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lecho · 3 years

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Celebrating Black History Month: Jack Johnson – First African American to win Heavy Weight Boxing Crown

Early Years

The first black heavyweight champion, John Arthur "Jack" Johnson was born on March 31, 1878, in Galveston, Texas. The son of ex-slaves and the third of nine children, Johnson possessed an air of confidence and drive to exceed beyond the hardscrabble life his parents had known.

After a few years of school, Johnson went to work as a laborer to help support his family. A good deal of his childhood, in fact, was spent working on boats and sculleries in Galveston.

By the age of 16, Johnson was on his own, traveling to New York and later Boston before returning to his hometown. Johnson's first fight came around this time. His opponent was a fellow longshoreman, and while the purse wasn't much �� just $1.50 — Johnson jumped at the chance and won the fight. Not long after he earned $25 for managing to stick out four rounds against professional boxer Bob Thompson.

Challenging James F. Jeffries

By the early 1900s, the 6'2" Johnson, who'd become known as the Galveston Giant, had made a name for himself in the black boxing circuit and had his eyes set on the world heavyweight title, which was held by white boxer Jim F. Jeffries. Jeffries refused to fight him, though he wasn't alone; white boxers would not spar with their black counterparts.

But Johnson's talents and bravado were too hard to ignore. Finally, on December 26, 1908, the flamboyant Johnson, who often taunted his opponents as he beat them soundly, got his chance for the title when champion Tommy Burns fought him outside of Sydney, Australia. Burns, who had succeeded Jeffries as champion, had only agreed to fight Johnson after promoters guaranteed him $30,000. The fight, which novelist Jack London attended and wrote about for a New York newspaper, lasted until the 14th round, when police stepped in and ended it. Johnson was named the winner.

‘Fight of the Century’

From there, Johnson continued his calls for Jeffries to step into the ring with him. On July 4, 1910, he finally did. Dubbed the "Fight of the Century," more than 22,000 eager fans turned out for the bout, held in Reno, Nevada. After 15 rounds, Johnson came away victorious, affirming his domain over boxing and further angering white boxing fans who hated seeing a black man sit atop the sport.

Jeffries was humbled by the loss and what he'd seen of his opponent. "I could never have whipped Johnson at my best," he said. "I couldn't have hit him. No, I couldn't have reached him in 1,000 years." For the fight, Johnson earned a purse of $117,000. It would be five years before he relinquished the heavyweight title, when he fell to Jess Willard in a 26-round bout in Havana, Cuba. Johnson continued to fight for another 12 years, hanging up his gloves for good at the age of 50.

Boxing Record

In total, John's professional record included 73 wins (40 of them being knockouts), 13 losses, 10 draws and 5 no contests.

Lavish Lifestyle and Prison Sentence

As Johnson became a bigger name in the sport of boxing, he also became a bigger target for a white America that longed to see him ruined. For his part, Johnson loved to brandish his wealth and his disdain for racial rules.

He dated white women, drove lavish cars and spent money freely. But trouble was always lurking. In 1912, he was convicted of violating the Mann Act for bringing his white girlfriend across state lines before their marriage. Sentenced to prison, he fled to Europe, remaining there as a fugitive for seven years. He returned to the United States in 1920 and ultimately served out his sentence.

Death

His life came to an unfortunate end on June 10, 1946, when he died in an automobile accident in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Personal Life

Johnson had three spouses, all of whom were white women, which caused great controversy. His first marriage was in 1911 to Brooklyn socialite and divorcée Etta Terry Duryea. Their relationship was anything but stable and Duryea, who suffered from depression, ended up committing suicide in 1912.

Just a few months after Duryea ended her life, Johnson married Lucille Cameron, but she divorced him in 1924 because of his philandering. A year later the boxer married Irene Pineau and the couple remained together until his death in 1946.

Movie

Since his death, Johnson's life and career have undergone a major rehabilitation. His alleged crimes are now seen as the result of racial bias in law enforcement. In 1970 Johnson was portrayed by actor James Earl Jones in the film adaptation The Great White Hope, which was sourced from the 1967 play by Howard Sackler. Jones and his co-star Jane Alexander both received Oscar nominations for their work on the film. Twenty years later, Johnson was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and his life also became the subject of the acclaimed Ken Burns’ documentary Unforgivable Blackness (2004).

Petitions for Presidential Pardon

In April 2018, President Donald Trump tweeted that, after receiving a phone call from actor and boxing aficionado Sylvester Stallone, he was considering a full posthumous pardon for Johnson's violation of the Mann Act. In May 2018, Trump granted Johnson a posthumous pardon.

