Happy Soul Food Friday!

Welcome to Soul Food Friday

This week: Keeping It Real

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor”

– Archbishop Desmond Tutu:

Standing in Solidarity with our AAPI community and BIPOC community + Some Powerful Resources to Navigate these Challenging Times Courtesy of Dr. Randy W and Teach For America:

Showing up in new ways and moving forward to meet the moment

Thanks Dr. Ward and team for your thoughtful and proactive responses to these challenging circumstances. I thought it would be useful for our entire community to have access to these useful resources so here goes!

In March, eight people were murdered in the Atlanta area in violent attacks targeting the Asian community.

Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Sun Cha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, and Daoyou Feng were killed in a senseless, racist, and misogynist attack that unfortunately was not an isolated incident. Violence targeting the AAPI community has dramatically increased recently. We’ve witnessed this in the Bay Area, LA, NYC and communities across the country.

Asian Americans reported nearly 3,800 incidents of hate (including verbal attacks, physical assault, civil rights violations, and online harassment) in the last twelve months alone. Anti-Asian racism and violence are not new. Our country has a long history of targeting the AAPI community, and that racism has only been exacerbated by xenophobic rhetoric throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 

I ache with our staff, students, and the broader AAPI community. When I think of colleagues and their families living with this kind of fear and uncertainty while also carrying concern for the safety of parents, elders, and children heading back to school, I am both heartbroken and angry. 

To our AAPI community at TFA, I continue to see you and stand in solidarity with you.

You matter not only to me, but to our full staff community and to our vision of equity.

I know that your feelings of isolation and invisibility did not begin with this recent series of violent acts.

As Soukprida wrote in a piece we published a few weeks ago, before the Atlanta murders, “It is critical we understand this history of anti-Asian racism existed long before the violent attacks” of recent months. 

That history of anti-Asian discrimination and erasure, as well as discrimination against other communities of color, demands that we show up in new ways, in this moment and moving forward. These tragic moments weigh so heavily on our community as we work toward building a more just, more fair, and more equitable future.

We must reflect the equity and solidarity that we hope to foster within our students. Showing up for the AAPI community begins with acknowledgement and partnership – this week and every week.

Please prioritize caring for yourself, your loved ones, and your community in this moment, knowing that our organization will stand alongside you every step of the way. 

Resources:

Teaching on Days After: Facebook Resource Group for educators

Responding to Anti-Asian Violence and Georgia Shootings from Teaching for Justice

Bystander Intervention Training

On Anti-Asian Hate Crimes: Who is Our Real Enemy? By Michelle Kim

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”—
Dr Martin Luther King Jr

Standing in Solidarity with Daunte Wright:

And then this past Sunday, Daunte Wright was killed in Brooklyn Center, MN after an encounter with police, sparking protests into the evening.  

Do you stand in solidarity with those demanding justice for Daunte Wright?

We are heartbroken thinking about his family and loved ones.

Daunte Wright should be alive today.

As many of you may be aware, SDUSD announced that classes for multiple schools would take place online on Tuesday of this week because of a police standoff at San Diego High School that ended in a killing of a person under police pursuit. We have already reached out to our corps member who teaches at SDHS to offer support, and we want to share our support with you as well as you process this both personally and with your students. If you’re seeking space to process, resources to use when speaking with students, or want to practice having a conversation prior to bringing this up in your classroom, please reach out to our staff.

The cumulative impact of this ongoing racial trauma and police violence in our community cannot be underestimated. These tragic incidents, and the continuous violence against communities of color, only exacerbate the sense of fear and pain that many members of our community already feel. The fact that the Daunte Wright tragedy occurred under the shadow of the Derek Chauvin trial is not lost on us.

To our grieving community, team, corps members, and alumni: we stand ready to support you and have linked some resources below. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to contact our team if there’s anything we can do.

In Solidarity,

The TFA San Diego Team

Resources for All of Us:

How to Talk to Students about Daunte Wright slide deck created by Racial Justice Organizing Committee http://bit.ly/MNunrest 

Classroom Resources from Saturday Summit creating space in your classroom to address structural violence and racism in your classroom Slides 15-18 for resources

“Don’t Say Nothing: Responding to Police Violence” https://www.learningforjustice.org/the-moment/april-12-2021-dont-say-nothing-responding-to-police-violence from Learning for Justice

Resmaa Menakem (trauma and healing therapist) Interview https://www.tptoriginals.org/trial-tribulation-can-black-minnesotans-find-healing-a-year-after-george-floyd-was-killed/

