Don’t be a chump, study angular momentum(p).
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Saturday, October 12, 2019
Friday, October 11, 2019
Study links Russian tweets to release of hacked emails
By TAMI ABDOLLAH Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. election has generally been seen as two separate, unrelated tracks: hacking Democratic emails and sending provocative tweets. But a new study suggests the tactics were likely intertwined.
On the eve of the release of hacked Clinton campaign emails, Russian-linked trolls retweeted messages from thousands of accounts on both extremes of the American ideological spectrum.
Those retweets increased the odds selected Twitter users would be online and able to express outrage when the next day on Oct. 7, details such as the revelation that Clinton may have had early access to a primary debate question were released.
Those retweets also brought those lesser-known users a wider audience, encouraging them to tweet more, and ultimately helping polarize American public debate.
In the study, Clemson University professors Darren L. Linvill and Patrick L. Warren say messages were retweeted from some 4,000 accounts on Oct. 6, 2016, the day before Wikileaks’ release of hacked emails belonging to Hillary Clinton’s campaign chair, John Podesta.
Through the retweets, Russian trolls amplified messages on the fringes of American politics. Twitter users, especially on the far left, responded negatively to revelations about Clinton, fulfilling Russia’s attempt to boost Donald Trump’s candidacy and add to the divisiveness in American politics.
Ultimately, those retweeted users gained a total of 500,000 new followers over the next four days, the study found. The increase in followers apparently prompted the Twitter users to tweet more. The report found that overall, they had sent 600,000 more tweets over those four days than they would have otherwise. The researchers based this figure on a comparison with similar Twitter accounts that had not had a retweet from a Russian troll during that period.
The research was supported by a Charles Koch Foundation grant. The authors say the foundation and its conservative leader did not influence the findings, which are in line with other, bipartisan research on Russian meddling in elections.
In a statement, Twitter said, it is “committed to fostering free and open democratic debate around the globe. We’ve made significant progress since the 2016 U.S. election to address, mitigate, and prevent future attempts to undermine the integrity of online conversation regarding elections and the democratic process.”
While the existence of a spike in Twitter activity on Oct. 6, 2016, has been known and the authors prior work was cited in Tuesday’s release of a Senate Intelligence Committee report on Russia’s use of social media during the election, exactly what those trolls were up to has not been previously detailed.
U.S. authorities have often pointed to Russia’s use of fake and ideologically extreme Twitter accounts — or trolls — to spread disinformation. The Senate report detailed a complex and highly effective campaign via the Russian government-affiliated troll farm, known as the Internet Research Agency, or IRA.
But the retweeting strategy has received less notice and may have a more lasting impact.
The retweeting marked a deliberate change in tactics. It remained in full force during the last month of the election, with the IRA, retweeting from an estimated 25,000 accounts and, in turn, making those users more active: They sent some 4 million tweets they otherwise would not have sent, according to the statistical analysis — and gained 3 million additional followers.
The 4 million retweets in one month greatly surpasses the total 2.8 million unique tweets sent by Russian trolls during the three-year campaign ending in 2017.
While Twitter ultimately suspended the fake accounts, roughly 90% of the more ideologically extreme Twitter accounts that the Russians pushed to greater prominence remain active and contribute to the more polarized public debate today.
“Twitter can go and delete all the trolls, and what the trolls said, but this amplification effect is still there,” Warren said. “It’s like an infection. You can remove whoever was patient one in the infection, that’s fine, but if the infection’s already started, it’s too late.”
The report marks the culmination of two years of study by the professors, whose prior work of Russian troll activity has been picked up by national security agencies and the Senate Intelligence Committee
The professors zeroed in on Oct. 6 because that’s the day both left and right ideologically aligned trolls went from merely building their identities on the social media platform to suddenly using those personas to build up selected existing users, especially retweeting users on the far left.
Warren and Linvill call this a possible “new type of agenda setting” where a big part of the information operation conducted by the Russian government is changing the voices that are prominent in a political conversation and, indirectly, change the tenor of the conversation.
Sarah Mendelson, a professor of public policy who heads Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College in Washington, said the report fills in details on the Kremlin’s strategy.
“There’s even more cohesion to the IRA plan than we thought,” said Mendelson, who has extensively studied Russian disinformation campaigns.
Mendelson noted that Oct. 7, is not only Vladimir Putin’s birthday, but the day U.S. officials publicly stated that the Russian government was behind the election hacking that targeted Democrats, and the day the Washington Post published the Access Hollywood story and audio that included Trump making lewd comments about women.
While some have thought the WikiLeaks release of Podesta’s hacked emails was timed to detract from the Access Hollywood story, the professors say the clear Russian strategy of retweets started the day prior indicates that it’s more likely the timing of events was a happy coincidence.
The report found that the “left trolls” tended to target ideologically similar accounts that were also often part of the Black Lives Matter movement and used “black” in their description. “Right trolls” tended to retweet and reply to accounts that had account descriptors like “MAGA” and “Conservative.
