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Engage Michael Strom - Digital Inclusion
Research Tech learning for adult communities

How to create programs - program management

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https://symondsresearch.com/good-corporate-trainer/

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https://symondsresearch.com/types-classroom-activities/

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pgxypy2iph7ahyo/25 Corporate Training Activities.pdf?dl=0

https://community.articulate.com/download/visual-logic-e-learning-game

https://community.articulate.com/download/create-your-own-quest

https://community.articulate.com/download/quizzify-game-template

https://www.papa.com/resources/blog/how-to-teach-technology-to-seniors?utm_source=pocket_saves

https://symondsresearch.com/free-corporate-training-activities/

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Papa Pals offer tech help for older adults

Technology changes quickly and unless you learn how to use it at school or work, it's even harder to stay current.

Helpful ways you can help seniors learn new technology

1. Start by addressing security concerns

Help your students by showing them how to set secure passwords and download a password manager app on their devices so they don't have to remember all the passwords to log in.

Take a look at their privacy settings on social networks and show them how to set their information so that only friends can view it. Review privacy policies for websites where they might shop, bank, or share healthcare information and show them that the benefits, in most cases, outweigh the security risks.

2. Emphasize internet safety

Online scammers are always inventing new tactics. As a teacher of technology, be sure that you're up-to-date on the latest concerns, including scams that begin with a phone call.

Warn your students not to accept connection requests from anyone they don't know on social media, never send personal information (such as credit card or social security numbers) via email, text or chat, and never click on suspicious links.

It's always best to start small and have multiple sessions so you don't give your students information overload.

You might start with a FaceTime or Messenger call while you are in the same building but in separate rooms. Or, help them choose their favorite photo (or take a selfie) for their social media profile picture.

As you move slowly through the different tasks your students may want to complete using technology, encourage them to write it down. Provide a notebook where they can log passwords and usernames (in case the password manager app doesn't work or they can't log into it), the URLs of their most useful websites, and details on how to use their apps.

If they get lost or forget how to do something, they can jog their memory from their own handwriting.

5. Show patience-even when teaching gets repetitive

Ask any teacher and they'll tell you the importance of stopping frequently and taking time to answer questions.

Step away from the keyboard or mobile device and let your students complete the steps themselves. The more engaged they are, the more they will absorb.

You may need to repeat concepts or steps multiple times until your student gets the hang of using their favorite app or website. Tell them that's okay. Remind them of times when they were the teacher and had to give their students several tries to get something right-whether it was teaching a child how to ride a bike or mentoring a new hire at work.

6. Guide them to free resources

Access to technology is about much more than knowing how to use it. Access is being able to afford devices in the first place.

The good news is that there are many programs to help people access free and low-cost devices, internet service, and cellular phone service.

7. Explore games to get used to technology

Games are a great way to get your students engaged with technology. Crossword puzzles, Scrabble, or Soduku are great places to start.

Download an app or give them a website and show them how to play from their device. You can even play interactive games like Words with Friends or Animal Crossing together-which is another great way to show people how technology can help them connect with others.

8. Adapt devices to meet physical needs

Many of us have challenges beyond simply learning how to use technology. Small touchscreens may be challenging for anyone with arthritis. Those with vision problems may not be able to read the words on a screen.

Many websites today are designed to be ADA-accessible, which means people can use a text reader app to hear the words written on the screen. You can also set the mobile device or computer resolution to make the words larger.

9. Help students keep their skills sharp

Encourage your students to practice using their computer or mobile device so they can get more comfortable with technology. Plan FaceTime or Zoom calls instead of regular calls, and interact on social media.

10. Support others in your community

Get started teaching technology to seniors

Great teachers know that it's important to update your teaching skills on a regular basis. Begin your update with these 5 Tips for Teaching Technology to Seniors. Next, use this guide to learn how to get free and inexpensive devices, internet service, and cellular phone service for those who qualify.

Papa Pals teach basic technology

As a Papa Pal, you can put your tech skills to good use helping seniors and people in your community set up their own electronic devices, use apps, and navigate digital communications. It's a great job for kind, reliable people who want to give back while boosting their income.

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How To Teach Technology To Seniors | Papa

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Not only do Papa Pal caregivers understand technology, they also have the knowhow to teach seniors and older adults how to use it safely.

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Before you start writing your game narrative, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with it. What is the main theme or message of your game? What kind of emotions do you want to evoke in your players? What kind of gameplay do you want to support or enhance with your narrative?

https://www.linkedin.com/advice/1/how-can-you-gamify-adult-learning-make-more-engaging-kry5f

https://www.learningguild.com/articles/learning-games-meant-for-adults/

https://trainingmag.com/4-mistakes-to-avoid-when-designing-training-programs-for-hybrid-employees/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Training+Weekly%3A+Brose+North+America+s+New+Hire+Orientation&utm_campaign=TRN+Weekly+1-10-2024
Corbin Reeves

Game Designer | CEO & Creative Director at Azure Ravens | Game Design Adjunct Professor @ Kettering | IGDA Ann Arbor Co-Chair

One thing I have found helpful when defining my goals is examining the other games in the genre. What stories have been told, and what new perspective can we bring? Tried and true story themes are excellent, but sometimes, subverting player expectations can help us reach our goals in a more enjoyable way.

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What's the secret to designing a game narrative that aligns with your goals?

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Learn how to create engaging and meaningful game narratives that match your vision and purpose. Explore key aspects of game narrative design, and how to use them effectively.

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Amy Tan

Angela McKnight

Robyn Gorman

Priscilla Carmone

AARP

Talk to Lewis about programs for older incarcerated adults

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Valary Olenik

Why:

Gamification Expert
Knowledge Builder
Mentor
Personality in her field

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A story is the series of events at issue, while narrative is the story “mediated” through how the teller presents it, e., through “narrative discourse.

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About the author

Courtney is an educator, beadwork artist and a Digital Steward at Pinnguaq. Courtney is of mixed Scottish, Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee heritage from Chippewas of Nawash First Nation and Kahnawa:ke Mohawk Territory, currently living in Nogojiwanong (Peterborough, ON). Courtney has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Education in Language, Culture and Teaching. She has spent her adolescent and adult years being active in community, learning traditional knowledge and working for several Indigenous non-profit and charitable organizations. Courtney is passionate about bringing Indigegogy to the forefront of education and is an advocate for Indigenous rights, sovereignty, education, health and wellness.

Digital Storytelling, Game Design

Introduction

During this tutorial we will be talking about video game narratives. We will discuss a few common types of narratives and how each is unique. There will also be some tips on how to begin writing your own narrative!

This tutorial is intended to give you an introduction to video game narratives and provide you with a starting point to explore further. This is not an exhaustive discussion but a good place to start for those wishing to begin learning about narrative creation as a hobby or for those who aspire to become video game developers. There is a lot of information available on the topic of video game narrative creation so for this tutorial, I referenced a few sources that are great starting points to explore further:

At the end of this tutorial, you may create the beginnings of your own narrative using Twine, similar to this lesson or you may create a narrative for the "Colour Hunt" Scratch game we created inlast week's tutorial. For those who are new to Twine but would like to use it to write your narrative, check out our Introduction to Twine lesson here.

Vocabulary

Twine

online platform to create interactive stories

Narrative

spoken or written account of connected events (a story)

Video game narrative

there is no generally accepted definition, however, some consider the definition to simply be a representation of a series of events through storytelling, player interaction, music and 2D/3D imagery

Non-player character (NPC)

Often characters that give hints, reveal something about the story/world, express their opinion, etc. but are not playable

Linear narrative

A type of narrative that follows a very specific forward-motion set of events; it doesn't allow the player to back track, skip ahead or influence the storyline at all

String of Pearls narrative

A type of narrative that creates game play as a general linear progression but can be influenced by the player

Branching narrative

A type of narrative that is central to the players choices. Allows the player to control the progression of the plot and the changes the ending depending on their choices

Amusement park narrative

A type of narrative that allows the player to control the story through interaction but rather than completing missions or side quests, the player finds these branches through interacting with the NPC that is attached to that particular storyline

Cutscenes

a minimally interactive scene that develops the storyline

Hybrid game

A game created from a mix of different game styles/types

Side quests

Small storylines that may be related to the world, culture, lore, history, etc. or explore backstories of some characters

Materials

Non-Computer Activity

To begin, it might be beneficial to understand the basics of storytelling before diving into writing video game narratives. Feel free to complete the "Story Storm" Storytelling Activity written by Tanner Big Canoe. It is a great activity to understand the basic elements of storytelling and includes a simple template to begin organizing your ideas!