Several lawmakers had sought the pardon in recent years. In 2016, Senators John McCain and Harry Reid and Congressmen Peter King and Gregory Meeks wrote a joint letter to President Barack Obama, asking him to overturn the "ongoing injustice" of Johnson's "racially-motivated conviction." In 2017, Senator Corey Booker joined his colleagues in introducing a resolution on behalf of the boxer.

Source: https://www.biography.com/athlete/jack-johnson

#black history month #african-american athletes #heavy weight boxing #Jack Johnson

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bogfanfic · 4 years

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Bog fiction request : "America's Got talent" type of competition where different celebrities compete and the losers are sucked into the bog for a battle for their lives.

Bog Games

Harry Styles and William Shatner were setting up their mics on opposite sides of the peat stage. Harry Styles was wearing loafers, which kept getting stuck in the peat. William Shatner saw this and chuckled. He came prepared in his thigh high waders. You and Jimmy Kimmel sat behind the judges booth, ready to judge.

“Who do you think will win Y/n?” asked Jimmy.

“I’m not sure,” you said. “I know they’re both very talented.”

Harry Styles was going to perform first. His music began playing, a song you didn't recognize. Could it be that he was singing an unreleased song? He began singing and his voice was beautiful. Harry Styles has always been quite the performer.

After his song, William Shatner cleared his throat and sat down on the stool behind the mic. Much to your surprise, the same song began playing, and William Shatner sang a spoken word version of Harry’s song. You couldn’t believe it. At first, you thought it wouldn’t be as good as the original, but it was even better. William Shatner spoke with such emotion that it brought tears to your eyes. You looked over at Jimmy Kimmel and noticed that he was tearing up as well. When the song was over, you and Jimmy clapped. You could hear the croaking of the frog audience behind you as well. Just based on audience reaction, the winner was clear, but you also felt it in your heart.

“Jimmy, I think-”

“William Shatner is the winner!” Jimmy Kimmel said. The frogs croaked their approval.

“What?! This isn’t fair!” Harry Styles shouted. “He stole my song! That’s not even allowed.”

Harry continued to yell as the alligator body guards dragged him off the stage with their teeth. They pulled Harry into the stagnant moldy water. His body sunk into the mud, his face slipping under the moss never to be seen again.

“William Shatner moves onto the next round!” you announced.

Next round was debate, which you were interested in seeing. Especially because Kim Namjoon, aka RM, was in the debate. He was your crush and you hoped he didn’t lose and become a bog body. In fact, you kind of hoped he won the games overall because of the prize…

Kellyanne Conway stood behind her podium on the peat stage. Her heels were sinking into the peat and there was moss in her hair. She had actually been living in the bog for quite a while, so she was right at home here. RM was also sinking into the peat, not used to this environment. When he moved to get closer to his podium, the mud suctioned his shoes right off, lost to the bog forever.

Once they were both in their places, you stood up and announced the topic of the debate.

“Is a hotdog a sandwich?” you said. It was a simple, yet complex question that has been in debate for years. You were looking forward to the two contestants coming to a conclusion.

“No, a hotdog is not a sandwich because a hot dog bun isn’t two separate pieces of bread,” Kellyanne began.

“But a sub is considered a sandwich, as are pitas and empanadas. If those are considered sandwiches, then a hotdog more than falls into that category,” said RM.

“But by societal laws, a hotdog is not considered a sandwich,” said Kellyanne.

“What society? American society? The hotdog is fundamentally american, but sandwiches are universal. Many people around the world would look at a hotdog and consider it a sandwich. Many Americans even would maybe consider it a sandwich, so saying that it’s societal law is too loose of a criteria. By the definition of a sandwich, which is food held together by bread, it is a sandwich,” said RM. The frogs croaked in consideration and approval.

“But it's a hotdog,” said Kellyanne. “It can’t be a sandwich.”

“That is not a valid argument,” Jimmy Kimmel interrupted. Jimmy looked over at you. You were filling out your logic maps, trying to figure out whose argument was the best. So far, RM was winning.

“Do you have anything else to say?” you asked, looking at Kellyanne. She shook her head. “Then RM is the winner!”

Kellyanne hung her head and walked into the water, her legs sinking in the mud and her body going under.

Y/N and Jimmy Kimmel set up the boxing ring, their feet sinking into the peat. Jimmy put on his sexiest outfit, ready to announce the rounds. He was wearing thigh-high, high heeled leather waders and a moss green bikini. You put on your striped referee shirt and your overall waders.

In one corner, stood Michelle Obama, with her coach, Barack. In the other corner was Lucy Liu with her coach, Uma Thurman. Barack was rubbing Michelle’s shoulders, giving her a pep talk before the big fight. Lucy was warming up with Uma, her boxing-glove clad hands hitting Uma’s padded hands.

