Cameroon coach Clarence Seedorf says the African champions have not been affected by the bonus row which delayed their journey to Egypt for the Nations Cup.
from BBC News - Africa https://bbc.in/2XqUEDP
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Intro Video
Sunday, June 23, 2019
Africa Cup of Nations 2019: Morocco v Namibia
A Tesla ‘Truckla,’ Robotic Pizza Delivery, and More Car News This Week
President Trump's Re-Election Rally Tops This Week's Internet News Roundup
Quantum Computers Could Be True Randomness Generators
7 Free Streaming Services to Save You From Subscription Hell
Women's World Cup 2019: England face new threat from Cameroon
Women's World Cup: Nigeria players threaten sit-in protest over unpaid bonuses and allowances
Africa Cup of Nations: What to look out for on day three
Saturday, June 22, 2019
A data scientist dedicated to social change
Mason Grimshaw grew up on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota but moved to Rapid City during high school to pursue a better education. When it came time to apply to college, he hopped online, typed “best engineering schools” into Google, and applied to two places: MIT and his father’s alma mater, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He was admitted to both, but when he got into the Institute, his father insisted that he go.
It wasn’t an easy decision, however. Grimshaw felt guilt about leaving his community, where he says that everyone helps each other get by. The move to Rapid City had been difficult enough for him, given that 90 percent of his family lived back at the reservation. Coming to Cambridge was an even bigger step, but his family encouraged him to take the opportunity.
“I didn’t really want to leave home, because that is such a strong community for me. I thought if I did leave, it was only going to be worth it if I could get the best education possible,” he says.
Now a graduate student at the MIT Sloan School of Management working toward a Master of Business Analytics (MBAn) degree, Grimshaw hopes to eventually bring the skills and knowledge he acquires at MIT back home to the reservation.
Looking at the big picture, Grimshaw has aspirations to bring programming to Rosebud. The ultimate dream would be to open a software or web development consulting firm where he could teach community members computer science skills that they could, in turn, teach others. He hopes that through this business, he can equip people in the community with enough technical skills to be able to sustain the company on their own without his help. It’s a long-term goal, but Grimshaw aims high.
Discovering data
After earning his bachelor’s in business analytics at MIT, Grimshaw saw the MBAn as a natural next step. The program teaches students to apply the techniques of data science, programming, machine learning, and optimization to come up with business solutions.
“Because I did it as an undergrad, I thought this stuff was so cool. You can kind of predict the future and help anyone make a better decision. If I was going to be that person to help people make decisions that are important and change people’s lives, I wanted to make sure that I was as prepared as possible,” Grimshaw says.
Surprisingly, Grimshaw did not touch a line of code before coming to MIT. In fact, he entered college intending to study mechanical engineering. But in his first year, his friend was having issues with an assignment for a computer science class, so he decided to help him take a crack at the problem.
The work was fun, Grimshaw says, and coding came naturally for him. Eventually, he dropped his mechanical engineering pursuits and started studying computer science. He later switched majors and applied his computer science education to business analytics.
As a part of his MBAn program, he must complete an analytics capstone project, in which students work with a sponsor organization to create data-driven solutions to specific problems. Grimshaw, along with his program partner Amal Rar, will be working with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) this summer to make The Ride, MBTA’s door-to-door paratransit service, more efficient.
Bringing business to invisible places
Grimshaw is also currently assisting MIT Sloan Senior Lecturer Anjali Sastry in writing a case study for South African nonprofit RLabs. RLabs seeks to inspire hope by providing business training and consulting to underprivileged South African communities. Grimshaw liked the organization’s mission, and he hopes that working on the RLabs case could give him some ideas about how to bring hope and innovation to his own community back home.
The nonprofit has, in part, inspired some of Grimshaw’s future aspirations for Rosebud. It has also gotten him to think about alternative ways to invest in or give back to communities that don’t necessarily focus on money. Some people, he says, need a place to stay or food more immediately than they need money.
Evaluating those circumstances and developing business models that address those more immediate needs as a form of payment can be a unique alternative to traditional compensation. Grimshaw stresses that monetary compensation is still important, but that being responsive to the specific areas of need within a community also has value.
“There’s a fine line. You can’t just say, ‘These people have nothing so they should just be happy to have a roof over their heads.’ I’m certainly not trying to do that, but there’s a difference in values and in what people place value on. Using that to make your business a little more sustainable is interesting,” Grimshaw says.
The reservation that Grimshaw is from lies within Todd County, an area that was previously listed as one of the poorest in America. He hopes to demonstrate to businesses that it is possible and worthwhile to invest in overlooked areas. He says that a lot of case studies in his field don’t feature stories from the emerging world or rural areas. He wants to show that through creative thinking and problem-solving, companies can work in these places, create jobs, and help lift people out of poverty.
Family forward
Outside of his studies, Grimshaw mostly spends time with his wife and 5-month-old son, Augustine. His face lights up as he speaks about them.
