NOVA | Making Stuff: Series Overview

NOVA | Making Stuff: Series Overview

Making Stuff: Series Overview

Technology reporter David Pogue hosts a four-part special series exploring the materials that will shape our future

What's This Stuff?Think you know your stuff? Identify 10 mystery materials from a set of clues.

"Few people realize it, but materials are the basis of our civilization—the Stone Age, the Iron Age—and materials are what will take us into the future," says Paula S. Apsell, Senior Executive Producer for NOVA. "David Pogue is a highly entertaining and tech-savvy guide during a fascinating four hours full of potential breakthroughs that will shape our future."

To download the press release with more detailed descriptions of each program as well as photos, visit our press site.

What's This Stuff? asks David Pogue: A "Making Stuff" contest

Think you know your stuff? Test your material-know how and win a MacBook Air and an online chat with David Pogue, or maybe an Apple iPod Touch. Click here to learn more about this contest and how you can test your mettle.

WGBH American Experience . Freedom Riders . Watch | PBS

American History, Civil Rights, US History, Civics, Economics

WGBH American Experience . Freedom Riders . Watch | PBS

Robin Givhan

Journalism,
Robin Givhan, Civics, Ethics
http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/12201
Fall Fashion Edition

Is the fashion editor for The Washington Post. She won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for criticism, the first such time for a fashion writer. The Pulitzer Committee explained its rationale by noting Givhan's "witty, closely observed essays that transform fashion criticism into cultural criticism."


The native of Detroit, Michigan was valedictorian at Renaissance High School in 1982, graduated from Princeton University in 1986, and holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. 


Givhan generated an uproar on July 20, 2007, when she penned a Washington Post opinion piece that drew attention to an outfit worn by presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during her July 18 speech on the Senate floor. Givhan said Sen. Clinton's slightly V-shaped neckline was "unnerving" and "startling," especially for a woman "who has been so publicly ambivalent about style, image and the burdens of both." She added, "[I]t was more like catching a man with his fly unzipped. Just look away!"


In an interview on writers who cover the fashion industry, Givhan told CBS News, "There are a lot of people who sort of say that something is good or important or progressive or edgy when in fact, it's just crappy. And no one will just say it's crappy," Givhan states bluntly." She added, "I'll also say when I think something is absolutely magnificent."


In August 2009, she criticized First Lady Michelle Obama for wearing shorts while on a family vacation. "Avoiding the appearance of queenly behavior is politically wise. But it does American culture no favors if a first lady tries so hard to be average that she winds up looking common," wrote Givhan on the subject of the first lady's attire. A Judgment Call That Comes Up a Bit Short Givhan continued her criticism in the January 3, 2010 Washington Post, complaining the First Lady lacked "focus" in her advocacy.[1]
“Sex and the City”: just porn for women?
Why Fashion Keeps Tripping Over Race By Robin Givhan "They were cheering the black women, but not because they had performed dramatic runway pyrotechnics. They were cheering the women for the great accomplishment of simply being black, which, one might argue, in an industry that remains stubbornly homogeneous in many respects, is a feat worth getting excited about"


“As soon as you put five girls together as a group—African-American or Asian—it does make a statement: a political statement,” says André Leon Talley, contributing editor at Vogueand a judge on America’s Next Top Model. “We’re supposed to be living in a postracial, nonracial world. We’re just not there.”

Fashion And Race: A Shopaholic Mom Abandons Her Favorite Designer

NY Fashion Week 2011 caught my attention. Pulitzer Prize winning fashion writer Robin Givhan, one of a small group of black fashion editors, was interviewed about the continuing lack of black models in top designer fashion shows. This unfortunate trend also carries over to lucrative cosmetic contracts and other fashion advertising. It’s not hard to see that while some progress has been made, the industry is still primarily interested in white models. In a piece for New York Magazine called, “Why Fashion Keeps Tripping Over Race,” (February 16, 2011), Givhan astutely writes that when it comes to race, “the fashion community tends to play dumb or be disingenuous.”


Essence Magazine reports that in March 2010, Jezebel.com released it’s annual tally of models of color walking runways and found that about 16% of the nearly 4,000 models hired at New York Fashion Week were women of color. Of that figure, only 8% were Black.