It's important to understand that although narratives are prominent in video games, not every game has a narrative. Simply, not every fun game needs to have a narrative; the act of playing the game for what it is, is enough. For example, the very popular game Minecraft has no plot or story to tell, rather, it's purpose is for users to build whatever they want using their creativity and therefore is open to individualized narratives that the player creates as they build (or just build cool things for the sake of it). Another example is the popular NHL and FIFA sports games; no narrative but very successful.

For games that do follow a narrative, there are many different types and some games are even a combination of different types of narratives. Chris Stone at Gamasutra has outlined 4 main types of narratives: linear, string of pearls, branching narrative and amusement park narrative.

A linear narrative is a story progression that follows a very specific forward-motion set of events that doesn't allow the player to back track, skip ahead or influence the storyline at all. Some popular games in this style include: Super Mario Bros, Sonic The Hedgehog, Prince of Persia.

The string of pearls narrative model is when game play has a general linear progression but can be influenced by the player. This style includes a level of interactivity that gives the player freedom to choose different missions or side quests. Some popular games include: Final Fantasy and Uncharted,

A branching narrative is a more complicated type of narrative which is central to the players choices. This narrative type allows the player to control the progression of the plot and changes the ending depending on their choices. An example is the popular PS4 (PlayStation 4) horror game, Until Dawn.

The amusement park model is similar to the branching model and is a common strategy for open world games. It allows the player to control the story through interaction but rather than completing missions or side quests, the player finds these branches through interacting with the NPC that is attached to that particular storyline. An example of this is the popular game series Assassin's Creed and Skyrim.

[This is a visual of the different types of narratives outlined in The Evolution of Video Games as a Storytelling Medium, and the role of Narrative in Modern Games by Chris Stone at Gamasutra]

Computer Activity

Video game narratives are a specific aspect of storytelling but what is unique to these narratives is the fact that there is lots of room for diversity in the type of storytelling. The beauty of video games is that there is something for everyone and this is where narrative is important. When you ask different people "what makes a great video game?", you're going to get very different responses because video game experience is so subjective. This allows for many different types of narratives to be accepted and successful, so be creative and write about something you enjoy!

Using a word processor or Twine, we will begin writing our own video game narratives!

E.M. Welsh has written a simple but effective guide to writing video game narratives (along with many other video game creation resources) which discusses the elements of video game narratives. According to Welsh, the two elements of a good narrative is the player-character dynamic and the interactive space/world the character is in. Welsh has outlined these steps to begin writing your story, however, recognizes that writing a story is going to be a much greater challenge than following a few steps. Simply, this is a great way to get started and begin practicing the process of narrative writing.

Step One: Outline the Major Storyline

The major storyline will depend on the type of story you choose to write (i.e. linear, string of pearls, branching) but the goal of this outline is to identify the story's path along with the major plot points you want your character to experience. For those who want to write a linear story, your task will be less involved than those who choose to write a more interactive story; however, regardless of your choice consider starting with these areas:

Note all the major events for each character

List at least three different ending possibilities (if applicable)

Make your outline as large/detailed as possible

Step Two: Decide the Type of Game

In order to effectively create a cohesive video game experience with your story, you must consider game mechanics and the different types of games out there (this is where video game experience comes in handy!). The type of game acts like a framework for your story. There are many types of games including hybrid games, so the more experience you have playing several different types of games the better, as this can help you decide how you want your game to be structured. Common video game types include:

Action-adventure (e.g. The Legend of Zelda series)

Role-playing games (RPG) (e.g. World of Warcraft)

First-person combat (e.g. Goldeneye 007)

Puzzles (e.g. Professor Layton series)

Step Three: Develop your World

For this part of planning, you may want to create your main character(s) first if you have a really clear idea but E.M. Welsh suggests beginning with the world, as it aids in character development. Developing the world may be the most exciting aspect of story creation because a lot of the emphasis in video games is dependent on the world the player experiences. Begin creating ideas about your world with these topics:

History of the world

Culture

Lore

Setting (time, location, etc.)

It may be helpful to brainstorm some aspects of human/real-world history, mythology, aspects of pre-existing stories/movies/games that interest you so that you can take inspiration to build your video game world.

Step Four: Create your Main Character(s)

If you've ever written an original story, you already have experience writing characters. Creating them for video games is similar, in that you flesh out who these characters are and what they value. The key for video game character creation is acknowledging and understanding the first-person relationship the player has with the character (i.e. the player is the character), in addition to narrative choices which change how the character may behave (i.e. non-linear storylines). A good place to start is to consider the prominent characters you want in your story:

Protagonist or main character

Antagonist or villain(s)

Companion characters

Step Five: Create a Flowchart of your Major Story

Think of this step as creating a map for your story with the major pieces. This is where you will organize your work thus far in a flow-chart fashion as it will allow you to see the bigger picture. You can visualize your story and fill in plot points, update character stories, plan the progression of your story and locate where potential side quests would work. If you are planning to add side quests, don't focus on the details of those during this step; simply mark on your flow chart where these may occur and focus on organizing your major story points. Below is an example of flowchart; this is to give you a visual of what yours may look like.

Step Six: Start Writing the Major Story

Think of this step as filling in the major pieces of your story with the fine details. Likely, you will create multiple iterations of your story during this stage as this is where different ideas will emerge - this is great and will help you land on the core direction to take your game! Focus on writing the details of your major story and worry about adding side quest details and interactivity later. You may choose to write/organize your story in whichever way is comfortable to you but if you're not sure, here are some suggestions:

Write your main story as a summary

Start writing scene-by-scene

Focus on cutscenes that have minimal interactivity

Step Seven: Add in Small Details: Side Quests, NPCs, etc.

Once you've planned and written the major story, this step is where you can add in the interactivity and the really fun elements of your game. How you begin writing these details may be dependent on the type of story you chose to write. If you chose a non-linear narrative, you may want to start writing alternate versions of your story depending on what the player chooses, alternate endings and how the player would achieve those endings. For those who chose a linear narrative, those elements won't be applicable. Some common areas to start writing small details include:

Non-player characters
Often characters that give hints, reveal something about the story/world, express their opinion, etc.

Side quests
Small storylines that may be related to the world, culture, lore, history, etc. or explore backstories of some characters

Items
Interactive items that enhance the story such as letters, gems, books or any other significant object; these items can have a story behind them that adds to the overall narrative

Challenge

To apply your knowledge, I challenge you to use this lesson to create a very simple narrative for the "Colour Hunt" Scratch game we made in last week's tutorial (keeping the game function the same). Additionally, you could write a more detailed narrative and remix the "Colour Hunt" game with new sprites, backdrops, sounds and basic function to tell your story!

Extra challenge: Write a brand new narrative using the knowledge you gained in this tutorial and create a Scratch game based on the narrative! Feel free to refer to our other lessons on Scratch and storytelling to help create your game:

Conclusion

Share your work with us! We want to see the awesome things you're creating with Pinnguaq. Share online with us and tag @pinnguaq on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for your work to be featured. Don't forget to include the hashtag #LearnWithPinnguaq! Keep tuning into Pinnguaq for more lessons and fun activities!

Resources

You might also like

Grade 3 - Grade 6

Based on a book called "Trip to the Moon", students will learn the basics of animation and sprite movement in Scratch using trip to the moon.

Art & Design, Digital Storytelling, Game Design

Grade 7 - Grade 12

Learning how to make interactive stories in Scratch.

App Development, Art & Design, Computer Fundamentals, Digital Storytelling, Game Design

Middle - Grade 12

In this tutorial, learners will analyse, modify and adapt code from a previous tutorial to display custom art for number-based readouts.

App Development, Art & Design, Game Design

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Video Game Narrative: The Different Types and How-to Start Writing - Pinnguaq

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An introduction to video game narratives: the different types of common narratives. Learn how to begin conceptualizing your own video game narrative and practice applying your knowledge!