Angela Davis NPR News conversation with school counselors on how to support students through a trial and COVID-19 https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2021/03/25/school-counselors-on-how-to-support-students-through-a-trial-and-covid19

Dr. Yohuru Williams, racial justice scholar at the University of St Thomas in Minneapolis, discusses the Derek Chauvin Trial https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/breaking-the-news/as-chauvin-trial-moves-forward-racial-justice-scholar-says-community-response-will-reveal-true-verdict/89-7f69beed-f776-45c9-b08c-f26447498801In Focus: A Trial and Minnesota’s Search for Equity and Healing https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2021/03/31/in-focus-a-trial-and-minnesotas-search-for-equity-and-healing

“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.

The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference.

The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference.

And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.”

–Elie Wiesel

And sadly this racial reckoning is not just happening in our country…

Her Babies Taken, She Died Alone in a Police Cell, the Victim of a Problem Australia Can’t Seem to Fix:
Thirty years ago, the Royal Commission found Indigenous people weren’t dying at a higher rate than non-Indigenous people, but those who died in custody were the victims of gross over-representation in the justice system. That’s still the case today…

Australia Indigenous deaths in custody: She died alone in a police cell, the victim of a problem Australia has had 30 years to fix – CNN

“If I am not for myself, then who will be for me?

And if I am only for myself, then what am I?

And if not now, when?”

—Rabbi Hillel

The 5 D’s of Bystander Intervention:
No Bystanding It’s Time for Upstanding!
An easy way to be an ally…
5 D’s of BI (slu.edu)

“You rise by lifting others.”

–Robert Green Ingersoll

On a Brighter Note…

A Dog Who Kept Sneaking into a Dollar General for a Unicorn Toy Gets His Plush and a New Start:

The animal control officer who moved Sisu from the Dollar General store to the shelter bought the stray dog his unicorn toy before bringing the canine in.

Stray Dog Tries to Steal Unicorn Toy from Dollar General Store | PEOPLE.com

Thanks this week go to our friends and colleagues at Teach for America and all allies and equity designers everywhere!
We can and will do better.

Please pay it forward. The world needs you now more than ever…

Love,

Neville

“Your task is not to seek love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it” – Rumi

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
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This week:

• Experience the Transformative Power of Music
• Fostering Financial Wellbeing
• and Enjoy Some Laughs

The Dimmer Switch is Slowly Getting Brighter with the Pandemic:
Meanwhile, let’s not get complacent over the next few weeks!
https://youtu.be/k3y1hJPVavY

If these two vids don’t touch your heart, check in with your cardiologist!

Sign Along With Us:
GOLDEN BUZZER! Sign Along With Us put on the GREATEST show! | Auditions | BGT 2020 – YouTube

Terry Crew’s Emotional GOLDEN BUZZER Audition On America’s Got Talent 2019! Got Talent Global
Terry Crew’s Emotional GOLDEN BUZZER Audition On America’s Got Talent 2019! Got Talent Global – YouTube

APRIL IS FINANCIAL LITERACY MONTH!
A smart budget helps you cover your expenses and still buy some of the things you want. Find out how to make—and maintain—a budget based on your needs.

Click here to sign up for a SMART Budget Webinar.

Plus

• Four Simple Money-Smart Actions You Can Take in Financial Literacy Month: https://www.balancepro.org/resources/newsletters/simple-money-smart-actions-you-can-do-this-month-april-2017/
• Is it Time to Open a Checking or Savings Account for your Children?: https://www.balancepro.org/resources/newsletters/is-it-time-to-open-a-checking-or-savings-account-for-your-children/
• How to Make your Child Financially Capable: https://www.balancepro.org/resources/newsletters/how-to-make-your-child-financially-capable-may-2018/
• Teens and Money Toolkit: https://www.balancepro.org/resources/toolkits/teens-and-money/
• Filing Your Taxes? Get the Help you Deserve: https://www.balancepro.org/resources/articles/filing-your-taxes-get-the-help-you-deserve

And Finally, Some Laughs to Take You Out:

Keep Smiling and Please Pay it Forward!

Thanks this week go to Cathy J, Bob C, Jacinda K, the San Diego Children’s Choir, Chris B and Aysha S-B!