“Laaaaaaaadies and gentlemen!” you say into the microphone. “The fight is about to begin!”

Uma and Barack exited the ring, leaving Lucy and Michelle in their corners. They each shed their robes, revealing their skin-tight wrestling outfits. Michelle’s was red, white, and blue American flag patterned. Lucy’s was bog green and camo patterned.

The women came forward and shook each other’s hands, then went back into their corners. Jimmy Fallon walked across the stage, a Round 1 banner held above his head. He exited the ring, and the bell rang.

“Begin!” yelled Y/N.

The women wasted no time running toward each other, Lucy going high and Michelle low. Michelle wrapped her arms around Lucy and knocked her to the ground. Lucy, not one to stay down long, scrambled out of Michelle’s hold and got back to her feet. Michelle stood and the women started circling each other, daring each other to make the first move. Lucy struck, grabbing her opponent and throwing her into the railing. Michelle used the momentum to throw herself at Lucy, yelling her battle cry. She once again grabbed Lucy and threw her to the ground, pinning her down. Lucy tried to throw Michelle off, but was unable to. Y/N ran into the scene and counted down: “3, 2, 1, Michelle wins!”

The women retreated to their corners. Barack high fived his wife and gave her some water. Uma appeared to be giving Lucy a pep talk. The frog audience shivered in anticipation.

Jimmy walked across the ring once again, Round 2 held above his head. The bell rang, and you yelled, “Begin!”

Lucy wasn’t holding anything back this time. She ran toward Michelle, ducking as Michelle tried to grab her. She bounced off the ring, and flew toward Michelle, knocking the First Lady to the ground, face first. Michelle flipped over, wiping the mud from her eyes. She sat up, just to be knocked down by Lucy again. Michelle flipped them over, so Lucy was laying down in the mud and she was on top. Lucy threw Michelle off her and stood. Michelle did the same.

You held your breath as the fighters circled each other, once again. This time, Michelle made the first move. Lucy stepped to the side as Michelle ran past her. She turned around, anticipating Michelle’s next move. Lucy knelt down and reached into the bog, pulling out a metal folding chair, the bog making a slurping sound as it released it. She let Michelle run past her again, then hit her in the back with the chair. Lucy pinned a dazed Michelle to the ground.

“Round 2 goes to Lucy!” you announced.

The frog audience croaked with pleasure. Things were really heating up now.

“There can only be one winner!” You said into the microphone.

Jimmy presented the Round 3 sign.

“Round three begins, now!” you said as the bell rang again.

Michelle was dazed but certainly not confused. She knew she had to take Lucy down, or become a bog body. Last time, she made the first move, but that hadn’t ended well. She waited for Lucy to make the first move. As Lucy ran toward her, Michelle flipped through the air, landing on Lucy’s shoulders. She used her momentum to pull Lucy backward, both of them landing on the ground. Both scrambled, grabbing at one another, trying to pin each other down. Michelle grabbed Lucy’s arm and managed to pin her down. After you count to three, the bog raised up to swallow Lucy. Michelle backed away, watching as her opponent scrambled, trying to escape the bog. Her head went under the water, and her screams went with it.

Jimmy Fallon climbed into the ring and grabbed Michelle’s hand, raising it up, declaring her the winner. The frogs went wild. Michelle would move on.

Colin Creevy and Violet Baudelaire took the stage where Harry and Willy Shatz had completed earlier. You took your seat next to Jimmy, who was still dressed in his sexy outfit. This round would be a rap battle. Colin stepped up to the mic. His wavy black hair was thick with pomade. He wore nothing but swimming trunks.

“Jimmy!” he said, pointing at the man. “Give me a beat.”

Jimmy obliged, giving Colin one of the sickest beats you had ever heard.

“Name’s Colin, last name Creevy,

Women have told me I’m a bit skeevy,

I’m the hottest member of the Lake Huron Surf Club

After this, baby, let’s go down to the pub,” he rapped, winking at you.

“Find me in the water on my surfboard,

Hitting the waves, I win all the awards,

Back off Violet, I’ll see you later

At surfing and rapping, there ain’t no one greater.”

Colin took a bow, as the frogs went wild. Violet took a deep breath and walked up onto the stage. Colin’s rap wasn’t very good, but she wondered if she would be able to beat it still. Freestyle rapping was hard, she knew. Violet pulled her ribbon from her pocket and tied up her hair to get it out of her face. Now that she was free from distraction, she could think more clearly, and started noticing all the little things Colin Creevy could be insecure about and thought about how she could rap about them.

“Colin Creevy, look out, your time here is done,

My rhymes are so fresh that I’ve already won.

You talk a big game, that much is correct,

Now stand back, you’re about to get wrecked.