His wife, Julia, also has a passion for helping people and works as the assistant activities director at Hale House, an assisted senior living facility in Boston. The two of them grew up together and hope to move their family closer to home after Grimshaw finishes his MBAn. For now, their favorite things to do in Boston are going to the Public Gardens (Augustine loves the grass, Grimshaw says), getting a bite at Tasty Burger in Fenway, and watching the “Great British Bake Off” at home.
He also continues to participate in the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), which he joined as an undergraduate. There were very few members when he arrived at MIT in 2014, and while the number is still small, Grimshaw is enthusiastic about its growth.
“It was pretty cool because when I came here there were four, and on a good day five, of us. I still go to meetings. As I go now, there’s always 10 people, sometimes up to 12 or 15, and it’s awesome to see how much it’s growing,” he says.
While most people going into his field may opt for Silicon Valley or somewhere else on the coasts, Grimshaw would rather take his skill set closer to home. He won’t necessarily move back to Rosebud itself; somewhere within a reasonable driving-distance is more likely. He’s thinking about Denver, with its up-and-coming tech scene, but nothing is set in stone. Wherever he ends up, if a company is interested in helping others through data, Mason Grimshaw is here to help.
from MIT News http://bit.ly/2Y8hLjq
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Shiyenze Khasoha: 'My designs fund my cancer treatment'
Ethiopia army chief shot amid unrest
Africa Cup of Nations 2019: Guinea v Madagascar
Africa Cup of Nations 2019: Nigeria v Burundi
Rep. Jim Clyburn’s fish fry brings 21 presidential candidates together
What better way to bring people together in the summer time than a fish fry? Fish fry’s have been happening in the black community forever to fundraise or bring light to issues, and a South Carolina representative is keeping the tradition alive.
Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn hosted a fish fry on Friday evening in Columbia, South Carolina for the community to hear from 21 democratic candidates on their hopes for becoming the 46th president of the United States.
READ MORE: Sen. Kamala Harris welcomes Beto O’Rourke to the 2020 presidential race
According to CNN, the candidates wore matching shirts as they appeared on stage together. The last few weeks on the campaign trail have been steamy for some candidates at odds, but they managed to keep all tensions under control at the South Carolina event. Just last week, Cory Booker asked former vice president Joe Biden to apologize for his recollections of working with an old segregationist senator.
At the fish fry, Biden spoke about the democratic party having unity, according to CBS News. “Whomever the Democratic nominee is, we have to stay together and elect a [Democratic] president of the United States.” All candidates were given a brief 90 seconds to speak.
Clyburn’s event was proven to be a success. When asked about the turn out, he mentioned not thinking all the candidates would show up. “No!” he said to CNN. “I never thought so. But I always hoped!”
READ MORE: Joe Biden launches 2020 presidential campaign
The state of South Carolina is critical in the upcoming presidential race. South Carolina will host the first primary in the South on Feb. 29, 2020. According to CBS News, it’s considered a key state where black voters make up 61 percent of the electorate. If a candidate does poorly in South Carolina, it could be an indicator of that candidate’s lack of support in the black community.
Good job Rep. Clyburn for staying woke and getting the people informed!
The post Rep. Jim Clyburn’s fish fry brings 21 presidential candidates together appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://on.thegrio.com/2KyjBaa
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Ayesha Curry struggled with racial identity after moving to U.S. from Canada
Ayesha Curry appeared on The View to promote her new show Family Food Night on ABC, but the conversation got much deeper than food.
She began the interview talking about family and her transition to the United States at the age of 14. Curry, who is originally from Canada found the move to America to be difficult for one reason — her racial identity.
READ MORE: Ayesha Curry shuts down online troll who tried to fat shame her baby boy
Her mother, Carol Alexander, is of Jamaican-Chinese descent while her father, John Alexander, is of African-American and Polish descent.
According to ABC News, Curry said she was confronted by classmates who labeled each other more than she was used to when she lived in Toronto, which was difficult for her coming from four different backgrounds.
“Growing up in Toronto, I was black. I’m a black woman,” Curry said. “I moved to the south, to North Carolina, right at the start of high school, so at 14, and there it was like…who do you choose?”
“It seemed like my own community didn’t want to, like, wrap their arms around me and embrace me,” Curry said. “That kind of hurt,” ABC News reported.
“I just want my community to embrace all shades because we come in so many different shades. Melanin is not one thing; it comes in so many different shades,” Curry continued. “I love my melanin.”
Although Curry struggled with putting herself into a box racially, her mother always gave her good advice to live by, “never lose yourself.”
READ MORE: Ayesha Curry on why she doesn’t always feel ‘Black enough for the Black community’
When speaking of her mom’s motivational words she added, “I took that to heart, and it’s kept me who I am,” Curry continued. “I want my husband to always see the same woman, if not better, that he first laid his eyes on when he married.”
Ayesha Curry met her childhood sweetheart and husband Stephen Curry, a NBA player for the Golden State Warriors, her first year in the U.S. The couple share eight years of marriage and three children.