Love,
Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
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“Dance as though no one is watching
Love as you though you have never been hurt,
Sing as though no once can hear youLive as though heaven is on earth.”– Souza

This week:

Honoring Cesar Chavez:

“Chavez left a legacy as an educator, environmentalist, and a civil rights leader. And his cause lives on. As farm workers and laborers across America continue to struggle for fair treatment and fair wages, we find strength in what Cesar Chavez accomplished so many years ago.
And we should honor him for what he’s taught us about making America a stronger, more just, and more prosperous nation.
That’s why I support the call to make Cesar Chavez’s birthday a national holiday.
It’s time to recognize the contributions of this American icon to the ongoing efforts to perfect our union.”
-Barak Obama

Heartwarming Music!

“Musical training is a more potent instrument than any other,
because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul,
on which they mightily fasten, imparting grace, and making the soul of him who is rightly educated graceful”
– Socrates

Looking forward…
We all know Andrea Bocelli
But do we know his son and granddaughter as they continue a culture of generations of musical excellence?
This is the promise and potential of the passing  on the family legacy for the future!
The joy in Andrea’s granddaughter’s Virginia’s face is worth it just by itself!
Time To Say Goodbye – YouTube

Looking back…
Mbube (Wimoweh)
Soloman Linda 1939
You all know the commercialized version of this song.
Here is the pure original and sadly the originators did not get compensated for the mega block buster we have all come to know and love ☹
Solomon Linda&The Evening ( The First Version ) – Mbube – YouTube

Works By Thomas Edison, Kermit The Frog Inducted Into Library Of Congress:

What do Janet Jackson, Ira Glass, Kermit the Frog, Nas and Louis Armstrong have in common? These musicians, interviewers, and frogs are behind songs and other recordings to be inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry. The Library of Congress announced the 25 titles picked this year are considered “audio treasures worthy of preservation” based on their cultural, historical, or aesthetic importance to the nation’s heritage.
Recordings Selected For Preservation : NPR

How To Citizen with Baratunde Thurston- Ted Radio Hour

It has been a year of thinking how our actions affect our neighbors, a year of realizing that many of our systems do little for the most vulnerable among us and here in the U.S., a year when the population further splintered over what it means to be an American.
And so how do we talk about all this stuff without alienating each other?
How do we move forward collectively?
And what is our civic duty in the 21st century?
These are big questions, well addressed in this episode of the Ted Radio Hour.
Baratunde Thurston: How To Citizen : NPR

Encouraging Collaboration Early On Can Lead To More Helpful Children Later:

In many cultures around the world, parents don’t need chore charts or allowances for kids to pitch in around the house. A new study shows how parents in these cultures teach children to be helpful. “The more you ask a child to cooperate, the more they start to preempt what’s needed and then the less you need to be telling them what to do.”

Encouraging Collaboration Early On Can Lead To More Helpful Children Later : NPR

Valuing Nature-

Celebration of World Water Day 2021 – Valuing Water: On 22 March, 2021, World Water Day was celebrated in an online event. The World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the global water crisis, and a core focus of the observance is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.

The theme of World Water Day 2021 is valuing water. The value of water is about much more than its price – water has enormous and complex value for our households, food, culture, health, education, economics and the integrity of our natural environment. If we overlook any of these values, we risk mismanaging this finite, irreplaceable resource. SDG 6 is to ensure water and sanitation for all. Without a comprehensive understanding of water’s true, multidimensional value, we will be unable to safeguard this critical resource for the benefit of everyone.

Celebration of World Water Day 2021 – Valuing Water | UN-Water

These Birds Flock in Mesmerizing Swarms of Thousands—But Why is Still a Mystery:

These birds flock in mesmerizing swarms of thousands—but why is still a mystery. (nationalgeographic.com)

Some Crazy Cute Animal Pics!

(20+) Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards | Facebook

Thanks this week go to NPR Radio, The San Diego Children’s Choir, Bob C, Dan L, and Alan D for teaching me the power and wonder of murmuration!

Please pay it forward
Love,
Neville

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“Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower.”
– John Harrigan

Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week:
Pick the topic(s) that resonate and enjoy the exploration:

The 3 Biggest Regrets People Have at the End of Life:
The imminence of death can be a powerful organizing principle to help us live well and fully!3 biggest regrets people have at the end of life (today.com)

Covid Implications Beyond Just the Horrible Disease and Tragic Loss of Life-

Lockdown Has Fostered a ‘Shadow Pandemic’ of Violence Against Women:
In the wake of Sarah Everard’s death, why has no one acknowledged that Lockdown has provided the ideal conditions for which violence against women can thrive?
Lockdown has fostered a ‘shadow pandemic’ of violence against women | Madeleine Armstrong | The Critic Magazine

What You’re Feeling is Grief:
Some have found tools for coping with loss and stress are no longer working
Grief and loss of resilience are rising because of Covid-19 – Vox