You hide behind your looks, and your lil’ surfboard,

Knowing your rhymes weren’t enough to win the reward.

My life may be a series of unfortunate events.

But watch out, Creevy, or your life is next.”

The frogs began to scream. They had never heard a better rap than Violets. It was clear who the winner was. Colin fought as the crocodiles carried him away, throwing him to the mercy of the bog.

The next challenge was the dance off between Oprah Winfrey and Seth Rogan. Neither of them were dancers, but it seemed Seth had some surprises up his sleeve. Jimmy Kimmel plugged in his phone and put on his favorite song, Wasabi, by Little Mix. Seth Rogan stepped up onto the peat stage and broke it down. His moves were sexy and sassy, going with the song perfectly. Oprah pushed him out of the way and began her freestyle. She flipped her hair and rolled on the ground sexily. She got up and popped her hips, finishing her solo with one last spin. Seth stepped up and began his sexy routine. He flipped his hair and shook his ass, wowing the crowd. His dance was building until finally, he did it. The triple tiger sashay. The hardest dance move of all time. The frog audience croaked their shock and awe.

It was obvious, Seth Rogan was the winner and would be moving onto the next round.

“Alright! Is everyone ready for some Extreme Bog Basketball?” Jimmy Kimmel shouted into the echoing microphone. (EBBB). The frog audience and the final contestants cheered. Seth, Violet Baudelaire, Michelle Obama, Kim Namjoon, and William Shatner stood on the starting platform.

You stood from your judge’s booth and went to face the cameras. The cameraman handed you a microphone as he went down the line of finalists.

“Good evening listeners! I know you are all dying to hear about the final round of tonight’s Bog Games! Our finalists, competing in the EBBB game, are ready to fight! First we have Seth Rogan, writer, director and...comedian? Next we have Violet Baudelaire, eldest sibling and inventor. Michelle Obama, former First Lady and future president of the United States. Kim Namjoon, composer, writer, rapper, and leader of boyband, BTS. And last but not least, William Shatner, actor, singer, and original captain of the USS Enterprise,” you announced. “Now, you all know the rules of EBBB. There are two baskets on either side of the 100 yard b-ball court. The court today will take place in the business district and both nets are at the top of the tallest two office buildings. Each basket is worth two points. At the end of the 48 minute timer, without quarterly stops, whoever has the most points, wins. Otherwise, there are no rules. It is every man for himself.”

All the players wore basketball shorts and jerseys. Namjoon’s thighs looked great in his shorts, but you couldn’t let yourself get distracted. You had to pay attention to the game. When the horn sounded, the players rushed off into the business district of the bog. Seth Rogan had the ball and everyone else was hot on his trail. They weaved through the mossy buildings, dodging beavers and herons in business suits. Michelle body slammed Seth Rogan and stole the ball, darting off into a muddy alleyway.

Violet thought fast and broke off from the chase, running right to the building where she could see the basketball net on the roof. She ran into the lobby and took the stairs all the way up. She had to run through several offices filled with frogs and turtles in cubicles, but she finally found a way to the roof. She half expected security guards to stop her, but then she remembered that bog game intervention was illegal in the bog. Once she got to the roof, she crouched behind an air vent and waited. While she waited for the other players to bring the ball, she pulled out her ribbon and tied her hair up, thinking. She was a lot smaller than the other players, so she won’t stand a chance fighting them for the ball. She would have to outsmart them. A convenient pile of metal and tools sat to her left. She got to work inventing her most prestigious device to date.

Meanwhile, Michelle still had the ball, and Seth was hot on her heels. RM and Willy Shatz were close behind. Michelle turned to go down an alley, but her foot got stuck in the peat, the basketball flying out of her hands as she hit the ground. Seth saw his opening and picked up the ball. RM, not having seen Michelle fall, tripped over the first lady. Willy Shatz catapulted over them and ran down the alley after Seth.

Seth found himself in a dead end, Willy approaching fast. He clutched the ball to his chest.

“Give it here Seth,” said William. “There’s nowhere to go.”

Seth Rogan, the inventor of comedy himself, refused to fall prey to a man who made his living doing sci-fi. Seth thought of that as a lesser genre. He was a master of comedy, and thus could make the world around him into a comedy.

Suddenly, a lever appeared to his left. Seth smirked, and pulled it. A trap door appeared beneath Wiliam, and he fell through.

Seth ran past, jumped over RM and Michelle, who had sunk partially into the peat and were still trying to get out, and made his way toward the front doors of the building. He raced through the building, toward the elevator. A fatal mistake.

As the doors opened at the top floor of the building, some sort of flying device with a grabber snatched the basketball from Seth. Above the elevator, Violet cut the safety lines, and the elevator plummeted back to the first floor, Seth still inside.

