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Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Former NBA star Stephen Jackson mourns ‘brother’ George Floyd killed by Minneapolis police

In his career former basketball star and NBA champion Stephen Jackson was probably best known for participating in the ‘Malice in the Palace’ — the infamous 2004 NBA brawl between the Indiana Pacers, his team at the time and the Detroit Pistons. Today, Jackson is trending for a different reason as his “brother” George Floyd has become the latest victim of police brutality.

READ MORE: George Floyd dies after saying he can’t breathe with cop’s knee on his neck

Floyd was killed on Monday by police in Minneapolis, Minn. who were called to a “forgery in progress.” According to the police report, Floyd was sitting on top of his car and appeared to be “under the influence.”

George Floyd (Credit: Benjamin Crump)

However, several witnesses, including the one who recorded the interaction, noted that while he was handcuffed and on the ground with one of the officer’s knees on his neck, Floyd, whose nose was also bleeding, said that he couldn’t breathe and asked for help.

Though the four police officers who responded to the scene did request medical assistance it was too late and Floyd died. The officers were fired today by Minneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo.

“What we saw was horrible, completely and utterly messed up,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said. “This man’s life matters, he matters. He was someone’s son, someone’s family member, someone’s friend. He was a human being and his life mattered.”

Jackson, a Port Arthur, Texas native posted an emotional tribute to his Instagram page today.

“This what I gotta wake up to huh? This is what I got to wake up to? Floyd was my brother. We called each other twins,” Jackson said.

“Everybody know we called each other twins. My brother was only out there in Minnesota, he was changing his life, he was driving trucks. I had just sent him two or three boxes of clothes. My boy was doing what he was supposed to do and ya’ll killed my brother. I’m on my way to Minnesota -whatever I can do. We can’t let this ride. Y’all not going to be mad until it hit y’all front door. It’s bull**t.”

 

 

In recent years, he’s been the co-host to former NBA retiree Matt Barnes on their ever-popular All The Smoke podcast and kicked up some internet debate after telling the story of leaving his fiancee, one-time Basketball Wives cast member Imani Showalter, at the altar. But this tragedy has struck a very raw nerve for him.

Jackson posted photos of Floyd which made it clear why they called each other twins as they bear a considerable resemblance to each other.

 

Jackson, who was apparently receiving comments about the situation that debated whether or not the police were wrong, made another post saying, “I know this is going to sound fu** up and I want it to sound f**ed up because it is fucked up. Y’all just take my boy’s life and what we supposed to do? What is his family supposed to do? Just move on? Hope you go to jail, hope they punish you for killing my boy?

Why we can’t just kill you? That’s the justice we want because we can’t get nothing back. So the cops should die too. Y’all just killing people for no reason? So why can’t we just kill you? The only justice is taking y’all life. But they not going to do that. They’re not going to give you the death penalty. They give people the death penalty for other shit but they not going to kill y’all. All right. Bet that.”

READ MORE: Four Minneapolis police officers fired after death of Black man

Jackson, who said he has spoken to activist Shaun King, who dealt with his own controversy today, said he is en route to Minneapolis to do what he can and to see that his friend receives justice. He also shared that Floyd, who he knew from Texas, was an athlete that once won a high school championship in football.

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

 

 

The post Former NBA star Stephen Jackson mourns ‘brother’ George Floyd killed by Minneapolis police appeared first on TheGrio.



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Leaked audio suggests Michael Jordan refused to play in 1992 Olympics with Isiah Thomas

Micheal Jordan may have starred in the most-watched original documentary in ESPN’s history, but a new recording has put one of the claims he makes in The Last Dance into question: specifically regarding his ongoing feud with Isiah Thomas.

During the 10 part docu-series, Jordan said that he didn’t have any personal involvement in Thomas being omitted from being a member of the legendary 1992 Olympics Dream Team.

READ MORE: Jasmine Jordan explains mother’s absence in ‘The Last Dance’

But according to TMZ, audio has surfaced from an old interview in which the NBA supernova actually admits he told Olympics selection committee member Rod Thorn that he wouldn’t take part in that year’s games if Thomas made the team.

