Mariah Carey may have money and fame but her childhood wasn’t easy. In her new book, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey” the Grammy award-winning singer opens up about her difficult time growing up, her reputation as a diva, and race. In a recent interview with The Guardian Carey did not hold back.
Carey, 50, recently made headlines when fans learned from her memoir that her sister Alison Carey, allegedly drugged her and tried to sell her when she was just 12 years old. Mariah says memories of her instability at home still impacts her today.
Honoree Mariah Carey accepts the Icon Award onstage during the 2019 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 01, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for dcp)
“I think my staying up all night started from having such a dysfunctional family. Oftentimes, whoever was in the house was doing whatever it was that they were doing, and that felt kinda unsafe to me, so I started staying up,” she told the publication.
Carey, who is biracial, also digs into the topic of race in her new book. Born to a white mother and Black father the singer says she had major identity issues growing up.
“I can’t help that I’m ambiguous-looking,” she said, “and most people would assume that it’s been to my benefit, and maybe it has in some ways. But it’s also been a lifelong quest to feel like I belong to any specific group. It shouldn’t have to be such a freaking thing…”
The singer has always had a reputation for being a diva. In 2002, she was featured on an episode of Cribs that solidified her diva status, if it was ever in question. A vibrant Carey took the camera crew through her mind-blowing New York City home eventually ending up in a tub blowing bubbles with just a towel on. She tells The Guardian being titled as high maintenance doesn’t bother her.
“You know what? I don’t give a s–. I f—– am high-maintenance because I deserve to be at this point. That may sound arrogant, but I hope you frame it within the context of coming from nothing. If I can’t be high-maintenance after working my ass off my entire life, oh, I’m sorry – I didn’t realize we all had to be low-maintenance. Hell, no! I was always high-maintenance, it’s just I didn’t have anyone to do the maintenance when I was growing up!”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
Maneuvering college is a challenge for anyone but for one 12-year-old, it’s a breeze. Not only is Caleb Anderson a sophomore at Chattahoochee Technical College in Marietta, Georgia, he’s studying aerospace engineering. His parents say they knew he was gifted at a young age.
At only four weeks old, Caleb would mimic his mother’s speech and at nine months he knew over 250 words in American sign language By the time he was 4, he could easily read words he was seeing for the first time.
“I was getting my master’s in education so I knew that there was something special about that,” Claire Anderson, Caleb’s mother told USA Today.
After he graduates in about two years, Caleb plans on attending thee Georgia Institute of Technology and then the Massachusetts Institute for Technology. He hopes to achieve two things; an internship with Tesla CEO Elon Musk and a dream he has been chasing all of his young life.
“When I was like 1, I always wanted to go to space,” Caleb told USA Today. “I figured that aerospace engineering would be the best path.”
His mother says initially his high intellect impacted his sense of self because he didn’t need to study or require any help with his school work as many kids do. But she nipped that in the bud.
“I didn’t like the character that was building in him,” she said. “He didn’t have any study skills, perseverance, grit. He didn’t ask for help.”
His mother and father decided there were other things they needed to focus on.
“Both of us are not rocket scientists,” Claire said. She’s a former teacher and her husband, Kobi, is an IT salesman. “We had to learn there are other things that we can teach him about compassion, kindness, looking for good in others.”
She said she noticed Caleb would zoom through his course work in elementary school and was worried that he wouldn’t be challenged if he continued at that grade level. She now encourages parents to advocate for their kid’s education early on. The Andersons have two other children, 7-year-old Hannah and 8-year-old Aaron. Both are in gifted classes.
Caleb’s father says despite any naysayers, college has been the best choice for their son.
“[The school and students are] accepting,” he told the publication. “People might think something about it, but they don’t show it, which is really nice.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
WHO announced an alarming new statistic about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic
As the public continues to reel from the news that the president of the United States has tested positive for the coronavirus, Dr. Michael Ryan, the executive director of the World Health Organization (WHO)’s health emergency program, has come forward to share an alarming new statistic.
According toThe Associated Press, on Monday, Ryan revealed that the most recent estimates indicate a significant percentage of the world’s population may have already been infected by the coronavirus this year.
A protester holds a sign reading ‘200K Dead Trump Kills USA’ at a march against ‘Death, Lies and Fascism’ on September 21, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. Demonstrators protested against President Donald Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic as the U.S. surpasses 204,000 deaths from the coronavirus. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
“The disease continues to spread. It is on the rise in many parts of the world,” Ryan explained during a special session of the organization’s executive board. “Our current best estimates tell us that about 10% of the global population may have been infected by this virus.”
He also pointed out that the stats vary from urban to rural areas, and between different groups, but that ultimately “the vast majority of the world remains at risk.”
One of those groups whose cases stand out amongst the pack is Black Americans who have been disproportionately affected by the virus, both medically and financially.
To put what 10% of the population looks like in clearer focus – what WHO is saying is that over 760 million people based on a current world population of about 7.6 billion have COVID-19. This by far exceeds the 35 million confirmed cases that were originally tallied by WHO and Johns Hopkins University. But to be fair, experts have always said that they knew the number of confirmed cases being reported would grossly undercount the true number of people impacted.
