and hid computers in prison
By Gisela Crespo
(CNN)Lax security allowed inmates at an Ohio prison to build two computers and connect them to the state's Department of Rehabilitation and Correction's network, investigators found.
The computers were found hidden in the ceiling of the prison in Marion County in 2015, prompting an investigation by Ohio's Inspector General.
The computers contained applications for credit cards using another inmate's information, pornography, research on tax refund fraud, recipes for homemade drugs and message exchanges.
The Marion Correctional Institution inmates were also able to issue passes to gain access to multiple areas within the prison.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/12/us/ohio-jail-computers-trnd/index.html
Investigation found Ohio inmates built and hid computers in prison
By Gisela Crespo
(CNN)Lax security allowed inmates at an Ohio prison to build two computers and connect them to the state's Department of Rehabilitation and Correction's network, investigators found.
The computers were found hidden in the ceiling of the prison in Marion County in 2015, prompting an investigation by Ohio's Inspector General.
The computers contained applications for credit cards using another inmate's information, pornography, research on tax refund fraud, recipes for homemade drugs and message exchanges.
The Marion Correctional Institution inmates were also able to issue passes to gain access to multiple areas within the prison.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/12/us/ohio-jail-computers-trnd/index.html
Winning Strategies
From the Street -
Amazon's Jeff Bezos New Letter to Shareholders Reveals 4 Big Secrets to Being Successful in Business
By Brian Sozzi
With Amazon's (AMZN) stock up a mind-boggling 47 percent over the past year, founder Jeff Bezos has every reason to share some wisdom on how he is making all the magic happen.
Here are several key business tips Bezos outlined in his latest annual shareholder letter released on Wednesday. Taken together, they offer good insight into how to get ahead in the cutthroat world of business (something in which Amazon's bricks-and-mortar rivals should take to heart).
https://www.thestreet.com/story/14083292/1/amazon-s-jeff-bezos-new-annual-letter-reveals-several-big-secrets-to-being-successful-in-business.html
Amazon's Jeff Bezos New Letter to Shareholders Reveals 4 Big Secrets to Being Successful in Business
By Brian Sozzi
With Amazon's (AMZN) stock up a mind-boggling 47 percent over the past year, founder Jeff Bezos has every reason to share some wisdom on how he is making all the magic happen.
Here are several key business tips Bezos outlined in his latest annual shareholder letter released on Wednesday. Taken together, they offer good insight into how to get ahead in the cutthroat world of business (something in which Amazon's bricks-and-mortar rivals should take to heart).
https://www.thestreet.com/story/14083292/1/amazon-s-jeff-bezos-new-annual-letter-reveals-several-big-secrets-to-being-successful-in-business.html
Scared of a Little Girl
An excerpt from the New York Times -
Wounded by ‘Fearless Girl,’ Creator of ‘Charging Bull’ Wants Her to Move
By JAMES BARRONAPRIL 12, 2017
“Charging Bull” had a message for “Fearless Girl” on Wednesday, and it was more “Get out of my space” than “Here’s looking at you, kid.”
The message actually came from Arturo Di Modica, the sculptor who created “Charging Bull” nearly 30 years ago. He also copyrighted and trademarked the three-and-a-half-ton sculpture that stands near Wall Street. Since March 7, “Charging Bull” has faced off against “Fearless Girl,” a statue of a girl posed with her fists on her hips that was commissioned by State Street Global Advisors, a financial firm based in Boston.
Mr. Di Modica said that “Fearless Girl” was an insult to his work, which he created after the stock market crashes in the late 1980s. “She’s there attacking the bull,” he said.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/12/nyregion/charging-bull-sculpture-wall-street-fearless-girl.html?_r=0
Wounded by ‘Fearless Girl,’ Creator of ‘Charging Bull’ Wants Her to Move
By JAMES BARRONAPRIL 12, 2017
 | |
| Arturo Di Modica, the sculptor who created “Charging Bull” nearly 30 years ago, says “Fearless Girl” miscasts the meaning of his statue and violates his copyright. Credit Mark Lennihan/Associated Press |
“Charging Bull” had a message for “Fearless Girl” on Wednesday, and it was more “Get out of my space” than “Here’s looking at you, kid.”
The message actually came from Arturo Di Modica, the sculptor who created “Charging Bull” nearly 30 years ago. He also copyrighted and trademarked the three-and-a-half-ton sculpture that stands near Wall Street. Since March 7, “Charging Bull” has faced off against “Fearless Girl,” a statue of a girl posed with her fists on her hips that was commissioned by State Street Global Advisors, a financial firm based in Boston.