“Rod Thorn called me. I said, ‘Rod, I won’t play if Isiah Thomas is on the team.’ He assured me. He said, ‘You know what? Chuck [Chuck Daly] doesn’t want Isiah. So, Isiah is not going to be part of the team.'”


A feud festered between the two basketball players after Thomas — in a moment that many considered to be poor sportsmanship — along with the other members of the Pistons refused to shake hands with Jordan after the Chicago Bulls won in the ’91 NBA Playoffs.

When the tables were turned, Jordan always showed teams who defeated him the respect of a handshake. Having Thomas dismiss the good-natured tradition felt like a pointed sign of disrespect.

READ MORE: Michael Jordan series ‘The Last Dance’ crowned ESPN’s most-viewed documentary ever

During the docu-series Thomas not only addressed the snub that made headlines, but he also admitted that he felt “personally hurt” that he was not asked to be a part of that legendary ’92 dream team given he met all the criteria. He also opined that he felt it extreme that his spot in history was taken from him all because he didn’t shake Michael Jordan’s hand.

To Jordan’s credit, he mentioned in the documentary that he was only one of many players on that year’s team who had an issue with Thomas and even this latest recording alludes to that fact as well.

The post Leaked audio suggests Michael Jordan refused to play in 1992 Olympics with Isiah Thomas appeared first on TheGrio.



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World Health Organization says global coronavirus cases ‘still on the way up’

If you thought Memorial Day weekend marked the end of the coronavirus’ first wave of victims, the World Health Organization wants you to pump your breaks on the premature celebrations.

According to Newsweek, Monday, representatives from WHO revealed that even though countries all over Europe and North America have begun to reopen in the wake of widespread quarantines, many nations are still experiencing alarming upticks in the number of novel coronavirus cases.

READ MORE: White House imposes coronavirus travel ban on Brazil

WHO’s Executive Director of Emergencies, Dr. Michael Ryan explained during the press conference that outbreak confirmed by health officials in South America, Africa and South Asia, actually rose sharply just in the last week alone.

“Right now, we’re not in the second wave. We’re right in the middle of the first wave globally,” Ryan said in response to an inquiry about a possible resurgence of infections. “For many other countries, we’re still very much in a phase where the disease is actually on the way up,” he continued.

 

The public health agency’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, also highlighted upward outbreak trajectories occurring most notably in lower-income regions.

“In the last 24 hours, there have been 106,000 cases reported to WHO, the most in a single day since the outbreak began,” Ghebreyesus said to the press. “We’re very concerned about the rising numbers of cases in low and middle-income countries.

Tuesday, it was confirmed that over 5.5 million cases of the novel coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide since the start of the global pandemic, resulting in at least 346,836 deaths.

The United States has reported over 1.6 million cases and almost 100,000 deaths so far. Among the U.S. virus hotspots or places seeing an increase in cases are Florida, Georgia, Virginia and North Carolina, which either shut down late or reopened early.

READ MORE: The New York Times publishes breathtaking front page as U.S. coronavirus deaths near 100,000

Though many annual events that involved large groups of people have postponed or cancelled their 2020 plans, President Donald Trump asked North Carolina to still hold the Republican National Convention scheduled there for August.

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

 

 

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NFL Testing Face Masks with N95 and Surgical Material to Protect Players From COVID-19

NFL face masks

Once the National Football League returns to regular action this fall, the players may be outfitted with face masks that will protect them and other NFL personnel from spreading the coronavirus, according to ESPN.

NFL Players Association’s medical director Thom Mayer appeared on The Adam Schefter Podcast last week to discuss some of the things the NFL is doing to increase safety for the players amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Back in early March, I had suggested that we should consider novel and emerging ways to handle the helmets and the face masks and the spread of the virus,” Mayer said. “And these guys, the bioengineers that we use and that the league uses—Oakley, as you may or may not know, does all the face visors for the league under contract—these guys got the bit between their teeth.”

NFL engineers and Oakley are working with each other to come up with prototypes that could be used for the upcoming 2020 football season. 

“They’ve got some prototypes. They’re doing really good work. Some of them, when you first look at them, you think, ‘Gosh, no’ ’cause you’re not used to seeing it. You’re just not used to seeing it. But they’re looking at every issue you can imagine, including when it fogs up. What do we do with that? But these guys are used to dealing with this stuff,” Mayer said on the ESPN podcast.