Travelers wearing face masks and face shields to protect against COVID-19 queue upon arriving at Godofredo P. Ramos Airport on September 30, 2020 in Malay, Aklan province, Philippines. The Philippine government has partially reopened the country to domestic travelers in a bid to stimulate the economy and revive a pandemic-hit tourism sector even as coronavirus cases continue to rise. The country surpassed 312,000 cases of COVID-19, with at least 5,504 deaths. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)
“What we have learned in every region of the world is that with strong leadership, clear and comprehensive strategies, consistent communication, and engaged, empowered and enabled population, it’s never too late,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“Every situation can be turned around — and hard-won gains can be easily lost.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
BLACKPINK: LIGHT UP THE SKY | Official Trailer | Netflix Proving that music knows no borders or language barriers, BLACKPINK: LIGHT UP THE SKY offers a personal look at the four members of BLACKPINK, from their years as trainees to their current global success as the most popular K-pop girl group of all time. Watch BLACKPINK: LIGHT UP THE SKY globally on Netflix October 14: https://ift.tt/3jAlMrO SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/29qBUt7 About Netflix: Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with 193 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments. BLACKPINK: LIGHT UP THE SKY | Official Trailer | Netflix https://youtube.com/Netflix Record-shattering Korean girl band BLACKPINK tell their story — and detail the hard-fought journey of the dreams and trials behind their meteoric rise.
Sen. Ron Johnson insists that he did not have any symptoms
Sen. Ron Johnson has defended attending a fundraiser despite testing positive for COVID-19.
The Wisconsin senator revealed over the weekend that he tested positive for the coronavirus and is now in isolation. However, Johnson did not feel the need to quarantine after he suspected that he may have been infected and attended a fundraiser while awaiting results.
Johnson toldFox 6 that he was asymptomatic and didn’t expect to test positive for the disease that has spread through the GOP. President Donald Trump announced last week that he and the first lady had contracted the virus. Within days, Trump’s campaign manager Bill Stepien, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, and Republican senators, Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have also tested positive.
“I was pretty surprised,” Johnson said after speaking at a Republican Party of Ozaukee County fundraiser in Mequon. “I feel fine. I feel completely normal.”
Johnson learned he did in fact have COVID-19 on his way home and critics declared that he should have remained home rather than to risk becoming a super spreader. Masks were not worn at the event.
“I think the idea that Senator Ron Johnson was so concerned about his exposure to the pandemic that he had a test, but then went to a public event where masks were not being used, I think is just an indication of how little concern he had for the people in that room and really how little concern he has for the people of Wisconsin,” Democratic strategist Scot Ross said.
Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) speaks at the start of a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on the government’s response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on March 5, 2020 in Washington, DC. COVID-19 has taken hold in the United States and national and local governments are rushing to contain the virus and to find a cure. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Those who attended the event claimed Johnson didn’t interact much with others. Furthermore, Johnson was adamant that he did not knowingly attend the fundraiser with the disease.
“I am not going in there with symptoms and getting a test. I am going in there symptom-free,” said Johnson. “I don’t care where I might have got it from. I have no idea, but I think the likeliest source is my chief of staff.”
The coronavirus recently passed a grim milestone as more than 200,000 Americans have died from the health pandemic. A National Day of Remembrance was held over the weekend, theGrioreported.
Brian Walter was one of the attendees and urged people to take COVID-19 seriously.
“It’s very important we get the message across that this is not a hoax or a conspiracy or a fake illness,” Walter said. “Just because it hasn’t affected you personally doesn’t mean it’s not real. The events of last weekend prove that you can be isolated for a while, but if you make one wrong move, the virus could get you.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
More staffers are coming up positive as the easily transmitted virus spreads through the White House
Donald and Melania Trump are not the only people living and working in the White House. As news broke last week that the couple had tested positive for COVID-19, few thought to ask how that impacted the team of household staffers, Secret Service, and the myriad other people it takes to service the couple’s needs and to keep the 228-year-old mansion running.
Now, according to Forbes, two members of the White House housekeeping staff have tested positive, and have reportedly been told to be discreet about it. Kayleigh McEnany, Hope Hicks, and Nicholas Luna are among White Houses senior officials who have contracted the virus and there are potentially five other staffers who have tested positive as well, the outlet says.
Guests listen to speakers at the National Covid-19 Remembrance on the ellipse, behind the White House on October 04, 2020 in Washington, DC.President Donald Trump was admitted to Walter Reed Medical center after testing positive for COVID-19. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Though the staffers reportedly did not have direct contact with the Trump’s, it remains unclear just how many people have been infected among White House front and back end personnel. The Rose Garden ceremony and reception to introduce Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett is now being viewed as a potential “superspreader” event as ten people have now tested positive for the coronavirus who attended, including the Trump’s, McEnany, former N.J. governor Chris Christie,Kellyanne Conway, Sen. Thom Ellis, and Sen. Mike Lee.
It is certainly plausible that among the household staff who set up the event and those that served guests there could be more infections. Though the first lady mandated masks for both her staff and household staff in April, The Washington Post reports her husband did not and it is widely believed the Trump’s rarely wore masks around their personal White House staffers.
As moviegoers may remember from the fictional movie The Bulter, starring Forest Whitaker as a longtime White House butler, most of the White House household staff is African American, along with some that are Latino and Filipino, and many of the Black staffers are elderly.
“I know that people in there are scared,” Sam Kass, the White House head chef for six years in the Obama administration, told the Post. “I’m sure that they are concerned about their own lives and their families and feel very torn about balancing their responsibilities to their country, as they see it, and putting themselves in harm’s way.”