The Partisan Divide on Covid-19 Vaccines:
The partisan divide on Covid-19 vaccines, explained in 3 charts – Vox

On the Bright Side–

This Country has just been Named the Happiest in the World
Iceland, Denmark, Switzerland, and the Netherlands are all in the top five happiest countries according to data compiled by Gallup World Poll. Find out which Nordic country came out on top.
World’s happiest countries 2021 | CNN Travel

As a Kid, his Factory Work Paid for his Dad’s Cancer Care. As an Oncologist, his Research offers More than Survival
As a kid, Mutlay Sayan worked in a factor in Turkey to help pay for his dad’s cancer care. As an oncologist, he wants to offer patients more than survival.
After factory work as a kid, an oncologist aims to give patients a ‘good life’ (statnews.com)

‘Wheel of Fortune’ winner Scott Kolbrenner donates $145,000 to charity
“Wheel of Fortune” winner announced that he will donate his prize money to two California charities — Uplift Family Services and Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.
‘Wheel of Fortune’ winner Scott Kolbrenner donates $145,000 to charity – CNN

Taking care of the vulnerable-
Man Finds Baby Hummingbird on the Side of the Road:
(20+) Watch | Facebook

Thanks this week go to Bob C and all of thee.
Please pay it forward!
Love,

Neville

“

“The greatest good we can do for anyone is not to share our wealth with them, but rather to reveal their own wealth to them.”– Zig Ziglar

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DK

Happy Soul Food Friday As We Spring Forward!

“Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves.“

This week:

Better Living, Better Parenting & a Better Life @ Work as We Move Into Spring

HAPPY SPRING EQUINOX!
In the Northern Hemisphere, the March equinox (aka spring equinox or vernal equinox) occurs when the Sun crosses the equator line, heading north in the sky. This event marks the start of spring in the northern half of the globe. After this date, the Northern Hemisphere begins to be tilted more toward the Sun, resulting in increasing daylight hours and warming temperatures.

This year the Spring Equinox occurs on March 20^th. May you find rejuvenation as we start a new season.

Better Living-

People Who Adopt This Simple Habit in 2021 Have Very High Emotional Intelligence- Inc:
Call it the ‘Oprah Winfrey rule.’
Parallel versus Convergent…

People Who Adopt This Simple Habit in 2021 Have Very High Emotional Intelligence | Inc.com

Better Parenting-

I Was Constantly Arguing With My Child. Then I Learned the “TEAM” Method of Calmer Parenting- Time:

Three years ago, I sat at the Cancun airport in a state of paralysis. I stared outside, trying to figure out if what I had just witnessed could possibly be true. Could parenting be that effective? Could children be that helpful and respectful? More to the point: Has Western culture forgotten the best way to parent?

How to Be a Calmer Parent And Stop Arguing With Your Kids | Time

Want to Raise Successful Kids? Science Says Make Sure They Are Doing This Right Now-Inc:

Want to Raise Successful Kids? Science Says Make Sure They’re Doing This Right Now | Inc.com

Tough Love Truth for a better life @ work-

9 Things You Should Never Say to Your Boss- Medium:

There are just some things you shouldn’t say to your boss. Even if you do say them, they have to be said in the right setting or they aren’t received the intended way. I’m not sitting on a high horse here — I’ve made all these mistakes myself. I write this to ensure you don’t do the same!

9 Things You Should Never Say to Your Boss | by Max Klein | Mar, 2021 | Medium

“If two men on the same job agree all the time, then one is useless. If they disagree all the time, then both are useless.”- — Darryl F. Zanuck

The 5 Types of Mentors You Need in Your Life:

Everyone can use a mentor. Scratch that — as it turns out, we could all use five mentors.

“The best mentors can help us define and express our inner calling…”

The 5 types of mentors you need in your life | (ted.com)

