Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Yes Ladies!
From Oakland Magazine -
The Oakland Sisterhood
Women hold every top leadership job in the city’s bureaucracy. Plus, Libby Schaaf’s mayoral staff has six women in senior roles.
By Robert Gammon, Sarah Phelan, Matthew Artz, and Steven Tavares
Oakland has long been a liberal bastion, but it took 159 years for the city to swear in its first-ever female mayor. And now, just six years after that precedent-setting event, Oakland is making up for lost time. Not only did the city’s second female mayor take office in 2015, but women currently dominate nearly every corner of City Hall.
When Mayor Libby Schaaf swore in the city’s first-ever female police chief, Anne Kirkpatrick, on Feb. 27, women for the first time held all the major leadership roles in the city’s bureaucracy: the mayor, the city administrator, the city administrator’s three top deputies, the police chief, and the fire chief. Schaaf’s mayoral office staff also has six women in senior management jobs, plus 10 more women in supporting roles. And that’s not counting the four female city councilmembers and the city attorney.
Call it the Oakland Sisterhood.
http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/April-2017/The-Oakland-Sisterhood/
The Oakland Sisterhood
Women hold every top leadership job in the city’s bureaucracy. Plus, Libby Schaaf’s mayoral staff has six women in senior roles.
By Robert Gammon, Sarah Phelan, Matthew Artz, and Steven Tavares
Oakland has long been a liberal bastion, but it took 159 years for the city to swear in its first-ever female mayor. And now, just six years after that precedent-setting event, Oakland is making up for lost time. Not only did the city’s second female mayor take office in 2015, but women currently dominate nearly every corner of City Hall.
When Mayor Libby Schaaf swore in the city’s first-ever female police chief, Anne Kirkpatrick, on Feb. 27, women for the first time held all the major leadership roles in the city’s bureaucracy: the mayor, the city administrator, the city administrator’s three top deputies, the police chief, and the fire chief. Schaaf’s mayoral office staff also has six women in senior management jobs, plus 10 more women in supporting roles. And that’s not counting the four female city councilmembers and the city attorney.
Call it the Oakland Sisterhood.
http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/April-2017/The-Oakland-Sisterhood/
She's Fired Up
An excerpt from Salon -
Maxine Waters, Donald Trump and impeachment: One Democrat is ready — her party and the American people may follow
A California Democrat calls for impeachment, and the world says it's too early. That might change — and quickly
By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
The anti-Trump resistance is very much a grassroots effort, but there are leaders emerging. One of the most vocal is Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat who represents Los Angeles. Appearing at the Washington Tax Day march last Saturday, Waters put it bluntly: “I don’t respect this president,” she said. “I don’t trust this president. He’s not working in the best interests of the American people. I will fight every day until he is impeached!” Then she led the crowd in a chant of “Impeach 45!” It doesn’t get any more resistant than that.
Waters has always been a tough and forceful politician, unafraid to take a position and speak her mind. She first came to national attention after the violence following the acquittal of police officers in the beating of Rodney King when she went on TV and explained to America through gritted teeth that the African-American community in L.A. hadn’t just exploded out of nowhere. It was a message a lot of people didn’t want to hear, but she made sure they received it anyway. She has been a thorn in the side of conservatives ever since then, once inspiring Ann Coulter to venomously spew that without affirmative action Waters “wouldn’t have a job that didn’t involve wearing a paper hat.” Right-wingers often lose their composure when confronted with such a strong, unapologetic African-American woman who is unafraid of getting right up in their faces.
http://www.salon.com/2017/04/17/maxine-waters-donald-trump-and-impeachment-one-democrat-is-ready-her-party-and-the-american-people-may-follow/
Maxine Waters, Donald Trump and impeachment: One Democrat is ready — her party and the American people may follow
A California Democrat calls for impeachment, and the world says it's too early. That might change — and quickly
By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
The anti-Trump resistance is very much a grassroots effort, but there are leaders emerging. One of the most vocal is Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat who represents Los Angeles. Appearing at the Washington Tax Day march last Saturday, Waters put it bluntly: “I don’t respect this president,” she said. “I don’t trust this president. He’s not working in the best interests of the American people. I will fight every day until he is impeached!” Then she led the crowd in a chant of “Impeach 45!” It doesn’t get any more resistant than that.
