W.E.E. See You…

Here’s the second part of the series that I wrote about this morning. Lewis Latimer and Granville Woods- The Black Thomas Edisons.

Part 2 – Granville Woods- Per the wiki and Black Inventor.com

The magnitude of an inventors work can often be defined by the esteem in which he is held by fellow inventors. If this is the case, then Granville Woods was certainly a respected inventor as he was often referred to as the “Black Thomas Edison.”

Granville T. Woods was born on April 23, 1856. He was of Indigenous Australian and  Malaysian ancestry.  Born in the area around the early stages of colonial settled Melbourne in the British Crown Colony of Victoria, Woods migrated to Columbus in early childhood. This is an extremely unique occurrence since Aboriginal Australians rarely, if at all, migrated outside of Australia. Woods attended school in Columbus until age 10, when he then went to work with his father. They worked repairing railroad equipment and machinery.Intrigued by the electricity that powered the machinery, Woods studied other machine workers as they attended to different pieces of equipment and paid other workers to sit down and explain electrical concepts to him. Over the next few years, Woods moved around the country working on railroads and in steel rolling mills. This experience helped to prepare him for a formal education studying engineering (surprisingly, it is unknown exactly where he attended school but it is believed it was an eastern college.)

Continue reading Thursday Evening Open Thread

From The Washington Post:

Democrats reenact David Vitter prostitution scandal in video

By Matt DeLong

The Louisiana Democratic Party has released a five-minute documentary-style video depicting Sen. David Vitter’s (R-La.) infamous 2007 “D.C. madam” prostitution scandal. The video, which resembles a TV crime show, includes lurid details from an interview with a former prostitute who claimed to have had encounters with the senator — as well as dramatic reenactments of scenes from these alleged encounters.

The video is accompanied by a Web site, forgottencrimes.com, which, despite its name, is entirely about the Louisiana Republican.

Vitter is facing a challenge from Rep. Charles Melancon (D-La.) in November. This is the first time he’s come before voters since the scandal. The senator has largely remained quiet about the scandal since the days after his phone number was linked to Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the so-called D.C. madam. At the time, Vitter said he had committed “a very serious sin.”

Wait, I Thought POTUS Wasn’t Dancing With The Ones Who Brought Him? And That He Needed To Go To Georgia And Learn About The “Black Experience”? And That He Doesn’t Care About Black People? News: President Barack Obama appointed DeKalb County District Attorney Gwen Keyes Fleming to be the next regional Environmental Protection Agency administrator. Fleming announced her resignation Wednesday. Fleming is leaving DeKalb immediately to become the new southeast regional administrator for the federal Environmental Protection Agency, EPA officials told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Read more here.

How Stupid Can You Be? News: Rapper T.I. has been released from jail after being arrested in Los Angeles for possessing drugs, police said Thursday. T.I. whose real name is Clifford Harris Jr., 29, was arrested with his wife on Sunset Boulevard Wednesday night after police smelled marijuana coming from a car the Grammy award-winning rapper was a passenger in, Deputy Luis Castro of The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said. Read more here.

Obama Administration News: Christina Romer, the chair of the president’s Council of Economic Advisers, marked the end of her tenure Wednesday with a speech at the National Press Club in Washington. Romer, who is credited with leading the way on the stimulus package passed in February 2009, tried to explain her thinking then and why the stimulus didn’t work as well as she’d expected. With the economy still struggling to get back off the ground, Romer leaves the post with a bit of a cloud over her head. But is it deserved? Read more here.

Aw, Jeez Not This Shit Again News: At least one person was injured after an explosion on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico, about 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay, the U.S. Coast Guard said. It happened around 9 a.m., and as of 10:15 a.m., the platform was still burning, Chief Petty Officer John Edwards said. Rescue crews from New Orleans and Houston are responding. At least one person was injured after an explosion on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico, about 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Read more here.

President Obama Is Destroying The Economy News: Stocks edged higher Thursday after reports on housing, manufacturing and jobs indicated the economy continues to grow, albeit slowly. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 6 points in late midday trading. Broader indexes rose. Read more here.

President Obama Is Destroying The Economy Part Deux News: Pending sales of existing houses unexpectedly climbed in July from a record low, indicating the real-estate market is steadying following the end of a government tax credit. The index of purchase contracts rose 5.2 percent after a revised 2.8 percent drop the prior month, figures from the National Association of Realtors showed today in Washington. Read more here.