Make peace and change your life-

My mission is simple. I want to help successful people achieve positive, lasting change in behavior; for themselves, their people, and their teams. I want to help you make your life a little better. Thank you for subscribing! Life is good. Make Peace and Change Your Life! In my walk through life I’ve discovered a number of main themes that require acceptance. These are just facts of life, and we cannot change them.   Marshall Goldsmith Mar 16 Have you ever tried to change your boss? Your partner? The guy on the road who cut you off? How’d that work out for you? Did that person hear, understand, and magically start doing things your way and suddenly all was right with the world again? Or did you become frustrated, irritable, and angry at their lack of attention to your plan for how people, more specifically they themselves, should behave? Think about it for a minute – I’d wager that your episodes of non-acceptance trigger more bad behaviors than the fallout from just about anything else you do. Here’s an even harder question: have you ever tried to change something about yourself that was out of your control? I have. It was a fruitless and vain attempt, which I’ll tell you now had a happy ending not because I changed what I couldn’t change, but because I made peace with it. At 26, I was married to my first and only wife, Lyda. I was pursuing a doctorate in organizational behavior at the University of California, Los Angeles. Since high school I had been a folliclly challenged man, but back then I was loath to admit it. Each morning I would spend several minutes in front of the bathroom mirror carefully arranging the wispy blond stands of hair still remaining on the top of my head. I’d smooth the hairs forward from back to front, then curve them to a point in the middle of my forehead, forming a pattern that looked vaguely like a laurel wreath. Then I’d walk out into the world with my ridiculous comb-over, convinced I looked normal like everyone else. When I visited my barber, I’d give specific instructions on how to cut my hair. One morning I dozed off in the chair, so he trimmed my hair too short, leaving insufficient foliage on the sides to execute my comb-over regimen. I could have panicked and put on a hat for a few weeks, waiting for the strands to grow back. But as I stood in front of the mirror later that day, staring at my reflected image, I said to myself, “Face it, you’re bald. It’s time you accepted it.” That’s the moment when I decided to shave the few remaining hairs on the top of my head and live my life as a bald man. It wasn’t a complicated decision and it didn’t take great effort to accomplish. A short trim at the barber from then on. But in many ways, it is still the most liberating change I’ve made as an adult. It made me happy, at peace with my appearance. I’m not sure what triggered my acceptance of a new way of self-grooming. Perhaps I was horrified at the prospect of starting every day with this routine forever. Or maybe it was the realization that I wasn’t fooling anyone. The reason doesn’t matter. The real achievement is that I decided to make peace with what is. And it instantly made my life better! In my walk through life I’ve discovered a number of main themes that require acceptance. These are just facts of life, and we cannot change them. Here are just a few, so you can get the idea: 1. Our physical body – height, hair growth, body type (there’s always plastic surgery, but you get the idea) 2. The weather 3. Traffic 4. Other people 5. The fact that decision makers have the power to make decisions – and we are not always the decision makers! 6. The fact that change requires consistent effort; it is a process, not an overnight event. If we don’t put in the effort, we won’t change. 7. That misfortunes are often the result of fate or bad luck, they are not because that we are bad people or that someone is trying to “get us”. There are many, many more things about life that we need to accept if we’re going to be happy. Take a moment to think about it. Can you name some for yourself? What are they? Make a list, take a breath, and let them go. And remember, change requires consistent effort, so don’t be surprised if you have to do this again tomorrow! Thank you for reading! I hope this is helpful to you and those around you. Life is good. Marshall.

The Hippopotamus and the Tortoise
Much of life can never be explained but only witnessed

NCPC Successful Board Series Wed March 24^th 2021:
Click Here for event:

Successful Board Series – Part 1: Does your Board Govern or Manage?

Thanks this week go to David D, Marshall G & Larry H.

Please pay it forward…

Love,

Neville

“

“You must take personal responsibility.

You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.” – Jim Rohn

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DK

Happy Soul Food Friday!
This week:

Did you know?

• Nearly 60 percent of women around the world work in the informal economy, earning less, saving less, and at greater risk of falling into poverty
• Women earn 23% less than men globally
• Women occupy only 24% of parliamentary seats worldwide
• 1 in 3 have experiences physical or sexual violence and 200 M of girls-women have suffered genital mutilation

How might you help forge a gender equal world?

• Celebrate women’s achievement
• Raise awareness against bias
• Take action for equality

International Women’s Day – March 8, 2021
#ChooseToChallenge #IWD2021
International Women’s Day 2021

The Women Are Coming!
The Women Are Coming – YouTube

United Nations Intl. Women’s Day-
Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world:

Women stand at the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, as health care workers, caregivers, innovators, community organizers and as some of the most exemplary and effective national leaders in combating the pandemic. The crisis has highlighted both the centrality of their contributions and the disproportionate burdens that women carry.
International Women’s Day | United Nations

Our Organizational Commitment:
The past year has highlighted our country’s history of injustice and inequality, as well as our continued need to invest in underserved and minority communities. The credit union industry has always done what’s best for its members and communities. We grow and become stronger as our community grows and becomes stronger. Community has always been part of Mission Fed’s DNA. Safe, affordable financial services are essential to making a better life for everyone.

