California's Cup Runneth Over With Billionaires

An excerpt from the NY Times - 

Why So Many Billionaires Live in California

Blame Silicon Valley.

By Soumya Karlamangla

From left, the Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, and the Google cofounders
Larry Page and Sergey Brin.Credit...From left: Eric Thayer for
The New York Times, Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times,
Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images

Of the 100 wealthiest people in America, 26 live in California.

That’s more than any other state, and not simply a byproduct of California’s large population. If the country’s 100 top billionaires were evenly distributed, we would expect just 12 of them to reside here.

Yes, this is largely because of Silicon Valley. But it’s also a reflection of the fact that California has the fifth-largest economy in the world, said Richard Walker, an emeritus professor at U.C. Berkeley who studies economic geography.

“California has been the main engine for American growth for the last 50 years,” Walker told me. “This is not sufficiently acknowledged — how immense the California economy is.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/08/us/billionaires-california.html

A Lifelong Lesson Learned at 11 Years Old

An excerpt from the Washington Post Magazine - 

A story about some words I can’t say

By Damon Young

(Monique Wray for The Washington Post)

The first thing I learned about my new White classmates at St. Bartholomew Catholic School was less a “new thing learned” and more a rejection of an old thing thought.

Months earlier (this was in the early ’90s), my parents decided to pull me out of Pittsburgh public schools and enroll me there to start sixth grade. If you’d asked Dad why they made that decision, he’d probably talk about “pre-AP courses” or “the benefits of didactic parochial instruction” — exactly what Black parents who ship their kids to predominantly White suburban schools are supposed to say. But if you knew my dad, and you asked that same question, he might tell you the truth: I was a talented basketball player, and their ball program was the best in western Pennsylvania. Getting me there was one step toward his (later successful) master plan of getting me a full ride to college.

Anyway, I assumed the White boys there would be soft. And it’s not like I was hard. But I was hood. And I thought that meant I was inherently tougher than anyone not from a place like where I was from. Especially suburban Catholic White boys. But my new classmates and teammates were the sons of plumbers and deli owners, school nurses and construction workers. They ripped and roasted and fought just as quickly — and just as well — as anyone from my neighborhood did. Months later, when we outfought the rest of the diocese to cap an undefeated hoop season, I never felt so good to be so wrong.

The second thing I learned about my new White classmates happened my third day there. It was recess, which meant each of the 50 sixth-graders finished whichever combination of carbs and veggies were served at lunch that day and then rushed to the rectory-adjacent parking lot for our 16 minutes of freedom before the fifth period bell rang. Most of the boys took part in a football-like substance where the football was a Koosh ball and we played “stop-grab” instead of two-hand touch.

You can't stop here.  Click the link to get to the point he's making. - Faye

https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/03/07/damon-young-story-about-some-words-i-cant-say/?itid=sf_lifestyle-magazine

Buster Keaton - The Art of the Gag

https://youtu.be/UWEjxkkB8Xs

Chris rock explain why no one got beef with Eminem

https://youtu.be/7to2FMP7-Dg

This is NUTS!

From the Washington Post - 

An assistant principal read the children’s book ‘I Need a New Butt!’ to second-graders. He was fired.

By Jaclyn Peiser

Toby Price with his wife, Leah. (Toby Price)

When a guest who was scheduled to read to second-graders over Zoom this month didn’t show up, Toby Price, the assistant principal at a Mississippi elementary school, improvised.

Price’s boss at Gary Road Elementary School suggested Price read to the students, so he reached for one of his favorite children’s books: “I Need a New Butt!” written by Dawn McMillan and illustrated by Ross Kinnaird.

“It’s a funny, silly book,” Price, 46, said in an interview with The Washington Post. “I’m a firm believer that … if kids see that books can be funny and silly, they’ll hang around long enough to see all the other cool things that books can be.”