Happy Thursday WSY family!! Check out the links and come back to discuss. Sorry my postings have been sporadic but a sister’s internet service went out and I’m transitioning. I’ll be back to cause trouble and end up in the bad lounge after Labor Day.  Today’s Thursday Throwback is dedicated to Maureen Dowd. Girl, POTUS don’t want you and he is NOT your man. You’re just a groupie trying to get in his stimulus package. *Proudly walks to “bad chair” with my head held high*

Continue reading W.E.E. Peeps Thursday Link Sweep

It’s Thursday WSY Family and lurkers, the week is almost over! This week Wee have been putting spotlight on African-American innovators and inventors.

Today Wee are spotlighting Lewis Latimer and Granville Woods- The Black Thomas Edisons.

Part 1

Lewis Latimer – Per the wiki and About.com’s The Black Inventor.

Lewis Howard Latimer was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts on September 4 1848 as the youngest of the four children of Rebecca and George Latimer . George Latimer had been the slave of James B. Gray of Virginia. George Latimer ran away to freedom in Trenton, New Jersey in October, 1842, along with his wife Rebecca, who had been the high slave of another man. When Gray, the owner, appeared in Boston to take them back to Virginia, it became a noted case in the movement for abolition of slavery, gaining the involvement of such abolitionists as William Lloyd Garrison. Eventually funds were raised to pay Gray $400 for the freedom of George Latimer.

Lewis Latimer is considered one of the 10 most important Black inventors of all time, not only for the sheer number of inventions created and patents secured but also for the magnitude of importance for his most famous discovery. After serving in Navy for the Union during the Civil War, he attained employment as an office boy at the patent law firm, Crosby and Gould earning $3.00 each week. After observing Latimer’s ability to sketch patent drawings, he was eventually promoted to the position of head draftsman earning $20.00 a week. Soon began a series of patents and inventions by Mr. Latimer.

Continue reading Thursday Open Thread

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Barack Obama, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah II walk to East Room of the White House before making statements on the Middle East peace negotiations in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010

Continue reading Wednesday Evening Thread

It’s Hump Day! The week is almost over and  the extended weekend is almost here! This week Wee have been highlighting African-American inventors and innovators. Today we are going to highlight several inventors whose small contributions made a huge difference in our daily lives. I guarantee there is some items in the post you will be shock to know that an African-American invented it. We have invented a lot of common household items that are used today.

Lonnie Johnson- Inventor of the Super Soaker – Per the wiki

He is an African-American engineer who is best known as the inventor of the Super Soaker squirt gun. It was the top selling toy in the US from 1991-1992. Born on October 6, 1949, Johnson is president and founder of Johnson Research and Development Co., Inc., a technology development company, and its spin off companies, Excellatron Solid State, LLC; Johnson Electro-Mechanical Systems, LLC; and Johnson Real Estate Investments, LLC.

Articles on Lonnie Johnson have appeared in numerous publications including Time Magazine, the New York Times, and Inventor’s Digest. Johnson serves on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Alliance for Children, an organization which informed and influential voice to protect the rights and interests of Georgia’s less fortunate children. He is a Board member of the Hank Aaron Chasing the Dream Foundation, and had served on the board of directors of the Commonwealth National Bank.

Over the years, Super Soaker sales have totaled close to one billion dollars. Currently, Lonnie Johnson holds over 80 patents, with over 20 more pending, and is the author of several publications on spacecraft power systems.

Continue reading Wednesday Open Thread

President Obama Addresses the Nation
Live from the Oval Office
The White House

Continue reading President Obama Addresses Nation (Video and Full Text)

Obama: End of Iraq combat mission not victory lap

Hey, Tony. Remember When I Told You When You First Started Working For Me, The Guys That Last In This Business, Are The Guys Who Fly Straight. Low-Key, Quiet. But The Guys Who Want It All, Chicas, Champagne, Flash… They Don’t Last News: Authorities in Mexico revealed additional details Tuesday about an accused American-born drug kingpin detained Monday who they say moved tons of cocaine into the United States. Masked security forces in black uniforms and helmets, rifles in hand, escorted Edgar Valdez Villarreal and some of his accused associates before news reporters and photographers during a news conference Tuesday morning. Investigators have described him as one of the most ruthless drug traffickers in Mexico. Read more here.