We also celebrate the accomplishments of many women throughout our San Diego community and history who have voiced the obstacles that women have endured and continue to face in order to fight for a future where gender equity is the norm as well. We need to be just as committed to advocacy as we are to providing financial services. Engagement leads to change.

Thanks this week go to all the amazing women I am blessed to have in my life!
Love All,
Neville

“We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are.” —Anais Nin

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DK

Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week:
Art has not only been in step with history, but has led the way!

• There is a story we have been afraid to see and hear about ourselves- Jane Fonda
• Norman Lear has held up a mirror to American society and changed the way we look at it. 

The Introspection Illusion
What Do Women – Especially Black women — Bring to Public Safety?
+ History Repeats Itself…

“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—
with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”
—Admiral James Stockdale

Life Imitates Art & Art Imitates Life-

If My Heart is Open and I Look Beneath the Surface, I Feel Kinship
There is a story we have been afraid to see and hear about ourselves…
Jane Fonda Receives the Cecil B. DeMille Award – 2021 Golden Globes – YouTube

Norman Lear Receives the Carol Burnett Award – 2021 Golden Globes
Norman Lear has always been an icon ahead of his time. Lear was among the first seven television pioneers inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1984. He received five Emmy Awards (two in 1971, one each in 1972 and 1973, and one in 2019)^[39] and two Peabody Awards (a personal award in 1977 and an individual award in 2016). He received the Humanist Arts Award from the American Humanist Association in 1977. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1980, he received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement, and in 1999, President Bill Clinton awarded the National Medal of Arts to Lear, noting, “Norman Lear has held up a mirror to American society and changed the way we look at it.” 
Norman Lear Receives the Carol Burnett Award – 2021 Golden Globes – YouTube

Understanding Ourselves Better-

The Introspection Illusion:
It’s easy to spot bias in other people, especially those with whom we disagree.  But it’s not so easy to recognize our own biases.  Psychologist Emily Pronin says it’s partly because of our brain architecture. This week on Hidden Brain, we explore what Pronin calls the introspection illusion.
The Double Standard – Hidden Brain – Omny.fm

JOIN A CONVERSATION ABOUT GENDER, RACE & VIOLENCE IN AMERICAN POLICING:
What do women – especially Black women — bring to public safety? What are the barriers to recruitment/retention? What are remedies for change?
Women in Blue- Gender, race and violence in American policing. Tickets, Tue, Mar 23, 2021 at 5:30 PM | Eventbrite

Self-care-

We are all the CEO of Our Own Life-Pandemic Self-Care for CEOs: Rituals, Running and Cognitive Restructuring from Harvard Business School
Pandemic Self-Care for CEOs: Rituals, Running, and Cognitive Restructuring – HBS Working Knowledge

History Repeats Itself:

Thanks this week go to Ron M, Larry H & All of you that read this far…

Please pay it forward!
Love,
Neville

“Lean out in your own way to make a difference in your community,
so that others are inspired to stand up or go out on a limb for what matters”–Neville

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
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DK

Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week:
We are All in the Same Storm, but Not in the Same Boat

The Good:
Let’s Do Science on Mars with Charles B
Stories for Change- Fostering Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Claudette Colvin: The woman who refused to give up her bus seat – nine months before Rosa Parks
The Women (Leaders) Are Coming (Here)!

The Bad:
A Proclamation on Remembering the 500,000 Americans Lost to COVID-19
Trying to Honor the Loss
Interactive Map Tracks COVID-19 total cases hardest hit areas in San Diego County

The Ugly:
COVID-19 is affecting Black, Indigenous, Latinx and other People of Color the Most
The Scars of Solitary

Getting Real-

A Proclamation on Remembering the 500,000 Americans Lost to COVID-19

As of this week during the dark winter of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 500,000 Americans have now died from the virus. That is more Americans who have died in a single year of this pandemic than in World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War combined. On this solemn occasion, we reflect on their loss and on their loved ones left behind. We, as a Nation, must remember them so we can begin to heal, to unite, and find purpose as one Nation to defeat this pandemic.