Added to that is the layout of the White House which requires the staff to navigate a narrow warren of hallways, according to those who have worked there. One of them is the former White House social secretary, Deesha Dyer, who told the Post she’s been personally calling staffers to check on them.
A reporter works among the empty chairs on display to represent the 200,000 lives lost due to Covid-19 at he National Covid-19 Remembrance on the ellipse, behind the White House on October 04, 2020 in Washington, DC.President Donald Trump was admitted to Walter Reed Medical center after testing positive for COVID-19. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
“It makes me angry because I do care about these people, and they’re amazing, and so many of them did not have a choice. They love their jobs, and they’re excellent at their jobs, and they’re part of the institution. And it’s just trifling and unnecessary to put them at risk because you can’t be bothered to wear a mask,” Dyer said.
White House spokeswoman Alyssa Farah reminded the public that White House staff, like many workers of color around the country in various professions, are considered essential workers. She tweeted today that “they are expected to continue to work – with precautions – unless a medical recommendation otherwise is given.”
One thing I want to clear up: Senior White House staff are deemed Essential Personnel by CDC & DHS. This means they are expected to continue to work – while taking precautions – until a medical recommendation otherwise is given.
The Trump’s personal staffers will continue to take care of them through their isolation once Trump returns to the White House today, putting themselves and their families at risk and without clear guidance on who else may have tested positive.
“Unlike other offices at the White House, it is probably more difficult for anybody on the residence staff to telework,” Laura McBride of American University, who was Laura Bush‘s chief of staff who is now a White House historian, told the Post. “I mean, the nature of their work is to be maintaining the house, cooking for the family.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
According to the Justice Department, Barr has had four negative COVID-19 tests since the president’s word of his own diagnosis.
William Barr, the attorney general of the United States, has decided to quarantine for “several days” after being exposed to coronavirus. Barr attended the White House event for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, which is now being described as a superspreader gathering.
The event, which took place last Saturday, Sept. 25, was held mainly in the Rose Garden of the White House. However, some parts of the reception were hosted indoors.
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Attorney General William Barr (center) and former presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway talk in the White House Rose Garden after President Donald Trump introduced his nominee to the Supreme Court late last month. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
So far, 12 people who participated have tested positive for COVID-19, including President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.
Photos from the event show Barr and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows standing in close proximity to former White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway, who has since tested positive. None of them were wearing masks.
According to the Justice Department, Barr has had four negative COVID-19 tests since the president’s announcement that he’d been diagnosed with it. He attended a meeting at his headquarters, but stayed home during the weekend.
A spokesperson said on Sunday that Barr will be self-quarantining out of “an abundance of caution.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a self-quarantine period of 14 days for anyone who has been in close proximity to a person who has tested positive to avoid possibly spreading the virus to others.
Aside from Trumps and Conway, North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, Utah Sen. Mike Lee, Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien and advisor Chris Christie are among those close to the president who have all tested positive for the virus. Trump aide Hope Hicks tested positive last week. Hicks accompanied the president to the presidential debate last Tuesday.
More than 150 people attended the Rose Garden announcement. According to the Washington Post, guests were tested on the day of the event, and when they tested negative, they were told that they no longer needed to wear masks. Most attendees did not wear a face covering.
In addition to members of the Trump administration who tested positive were three White House reporters who attended the event. Monday morning, it was revealed that Conway’s 16-year-old daughter, Claudia, also had tested positive.
Critics contend the trip showed how willing Trump is to endanger his staff. ‘The irresponsibility,’ one doctor says, ‘is astounding.’
President Donald Trump left Walter Reed National Military Medical Center late Sunday afternoon to ride in an SUV to surprise his supporters outside of the hospital. During the short trip, Trump waved through a closed window, donning a face mask while the pair of Secret Service officers inside the vehicle wore N-95 masks, medical gowns and eye coverings.
White House officials said that “appropriate precautions were taken in the execution of this movement to protect the president and all those supporting it, including PPE. The movement was cleared by the medical team as safe to do.”
That’s Trump driving by his supporters outside Walter Reed military hospital. pic.twitter.com/eqA0RGkr6A
Critics have said the trip showed a willingness to endanger his staff by traveling while battling COVID-19.
“Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential ‘drive-by’ just now has to be quarantined for 14 days. They might get sick. They may die. For political theater. Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater. This is insanity,” Dr. James Phillipstweeted.
Dr. Phillips is an attending physician at the hospital, but it is not known if he is treating the president.
“That Presidential SUV is not only bulletproof but hermetically sealed against chemical attack,” he continued. “The risk of COVID19 transmission inside is as high as it gets outside of medical procedures. The irresponsibility is astounding. My thoughts are with the Secret Service forced to play.”
Since Trump’s admission to Walter Reed on Friday, Trump supporters had been lining the streets outside of the hospital, holding signs and waving flags. They cheered as the motorcade went by.
CNN is reporting that a Secret Service agent who works on the president’s detail condemned the ride. “That should never have happened,” the agent said under anonymity.
He noted that all of the agents who participated in the ride would be required quarantine. “I mean, I wouldn’t want to be around them,” he said. “The frustration with how we’re treated when it comes to decisions on this illness goes back before this, though. We’re not disposable.”