Oakley previously designed durable eyeglasses that don’t fog up for use by the military, Mayer said.

“For a player like that, getting the helmet off, putting a mask on right afterward, maintaining social distancing when not in the field as much as possible, using single-use hydration—whether water, Gatorade, whatever it might be— I mean, just every little detail,” he said.

“Anybody who’s got a risk, I would advise them to be zealous, religious, and, frankly, almost maniacally committed to minimizing the chance of spreading the virus.”

There’s a great possibility that once the season starts, there will be no fans in attendance at the stadiums due to the coronavirus.



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Black Man Pleads For His Life As White Cop Keeps His Knee on His Neck Minutes Before He Died in Minneapolis (Video)

Minneapolis Police

In an eerily similar situation that led to the death of Eric Garner in New York City, a black man in Minneapolis identified as George Floyd died after telling a white police officer that he couldn’t breathe as the officer’s knee was on his neck, according to CBS News.

The Minneapolis Police Department released the following statement:

“On Monday evening, shortly after 8:00 pm, officers from the Minneapolis Police Department responded to the 3700 block of Chicago Avenue South on a report of a forgery in progress. Officers were advised that the suspect was sitting on top of a blue car and appeared to be under the influence.

“Two officers arrived and located the suspect, a male believed to be in his 40s, in his car. He was ordered to step from his car. After he got out, he physically resisted officers. Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress. Officers called for an ambulance. He was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center by ambulance where he died a short time later.

“At no time were weapons of any type used by anyone involved in this incident.

“The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has been called in to investigate this incident at the request of the Minneapolis Police Department.

“No officers were injured in the incident.

“Body worn cameras were on and activated during this incident.”

What’s not mention is that one of the officers placed his knee on the neck of the victim that appears to have led to his death. According to CBSN Minnesota, a video was posted on social media showing a police officer kneeing a man’s neck to the ground for several minutes. The victim says before dying, “Please, please I can’t breathe.” The video of the encounter is posted on Darnella Frazier’s Facebook page. (Warning: Video is graphic.)

In response, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey delivered an emotional speech apologizing to the community for the incident, which he called “wrong at every level” during a press conference Tuesday morning.

“He should not have died,” he said. “Being black in America should not be a death sentence.”

Frey, who appeared at a media briefing with Chief of Police Medaria Arradondo, continued:  “For five minutes we watched as a white officer pressed his knee to the neck of a black man. For five minutes,” he said. “When you hear someone calling for help, you are supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic human sense. What happened on Chicago and 38th this last night was simply awful.”

Department spokesman John Elder says agents from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the FBI have been called in to investigate this incident at the request of Minneapolis Police. Mayor Frey says regardless of the outcome, one thing is clear to him. “Whatever the investigation reveals, it does not change the simple truth… that he (the man who died) should be with us this morning.”

Watch Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s response to the incident below.



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Search-and-rescue algorithm identifies hidden “traps” in ocean waters

The ocean is a messy and turbulent space, where winds and weather kick up waves in all directions. When an object or person goes missing at sea, the complex, constantly changing conditions of the ocean can confound and delay critical search-and-rescue operations.

Now researchers at MIT, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), and Virginia Tech have developed a technique that they hope will help first responders quickly zero in on regions of the sea where missing objects or people are likely to be.

The technique is a new algorithm that analyzes ocean conditions such as the strength and direction of ocean currents, surface winds, and waves , and identifies in real-time the most attracting regions of the ocean where floating objects are likely to converge.

The team demonstrated the technique in several field experiments in which they deployed drifters and human-shaped manikins in various locations in the ocean. They found that over the course of a few hours, the objects migrated to the regions that the algorithm predicted would be strongly attracting, based on the present ocean conditions.

The algorithm can be applied to existing models of ocean conditions in a way that allows rescue teams to quickly uncover hidden “traps” where the ocean may be steering missing people at a given time.

“This new tool we’ve provided can be run on various models to see where these traps are predicted to be, and thus the most likely locations for a stranded vessel or missing person,” says Thomas Peacock, professor of mechanical engineering at MIT. “This method uses data in a way that it hasn’t been used before, so it provides first responders with a new perspective.”