Violet grabbed the ball, ran out to the roof, and dunked it through the hoop. The first two points were hers.

Below, RM had managed to untangle himself from Michelle. He watched as Violet made the first basket. He waited below, and the ball fell right into his waiting arms.

RM ran toward the other building, hoping that would give him an advantage, as everyone else was in the first building. He took the stairs two at a time, racing to the roof of the building. He burst through the door, and was blocked by Violet’s flying arm machine. The arm went to grab the ball, and RM ducked, running under the machine. He threw the basketball as hard as he could at the machine, breaking one of the propellers. The machine went down.

RM grabbed the ball as Michelle burst onto the roof. But they had been too slow. RM had made a basket.

Below, Violet was waiting for her machine to bring her the ball. She watched as RM made a basket. As the ball fell to the earth, she ran to meet it, but she was too slow. William Shatner had reappeared, and he got to the ball first. He turned and ran into the building. Violet watched in disbelief. There was no way he was going to get past Michelle and RM. She decided to wait for the ball to come back down.

Michelle was ahead of RM coming down the stairs. She practically ran into William Shatner as he came up the stairs with the ball. Before Michelle could do anything to stop him, he opened a door and ran out of the stairwell. Michelle and RM followed closely behind.

William desperately looked for a door to another stairwell, but there didn’t appear to be one. He ran into a conference room, where the frogs seemed to be discussing something very important, and locked the door. The conference room, however, had glass walls, so RM and Michelle found him quite quickly.

“Give me the ball!” said RM, pounding on the door.

“No, he’s already scored, give me the ball!” said Michelle.

William stared out the glass. He would need a diversion so he could get out of here. He began to sing his hit song, Bohemian Rhapsody.

“Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for meeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeee!”

As he hit the high note, the glass shattered, spraying Michelle and RM.

“My eyes!” Michelle screamed.

Willy jumped through the window and made his way back to the stairwell, RM close behind. Willy lost RM in the maze of the office and ran up the stairs, breathless from his beautiful solo.

Willy got to the roof, but he wasn’t alone. RM was faster and beat him there, and Violet had come up at some point while Willy had been trapped. They blocked his path to the basket.

In your judge’s box, you watched the scene unfold with baited breath, noticing that there was only five minutes left. This would be the final basket.

Violet had got her machine working again. It flew near Willy.

“Give the ball here,” she said. “You can’t win, there’s not enough time. Help me defeat RM.”

“No,” he said. “If I can’t win Y/N’s heart, no one can.”

William threw the ball over RM and Violet's heads, praying it would land in the basket.

Violet sent her machine toward the ball and RM jumped into the air, both reaching for the ball. RM snatched it out of the air and turned toward the basket. With a flick of his wrist, it went in, nothing but net. RM scored the final point of the game.

The frogs in the audience, and everywhere in the bog, cheered as the buzzer wet off, ending the game. You stood up and covered your mouth. You couldn’t believe it. RM had won!

The surviving three players came down to stand on the peat stage. Jimmy Kimmel handed you the gold medal.

“You can do the honor,” he said with a wink. He knew about your crush on RM. You went to the stage and walked past Willy Shatz and Violet, who were hanging their heads in defeat. RM watched you with a smoldering gaze as you put the gold medal around his neck.

“RM is the winner of this year’s Bog Games!’ Jimmy Kimmel announced. The alligator guards grabbed Willy and Violet and dragged them into the mud. Jimmy Kimmel approached, holding the microphone out to RM. “How does it feel being the winner of the Bog Games?”

“The most important thing I won today, Jimmy, is the heart of Y/n,” said RM, not breaking eye contact with you. You blushed.

Later that evening, after your date at the finest restaurant in the bog, you walked with RM along the firefly-lit trails.

“Where will you go after this?” you asked, knowing that RM was a world famous idol who no doubt had other band related duties to attend to.

“Well, I was hoping to stay a bit longer here with you, but then I’ll have to go back to Korea and prepare for our comeback,” said RM.

“Oh,” you said, looking down.

RM placed a gentle finger under your chin, tilting your head up to face him.

“Don’t worry Y/n, you’ll of course get a backstage pass to all of our concerts so that I can see you every day on our tour,” he said. You blushed as he leaned in, kissing you under the clear, starry sky of the bog.

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trh-thesussexes · 5 years

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Michelle Obama’s Interview by HRH The Duchess of Sussex

#Duchess of Sussex #Meghan Markle #Michelle Obama #BRILLIANT INTERVIEW #VogueGuestEditor19

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drmarr · 4 years

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COVID and your Carbon Footprint

Back in the spring, during the first couple weeks of COVID lockdown, we saw a temporary crash in carbon emissions that had everyone talking about how much clearer the air was with less air traffic and transportation, how much cleaner the water was with less water traffic and less industrialization… I remember thinking, sure this is great, until we go back to life as it was when the pandemic restrictions are over.