They’ll Really Hate Him If He Makes This Happen News: The contentious issue of West Bank settlement construction is threatening to dominate the first face-to-face talks for 20 months between Israel and the Palestinians, due to begin with a White House dinner hosted by President Barack Obama tomorrow night. The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, were en route to Washington today amid opposition, cynicism and indifference among their respective populations, despite Obama’s insistence that a comprehensive peace deal can be reached within 12 months. Read more here.

Housing Market News: A crucial index on home prices in the United States rose in June, the last month that benefited from a tax credit for home buyers. The Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller 20-city home price index, a widely watched indicator, on Tuesday reported a 1 percent rise in June from May, the third consecutive monthly increase. Read more here.

Iraq Troop Drawdown News: Iraq’s prime minister today said the end of the US combat role in the country restored Iraq’s independence and made it a sovereign power on an equal footing with America. “Iraq today is sovereign and independent,” Nouri al-Maliki said in a televised address. “With the execution of the troop pullout, our relations with the United States have entered a new stage between two equal, sovereign countries.” Read more here.

Samson And His Long Hair News: Just call Troy Polamalu the man with the million dollar hair. The long, flowing black hair that tumbles out of Polamalu’s helmet and down his back — it’s nearly three feet long — has been insured for $1 million by Head and Shoulders, the shampoo brand that is endorsed by the Pittsburgh Steelers safety. Read more here.

So, You Mean Those Weekly Cocktails At Alex’s Friday Lounge Will Help Me Live Longer? I’ll Drink To That! News: Drink up… that is if you want to live a few years longer. That’s the highly unusual conclusion of a new study which suggests that non-drinkers die sooner than heavy drinkers. Moderate drinkers fair the best. The paper, which appears in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, took a look at 1,824 participants over 20 years, according to Time.com. Sixty-three percent of them were men. Read more here.

YT Makes Right Double Standard Wins Again News: The daughter of former prosecutor and presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani will have her shoplifting charge dismissed if she completes one day of community service, according to a judge who warned her today to “stay out of trouble.” Criminal Court Judge Jennifer Schecter adjourned Caroline Giuliani’s case in contemplation of dismissal, meaning the case would be closed and sealed if the Harvard student, 20, does her community service and stays out of trouble for six months. Read more here.

C’mon Guys, Hit Up Macys For The Labor Day Sale, We Need This!! News: A key measure of consumer morale made a surprising turn higher in August, but Americans still feel jittery about the economy. The Consumer Confidence Index rose to 53.5 in August, from July’s upwardly revised level of 51.0, the Conference Board, a New York-based research group that compiles the index, said Tuesday. Read more here.

Happy Tuesday WSY family! Check out the links and come back to discuss! Now for today’s Tuesday Trivia…

Continue reading W.E.E. Peeps Tuesday Link Sweep

Via Planet Harmony

Continue reading Van Jones on President Obama, Climate Legislation

Happy Tuesday, WSY Family and lurkers! Wee are putting the spotlight on African-American inventors and innovators this week.  Today’s inventors:  Bessie Blount Griffin and Marie V. Brittan Brown.

“A black woman can invent something for the benefit of humankind” – Bessie Blount

Bessie Blount was born on on November 24, 1914 in Hickory, Virginia. She studied physical therapy in Chicago.

During World War II, Blount developed an apparatus to help amputees feed themselves. She invented an electronic feeding device in 1951, a feeding tube that delivered one mouthful of food at a time, controlled by biting down

on the tube. The American Veterans Administration did not accept her invention, so she sold it to the French government. Blount was once a physical therapist to the mother-in-law of Theodore Edison, son of famed inventor Thomas Edison. She and the younger Edison became close friends and while in his home she invented the disposable cardboard emesis basin. This invention was also not accepted by the American Veterans Administration, so she sold it to Belgium.

In 1969, Blount ended up becoming a forensic scientist at the Vineland and Norfolk police departments.In the mid 1970′s she became the chief document examiner for the Portsmouth Police Department. In 1977, she was the first African-American woman to train and work in Scotland Yard. She ran her own forensic consulting business until the 1990′s when she was in her 80s.

Mrs. Blount-Griffin  passed away on December 30, 2009.

Continue reading Tuesday Open Thread