A Pioneering Pilot

From BlackAmericaWeb - 

Ohio, often referred to as the birthplace of aviation, has battled with North Carolina over that distinction for many years. But for pioneering aviator Lonnie Carmon, it appears that he will forever stand as the first African-American to fly in Central Ohio in an aircraft he built from scratch.

According to accounts from Carmon’s family and several historical societies, Carmon’s historic flight took place in 1926. What makes Carmon’s achievement all the more impressive is that he built his plane using piles of material he obtained from his recycling business.

A so-called “junk man,” people handed over their unwanted goods to Carmon who refurbished and resold them at his Columbus home. As told by his granddaughter Yvette Davis, Carmon came across a motorcycle engine and began crafting his plane around it. Without any prior training or blueprints, the naturally gifted Carmon built a fully functional aircraft.

Carmon stored his plane at a farm in the nearby Black community of Urbancrest, south of Columbus. Every weekend, he would take his plane out and fly over his town which thrilled his the residents and his family. Eventually, Carmon was able to purchase a single engine Piper Club aircraft.

http://blackamericaweb.com/2016/02/16/little-known-black-history-fact-lonnie-carmon/?omcamp=es-baw-nl&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=New%20Campaign&utm_term=BAW%20Subscribers%20%28Daily%29

Bastille Day

I'm not in to shoot 'em up bang bang movies, but I'll make the exception to spend two hours with this guy.

Enjoy the preview.

John Oliver - Replacing Scalia

Great Advice If You're Looking For a Job

From Levo -

The 4 Paragraphs That Make a Killer Cover Letter

https://www.levo.com/articles/career-advice/the-4-paragraphs-that-make-a-killer-cover-letter

Instant Cure?

Worth a try, for sure! - From Lifehack

Instant Cure: Massage Your Fingers to Relieve Pain

Self administered reflexology and acupressure are great ways to provide quick discrete relief for a variety of pain and symptoms without having to wait for an appointment, further impeding your routine, or touching sensitive areas where you are experiencing pain.

http://www.lifehack.org/363309/instant-cure-massage-your-fingers-to-relieve-pain?mid=20160215&ref=mail&uid=789627&feq=daily

Already Winners

An excerpt from The New York Times:

Malawi Gets Its First Grammy Nomination, With Album by Prison Inmates

By NORIMITSU ONISHI

In a makeshift studio near a carpentry workshop, 14 prisoners and two guards recorded an unusual album of lessons and loss, sin and forgiveness. Now it is going up against the works of well-known performers in the world music category, earning the small, impoverished nation of Malawi its first chance at a Grammy Award, which will be announced Monday night.

“Many people across the world who had never heard of Malawi are now saying, ‘There’s a country called Malawi!’ ” said Chikondi Salanje, 32, who is scheduled to be released in August after serving five years for robbery.

His song, “Listen to Me,” advises children to heed their parents — something, he added, he had failed to do himself.

Produced by Ian Brennan, an American who has wandered the globe in search of original music, the album, “I Have No Everything Here,” has been an unexpected boon for an overlooked nation, and even more so for its penal system, long criticized for its sometimes cruel conditions.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/15/world/africa/malawi-gets-its-first-grammy-nomination-with-album-by-prison-inmates.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=photo-spot-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
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Here's wishing them great success!




https://zombaprisonproject.bandcamp.com/album/i-have-no-everything-here

TANZANIA

DEM. REP.

OF CONGO

Lake

Malawi

MALAWI

Lilongwe

ZAMBIA

Zomba

ZIMBABWE

MOZAMBIQUE

BOTSWANA

MADAGASCAR

SOUTH

AFRICA

SWAZILAND

LESOTHO

Indian Ocean

500 Miles

By The New York Times 

Continue reading the main story

When He Was Bad - An Interesting Comparison

From The Root - Michael Jackson’s Influence on Beyoncé’s “Formation,” Explained

"Formation" is Beyoncé's "Bad."