Then, only a couple of weeks later, I started noticing the photos posted in news and social media from neighborhoods and shores around the world littered with face masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer bottles.

My son’s daycare stopped allowing lunch boxes and bags to be brought to school, allowing only single use plastic bags. The world saw more take out containers with everyone ordering online, unable to eat out, and/or in effort to maintain social distancing.

Then there are these signs at my daily lunch spot:

“Bring your own container, utensils and water bottle to eliminate single use plastics in 2020!” posted directly BESIDE the sign that says “USE plastic gloves to self serve.” At which point I thought, there is no way we aren’t going backwards with this...

I get it. I get taking certain precautions. But it really opened my eyes up to how much this is going to impact our environment.

Coincidentally, at the same time, I happened to be taking a course offered by Harvard called The Health Effects of Climate Change, after which I thought, I’m a healthcare professional!! HOW can we be ignoring this. How did I not KNOW the extent of all of this? HOW can we educate more people on how many systems this affects? Let me sum this up for you...

Source: CDC

Climate change affects everything!

Beyond the obvious air pollution, temperature changes, extreme weather, flooding and wildfires (if that wasn’t already enough), I hadn’t even thought about how climate change would affect vector borne illnesses (ticks, mosquitoes, etc) , food and waterborne diarrheal illnesses, food security, down to the quality of nutrients in our food.

After taking this course, I felt a responsibility to incorporate this into my job as a professional in healthcare.

HOW, as a healthcare professional, can I ignore this when it’s already impacting us today? I had no idea that air pollution is the 4th highest-ranking risk factor for death globally - 7 MILLION deaths due to air pollution!

Our choices today have a dramatic impact on our health. Existing health threats will intensify and new health threats will emerge. Not everyone is equally at risk, which in turn can make many of us think we are safe.

As someone who initially didn’t think they could have an impact on climate change (just one, single, insignificant person, right?), I was excited to learn about how EASY it was to offset my carbon footprint with Climate Wise. I had never considered this before. I didn’t understand how easy it was!

What is a carbon footprint? The amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels by a particular person, group, etc.

What does it mean to offset it? Offsetting your carbon footprint means you look for ways to compensate for your emission by funding projects that help save carbon emissions elsewhere. Our everyday actions consume energy and produce carbon emissions (driving, flying and heat and AC, etc), what we eat, how it’s cooked, what we wear, etc. We CAN reduce our carbon emission drastically by making lifestyle choices, but there is always going to be a little bit left over to prevent us from getting it down to zero.

This is where Climate Wise comes in - Funding major projects that make the biggest difference in slowing, stopping, and reversing climate change. They find the projects that do the work! We help fund them to make them happen!

It’s that simple!

It cost me $13/month to offset my family of one adult, 1 child, and a dog. That’s 2 coffees (where I live)! $150 a YEAR to invest in my son’s health and future.

This $13 a month may not seem like enough to make an impact alone (it wouldn’t), but working together**, it’s more than enough. Now, because I am actively investing in this, this $13/month has made me MORE conscious of the actions I am taking in my day to day life that can help decrease my carbon footprint at home (using my travel coffee mug more, making sure I’m aware of how much I am recycling, decreasing my red meat intake, etc).

**I hate math, but I bet you can wrap your head around this equation too… If ONE person, donates ONE dollar - ONE dollar from ONE MILLION people would be ONE MILLION DOLLARS! This is SO DOABLE to help fund massive projects that can help make major differences on lowering, removing, and slowing CO2 emissions.

With simple math like this, you can easily see that if we make this a global initiative, it can be easily achievable if we work together to help fund big projects that otherwise might not be done, or wouldn’t be done as quickly - and let’s face it, time is not on our side!

"We are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it." —President Obama

THIS MAKES SENSE!!!

OFFSET yourself, your household, your business HERE to start help making a difference TODAY!

*I am on a mission to help all healthcare clinics offset their clinics/ employees. Reach out to be a certified Climate Wise offset clinic!! Climate change is and will continue to effect our HEALTH.

Dr. Danielle Marr is a professional coach and consultant. CLICK here to learn more about how you can maximize your world, and the world around you.

#climatewiseambassador #climatechange #climatewise #carbonfootprint #carbonoffset

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viktorbezic · 4 years

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Constraint Stories: How The Highwaymen Became Artists During the Jim Crow Era

26 African American artists known as The Highwaymen, began painting during the Jim Crow era around Fort Pierce, Florida. A time when gallery representation was out of the question for African Americans during the racially unsettled violent 50s of Florida (1).