Mr. Di Modica said that “Fearless Girl” was an insult to his work, which he created after the stock market crashes in the late 1980s. “She’s there attacking the bull,” he said.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/12/nyregion/charging-bull-sculpture-wall-street-fearless-girl.html?_r=0
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Filed Under "Karma is a B*tch"
An excerpt from the New York Times -
Congressman Who Shouted ‘You Lie’ at Obama Hears the Same From Constituents
By JONAH ENGEL BROMWICH
Representative Joe Wilson, the South Carolina Republican who gained a measure of infamy after shouting “you lie” at President Barack Obama during a joint session of Congress in 2009, had that memorable catchphrase hurled back at him by a group of his constituents at a town hall event on Monday.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/11/us/politics/joe-wilson-you-lie-obama-town-hall.html?_r=0
Congressman Who Shouted ‘You Lie’ at Obama Hears the Same From Constituents
By JONAH ENGEL BROMWICH
Representative Joe Wilson, the South Carolina Republican who gained a measure of infamy after shouting “you lie” at President Barack Obama during a joint session of Congress in 2009, had that memorable catchphrase hurled back at him by a group of his constituents at a town hall event on Monday.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/11/us/politics/joe-wilson-you-lie-obama-town-hall.html?_r=0
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Monday, April 10, 2017
A guerilla gardener in South Central LA | Ron Finley
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/06/dining/gangsta-garden-ron-finley-eviction-los-angeles.html?emc=edit_ca_20170410&nl=california-today&nlid=38867499&te=1
Honoring the OGs
An excerpt from the LA Times -
A young man in Oakland has captured the wisdom of his elders on a blog and in a book
"OG Told Me"
By Robin Abcarian
I am not sure how I first learned about Pendarvis Harshaw, but I was taken by the idea that this young man from Oakland had spent years asking older black men — many of them strangers he encountered as he biked — whether they had any wisdom to impart to kids like him.
Their answers, and photographs, appear on Harshaw’s blog, OG Told Me. “OG” is a term of respect that has transcended its literal meaning, “original gangster.” Nowadays, as one of Harshaw’s interview subjects points out, it really just means “old guard.”
Harshaw’s OGs are mostly regular guys. Some are athletes, street preachers or former Black Panthers. Others are educators, activists or drunks. Some give only a first name, others only a last. Some give pseudonyms.
Harshaw, a product of UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism by way of Howard University, chats them up about their lives, and his last question never varies: “Given your life experience, if you had a chance to talk to young people, what advice would you give them?”
http://www.latimes.com/local/abcarian/la-me-abcarian-og-harshaw-20170409-story.html
A young man in Oakland has captured the wisdom of his elders on a blog and in a book
"OG Told Me"
By Robin Abcarian
I am not sure how I first learned about Pendarvis Harshaw, but I was taken by the idea that this young man from Oakland had spent years asking older black men — many of them strangers he encountered as he biked — whether they had any wisdom to impart to kids like him.
Their answers, and photographs, appear on Harshaw’s blog, OG Told Me. “OG” is a term of respect that has transcended its literal meaning, “original gangster.” Nowadays, as one of Harshaw’s interview subjects points out, it really just means “old guard.”
Harshaw’s OGs are mostly regular guys. Some are athletes, street preachers or former Black Panthers. Others are educators, activists or drunks. Some give only a first name, others only a last. Some give pseudonyms.
Harshaw, a product of UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism by way of Howard University, chats them up about their lives, and his last question never varies: “Given your life experience, if you had a chance to talk to young people, what advice would you give them?”
http://www.latimes.com/local/abcarian/la-me-abcarian-og-harshaw-20170409-story.html
The LA Times Takes a Stand
Check out this series.
Sunday, April 9, 2017
Coding For Toddlers
From the NewYork Times -
A Toy for Toddlers Doubles as Code Bootcamp
By ZACH WICHTER
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/business/smallbusiness/stem-education-technology-engineering-coding-toys.html?contentCollection=weekendreads&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=c-column-middle-span-region®ion=c-column-middle-span-region&WT.nav=c-column-middle-span-region
A Toy for Toddlers Doubles as Code Bootcamp
By ZACH WICHTER
 | |
| Cubetto, a wooden robot developed by Primo Toys, wheels around under its own power, along a course charted by the human behind the machine. It teaches children as young as 3 the basics of computer programming. Credit Andrew Testa for The New York Times |
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