An excerpt from OZY -
LIFE AFTER FOOTBALL — THE SURPRISING NEW SECOND CAREERS OF FORMER PLAYERS
By Felipe Patterson
When Arian Foster was introduced to Neil deGrasse Tyson, he said meeting the famed astrophysicist was “surreal.” Typically, it’s sports celebrities who generate the excitement, but the star-gazing moment of the former Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins running back makes sense once you learn Foster is hoping to pursue a degree in physics — just one example in a trend of Black NFL players leaving the football field for careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
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Some players are turning pro with a college degree in a STEM-related subject already in their pocket. Stanford University recently awarded degrees to Carolina Panthers offensive guard David Yankey (information science and technology in society), San Francisco 49ers guard Joshua Garnett (human biology) and Detroit Lions cornerback Alex Carter (sociology). Add to that list Washington Redskins wide receiver Jamison Crowder (sociology, Duke) and Lions offensive guard Laken Tomlinson (evolutionary anthropology and psychology, Duke), and it’s clear that opportunities are wide open for these individuals, and those in similar positions, in the burgeoning STEM marketplace. Still others are working toward STEM-related degrees while playing in the league. John Urschel, offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens, is pursuing his Ph.D. in mathematics at MIT (he already has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Penn State).
http://www.ozy.com/the-huddle/life-after-football-the-surprising-new-second-careers-of-former-players/77026
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Monday, May 1, 2017
Colbert Guts Trump
Check out the Twitter video. It's spot on.
Stephen Colbert Guts Donald Trump Over Q&A Insults To CBS News’ John Dickerson
By Lisa de Moraes
A Significant Impact
An excerpt from the Undefeated -
Study proves black teachers have a significant impact on black students
Black students with at least one black teacher are more inclined to continue education
BY MAYA A. JONES
The relationship between black students and black teachers is saving academic careers, and a new study is out to prove it.
The study, The Long Run Impacts of Same-Race Teachers, conducted by the IZA Institute of Labor Economics, found that low-income black students who have had at least one black teacher during their early academic career have higher chances of graduating from high school and attending college.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Black students matched to black teachers have been shown to have higher test scores, but we wanted to know if these student-teacher racial matches had longer-lasting benefits,” said Nicholas Papageorge, the study’s co-author and an assistant professor in the department of economics at Johns Hopkins. “We found the answer is a resounding yes. We’re seeing spending just one year with a teacher of the same race can move the dial on one of the most frustratingly persistent gaps in educational attainment — that of low-income black boys. It not only moves the dial, it moves the dial in a powerful way.”
https://theundefeated.com/features/study-black-teachers-have-significant-impact-on-black-students/
When a Techie Goes Really Rogue
An excerpt from Vanity Fair -
SILICON VALLEY MURDER MYSTERY: HOW DRUGS AND PARANOIA DOOMED SILK ROAD
Silk Road once reigned as the Internet’s premier destination for drug deals and even more illicit fare. But as the Web site became a billion-dollar enterprise, its creator, Ross Ulbricht, went from idealistic to dangerous. An adaptation from Nick Bilton’s new book shows how the empire collapsed.
By Nick Bilton
Ross Ulbricht had imagined that it might all come down to this one day. That at some point during the prodigious rise of his hot tech start-up he would be obliged to make a terrifyingly ruthless decision. Now, in early 2013, the time had arrived. The question was rather simple: Was he ready to kill someone to protect his billion-dollar company?
The technology business has long purported to change the world and make it a better place. But, in reality, there is a decidedly more cynical underside to all this euphoria. In Silicon Valley, after all, many founders will often do whatever is necessary to protect their creations—whether that means paying a hefty legal settlement to hush the people who helped hatch the idea for their company in the first place (Facebook, Square, Snapchat), callously vanquishing a co-founder (Twitter, Foursquare, Tinder), or remorselessly breaking laws and putting thousands of people out of work (Uber, Airbnb, among hundreds of others). But, for Ulbricht, the price was steeper. In order to save his beloved start-up, the Silk Road, an Amazon-like “everything store” for the Dark Web, he needed to “call on my muscle,” as he put it to one associate. He needed to have a guy whacked.