I marveled in my blog: “Black girl walking!” It was the first time in more than a decade that I recalled seeing a black model in one of Miuccia Prada’s shows.”

For me, as an African American Prada customer, this is too much to handle. I just bought my last Prada dress in December. Farewell, my beautiful Prada. It’s a good thing the Prada pieces I own will last a long, long time!

"We're turning once again to the diva of all things fashionable and stylish in this town - for that matter, around the country - Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Robin Givhan. In just a few days, she'll be joining Newsweek and The Daily Beast as a style and culture correspondent." MICHEL MARTIN

“We are thrilled that Robin Givhan is bringing her stylish pen, reportorial rigueur and keen cultural insight to Newsweek and The Daily Beast,” she said.

Oprah Winfrey talks about fame, ego and the Kennedy Center Honors 

Robin Givhan

Condoleezza Rice News - The New York Times

US Government, US Foreign Affairs
Condoleezza Rice News - The New York Times

Condoleezza Rice

A list of resources from around the Web about Condoleezza Rice as selected by researchers and editors of The New York Times.

Bugle Calls

Bugle Calls

REVEILLE
 TAPS
 TO THE COLOR
 ATTENTION
 RETREAT
 ADJUTANT'S CALL 
TATTOO
FIRST CALL   

Live Chat with Best Doc Oscar Nominee Lucy Walker - Independent Lens Blog

Live Chat with Best Doc Oscar Nominee Lucy Walker - Independent Lens Blog

The film follows Brazilian artist Vik Muniz, who travels to his native Rio de Janiero to embark on an ambitious mission to create portraits of the local trash pickers out of the garbage they collect the world's largest landfill.

Recyclers Turn Rio 'Waste Land' Into High Art

Waste Land tells the story of workers at Brazil's largest landfill, Jardim Gramacho. The workers wade through the thousands of tons of garbage that arrive each day, looking for recyclable scraps to sell.

Director Lucy Walker documented the pickers and Brooklyn-based artist Vik Muniz, who returned to his home country to collaborate with the trash workers. Together they turn garbage into beautiful works of art, with Jardim Gramacho as their canvas.


wasteland.jpg

How the rich became the über rich - Feb. 22, 2011

Economics, Integrated Math, Statics, Economics
Income Inequality Chart Income

How the rich became the über rich - Feb. 22, 2011

There's a growing income gap in America, but it's not necessarily between the rich and the poor.It's between the super rich and everyone else. Or as George W. Bush once quipped at a swanky campaign dinner, "the haves and the have-mores."

BBC News - Mixed-race adoption policy gets new guidelines

BBC News - Mixed-race adoption policy gets new guidelines

White couples should be allowed to adopt black and ethnic minority children under new guidelines for social workers in England.

"I have two Mexican children as we couldn't adopt within this country.

"We wanted to adopt and we knew that there were thousands of children in the UK who are looking for a permanent, stable home, so we rang up the council to apply for adoption and we were denied the possibility to even apply to adopt because we were white"

"It's absolutely bonkers. Why should the colour of someone's skin, or their eye colour, or their hair colour, be a barrier to having a loving family?

"I would feel it would be ridiculous if I was wearing tribal African gear while walking around Teddington.

Adoption 'could cut cultural differences'

'Growing up in an alien environment'

Ethiopian poet, playwright and author Lemn Sissay, 39, was raised by a white family in the north of England. Here he tells how his life often felt like an experiment. People will often say, love is all you need. But that is not true. Love without understanding is a dangerous thing. Click here to read Lemn Sissay's poem Gold from the stone Visit Lemn Sissay's website  I didn't have an afro comb until I was nine years old. My mother used to comb my hair with a metal comb that tore my head. When I was about nine, my parents took me to the doctor because they couldn't understand why my knees were grey. I didn't have an afro comb until I was nine years old. My mother used to comb my hair with a metal comb that tore my head. When I was about nine, my parents took me to the doctor because they couldn't understand why my knees were grey.

The Leonard Lopate Show: America’s Hottest Export: Weapons - WNYC

Economics, US Foreign Policy, Integrated Math, Economics
The Obama Administration has approved more than a $100 billion in arms sales to the Middle East alone over the last two years. We’ll look at why weapons are among the U.S.’s leading exports. 