A prominent white Floridian Landscape painter A. E. "Bean" Backus was well known in the region for his painting style. In 1954 he convinced the 19-year old African American Harold Newton to create paintings of landscape scenes versus religious scenes. Newton would watch Backus paint and adopted his landscape style (2). Harold would sometimes skip school and watch Backus to pick up more new techniques. Not having a studio, Newton would paint outside with a makeshift pallet brush he fashioned out of a discarded tool. His photographic memory would allow Newton to quickly reproduce what Backus had painted in a few hours. It enabled him to rush back for critiques and continue his progress.

The 16-year old Mary Ann Carrol would later watch Newton paint, and he showed her how to mix colors and taught her the basics. She not only learned to paint but also helped the other Highway Men in a very significant way. Mary Ann was one of a small number of Highway Men with a car. She would drive with the other painters and help sell their work. When she sold her paintings alone, she traveled Highway 1 with a gun in her glove box, fearing for her safety (3). Her bravery allowed her and the Highwaymen to provide a way to earn a living form their art.

Alfred Hair started painting in high school and showed tremendous promise. So much so that he was referred to Backus by his art teacher Zanobia Jefferson. Jefferson knew of Backus' generous nature to all who wanted to learn from him. Jefferson thought it would keep Hair out of trouble and didn't want his talent to be squandered. Backus would start teaching Hair one year after teaching Harold Newton. Bean's house and studio were just across the tracks from Alfred's home, and exchange for lessons, he would make frames for Backus and organize his studio (4).

Hair was a quick study. With his charismatic nature, he started to sell paintings. Others would gather in his neighborhood and watch him paint. His friends soon began to paint. They earned the name "The Highwaymen," as the only avenue to sell their paintings was door to door driving up and down Florida's Highway 1. White business owners bought these paintings and hung them in hotel lobbies and offices. Sold affordably, they allowed Floridians to attain the middle-class dream of owning an original oil painting. Hair and his circle of friends began painting together and encouraging each other. It allowed them to create another living for themselves outside working in citrus groves. From his art, Alfred was able to afford a beautiful house, car, and vacations for him and his wife. Hair became the natural leader of the group due to his charisma and drive.

Through the Highwaymen's self-determination, they were able to attain the title of artist. A profession denied them for being black, they were also able to move into the middle class. Through the sale of their art, they could escape poverty and victimization. Their output as a group was prolific. They were able to quickly produce large volumes of landscapes, sometimes selling them out of the trunks of their cars as the paint still dried. They used materials that were available to them out of necessity. Instead of painting on canvas, they painted on Upson board and created hand-finished frames from crown molding they found (5).

On August 9th, 1970, Alfred would meet his untimely death from what started as an altercation at a local bar. The barroom fight quickly escalated, and Hair would be shot by the ex-convict and migrant fruit picker Julius Funderburk (6). After Alfred's death, the group unfortunately disbanded. Only a couple of Highway Men continued to paint after Hair's death.

In 2004 All 26 Highway Men, were inducted into the Florida Artist's Hall of Fame. Their renown grew internationally. Mary Ann Caroll, the lone "Highway Woman," lived in obscurity for many years. However, she received public recognition as a guest of honor at Michelle Obama's First Lady Luncheon in 2011, where she presented the First Lady with a painting of a poinciana tree. The Backus Gallery and Museum continues to hold an annual exhibition of The Highwaymen's artwork to this day (7).

References

1. Congdon, Kristin G. The Making of an Artist: Desire, Courage, and Commitment. Intellect Books, 2018. p. 125.

2. “The Highwaymen (Artists).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Feb. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Highwaymen_(artists).

3. Congdon, Kristin G. The Making of an Artist: Desire, Courage, and Commitment. Intellect Books, 2018. p. 129.

4. Idem, page 126.

5. Idem, page 130.

6. Idem, page 126.

7. “The Highwaymen (Artists).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Feb. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Highwaymen_(artists).

#my writing #long reads #constraints journal #viktor bezic #writers on tumblr #highwaymen #painting #racial inequality #black artists #black painters #creative constraint

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thisdayinfavrd · 4 years

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November 16, 2009

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My son said the F word but I forgive him because at his age he is too young to realize Friendster is gay. @roughdiction (RoughDiction) – 50

#favrd is down

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adairraleign · 3 years

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Though scorned by the medical community, his goat gland operations became an instant hit with many men who were charged $750 dollars per transplant.