Peacock and Pierre Lermusiaux, also a professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, who oversaw the project, and their colleagues report their results in a study published today in the journal Nature Communications. Their coauthors are lead author Mattia Serra and corresponding author George Haller of ETH Zurich, Irina Rypina and Anthony Kirincich of WHOI, Shane Ross of Virginia Tech, Arthur Allen of the U.S. Coast Guard, and Pratik Sathe of the University of California at Los Angeles.

Hidden traps

Today’s search-and-rescue operations combine weather forecasts with models of both ocean dynamics and the ways in which objects can drift through the ocean, to map out a search plan, or regions where teams should concentrate their search.

But the ocean is a complicated space of unsteady, ever-changing flow patterns. Coupled with the fact that a missing person has likely been continuously floating through this unsteady flow field for some time, Peacock and his colleagues say that significant errors can accumulate in predicting where to look first, when using a simple approach that directly predicts the trajectories of a few drifting objects.

Instead, the team developed a method to interpret the ocean’s complex flows using advanced, data-driven ocean modeling and prediction systems. They used a novel “Eulerian” approach, in contrast to more commonly used “Lagrangian” approaches — mathematical techniques that involve integrating snapshots of the ocean velocity due to waves and currents to slowly generate an uncertain trajectory for where a missing person or object may have been carried.

The new Eulerian approach uses the most reliable velocity forecast snapshots, close to the point where a missing person or object was last seen, and quickly uncovers the most attracting regions of the ocean at a given time. These Eulerian predictions are then continuously updated when the next batch of updated velocity information becomes available.

The team has named their approach TRAPS, for its goal of identifying TRansient Attracting Profiles, or short-lived regions where water may converge and be likely to pull objects or people. The method is based on a recent mathematical theory,

developed by Serra and Haller at ETH Zurich, to uncover hidden attracting structures in highly unsteady flow data.

“We were a bit skeptical whether a mathematical theory like this would work out on a ship, in real time,” Haller says. “We were all pleasantly surprised to see how well it repeatedly did.”

“We can think of these ‘traps’ as moving magnets, attracting a set of coins thrown on a table. The Lagrangian trajectories of coins are very uncertain, yet the strongest Eulerian magnets predict the coin positions over short times,” Serra says.

“The key thing is, the traps may not have any signature in the ocean current field,” Peacock adds. “If you do this processing for the traps, they might pop up in very different places from where you’re seeing the ocean current projecting where you might go. So you have to do this other level of processing to pull out these structures. They’re not immediately visible.”

Out at sea

Led by WHOI sea-going experts, the researchers tested the TRAPS approach in several experiments out at sea. “As with any new theoretical technique, it is important to test how well it works in the real ocean,” Rypina says.

In 2017 and 2018, the team sailed a small research vessel several hours out off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, where they deployed at various locations, an array of small round buoys, and manikins.

“These objects tend to travel differently relative to the ocean because different shapes feel the wind and currents differently,” Peacock says. “Even so, the traps are so strongly attracting and robust to uncertainties that they should overcome these differences and pull everything onto them.”

The team ran their modeling and prediction systems, forecasting the ocean’s behavior and currents, and used the TRAPS algorithm to map out strongly attracting regions over the course of the experiment. The researchers let the objects drift freely with the currents for a few hours, and recorded their positions via GPS trackers, before retrieving the objects at the end of the day.

“With the GPS trackers, we could see where everything was going, in real-time,” Peacock says. “So we laid out this initial, widespread pattern of the drifters, and saw that, in the end, they converged on these traps.”

The researchers are planning to share the TRAPS method with first responders such as the U.S. Coast Guard, as a way to speed up search-and-rescue algorithms, and potentially save many more people lost at sea.

“People like Coast Guard are constantly running simulations and models of what the ocean currents are doing at any particular time and they’re updating them with the best data that inform that model,” Peacock says. “Using this method, they can have knowledge right now of where the traps currently are, with the data they have available. So if there’s an accident in the last hour, they can immediately look and see where the sea traps are. That’s important for when there’s a limited time window in which they have to respond, in hopes of a successful outcome.”

This research was primarily funded by the National Science Foundation’s Hazards SEES program, with additional support from the Office of Naval Research and the German National Science Foundation.