The Leonard Lopate Show: America’s Hottest Export: Weapons - WNYC

Mina Kimes: She’s the author of “America’s Hottest Export: Weapons,” in the March 7th issue of Fortune magazine.






Boeing's Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) bomb, which is used to target surface threats and is used by 26 countries.

2010: The Year in Pictures - The New York Times

2010: The Year in Pictures - The New York Times

World History, Government, Economics,Social Studies, Current Event, International Studies, Civic Responsibility,Global Economics

see more

promoImage2010.jpg

The Net Worth Of Every American President, From Washington To Obama: 24/7 Wall Street

US History, Government, Economics,

The Net Worth Of Every American President, From Washington To Obama: 24/7 Wall Street

George Washington,the nation's first President, was also one of the wealthiest men to hold the office. His Virginia plantation, "Mount Vernon," consisted of five separate farms on 8,000 acres of prime farmland. Washington made significantly more than subsequent presidents: his salary was two percent of the total U.S. budget in 1789.

George Washington (1789-1797), $525 Million, His Virginia plantation, "Mount Vernon," consisted of five separate farms on 8,000 acres of prime farmland, run by over 300 slaves. His wife, Martha Washington, inherited significant property from her father. Washington made significantly more than subsequent presidents: his salary was two percent of the total U.S. budget in 1789.

Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809), $212 Million, Jefferson was left 3,000 acres and several dozen slaves by his father. "Monticello," his home on a 5,000 acre plantation in Virginia, was one of the architectural wonders of its time. He made significant money in various political positions before becoming president, but was mired in debt towards the end of his life.

In Conversation with Johnny Griffin – Jazz.com | Jazz Music – Jazz Artists , Creative Writing, Journalism, US History

In Conversation with Johnny Griffin – Jazz.com | Jazz Music – Jazz Artists – Jazz News

Johnny Hodges

Johnny Hodges
1906-1970
Alto saxophonist, Duke Ellington Orchestra
Left: circa 1945
Photo: Metronome/Getty Image
"You can tell he was in Duke Ellington's band—meaning that he was an extremely well-dressed gentleman. But at the same time, Johnny was something of a rogue, and much more of a dandy than Duke himself. Check out the hat, and the bold, super-luxe suit... I think you could say Johnny was a counterpoint to Duke's more subdued brand of elegance."

Street Etiquette---Social Studies, Pop Culture,Photographers,Art, Project-base,Web 2.0 Tools

Street Etiquette

Joshua Kissi and Travis Gumbs are the owners of the style blog Street Etiquette which is making ample waves from the city of New York to the world.   With the explosion of menswear what they do is provide the vision from a urban perspective and look to connect with individuals worldwide. Expressing their influences from various boundaries and eras ultimately constitute to their personal style.  Appearances in magazines from GQ to Complex the 20 year old duo from the Bronx are excited with their current position and looking ahead to the future.  Ranked ‘Best Men’s Style Blog’ by the Guardian UK and selected ’40 bloggers who really count’ by the London Times have been some of the accolades this 2 year old blog has achieved.

Contact: Streetetiquetteny@gmail.com

Blog Watch: Street Etiquette

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One big reason we've been watching—and digging—what's going on over at Street Etiquette: Because the two dapper young gents behind it, Joshua Kissi and Travis Gumbs, have a sharp eye for classic American style—and an historian's appetite for figuring out what makes it tick. (Recommended: recent posts on vintage ties, tweeds, and letterman jackets.) They also have a strong sense of place (they're from the South Bronx, and you'll see backdrops of that borough's playgrounds and bodegas, as well as their impeccably dressed circle of local friends, as you're scrolling down). All of which are qualities on display in "Sewn from the Soul," a D.I.Y. photo project the duo launched this week to commemorate Black History Month and the style legacy of men like Gordon Parks, Miles Davis, and Sammy Davis Jr. Here, a couple of our favorite shots; for the whole portfolio, go here.
Read More

 February-recognized as the shortest month of the year. It is also recognized as Black History Month, which embodies the progression of African American culture in various ways. Some people may find grief in recognizing the month as its own separate entity, yet to others the month provides a spotlight that shines on many African American notables from the past and present, who’s waves of accomplishment have sounded throughout the world. African American history is a single patch of the multi-patterned metaphorical quilt we call America which has seen contributions by many other ethnic groups.  To pay homage to these great African American individuals is an honor and to re-echo the great contributions of these individuals in our own special way is a quite remarkable feeling.

