firehose

Self-published authors can join SFWA The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America has opened its doors to independent and self-published authors. If your novel made at least $3,000, you can apply for active membership. More details here.

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Colorado voters knew that passing Amendment 64 would raise tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue from the legal sale of marijuana. What they didn't know, however, was that some of that money would be going right back into their pockets.

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Courtney shared this story from Super Opinionated.

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Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong hit two parked cars after a night of partying in Aspen but agreed to let his longtime girlfriend take the blame to avoid national attention, police reports show.

The news is coming in from around the world, and is affecting folks in sales, support, engineering — just about every job description.

When the bells of Sather Tower on the UC Berkeley campus rang out this evening, Tuesday, Feb. 3, the sound amplified the low rumble of the earth that most of us in the Bay Area prefer to forget.

We wrote great reviews, we commandeered the industry discussion at times, we tried our best to treat important issues with respect. We were the scrappy website that grew up – but not too much – and started following a vision of where we wanted to be by the fancy future-year of 2016. We started leaning into more personable writing and closer interaction with our readers, more live video and a more modern approach to reviews. We were leaning heavily and, tragically, our promised support was removed at the last minute.

UPDATE: My wife & I just talked to Michael Pearce, the owner of Elmwood Cafe & we’ve decided to have a public conversation about this. Details soon.

Me & my wife are not calling for anyone to be fired, not asking for a boycott. We are going to have a public conversation. #SoYouCanComeToo

Dear Elmwood Cafe
2900 College Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94705

You don’t know me. I know that for sure now. It’s not that I would expect you to know me, although many people in the Bay Area do, because of the work I’ve done as a stand-up comedian locally and on television. I’m known for something that The New Yorker called “intersectional progressivism.” That basically means I use jokes to fight for the people who don’t get a fair shake in the world. For the last several years, I have tried to learn as much as I can about oppression in all forms so that I can help make the world slightly more bearable with a few jokes. But that’s just my career.

In my life, I am a person who loves The Bay Area. LOVE IT! I lived in San Francisco for 13 years and in Oakland for two. And even though I lived in SF mostly, I spent A LOT of time in The East Bay. I have done my own headlining shows at The New Parish, La Pena, The East Bay JCC, and Marga Gomez’s comedy nights at The Marsh. I love these audiences. The Bay Area is a place where all sorts of different people live together, explore new ideas and strive to uphold the idea made famous by children singer Raffi, “The more we get together the happier we’ll be!”

To be honest though, my most fervent love is for Oakland. Which is why I was so excited recently when the people at Oaklandish gave me a hoodie. They just GAVE IT TO ME! I was walking past their pop-up shop at The Oakland Airport and one of their employees saw me, recognized me (I told you that people around here know me), and she awesomely and very generously gave me a hoodie. I love it. I wear it a lot. I was wearing it this past Monday, January 26, when I went to the Elmwood Cafe.

It was my birthday. My wife, Melissa, wanted to take me out for a birthday breakfast after we had dropped our three and a half year old daughter, Sami, at school down the street. Melissa picked the Elmwood Cafe. She loves you. She loved you back when you were the old school soda fountain, Ozzie’s. And she loves you more now that you have been turned into a beautiful all day brunch spot. Melissa is a sucker for runny eggs, scones, and lemon curd. I blame Downton Abbey.

So yes, we had breakfast there. But I know you don’t remember that, Elmwood Cafe. I know you don’t remember that because later that same day my wife went back to eat lunch with some new friends of hers. (I told you that she loves you. TWICE IN ONE DAY!) These are new friends because, after two years in New York City, we moved back to the Bay Area last summer. My wife was pregnant and we wanted to have our second daughter back home. Our daughter, Juno, is now 13 weeks old. (I know. It’s crazy that her name is Juno considering that storm back east.) My wife’s new friends are all moms with new babies. When I heard that she had gone back to the Elmwood Cafe, I was happy she would get to have more of your food and ambiance. I was happy that you made her happy.