The Boys in the Band | A Conversation with Charlie Carver and Playwright Mart Crowley | Netflix Charlie Carver and the late playwright, Mart Crowley, discuss the history of gay Hollywood, the significance of The Boys in the Band, how far we've come as a community, and how far we still have to go. Starring Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells, Charlie Carver, Robin De Jesús, Brian Hutchison, Michael Benjamin Washington, and Tuc Watkins. Directed by Joe Mantello. Produced by Ryan Murphy. Watch Now The Boys In The Band, Only on Netflix : https://ift.tt/3lI9kYA SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/29qBUt7 About Netflix: Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with 193 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments. The Boys in the Band | A Conversation with Charlie Carver and Playwright Mart Crowley | Netflix https://youtube.com/Netflix The Boys in the Band is about a group of gay men who gather for a birthday party in 1968 New York City, only to find the drinks and laughs interrupted when a visitor from the host’s past turns the evening upside down.
Paranormal | Official Teaser | Netflix Refaat Ismail, a cynical hematology professor with a dark sense of humor, has his world turned upside down and his lifelong scientific convictions questioned after he begins to experience paranormal activities. Along with his university colleague Maggie, they enter the paranormal world and try to save their loved ones from the immense danger that surrounds them. The story is based on the best selling thriller novel series with the same name by Ahmed Khaled Tawfik. SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/29qBUt7 About Netflix: Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with 193 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments. Paranormal | Official Teaser | Netflix https://youtube.com/Netflix
In this guide, we will show how to switch to another or a specific user account without requiring a password. For example, we have a user account called postgres (the default PostgreSQL superuser system
With the U.S. presidential election just over a month away, former president Barack Obama has urged citizens to cast their votes in a race that matters not only nationally but globally.
from Wealth https://ift.tt/34o9ix9
via Gabe's MusingsGabe's Musings
A witness says Senator Roger Wicker did not wear his mask 90% of the flight
A passenger on a Delta Airlines flight posted a photo to Twitter of U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) with his mask tucked under his chin.
Wicker, an ally of President Donald Trump, was criticized on the social media platform after putting fellow passengers at risk.
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), pays respects as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in repose under the Portico at the top of the front steps of the U.S. Supreme Court building on September 24, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik-Pool/Getty Images)
An advertising and media specialist for Democrat Mike Espy’s campaign, Matt Harringer, spotted the senator on the flight from Washington, D.C. to Jackson, Mississippi, Sun Herald reported.
He decided to post the unmasked politician on Twitter.
I’ve seen enough Republican senators test positive to tweet this photo. @SenatorWicker — because you refused to wear a mask on our @Delta flight last night, please let your fellow passengers know your status once you’ve been tested. pic.twitter.com/j2TW6g1gwO
“Senator Wicker lowered his face mask to eat a snack and forgot to put it back up. When he was reminded by a flight attendant, he put the mask back up,” said Rick Vanmeter, Sen. Wicker’s communications director.
“He did not attend any recent events at the White House and has not been in contact with any of the individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days,” he said.
However, Harringer told the Sun Herald that Wicker had his mask down on his chin for 90% of the entire flight, and he time stamped the images of his unmasked face.
Wicker’s mask was under his chin at 8:37 p.m., 9:27 p.m. and 9:46 p.m. on Thursday, which, according to Harringer, were times before takeoff, during the flight, and just before landing, the Sun Herald reported.
“I think the people on the plane, the woman in front of him, me, who was sitting 5 feet away from him, deserve to know his status,” Harringer said.
“It’s incredibly upsetting to see people like the senator act like this is no big deal,” Harringer said. “I don’t know if he’s lost anybody he loved, but when you lose somebody you love, you get upset about people not wearing masks.”
Hello Matt. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our people and our customers. We take our mask policy seriously and are investigating this incident. Kylie
My name is Kurt Cagle. I am the new Community Editor for Data Science Central, or DSC as it is known by its fans.
I'm one of those fans. Twelve years ago, Vincent Granville and Tim Matteson created a new site devoted to a passion they had: Data Science. In 2012, the term data science, and the practitioners, data scientists, were just beginning to come into vogue, specifically referring to the growing importance of a role that had been around for some time, the erstwhile data analyst, with the idea being that this particular role was different from a traditional programmer's role, though it borrowed many of the same tools.
Traditionally, an analyst, any analyst, has been someone who looks at information within a specific subject domain and, from their analysis, can both identify why things are the way they are and to a certain extent predict where those same things will be in the future.
Analysts have been around for a long time, and have always had something of a mystical air to them. As an example, in early Imperial Rome, there were a number of celebrated priests called Augurs who were said to be able to predict the future from the flight of birds. They had a surprisingly high success rate, and were usually in great demand by both military leaders needing strategic advice and merchants looking to better deploy their fleets and land agents.
At first, the correlation between bird flight patterns and sound trade policy advice would seem low at best, but as with any good magical trick, it was worth understanding what was going on in the background. Why does one watch the sky for bird flight? Easy. Certain types of birds, such as homing pigeons, can carry messages from ships or caravans to various outposts, and from there such information can be relayed via both birds and other humans to central gathering points. In other words, the Augurs had managed to build a very sophisticated, reasonably fast intelligence network tracking ships, troop movements, plague spots, and so forth, all under the cover of watching the skies for birds. Even today, the verb to augur means to predict, as a consequence.
In the eight years since Data Science Central published its first post, the field has grown up. Statistical and stochastic functions have become considerably more sophisticated. The battle royale between R and Python has largely been resolved as "it doesn't matter", as statistical toolsets make their way to environments as diverse as Scala, Javascript ,and C#. The lone data scientist has become a team, with fields as diverse as data visualization to neural network training to data storytellers staking their claims to the verdant soil of data analysis.