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BE, Bank of America Honor Black Board Members of Largest Corporations at National Museum
Scores of black board members who represent the corporate elite made a bit of history Wednesday night as they were honored at the spectacular National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, D.C. BLACK ENTERPRISE saluted those listed on its just-released Registry of Corporate Directors, an exclusive club whose members serve on the boards of the nation’s largest publicly traded companies.
“It is our great pleasure to hold this special recognition ceremony for those at the highest level of corporate America and exemplars of consummate business leadership,” BE President and CEO Earl “Butch” Graves Jr. told the crowd of high-powered business and government leaders at this invitation-only gathering hosted by Bank of America, which has been included among BE’s Best Companies for Diversity and was praised by Graves for its culture of inclusion, including corporate governance.
“We look forward to members of our B.E. Registry continuing their individual and collective advocacy to make major companies better by creating fully inclusive environments. They realize that opportunity is the byproduct of corporate policies and practices related to hiring, training, and promotion of employees; procurement of suppliers; and philanthropic giving to charities and causes. So if you care about African Americans in senior management, more contracts for black-owned firms, or the allocation of more corporate dollars to charities, causes, and nonprofits that impact communities of color, then you must care about board diversity and must salute the value of these brilliant fiduciaries of shareholder value.”
Black directors in attendance represented such iconic corporations as Bank of America, American Airlines, Facebook, Northrop Grumman, WEC Energy, Boston Scientific, and Truist, the entity created recently by the merger of BB&T and SunTrust Bank.
For the seventh consecutive year, BE has unveiled its listing of blacks seated at the nation’s largest publicly traded companies. Graves revealed the configuration of this year’s list: 322 black corporate directors at 307 S&P 500 companies, a slight but noticeable increase from 308 at 316 index corporations in 2018. He also focused on the continued persistence of “imbalance in the boardroom” as the S&P 500 achieved the milestone of having 100% representation of white women on its boards while roughly 37% of that group do not have any black representation in their boardrooms.
The B.E. Registry, along with accompanying lists of companies with and without black board members, serves as one of the leading annual barometers on the state of diversity and inclusion in corporate governance. For more than a half decade, BE‘s data and analysis have been used by civil rights groups, government agencies, and corporate diversity advocacy organizations to change corporate board composition within entire sectors—most prominently Silicon Valley-based tech companies.
Bank of America director Lionel Nowell III
Other speakers at the event, which included Smithsonian Secretary and NMAAHC’s founding director Lonnie Bunch and Executive Leadership Council Chair Tonie Leatherberry, commented on the importance of this expanding phalanx of black guardians of shareholder value. In addition to citing the significance of black directors fittingly being saluted at “the world’s most diverse museum,” Bunch noted that NMAAHC was developed through corporate donations due, in large part, to the efforts of black directors like those being honored.
Leatherberry, who also serves as Deloitte’s board relations leader and foundation president, cited statistics from the 2018 Missing Pieces—which the leading accounting and consulting firm developed in conjunction with the Alliance for Board Diversity—as confirmation of the overwhelmingly positive impact of diverse boards. In addition to the report disclosing that the number of Fortune 500 companies with 40% diversity has doubled from 2012 and 2018, she also said it revealed that publicly traded corporations with racial and gender diversity greatly outperform peer companies that lack such inclusion in corporate governance.
In speaking at the event on behalf of the members of the B.E. Registry, Lionel Nowell III also underscored the importance of black directors. The former PepsiCo treasurer is one of two African American directors on Bank of America’s corporate board—the other, Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald, appears on the cover of BE’s accompanying print issue. Nowell told those assembled that as corporate America continues to be transformed by business shifts that lead to corporate downsizing and realignments, black directors are needed to ensure that the pipeline of black senior managers and prospective c-suite leadership continues to flow.
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Cambridge middle school students explore materials science at MIT
Students from Cambridge’s Putnam Avenue Upper School got a taste of materials science, from glassblowing and making simple motors to making liquid nitrogen ice cream, at MIT this summer.
The Materials Research Laboratory’s Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) hosted 15 students and their science teacher, Fatima Sammy, for a week of hands-on science and engineering projects.
The curriculum also included metal casting, building solar cells, designing objects with fused glass, exploring ultraviolet light, polymer demonstrations, and constructing electric circuits, as well as participating in the “Fish Game,” a mobile-device-enabled game designed to build students’ understanding of complex systems.
Classes are taught by MIT staff, technical instructors, graduate students, and undergraduates. Students were on campus from 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. each day.
Basic objectives of the program are to demonstrate to young adolescents that science and engineering is fun, introduce them to the field of materials science, and have them experience science and engineering on a college campus.
The 2019 middle school program was the 28th summer the MIT MRSEC has offered a science and engineering program for students from a Cambridge, Massachusetts, middle school. Over the course of those years, the MRSEC has worked with a variety of Cambridge middle schools and reached approximately 400 students.
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‘I will never forgive you’ says Black mother to the white man who shot and killed son in parking lot dispute
Michael Drejka, the white man charged and convicted of killing a Black man over a parking space dispute was handed a 20-year prison sentence, a Florida judge ruled Thursday.