In “Formation,” Beyoncé proudly shouts out her black Southern roots and calls up imagery of Hurricane Katrina and the Black Lives Matter movement. At the Super Bowl the day after it premiered, she took the overtly political imagery even further, with dancers in black berets as an homage to the Black Panthers who at one point even formed an X on the field, presumably a nod to Malcolm X. After almost 20 years of intense scrutiny by the public, of having her appearance, personal life, and “street cred” interrogated, she wanted to let everyone know that she’s not the apolitical, perfectly curated, tabula rasa we long assumed she was.

Perhaps she was taking a cue from one of her childhood idols, to whom she also paid sartorial tribute during her Super Bowl performance: Michael Jackson. In 1987, after almost 20 years of intense scrutiny by the public, of having his appearance, personal life, and “street cred” interrogated, Jackson made a similarly socially conscious statement to his fans.

That year, Jackson debuted the characteristically elaborate short film for “Bad,” in which he plays Daryl, a kid from the inner city who returns home after finishing his first semester at a fancy, all-white prep school. Daryl is stuck between two worlds, unsure of where he fits in—slightly uncomfortable among the rich white kids, but no longer willing to get into trouble with his wayward childhood friends (including Wesley Snipes, in his debut) from his impoverished Brooklyn neighborhood. They teasingly address him as “college,” and become upset with his newfound reluctance to participate in their schemes of mugging strangers, claiming he’s not “down” anymore and has gone “soft.” Daryl pushes back against this criticism, which leads us into the iconic West Side Story-esque musical centerpiece set in a Brooklyn subway station, in which he sings about how “bad” he is.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2016/02/12/how_beyonce_s_formation_follows_in_the_footsteps_of_michael_jackson_s_bad.html

The Curry's Having Fun With the First Lady

All-Black Lacrosse Team

Little Known Black History Fact: Hampton University Men’s Lacrosse Team

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02:26

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The Hampton University men’s lacrosse team made history this past weekend as the first from an HBCU to play at the Division I level in the sport. Despite the sport’s Native American roots, it has largely been viewed as a sport for the rich, white and elite but Hampton Pirates coach Lloyd Carter is aiming to change that perception.

The last time a HBCU fielded a men’s lacrosse team was back in 1970 when Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md. formed one of the nation’s top squads. Carter, a West Baltimore native, starred for the Morgan State Bears, which defeated top squads at larger Division I schools despite their Division II classification.

Many of the players on the 17-member, all-Black Pirates squad are newcomers to the sport although some one player had exposure to the sport via boarding school. In Coach Carter’s native Baltimore, Black and Brown students are taking up the sport, which is rapidly increasing in popularity as an extracurricular activity.

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I hope you're able to hear the podcast above.  If not, check it out at the source below.

http://blackamericaweb.com/2016/02/15/little-known-black-history-fact-hampton-university-mens-lacrosse-team/?omcamp=es-baw-nl&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=New%20Campaign&utm_term=BAW%20Subscribers%20%28Daily%29

She Demolishes Their Argument

Senator Elizabeth Warren's quote on filling the vacant Supreme Court seat - 

The sudden death of Justice Scalia creates an immediate vacancy on the most important court in the United States.

Senator McConnell is right that the American people should have a voice in the selection of the next Supreme Court justice. In fact, they did — when President Obama won the 2012 election by five million votes.

Article II Section 2 of the Constitution says the President of the United States nominates justices to the Supreme Court, with the advice and consent of theSenate. I can't find a clause that says "...except when there's a year left in the term of a Democratic President."

Senate Republicans took an oath just like Senate Democrats did. Abandoning the duties they swore to uphold would threaten both the Constitution and our democracy itself. It would also prove that all the Republican talk about loving the Constitution is just that — empty talk.

"The Day Beyoncé Turned Black" - SNL

Offended by the Truth

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/02/12/white-people-equality-video-henrico-virginia_n_9221874.html

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

H/T - Dona Hall

Simply the Best

An excerpt from The New York Times -

For World’s Top Gymnast, a Body in Motion and a Mind at Rest

Simone Biles is a three-time all-around world champion,
but for now she is trying not to think about the coming Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Biles is the best American gymnast since, well, probably ever. She is 4 feet 9 inches, with size 5 feet, but there is an unfathomable amount of power packed into her petite package. She flies through the air as if she were part bird and part cannonball. When she competes, it is nearly impossible not to stop and stare.