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Amy Cooper apologizes for calling cops on Black man to make false claim

In a statement to CNN, Amy Cooper said that she wants to “publicly apologize to everyone,” after she weaponized the police against a Black man who asked her to leash her dog in Central Park.

“I’m not a racist. I did not mean to harm that man in any way,” she said, adding that she also didn’t mean any harm to the African American community.

READ MORE: Woman falsely claims Black man threatened life in Central Park

She did not acknowledge Christian Cooper by name.

Christian Cooper, no relation to Amy, was out bird-watching in an area of the park called “The Ramble.” According to the Central Park website, The Ramble is often noted for its bird watching opportunities, where birdwatchers can catch a glimpse of some of the approximately 230 species found in the woods.

Because of that, dogs are to be on a leash at all times in the area.

Christian began to record as the encounter began to escalate. In a Facebook post shared by both he and his sister Melody Cooper, the woman demanded that he stop filming her. She then told him that she was going to call the police and tell them that an African American man was threatening her life.

The viral clip showed her then backing away from the man and making good on her threat to weaponize the police against him.

“There’s a man, an African American, he’s recording and threatening me and my dog,” she says deliriously. “There is an African American man in Central Park. He is recording me and threatening myself and my dog.”

The woman then raises her voice as if she were in imminent danger while on the phone with police and begs for help to be sent right away.

“I am being threatened by a man in The Ramble!” she screamed. “Please send the police immediately!”

In her statement to CNN, Amy continues to assert that she felt threatened. “I think I was just scared,” she said. “When you’re alone in The Ramble, you don’t know what’s happening. It’s not excusable, it’s not defensible.”

Amy Cooper has been placed on administrative leave by her employer, investment company Franklin Templeton.

“We take these matters very seriously, and we do not condone racism of any kind. While we are in the process of investigating the situation, the employee involved has been put on administrative leave,” the company’s statement read.

READ MORE: White woman slaps Red Lobster employee after being tossed out over dispute

She also surrendered her dog back to the Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue where she adopted him several years ago, while the matter is being investigated. In the video, she is seen jerking and choking the dog.

Asked if he’d accept her apology, Christian Cooper told CNN he would “if it’s genuine and if she plans on keeping her dog on a leash in The Ramble going forward, then we have no issues with each other.”

The post Amy Cooper apologizes for calling cops on Black man to make false claim appeared first on TheGrio.



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High in the Alps, Giant Blankets Slow a Glacier's Ice Melt

Despite preservationists' best efforts, the Rhône Glacier may not have long.

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Virgin Orbit’s Air-Launched Rocket Failed Its First Test

LauncherOne failed a few seconds into its first flight. But that’s OK—the only two US rocket startups that made it to orbit failed their first attempts, too.

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Cleveland To Pay $18M To Trio Who Spent Decades In Prison For 1975 Wrongful Murder Convictions

Cleveland Murder Convictions

Three African-American men who spent decades in prison in Cleveland for crimes they didn’t commit will be paid a combined $18 million from the city for wrongful murder convictions in 1975.

It took 12-hours of mediation for Cleveland to reach the settlement with the three wrongfully accused — Rickey Jackson, Wiley Bridgeman and his brother Kwame Ajamu. Under the settlement, the payments will be split up through April 2023. The lawsuits filed by all three men will be dropped.

Friedman and Gilbert, the law firm representing two of the men, said the settlement is the largest awarded over police misconduct in Ohio, WKYC reported.

The exonerated men, who are now in their 60s, were convicted of murder in 1975 for shooting money-order collector Harold Franks. Even while behind bars, the men maintained their innocence and were finally cleared in 2014.

By that time, Jackson had served 39 years in prison and it is believed he served the longest amount of time behind bars by anyone wrongfully convicted of a crime, Cleveland.com reported.

“Money cannot buy freedom and money certainly does not make innocence,” Ajamu said.

Under the settlement deal, Jackson will get 40 percent ($7.2 million) and Bridgeman and Ajamu will split the rest, Jackson’s lawyer Elizabeth Wang said.

“What is 39 years of your life worth?” Wang said. “Nobody can put a number on that. No amount of money that can compensate them for what they went through.”