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2024 The Thriving Widow: Life After Death

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2024 The Thriving Widow: Life After Death

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"Techwise Seniors: Navigating the Digital Age"

"MatureTech Insights with Michele Lewis-Bellamy"

ebook possibilities

expand tech for adult learners options

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The Doane Stuart School Story

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What am I about?  -  I am a Service Leader | Change Leader

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What am I about?  -  I am a Service Leader | Change Leader

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What do these two terms mean:

Service Leader

Service leaders are fueled by a strong determination to make life better or easier for all they encounter —whether they’re clients, consumers, or everyday connections. A service leader works to champion the products, services, solutions, or experiences that customers love. Service leaders are  partners, advocates, and activists that have the ability to empathize, understand and direct this energy into solutions and real change.

Change Leader

Change leaders work to provide strategy, optimization, and remove roadblocks. A change leader reviews business goals and works to change an organization from  its current state and drives transformation. This is done by collaborating with organizations or people that they align with to lead the desired transformation to make goals possible. They identify and work to eliminate inefficiencies and provide a fresh viewpoint that will break down barriers as a result of real or imagined roadblocks

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shawn hatosy benjamin mckenzie jenny gago dorian missick lydia adams ben mckenzie boondocks tv guide michael cudlitz cop

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In the 1930s, as the spread of automobiles spurred American drivers to take long trips to explore the country, black drivers who took to America's roadsregularly experienced discrimination during their travels.

But in 1936, Victor Hugo Green, a black postal worker, created a guide that would allow African Americans to embrace the adventure and road trips enjoyed by their white counterparts. The result was The Negro Motorist Green Book, the most popular guide for black travelers for three decades.

In production from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s, the book offered a road map for African Americans navigating roads across the country, showing where black drivers and their families could eat, find lodgings, and enjoy themselves without concerns of experiencing racism or humiliation.

The guide has seen a resurgence in attention of late, especially after the release of the controversial Oscar-winning Green Book - a dramatized biopic focused on black musician Don Shirley and Tony Vallelonga, his Italian-American chauffeur and bodyguard - travels through the Deep South during a music tour in the early 1960s.

But Victor Green's guide has a much richer history than the one depicted in the film, which only briefly mentions the Green Book, and centers a white character in a film named after a guide aimed at helping black motorists. In their heyday, Green Books were used not only to help black drivers find safety and avoid humiliation but also to find entertainment and vacation spots. Activists used the Green Book as part of their work, regularly using black hotels and businesses as meeting spots.

And the books, which advertised locations in every state in the US, were relevant for African Americans across the country, not just in the Deep South. More than a tool for navigating Jim Crow, Green Books also enabled black travelers to navigate less formal systems of discrimination in the North and West, where black people still were often not allowed access to the same spaces as whites.

"It was much harder to navigate in the North and the West because you didn't have the signs," says filmmaker Yoruba Richen, whose new documentary The Green Book: Guide to Freedom, premieres on the Smithsonian Channel on February 25. "You didn't know what places were dangerous and what places you weren't supposed to go into."

I spoke with Richen about the history of the Green Book, how the book was used to build community among African Americans during a time of formal and informal segregation, and why the Green Book 's existence refutes the idea that racism was only a Southern problem.

Our conversation, edited for length and clarity, follows.

The Green Book didn't just help black travelers in the South. It helped them across the country.

P.R. Lockhart

When we spoke last year, you were promoting your short film on the black anti-abortion movement in the US. What led you to work on a documentary about the Green Book as your next project?

Yoruba Richen

Back in 2017, a production company based in London called Impossible Factual reached out with the idea of doing a film about the Green Book. I had never heard of the Green Book before we started talking, but I was immediately interested and intrigued. I thought I knew my African-American history, but I hadn't heard this part of it. [Doing a project on the Green Book] seemed to be such a good way to tell different themes and stories that we don't often get to see when we talk about the black experience.

P.R. Lockhart

When the documentary opens, it walks us through how, from the 1930s onward, the spread of cars and the fact that Americans began to have more disposable income made road trips and extensive travel across the US possible. But the film also shows that truly uninhibited travel was something that only white people were able to access until the Green Book was introduced and helped open up leisure travel to African Americans. Can you talk about the story behind the Green Book 's creation, you know, when and why it happened?

Yoruba Richen

The Green Book was first published in 1936 by Victor Green. He was a postal worker, and he has a Jewish friend who had a book that listed places in the Catskills where Jewish people could go to. And Green says, "This would be great for black people - we need a book like this."

Green also had a wife who had family in Virginia. And they would travel down to Virginia, so he had that experience of "traveling while black" and what it entailed. That's why he created the Green Book; he saw a need and then decided to fulfill that need.

P.R. Lockhart

What type of information was included in the Green Book?

Yoruba Richen

When the Green Book is first published, it is just listings in New York (where Green lived), but it quickly spreads all over the country and internationally. It has listings for everything from where black people can stay - hotels, motels, things called tourist homes where people opened up their houses to travelers. It has restaurants, barbershops, gas stations, clubs, liquor stores. And then it has places where we could go and vacation, recreation spots. Starting in the early 1940s, the book is called The Negro Motorist's Guide to Travel and Vacations, and that's a big part of what the book was providing.

P.R. Lockhart

One of the things that really sticks out in some recent depictions of the Green Book, namely in the Oscar-nominated film named after Victor Green's guide, is this very persistent framing that racism against black Americans was concentrated in the Deep South. Your film notes that the Green Book was helpful for travelers all over the country. Can you talk about how the Green Book is really a national resource instead of a Southern one?

Yoruba Richen

I think the first step is really making sure that we talk about it as a national thing. I recently saw the fiction film, and you only see them use the Green Book in the South, and that perpetuates the mythology that racism and segregation is just in the South, and obviously, it is all over. It was a national issue.

In fact, in terms of navigation, it was much harder to navigate in the North and the West because you didn't have the signs. You didn't know what places were dangerous and what places you weren't supposed to go into. So I think the first thing is acknowledging it as a national guide.

When Green started the Green Book, he lived in New York, in Harlem. And in the 1930s, there were places that African Americans were not allowed to go into. And from the research people have done on the Green Book, it was used in myriad ways, from finding a place to stay to finding places where people could go and have fun. The Great Migration is all through this time period, and there are black people who moved to the North who talk about using the Green Book when they went back to visit relatives in the South.

P.R. Lockhart

Staying on this point of how racism and discrimination were bigger than the South, the documentary takes a look at towns and counties across the US known as "sundown towns." (The film notes that many of these cities and counties existed in the North and West, and some Northern states had far more sundown areas than their Southern counterparts.) Can you talk to me a bit about what those were?

Yoruba Richen

Sundown towns were places that were off limits to African Americans after the sun went down. Sometimes there would be a sign; sometimes there was a bell that was rung for black workers to leave the town. In the documentary, we look at Pierce City, Missouri, which had a riot where they ran all the African Americans out of town [the town's white residents burned down the black side of town shortly after lynching a black man falsely accused of murder], and from that time period to very recently, there were no African Americans who lived in that town.

The Green Book was a key tool for black drivers seeking safety. But it also helped them find entertainment, leisure, and community.

P.R. Lockhart

How does the spread of the Green Book intersect with the rise of the black middle class in the middle of the 20th century?

Yoruba Richen

The Green Book comes out in 1936 during the rise of automobiles and America becoming more of a car country. With that is the rise of the main decades of the Great Migration, the movement of black people from the South for economic and safety reasons to the North and West for job opportunities like the car industry in Detroit and other states. As blacks leave the South, there are more opportunities economically, and the middle class grows at the same time that people are fighting for their rights and working in the civil rights movement.

P.R. Lockhart

There's been increased attention to the history of the Green Book in the past few years. And I think one of the most interesting parts of this documentary is how it looks at how the Green Book wasn't just used as a tool for survival or safety - black people also used it to find community and entertainment in places like Idlewild, Michigan, and at stops like Alberta's Hotel in Springfield, Missouri. Can you talk about how the Green Book served this other purpose beyond just providing safety?

Yoruba Richen

The film discusses a "parallel universe" that was created where these listings and businesses were known by African Americans. They were where thriving businesses allowed for us to go and be safe and have fun. These places provided a sense of haven for us.

We interview people in the film and they talk about the community the Green Book documented. And one of the people in the film says, "If you don't have evidence, how can you say it happened?" The Green Book gives you the evidence.