In their memory, the First Lady and I will be joined by the Vice President and the Second Gentleman for a moment of silence at the White House this evening. I ask all Americans to join us as we remember the more than 500,000 of our fellow Americans lost to COVID-19 and to observe a moment of silence at sunset. I also hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and on all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset February 26, 2021. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same period at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-second day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.      -JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

Remembering 500,000 And Trying to Honor the Loss:
More than 500,000 Americans dead from Covid. More than 500,000 lives cut short by a pandemic the rest of us will never forget.
Journalists are stretching for words and illustrations and imagery to meet the magnitude of the moment.
Why CNN aired a national memorial service for 500,000 lives lost from Covid-19 – CNN

COVID-19 is affecting Black, Indigenous, Latinx and other People of Color the Most:
Nationwide, Black people have died at 1.4 times the rate of white people
The COVID Racial Data Tracker is a collaboration between the Covid Tracking Project and the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research
The COVID Racial Data Tracker | The COVID Tracking Project

Locally…
Interactive Map Tracks COVID-19 total cases, hardest hit areas in San Diego County:
Vaccine Inequity holds true locally as well as nationally
HEAT MAP: Interactive map tracks COVID-19 total cases, hardest hit areas in San Diego County (10news.com)

Stories for Change-
Fostering Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Stories for Change (10news.com)

Claudette Colvin: the woman who refused to give up her bus seat – nine months before Rosa Parks:
It was 2 March 1955, and an unusually humid spring day when students at Booker T Washington high school, a segregated school in the heart of the Jim Crow south, had been let off early to make their way home. A group boarded a segregated public bus, which wound through segregated neighborhoods gradually filling up with passengers.
A 15-year-old gifted Black student, with aspirations to become a civil rights attorney, took a window seat near the exit door. She gazed outdoors until the white driver instructed her to give up her seat for a white passenger standing nearby. Claudette Colvin refused…
Claudette Colvin: the woman who refused to give up her bus seat – nine months before Rosa Parks | Society | The Guardian

Feeling Sequestered and Quarantined? Try 44 Years in a Concrete Cell-
The Scars of Solitary:
Woodfox was a member of the Angola 3, a group of men wrongfully accused of murder. Now he marks his 5^th anniversary of his freedom.
Five years on from his release, he might chuckle a little to himself at the irony of today. This may be his birthday and the anniversary of his freedom, but he will spend the day in physical isolation along with most Americans who, courtesy of Covid, have spent the past year getting a tiny taste of what life in solitary really means…
The scars of solitary: Albert Woodfox on freedom after 44 years in a concrete cell | World news | The Guardian

Meanwhile, On a Positive Note and Tribute to Innovation & Teamwork-
Let’s Do Science on Mars with Charles B.!

Author’s note: I started the Qualcomm robotics program.  Our goal was to use a cell phone chip for flight control in a commercial drone.
JPL saw our drone demonstration at a CES trade show and asked if they could use our board for a helicopter on Mars.  I thought it was a crank call – until they sent a link to a video of a test rotor lifting a weight in their vacuum chamber. A few years, and a bunch of testing later, that board is now on Mars.
Neville asked me to share my thoughts on the landing

Let’s Do Science on Mars:
Humans want to go to Mars and do incredible science, looking for signs of past life.  So, we find a way to pack a lab full of scientific equipment into a one-ton rover.
The trip to Mars is 480 million kilometers, and we only have enough fuel for small course corrections, so we find a way to measure the exact position of Mars for a precise launch.
When we get to Mars, we are going twenty thousand kilometers per hour as we enter the atmosphere, and need to slow down while still guiding the vehicle, so we build a heat shield that can survive the intense temperatures of atmospheric braking while providing directional lift by changing its angle to the atmosphere, allowing us to control our entry path.
Atmospheric braking will not slow us down enough, so we invent a parachute that can deploy at supersonic speeds in the Martian atmosphere.
Communication from Earth to Mars takes 12 minutes, so the vehicle is on its own to find a place to land.  We want to land near an ancient lake, but it has multiple treacherous obstacles, so we design a new guidance system that performs a “divert maneuver”, comparing camera images to preloaded maps and autonomously selecting a good place to land.
We can’t afford the weight of landing gear and ramps, so invent a “jetpack” that hovers over the surface and lowers the rover gently to the ground via cables in a “skycrane maneuver”.
We have a little unused space, so create a small, four-pound helicopter that can fly autonomously on Mars.  It will spin its twin 1.2m blades at 2400 rpm to provide lift in a Martian atmosphere that is only 0.6% the density of that on Earth.  It will be the first heavier-than-air flight on another planet, a “Kitty Hawk” moment.  We need the lightest computer possible, so take a cell phone chip used in Earthbound drones and find a way to make it survive the trip and work on Mars.    The helicopter is a marvel of engineering.   We call the helicopter Ingenuity.
The rover, a product of the human desire for exploration and scientific knowledge, is a testament to our ability to overcome problems when we work together.   We call the rover Perseverance. 