In August 1975 a jury found Jackson, Bridgeman, and Ajamu (then known as Ronnie Bridgeman), guilty of murdering Franks. They were also convicted of trying to kill store owner Anna Robinson. The men were sentenced to death but the sentences were reduced to life in 1978 when the state enacted a short-lived moratorium on the death penalty, Cleveland.com reported.

At the time of the conviction, the three were just 17, 20, and 18 years old.

Nearly 40 years later, the eyewitness, who was 12 years old at the time, recanted his testimony and judges overturned the men’s criminal convictions. The eyewitness, Edward Vernon, said in 2014 that city detectives pressured him to lie on the witness stand. He said the police threatened to jail his parents and that police manipulated him, Cleveland.com reported.

The Ohio Innocence Project, which has obtained Vernon’s recantation, took on the trio’s case. Bridgeman, 65, and Jackson, 63, were released in 2014. Ajamu, 62, was paroled in 2003.

Besides the settlement, the trio’s story was chronicled in a book written by Kyle Swenson, now a reporter for The Washington Post, who covered the case for the alternative weekly Cleveland Scene.

The men were set to take their lawsuits to trial in July. They sued the city of Cleveland and the detectives who investigated the case, AP reported. The federal lawsuit suit, filed July 2, 2015, named three Cleveland police detectives and a sergeant and the estates of a sergeant and three other detectives who have since died.

Ajamu told WKYC he hopes their case will cause improvements in the justice system. “We accept and hope that there’s a challenge in this organization now that you will go forward with the right agility towards equality and justice,” Ajamu said.

“This lawsuit and settlement expose the egregious misconduct by police who worked up the case, fabricated false evidence, withheld evidence of innocence, and then coerced Vernon into lying on the stand at trial,” the law firm of Friedman and Gilbert said in a statement. “The settlement also marks the City of Cleveland’s failure to monitor and train rank and file police in the 1970s, reflected in the department’s widespread culture of racist policing and misconduct with impunity.”

This article was written by Ann Brown for The Moguldom Nation.



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Having An Autoimmune Disease Hasn’t Stopped Natasha Burton From Owning Several Businesses

Natasha Burton autoimmune disease

Obstacles are placed in front of us to see if we are able to overcome them and to challenge us to meet the task. In the case of businesswoman Natasha Burton, her obstacle is having an autoimmune disease. But, that hasn’t stop her from being able to have multiple successful businesses to operate.

Black Enterprise was able to speak to her on how she is able to run her businesses while battling her disease.

You co-founded several types of businesses. 

Yes I am a co-owner in three different types of businesses, Exquisite Hair Factory, IV Therapy, and my newest baby Bio Health Control!

How are you able to give each company the attention it needs?

Balance is the key for me. I wake up early and go to sleep late. With Exquisite Factory we co-own a factory in China so we are always up 2, 3, 4 in the morning chatting about business with our Chinese partner. For IV Therapy, I believe in this type of hydration treatment so much! It has been a life-changer for me so for me to have the opportunity to help others see the benefit makes it fun and worth the time. When it comes to Bio-Health Control, this is my new baby! Myself and my partner started supplying masks, gowns, and ventilators to various government and hospital entities. This has been extremely rewarding because there’s been no better feeling than to help save lives during this pandemic.  

You have a penchant for starting successful businesses, how are you able to do so?

Often times I’m running around like a chicken with her head cut off. But the truth is I love it! The good, the bad, and the ugly, I love it! I never take for granted that God chose me for these opportunities. 

You’ve been able to start businesses while you battle with an autoimmune disease. How are you able to fight that battle?

One of the main practices I credit to helping me along this journey has been IV Hydration. I get a custom blend to fight off inflammation and free radicals. I get the Hydration IV every two weeks; if I don’t, my body literally will be become inflamed and I have to worry about flare-ups. 

What drives your entrepreneurial spirit?

My entrepreneurial spirit is driven by the fact that God has given me these opportunities even with an autoimmune disease. So I feel obligated to show up and show out. I owe it to myself to win. I am driven by thinking of ways to improve a procedure or practice; I get excited about the idea of making something better. A lot of people with my same condition are in a wheelchair and completely dependent on a caretaker. I don’t take my opportunities for granted. 