Although she is a mother of three, Curry maintains a hustle for herself so she can constantly evolve. “I don’t wanna lose myself… So I always try to keep a passion for myself,” she said.
The post Ayesha Curry struggled with racial identity after moving to U.S. from Canada appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://on.thegrio.com/2ZINxUS
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Lena Waithe calls out Black actors for not boosting black productions
Lena Waithe, creator of tv shows like The Chi and BET’s Boomerang, is wondering why Black stars aren’t funding more black films.
Waithe sat down with The New York Times, to discuss her upcoming film Queen & Slim and how she views the future of black film.
“You can make a very well-done independent black movie for three million bucks, and that’s a drop in the bucket for what some of these black stars make per movie,” said Waithe.
READ MORE: Lena Waithe breaks silence on Jason Mitchell scandal: ‘I don’t have the power to fire anybody’
Queen & Slim, a Warner Bros. film dropping in the fall according to IndieWire, is obviously also not coming out of a black studio and Waithe says it’s because Black men don’t run any major studios.
Waithe explains even on the Indie scene, black talent isn’t getting shown a lot of love in the financial department.
“And don’t get me started on black financiers!” Waithe told The New York Times. “How many of those do we have? I’m not [going to name] names because I know better, but there are some very big black movie stars out there, and they could pay for two or three or even five small independent movies to get made by black directors and black writers.”
Waithe also called out actors in the black community for not helping with pivotal films that have been important to the culture.
“Let me give you two movies that are very important to the black community: ‘Moonlight’ and ’12 Years a Slave.’ Whose production company put those out?,” Waithe asked the The New York Times interviewer, who replied Brad Pitt’s company, Plan B.
Waithe continued by saying “Wasn’t Denzel. Wasn’t Will Smith. You won’t catch me making $20 million a movie and not paying for at least four or five independent movies a year. I do give credit to Ava [DuVernay] for trying to build something that hasn’t been built before, but that’s a lot on Ava’s back”.
“I really do feel like there’s a way for us to change the movie business from the inside out, but we’re all in our own silos doing our own thing,” Waithe said.
The post Lena Waithe calls out Black actors for not boosting black productions appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://on.thegrio.com/2Y95ag0
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Africa Cup of Nations 2019: DR Congo v Uganda
Nicki Minaj features ex-con boyfriend in new video, reignites Queen Radio
After a short break from social media, Nicki Minaj appeared on Instagram to tease her new single “MEGATRON.” Minaj’s fans seem ready for her comeback, since she hasn’t released a new video in nearly four months.
The video dropped on June 21 and has gained over 10 million views in the day of posting. But the clicks on the video isn’t what all the buzz is about.
According to TMZ, some people have spoken out in disbelief that Minaj would put her ex-con boyfriend in her new music video.
In the very sexualized video, Nicki is seen with boyfriend Kenneth Petty dancing in water and various scenes with dancers.
READ MORE: Nicki Minaj parts with longtime managers
Petty was convicted of attempted rape and manslaughter. In 2002, Petty shot and killed a man, which led to the manslaughter charge. When he was 15, he used a sharp object against a 16-year-old girl while trying to have sex with her, which caused his rape charges and having to register as a sex offender.
But Nicki is unbothered that people are upset with his presence in the video, reports TMZ. Sources close to Nicki say she’s unmoved by the criticism, adding “She’s happy and in love and he’s not going anywhere.”
The loves scenes with Minaj and Petty were also reported to be shot in one take, showing the authenticity in their love.
Nicki not only returned to the music scene, but also revived her Apple Music radio show Queen Radio.
6/21 #Megatron + #QueenRadio
— MEGATRON (@NICKIMINAJ) June 13, 2019
On her first episode back Minaj touched on her manager, the Grammys, her new single and what she has in the works with other artists.
According to Complex, before Nicki’s three month hiatus from Queen Radio, she gave the “cock sucker of the day” award to Irving Azoff, Travis Scott’s manager. This was because she felt he launched a smear campaign against her after she accused Kylie Jenner of promoting boyfriend Travis Scott’s album, causing his album “ASTROWORLD” to beat her project “Queen” for the number one spot on the charts.
READ MORE: Nicki Minaj and Chris Brown Set Tour together this summer
Nicki announced on her most recent episode on June 21, she and Azoff have buried the hatchet and that he is now her manager.
Nicki also touched on some beef with Miley Cyrus as well.
“Perdue chickens can never talk shit about queens,” she said about the 26-year-old singer. “She disrespected me in a magazine article for no reason. I had just seen her after she sucked Mike Will‘s dick in the studio.”
Nicki had Trina and Blac Chyna stop by to spill tea on the latest episode as well. She also mentioned that she has plans to tie the knot soon with Petty and they have already received their marriage license.
The post Nicki Minaj features ex-con boyfriend in new video, reignites Queen Radio appeared first on theGrio.
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