What is even more exciting is that this reinvention is moving beyond the "quants" into all realms of business, research, and manufacturing organizations. Marketing, long considered to be the least "mathematical" of disciplines within business, now requires at least a good grounding in statistics and probability, and increasingly consumes the lion's share of a company's analytics budget. Neural nets and reinforcement learning are now topics of discussion in the board room, representing a situation where heuristic or algorithmic tools are being supplemented or even replaced with models with millions or even billions of dimensions. The data scientist is at the heart of organizational digital transformations.
Let me bring this back to DSC, and give to you, gentle reader, a brief bio of me, and what I hope to be able to bring to Data Science Central. I have been a consulting programmer, information architect, and technological evangelist for more than thirty years. In that time I have written twenty-some-odd books, mainly those big technical door stoppers that look really good on bookshelves. I've also been blogging since 2003 in one forum or another, including O'Reilly Media, Jupiter Publishing, and Forbes. I spent a considerable amount of time trying to push a number of information standards working with the W3C, and have, since the mid-2000s, focused a lot of time and energy on data representation, metadata, semantics, data modeling, and graph technology.
I'm not a data scientist. I do have a bachelor's degree in astrophysics, and much of a master's degree in systems theory. What that means is that I was playing with almost all of the foundational blocks of modern data science back about the time when the cutting edge processors were the Zylog-80 (known as the Z80) and 6502 chips within Apple II+ systems. I am, to put it bluntly, an old fart.
Yet when the opportunity to take over DSC came up, I jumped at it, for a very simple reason: context. You see, it's been my contention for a while that we are entering the era of Contextual Computing, eventually to be followed by Metaphorical Computing (in about twelve years, give or take a few). Chances are, you haven't heard the term Contextual Computing bandied about very much. It's not on Gartner's hype cycle, because it's really not a "technology" per se. Instead, you can think of contextual computing as the processing of, and acting on, information that takes place when systems have a contextual understanding of the world around them.
There are several pieces to contextual computing. Data Science is a big one. So is Graph Computing. Machine Learning, AI, the Internet of Things, the Digital Workplace, Data Fabric, Autonomous Drones, the list is long and getting longer all the time. These are all contextual - who are you, where are you, why are you here, what are you doing, why does it matter?
Data Science Central has become an authority in the world. My hope, my plan at this point, is to expand its focus moving into the third decade of this century. I'm asking you as readers, as writers, as community members, to join me on this journey, to help shape the nature of contextual computing. DSC is a forum to share technology but also to share asking deep questions about ethics and purpose, the greater good and with an eye towards opportunities. I hope to take Vincent and Tim's great community and build it out, with your help, observations, and occasional challenges.
from Featured Blog Posts - Data Science Central https://ift.tt/2F6e6yA
via Gabe's MusingsGabe's Musings
Mosley is the first Black person to ever receive the award
The National Book Foundation has announced renowned author Walter Mosley will be the recipient of its 2020 lifetime achievement award.
The famed 68-year-old bestselling author will be first Black man to receive the award.
Walter Mosley moderates a discussion at the “Spotlight On Screenwriting: Boyz n the Hood 25th Anniversary Screening With John Singleton And Walter Mosley” presented by The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences at SVA on June 12, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images for Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
Mosley has a reputation of writing short stories that do well in book clubs. He was also President Bill Clinton’s favorite authors back in 1992, The Washington Post reported.
This is not first time Mosley got an award for his writing. He received the Edgar Award for best mystery novel and the O. Henry Prize for his short stories.
Mosley also won a Grammy for his liner notes to the Richard Pryor album “…And It’s Deep Too!”, ABC News reported.
His first novel, a mystery book titled Devil in a Blue Dress, was released in 1990. It was later adapted into the1995 film starring Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle.
Mosley also wrote a 1997 crime novel called Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned, which was turned into an HBO special starring Laurence Fishburne.
Mosley is responsible for many plays and penned essays and op-eds that were featured in newspapers such as The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.
According to NewsOne, he is an advocate for diversity in the publishing industry, and he founded a publishing certificate program at the City University of New York (CUNY) to empower disadvantaged students through workshops and career development opportunities.
“Mosley is undeniably prolific, but what sets his work apart is his examination of both complex issues and intimate realities through the lens of characters in his fiction, as well as his accomplished historical narrative works and essays,” executive director of the National Book Foundation Lisa Lucas said in a statement.
“His oeuvre and his lived experience are distinctly part of the American experience. And as such, his contributions to our culture make him more than worthy of the Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.”
Mosley is expected to receive his award on November 18.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
As parents help their children navigate remote classes, they’re more aware of what’s being taught, and it’s often not simply coming from an educator on Zoom
HONOLULU (AP) — Zan Timtim doesn’t think it’s safe for her eighth-grade daughter to return to school in person during the coronavirus pandemic but also doesn’t want her exposed to a remote learning program that misspelled and mispronounced the name of Queen LiliÊ»uokalani, the last monarch to rule the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Timtim’s daughter is Native Hawaiian and speaks Hawaiian fluently, “so to see that inaccuracy with the Hawaiian history side was really upsetting,” she said.
Even before the school year started, Timtim said she heard from other parents about racist, sexist and other concerning content on Acellus, an online program some students use to learn from home.