Last fall, at the world championships, Biles, 18, won the world all-around title for the third consecutive time, a streak that was unheard-of before she came around and shredded the old book. Her 10 gold medals at the world championships are the most for any woman; her 14 overall medals are more than any other American woman.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/13/sports/olympics/simone-biles-gymnast-rio-olympics.html

Havana Here We Come!

U.S.: Flights to Cuba expected to begin by fall

WASHINGTON – Starting Tuesday, U.S. airlines will have 15 days to submit proposals to the Transportation Department to fly as many as 100 flights daily to Cuba, with competition expected for at least the routes to Havana, officials announced Friday.

Department officials said they will review the proposals with an eye toward providing the most benefit to the most passengers. Scheduled flights could begin as early as fall, with up to 20 per day to Havana and up to 10 flights to each of nine other Cuban cities prepared to receive international flights.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/02/12/us-flights-cuba-could-begin-fall/80299114/

Not Just Here

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/brazilian-beauty-queen-says-she-was-dethroned-for-being-too-black_us_56be13b6e4b08ffac124e66e

One Day at a Panda Express

This is how they do it.

http://www.eater.com/a/panda-express-one-day

Black Brilliance 3

Annie Easley

Annie Easley
Cover of Science and Engineering Newsletterfeaturing Easley at the Lewis Research Center
Born	April 23, 1933 Birmingham, Alabama
Died	June 25, 2011 (aged 78) Cleveland, Ohio
Nationality	American
Education	B.S. in Mathematics, 1977
Alma mater	Cleveland State University
Occupation	Computer Engineer
Employer	Lewis Research Center at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
Known for	NACA Work

Annie J. Easley (April 23, 1933 – June 25, 2011) was an African-Americancomputer scientist, mathematician, and rocket scientist.^[1] She worked for the Lewis Research Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). She was a leading member of the team which developed software for the Centaur rocket stage and one of the first African-Americans in her field.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Easley

Black Brilliance 2

Dorothy Vaughan

Dorothy Johnson Vaughan (1910–2008) was an African American mathematician who worked at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the predecessor agency to NASA. Prior to arriving at NACA's Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in 1943, Vaughan worked as a math teacher at R.R. Moton High School in Farmville, VA.^[1]

In 1949, Vaughan became the head of the West Area Computers, a work group composed entirely of African-American female mathematicians.^[2] Mathematician Katherine Johnson was assigned to Vaughan's group before being transferred to Langley's Flight Research Division.

Vaughan continued at Langley after NACA became NASA, specializing for the rest of her career in electronic computing and FORTRAN programming. She worked in the Langley Research Center's Analysis and Computation Division, and also participated in Scout Project (Solid Controlled Orbital Utility Test system) tests at Wallops Flight Facility.^[3]

She retired from NASA in 1971, and died on November 10, 2008.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Vaughan

Black Brilliance

Taraji P. Henson (Cookie from Empire) will portray Ms. Johnson in a film entitled "Hidden Figures."

Katherine Johnson

Katherine Johnson
Born	August 26, 1918 (age 97) White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, West Virginia, U.S.
Residence	Hampton, Virginia
Nationality	American
Fields	Mathematics, computer science
Institutions	NACA, NASA
Alma mater	West Virginia State University West Virginia University
Known for	contributions to America's aeronautics and space advances
Notable awards	2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom

Katherine G. Johnson (born August 26, 1918) is an American physicist, space scientist, and mathematician who contributed to America's aeronautics and space programs with the early application of digital electronic computers at NASA. Known for accuracy in computerized celestial navigation, she calculated the trajectory for Project Mercury and the 1969 Apollo 11 flight to the Moon.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Johnson

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/taraji-p-henson-hidden-figures-katherine-johnson-1201702679/