No D's and F's. Is That a Good Thing?

From Newbreak - 

Large California school districts eliminate ‘D’ and ‘F’ grades

By Nexstar Media Wire, Nancy Loo 

LOS ANGELES ( NewsNation Now ) — Bad report cards could soon be a thing of the past in California as some of the state’s largest school districts are dropping “D” and “F” grades.

Sacramento City Unified, Los Angeles, Santa Ana, Oakland Unified and other California districts have decided to limit the use of “Ds” and phased out “Fs” in grading. High schoolers who fail a test or homework assignment can get a do-over or more time to complete the work.

Students who don’t ever finish the assignments or who fail the final exam would earn an “incomplete,” according to Bay City News .

The move is called competency-based learning. Advocates argue that assessment should be based on mastery of learning — what students have learned instead of how they test. Supporters also hope it will help kids re-engage after nearly two years of virtual learning during the pandemic.

https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2455761290958/large-california-school-districts-eliminate-d-and-f-grades?pd=04GSxOoR&lang=en_US&s=i0

The FBI is Recruiting at HBCUs

An excerpt from NPR - 

The FBI is trying to add diversity to its ranks by recruiting at HBCUs

By Ryan Lucas

The FBI has launched a new diversity initiative aimed at reaching out to historically Black colleges and universities to try to recruit more African Americans to be special agents.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Many things about the FBI are secret. This one is not. It has a diversity problem, particularly when it comes to its special agents. The bureau says it's trying to change that and has recently launched a new initiative reaching out to historically Black colleges and universities. NPR Justice Correspondent Ryan Lucas reports.

https://www.npr.org/2021/12/08/1062478183/the-fbi-is-trying-to-add-diversity-to-its-ranks-by-recruiting-at-hbcus

WHAT IS HIP? [ TOKYO GROOVE JYOSHI COVER ]

https://youtu.be/g46tXWxtsfY

Daddy mistakes his twin for another and the twins put him in line. cutes...

https://youtu.be/bIjSdEdKelE

When Mom Says She’s Almost Home. Part 2 #shorts

https://youtu.be/ZvcQSNdY_Ww

Funk No.1 - TOKYO GROOVE JYOSHI

https://youtu.be/3K8dNctci1Y

California's Capital City Welcomes Colour of Music Festival November 10-...

https://youtu.be/5hTTVStR9hk

When a 70s/80s Song Comes On

https://youtu.be/mUT9MXBbH6M

Colour of Music Festival All-Female Virtuosi

https://youtu.be/ohasWjnnq_8

Black Violin Foundation || Giving Tuesday 2021

https://youtu.be/oTJnvvGkb-E

We're Moving to Costa Rica

An excerpt from the Guardian - 

‘It feels like home’: why are Black Americans moving to Costa Rica? 

By Brianna Holt

Davia Shannon in Costa Rica. Photograph: Davia Shannon

The Caribbean coast of Central America’s safest and most stable country offers Black expats a life that is less stressful, more affordable, and free from the burdens of everyday racism

When she first set foot in Costa Rica, Davia Shannon knew instantly that she would eventually return permanently. She loved being able to do yoga with the jungle as her backdrop and surf whenever she pleased. Even more, she valued the sense of freedom she gained. Free of the fear, anxiety and pain driven by not feeling accepted in the US, Shannon had found her future home.

Upon arriving back in California after her 10-day visit, Shannon, now 46, developed a one-year exit plan which consisted of renting out her house, selling her car, rehoming her furniture and downsizing to 12 suitcases.

In March 2016, Davia Shannon packed up her belongings and left her lifelong home in Los Angeles to move 3,500 miles away with her twin daughters.

The adjustment wasn’t simple. Shannon, who comes from a large family, was hoping to recreate the same communal atmosphere in Puerto Viejo, with people who understood her struggles and came from a similar lifestyle, but admits that settling in was challenging. “I couldn’t find anybody that looked like me and when I did, I felt like I couldn’t really connect with them,” she says.

Even the Caribbean women proved difficult to get close to, and Shannon says they rarely showed her kindness. “I was even having a really difficult time getting information and doing the basic things, like figuring out where to pay my light bill,” she says. Most of the Caribbean people in the area speak English and Shannon is fluent in Spanish, so a cultural barrier played a greater role than language.

Learning from her struggles, Shannon decided to open a relocation business, Life-A-Holic Costa Rica, to assist other Black American expats moving to the country. Since launching in 2017, the business has assisted 176 Black and brown people with their desire to relocate to the south Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. The relocation company also offers membership into a support group, referred to as the Tribe. Shannon describes the group as a ready-made family that helps expats comfortably transition to life in Puerto Viejo. A directory, numerous resources and social events like Soul Food Sundays, karaoke nights, family dinners and birthday celebrations, are just a few offerings provided in the Tribe.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/09/black-americans-expats-costa-rica

HBCU Black Santas

An excerpt from Black Enterprise - 

BLACK SANTAS WITH A ‘CAUSE’: BLACK WOMAN SELLS HBCU-THEMED BLACK SANTA FIGURINES FOR THE HOLIDAYS

by Alexa Imani Spencer

(HBCU Black Santas by Debra L. Mars/Etsy, Restore The Hope)

After years of collecting Black Santas, this enthusiast has partnered with HBCUs to sell figurines themed after Black colleges and universities. 

The figurines—designed by Debra L. Mars—feature sweaters, flags, bags, and ornaments repping Howard University, Morehouse College, Grambling University and FAMU, Good Black News reported. 

The Inglewood, Calif. resident began stocking up on Black Santas more than 35 years ago.

~~~~~

For her, it’s an honor to represent HBCUs in this way. Though she didn’t attend one, while researching and finding out many great influential people, like Thurgood Marshall and Samuel L. Jackson attended, she was “so proud and a little remorseful that I did not attend a HBCU.”

“This dream was planted in me over 25 years ago to create this line. This has been a master class on perseverance. Having the opportunity to represent our sacred jewels: The HBCUs is an honor that I do not take lightly.”

Through her esty.com store, Restore The Hope, Mars also offers Black nutcrackers, Santa-themed bracelets and more holiday goodies.

https://www.blackenterprise.com/black-santas-with-a-cause-black-woman-owned-store-sells-hbcu-themed-black-santa-figurines/

 

The Halftime Game | Pepsi

https://youtu.be/26WpGvLpFzw

Bidets or Bust

An excerpt from the Washinton Post - 

Bidets are big, but do you really need one? Health experts weigh in.

Fans of the toilet attachment can’t imagine life without it, and doctors agree it’s good hygiene, but there are pros and cons to consider

By Angela Haupt

(stock)

Carrie Verrocchio has a theory: Once you go bidet, you never go back. She’s so smitten with the toilet attachment that sprays water to clean your bum that her family had one installed in each of their four bathrooms — and they’re shopping for a travel bidet, a water-bottle-sized contraption to use when they’re on the road.

Where to start on the appeal? “It’s feeling clean all the time,” says Verrocchio, 55, a motivational speaker who lives in Binghamton, N.Y. “You know how when you go to the bathroom, you have to wipe a zillion times with dry paper? You don’t do that with the bidet. It literally just rinses it off, puts it in the toilet and you pat dry. I wish we’d done it years ago.”

Nikki Webster, 47, a writer from the United Kingdom who now lives in Florida, similarly considers her bidets essential. “When you wipe, you’re basically wiping what can be reached,” she says. “When you spray, you get into every nook and cranny, which leaves you way cleaner.”

Indeed, health experts generally agree that bidets elevate the bathroom hygiene experience, at least when used properly. What’s less clear is whether they serve any medical purpose beyond that: While there’s some indication that they could, for example, be helpful for those with hemorrhoids or mobility issues, research isn’t conclusive, and there are concerns that bacteria could fester on the device; plus, users could be scalded if the water gets too hot.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/11/30/bidet-hygiene-pros-cons/

~~~~~~~~~~

This is Faye - 

An alternative to the bidet described in this article is the bidet sprayer that can be found on Amazon.  I was introduced to this when I lived in the Middle East and was thrilled when I could find it here.  I ordered it, installed it myself, and have been enjoying the freshness it provides with every visit to the toilet. 

You're welcome.  

Bidet Sprayer for Toilet, Handheld Cloth Diaper Sprayer, Bathroom Jet Sprayer Kit Spray Attachment with Hose, Stainless Steel Easy Install Great Water Pressure for Bathing Pets, Feminine Hygiene

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DR83GQB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Coach Prime's Advice: "You Better Call Snoop"

An excerpt from the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger -

Deion Sanders says Lincoln Riley 'better call Snoop' Dogg for recruiting help at USC

By Khari Thompson

AP USC SNOOP DOGG S FBC USA A ENT USA CA

Sanders said recruiting in California versus Oklahoma is a whole different ballgame as well. Sanders suggested that Riley call rapper Snoop Dogg to help him navigate the recruiting landscape. 

"California kids are a little different than these kids in other parts of the country, my man. I'm telling you what I know, not what I heard," Sanders said. "I'll tell you what, you better get some recruiters called Snoop Dogg and some other guys that's into the youth football that know dogs, and got dogs, and that's bringing dogs because it's a little different out there, my man."

Sanders also said he feels that recruiters don't get enough credit compared to head coaches for bringing in major recruits. 

"This is what the reality is," Sanders said. "You've got certain guys who are up for certain positions all the time. Ain't nothing wrong with that, because I think they deserve it. I think they're a heck of a coach, coaches. They're more than worthy, they're really smart, savvy, they coach their butts off.

"But guess who is doing all the recruiting? The brothers. Isn't 70-75%, might be 70% of college athletes African-American? Who do you think they are sending into those homes?"

https://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/college/jackson-state/2021/12/01/deion-sanders-jackson-state-football-coach-lincoln-riley-usc-snoop-dogg-21st-and-prime-podcast/8825726002/

Stanford engineers create perching bird-like robot

https://youtu.be/JEKttzocgwU

Proud Momma Moment

Please indulge me for a minute with this very proud momma moment.  My oldest son Ben, a civil engineer, is featured on this podcast, "The Big Switch: Heavy Duty Truck." He begins at 7:12.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/heavy-duty-trucks/id1571177675?i=1000543648091 

Soul on a Roll Food Truck

 

https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2374800816518/black-owned-soul-on-a-roll-food-truck-a-success-story-for-the-formerly-incarcerated?noAds=1&_f=app_share&s=i0

A Sweet Victory

An excerpt from People - 

Lawyer Recalls Winning His First Case in Same State Courts Where He Was Wrongfully Convicted

PEOPLE’s Voices from the Fight Against Racism will amplify perspectives on the push for equality and justice

By People Staff

When he was just 17 years old, Jarrett Adams' college plans — and his whole life — were blown apart when he was wrongly convicted of rape by an all-white jury and sentenced to 28 years in jail. In 2007, after nearly a decade in prison, Adams was exonerated. He went on to become a defense attorney, working with the Innocence Project, the same nonprofit that helped secure his freedom. Adams details his life before, during and after this nightmarish — and all too common — experience in his new memoir, Redeeming Justice. "I needed to hurt in order to give people this story, so we can prevent other people from being in pain," Adams says of the triggering writing process. Here, the founder of Life After Justice, a nonprofit that supports and empowers exonerees, remembers winning his first case in the same state courts that had sent him to prison years before, despite his innocence.

During my own trial, it was so painful to sit there and be accused of a crime — a heinous crime against a woman — after being raised by all women. My mother was in tatters. I kept asking her, "Mom, you know who you raised. Why are you so nervous? Why are you so afraid?" She looked at me and she said, "When I see you, I see Emmett Till. You don't know what it's like. You don't know that being innocent ain't a savior when you Black."

When I appeared before the same state court 10 years after my release, I was working as a defense attorney with the Innocence Project. My client was also wrongfully convicted. During the hearing, I often relived certain moments in my own case, how vulnerable we were, how much we didn't know. It felt amazing to not only know the law, but to be able to calm my client and his family's anxiety by simply saying, "I understand." Because I do.

https://people.com/human-interest/lawyer-jarrett-adams-recalls-winning-his-first-case-voices-against-racism/

She Caters to the Divine 9

An excerpt from Black Enterprise - 

Black Woman Entrepreneur Launches Shoe Company That Caters to Sororities and Fraternities In The Divine 9

b.c.e Shoes (Blacknews.com)

Meet Kam Ballard, founder of b.c.e Shoes, an online company that customizes shoes for the sororities and fraternities in the Divine 9.

Ballard says that she started the company to offset college costs for her children.

“I started this company as a way to pay for my children’s college education. I wanted to break the cycle of graduating from college with a mountain of student loan debt. It has evolved into something bigger than I ever could have imagined,” Ballard said.

She is a member of and a certified vendor for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and is also an approved vendor for the following organizations within the Divine 9: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.

b.c.e.’s products include a variety of shoes that can be worn in the board room or the ballroom. She has recently added an athletic shoe line.

Ballard’s goal is to provide stylish, comfortable, and affordable shoes. “I want to make shoes that cater to the seasoned professional, but also, keep them affordable where a Neo on the college campus is able to obtain them without breaking the bank.”

https://www.blackenterprise.com/black-woman-entrepreneur-launches-shoe-company-that-caters-to-sororities-and-fraternities-in-the-divine-9/amp/