The students “thought it was hilarious,” Price recalled. But the superintendent for the Hinds County School District near Jackson, Miss., did not, and about an hour after the event, Price was placed on administrative leave. Two days later, on March 4, he was fired.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/03/11/toby-price-principal-fired-childrens-book/ 

Ukraine & Racism

An excerpt from PUCK - 

Ukraine, Racism, and the Wars We Ignore

War shatters lives, but also reveals what binds us together. I’m clinging to a hope that this war will bring out the best in us, both in Ukraine and beyond.

Photo by Murat Saka via Getty

I’ve been feeling more tired than usual these past two weeks. It took me a few days to identify the reason. Maybe it was the rapid unmasking of my fellow Americans? Or was it the fact that I took two cross-country flights in five days? No, it turns out the real reason for my fatigue was that I hadn’t scheduled a war in my calendar. Yet war has been occupying my mind, my heart, and my screens. Watching Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine has drained, enraged, and inspired me all at once. 

I don’t generally operate on a daily basis with Ukraine or Russia on my mind. That changed within two days of the invasion after a friend from Eastern Europe, currently living close to me in Southern California, asked his American wife whether his family could move in with them, if it came to that. Without warning, I found myself near tears. This couple had previously been plotting the reverse migration: spending more time in Europe, that civilized place where universal healthcare is the norm and school and childcare costs don’t bankrupt families. But suddenly America looked safer and more stable, even with our wealth inequality and no-longer-notable school shootings. Being in Putin’s line of fire was a clearer and more present danger.

Then, after the unanticipated and deep sadness, came an even less familiar feeling: violent rage. I had a sudden urge to go to Ukraine and fight Russians. 

https://puck.news/ukraine-racism-and-the-wars-we-ignore/

You'll need to sign up to unlock 1 free article.  This is so worth the trouble. - Faye

GPS exists because of Gladys West

https://youtu.be/IpFdcABOG5c

https://eurweb.com/2022/02/21/gps-inventor-is-gladys-mae-west/

Hidden Figure Gladys West

https://youtu.be/Dg4_mqHXtfw

Tiffany CrossTorches Michelle Tafoya

From Mediaite - 

https://www.mediaite.com/tv/msnbcs-tiffany-cross-torches-michele-tafoyas-hot-trash-take-on-race-obviously-becky-skin-color-matters/ 

Incredibly Wise Irish Proverbs and Sayings. Everyone needs to hear them!...

https://youtu.be/4JwTGY50tnU

Peanuts in a Coke

An excerpt from Hunker - 

Why Do People Put Peanuts in Coke?

By ANNA GRAGERT 

         Image Credit: @djunaskye/Instagram

Have you ever seen someone put shelled peanuts into their bottle, can, or cup of Coca-Cola? If you're not from the South, the answer is likely no, and you're probably questioning the combination we just described. However, it really is a thing!

According to the National Peanut Board, food historian Rick McDaniel revealed that the peanut-Coke trend likely started during the 1920s. This is when packaged, shelled peanuts began making their way into country stores and gas station aisles — the same places where you'd find a bottle of Coke.

But, how exactly did the peanuts end up ​inside​ the Coke? McDaniel believes that working Southerners would pour the peanuts directly into their Coke to avoid getting their hands dirty or to prevent their already-dirty hands from touching the peanuts, since places to wash up might not have been readily available. Pouring the peanuts from the bag into the Coke could have also been a way for them to keep their hands free for work.

"What resulted was a mix of savory and sweet deliciousness," says ​Esquire​ writer Justin Kirkland, describing his first time trying peanuts in Coca-Cola as a child growing up in the South. "Better yet, the peanuts stick around, stay crunchy, and give you a nice little snack at the end of your beverage. Think of it like the working man's strawberries in champagne."

https://www.hunker.com/13770660/why-do-people-put-peanuts-in-coke

12 year old starts Singing, Michael Jackson's- "I'll Be There". Then ent...