Waters has always been a tough and forceful politician, unafraid to take a position and speak her mind. She first came to national attention after the violence following the acquittal of police officers in the beating of Rodney King when she went on TV and explained to America through gritted teeth that the African-American community in L.A. hadn’t just exploded out of nowhere. It was a message a lot of people didn’t want to hear, but she made sure they received it anyway. She has been a thorn in the side of conservatives ever since then, once inspiring Ann Coulter to venomously spew that without affirmative action Waters “wouldn’t have a job that didn’t involve wearing a paper hat.” Right-wingers often lose their composure when confronted with such a strong, unapologetic African-American woman who is unafraid of getting right up in their faces.
http://www.salon.com/2017/04/17/maxine-waters-donald-trump-and-impeachment-one-democrat-is-ready-her-party-and-the-american-people-may-follow/
Monday, April 17, 2017
He's a Heartless Idiot
From the Washington Post -
Charles Barkley ‘uncomfortable’ as Isaiah Thomas cries, playing one day after sister’s death
By Cindy Boren
Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas struggled with his emotions Sunday, tearing up before the team’s playoff game as he stared down at sneakers on which he had written “RIP Lil Sis,” “Chyna” and “I love you.”
He was playing about 37 hours after his 22-year-old sister had been killed in a car crash in Washington and, while most people were moved by his emotions, Charles Barkley was not. The TNT commentator and former NBA player felt “that’s just not a good look for him.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/04/17/charles-barkley-uncomfortable-as-isaiah-thomas-cries-playing-one-day-after-sisters-death/?utm_term=.a1b2f4297db9&wpisrc=nl_most-draw7&wpmm=1
Charles Barkley ‘uncomfortable’ as Isaiah Thomas cries, playing one day after sister’s death
By Cindy Boren
Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas struggled with his emotions Sunday, tearing up before the team’s playoff game as he stared down at sneakers on which he had written “RIP Lil Sis,” “Chyna” and “I love you.”
He was playing about 37 hours after his 22-year-old sister had been killed in a car crash in Washington and, while most people were moved by his emotions, Charles Barkley was not. The TNT commentator and former NBA player felt “that’s just not a good look for him.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/04/17/charles-barkley-uncomfortable-as-isaiah-thomas-cries-playing-one-day-after-sisters-death/?utm_term=.a1b2f4297db9&wpisrc=nl_most-draw7&wpmm=1
Hilariously Scary
From the New Yorker -
IVANKA’S NOTES FOR THE BABYSITTER
By Ellis Weiner
http://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/ivankas-notes-for-the-babysitter?intcid=mod-latest
IVANKA’S NOTES FOR THE BABYSITTER
By Ellis Weiner
http://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/ivankas-notes-for-the-babysitter?intcid=mod-latest
Great App
I just discovered Mr. Number, the call blocking and scam protection app. It immediately identifies scam calls and blocks them.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mr-number-call-block-reverse-lookup/id1047334922?mt=8
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mr-number-call-block-reverse-lookup/id1047334922?mt=8
Sunday, April 16, 2017
It Matters
An excerpt from the New York Times -
The Real Reason Black Kids Benefit From Black Teachers
By David Jackson
For black students, having even one black teacher can make a huge difference. That’s the conclusion of a new study, which found that that black boys who had a black teacher during their elementary school years were less likely to drop out of high school. It also linked the presence of black teachers to kids’ expectations of attending college.