While she was eating with her new friends, I was down the street at Espresso Roma Cafe working on my Macbook Air. I suppose I could have stayed at the Elmwood Cafe and worked after breakfast, but you are relatively small establishment and I didn’t want to take up a table. When I was done working I walked back down College Avenue to rejoin her and meet her new friends. I was just carrying my laptop with no bag because I knew I wouldn’t be out for long. On my way back I stopped at Mrs. Dalloway’s, the bookstore, and I bought a children’s book about the Lovings, the couple who went to the Supreme Court and successfully argued for the striking down of laws that banned interracial marriage in 17 states. This is relevant to me because I’m black and my wife is white. That part I know that you know. Because of the series of events that followed me buying this book. They are as follows:

1. After buying the book and deciding not to get a bag for the book, I walk to the Elmwood Cafe.

2. I see my wife and her new mom friends all happily chatting and holding their babies while sitting at an outside table. It struck me how well my wife fit in with these new friends. (And not just because they were all white… although I think that may have made a difference to you.)

3. I walk over to them. My wife introduces me to them.

4. One of them asks about the book I am holding.

5. I show her the book.

6. Seconds later there is a loud series of knocks on the window of the Elmwood Cafe. They are coming from the inside of the restaurant.

7. I look up and see one of your employees staring daggers at me.

8. The employee then jerks her head to her left aggressively and I see her mouth say something to the effect of…

9. “SCRAM!”

Seriously. That is what happened. OK. Maybe it wasn’t exactly, “SCRAM!” Maybe it was, “GIT!” Or maybe it was, “GO!” Whatever it was, it was certainly directed at me. And it was certainly the kind of direction you should only give to a dog… a dog that you, yourself, own.

Or maybe you could yell that at a dog that you don’t own, but a dog that you are afraid is going to attack a group of moms and their babies.

I was stunned. Caught totally flatfooted. My wife saw the look on my face. Later she told me that what I heard was in fact the second round of knocks on the window. My wife apparently thought it was a person who recognized me from my work who was excited to see me. (Look, Elmwood Cafe, I know you don’t know who I am but it does actually happen sometimes that people who know my work are excited to see me.) But when my wife saw the hurt expression on my face, she knew it wasn’t a fan. It was… something really shitty happening to her husband at her (soon to be formerly) favorite breakfast spot.

I told her (which meant I had to awkwardly tell these other women I just met) what just happened. I wanted to run away. I was actually strangely embarrassed, as if I had done something wrong. (Through my reading I have learned that’s one way oppression also works, from the inside.) I felt numb, like I was going to pass out. And then an employee — maybe the same one — walked out of the cafe to once again deliver the “Get out of here!” message. I guess since I was still standing there you figured that I hadn’t heard it the first time. But then your employee hesitated and looked around. And I guess she realized that no one at the table was bothered by my presence. We were in fact only bothered by her presence. We were bothered by the fact that we we currently standing in Berkeley, California, a city so allegedly liberal that even the most progress-y progressives make fun of it, and yet thanks to you, it is where I as a black man was being told to “GIT!” like it was 1963, Selma, Alabama, and I was crashing a meeting of The New Moms of the Confederacy. In that moment, your employee delivered the line that has become an instant classic in our family:

“Oh, we thought you were selling something.”

“We thought you were selling something???”

What the hell was that supposed to mean? You thought I was selling something so you thought you’d tell me to “GIT!” without first walking outside to find exactly what was going on? And is “selling something” enough for you to bark at me through a plate glass window? And is the equivalent of “Oops!” enough to get you off the hook? The answer to the last two questions is, “No.”

At this point Melissa couldn’t take it anymore.

Melissa: “He is my husband.”

Your employee: “I’m sorry.”

Me: “This is my wife. That is my daughter. I just ate here earlier today.”

Your employee, not even looking at me: “I’m sorry.”

Me: “I bet you are.”

Quickly Melissa gathered herself and our daughter and we left. Much sooner than we would have wanted to in a perfect world… or even in just a kind of okay world. Melissa talked to your employee. Melissa explained that although we had eaten there twice that day and even though she loved the Elmwood Cafe that we would not be back after the racism that we had just experienced.

That’s when your employee told my wife, “I don’t think it was a race thing.”