This photo provided by Charles Timtim shows his daughter, name withheld by parents, doing schoolwork from home in Waipahu, Hawaii, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020. (Charles Timtim via AP)
Parents have called out “towelban” as a multiple-choice answer for a question about a terrorist group and Grumpy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs described as a “woman hater.” Some also say the program isn’t as rigorous as it should be.
As parents help their children navigate remote classes, they’re more aware of what’s being taught, and it’s often not simply coming from an educator on Zoom. Some schools have turned to programs like Acellus to supplement online classes by teachers, while others use it for students who choose to learn from home as campuses reopen. And because of the scramble to keep classes running during a health crisis, vetting the curriculum may not have been as thorough as it should have been, experts say.
Thousands of schools nationwide use Acellus, according to the company, and parents’ complaints are leading some districts to reconsider or stop using the program.
“We wouldn’t have had this visibility if it weren’t for all of us at home, often sitting side by side and making sure: ‘Is this working for you?’” said Adrienne Robillard, who withdrew her seventh-grade daughter from Kailua Intermediate School after concluding Acellus lacked substance and featured racist content.
When school officials said her daughter could do distance learning without Acellus, Robillard reenrolled her.
Acellus officials didn’t respond to multiple calls from The Associated Press seeking comment. In an online message to parents, founder Roger Billings called the controversy “an organized attack” and said “they have not found anything in our content that is really racist or sexist.” An automated closed-captioning system misinterpreted some words, he said.
Kansas City, Missouri-based Acellus was created in 2001, according to its website, which says it “delivers online instruction, compliant with the latest standards, through high-definition video lessons made more engaging with multimedia and animation.”
In a video on his website, Billings responds to criticism about his credentials by saying he earned a bachelor’s degree in “composite fields” of chemistry, physics, engineering and other subjects from a university he doesn’t name. He says he started a company focused on hydrogen energy technology and that he later earned a “doctor of research and innovation” degree at the International Academy of Science, the nonprofit that develops Acellus courses.
This photo provided by Adrienne Robillard shows her son, name withheld by parent, doing school work at a computer at home in Kailua, Hawaii, Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. Parents spotting questionable content on a program called Acellus is forcing some school districts across the country to reconsider the program or stop using it. (Adrienne Robillard via AP)
Hawaii selected Acellus based on an “implementation timeline” as well as “cost effectiveness” and other factors, Superintendent Christina Kishimoto said in a memo.
“I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think that price was the main factor,” said Charles Lang, visiting assistant professor of learning analytics at Columbia University’s Teachers College in New York City. “And to some extent, you do get what you pay for in terms of content.”
Vetting educational programs takes time, but with the pandemic, districts needed to quickly to find remote learning platforms, said Eric Hirsch, executive director of EdReports, which helps schools review instructional materials.
“So this spring, we saw a scramble, a dash,” he said.
And evaluating curriculum is like the “Wild West” — it varies across school systems, Lang said.
“We were in some serious situations with the pandemic, and we had to figure something out,” Hawaii school board member Kili NamauÊ»u said at a recent meeting. “And I think schools made some pretty quick decisions. Maybe they weren’t the most accurate decisions.”
She later said in an interview that it would be more problematic to pull Acellus in the middle of the quarter.
But as a Native Hawaiian, she wants to ensure Acellus has corrected “appalling” and inaccurate information about Hawaiian history: “I’m particularly dismayed with that particular module.”
Seeing the queen’s name misspelled and information that the Hawaiian islands were “discovered” by Europeans were enough for Timtim and her husband to decide their daughter should join Waipahu Intermediate School’s hybrid remote and in-person program despite their concerns about COVID-19.
Then most of Hawaii’s public schools, which began virtually on Aug. 17, extended remote learning until mid-October.
This photo provided by Adrienne Robillard shows her daughter, name withheld by parent, doing school work at a computer at home in Kailua, Hawaii, Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. (Adrienne Robillard via AP)
“I just pray we figure out what to do if she does have to go to school once or twice a week,” Timtim said.
The Hawaii Department of Education, the nation’s only statewide school district, is considering what to do about Acellus, but some schools decided on their own to stop using it. Other U.S. districts, like Alameda Unified in California, quickly dropped the program after complaints surfaced.
In a recent memo, the California Department of Education said it “has learned through examples shared that Acellus lessons may contain highly inappropriate content and may not meet state legal requirements surrounding instructional materials.” The memo to superintendents and school administrators cited “racist depictions of Black Americans” and “at least one question that perpetuates Islamophobic stereotypes.”
A Sept. 17 memo Hawaii’s superintendent sent to the school board said education officials were working with Acellus to address inappropriate content.
Mariko Honda-Oliver heard concerning things from other parents but didn’t find anything she considered racist. She was troubled, however, that her son, a second-grader at Makalapa Elementary, blew through more than a week of material on his first day.
Similarly, Cassie Favreau-Chung said her son, a freshman at Mililani High School, was looking forward to the independence of remote learning but found he wasn’t getting a quality education because the program had no writing assignments.
“He hasn’t found anything on his own that he thought was racist or sexist,” she said. “However, I will also say that a lot of kids, it’ll go over their heads.”
For example, “towelban,” Favreau-Chung said.
She switched her son to the hybrid program next quarter to avoid Acellus, hoping the school will let him keep learning from home.
The experience has made Favreau-Chung lose faith: “It’s the first time that I have not been proud to have my kid in public school.”