I wasn’t surprised to hear this. I’m one of a small fraction of black teachers in my district. I know that, as much as many would like to think that good intentions and talent are the only important qualities for educators, students respond differently to teachers whom they can relate to.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/15/opinion/sunday/the-real-reason-black-kids-benefit-from-black-teachers.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region
The Real Reason Black Kids Benefit From Black Teachers
By David Jackson
For black students, having even one black teacher can make a huge difference. That’s the conclusion of a new study, which found that that black boys who had a black teacher during their elementary school years were less likely to drop out of high school. It also linked the presence of black teachers to kids’ expectations of attending college.
I wasn’t surprised to hear this. I’m one of a small fraction of black teachers in my district. I know that, as much as many would like to think that good intentions and talent are the only important qualities for educators, students respond differently to teachers whom they can relate to.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/15/opinion/sunday/the-real-reason-black-kids-benefit-from-black-teachers.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region
A Heathen's Guide
An excerpt from the Root -
A Heathen’s Guide to Black Church on Easter Sunday
By Lawrence Ware
Easter—or, as the “woke” Christians call it, Resurrection Sunday—is one of my favorite holidays. Not because of the deep, symbolic weight of the day, but because of the fashion.
Black folks are aesthetically creative on a regular day—yet, on Easter, everyone is a black dandy.
There will be pastel suits, white hats and reflective sunglasses, but my favorite part of Easter, without question, are the little kids in ill-fitting suits and pouffy dresses.
... But let’s be honest.
Some of y’all who will be in church Sunday ain’t been there in a solid year—and that’s me being generous.
http://www.theroot.com/a-heathen-s-guide-to-black-church-on-easter-sunday-1794340498
A Heathen’s Guide to Black Church on Easter Sunday
By Lawrence Ware
Easter—or, as the “woke” Christians call it, Resurrection Sunday—is one of my favorite holidays. Not because of the deep, symbolic weight of the day, but because of the fashion.
Black folks are aesthetically creative on a regular day—yet, on Easter, everyone is a black dandy.
There will be pastel suits, white hats and reflective sunglasses, but my favorite part of Easter, without question, are the little kids in ill-fitting suits and pouffy dresses.
... But let’s be honest.
Some of y’all who will be in church Sunday ain’t been there in a solid year—and that’s me being generous.
http://www.theroot.com/a-heathen-s-guide-to-black-church-on-easter-sunday-1794340498
A Twitter Feud
From Thrillist -
WENDY'S JUST BURNED HARDEE'S SO BAD IT GOT BLOCKED
By DUSTIN NELSON
https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/wendys-hardees-twitter-feud-blocked
WENDY'S JUST BURNED HARDEE'S SO BAD IT GOT BLOCKED
By DUSTIN NELSON
https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/wendys-hardees-twitter-feud-blocked
Muted Ball
An excerpt from Slate -
Still a White Man’s Sport
Seventy years after Jackie Robinson integrated Major League Baseball, the game has yet to embrace black culture.
By Lawrence Ware
Black culture is American culture, and the flamboyance of players in the Negro Leagues was a major part of why that great American institution was so beloved. Unfortunately, as black athletes integrated baseball, major-league players and fans did not embrace much of what made the Negro Leagues unique. Many teams, for instance, warmed up by miming baseball moves with great flamboyance, a practice known as playing “shadow ball.” Players in the Negro Leagues wowed the crowds with their convincing reactions to balls that were, in fact, not there. But when they made it to the majors, shadow ball ceased to exist.
As William Rhoden noted in the New York Times in 2014, Robinson didn’t leave the style of the Negro Leagues behind when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. His “speed and daring,” particularly his steals of home, were a trademark of black baseball. “At that time, [white] baseball was a base-to base thing,” Negro Leagues legend Buck O’Neil said in an interview for Ken Burns’ documentary Baseball. “But in our baseball … if you walked, you stole second … you actually scored runs without a hit.” Robinson’s aggression on the base paths infuriated his opponents, particularly the white ones. Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Russ Meyer, annoyed at watching Robinson dance off third base, yelled, “Go ahead you nigger, try to steal.” Robinson did try. He was safe at home.
http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2017/04/seventy_years_after_jackie_robinson_mlb_is_still_a_white_man_s_sport.html
Making Music on His Phone
From Wired -
The Hot New Hip-Hop Producer Who Does Everything on His iPhone
By David Pierce
https://www.wired.com/2017/04/steve-lacy-iphone-producer/?mbid=nl_41417_p2&CNDID=
The Hot New Hip-Hop Producer Who Does Everything on His iPhone
By David Pierce
https://www.wired.com/2017/04/steve-lacy-iphone-producer/?mbid=nl_41417_p2&CNDID=
"A Wave of Withdrawals"
An excerpt from the Washington Post -
Even Canadians are skipping trips to the U.S. after Trump travel ban
By Abha Bhattarai
The cancellations came quickly and in rapid succession. Within days of President Trump’s first executive order restricting travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, a number of European travel groups pulled their plans, amounting to a loss of 2,000 overnight stays for Hostelling International USA.
The ban would complicate travel for citizens of the countries cited — among them Iran, Syria and Libya. But Canadians and Europeans and others were dropping their plans, too. As group organizers put it, people suddenly had an unsettling sense that the United States wasn’t as welcoming a place as it once was.
The result was a wave of withdrawals. “Getting those cancellations all at once, that was startling,” said Russ Hedge, chief executive of HIU, which oversees 52 hostels across the country. “We’ve never seen something like that.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/after-trumps-travel-ban-tourism-outfits-say-that-brand-usa-has-taken-a-hit/2017/04/14/d0eebf4e-158e-11e7-833c-503e1f6394c9_story.html?utm_term=.6bbb9ca0a975
Even Canadians are skipping trips to the U.S. after Trump travel ban
By Abha Bhattarai
The cancellations came quickly and in rapid succession. Within days of President Trump’s first executive order restricting travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, a number of European travel groups pulled their plans, amounting to a loss of 2,000 overnight stays for Hostelling International USA.
The ban would complicate travel for citizens of the countries cited — among them Iran, Syria and Libya. But Canadians and Europeans and others were dropping their plans, too. As group organizers put it, people suddenly had an unsettling sense that the United States wasn’t as welcoming a place as it once was.
The result was a wave of withdrawals. “Getting those cancellations all at once, that was startling,” said Russ Hedge, chief executive of HIU, which oversees 52 hostels across the country. “We’ve never seen something like that.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/after-trumps-travel-ban-tourism-outfits-say-that-brand-usa-has-taken-a-hit/2017/04/14/d0eebf4e-158e-11e7-833c-503e1f6394c9_story.html?utm_term=.6bbb9ca0a975
Great Analogy
An excerpt from the Atlantic -
Why Airlines Can Get Away With Bad Customer Service
As much as other types of companies might want to ignore their lowest-margin patrons, most don’t have that luxury.
By KAVEH WADDELL
A security guard stops a customer as she tries to enter a well-stocked aisle in a large department store. “Sorry, ma’am,” the guard says. “This sale is for our silver, gold, and platinum shoppers only.” He points her toward the meager discount corner at the back of the store, where bronze-status shoppers are allowed. She passes attendants who smile only at the elite shoppers, offering them refreshments and guiding them toward the best deals. When she stops for gas on the way home, she gets in a long line for the basic pump, while the priority pump sits empty and unused. At the grocery store, she doesn’t have enough points to approach the organic produce.
This beleaguered consumer lives in an alternate reality where businesses can discriminate between their high-value and low-value clientele at will, enticing the biggest spenders to stay while marginalizing bargain hunters and coupon cutters. Most companies couldn’t get away with triaging their customers this way. But some already do: airlines.
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/why-airlines-can-get-away-with-bad-customer-service/523011/
Why Airlines Can Get Away With Bad Customer Service
As much as other types of companies might want to ignore their lowest-margin patrons, most don’t have that luxury.