On Thursday, justice was served for the family of 28-year-old Markeis McGlockton who initially fought for Drejka’s arrest after the Pinellas County sheriff’s department refused to press charges after he fatally shot McGlockton in front of his 5-year-old child and girlfriend.
READ MORE: White supremacist group boasts about super small Dallas protests
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gaultieri said at the time of the shooting that he didn’t plan to charge Drejka since McGlockton pushed him down first sparking outrage around the country.
A public outcry about the case resulted in charges being filed by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office a month later. In August, Drejka was found guilty of manslaughter.
McGlockton’s father spoke before the sentencing, saying that he is not ready to forgive the convicted murderer for what happened to his son and offered some intense words about possibly squaring up with his son’s killer in the future, NBC News reports.
“In the Bible, it says in order to get into heaven, we must forgive those who trespass against us,” Michael McGlockton said Thursday. “At this point in my life, I am not there yet. And if it just so happens that the Lord chooses to take me before I come to terms with this, then I will see you in hell where you and I will finish this. Mark my words.”
McGlockton’s mother, Monica Moore-Robinson, also spoke before the sentencing, saying “I will never forgive you” as she tearfully talked about all of the family moments her son will never get to experience.
READ MORE: California law created to prevent Black women from dying during childbirth
Circuit Judge Joseph Bulone said that Drejka acted irresponsibly to situation that stemmed from his confrontation with girlfriend Britany Jacobs. Drejka acted as a “wannabe” cop when he questioned her about parking in a handicap spot.
McGlockton emerged from a convenience store with his 5-year-old son in tow, and saw Drejka arguing with his girlfriend and pushed him down. A slow-motion video showed that McGlockton was trying to run away when Drejka pulled his gun out and shot him dead.
Drejka’s ‘Stand Your Ground’ defense, which worked for George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin killing, didn’t work in this case.
A white man who shot dead an unarmed Black man in front of his children during an argument about a parking space was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Prosecutors originally declined to charge him because of Florida’s “stand your ground” law.
Markeis McGlockton was 28. pic.twitter.com/dzY5QmBSPj
— AJ+ (@ajplus) October 10, 2019
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The Best Secured Credit Cards for Improving Credit
Are you planning to start your own business? Buy a new home for your family? Transition to a new company? Or purchase that new Corvette Stingray? Your credit score will likely be taken into account by the employer, real estate agent, or dealership. Higher always seems better and even though some entrepreneurs are fighting the credit score system, credit still matters in today’s economy.
“It is one of the most important numbers that will be associated with you during your lifetime,” says Forbes advisor Kristin Stroller.
Regardless of the score number you currently have, there are ways to improve it and one of those is by opening a secured credit card. Secured credit cards are credit cards that require a refundable security deposit. The best ones help you build credit quickly, while offering low annual percentage rates (APR) and great benefits. We outline the best secured credit cards, the best tips to improving your credit history, and how to achieve better financial health.
The Seven Best Secured Credit Cards
When it comes to choosing a secured credit card, you’ll want to consider three things: (1) your current credit history, (2) how much money you want to put down for a deposit, and (3) what benefits you’d like to have.
These are the seven best secured credit cards available today:
Capital One Secured Mastercard
Best for a low security deposit
For this card, you can put down a $49.99, $99, or $200 security deposit, making it one of the best cards for a low deposit. However, what makes this card worthwhile is the 2% cash back on purchases spent at gas stations and restaurants of up to $1,000 per quarter, as well as unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. There is no annual fee and the lender conducts automatic reviews to determine if you qualify for an upgrade and a return on your deposit. The only con is the 24.99% APR and 10.99% APR on balance transfers for the first six months.
Discover It Secured Credit Card
Best for cash rewards
This secured credit card goes beyond just building credit. Discover offers 1-2% in cash back options, with no annual, monthly, or processing fees. You get 2% cash back on the first $1,000 spent at restaurants and gas stations per quarter. After the first year of having the card, you get double the cash back rewards, making this the best option for long-term benefits.
Citi Secured Credit Card
Best for building credit quickly
This isn’t the most glamorous credit card, but with a $200 minimum deposit, you can start to build credit. Citi reports monthly to the three major credit bureaus and offers an online management system that you can access 24/7 from any device. No annual fee is required. The card comes with a 24.49% variable APR and you only have to pay 3% APR on balance transfers. If you don’t pay off your minimum balance, you will get penalized.
OpenSky Secured Visa Credit Card
Best for individuals with bad or no credit
This card doesn’t require a credit check, which means that anyone can use it to build credit. There is a one-time account fee, a $35 annual fee and there are no cashback perks, but the regular APR is much lower than other secured credit cards, making this a worthwhile option. Your credit limit is based on your deposit which can be a minimum of $200 and a maximum of $3,000. Often, the higher your credit limit, the easier it is to build credit, but only if you pay off your balance every month.
Wells Fargo Secured Credit Card
Best for Wells Fargo customers
You need a Wells Fargo checking or savings account to apply for their secured credit card. A $300 minimum deposit is required and there is a $25 annual fee. The APR on purchases and balance transfers is 20.99%. One of the biggest draws to this credit card is the Visa benefits. You get roadside dispatch, travel and emergency assistance services, and up to $600 in cell phone protection if you pay your phone bill with your Wells Fargo credit card.