Honda-Oliver, whose military family has experienced schools worldwide, also is disappointed.
“This experience of having to see how other districts and other states are doing distance learning compared to Hawaii has kind of reinforced that Hawaii really is not the place to come if you want to give your children a good education,” she said.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
After Donald Trump tested positive for coronavirus, sitting in a hospital was the last thing that the president wanted
Sunday marks President Donald Trump‘s third-consecutive night spent at Walter Reed Medical Center and, with just 30 days until the election, the White House continues to scramble to contain the biggest crisis of Trump’s presidency.
On Saturday, Trump’s physician, Dr. Sean Conley, told reporters that Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Wednesday — a day earlier than Trump previously disclosed — instantly plummeting the West Wing into damage-control mode. The new timeline revealed that Trump was contagious when he debated Joe Biden on Tuesday and also when he attended a fundraiser at his Bedminster golf club on Thursday.
In follow-up statements, the White House claimed Dr. Conley misspoke, but the statement did not stop the ensuing chaos that is being driven by Trump’s desire to conceal the seriousness of his illness from the public.
President Donald Trump arrives at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md., Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, on Marine One helicopter after he tested positive for COVID-19. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
According to Variety, three sources said Trump argued with his doctors on Friday after being told him he needed to be moved to Walter Reed Medical Center.
“He didn’t want to go to the hospital a month before the election,” an unnamed Republican close to Trump said.
Two other sources told the outlet that doctors gave Trump a nonnegotiable ultimatum: he could go to the hospital while he was still able to walk or he’d be rolled out in a wheelchair or while lying on a stretcher after his health further deteriorated. Eventually, Trump agreed to go to Walter Reed just outside of the nation’s capital in Maryland, but waited until after the stock market closed, a source said.
Dr. Sean Conley, physician to President Donald Trump, briefs reporters at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020. Trump was admitted to the hospital after contracting the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
For Trump insiders, the grim reality of the president’s hospitalization has created a grim outlook of his prospects in the upcoming election. “They all know it’s over,” a Republican close to the campaign said.
“This is spiraling out of control,” former West Wing official said.
Marine One lifts off from the White House to carry President Donald Trump to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Friday, Oct. 2, 2020 in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Some Republican officials are entertaining wild conspiracy theories that the White House outbreak was politically motivated.
“It’s weird that all these Republicans are getting it,” a prominent Republican said.
Meanwhile, America’s closest allies are also entertaining wild scenarios, and according to a Republican source, a high-level government official from a G-7 country asked if Trump would attempt to appoint his daughter, Ivanka Trump, the president instead of Mike Pence.
“He’s broken every norm so far, so they think anything is possible,” the source said.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
‘I don’t understand this constant disrespect,’ the hip-hop icon says
LL Cool J admits he was left feeling some way after watching the viral video of Kanye West urinating on a Grammy Award.
West posted the disturbing footage to his Twitter feed last month, amid his rant about the music business being “modern day slavery.”
At the time, Ye shared copies of his abysmal record contract and capped off his grievance by showing one of his 21 Grammy awards inside a toilet bowl and receiving a golden shower.
LL Cool J speaks onstage at the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce 2019 State of The Entertainment Industry Conference held at Lowes Hollywood Hotel on November 21, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Michael Tran/Getty Images)
The video stunt was not a good look, according to LL Cool J, the first rapper to receive the Kennedy Center Honors. As a two-time Grammy winner and five-time host of the ceremony, the hip-hop icon reacted to the footage during an appearance on Showtime’s “Desus & Mero.”
He also made time to shade Ye’s sneaker brand, Complex reports.
“With all due respect, I think Kanye should just — maybe he should just piss in a Yeezy or something instead of pissing on a Grammy,” LL said. “Piss in a pair of one them Yeezys, B. I felt some kind of way about that sh*t. I didn’t love that sh*t, because I’ve been with the Grammys for five years.”
LL went on to acknowledge that the Recording Academy is not without flaws, but noted that the “constant disrespect” is not warranted.
“I don’t understand this constant disrespect,” he continued. “Look, now don’t get me wrong, there have been some foul things that have happened to some artists around the Grammys; they (the Recording Academy) are not without flaw … but piss on one those f*cking space shoes or something … C’mon, man. What the f*ck is he doing?”
Watch LL’s full interview above, or skip to his comments about West via the Twitter embed below.
While West has been a vocal critic of record labels and the oppressive legal agreements artists are often forced to sign, radio host Charlamagne tha God has called out the hip-hop star for being guilty of the very same unethical tactics he speaks out against, theGRIO previously reported.
— DESUS & MERO on SHOWTIME (@SHODesusAndMero) October 2, 2020
“When you sign a music deal you sign away your rights,” Kanye tweeted last month, at one point implying he would return the 50% share of masters he has of artists signed to his label G.O.O.D. Music. In response, his protege Big Sean thanked Kanye in a tweet, acknowledging that the move would “help so much.”
On “The Breakfast Club” Wednesday, radio host Charlamagne tha God said Ye owes Big Sean $3 million after he allegedly trapped the Detroit rapper into signing a “terrible contract.”
“The restraint that Big Sean shows to Kanye West is remarkable,” the host said. “It lets me know that he really is a healed individual because Kanye West — I hope one day Big Sean tells his story. Just know, Kanye West owes Big Sean a whole lotta money, and he’s got Big Sean in a very terrible contract to be out here screaming about giving folks their masters back and all types of other things.”