Sewn From the Soul is an online editorial project brought to light by seven friends who have all collaborated together in order to see a bigger picture; ultimately meshing and intertwining Style and History.  History is important as it gives us the ability to trace back what has occurred previously to help us better direct ourselves to the future. Style contributes to one’s overall character and truly dictates our persona in everything that surrounds us. We all contributed our individual style to this editorial and used a primarily monochromatic palette to assist the Black History Month theme.

African American History in the American West: Primary Documents | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed

African American History in the American West: Primary Documents | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed

BlackPast.org, an online reference center makes available a wealth of materials on African American history in one central location on the Internet. These materials include an online encyclopedia of over 1,500 entries, the complete transcript of over 125 speeches given between 1789 and 2008, over 100 full text primary documents, bibliographies, timelines and four gateway pages with links to 50 digital archive collections. Additionally 75 major African American museums and research centers and over 400 other website resources on black history are also linked to the website. The compilation and concentration of these diverse resources allows BlackPast.org to serve as the "Google" of African American history.

Northern Exclusion of Blacks

Northern Exclusion of Blacks

"[R]ace prejudice seems stronger in those states that have abolished slavery than in those where it still exists, and nowhere is it more intolerant than in those states where slavery was never known." --Alexis De Tocqueville, “Democracy in America”

The History of Apartheid in South Africa

The History of Apartheid in South Africa

The Coolest Athletes of All Time: The Covers: Lists: GQ

The Coolest Athletes of All Time: The Covers: Lists: GQ

Ali. Jordan. Namath. And six other guys you know by just one name
Read More

http://www.gq.com/sports/lists/201102/25-coolest-athletes-of-all-time-covers#slide=1

http://www.gq.com/sports/lists/201102/25-coolest-athletes-of-all-time-covers#slide=2

http://www.gq.com/sports/lists/201102/25-coolest-athletes-of-all-time-covers#slide=3

http://www.gq.com/sports/lists/201102/25-coolest-athletes-of-all-time-covers#slide=4

http://www.gq.com/sports/lists/201102/25-coolest-athletes-of-all-time-covers#slide=5

http://www.gq.com/sports/lists/201102/25-coolest-athletes-of-all-time-covers#slide=6

http://www.gq.com/sports/lists/201102/25-coolest-athletes-of-all-time-covers#slide=7

http://www.gq.com/sports/lists/201102/25-coolest-athletes-of-all-time-covers#slide=8

http://www.gq.com/sports/lists/201102/25-coolest-athletes-of-all-time-covers#slide=9

Terrance McKnight -Black History Month 2011

McKnight holds a B.A. from Morehouse College and toured with the College Glee Club as an accompanist and soloist. He also earned an M.A. in Music from Georgia State University, where he performed with the 20th Century Chamber Ensemble.

Complete audio of this piece will be available on WQXR.org after February 28th.

http://www.wnyc.org/popup_player/

Still Swinging, Still Classic: A Musical Biography of Pioneering Pianist Hazel Scott

Mini Biography

Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, classical and jazz musician Hazel Scott became one of America's premier pianists of her time. Born on June 11, 1920, this child prodigy first started tickling the ivories at age 3 under the guidance of her mother. She moved with her family to the U.S. in 1924 where she started performing in New York City and receiving scholarships to study classical music at the Juilliard School of Music -- all of this by age 8. Her mentors in jazz technique were Art Tatum and Teddy Wilson.

Mary Lou Williams, Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie    Cafe Society: Billie Holiday first sang "Strange Fruit" there

At the end of 1938, Barney Josephson, a former shoe salesman, opened what would become one of the most legendary nightspots in jazz history. New York City’s first integrated nightclub, Cafe Society quickly became a gathering place for artists, intellectuals, left-wing political figures, jazz lovers, and, perhaps inevitably, the very Manhattan sophisticates it meant to mock with its satirical murals and ill-dressed doormen.