Though scorned by the medical community, his goat gland operations became an instant hit with many men who were charged $750 dollars per transplant. We don't see that in UK civilian practice. Harker is very accommodating. Most sequencing efforts have concentrated on those that infect people, livestock or crops. I was a ready listener. Nevertheless, the sincere opponents of slavery have been unhappily divided among themselves as to principles and measures, the extreme principles and measures of some causing a hurtful reaction in others. When coach outlet monroe Mens ADIDAS ORIGINALS ohio she left the stable, it was time for her to oakley eye glasses lay the cloth. Call me kinslayer, and you won’t be wrong. In 2015, the Obama administration dropped 23,144 bombs on the other six countries. No replacement could be found; what draft horses remained were needed to pull the wagons that held their food and fodder. 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your-dietician · 3 years

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Erik Moses, NASCAR’s first Black track president, on the importance of representation — The Undefeated

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/nascar/erik-moses-nascars-first-black-track-president-on-the-importance-of-representation-the-undefeated/

Erik Moses, NASCAR’s first Black track president, on the importance of representation — The Undefeated

Erik Moses loves a good challenge. The former CEO of the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission and president of the DC Defenders of the XFL was named president of the Nashville Superspeedway in August 2020, becoming the first Black track president in NASCAR history. The track in Lebanon, Tennessee, will host its first NASCAR Cup event in 37 years during Father’s Day weekend.

Moses’ great uncle, John Kenneth Lee, was one of the first five Black students to desegregate the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1951. Now Moses, 50, is making his own history, looking to fill the stands at his track and to create greater diversity at all levels of the sport. At a time when NASCAR’s popularity is falling, Moses says more Black, brown and female participants and fans may be a key to the sport’s viability. “If you’re not growing,” he said, “you’re dying.”

Moses spoke with The Undefeated about why he likes racing, the possibility of hosting a historically Black college and university (HBCU) football game and what it means to be a pioneer in 2021.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What have you come to appreciate about auto racing?

Everything. Many people try to argue that our drivers are not athletes, which is a foolish argument. All it takes is to get into a car one time to understand what it requires in terms of reflexes and hand-eye coordination. You realize these guys are going 150 mph with 39 other guys on the track, six inches apart on every side around you with a rearview mirror, no side mirrors and a guy in a tower with a pair of binoculars in your ear telling you where you can go and where you can’t go.

Nashville Superspeedway president Erik Moses on diversity in his sport: “We have to tell those stories so that those who are inclined to believe the stereotypes because of lack of knowledge can counteract those assumptions with facts.”

Jon Morgan Photography

That’s not even the beginning of it. The car gets built from a chassis to what you see on the track by a group of engineers and mechanics. That process is amazing to me, looking for any amount of advantage that will allow them to be fractions of a second faster than the competition. There’s so many details that are not visible to the naked eye if you have not been immersed in the sport.

What do you think your position and your track represents in Nashville?

Symbolism matters. I credit NASCAR for doing away with the Confederate flag, because for people like myself, and people not just of color but of conscience, that was a hard stop sign. Doing away with that has given people less reason to reject NASCAR out of hand without even dipping their toe in the water. Once you come out here, it’s way more diverse than people think it is. I’ve been pleasantly surprised how many brown people, young people and women I have seen at the track and in the pits. Folks will see that and have their eyes opened if they allow us the chance to give them some firsthand experience with the sport.

I’ve heard you’re interested in hosting an HBCU football classic.

I founded and developed the AT&T Nation’s Football Classic in D.C. and ran it for six years. We’ve got unique infrastructure in Nashville – a 70-acre grass infield where I can fit probably two football fields back to back. And then you’ve got 25,000 capacity in the stands and our luxury suites. The novelty of having a football game at a racetrack I think is something that can be very appealing.

What do you see NASCAR doing in terms of diversity and racial justice?

We just launched, and I am happy to be included in our diversity, equity and inclusion industry council. It is composed of folks from across various stakeholder groups: NASCAR executives, event promoters, some of our bigger partners like Coke and Anheuser-Busch and Toyota and Chevy, our broadcast partners at NBC and Fox, so it’s intended to include every kind of perspective and stakeholder who wants to see our sport grow and flourish.

A big part of it is telling people what we’re already doing and have been doing, showing people of color and women who have been in the sport for a long time. We’ve got to talk about Wendell Scott and what he meant to this sport and what he had to go through, and that throughline you see now with young people like Rajah Caruth, who is an up-and-coming racer on the ARCA Series. The kid saw the movie Cars when he was 4 years old and decided he wanted to become a race car driver. Hayden Swank out of Atlanta is another up-and-coming African American driver. We have to tell those stories so that those who are inclined to believe the stereotypes because of lack of knowledge can counteract those assumptions with facts.

Are there specific diversity initiatives that you’d like to see NASCAR tackle?