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Beautiful Love (Victor Young) - Walter Rodrigues Jr & Emil Ernebro

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"Peace Train" featuring Yusuf / Cat Stevens | Playing For Change | Song ...

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valerie - joseph solomon (amy winehouse cover)

https://youtu.be/AB8S6JNXpps

Facing Britain's Ugly History

An excerpt from the New York Times - 

David Olusoga Wants Britain to Face Its Past. All of It.

For more than a decade, the historian and broadcaster’s work has focused on bringing his country’s uglier histories to light. Recently, more people are paying attention.

By Desiree Ibekwe

Olusoga in a scene from the docu-series “One Thousand Years of Slavery” on the Smithsonian Channel,
for which he served as an executive producer.Credit...Smithsonian Channel

LONDON — In December, when a British court cleared four Black Lives Matter protesters of criminal damages for toppling the statue of Edward Colston, a 17th-century slave trader, in June 2020, it was thanks in part to David Olusoga’s expert testimony.

Olusoga, a historian whose work focuses on race, slavery and empire, felt a duty to agree to address the court on behalf of the defense, he said in a recent interview, since “I’ve been vocal about this history.”

At the trial in Bristol, the city in southwest England where the Colston statue was toppled, Olusoga, 52, told the jury about Colston’s prominent role in the slave trade and the brutalities suffered by the African people Colston sold into slavery.

The closely watched court decision was greeted with concern by some in Britain and relief by others, and Olusoga’s role in the defense offers just one recent example of his work’s impact on British society. 

Olusoga’s comments in court are consistent with a frequent focus of his wider work as one of the country’s most prominent public historians: that long-forgotten or buried past injustices can be addressed in the present day in public-facing, accessible media.

Olusoga’s latest TV work is “One Thousand Years of Slavery,” which premieres on the Smithsonian Channel on Monday. The show, which he executive produced alongside Bassett Vance Productions, a production company helmed by Courtney B. Vance and Angela Bassett, takes a wide-ranging, global look at slavery through the familial stories of public figures like Senator Cory Booker and the actor David Harewood.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/07/arts/television/david-olusoga-black-history.html

FAMU Student's Star Shining Bright

An excerpt from WCTV.TV - 

FAMU student’s design featured in Target stores nationwide

By Raghad Hamad

Kah’Milah Ledgester's Target 2022 design submission.
(FAMU Communications)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - A Florida A&M University student won Target’s 2021 HBCU Design Challenge, bringing her design to Target stores nationwide.

Participants created t-shirt designs and graphics for Target’s 2022 Black History Month campaign challenge, and Kah’Milah Ledgester, a senior graphic design student at FAMU, won a top three reward.

“This was my challenge as a creative,” Ledgester said. “I felt elated because I did something that scared me.”

Her work, according to the Adel, Georgia, native, highlights Black women and the vibrancy that surrounds them. Ledgester stated that she wanted to demonstrate the beauty of Black women through this project.

https://www.wctv.tv/2022/02/07/famu-students-design-featured-target-stores-nationwide/

Wonderful Advice

 

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A post shared by WILD WOMAN SISTERHOOD® (@wildwomansisterhoodofficial)

Caramel Corn

From Bon Appetit - 

Making Caramel Corn Is Easier Than It Has Any Right to Be

It’s caramel corn’s world and I’m just living in it.

BY JESSIE SHEEHAN 

Here’s how to make my caramel corn:

Heat your oven to 250° F and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper and securing that paper at each corner with a little cooking spray. Next, make 10 cups of unsalted popped popcorn. You can do this (my favorite way) by microwaving ½ cup unpopped kernels in a large microwave-safe bowl covered with a microwave-safe plate on high for 6–8 minutes depending on the strength of your microwave. Or, if you’re not as fond of your microwave as I am, you can place ½ cup unpopped kernels and 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large, covered pot on the stovetop over medium heat and pop away, shaking the pot over the flame periodically. (More details here, if you need them.) Transfer the popped corn to a large bowl.