The media personality went on to explain that “Kanye West owes Big Sean $3 million,” and called out Ye for taking “half of Sean’s profits and half of Sean’s royalties.”
“Kanye wouldn’t agree to Big Sean getting his masters back from Def Jam. Kanye needs to do right by Big Sean. … Brothers, we have to stop doing that to each other ’cause we run around out here misleading other people and really being false prophets, but you’re not even doing right by your own people. Do right by your own people, ‘Ye.”
Have you subscribed totheGrio’s new podcast“Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
Free book - Artificial Intelligence: Foundations of Computational Agents
There are many excellent free books on Python – but Artificial Intelligence: Foundations of Computational Agents is about a subject not commonly covered
I found the book useful as a introduction to Reinforcement Learning
As the title suggests, the book is about computational agents
An agent observes the world and carries out actions in the environment. The agent maintains an internal state that it updates. Also, the environment takes in actions of the agents, and in turn updates it internal state and returns the percepts. In this implementation, the state of the agent and the state of the environment are represented using standard Python variables, which are updated as the state changes.
This structure can be used to model many interesting problems and is the focus of the book. Ultimately, it leads to Reinforcement Learning.
It has become evident that developments in analytics are creating new occupations. There has been much discussion about where new jobs will come from with many existing ones being made redundant because of the 4th Industrial Revolution – i.e. the impact of artificial intelligence and robotics. Analytics is bucking this trend.
Some of new occupations in analytics include data prospectors and data harvesters. Data prospectors, like gold prospectors, are responsible for searching and locating data on the internet and other large data repositories. Data harvesters are responsible for extracting data and information from these sources. Data harvesters do this, for example, by web scraping. Staff who are highly skilled and knowledgeable in doing these functions are required - especially exploring something as vast and intricate as the internet.
Another new occupation is that of a data detective. They are analysts who find knowledge and insights in data. This may sound a simple and straight forward job to do.
It is suggested that there are plenty of analysts who can do extraction and cleaning tasks but have little or no aptitude for exploring data to find answers to difficult problems and issues and struggle to recognise important and informative discoveries. That is, they can perform the technical tasks of providing data but are not able to use it to find ‘nuggets of gold’ in this resource.
What is required are highly skilled professionals who, like police detectives, excel at analysis and problem solving. They need to be proficient in marshalling facts, following leads in data, testing hypotheses and hunches, joining the ‘dots’ and drawing conclusions from what is known. In short, they require the knowledge and skills of a Sherlock Holmes.
The primary skills required by data detectives are the ability to explore data and the ability to identify items of interest. They can do this by using the functionality of desktop packages such as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access and data visualization packages such as Tableau, QlikView and Power BI. They can also interrogate data using SQL with structured data and SPARQL with semantic data.
Where data detectives add value is that they ask informed questions to help to understand challenging and difficult problems and issues. They find workarounds when they hit difficulties and obstacles in obtaining the answers they require. They possess the nous, have the patience, and have the persistence to go the extra kilometre to find interesting patterns and trends in data.
Three examples of where data detectives can add value include using risk-analysis tools to gain insights into threats and opportunities. They can take different data views of subjects and issues and where interesting patterns are found, they can make further inquiries to find more about what is going on and what their implications are when it comes to developments that can either harm or benefit individuals, organizations and the community.
The second example is stratifying a population to find interesting strata such as those with high incidence of a disease such as COVID-19. They can analyse cases in different strata to see why they have high infection rates and compare these with strata with low infection rates. These analyses can reveal what measures can be taken to lower the incidence of the disease.
The third example is analysing cases that have anomalies with insurance claims. Business rules can be written for those who show unusual patterns and the rules can be cascaded to find other people in the population who closely match them as they too may have issues with their claims.
It is suggested that data detective work needs to be recognized as a specialist skill where those with requisite attributes are selected, trained, and employed to do this work. Organizations need to take steps to identify those who are gifted in doing detective tasks and use their talents.
They complement data scientists who use mining and modelling techniques to extract knowledge from data. Data detectives are more qualitative in their approach while data scientists are more quantitative in their orientation. However, data detectives use the tools and procedures developed by data scientists to explore data such as using population partitioning techniques.
Data detectives can go the extra step of interpreting what data scientists find in data and can give context to what is discovered or detected. For example, data scientists can produce a list of high-risk cases detected using a machine-learning model but often they cannot explain why they are classified in this manner. Data detectives can explore data to give context to the cases and explain why they were identified by the model. They can also spot false positives or cases that appear to be of concern but are false alarms and therefore do not warrant attention. This saves time, money and effort in that resources are not wasted pursuing them.
Data detectives are part of the broader and growing family of occupations that deal with data. This family includes as examples data prospectors, data harvesters, data scientists, data analysts, data engineers, data architects, data brokers, data lawyers, data journalists, data artists, data quality officers and database managers. They each have a discrete and important role to perform and they all complement each other in making use of what is now referred as the new oil. Data is now the fuel that enables organizations to function and to deliver business outcomes.
When it comes to formal education, there are now many masters programs in analytics in universities across the globe. These programs could be expanded to include different specialization streams to cater for these different data occupations cited above. That is, they become omnibus programs where students can select relevant subjects that enable them to specialize in data science or data engineering or data brokering or data detective work to use examples. These specializations are required to provide practicing analytics professionals to meet the diverse needs of government, industry, and commerce in the 21st Century.