Bank of America BankAmericard® Secured Credit Card
Best for Bank of America customers
When you have an account with a bank, you are more likely to get approved for one of their credit cards. They already have access to your basic information, as well as your banking habits and this makes you a more reliable borrower. With this secured credit card, you have to put down a $300 minimum deposit, but can put down a maximum of $4,900. You don’t have to pay an annual fee. It comes with a 24.99% APR and 3% on balance transfers. Some of the perks include overdraft protection, mobile banking, and access to the FICO® Score Program which provides customers with beneficial financial information and free access to FICO scores.
American Express Secured Credit Cards
Best for rewards and those with decent credit
American Express is known for their reward benefits. From travel points to roadside assistance, this credit card company is great for travelers and business executives. Even though most of their credit cards come with an annual fee and not all merchants accept AmEx cards, the benefits more than make up for that. If you’re wondering what the perks of a good credit score are, check out the American Express reward list.
How Do Secured Credit Cards Work?
One misconception is that secured credit cards make it easier to pay off debts. This is not the case. Balance transfer credit cards are meant specifically for debt consolidation. If you have high credit card debts, you’ll want to consider transferring the balances to low interest credit cards. Secured credit cards serve a different purpose.
They aren’t prepaid cards and they aren’t debit cards. With secured credit cards, you not only get access to a credit limit, you get the opportunity to increase your credit score. If your application for an unsecured credit card was denied or if you are looking for ways to improve your credit history, consider a secured credit card. As mentioned above, some issuers don’t view your credit score before approving your application, making it easy for those with bad credit to get access.
This is how obtaining a secured credit card happens and here’s what you can expect:
- You will fill out an application. Depending on the issuer, you will include your personal information, your proof of income, and give them access to your social security number so the issuer can pull a credit history. If you are a member of a specific bank, you can ask about their secured credit cards. This gives you a higher chance of approval because the issuer already knows your banking habits. However, not all credit card companies need to know your credit score to approve your application.
- You will put down a deposit. This is your collateral, reassuring the issuer that you will pay off your balances each month. Your refundable security deposit will often be used to set your credit limit. If you put down $500, you will likely get a $500 credit limit, but this isn’t always the case. Compare issuers and if you aren’t sure what limit to expect, call a customer service representative and ask.
- You will use the secured credit card as you would any other credit card. Use the credit card for expenses. Pay it off every month. Eventually, your issuer may increase your credit limit, or will notify you of your eligibility for an unsecured credit card. Whether they do or not, keep track of your own credit score and when you feel you qualify for an unsecured credit card, start shopping for the best ones.
- You will upgrade or get access to an unsecured credit card. When you are ready for an unsecured credit card—and get approved—you can cancel your secured credit card. If you’ve paid off your full balance, the issuer will return your full security deposit.
(Photo by Africa Studio on stock.adobe.com)
How to Choose the Right Card
A secured credit card is a real credit card that allows you to build credit. Lenders will report your account activity to the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion), which is why it’s so important to apply for the right secured credit card.
Here are things to consider when applying for a credit card:
- What is your current credit history? You don’t have unlimited access to your credit history. However, you can request a soft inquiry which won’t impact your score and will allow you to check your score. If your score is below 580, you should consider applying for a credit card that doesn’t require a credit score.
- How much money do you have for a safety deposit? Maybe you just secured a job and you don’t have enough money for a safety deposit yet. Maybe you have a lot of money, but not a lot of credit. The minimum deposit amount varies by credit card. Choose one that makes the most financial sense for you.
- What are your financial goals? This is important. Are you looking to buy a house, get married, grow your side hustle, buy a boat, or travel more? Improve your overall financial health by establishing long-term goals. Long-term plans require short-term actions, like opening a secured credit card so you can eventually open an unsecured credit card.
When it comes to applying for, securing, and closing a secured credit card, you need to avoid making the following mistakes:
- Putting down a higher safety deposit than you can afford. Ideally, you want a high credit limit, but if you only have $1,000, you shouldn’t put all $1,000 down.
- Carrying a high balance. If you carry a high balance for a long time, this will make it significantly harder to improve your credit score. This is why we recommend keeping your balance low and only using your credit card for small expenses.
- Forgetting to pay. This is inexcusable and even if it happens just once, that could be the same month that your issuer reports your history to the bureaus. Set up payment alerts or automatic approvals so you don’t make this mistake.
- Closing your credit card too soon. Closing any credit card can impact your credit history so make sure when you open a credit card, you are confident that you will keep it open for the immediate future.
With any credit card, you want to make sure you’re tracking your balance. Thanks to modern technology, it’s easy to set up automatic payments. However, that can also make it difficult to remember what has been paid and what has not. Charging your yearly Amazon Prime or your Squarespace payment to your credit card isn’t a bad idea, but it can be problematic if you aren’t checking your credit card account and forget to pay off the balance. This is why continuous monitoring is so important.
How to Get Approved
Opening a secured credit card makes it easy to rebuild credit and recover from any credit mishaps, but how long do you have to use a secured credit card before you can qualify for an unsecured credit card? Unsecured credit cards do not require deposits to open and some are great alternatives to unsecured credit cards. The major difference is that your credit score will impact your approval and if you do get approved it will impact your credit line and APR.
These are some of the best unsecured credit cards for those with bad or no credit:
Credit One Bank Platinum Visa for Rebuilding Credit
Best for emergency funds
The name explains it best: this credit card makes it easy to rebuild your credit without a security deposit. The annual fee is anywhere from $0 to $99, which is higher than most, but if you have bad credit and want an unsecured credit card or an emergency loan, this is a good option. Your APR will vary depending on your creditworthiness.
CapitalOne Platinum Credit Card
Best for those with no credit
If you don’t have a credit history of any kind, you might consider this unsecured credit card. There is no annual fee and your credit limit increases after the first five on-time monthly payments are made. Best of all, you can pay your balance by check, online, or with cash at a CapitalOne branch. The bank also offers online 24/7 access. The only negative is the 26.96% APR and the 3% cash advance fee.
Want access to a higher credit limit and more rewards like flight points, roadside benefits, and cash back? Increase that credit score. In addition to using a secured credit card, make sure you pay off debts, pay all bills on time, and use credit score-boosting programs, if necessary.
(Photo by Iegor Liashenko on stock.adobe.com)
Utilizing Your Card
If you open a credit card of any kind, you want to carry a low balance or none at all. If you buy a $1,000 computer, for instance, you should be able to pay off the majority of it. If, instead, you pay it off in a six month period you could end up spending significantly more in interest, especially if you only pay $50 each month. You will get charged interest on each balance ($950, $900, $850).
To avoid this and make the most use of your secured credit card, here’s what you should do:
- Start paying for your most basic expenses using your secured credit card. Groceries and gas are good purchases because they should already be a part of your weekly budget. Ideally, you’ll only want to spend as much as you can afford to pay off each month.
- Make monthly payments on time. Most credit card issuers offer online systems and automatic payment options, making it easy to pay your bill. If you miss a payment or can’t pay off the minimum balance, you could end up paying for extra fees. Missing payments can also impact your credit score so don’t miss your payments.
- Pay more than your minimum balance. You never want to carry a balance that’s high, especially if you have a low credit limit. If you owe a minimum of $25 but your total balance is $380, you’ll want to pay that total balance, if possible. If you can’t, pay at least 3% more than the balance or $25, whichever is greater.
Know that 30% of your credit score is based on the credit card balance to credit limit ratio. Having a low balance and a high credit limit is ideal and the better your credit history, the easier it is to get approved for a high limit.
It could take anywhere from a few months to two years to build up your credit and get approved for an unsecured credit card. It depends on the lender and your activity. The best credit card issuers allow you to manage your account 24/7 with online access and get free credit reports so you can monitor your credit score in real time.
Monitor Your Credit Score and Account Activity
Financial best practices start with a budget. You want to be aware of what you’re earning, what you’re spending, and where that money is going. If you haven’t already, build yourself a budget. You can use a spreadsheet or you can download a free app like Mint or Wally which makes it easy to track what’s coming and going.
Make sure you align your priorities with your budget. If your priority is to save for a business project, a rebuild on your house, or a family vacation, then make sure you’re setting that money aside each month. If your priority is to send your kids to daycare, make sure you’re building that monthly daycare expense into your budget.
Monitoring your spending habits extends to your credit cards as well. You should know how much you’re spending with your credit card(s), how much interest you’re accruing, and how much you can afford to pay off. Most credit card companies or banks offer 24/7 online access and most secured credit cards allow users to view their credit report each quarter free of charge and without impacting their score.
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Learning about China by learning its language
Among MIT students who didn’t grow up speaking Chinese, few are able to discuss “machine learning models” in passable Mandarin. But that is just what computer science and engineering senior Max Allen is able to do, and this ability comes as a result of academic work, stints abroad, an internship, and also just having the passion to learn Chinese.
With China a growing economic powerhouse and leader in STEM, it is no wonder that more and more students are attracted to studying Chinese. Nationally, enrollments in Chinese classes are up, as they are at MIT.
But for Max Allen, his interest was first piqued by a teacher’s visit to his eighth-grade class. Intrigued by the sound of the language and structure of the writing system, Allen started taking Chinese classes in high school. To him, learning the language was akin to a big puzzle whose solution is slowly revealed. And since Allen has always been fond of puzzles, he wanted to pursue this.
After only two years of high-school language study, Allen spent his 11th-grade year living with a host family in Beijing and attending school through a program called School Year Abroad. Allen returned to the United States able to converse in Mandarin, and also more adept at fitting in culturally. He found that living with a family gives you a level of familiarity with people that is hard to achieve otherwise.
Chinese has gradually occupied a greater and greater area of interest for Allen. Upon entering MIT, he decided to pursue a major in computer science and engineering (Course 6-3). After discovering that he could take Chinese to fulfill his humanities concentration requirements, Allen took Chinese V and VI, building on the work he did in high school. Even among MIT students who are known for high academic achievement, Chinese Lecturer Tong Chen noted that Allen stood out for his effort and seriousness.
The more classes he took, and the more time he invested, the more Allen began to consider how Chinese might be part of his future academic and career paths.
In spring 2018, Allen took “Business Chinese” as an elective concentration subject. Business Chinese helped Allen understand social dynamics and subtleties of social relations in a business setting in China, including how these express themselves in language. As Panpan Gao, the instructor of Business Chinese, explains, the pedagogical approach of the class emphasizes case studies: “Through case studies of multinational companies and introductions to crucial business issues in China, we try to help students better understand Chinese business culture and trends, and expand their language skills so that they can communicate effectively and professionally with Chinese speakers in the workplace.”
The class really got Allen thinking about whether he might want to pursue jobs that would employ his knowledge of Chinese.
Allen put his Chinese skills to good use the following summer. He took an engineering internship with Airbnb — on a team with a special focus on mitigating financial fraud coming from China. The team was mostly made up of Chinese nationals, and team members generally discussed work matters in Mandarin. To do business in China, the team would need to understand how to market the product to Chinese customers; how to build a secure platform; and how to build payment applications that are in line with expectations of Chinese consumer. This experience gave Allen a hands-on taste of the complexities of functioning in a Chinese business context.
After the internship, Allen realized that to take his Chinese to the next level, he would need to put aside other academic pursuits for a period and spend more time studying the language in an immersive Chinese-speaking setting. He spent academic year 2018-2019 abroad studying Chinese: the fall in Taipei at the International Chinese Language Program of National Taiwan University, and the spring in Beijing at the Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies at Tsinghua University. Both programs are top Chinese language centers in the world and are intensive instructional programs with hours of work a day devoted to learning Mandarin. He particularly appreciated the intensive focus on conversation.
While abroad, Allen found that when he ventured to out-of-the-way spots, he encountered curiosity from strangers who were less accustomed to seeing tourists. But when he demonstrated he could speak Chinese, people warmed up. “Speaking their native language helps to establish trust and rapport, which is important when they see you as just another outsider. But once a certain level of trust is established, people become more comfortable talking about meaningful things. And that's where the time investment of learning the language really pays off.”
Now back at MIT for his senior year, Allen is considering how his multiple interests in computer science, international business, Chinese language, and cross-cultural communication skills might combine into a career path. The answer will take some time to untangle, but Allen is always up for the challenge of a big puzzle, and will remain open to the possibilities as he heads toward graduation.
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Accused rapist who kidnapped 10-year-old girl and fled twice, granted bond a third time
An accused rapist who appeared on America’s Most Wanted and fled to Mexico, was captured and granted bond even though he has evaded capture and fled twice on two previous occasions.
On Thursday, prosecutors were dumbfounded after Corey Gaston was given a $250,000 cash bond despite the fact that he is a two-time fugitive who ran before when out on bond in a case involving the kidnapping and brutal rape of a 10-year-old girl.
READ MORE: Angela Bassett opens up about ‘devastating’ childhood sexual assault
“We requested that he be remanded to jail without bond in light of his history as a fugitive,” said Maria Miller, spokesperson for the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office. “We don’t believe that that’s a sufficient bond given his history in the case, so we will be revisiting this issue.”
Gaston is accused of breaking into the bedroom window of a little girl in Detroit in 2007. He reportedly took her as she slept in her bed, drove her to a field and raped her. Gaston reportedly dropped his cellphone at the scene, which police traced back to him and made their arrest, The Detroit Free Press reports.
Gaston posted 10% of a $50,000 bond and fled the state. U.S. Marshals caught him in Georgia, returned him to Detroit and he was given a $200,000 bond by Judge Deborah Thomas. The suspect posted 10% of that bond and ran once again.
“They just let him run,” the victim’s mother told the Free Press back in a 2011 interview. “We were victimized, and we’re still being victimized. It’s a shame. And there’s nothing I can do about it. I don’t feel it’s right. Somewhere, somebody did something wrong.”
READ MORE: California law created to prevent Black women from dying during childbirth
Gaston then remained on the run for 11 years until Mexican officials caught him Sept. 18, and released him to U.S. authorities.
On Thursday he was arraigned by Wayne County Circuit Judge Prentis Edwards who granted him bond, despite his history.
Prosecutors are fighting to keep Gaston contained and a hearing on the matter is scheduled for Friday.
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Student activists at USC want John Wayne display removed after racist interview resurfaces
Actor John Wayne’s racist statements from the past are coming back to haunt his legacy.
Students at the University of Southern California are demanding that the Easy Rider actor’s exhibit honoring him, be removed after Wayne’s Playboy magazine interview from 1971 started making rounds again.
Wayne was 63 when he gave the interview, and it is filled with rather racist thoughts coupled with his strong beliefs in white supremacy and bigoted notions about how he felt about people of color and gay people, The Independent reports.
READ MORE: N.C. schools investigated after Black student uncovers racist group chat
Wayne suggested that there’s empirical evidence that Black folks aren’t capable of developing the same level of smarts as our white counterparts:
“The academic community has developed certain tests that determine whether the Blacks are sufficiently equipped scholastically. But some Blacks have tried to force the issue and enter college when they haven’t passed the tests and don’t have the requisite background.”
The interviewer asks Wayne if systemic inequalities can be fixed without governmental advantages provided to minorities, to which he responds: “I don’t feel guilty about the fact that five or 10 generations ago these people were slaves. Now, I’m not condoning slavery. It’s just a fact of life… I think any Black who can compete with a white today can get a better break than a white man. I wish they’d tell me where in the world they have it better than right here in America.”
He was also quoted saying flatly: “I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility.”
Wayne also didn’t mince words when he asserted, “I don’t feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them, [Native Americans]. Our so-called stealing of this country from them was just a matter of survival.”
READ MORE: Kavanaugh calls out racism on the first day of the new Supreme Court term
He stated that there were “great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves”.
Student activists are demanding the removal of his posters and memorabilia honoring him that have been on display since 2011.
They have stated it needs to be removed because of Wayne’s “legacy of endorsing white supremacy and the removal of indigenous people.”
The students’ have also rallied to have the name of Orange County’s John Wayne Airport changed.
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Judge Tammy Kemp explains actions of Black bailiff who appeared to primp Amber Guyger in court
Judge Tammy Kemp who made headlines for hugging convicted murderer Amber Guyger and handing her a Bible in the high-profile case, appeared on the Tamron Hall Show and defended her actions, saying it wasn’t as unorthodox as people perceived it to be.
READ MORE: Judge says she couldn’t refuse convicted ex-cop Amber Guyger a hug in the courtroom
Kemp presided over the case involving Guyger who shot and killed an unarmed Black man, Botham Jean. Kemp said after she urged Guyger to give her life to the Lord, the former Dallas cop then told her she didn’t know where to start and didn’t even have a Bible, so Kemp said she offered hers.
“[Amber] said, ‘Do you think God will forgive me? … I don’t even have a Bible, I don’t own a Bible, I don’t know where to begin,'” the judge recalled. “In that moment I didn’t want to lose Amber Guyger and so I said, ‘Hold on, I’ll get you a Bible.'”
Kemp then went into her chambers and grabbed her book to give to Guyger.
“You can have [my Bible]. I have three or four more at home,” Kemp said to Guyger in the courtroom. “This is your job for the next month. Right here, John 3:16.”
That controversial move even prompted The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a secular Wisconsin-based organization, to file a formal complaint against Kemp. The group is asking for a judge to launch a misconduct investigation.
Tamron Hall asked about her actions: “But does it get confusing when a judge behaves that way? In that, you are there for the law, not for religion,” Hall asked.
“No, I was not there for the law. My legal duties had been concluded,” Kemp said.
“Well, it’s not as though I said, ‘Ms. Guyger, you need a Bible,’” Kemp explained. “It was at [Amber’s] request.”
Kemp also hugged Guyger which caused outrage online by many. Others applauded the judge for showing compassion. She defended the hug saying it’s something she often does after a verdict is read. She said she also hugged members of Jean’s family.
Still, she said while she hasn’t read the barrage of “brutal” comments thrown her way, her family is deeply concerned.
“My family’s concerned [for my safety], but I am not.”
“My faith is strong. If God brings me to it, he’ll bring me through it,” an emotional Kemp said to audience applause. “This is one of the reasons I’m addressing the hug so that people will understand the sum total of what happened.”
READ MORE: Amber Guyger: Key witness in murder conviction slain outside home
Kemp also cleared up the widely circulated video of a bailiff in the courtroom touching Guyger’s hair, saying she actually was not primping and fixing Guyger’s hair. Instead she explained that Guyger was getting processed ahead of going to jail and the bailiff was charged with searching her hair to check for contraband.
“If you know anything about the jail, you gotta search every part of a person, including their hair, because we have people smuggle contraband and weapons in all manner of ways,” Kemp said.
“This is why we do this show. This moment went viral, this woman was mocked on social media, people said things about her — they referred to her [in ways] that were horrible,” Hall said. “They assaulted her on social media and she was doing her job.”
Griofam, are y’all sorry for dragging Kemp and the bailiff now that she has explained herself or nah?
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Mathew Knowles encouraged daughters Beyoncé and Solange to get BRCA gene cancer testing after his breast cancer diagnosis
Mathew Knowles recently revealed that he was diagnosed with breast cancer and like any concerned parent, he immediately urged his superstar daughters, Beyoncé and Solange, to get genetic testing.
READ MORE: Beyonce’s dad, Mathew Knowles reveals he has breast cancer
Knowles battled with breast cancer and underwent chemotherapy after a shocking diagnosis back in July. One of the first things Knowles, 67, said he did was share the news with Beyoncé and Solange Knowles and encouraged them to get BRCA genetic testing.
The BRCA test is designed to detect if a gene exists that is more likely to develop into
According to BRCA Aware, “BRCA stands for BReast CAncer susceptibility gene. Mutations in the BRCA gene are associated with breast, ovarian, prostate, and pancreatic cancer. Women with a BRCA1 mutation have up to a 39% chance of developing ovarian cancer by age 70.”
The test will work to identify if a person had a BRCA mutation, that makes them at a higher risk of developing cancer.
Knowles told PEOPLE he first noticed he was bleeding from his nipple when blood specks appeared on a T-Shirt – a tell-tale sign of breast cancer.
“My initial reaction was maybe I worked out too hard,” he says. “Then I thought, maybe it’s some kind of reaction to my medication.”
But as he kept bleeding over a few days, he said: “That’s when I knew I should go to the doctor,” he said.
From there he got testing and tested positive for the BRCA2 gene mutation.
Knowles said “Beyoncé and Solange have an increased risk” because the BRCA can be inherited.
“They have an exceptional team, and they’ve gone through precautionary measures,” Knowles said.
“They have taken care of that, (the BRCA testing) it’s simple testing,” he says. “And they’re moving on.”
After Knowles received a mammogram, he soon learned he had stage 1A breast cancer.
“I had no pain whatsoever,” he says. “It wasn’t like I had discoloration — nothing. Thankfully I had this dot of blood coming out and thankfully I wore white T-shirts. If I didn’t wear white T-shirts, then I might not have noticed.”
Knowles said after he learned of his diagnosis at his doctor’s office with his wife, Gena Charmaine Avery by his side, he said he called his ex-wife Tina Knowles to tell her.
The diagnosis, Knowles said is something he had never imagined hearing, but admits his family has a history of it. Breast cancer affects some 1 in 800 men.
READ MORE: Mathew Knowles says Beyoncé wouldn’t be as successful if she was a dark skin Black woman
After his treatment, Knowles reports that he is cancer-free.
“There’s always a risk it will come back,” he says. “But today I am cancer-free. It just requires me, on a six-month basis, to go to a get an early detection [screening] for my prostate, pancreas, melanoma and breast cancer. If that’s the only price I have to pay — every six months spend a day in my life to be inconvenienced to take exams — then I’m very grateful for that.”
“It’s all about early detection,” he says. “The earlier you detect, the better your outcome will be.”
Knowles who spoke out recently on Good Morning America said he wants to spread the word so men feel comfortable getting tested.
“I wanted to take away the stigma of shame — the stigma that men have to be tough,” he says. “And then I hope I have the opportunity to talk to the heads of the American Cancer Society at some point to voice my feedback, because what I’m hearing is that men actually prefer — regardless if it’s the medically correct term — [to call this] ‘chest cancer.’ That’s the word men often use for that area of our body, our chest. I think if we did that, we would have a lot more men go and get exams.”
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Kevin Hart’s car crash investigation completed, driver error cited as cause
The verdict is in involving the car crash that resulted in Kevin Hart’s critical back fracture and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) concluded that the actor wasn’t wearing a seat belt.
READ MORE: Docs give Kevin Hart greenlight to return to work to promote ‘Jumanji’ movie
In fact, the CHP has finished its investigation of the horrific car crash in Calabasas Sept. 1 and determined that none of the three in the car were wearing seatbelts when Hart’s 1970 Plymouth Barracuda, driven by Jared Black, plummeted off the side of the road into an embankment.
Rebecca Broxterman, another passenger reportedly had minor injuries.
“There were fold and crease marks on the belt surfaces consistent with being folded and tucked into the seats and no indicators of occupant loading were present,” the report says, Yahoo reports.
If Hart and the passengers argue that the belts were worn, the reports still uncovered an error. If the seatbelts were worn, the report states they were on “improperly due to excessive slack in the belts.”
As previously reported, the comedian suffered major injuries to his back in the wreck of a classic car he had recently purchased for himself. During the accident, Hart received three spinal fractures that required fusions surgery.
TMZ reported that Hart could be suing the company that customized the car because it didn’t have safety harnesses.
The report determined that the crash happened due to driver error. Black lost control of the muscle car in Calabasas and reportedly accelerated around a bend off Mulholland Highway, which caused a tire to spin and lose traction and crash into a fence. Black was driving recklessly, the report states.
The car then slid down an embankment and slammed into a tree, according to the report. The car also flipped up and the roof of the car hit the tree before slamming back down, the report states.
Hart has spoken out through his lawyer, tell Yahoo: “I have nothing but love for Jared and wish him and Rebecca a speedy recovery.”
READ MORE: Let’s discuss why Kevin Hart gaslighting Lil Nas X is so infuriating
Hart recently got his doctor’s approval to go back to work and talk about his new movie Jumanji: The Next Level. He plans to go on a media blitz joining Dwayne Johnson and Danny DeVito.
But according to a source, Hart will have a reduced work schedule which is understandable given that he had major back surgery to fix fractures in his spine following the car crash.
A source said Hart is “nowhere near 100 percent yet,” but “is committed to fulfilling his commitments as best as he can.”
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