By KAVEH WADDELL
A security guard stops a customer as she tries to enter a well-stocked aisle in a large department store. “Sorry, ma’am,” the guard says. “This sale is for our silver, gold, and platinum shoppers only.” He points her toward the meager discount corner at the back of the store, where bronze-status shoppers are allowed. She passes attendants who smile only at the elite shoppers, offering them refreshments and guiding them toward the best deals. When she stops for gas on the way home, she gets in a long line for the basic pump, while the priority pump sits empty and unused. At the grocery store, she doesn’t have enough points to approach the organic produce.
This beleaguered consumer lives in an alternate reality where businesses can discriminate between their high-value and low-value clientele at will, enticing the biggest spenders to stay while marginalizing bargain hunters and coupon cutters. Most companies couldn’t get away with triaging their customers this way. But some already do: airlines.
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/why-airlines-can-get-away-with-bad-customer-service/523011/
High Tech Pipeline
An excerpt from the Atlantic -
Getting High-School Grads Into the Closed-Off World of Tech
A Silicon Valley program is matching young, lower-income workers with employers eager to diversify their ranks
By ALANA SEMUELS
SAN JOSE—On a recent weekday, an unlikely crew of 18-to-24 year-olds gathered in a classroom in an office building, proving wrong a mantra often heard in economic development: Training programs aren’t effective at getting people good jobs.
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the students, mostly minorities from poor families, will tinker with computers, hone their e-mail skills,work on PowerPoint presentations, and even practice giving professional handshakes. And in a few months’ time, the 80 students will move on to coveted internships in Silicon Valley, all the more impressive since the students do not have college degrees.
This is Year Up, a training program that serves more than 3,000 students nationwide every year and that is effective in getting people without college degrees into good jobs. The model solves a growing problem in a tight economy: Across the country, hundreds of thousands of people are stuck in low-paying jobs with little room for upward mobility, while employers complain that they can’t find enough qualified workers for jobs that don’t require college degrees. Year Up takes students who might not otherwise know how to negotiate the working world and gives them the skills they need to make it in in-demand jobs. After six months of intense training in a classroom and counseling from mentors, it connects them with six-month internships in fields like business, technology, and finance. The students in the San Jose classroom will move on to internships doing IT support or as administrative support staff at companies like Google, Salesforce, Facebook, and Tesla. In many cases, those internships will lead to full-time employment. Year Up also pays students a stipend while they go through the program.
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/training-for-tech-jobs/522921/
Getting High-School Grads Into the Closed-Off World of Tech
A Silicon Valley program is matching young, lower-income workers with employers eager to diversify their ranks
By ALANA SEMUELS
SAN JOSE—On a recent weekday, an unlikely crew of 18-to-24 year-olds gathered in a classroom in an office building, proving wrong a mantra often heard in economic development: Training programs aren’t effective at getting people good jobs.
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the students, mostly minorities from poor families, will tinker with computers, hone their e-mail skills,work on PowerPoint presentations, and even practice giving professional handshakes. And in a few months’ time, the 80 students will move on to coveted internships in Silicon Valley, all the more impressive since the students do not have college degrees.
This is Year Up, a training program that serves more than 3,000 students nationwide every year and that is effective in getting people without college degrees into good jobs. The model solves a growing problem in a tight economy: Across the country, hundreds of thousands of people are stuck in low-paying jobs with little room for upward mobility, while employers complain that they can’t find enough qualified workers for jobs that don’t require college degrees. Year Up takes students who might not otherwise know how to negotiate the working world and gives them the skills they need to make it in in-demand jobs. After six months of intense training in a classroom and counseling from mentors, it connects them with six-month internships in fields like business, technology, and finance. The students in the San Jose classroom will move on to internships doing IT support or as administrative support staff at companies like Google, Salesforce, Facebook, and Tesla. In many cases, those internships will lead to full-time employment. Year Up also pays students a stipend while they go through the program.
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/training-for-tech-jobs/522921/
Saturday, April 15, 2017
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