Ummm… actually a black man being told to leave a restaurant because the restaurant believes that his presence is harassing four white women and their kids, even though there is literally no evidence to support that is TEXT BOOK racism. It is so old school it has a wing in the racism museum, right between the sit-ins at lunch counters and a southern redneck telling a black man on a business trip, “You ain’t from around here, are ya, boy?” My wife told your employee in no uncertain terms that we ABSOLUTELY knew it WAS a race thing, because we live with this shit everyday. Full disclosure, I heard about this exchange after it happened when we were headed home. While my wife was talking to your employee, I was cooing at my daughter in the car, for two reasons. 1) I love my daughter’s fat cheeks and big hazel eyes. And 2) I knew if I stood over my wife with my 6’4”, 250lb frame that it could very easily be spun that I was standing over your employee, and maybe that I was trying to intimidate her, or even worse that I was getting aggressive. I didn’t want to end up a hashtag. Again, we live with this shit everyday.

And look I understand that on College Avenue in “Berserkeley” that you might get some characters coming through your establishment that you might not want to serve. And it is your right to refuse service. For example, when we had breakfast that morning, there was a white guy with dreadlocks sitting directly across from your doorway spare change-ing everyone who went into and out of your restaurant. And I could understand if a business thought he was bothering people and if that business had asked him to leave. But he was there the entire time we had breakfast, at least an hour, and I didn’t see anyone tell him to, “SCRAM!” But when I stood amicably talking to my wife for a few minutes, it was a different story.

I think me and that white guy were both even wearing hoodies, so it can’t be how I was dressed. Plus mine was a super cool Oaklandish one. I guess in his hoodie he had a more Mark Zukerberg type of feeling than me.

So Elmwood Cafe, we won’t be back, and that sucks, because my wife really, really liked you. And she’s one of those people who really talks a lot about the things she likes. And I haven’t been impressed with your response to this situation. Your employee’s apology was weak. One of my wife’s new (and hopefully future) friends even tried to talk to someone in the restaurant after we left, and that person apparently still believed I was trying to sell something. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? I promise you I’m not selling my Macbook Air to anyone. I love it too much. And since I had just bought that book about the Loving couple, that’s not going anywhere either. That’s for my daughters.

And later that day I posted a picture of myself in the same clothes to your Facebook fanpage. I suggested that you Google me since you clearly didn’t know who I was. I don’t blame you for not knowing me. But I did hope that maybe you would look me up and discover how ridiculous that whole situation was. And how it was so mishandled by you from start to finish. I thought you might reach out to me. But you haven’t.

Despite everything, I do believe in peoples’ ability to learn new things and in a business’ abilities to conduct better practices. It’s a key component to my intersectional progressivism. But that doesn’t mean you get have to have my family’s patronage as you go about your learning curve. And you definitely don’t deserve my silence. Because I believe if you told me to scram then you have probably done that or something equally dehumanizing (or worse) to another innocent person. And I definitely believe it will happen again if I don’t say something. And as much as it would be “easier” to let it go, if I did that I wouldn’t be fulfilling my duties as a member of the advisory Board of Race Forward, a racial justice organization, and I certainly wouldn’t be living up to my responsibilities as The ACLU’s Racial Justice Ambassador. Yup, thankfully I have little bit of a platform to try and prevent this from happening to anyone else.

Anyway, the waffles were still delicious, but I’ll be down the street at Espresso Roma Cafe from now on. And my wife will have to find runny eggs, scones, and lemon curd elsewhere.

Sincerely,

W. Kamau Bell (And Dr. Melissa Hudson Bell, Ph.D… She co-wrote and cosigns this.)

Original Source

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The Cardinals linebacker strongly criticized Lynch during a radio interview on Monday.

Marshawn Lynch's unwillingness to speak with reporters and disregard for the game's sportsmanship rules has won him few fans among the media and in the league office. Now even his peers are criticizing his petulant off-field behavior.

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Larry Foote voiced his opinion on the enigmatic Seattle Seahawks running back, telling a Pittsburgh radio station Monday that he thought Lynch was sending the wrong message to children.

"He always mentions his foundation and what he likes to do for the city of Oakland," Foote said in an interview with 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh. "I'm from the same type of urban environment that he's from. The biggest message he's giving these kids, he might not want to admit it, is 'The hell with authority. I don't care, fine me. I'm gonna grab my crotch. I'm gonna do it my way.'"

Foote added that Lynch is hurting the kids with his standoffish image and disrespect for authority because the real world doesn't operate like the NFL. Lynch's behavior is tolerated by fans and teammates because he's one of the best running backs in the league and a valuable part of the Seahawks offense. However, that's hardly true for anybody outside of pro sports and in far less glamorous jobs.