P.R. Lockhart

Going off that, the documentary also provides a deep look at the black business owners who ran the places seen in the Green Book. The film pays particular attention to black women business owners, some of whom were also activists working in the civil rights movement. Why did you want to include these women's stories in the documentary?

Yoruba Richen

One of the reasons we looked at it was that to ignore it would be false. We started looking through the Green Book and we saw so many women who advertised in the book and had restaurants and hotels and motels. Entrepreneurship among black women has always been in our community by necessity. It still is now. And it's wrong that we don't know that history about black women business owners. That means they've been left out of the narrative. And that absence isn't true.

P.R. Lockhart

How did the Green Book help activists in the civil rights movement?

Yoruba Richen

The Gaston Hotel in Birmingham, Alabama, is a prime example, as is Modjeska Monteith Simkins's Motel Simbeth in South Carolina. These are people who helped activists. A.G. Gaston actually funds the Birmingham campaign. He's a black business owner, he's prosperous, and part of this success is due to him owning the Gaston Hotel, which is included in the Green Book. Gaston's hotel actually gets used as a headquarters for Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy during their work in Birmingham. Motel Simbeth as well; Modjeska is an activist. You never think that activism costs money, but people had to use their businesses to fund the work they were doing. So that's one of the ways the Green Book is used.

(In the exclusive clip below, historical experts and members of A.G. Gaston's family discuss how his hotel played a role in Birmingham's civil rights movement.)

The Green Book is a little-known piece of American history - and many of its sites are in desperate need of preservation

P.R. Lockhart

So we have the Green Book, and it's in production from 1936 to the mid-1960s, but it goes out of production once the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passes. You've noted in other interviews that currently just one-third of the businesses in the Green Book are still standing, and most of those need to be preserved before they are lost to history. How does the passage of the Civil Rights Act affect the businesses included in the Green Book?

Yoruba Richen

It was an unintended consequence, but the passage of the Civil Rights Act sort of helps speed up the demise of a lot of these industries. We know that during segregation, we had more businesses out of necessity. When the Civil Rights Act gets rid of this de jour legal segregation is when some of these businesses begin to decline. When we look at integration, we need to look at some of the results and consequences of it, and this was one of them.

P.R. Lockhart

You are someone who dug deep into the history of the Green Book, spoke with people who used the Green Book, or had relatives running the businesses listed in its pages. In light of being exposed to all that, what did you think of the Green Book movie that came out last year?

Yoruba Richen

I saw the movie recently, and what stood out to me is the fact that - well, obviously the film isn't really about the Green Book - but even what you saw of the Green Book when they use it, they go to places that are sort of dumps. And that really was frustrating because that wasn't the only type of place listed in the Green Book. The Green Book has 9,500 listings, among them places like the Gaston Hotel, which was considered the finest black hotel in the country in its time. So for people to leave with that impression is upsetting because that isn't the extent of the Green Book.

P.R. Lockhart

What do you hope viewers of the documentary walk away with?

Yoruba Richen

I want them to leave with an understanding of what it felt like to be an African American at the time. I also think it is important for them to understand that the Green Book was a guide, but what was in those pages is where the real stories and histories are.

There's so many stories about the black experience that haven't been told. And I want this film and my other work to be seen as uncovering parts of those stories and bringing them to the public. It's important for the country to understand, because these are American stories.
The Green Book: Guide to Freedom premieres Monday, February 25, at 8 pm on the Smithsonian Channel and is available to stream on the Smithsonian Channel app.

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The real story of the Green Book, the guide that changed how black people traveled in America

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In the 1930s, as the spread of automobiles spurred American drivers to take long trips to explore the country, black drivers who took to America's roadsregularly experienced discrimination during their travels. But in 1936, Victor Hugo Green, a black postal worker, created a guide that would allow African Americans to embrace the adventure and road trips enjoyed by their white counterparts.

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macOS 10.15.6

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Apple has released another supplemental update for macOS 10.15.6 today with performance improvements and bug fixes. Specifically, this update solves WiFi and iCloud issues that some users were seeing.

Apple released the new macOS 10.15.6 supplemental update today after the last one arrived back in August. Today's update includes fixes for an iCloud Drive issue that prevented files from syncing properly as well as squashing a bug that prevented Macs from automatically connecting to WiFi networks.

You can check to see if the update has hit your Mac by heading to System Preferences > Software Update.

Today's macOS 10.15.6 supplemental update is build number 19G2531. Notably, it is showing up in the release channel on Apple's Developer website, but does have "Beta" at the end of the update in System Preferences for users on the Catalina beta.

It's unclear if Apple accidentally labeled it as a public release or if it is just rolling out slowly to non-beta users.

This latest update for macOS 10.15.6 comes a month after the previous supplemental update brought fixes for virtualization problems as well as an issue with the 2020 iMac.

These minor tweaks come ahead of Big Sur landing this fall which will bring an overhaul to the macOS design, lots of Safari changes, new widgets, Control Center, improvements to Messages, and much more.

Check out all the major changes coming with macOS Big Sur below:

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Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:

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Apple releases macOS 10.15.6 supplemental update with fixes for iCloud Drive and WiFi - 9to5Mac

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Apple has released another supplemental update for macOS 10.15.6 today with performance improvements and bug fixes. Specifically, this update solves WiFi and iCloud issues that some users were seeing. Apple released the new macOS 10.15.6 supplemental update today after the last one arrived back in August.

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Kitchen Stalking - The Most Incredible Kitchens Around | COCOCOZY | Kitchen decor apartment, Home decor kitchen, Kitchen interior

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Aug 5, 2019 - Kitchen Stalking a beautiful collection of kitchen inspiration from around the world. Check out some of my favorite designs and get inspired!

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Pin by Shelly Bellamy on Ideas for the House in 2020 | Stair decor, Stair riser decals, Decor

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Jul 1, 2020 - This Pin was discovered by Shelly Bellamy. Discover (and save!) your own Pins on Pinterest

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IT and the future of pay for remote workers

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The software maker has joined technology companies such as Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. in letting some of its office staff choose to permanently work from home in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. But employees who worked at VMware's Palo Alto, California, headquarters and go to Denver, for example, must accept an 18% salary reduction, people familiar with the matter said. Leaving Silicon Valley for Los Angeles or San Diego means relinquishing 8% of their annual pay, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing internal policies.

Facebook and Twitter are among the other technology companies that have put in place or are considering similar pay policies. A Twitter spokesman said the company has a "competitive" approach to localizing compensation while Facebook has publicly said it may cut employees' salaries depending on where they choose to move.

VMware's senior vice president of human resources, Rich Lang, said the company adjusts salary based on the "cost of labor" in different regional zones and benchmarks salary variations among firms competing for its workers. While some employees will see pay cuts, Lang said others could get a raise if they chose to move to a larger or more expensive city.

The coronavirus pandemic has shuffled U.S. life, forcing millions of people to work from home. Some Americans have moved closer to their families and loved ones or to more affordable areas than the expensive metropolitan hubs along the coasts. In the midst of a recession with high unemployment, many technology workers have greater flexibility than ever before in deciding where and how they want to work post-pandemic. But some companies' efforts to claw back some compensation when workers depart Silicon Valley, one of America's most expensive places to live, shows that leaving may have its costs.

Cloud-software maker ServiceNow Inc. is considering changing the pay of Bay Area workers who move away, starting in 2021, according to Chief Executive Officer Bill McDermott.

"I don't believe we should have an environment where management is not involved with those determinations, because what you could get into here is a situation where employees then become the decision-maker in working literally from anywhere, and you would have a hard time organizing and holding together a culture if that was the case," McDermott said Friday in an interview.

McDermott said a final decision hasn't been made, and the Santa Clara, California-based company will try to create an official policy. He said ServiceNow probably will have a hybrid workforce in the future, with employees in offices, on the road and at home.

"Are we going to adjust their pay when they're in the mountains of Colorado for a couple of months where they feel safer? Probably not," he added.

The San Francisco Bay Area had the highest prices for goods and services, including rent, among large metropolitan areas in the country as of 2018, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The New York City urban hub was in second place. Among areas of all sizes, the California cities of San Jose, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, at the heart of Silicon Valley, had the highest rents in the U.S.

As corporate campuses in the Bay Area remain closed because of local coronavirus rules, tech companies long used to treating their office workers well to boost retention have pitched remote work as yet another perk, but employees will have to decide if leaving Northern California is worth the lost wages. For payroll and tax reasons, these companies must know where employees reside, but the decision to fluctuate pay is at their discretion. VMware's Lang said the company has tried to be transparent with employees about how moving would affect their compensation, so they can make an informed decision.

"We are asking employees to be upfront and honest, because that's the expectation at VMware, but also the governments require you pay your taxes based on where you work," Lang said, acknowledging there will be some workers who continue to claim a California address even if they move elsewhere. If workers temporarily move to be with family or another short-term reason, their pay will not be affected.

Separate from the pay policies, Twitter has provided all employees a one-time $1,000 work-from-home allowance regardless of their locations and additional days of rest. VMware has also given all employees two weeks off at their discretion so they can recharge.

Facebook told employees in May that the company would soon transition more permanently to remote work, even after Covid-19 subsides. Employees who leave expensive areas like San Francisco or New York will have to take a pay cut, however, depending on where they live as of Jan. 1, 2021. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said he expects as much 50% of Facebook's global workforce to be remote in the next five to 10 years.

Dell Technologies Inc., the personal computer maker that owns 81% of VMware, has asked for volunteers to work from home as much as they would like, from one to five days a week post-pandemic, as long as they have manager approval. The Round Rock, Texas-based company said in a statement that it isn't making any adjustments to compensation "at this point in time," and will give remote workers a one-time stipend of $400 for home-office equipment.
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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Some IT companies considering new pay policies for remote workers

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The software maker has joined technology companies such as Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. in letting some of its office staff choose to permanently work from home in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. But employees who worked at VMware's Palo Alto, California, headquarters and go to Denver, for example, must accept an 18% salary reduction, people familiar with the matter said.

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Education

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I used to make a point of asking every college-applying teenager I encountered why they wanted to go to college in the first place. Few had a ready answer; most, after a deer-in-the-headlights moment, said they wanted to be able to get a job - and in a tone implying it was too obvious to require articulation. But if one's goal is simply employment, doesn't it seem a bit excessive to move across the state, country, or world, spend four years taking tests and writing papers on a grab-bag of subjects, and spend (or borrow) a large and ever-inflating amount of money to do so? This, in any case, is one idea behind Google's Career Certificates, all of which can be completed from home in about six months.

Any such remote educational process looks more viable than ever at the moment due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a condition that also has today's college-applying teenagers wondering whether they'll ever see a campus at all. Nor is the broader economic harm lost on Google, whose Senior Vice President for Global Affairs Kent Walker frames their Career Certificates as part of a "digital jobs program to help America's economic recovery." He writes that "people need good jobs, and the broader economy needs their energy and skills to support our future growth." At the same time, "college degrees are out of reach for many Americans, and you shouldn't need a college diploma to have economic security."

Hence Google's new Career Certificates in "the high-paying, high-growth career fields of Data Analytics, Project Management, and User Experience (UX) Design," which join their existing IT Support and IT Automation in Python Certificates. Hosted on the online education platform Coursera, these programs (which run about $300-$400) are developed in-house and taught by Google employees and require no previous experience. To help cover their cost Google will also fund 100,000 "need-based scholarships" and offer students "hundreds of apprenticeship opportunities" at the company "to provide real on-the-job training." None of this guarantees any given student a job at Google, of course, but as Walker emphasizes, "we will consider our new career certificates as the equivalent of a four-year degree."

Biggest tech & higher ed story of the last 2 weeks - #Google entering higher ed, offering BA-equivalent degrees@YahooFinance pic.twitter.com/bsGgwHsnRn
- Scott Galloway (@profgalloway) August 30, 2020

Technology-and-education pundit Scott Galloway calls that bachelor's-degree equivalence the biggest story in his field of recent weeks. It's perhaps the beginning of a trend where tech companies disrupt higher education, creating affordable and scalable educational programs that will train the workforce for 21st century jobs. This could conceivably mean that universities lose their monopoly on the training and vetting of students, or at least find that they'll increasingly share that responsibility with big tech.

This past spring Galloway gave an interview to New York magazine predicting that "ultimately, universities are going to partner with companies to help them expand." He adds: "I think that partnership will look something like MIT and Google partnering. Microsoft and Berkeley. Big-tech companies are about to enter education and health care in a big way, not because they want to but because they have to." Whether such university partnerships will emerge as falling enrollments put the strain on certain segments of the university system remains to be seen, but so far Google seems confident about going it alone. And where Google goes, as we've all seen before, other institutions often follow.

Note: You can listen to Galloway elaborate on how Google may lead to the unbundling of higher ed here. Listen to the episode "State of Play: The Sharing Economy" from his Prof G podcast:
Related Content: Free Online Computer Science Courses Free Online Engineering Courses Google Launches a Free Course on Artificial Intelligence: Sign Up for Its New "Machine Learning Crash Course" Google Launches Free Course on Deep Learning: The Science of Teaching Computers How to Teach Themselves Malcolm Gladwell Asks Hard Questions about Money & Meritocracy in American Higher Education: Stream 3 Episodes of His New Podcast Nietzsche Lays Out His Philosophy of Education and a Still-Timely Critique of the Modern University (1872)
Based in Seoul, Colin Marshall writes and broadcasts on cities, language, and culture. His projects include the book The Stateless City: a Walk through 21st-Century Los Angeles and the video series The City in Cinema. Follow him on Twitter at @colinmarshall, on Facebook, or on Instagram.

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Google Introduces 6-Month Career Certificates, Threatening to Disrupt Higher Education with "the Equivalent of a Four-Year Degree"

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I used to make a point of asking every college-applying teenager I encountered why they wanted to go to college in the first place. Few had a ready answer; most, after a deer-in-the-headlights moment, said they wanted to be able to get a job - and in a tone implying it was too obvious to require articulation.

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Black History - Smithsonian Magazine

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Darkness still blanketed the city of Charleston in the early hours of May 13, 1862, as a light breeze carried the briny scent of marshes across its quiet harbor. Only the occasional ringing of a ship's bell competed with the sounds of waves lapping against the wooden wharf where a Confederate sidewheel steamer named the Planter was moored. The wharf stood a few miles from Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War had been fired just a little more than a year before.

As thin wisps of smoke rose from the vessel's smokestack high above the pilothouse, a 23-year-old enslaved man named Robert Smalls stood on the deck. In the next few hours, he and his young family would either find freedom from slavery or face certain death. Their future, he knew, now depended largely on his courage and the strength of his plan.

Like so many enslaved people, Smalls was haunted by the idea that his family-his wife, Hannah; their four-year-old daughter, Elizabeth; and their infant son, Robert, Jr.-would be sold. And once separated, family members often never saw each other again.

The only way Smalls could ensure that his family would stay together was to escape slavery. This truth had occupied his mind for years as he searched for a plan with some chance of succeeding. But escape was hard enough for a single man; to flee with a young family in tow was nearly impossible: enslaved families often did not live or work together, and an escape party that included children would slow the journey significantly and make discovery much more likely. Traveling with an infant was especially risky; a baby's cry could alert the slave patrols. And the punishment if caught was severe; owners could legally have runaways whipped, shackled, or sold.

Now Smalls' chance at freedom had finally come. With a plan as dangerous as it was brilliant, he quietly alerted the other enslaved crew members on board. It was time to seize the Planter.

**********

Smalls' plan was to commandeer the Planter and deliver it to the imposing fleet of Union ships anchored outside Charleston Harbor. These vessels were part of the blockade of all major Southern ports President Abraham Lincoln had initiated shortly after Fort Sumter fell in April 1861. As one of the largest ports in the Confederacy, Charleston was a lifeline for the South. A largely agrarian society, the South depended on imports of war materiel, food, medicine, manufactured goods, and other supplies. With the U.S. Navy blocking the harbor, daring blockade runners, looking to make hefty profits, smuggled these goods into Charleston and carried cotton and rice out of the city for sale in European markets. After supplies arrived in Charleston, the city's railroad connections delivered them throughout the Confederate states.

Although crucial, blockading such an important port was a staggering task. The many navigable channels in and out of the harbor made stopping all traffic nearly impossible and had led Northerners to refer to Charleston as a "rat hole." Although many vessels outran and outmaneuvered the blockade, the Union was able to intercept some and either capture or destroy them.

Though the wharf and the U.S. fleet were only about ten miles apart, Smalls would have to pass several heavily armed Confederate fortifications in the harbor as well as multiple gun batteries along the shore without raising an alarm. The risk of discovery and capture was high.

The Planter created so much smoke and noise that Smalls knew that steaming past the forts and batteries undetected would be impossible. The ship had to appear to be on a routine mission under the command of its three white officers who were always on board when it was underway. And Smalls had come up with an inspired way to do just that. Protected by the darkness of the hour, Smalls would impersonate the captain.

This relatively simple plan presented multiple dangers. First, the three white officers posed an obvious obstacle, and Smalls and his crew would have to find a way to deal with them. Second, they would have to avoid detection by the guards at the wharf as they seized the Planter. Then, since Smalls' family and others involved in the escape would be hiding in another steamer farther up the Cooper River, Smalls and the remaining crew would have to backtrack away from the harbor's entrance to pick them up. The Planter's movement up the river and away from the harbor was likely to attract the attention of sentries posted among the wharves. If everyone made it on board, the party of 16 men, women, and children would then have to steam through the heavily guarded harbor. If sentries at any of the fortifications or batteries realized something was amiss, they could easily destroy the Planter in seconds.

Once safely through the harbor, Smalls and company faced yet another big risk: approaching a Union ship, which would have to assume the Confederate steamer was hostile. Unless Smalls could quickly convince the Union crew that his party's intentions were friendly, the Union ship would take defensive action and open fire, likely destroying the Planter and killing everyone on board.

Clearing any one of these obstacles would be a remarkable feat, but clearing all of them would be astounding. Despite the enormous risks, Smalls was ready to forge ahead for the sake of his family and their freedom.

**********

For the past year Smalls had been a trusted and valued member of the Planter 's enslaved crew. Although Smalls had become known as one of the best pilots in the area, the Confederates refused to give him, or any enslaved man, the title of pilot.

Smalls was part of a crew of ten that included three white officers-the captain, Charles J. Relyea, 47; the first mate, Samuel Smith Hancock, 28; and the engineer, Samuel Z. Pitcher, 34.

In addition to Smalls, the rest of the crew included six other enslaved black men who ranged in age from their teens to middle-age and acted as engineers and deckhands. John Small, no relation, and Alfred Gourdine served as engineers, while the deckhands were David Jones, Jack Gibbes, Gabriel Turner and Abraham Jackson.

As the new captain of the Planter, Relyea occasionally left the ship in the hands of the black crew overnight so he and his officers could stay with their wives and children in their homes in the city. Relyea may have done so because he trusted his crew, but it is more likely that he, like many whites in the South, and even the North, simply did not think that enslaved men would be capable of pulling off a mission as dangerous and difficult as commandeering a Confederate vessel. It would be nearly impossible for anyone to take a steamer in a harbor so well guarded and difficult to navigate; few whites at the time could imagine that enslaved African-Americans would be able to do it.

By leaving the ship in the crew's care, Relyea was violating recent Confederate military orders, General Orders, No. 5, which required white officers and their crews to stay on board, day and night, while the vessel was docked at the wharf so they could be ready to go at any minute. But even beyond his decision to leave the crew alone with the ship, Relyea himself was a key element of Smalls' plan.

When Smalls told Hannah about his idea, she wanted to know what would happen if he were caught. He did not hold back the truth. "I shall be shot," he said. While all the men on board would almost certainly face death, the women and children would be severely punished and perhaps sold to different owners.

Hannah, who had a kind face and a strong spirit, remained calm and decisive. She told her husband: "It is a risk, dear, but you and I, and our little ones must be free. I will go, for where you die, I will die." Both were willing to do whatever it took to win their children's freedom.

Smalls, of course, also had to approach his fellow crew members. Sharing his plan with them was in itself a huge risk. Even talking about escape was incredibly dangerous in Confederate Charleston. Smalls, however, had little choice in the matter. His only option was to recruit the men and trust them.

The crew met secretly with Smalls sometime in late April or early May and discussed the idea, but their individual decisions could not have been easy. All knew that whatever they decided in that moment would affect the rest of their lives. It was still quite possible that the Confederacy would win the war. If it did, staying behind meant enduring lives of servitude. The promise of freedom was so strong, and the thought of remaining in slavery so abhorrent, that these considerations ultimately convinced the men to join Smalls. Before the meeting ended, all had agreed to take part in the escape and to be ready to act whenever Smalls decided it was time.

**********

It would be a remarkable feat. Most enslaved men and women trying to reach the Union fleets blockading Southern ports rowed to the vessels in canoes. No civilian, black or white, had ever taken a Confederate vessel of this size and turned it over to the Union. Nor had any civilian ever delivered so many priceless guns.

Just a few weeks earlier, a group of 15 slaves in Charleston had surprised the city by seizing a barge from the waterfront and rowing it to the Union fleet. The barge belonged to General Ripley, the same commander who used the Planter as his dispatch boat. When it was found to be missing, the Confederates were furious. They were also embarrassed at being outsmarted by slaves. Nonetheless, they failed to take any extra precautions in securing other vessels at the wharf.

Smalls quietly let the men know his intentions. As the reality of what they were about to do descended on them, they were overwhelmed by fears of what might happen. Even so, they pressed forward.

**********

When Smalls judged the time was right, he ordered the steamer to leave. The fog was now thinning, and the crew raised two flags. One was the first official Confederate flag, known as the Stars and Bars, and the other was South Carolina's blue-and-white state flag, which displayed a Palmetto tree and a crescent. Both would help the ship maintain its cover as a Confederate vessel.

The Confederate guard stationed about 50 yards away from the Planter saw the ship was leaving, and even moved closer to watch her, but he assumed the vessel's officers were in command and never raised an alarm. A police detective also saw that the ship was leaving and made the same assumption. Luck seemed to be on Smalls' side, at least for now.

The Planter 's next task was to stop at the North Atlantic Wharf to pick up Smalls' family and the others. The crew soon reached the North Atlantic Wharf and had no trouble approaching the pier. "The boat moved so slowly up to her place we did not have to throw a plank or tie a rope," Smalls said.

All had gone as planned, and they were now together. With 16 people on board, and the women and children belowdecks, the Planter resumed her way south toward Confederate Fort Johnson, leaving Charleston and their lives as slaves behind them.

At about 4:15 a.m., the Planter finally neared the formidable Fort Sumter, whose massive walls towered ominously about 50 feet above the water. Those on board the Planter were terrified. The only one not outwardly affected by fear was Smalls. "When we drew near the fort every man but Robert Smalls felt his knees giving way and the women began crying and praying again," Gourdine said.

As the Planter approached the fort, Smalls, wearing Relyea's straw hat, pulled the whistle cord, offering "two long blows and a short one." It was the Confederate signal required to pass, which Smalls knew from earlier trips as a member of the Planter 's crew.

The sentry yelled out, "Blow the d-d Yankees to hell, or bring one of them in." Smalls must have longed to respond with something hostile, but he stayed in character and simply replied, "Aye, aye."

With steam and smoke belching from her stacks and her paddle wheels churning through the dark water, the steamer headed straight toward the closest of the Union ships, while her crew rushed to take down the Confederate and South Carolina flags and hoist a white bedsheet to signal surrender.

Meanwhile another heavy fog had quickly rolled in, obscuring the steamer and its flag in the morning light. The crew of the Union ship they were approaching, a 174-foot, three-masted clipper ship named the Onward, was now even more unlikely to see the flag in time and might assume a Confederate ironclad was planning to ram and sink them.

As the steamer continued toward the Onward, those aboard the Planter began to realize their improvised flag had been seen. Their freedom was closer than ever.

The two vessels were now within hailing distance of one another, and the Onward's captain, acting volunteer lieutenant John Frederick Nickels, yelled for the steamer's name and her intent. After the men supplied the answers, the captain ordered the ship to come alongside. Whether because of their relief that the Onward had not fired or because Smalls and his crew were still quite shaken, they did not hear the captain's command and started to go around the stern. Nickels immediately yelled, "Stop, or I will blow you out of the water!"

The harsh words jolted them to attention, and the men maneuvered the steamer alongside the warship.

As the crew managed the vessel, those on board the Planter realized they had actually made it to a Union ship. Some of the men began jumping, dancing, and shouting in an impromptu celebration, while others turned toward Fort Sumter and cursed it. All 16 were free from slavery for the first time in their lives.

Smalls then spoke triumphantly to the Onward 's captain: "Good morning, sir! I've brought you some of the old United States guns, sir!-that were for Fort Sumter, sir!"

From Be Free or Die by Cate Lineberry, copyright © 2017 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin's Press. On sale June 20, 2017.

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The Thrilling Tale of How Robert Smalls Seized a Confederate Ship and Sailed it to Freedom

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Darkness still blanketed the city of Charleston in the early hours of May 13, 1862, as a light breeze carried the briny scent of marshes across its quiet harbor. Only the occasional ringing of a ship's bell competed with the sounds of waves lapping against the wooden wharf where a Confederate sidewheel steamer named the Planter was moored.

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Savannah College of Art and Design

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New American Gothic | SCAD Art Sales in 2020 | American gothic, American gothic painting, Art painting oil

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Sep 5, 2020 - This Pin was discovered by Shelly Bellamy. Discover (and save!) your own Pins on Pinterest

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Tech Info

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Maybe you're upgrading your Amazon Echo smart speaker, or you're trying to fix an unresponsive device. Either way, factory resetting your Alexa-powered gadget is the way to go. But knowing where to start isn't always straightforward. The original Echo from 2014 has only two buttons, while the second-gen Echo (2017) and most recent, third-generation Echo (2019) have four buttons. Add the , and speakers, not to mention a trio of screened smart displays, and things get even more complicated.

Here's how to reset each type.

First-generation Amazon Echo (and Dot): Locate the reset button on the bottom of the Echo speaker. Then use the end of a paper clip to press and hold the button for 5 seconds. The light ring on the device will turn orange and spin, signifying that it properly reset.

Second-generation Amazon Echo (and Dot): This Echo speaker doesn't have a reset button -- you just need to hold down the Microphone Off and Volume Down buttons until the light ring turns orange. This usually takes about 20 seconds. The light ring will turn on and off again with a spinning orange light, which means it has reset.

Third-generation Amazon Echo (and Dot): On this device you only need to push the Action button. That's the button with the dot in the center. Press and hold for 25 seconds, or until the light ring pulses with a spinning orange light to show it's been reset.

Amazon Echo Studio: As with the second-generation Echo, you will need to hold down the Microphone Off and Volume Down buttons for about 20 seconds, until the light ring blinks orange. When the light ring turns off and on again, it means the reset is complete.

Amazon Echo Flex: The Echo Flex has only two buttons and no reset button. To return it to its factory settings, press and hold the Action button only for 20 seconds, until the light blinks orange, then turns off and on.

Amazon Echo Show (all three versions): Echo Show devices can be reset in their settings menus, but the simplest way to reset them is by holding down both the Mute and Volume Down buttons for about 15 seconds, until the screen displays the Amazon logo.

Note that you should only reset your device if you'll no longer be using it, or as a last-ditch effort at troubleshooting the device. A factory reset will completely erase your data. If you're having trouble with your Echo device not working properly, you should try restarting it first by unplugging it from the wall and plugging it back in to see if a soft reset will fix your problem.

Similarly, if you're just wanting to delete or protect certain data, you might want to switch off a few select features rather than reset the whole device.

Need more smart speaker tips? Here's how to turn your Amazon Echo into a free TV speaker, eight problems that plague the Amazon Echo and how to fix them and how to customize Alexa for a better Amazon Echo experience.

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How to reset Alexa on your Amazon Echo smart speakers and displays

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Maybe you're upgrading your Amazon Echo smart speaker, or you're trying to fix an unresponsive device. Either way, factory resetting your Alexa-powered gadget is the way to go. But knowing where to start isn't always straightforward. The original Echo from 2014 has only two buttons, while the second-gen Echo (2017) and most recent, third-generation Echo (2019) have four buttons.

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Black History

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Before the Tulsa Race Massacre where the city's Black district of Greenwood was attacked by a white mob, resulting in two days of bloodshed and destruction, the area had been considered one of the most affluent African American communities in the United States for the early part of the 20th century.

The massacre, which began on May 31, 1921 and left hundreds of Black residents dead and 1,000 houses destroyed, often overshadows the history of the venerable Black enclave itself. Greenwood District, with a population of 10,000 at the time, had thrived as the epicenter of African American business and culture, particularly on bustling Greenwood Avenue, commonly known as Black Wall Street.
READ MORE: How the Tulsa Race Massacre Was Covered Up
Developed on Indian Territory

Founded in 1906, Greenwood was developed on Indian Territory, the vast area where Native American tribes had been forced to relocate, which encompasses much of modern-day Eastern Oklahoma. Some African Americans who had been former slaves of the tribes, and subsequently integrated into tribal communities, acquired allotted land in Greenwood through the Dawes Act, a U.S. law that gave land to individual Native Americans. And many Black sharecroppers fleeing racial oppression relocated to the region as well, in search of a better life post-Civil War.

"Oklahoma begins to be promoted as a safe haven for African Americans who start to come particularly post emancipation to Indian Territory," says Michelle Place, executive director of the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum.

The largest number of Black townships after the Civil War were located in Oklahoma. Between 1865 and 1920, African Americans founded dozens of Black townships and settlements in the region.

O.W. Gurley, a wealthy Black landowner, purchased 40 acres of land in Tulsa, naming it Greenwood after the town in Mississippi.

Courtesy of Tulsa Historical Society & Museum

Built 'For Black People, by Black People'

"Gurley is credited with having the first Black business in Greenwood in 1906," says Hannibal Johnson, author of Black Wall Street: From Riot to Renaissance in Tulsa's Historic Greenwood District. "He had a vision to create something for Black people by Black people."

Gurley started with a boarding house for African Americans. Then word began to spread about opportunities for Black people in Greenwood and they flocked to the district.

"O.W. Gurley would actually loan money to people who wanted to start a business," says Kristi Williams, vice chair of the African American Affairs Commission in Tulsa. "They actually had a system where someone who wanted to own a business could get help in doing that."

Other prominent Black entrepreneurs followed suit. J.B. Stradford, born into slavery in Kentucky, later becoming a lawyer and activist, moved to Greenwood in 1898. He built a 55-room luxury hotel bearing his name, the largest Black-owned hotel in the country. An outspoken businessman, Stradford believed that black people had a better chance of economic progress if they pooled their resources.
LISTEN: 'Blindspot: Tulsa Burning' from The HISTORY® Channel and WNYC Studios
Greenwood Became Self-Contained and Reliant

A.J. Smitherman, a publisher whose family moved to Indian Territory in the 1890s, founded the Tulsa Star, a Black newspaper headquartered in Greenwood that became instrumental in establishing the district's socially-conscious mindset. The newspaper regularly informed African Americans about their legal rights and any court rulings or legislation that were beneficial or harmful to their community.

Demands for equal rights were an ongoing mission for Black Americans in Tulsa despite Jim Crow oppression. Greenwood itself had a railway track running through it that separated the Black and white populations. Consequently, Gurley and Stradford's vision of having a self-contained and self-reliant Black economy came to be not only by desire but by logistics.

"As a practical matter they had no choice as to where to locate their businesses," said Johnson. "Tulsa was rigidly segregated, and Oklahoma became increasingly racist after statehood."

On Greenwood Avenue, there were luxury shops, restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, jewelry and clothing stories, movie theaters, barbershops and salons, a library, pool halls, nightclubs and offices for doctors, lawyers and dentists. Greenwood also had its own school system, post office, a savings and loan bank, hospital, and bus and taxi service.

Greenwood was home to far less affluent African Americans as well. A significant number still worked in menial jobs, such as janitors, dishwashers, porters, and domestics. The money they earned outside of Greenwood was spent within the district.

"It is said within Greenwood every dollar would change hands 19 times before it left the community," said Place.
READ MORE: 9 Entrepreneurs Who Helped Build 'Black Wall Street'

Oklahoma Historical Society/Getty Images

A Time of Racial Violence

It wasn't long before the affluent African Americans attracted the attention of local white residents, who resented the upscale lifestyle of people they deemed to be an inferior race.

"I think the word jealousy is certainly appropriate during this time," says Place. "If you have particularly poor whites who are looking at this prosperous community who have large homes, fine furniture, crystals, china, linens, etc., the reaction is 'they don't deserve that.'"

With the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan, Black residents in Greenwood feared racial violence and the removal of their voting rights. The Oklahoma Supreme Court for years routinely upheld the state's restrictions on voting access for African Americans, subjecting them to the poll tax and literacy tests. And lynchings proliferated across the country, particularly during the Red Summer of 1919, where anti-Black riots erupted in major cities across the United States, including Tulsa.

In response, The Tulsa Star encouraged Black residents to take up arms and to show up at courthouses and jails to make sure Black people who were on trial were not taken and killed by white lynch mobs.

Accusation of Sexual Assault Ignites Riots

But the heightened racial animosity in Tulsa erupted in 1921 when 19-year-old Dick Rowland, a Black shoe shiner was accused of attempted sexual assault of a 17-year-old white elevator operator named Sarah Page. When an angry white mob went to the courthouse to demand that the sheriff hand over Rowland, the sheriff refused. A group of about 25 armed Black men-including many World War I veterans-then went to the courthouse to offer help guarding Rowland.

As word of a possible lynching spread, a group of around 75 armed Black men returned to the courthouse, where they were met by some 1,500 whites. After clashes between the groups, the Black men retreated to Greenwood.

Mobs of armed, white men then descended on Greenwood, looting homes, burning down businesses and shooting Black residents dead on the spot.

With millions in property damage and no help from the city, the rebuilding of Greenwood began almost immediately, thanks to the assistance of the NAACP, other Black townships in Oklahoma, donations from Black churches and a resilient Greenwood community. However, some businesses like the Tulsa Star newspaper were permanently shuttered in the wake of the violence.

The Greenwood District still exists today but after decades of urban renewal and integration the area's demographics and businesses resemble little of its storied past.

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Tulsa's 'Black Wall Street' Flourished as a Self-Contained Hub in Early 1900s

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Before the Tulsa Race Massacre where the city's Black district of Greenwood was attacked by a white mob, resulting in two days of bloodshed and destruction, the area had been considered one of the most affluent African American communities in the United States for the early part of the 20th century.

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Metal Sculpture

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The Cut

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Board Member - Supporter of the Arts

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Tech Info

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Microsoft Defender Application Guard will now let users open risky attachments on Office 365 apps without fearing malware.

The application is in the public preview stage, Microsoft said in a statement.

The Guard will apply to MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint for Microsoft 365 and Windows 10 Enterprise.

Application Guard for Office helps prevent untrusted files from accessing trusted resources, keeping enterprises safe from new and emerging attacks.

To help protect users, Office will open files from potentially unsafe locations in Application Guard, a secure container that is isolated from the device through hardware-based virtualization, the Washington-based technology company said.

Users can choose to disable the copy-paste option which disallows content from an Application Guard-enabled document to be pasted into another document.

Users can also restrict the number of printers a user can print to from a file opened in the app.

Requirements for testing preview include having Windows 10 version 2004 Enterprise edition and Office 365 version 2008. Hardware requirements for client devices include Intel Core i5 or equivalent at minimum, 8GB of RAM and 10GB of storage space.

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Microsoft's feature will help users open attachments without fearing malware

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Microsoft Defender Application Guard will now let users open risky attachments on Office 365 apps without fearing malware. The application is in the public preview stage, Microsoft said in a statement. The Guard will apply to MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint for Microsoft 365 and Windows 10 Enterprise.

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Rise to the occasion

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Enduring Faith

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Pin by Shelly Bellamy on Brooks | Hats, Bucket hat, Brooks

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Aug 30, 2018 - This Pin was discovered by Shelly Bellamy. Discover (and save!) your own Pins on Pinterest

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Vogue

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Abigail Nnaji

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Description

Abigail Nnaji is a graduate of University of Nigeria-Nsukka with a Bachelor's degree in Fine and Applied Arts majoring in painting. Her style is not only influenced by the academy but by her constant exposure through cultural interactions. As an Esperanza Artist, I have used various medium ranging from oils, acrylic, grass, plastics, fabrics and most recently, paper.

Based on her experiments with paper, she has been able to find new and unconventional application by fusing it into her paintings through the use of paper cutting technique.
In 2016, she went to China sponsored by the Chinese Embassy to learn the Chinese paper cutting technique of which the cuttings have several connotations. In 2018, she was selected as the first African to be represented at the Invited International Artist for the Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival in Pensacola, Florida, USA, based on her paper cutting technique. Abigail has participatedin several group exhibitions and some of her works are in private collections at home and abroad, of which one work adorns the Mayor's office in the city of Pensacola Florida. Her pieces feature themes in serenity, beauty, identity and love, especially as she tries to capture activities that often explores ocial perceptions in new light. Currently, she is a member of the Female Artists Association of Nigeria (FEAAN), Association of Professional Creative Artists and Designers in Nigeria (APCAD) and FERRUM-The Art House, Switzerland. She lives and works in Abuja, the Federal Capital of Nigeria.

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Reflections II (Afro Series) by Abigail Nnaji

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Abigail Nnaji is a graduate of University of Nigeria-Nsukka with a Bachelor's degree in Fine and Applied Arts majoring in painting. Her style is not only influenced by the academy but by her constant exposure through cultural interactions. As an Esperanza Artist, I have used various medium ranging from oils, acrylic, grass, plastics, fabrics and most recently, paper.

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Adebumni Gadadebo

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Claire Oliver Gallery is pleased to announce the debut solo exhibition by artist Adebunmi Gbadebo, A Dilemma of Inheritance. The exhibition will showcase the artist's True Blue series which is comprised of more than 45 works that grapple with concepts surrounding heredity and the evolution of memory and forgetting focused on two former slave plantations in South Carolina, both named True Blue. Gbadebo's conception behind the exhibition and its naming was sparked by author Ta-Nehisi Coates' exploration of patrimony and the inheritance of status in his case for reparations, stating "We recognize our lineage as a generational trust, as inheritance, and the real dilemma posed by reparations is just that: a dilemma of inheritance. It is impossible to imagine America without the inheritance of slavery." Within this inquiry, materiality is central to Gbadebo's work, she employs Black hair, rice paper, cotton and indigo to create works that are visceral portraits of human narratives that have been erased by history.

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Adebumni Gabadebo: A Dilemma of Inheritance - Claire Oliver Gallery

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Claire Oliver Gallery is pleased to announce the debut solo exhibition by artist Adebunmi Gbadebo, A Dilemma of Inheritance. The exhibition will showcase the artist's True Blue series which is comprised of more than 45 works that grapple with concepts surrounding heredity and the evolution of memory and forgetting focused on two former slave plantations in South Carolina, both named True Blue.

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Refinery29

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An Ode To Fashion’s Most Iconic Black Models

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Supreme Models is former model Marcellas Reynolds’ first book, an unapologetic homage to the fashion industry’s most iconic black models.

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Take the time to think

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It costs nothing and provides so much

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"Techwise Seniors: Navigating the Digital Age" or "MatureTech Insights with Michele Lewis-Bellamy"

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"Techwise Seniors: Navigating the Digital Age" or "MatureTech Insights with Michele Lewis-Bellamy"

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Niche:

People coming off of traumatic experiences and making a transition into a new lifestyle. Developing new skill sets.

Consider partnering with the state: Career Services | Employer Partnership Program (nj.gov)

Notes:

Resources will come from nonprofits, AngelaCares, for example

Website: membership with videos- series type: use mouse, access your machine, word document--> sign up perks for resources where they'll have access to the videos and options to revert back to them.

LLC vs Nonprofit as opposed to creating program- personal direction is the added value, students enjoy the interaction,

Faith Based Initiative: Just look to see if you qualify for any of these grants REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (nj.gov)

Ideas to consider:

Partnering with Cities, Counties and State entities

Senior Centers to provide "enrichment STEM" activities

Connect with nonprofits to apply for grant monies

Marketing yourself as an entity that will provide compassion (relatability), company (spending time), and computers (skills).

Create a flyer:

Expression of what you do, skill sets that participants will walk away with, and pictures of said activities

*do photoshoot with Chris to produce flicks: you high fiving participant (with him/her smiling hard), them helping one another, participants presenting, you supporting one participant, and you presenting to the entire class with them being engaged

Topics:

Zoom/Facetime

Mouse: click and drag

Security

Scrolling

Software

Email

Phone (sending and receiving text messages)