What are the most important qualities that one needs to become a successful business owner?

I think the most important quality when becoming a business owner is to have patience. Adapt well with various personalities. Keep your eyes on the prize as much as possible and never be afraid to pivot into something else. 

What advice would you tell someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?

The advice I would give to someone who wants to be a successful entrepreneur is to give up all the things you feel you can’t live without. Money, time, sleep, relationships, alcohol, partying, and once you’ve made that sacrifice get you a vision board (dry erase preferred), write out your business idea. Then take a dry eraser marker and write the name of your business in your bathroom mirror, bedroom window, and anywhere else you can do so. Why? So that you are eating, sleeping, and breathing your new baby. I also think having a business mentor is a great step as well.



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Grandmother, 71, fatally shot protecting granddaughter during argument

Sheila Lucas recently survived a bout with COVID-19.

The DC grandmother and mother of six had been a fighter all her life, but on Saturday night, she lost her fight when she was shot and killed while protecting her granddaughter.

READ MORE: Texas grandmother, 90, shields grandson as police point guns at him

According to a report in The Washington Post, which featured an interview with her son Robert H. Alston, Jr., Lucas was trying to protect her granddaughter who had gotten into a confrontation with two women whom she didn’t know. Alston said his mother stepped in between the two arguing women when someone started shooting. Lucas was struck in the head. She later died at a nearby hospital.

A male bystander was also shot during the incident, his injuries are not life-threatening.

SHEILA-LUCAS Memorial Mural theGrio.com
SHEILA-LUCAS Memorial Mural

In an interview with KTUU, Alston says the shooting took place after a confrontation inside of a Giant supermarket. Lucas came to the store and was walking back home with her daughter, granddaughter, and great-grandchildren when the women returned to the scene and started shooting.

“My mom tried to step in between to make sure that they didn’t fight,” Alston said. “A gunshot rang [out]. My mom gets hit in the head, and then, she’s no longer here with us.”

Alston said that his mother was a giving person who would sacrifice for her family. “There was days my mom went without, just to make sure that we had food on the table, clothes on our back,”  he said, “Being a single mother growing up, that’s the woman that I know.”

Ironically, Lucas was shot 30 years ago and survived the altercation. Survival seemed to be in her DNA. She had worked for years as a nurse assistant and raised her six children as a single mother after the death of her husband. Before this shooting, she was battling diabetes.

READ MORE: Georgia man who recorded Ahmaud Arbery shooting video arrested for murder

There were three fatal shootings in the DC-area over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

DC Metropolitan Police are offering a $25,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the women involved in the shooting.

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8 Best Cheap Laptops For 2020: Our Picks for $700 or Less

We tested lots of affordable Windows laptops, Chromebooks, and 2-in-1 tablets. You don't have to spend a fortune to get a good notebook.

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This Citizen Science Gig Pays People to Match Space Photos

Astronomers at the Hubble Image Similarity Project are employing their out-of-work neighbors to help them train a neural net to recognize celestial objects.

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This Black Travel Entrepreneur Describes Living In Quarantine In West Africa

Rashad McCrorey, Owner of Africa Tours

Since the spread of COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, pandemic, numerous countries and cities have gone into quarantine in an attempt to “flatten the curve” and stop the spread of the virus. However, due to varying restrictions, quarantine can vary depending on the location. Some places have been experiencing product shortages and long lines to get into grocery stores while others have taken a more relaxed approach.

For one travel entrepreneur, going back to the States wasn’t a viable option and instead elected to stay in Ghana where quarantine life looks a lot different than in the United States. Meet Rashad McCrorey, a travel influencer and owner of a multi-national African tourism company, Africa Cross Culture, specializing in treks in Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, and Rwanda.

The Harlem native was in Ghana hosting travelers for a tour there in late February before the flight restriction were in place. In an email Q&A with BLACK ENTERPRISE, McCrorey explained how his original plan was to just stay a couple of weeks after his guests ended their tours. Things changed once news showed the viral outbreak was growing rapidly causing many to cancel their travel plans.

“In mid-March after the coronavirus pandemic reached the United States and travel bans, border closings and lock downs began around the world, March 23rd was the day I had to finally make the decision between immediately returning home to the United States or stay in Ghana for an indefinitely period of time,” he wrote. After talking with his parents back in States and some other local Ghanians, McCrorey opted to stay in the country while the quarantine was in place.