For more information about Perseverance and Ingenuity, please see: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/
To see landing video from Perseverance which is time-aligned with NASA commentary see link
For an article about the Qualcomm chip controlling Ingenuity, see link

The Women Are Coming!
A great vid showing us all the amazing women leaders around the world
The Women Are Coming – YouTube

Thanks this week go to Charles B, ABC 10 News, Larry H, Ron M & Ken D.

Please pay it forward this week
Love,
Neville

“Your task is not to seek love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it” – Rumi

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

DK

Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week:

Being the change we want to see-
Healing the Political Divide- A Path Forward with Arthur C Brooks and the National Conflict Resolution Center
If you are done with the partisan politics and polarization, and want to be part of a path forward for our community and nation, this is a must see, and super thoughtful approach to getting beyond our divisiveness and polarization!
A Path Forward: Healing the Political Divide with Arthur Brooks – YouTube

Texas Man Helps Over 140 Stranded Drivers During Winter Storm Uri: ‘Put Yourself in Their Shoes’
“If I was in that spot, I would beg and hope that somebody would help me, so that’s what I’m doing,” Ryan Sivley said of his kind actions
Texas Man Helps Hundreds of Stranded Drivers During Winter Storm Uri | PEOPLE.com

Village Teacher Wins $1 Million Prize For World’s Most ‘Exceptional’ Educator
Ranjitsinh Disale from India has been honored for finding ways to educate girls whose parents don’t want them to come to school.
An amazing story, particularly with what he chooses to do with the prize money!
What an example…
World’s Most ‘Exceptional’ Teacher Gets $1 Million Prize : Goats and Soda : NPR

Hey 19! I was way too self-centered at 19 to even consider this Congrats Aysha and thanks for leading with your heart! So proud of you…     Aysha invited you to her fundraiser

Aysha’s birthday fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Fundraiser by Aysha Billimoria for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital       About the Fundraiser For my birthday this year, I’m asking for donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. I’ve chosen this nonprofit because their mission means a lot to me, and I hope you’ll consider contributing as a way to celebrate with me. Every little bit will help me reach my goal. I’ve included information about St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital below. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% since it opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90%, and we won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries we make, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. #StJude 100% of your donation goes directly to the nonprofit.   How much would you like to donate?     $5       $20       $50       $100       Other         About the Nonprofit   St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital EIN 62-0646012 Visit Guidestar Page   Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% since it opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90%, and we won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries we make, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. #StJude

The Yann Arthus-Bertrand Project: “Earth Seen from the Sky”:
Amazing pictures from all over the world that make you go Aaaah…

Thanks this week go to Steve D, Arthur B, Aysha S-B and Chris B.

Please pay it forward
Love,
Neville

“Your task is not to seek love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it” – Rumi

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria

DK

Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week:
“It doesn’t matter who you love, where you love, why you love, when you love, or how you love, it only matters THAT you love!”- John Lennon

I’m So Excited!
This will jump start your Valentine’s Day weekend:
Movie stars dancing to…’I’m So Excited!’ – 1Funny.com

Do You Believe in Love? How to Align Your Life with the Most Powerful Force in the Universe:
Do You Believe in Love? How to Align Your Life with the Most Powerful Force in the Universe (craighamiltonglobal.com)

Love is Love-
What are Personal Pronouns and Why Do They Matter?
Because mis-gendering hurts, and using them properly can literally reduce harm & save lives!

In English, whether we realize it or not, people frequently refer to us using pronouns when speaking about us. Often, when speaking of a singular human in the third person, these pronouns have a gender implied — such as “he” to refer to a man/boy or “she” to refer to a woman/girl. These associations are not always accurate or helpful.

Often, people make assumptions about the gender of another person based on the person’s appearance or name. These assumptions aren’t always correct, and the act of making an assumption (even if correct) sends a potentially harmful message — that people have to look a certain way to demonstrate the gender that they are or are not.

What Are Pronouns? Why Do They Matter? — MyPronouns.org Resources on Personal Pronouns

6 Signs of a Wholesome Relationship:
6 Signs of a Wholesome Relationship | by Shirin | Hello, Love | Jan, 2021 | Medium

All You Need Is Love:
All You Need Is Love (Remastered 2009) – YouTube

Thanks this week go to Bob C, Paul C, Megan T, as well as the inimitable lovesters; John, Paul, George & Ringo!
Play it forward with love,
Neville

“Your task is not to seek love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it” – Rumi

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NevilleB108
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbillimoria