Gabriel Mahia

The lack of diversity among startup founders isn’t about talent or intellect. It’s money. A study published by RateMyInvestor exposed the bitter truth: Black startup founders only make up a measly 1% of those backed by VCs.   And if you think that’s bad, try being a black startup founder and a woman .  Farah Papaioannou, co-founder of the tech startup EdgeWorx , shared in an article published by Crunchbase how female startup founders belonging to minority groups  are discounted during meetings. She even feared investors would find out that she was pregnant. Fortunately, black startup founders are becoming more aware of alternative ways to launch without VCs. It’s called “bootstrapping” What is bootstrapping? Bootstrapping means launching and growing your startup using your personal financial resources and your co-founder’s. It’ s not for the faint-hearted but it’s the most rewarding route. Here’s why: You still own your startup. Getting financial support f...

Queen Sono is about a South African spy who takes on corruption, terrorism and a Russian heiress. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2Tlfq3H via

The snapping shrimp's claws pop louder than gunshots. Rising temperatures could make them fire  faster—and disrupt their undersea neighbors. from Wired https://ift.tt/2uzAv1M via

Its size, some camera snags, and an absurd price tag stand in the way of Samsung's phone from reaching magnificence. from Wired https://ift.tt/2vgnElI via

They scored $80 million by tricking a network into routing funds to Sri Lanka and the Philippines and then using a "money mule" to pick up the cash. from Wired https://ift.tt/2Vt0JhC via

Madagascar's anti-corruption watchdog is asking for help to track down Raoul Arizaka Rabekoto, the head of the country's football federation. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/3charcU via

The Italian citizen had returned from Milan, in a region badly hit by the outbreak of the virus. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2VsMnh5 via

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang says he felt 'very, very, bad' as his late miss against Olympiakos contributes to Arsenal going out of the Europa League. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2T7hZr4 via

Lizelle Lee's maiden Twenty20 international century helps South Africa ease past Thailand by 113 runs in the Women's T20 World Cup in Canberra. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2ThR3nq via

Odion Ighalo was a top worldwide trend on deadline day when he made a surprise move to Manchester United. Fans were discussing him again on Thursday. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2HYV6zQ via

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane on Premier League medals, whether Jurgen Klopp deserves a statue and why his mum "hates football". from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/398OCKu via

***WARNING: This post contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 1 of Love Is Blind ***   If you’ve been living under a rock, you may not know that Netflix has a new hit on their hands with their “dating experiment” series Love Is Blind.   Fortunately, we haven’t been able to look away from the oddly addictive reality series that dares to ponder whether or not people can find and sustain a love not based on physical attraction.   Here are 5 reasons Love Is Blind is our new obsession:   Me: This show is trash Also me: #LoveIsBlind #loveisblindnetflix pic.twitter.com/MoBoGyOG68 — 90dayHousewife (@KayCeeBee3) February 28, 2020 The premise is pretty crazy. Single men and women talk to each other through “pods” separated by a thin wall and don’t get to see each other face to face until they’re engaged to be married to the stranger they’ve been chatting with through a wall for like 2-5 days.   By the time they lay eyes on one another, they’re supposedly alread...

Cigna Medicare Supplement | 2020 Plan Coverage And Review Designed to work alongside of Medicare Part A and Part B ( Original Medicare ), Cigna Medicare Supplement plans (also known as Medigap plans) help to pay for certain out-of-pocket expenses such as deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments not covered under Original Medicare. In the next few paragraphs we’ll explain: What Original Medicare covers How Medicare Supplement plans work How Medicare Supplement premiums are calculated What the benefits of a Cigna Medicare Supplement plan are How to enroll in a Medicare Supplement plan What Does Original Medicare Cover? All Medicare Supplement plans are designed to help with out-of-pocket expenses that Medicare Part A and Part B don’t cover.  To fully appreciate what that means, let’s run down what Original Medicare does and does not provide. Medicare Part A Part A provides coverage for inpatient hospital care, along with: Skilled nursing care Home health care Hospic...

Netflix just dropped the first official trailer for its upcoming series Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker  and in it, we see Octavia Spencer truly transform. Produced by big names like LeBron James, Maverick Carter, and Kasi Lemmons , among others, the four-part series is based on the book, On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker , written by Walker ’s great-great-granddaughter A’Lelia Bundles. FIRST LOOK: Octavia Spencer as Madame C.J. Walker in Netflix series ‘Self Made’ In it, Octavia Spencer stars as Madam C.J. Walker , the trailblazing African American haircare entrepreneur who was America’s first female self-made millionaire. The highly-anticipated project brings the uplifting story of this cultural icon to the screen for the first time. Against all odds, Walker overcame post-slavery racial and gender biases, personal betrayals, and business rivalries to build a ground-breaking brand that revolutionized black haircare, as she ...

A selection of the best photos from across the continent and beyond this week. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/396EAcJ via

The Ethiopian government is asking citizens living abroad to return home and help expand its economy. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2wfttj9 via

Affected devices include iPhones, iPads, Macs, Amazon Echos and Kindles, Android devices, and various Wi-Fi routers. from Wired https://ift.tt/2I2wsOA via

Zamalek president Mortada Mansour says sanctions imposed by the Egyptian Football Association, for failing to honour its league fixture against Al Ahly, are illegal. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2I2se9G via

Dylann Roof , the white supremacist convicted of murdering nine Black church members in Charleston, South Carolina as they attended Bible study five years ago, went on a hunger strike this month to protest treatment by prison staff while on federal death row. READ MORE: Dylann Roof pleads for court to overturn conviction and death sentence In letters to  The Associated Press ,  Roof, 25, claims he’s been targeted by staff members, “verbally harassed and abused without cause” and “treated disproportionately harsh.” Roof told the AP in a Feb. 13 letter, that staff at the Terre Haute, Indiana realize that he is “hated by the general public” and thus feel their alleged poor treatment of him is warranted. Roof told the news organization that he went on a hunger strike to protest how he is being treated by a Bureau of Prisons disciplinary hearing officer. He further brought up earlier complaints alleging that he was denied access to the law library and a copy machine to file le...

One of  Kobe Bryant’ s last requests before his untimely death last month will be honored by baseball agent Scott Boras, according to Sports Illustrated . Bryant had sent a text message on the morning of his death to Los Angeles Lakers general manager, Rob Pelinka, inquiring if he knew a baseball agent. The retired basketball legend wanted to help secure an internship with an agent for a friend’s daughter. That friend, John Altobelli, was the coach of the Orange Coast College baseball team in California. Unfortunately, Altobelli, his wife, Keri, and their daughter, Alyssa, died on the same flight as Bryant  and his daughter, Gianna. “Kobe’s last human act was heroic,” Pelinka told the crowd of 20,000 mourners at Bryant’s memorial at Staples Center earlier this week. “He wanted to use his platform to bless and shape a young girl’s future.” Boras told Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times that he plans to offer 16-year-old Alexis Altobelli an internship at his spor...

New reports show autonomous vehicles from 36 companies covered 2.9 million miles in the state last year, up from 2.1 million in 2018. from Wired https://ift.tt/2vc1t00 via

Lynching grew one step closer to becoming a federal crime yesterday after the House passed the Emmett Till Anti-lynching Act. The House bill, introduced by Rep.  Bobby Rush  (D-Ill.), would add lynching to the United States Criminal Code and make it a hate crime. READ MORE: House to vote on 120-year-old long overdue anti-lynching bill Last year, the Senate unanimously passed an anti-lynching bill that was put forth by Sen.  Kamala Harris  (D-Calif.),  Cory Booker  (D-N.J.) and  Tim Scott  (R-S.C.). Now all that remains is for the two bills to be merged into one and sent to  President Trump  to sign into law, which he is expected to do,   The New York Times  is reporting. This moment is historic because, for at least 120 years, the House and Senate have tried to pass an anti-lynching law to make the abominable evil a federal crime. But each time, anti-lynching bills were blocked, put on hold or ignored, until now. Even thoug...

A white, Louisiana district court judge admitted that she used a racial slur in a text message exchange to describe a Black sheriff’s deputy and Black law clerk. The 23 rd Judicial District Judge Jessie LeBlanc told WAFB that she sent a heated text message to her one-time lover, Bruce Prejean , the former Chief Deputy in Assumption Parish, Louisiana. Both LeBlanc and Prejean were married at the time of the affair. Prejean has seen been demoted by Sheriff Leland Falcon after he admitted to the affair last year. READ MORE: Judge allows discrimination case related to Bill Maher’s use of n-word to move forward LeBlanc told the station after she ended the affair with Prejean, someone left an anonymous note on her door with the “n-word” scrawled on it, and someone sent a package to her office with Prejean’s phone records. She claims the phone records included the phone number of another judge’s female law clerk, which led her to believe that Prejean and the Black law clerk had been...

Rihanna turned the beauty industry on its heels with the debut of Fenty Beauty . According to Forbes , the Bajan mogul has racked in over $570 million in revenue since its launch. With an array of 40 shades to complement a range of complexions for women of color who are often underserved in the market, Fenty was something refreshingly new that the makeup industry desperately needed. Black women spend an estimated $7.5 billion every year on beauty products; 80% is spent on cosmetics and black shoppers spend twice as much on skincare than non-black shoppers. With Fenty encouraging the industry to recognize the needs of black women, more and more black-owned beauty entrepreneurs have hit the ground running with various ventures that focus on our beauty needs from nails, lips, and hair. Here are a couple of fabulous black-owned companies to help complete your flawless look.   Nails: Pear Nova Source: Instagram Blending fashion-forward hues fresh off the runway with a vegan, ...

These cameras let you check up on your dog or cat—and feed them treats—over the internet. from Wired https://ift.tt/2TomCMg via

The archive includes hi-res images of Muhammad Ali's boxing gear, 15th-century manuscripts, and data that could help surface untold stories of women in science. from Wired https://ift.tt/2PxqxWa via

The ancient artefact was seized by customs officers at the main airport in Mexico City. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/32wIJEp via

As a black woman in her mid-30s, Terrica Smith has cleared many hurdles to accomplish a number of major feats. She is the owner of Cachet Real Estate and a managing partner for Salt Capital Equity Group. Smith is also bringing her dream to life with the Madeline Cove project, a housing development that will provide 30 affordable homes, 60 townhouses, a 50-unit senior complex, and a retail building, according to The Acadiana Advocate . The purpose of the project is to satisfy the housing needs of New Orleans’s north side. This project, backed by a local bank, already has a waiting list of more than 300 people. According to The Acadiana Advocate, the structure will include “the senior center, featuring 50 living units that will each be 500-600 square feet” and a “retail center, which will feature up to five spaces for light retail, a coffee shop or maybe a grocery store.” Smith’s journey was a difficult one. She was a foster child who ended up aging out of the foster care system when...

A series of mods can transform the building-block game into a new way to explore what the world may look after climate change. from Wired https://ift.tt/2PtNYPT via

A new array of sats will detect nearly every bolt of lightning in the Western Hemisphere, powering an early warning system for climate-change-fueled superstorms. from Wired https://ift.tt/2uAStRJ via

Whether software that digitizes manual labor makes workers frowny or smiley will come down to how employers choose to use it. from Wired https://ift.tt/2T4FGjZ via

The South African World Cup winner was somewhat under-dressed when he met Prince Harry. from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/387fdX4 via

Liberia was the epicenter of a high-profile Ebola outbreak in 2014-15, which led to more than 10,000 deaths in West Africa. But for all the devastation the illness caused, it could have been worse without an innovative, volunteer-based outreach program Liberia’s government deployed in late 2014. Now, a study co-authored by an MIT professor shows how much that program, consisting of door-to-door canvassing by community volunteers, spread valuable information and changed public practices during the epidemic. The findings also demonstrate how countries with minimal resources can both fight back against epidemics and gain public trust in difficult circumstances.   “Mediated [volunteer-based] government outreach had a positive impact on all of the [health] outcomes we measured,” says Lily Tsai, a professor of political science at MIT and co-author of a new paper detailing the study’s findings. “People knew more [about Ebola], had a more factual understanding of the epidemic, and were ...

The patient was admitted to UC Davis Medical Center on February 19 but not diagnosed until the 23rd—raising concerns about testing capabilities and health care workers’ exposure to the disease. from Wired https://ift.tt/32CzMK0 via

Is a Medigap Insurance Plan Right for You? Did you know that Original Medicare health insurance plans don’t cover all of your health care costs? That’s where Medigap insurance plans (also known as Medicare Supplement insurance) come in. Medigap plans are designed to help reduce your extra expenses by supplementing Original Medicare and paying for certain out-of-pocket costs. We will give you the answers you need to common questions about how Medicare Supplement insurance works.   A Quick Summary of Original Medicare Before we get into Medigap plans, let’s look at how Original Medicare ( Medicare Part A and Part B ) usually works : Part A covers: Inpatient care offered in hospitals or skilled nursing facilities Home health care services Hospice care for the terminally ill Part B covers: Doctor services Outpatient care Medical supplies Medical equipment Preventive services Medicare Plans Part A Part B Medicare Advantage (Part C) Part D Medicare Supplement ...

After Tyler Perry revealed that he has no writer’s room and pens all his own scripts, many in Hollywood began questioning if it was ill-advised for a man to be writing so much female-centered content without collaborating with actual women. Now the cast of his new BET show Sistas  is stepping forward to respond to his critics. Earlier this month, while taking part in  Deadline ‘s New Hollywood podcast with the African-American Film Critics Association, comedian Lil Rel Howery minced no words while voicing his opinion on the topic. Read MORE : Tyler Perry responds to criticism about not having a writers’ room “I love Tyler Perry and I’m proud of him, but I told myself I’m a say something because I don’t agree with that. I don’t understand,” he said, noting, “You can’t write a show called Sistas  and you’re not a sista. So you don’t want no suggestions or nothing?” “I know we talk a good game about ‘This is what I’m doing, I’m doing this, I’m doing that.’ Once again,...

Days after the tragic death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant , journalist Gayle K ing became entangled in a web of grief-driven backlash when a truncated clip of her interview with basketball star Lisa Leslie hit the airwaves. King probed Leslie on Bryant’s legacy, touching on the rape allegations that shadowed his career in the early 2000s. Snoop Dogg says his desire to ‘protect’ Vanessa Bryant led to him lashing out at Gayle King The segment was aired without context, and critics, who hailed the line of questioning as insensitive, inappropriate and at its worst —hateful, made King a target of vitriol and misogyny within the Black community. Snoop Dogg became one of the leaders of the verbal mob, posting a video on Instagram filled with threats and name-calling aimed at the careered journalist. Death threats haunted King both online and offline, prompting Oprah Winfrey to speak up on behalf of her friend, who understandably feared for her life. In the days t...