Foote, who played 11 seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers before signing with Arizona last summer, cited newly elected Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis as an example of a player who sent the right message to kids. Bettis ranks sixth on the all-time rushing yardage list, and is widely known for his extensive charitable endeavors. His The Bus Stops Here Foundation is dedicated to helping improve the lives of inner-city youth in the Detroit and Pittsburgh areas.

One of the WNBA's marquee stars will not play this season because of her contract with her club team overseas.

Diana Taurasi, one the biggest stars in women's basketball, will sit out the 2015 WNBA season because of her lucrative contract with a Russian club team for whom she plays during the year, the Phoenix Mercury announced.

UMMC Ekaterinburg, Taurasi's pro team during the non-summer months, offered her a deal larger than her WNBA season to not play at all over the summer. After considering her upcoming international duties and the many minutes she's played over the years, Taurasi accepted. She will return to the Mercury in 2016.

"The year-round nature of women's basketball takes its toll and the financial opportunity with my team in Russia would have been irresponsible to turn down," Taurasi wrote in an open letter to Mercury fans. "They offered to pay me to rest and I've decided to take them up on it. I want to be able to take care of myself and my family when I am done playing."

The news highlights one of the major issues the WNBA faces as it strives for legitimacy: low salaries. Taurasi earns just $107,000 per season for the Mercury, according to ESPN. She earns $1.5 million -- or 15 times her WNBA salary -- for UMMC Ekaterinburg. Once UMMC Ekaterinburg offered to pay her WNBA salary on top of her base earnings, the decision was easy. And Taurasi is one of the highest-paid players in the WNBA, though 36 other players approach that salary, per ESPN.

More teams that employ the WNBA's best may follow UMMC Ekaterinburg's strategy:

In the last decade, the league's top players have repeatedly made this emotional investment in the WNBA. But now that some overseas clubs are offering incentives to not play at all, WNBA players are facing a difficult question: How much money can they leave on the table?

Truth is, many within the WNBA worry that Taurasi's decision might spark a trend -- that other stars will begin sitting out the WNBA season in exchange for a bonus from their overseas club team.

The 32-year-old Taurasi teamed with Brittany Griner to lead the Mercury to a 29-5 season and a WNBA championship last year. She finished eighth in the league in scoring and second in assists.

comedycentral:

Jon Stewart responds to Mike Huckabee’s position on gay marriage. Click here to watch.

Odell Beckham Jr. can catch, he can kick, he can throw ... and he can dunk:

@kingjames im takin notes #toBored

A video posted by Odell Beckham Jr (@iam_objxiii) on Feb 3, 2015 at 2:35pm PST

He can play all sports, we know, but for a 6'0 guy, that is quite a dunk. Like, dunk-contest worthy. Look at this:

That is a DUNK. It makes me wish I could casually excel at other trades when bored. Like "eh I have a day off putting things on the Internet, I'll go bake some elite bakery-worthy pies." Odell could probably shoot a bullseye on the first try or pitch a perfect game or catch a record-setting marlin just for fun. It's not fair.

My only criticism is that the LeBron dance is totally played out. Even LeBron seems to have retired it.

@rosalindofarden

Am pirate. Bird proves it.

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In an adorable sleight of paw performed, one beautiful golden retriever turns into two with a clever trick that is flawlessly performed by dogs Goldie and Ami in just a few seconds.

via reddit, Boing Boing

methedras:

this is the best thing i’ve ever made 

People on the streets of San Francisco react with astonishment as they read aloud the app permissions on their smartphones in this amusing video from encrypted communications company Silent Circle. The video was created by filmmaker Ivan Cash as part of the #PrivacyProject, a campaign by Silent Circle and Blackphone, maker of an encrypted Android smartphone.

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

Two and a half months after the death of Harper Lee's sister (and lawyer) and 55 years since the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird, HarperCollins has announced the summer release of Go Set a Watchman, the elusive author's second novel.

If Björk’s wrenching and masterful new album Vulnicura hadn’t leaked early, its release would’ve coincided with the opening of the Museum Of Modern Art’s new Björk retrospective. The exhibit, which opens next month, will feature sound installations, visuals, costumes, and tons of other things that will capture the strange and slippery and beautiful career she’s pieced together over the decades. And one centerpiece of the exhibit will be a specifically-commissioned video for “Black Lake,” the new album’s soul-destroying 10-minute centerpiece.

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