After staying in the capital city of Accra, McCrorey moved to to Aburi Botanical Gardens, a major tourist attraction located in the Akuapem Mountains in the eastern region of the country. He was able to used his savings and business contacts on the ground to find housing and live comfortably until the quarantine has been lifted. He says there has been different strategies implemented on the ground similar to the States but in more relaxed environment which he prefers over being in quarantine in New York.

As for local Ghanians’ reactions to how the United States is handling the pandemic, views have been mostly negative, strongly criticized the government and their poor leadership on the public health crisis. “They criticize Donald Trump. However, I believe the criticism is mostly due to immigration laws, not really the handling of the pandemic itself. Speaking with many of my African sources throughout the continent,” explained McCrorey.

“Many of the African scholars, journalists, and public figures I have conversed with or studied during this time believe this is an opportunity for African countries to establish independence from imperialism. Many believe Africa should lead their own coronavirus prevention campaign and stop relying on the West, and a new term I am getting familiar with specifically using the name the Northern Hemisphere.



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7 Best Gaming Headsets for PS4, Xbox, PC, and Switch

We picked the best gaming headsets for every budget and gaming system—PS4, Xbox, Switch, PC, Mac, and mobile.

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How an Immunology Blog Became a Covid-19 Guide to Going Out

With lockdowns ending, people have a lot of questions about how to calculate the risks of returning to everyday activities. Erin Bromage has answers.

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Coronavirus: Egypt doctors accuse government over medics' deaths

A union says the health ministry bears "full responsibility" for doctors' deaths from Covid-19.

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Employers Struggling To Compete With Federal Unemployment Payments

stimulus check scams

With unemployed workers making more through enhanced unemployment benefits provided by the CARES Act, many employers are struggling to keep employees.

According to ABC News, the extra funds are putting employers at risk of violating the terms of stimulus loans given through the Paycheck Protection Program. In order to receive funds for the program, employers are required to retain three-quarters of their payroll.

“It’s been very difficult to get some people to return to work,” Carl Livesay, the vice president of operations for Maryland Thermoform Corporation, told ABC News. “In some cases, depending on what their compensation was, they make more money with unemployment and the federal stipend of $600 a week.”

Livesay, whose company produces personal protective equipment, has struggled to bring its employees back. The U.S. unemployment rate has skyrocketed from 4% in February to more than 15% in April.

Legally, if someone is offered reemployment and turns it down, they’re likely to lose their unemployment insurance. However, that is putting employers at a difficult decision: Should they rehire workers who stand to make more money on unemployment?

“PPP is essentially the government providing forgivable loans to keep people on the payroll. [The extra unemployment money] provides an incentive to not have people on the payroll,” Noah Williams, director at the Center for Research On the Wisconsin Economy told ABC News. “They seem pretty clearly in opposition to me.”

The Small Business Administration has since updated its requirements, allowing businesses to still get their loans forgiven even if laid-off employees decline rehiring offers.

The federal government’s $600 weekly unemployment payments were designed to help boost the economy in the wake of record job losses. The amount was picked because, along with state unemployment benefits it boost the average American worker’s wage up to 100%.

“Nationally, the average weekly benefit is around $370 a month. The average weekly wage is around $970 a month. So $600 is the difference between the two,” Michele Evermore, a senior policy analyst for the National Employment Law Project, told ABC News. “And so $600 was passed to approximate 100% income replacement for a few months while the economy needed to be shut down to deal with the health crisis.”



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Covid-19 Flares Up in America's Polluted ‘Sacrifice Zones’

Researchers find that areas with high levels of airborne dust or toxic chemicals also have more deaths from the coronavirus.

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Trump's New Intelligence Chief Spells Trouble

John Ratcliffe is the least-qualified director of national intelligence in history—and a staunch partisan as well.

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Trafficked Nigerian women rescued from Lebanon

The 50 return home a month after a woman working as a maid in Beirut was put up for sale on Facebook.

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How to Watch SpaceX Launch Astronauts to the ISS

The occasion will mark the first time a private company blasts NASA astronauts into space. Here's everything you need to know.

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