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/04/silk-road-ross-ulbricht-drugs-murder
SILICON VALLEY MURDER MYSTERY: HOW DRUGS AND PARANOIA DOOMED SILK ROAD
Silk Road once reigned as the Internet’s premier destination for drug deals and even more illicit fare. But as the Web site became a billion-dollar enterprise, its creator, Ross Ulbricht, went from idealistic to dangerous. An adaptation from Nick Bilton’s new book shows how the empire collapsed.
By Nick Bilton
Ross Ulbricht had imagined that it might all come down to this one day. That at some point during the prodigious rise of his hot tech start-up he would be obliged to make a terrifyingly ruthless decision. Now, in early 2013, the time had arrived. The question was rather simple: Was he ready to kill someone to protect his billion-dollar company?
The technology business has long purported to change the world and make it a better place. But, in reality, there is a decidedly more cynical underside to all this euphoria. In Silicon Valley, after all, many founders will often do whatever is necessary to protect their creations—whether that means paying a hefty legal settlement to hush the people who helped hatch the idea for their company in the first place (Facebook, Square, Snapchat), callously vanquishing a co-founder (Twitter, Foursquare, Tinder), or remorselessly breaking laws and putting thousands of people out of work (Uber, Airbnb, among hundreds of others). But, for Ulbricht, the price was steeper. In order to save his beloved start-up, the Silk Road, an Amazon-like “everything store” for the Dark Web, he needed to “call on my muscle,” as he put it to one associate. He needed to have a guy whacked.
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/04/silk-road-ross-ulbricht-drugs-murder
Tipping While Black
An excerpt from Salon -
Yes, black people do tip — even when we shouldn’t have to
If you're dining out while black, you can't leave less than 20 percent, no matter how terrible the service is
By D. WATKINS
My larger point was that “black people don’t tip” is a pervasive stereotype that floats around restaurants and we often automatically get bad service because of it. So I had to tip this guy even though I hated the service and the food. If I didn’t, I would be perpetuating the stereotype.
http://www.salon.com/2017/04/30/yes-black-people-do-tip-even-when-we-shouldnt-have-to/
Yes, black people do tip — even when we shouldn’t have to
If you're dining out while black, you can't leave less than 20 percent, no matter how terrible the service is
By D. WATKINS
My larger point was that “black people don’t tip” is a pervasive stereotype that floats around restaurants and we often automatically get bad service because of it. So I had to tip this guy even though I hated the service and the food. If I didn’t, I would be perpetuating the stereotype.
http://www.salon.com/2017/04/30/yes-black-people-do-tip-even-when-we-shouldnt-have-to/
Book Review
A few days ago I posted a quote from the book, Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life and Maybe the World.
It is one of the best, most encouraging, most inspiring books I've read in a long time.
The author is a lifelong Navy Seal, and the book is an expanded version of a commencement address he gave a few years ago.
It's a real quick read, with ten short chapters, but it packs a punch, from start to finish.
It will put a smile on your face and a tear in your eye, but most importantly, it will leave you with the notion that you matter, and that what you do has a profound impact on the world around you.
I wholeheartedly recommend it.
It is one of the best, most encouraging, most inspiring books I've read in a long time.
The author is a lifelong Navy Seal, and the book is an expanded version of a commencement address he gave a few years ago.
It's a real quick read, with ten short chapters, but it packs a punch, from start to finish.
It will put a smile on your face and a tear in your eye, but most importantly, it will leave you with the notion that you matter, and that what you do has a profound impact on the world around you.
I wholeheartedly recommend it.
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Quote
If you want to change the world . . .
start off by making your bed.
From the book Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life and Maybe Your World, by William H. McRaven
start off by making your bed.
From the book Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life and Maybe Your World, by William H. McRaven
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