I'm Gonna Lock My Heart and Throw Away the Key

Billie Holiday/Frankie Newton — Rare Live Cuts: Cafe Society (Document, 1997)

 

Strange Fruit

Billie Holiday —

 

Prelude in C Sharp Minor

Hazel Scott — 1939-1945 (Chronological Classics, 2003)

 

Cafe Society Rag

Joe Turner/Pete Johnson/Albert Ammons/Meade Lux Lewis — Boogie Woogie and Blues Piano

 

Q&A with Karen Chilton, author of

Pianist, from Café Society to Hollywood to HUAC

Podcast page at:

http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=197245

Cafe Society: The Wrong Place For The Right People

http://www.press.umich.edu/podcasts/index.jspHazel Scott: The Pioneering Journey of a Jazz

Black History Month 2011

http://www.wqxr.org/clusters/2011/feb/01/black-history-month-2011/

'Marketplace' Report: Black Economic Progress : NPR

Marketplace' Report: Black Economic Progress : NPR
Petra Todd:Economic Progress of African Americans in the 21st Century

MARKETPLACE for a kind of a report card on the economic progress of African-Americans. As a group, how have black Americans done, economically, in those years?

The black middle class has expanded, and for many African-Americans, the education gap that helps a middle class expand has closed or narrowed. But I suspect a lot of Americans would find the overall statistics discouraging.

Yes. The short answer is yes, but again, there's a significant hitch. One group that has fully closed the wage gap is college-educated black women. They earn as much as college-educated white women now. And a new reports says that all working black women, including those who are aren't college educated, are earning about 88 percent of what white women earn. That's as of the year 2000, and that's up from 82 percent shortly after Dr. King died.

For men, it's not so good. The report says black men were recently earning 70 percent of what white men earn, and that's up from 60 percent in 1970. But the problem there, is that the statistic measures what working men earn, and that doesn't count that black male unemployment and incarceration are both way up since 1970. So here's researcher Petra Todd from the University of Pennsylvania.

The Urban League says the average net worth of African-American families is just over $6,000. that's about a tenth the average net worth of white families. Black home ownership is up, and that's an encouraging future wealth indicator, but it's still only 70 percent the rate of white home ownership.

African-American families made big economic strides during the '60s and '70s, but since then, their relative lack of education has hurt, because the kinds of jobs that African-Americans tend to hold are those that are most impacted by stagnating wages and by the global premium on skills. So some progress, yes, but some backsliding, as well.



The Census bureau released a report on black-owned businesses this week. From 2002 to 2007 -- that's the data set -- the number increased at a rate three times that of non-black owned companies. In places like Atlanta, the increase was more than 90 percent higher. Atlanta may be a hub, but the growth happened all over the country, in particular in the north -- states like New York, New Jersey and Illinois. In that vein, we are having some conversations on the program this month about the African American economic experience.


The Great Migration: Author Isabel Wilkerson
learn more about the book.
More than six million African Americans moved out of the South between World War 1 and 1970. The exodus was called the Great Migration and it transformed American culture and identity, from our music to our economy to our politics.

Isabel Wilkerson's book on the Great Migration is called "The Warmth of Other Suns." You can read an excerpt at our new book blog.

Uprising, 'Great Migration' Offer Lessons In Dignity 

I have been, like most people, following news of the street protests and unrest in the Middle East. And it may seem strange, but my mind keeps going back to a book I read last summer by the great former New York Times reporter Isabel Wilkerson. It is called The Warmth of Other Suns and it is about the so-called Great Migration.
It details the mass movement of millions of blacks from the rural Southern United States to the North, Midwest and West in the decades following the first World War, up until the beginning of the 1960s.What would one have to do with the other?



Isabel Wilkerson: My parents were born in this country -- my mother in Georgia, my father in Virginia. Our roots are deep in America. But like the majority of African-Americans you might meet in the North and West, I am descended from people who had to seek a kind of political asylum within the borders of their own country.