Now it’s caramel time. In a medium pot over medium-high heat, bring 1 cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup Lyle’s Golden Syrup or light corn syrup, 2 Tbsp. molasses (which will give the corn a little bit of a Cracker Jack feel), and 10 Tbsp. unsalted butter to a boil, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula. Let the caramel boil without stirring until thick and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Now take the pot off the heat and whisk in 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt, ½ tsp. baking soda, and 2 tsp. vanilla extract. Pour the caramel over the popcorn and stir to coat.

Scrape the coated corn onto the prepared baking sheet—you’ll need to pile it on—and bake, stirring every 20 minutes, until the caramel has darkened slightly and the popcorn is dry to the touch, about 1 hour. Let the caramel corn cool to room temp before giving it away in cute little bags, serving it in a large bowl, or indulging straight from the baking sheet. 

But regardless of whether you share it with your pals or eat every last kernel solo, consider yourself warned: Caramel corn this good and this easy will be made again (and again, and again).

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/caramel-popcorn

Let's Teach Them Our History

An excerpt from Slate -

What Happens to Middle School Kids When You Teach Them About Slavery? Here’s a Vivid Example.

The topic is emotional. That’s not a bad thing.

BY MARY NIALL MITCHELL AND KATE SHUSTER 

Group project of eighth grade class at Olentangy Orange Middle School
in Lewis Center, Ohio. Photo by Kristin Marconi and Christine Snivley

When she found the advertisement for Maria, an eighth grader named E.D. was struck by the details in it. The ad was posted in a local newspaper, in 1846, by an enslaver in Tennessee. When Maria escaped, she was only 18 or 19 years old. She did not act alone. Maria ran with “a free man” named Henry Fields. For faster transport, Maria and Henry also liberated a gray mare. Maria’s enslaver suspected Henry had his free papers with him. But he was certain that Henry carried something else: a fiddle.

E.D.’s teachers had asked their students to respond creatively to an ad they found in Freedom on the Move, a digital collection housed at Cornell University of thousands of ads by enslavers and jailers seeking the return of self-liberating people, printed in American newspapers before emancipation. E.D. decided to make Henry’s fiddle. She made it life-size, out of cardboard and papier mâché. She covered it with a collage that tells the story of Henry and Maria’s flight. The enslaver placing the ad suspected “they will make for Kentucky and from there to a free state.” So E.D. used the image of a running horse, a “Welcome to Kentucky” sign, and a heart symbol—this last because E.D. wondered “if Maria and Henry were in love.” E.D. pasted a copy of the ad on the fiddle seven times, for the number of times the ad ran in the newspaper. It was her personal monument to Henry and Maria and their acts of resistance. “My fiddle represents Henry and Maria’s story, their fight for freedom,” E.D. explained, “but it also represents all of the thousands of other stories just like theirs, waiting to be told.” She carried the fiddle to school in a violin case.

E.D. and her teachers, Kristin Marconi and Christine Snivley, who teach middle school students in Ohio, were part of a virtual learning community created for Freedom on the Move by the Hard History Project. The goal of these workshops was to tap the genius of teachers to build a bridge between the digital archive and K–12 classrooms. As a crowdsourced archive, FOTM was built with the public in mind. Still, it takes the expertise of teachers to reach, arguably, FOTM’s most important readership: young people.

We are in a cultural moment in which teaching about racism and the world it has made is both essential and controversial. Critics rallying under the banner of “anti-CRT” describe this teaching as divisive and disturbing. But we can’t teach the history of the United States without teaching about slavery. And of course, they’re right about the emotions involved—there’s nothing comfortable about slavery. But they’re missing something: There’s a lot of good, and even joy, to be had in talking about the relentless and omnipresent resistance to slavery that we see again and again in newspapers before the Civil War, in ads seeking the return of self-liberating people.

https://slate.com/human-interest/2022/02/teaching-slavery-schools-kids-emotional-freedom-on-the-move.html