From World War I until 1970, some six million African-Americans fled the South with the same dreams as anyone crossing the Atlantic or the Rio Grande. They defected a caste system that made it illegal for a black person and a white person to play checkers together in Birmingham. The movement was called the Great Migration.
Economics played a role. Before the Great Migration, 90 percent of all African-Americans were living in the South. They were virtual captives despite the Emancipation Proclamation. An oversupply of black labor held down their wages, and they had few options elsewhere.

But World War I changed everything. The North was suffering a labor shortage and began recruiting black workers. The South resisted this poaching of its cheap labor by arresting blacks from railroad platforms and imposing fees of $25,000 on northern recruiters. But the people kept leaving until the caste system built to confine black labor finally collapsed after the Civil Rights era. By the end of this Great Migration, nearly half of all black Americans were living outside the South in the great arc of the North and West.

It is virtually impossible now to extract the culture that grew out of the Great Migration from American culture. The music of Miles Davis, the literature of Toni Morrison, the plays of August Wilson might never have been written. It was the unsung decisions of their parents, like those of mine, that helped change America and left a legacy of inspiration for all of us.

In A Half Shell [ Oyster Power ]

A new study about the global condition of oyster reefs is causing a tremendous amount of uproar on the Internet. Over 100 news sites are reporting on the findings and many reputable sources are using alarming headlines:

“Oyster Reefs Are Vanishing From Overharvesting.” — The New York Times Green Blog

When Michael Beck and his global research team published Oyster Reefs at Risk study in BioScience (pdf), I can’t imagine that he ever had the intention of causing this much panic. I found the report to be very useful in understanding the current conditions of native oyster reefs; it’s a compelling piece for environmental conservation and I wholeheartedly agree with his recommendations for habitat protection and improved management. Where the report does not tread heavily is the impact these findings have on everyday oyster consumers. Given the academic nature of this research, the burden lies on the reader (or media) to determine how this piece fits into the bigger puzzle.

 I just want to put things into perspective so that unnecessary panic can be nipped at the bud. Here are three big things that need to be pointed out: 

About Me

As 'Hide/Seek' Ends, A Step Back To Look For Lessons

When the National Portrait Gallery removed a work after pressure from activists and politicians, a project called the Museum of Censored Art set up shop right outside the museum's doors.

 New York artist David Wojnarowicz (1954-1992)...a Crucifix  covered in ants...An image from the Wojnarowicz video "A Fire in My Belly."

Wojnarowicz made “A Fire in My Belly,” dated 1986-87, at a turning point. In 1987 his longtime mentor and lover, the photographer Peter Hujar, died of AIDS, and Wojnarowicz himself learned that he was H.I.V.-positive. Although his career was by then well established, he was backing off from involvement in the art world and on his way to becoming immersed in AIDS politics.

Express Yourself: A Major New Showcase Of Gay Portraiture ---Transcript

Listen to Story
http://npg.si.edu/exhibit/hideseek/index.html

Power Struggle Halts Cocoa Exports In Ivory Coast

If you are buying chocolate this Valentine's Day. You might want to take a moment to think about where chocolate comes from. The world's top exporters of Cocoa  is Ivory Coast.

Chocolate and Slavery: Child Labor in Cote d'Ivoire

There is a surprising association between chocolate and child labor in the Cote d'Ivoire. Young boys whose ages range from 12 to 16 have been sold into slave labor and are forced to work in cocoa farms in order to harvest the beans, from which chocolate is made, under inhumane conditions and extreme abuse. This West African country is the leading exporter of cocoa beans to the world market. Thus, the existence of slave labor is relevant to the entire international economic community.

The Trade & Environment Database

Black History Month

Additional Black History Month program segments and stories from New York Public Radio.

Still Swinging, Still Classic: A Musical Biography of Pioneering Pianist Hazel Scott
Bill T. Jones
Say It Loud:  Great Speeches on Civil Rights and African American Identity

Maya Angelou: My Soul Looks Back - Maya Angelou celebrates Black History Month by hosting a special program on public radio.  Special guests include Chris Rock, Lee Daniels, Common and Cornell West.

State of the Re: Union: Who Is This Man
Find more Black History Month specials from WQXR

US President Trivia Quiz

Portraits of America's Leaders

The Lowe- Down
Editorial Cartoons
Joe Fournier