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Celerity

Celerity's Journal
Celerity's Journal
April 15, 2022

'Black Is a Disease': Racist Posts Roil Arkansas University

A Black student’s interview with a local news channel was interrupted by shouts of “white power” this week.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/racist-yik-yak-posts-roil-arkansas-state-university

Black fraternities and sororities at Arkansas State University were targeted in racist attacks online this week—but students say the posts are just part of a much larger problem on campus.

“On behalf of the entire Arkansas State University community, I condemn the recent statements of anonymous individuals,” Chancellor Kelly Damphousse wrote in a statement released Thursday. “The language and labels used by persons posting about the weekly [National Pan-Hellenic Council] events on campus is simply unacceptable and disgraceful… The type of statements made recently related to Black students and members of NPHC organizations are shameful and unwelcome at Arkansas State University.”

KAIT 8 ABC reported that anonymous messages were posted on Wednesday night to the social media platform Yik Yak, which serves as a community-discussion site for users within a 5-mile radius. The posts reportedly targeted the nine National Pan-Hellenic Council Greek organizations, which historically center around the culture of the African diaspora. According to the Arkansas State University chapter of the NPHC, statements were made telling Black students to “get back on the boat” and that “Black is a disease.”

“Whomever is making these comments are outliers,” Arkansas State University Chief Communications Officer Bill Smith told The Daily Beast. In a statement posted to Instagram, the university chapter of the NPHC condemned the “hostility” and “belittlement” directed toward Black students.

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April 15, 2022

Millions of Kids Fell Into Poverty and No One Noticed

While we were fighting over culture war nonsense, the child tax care credit expired. Now families are suffering, and there’s no political will to help them.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/millions-of-kids-fell-into-poverty-and-no-one-noticed



What if nearly 4 million American children were plunged into poverty practically overnight? Surely, Americans would notice and raise their voices in righteous anger over the heartless decision that caused this sorry state of affairs. Right? Actually, the answer is no. Because over the past few months ago this exact scenario has played out and no one appears to care. Last year, Democrats in Congress with the strong backing of the Biden administration expanded and increased the child tax care credit as part of the American Recovery Plan.

Rare is the policy move that had such a dramatic and laudatory effect for American children. The United States has long had one of the highest child poverty rates in the developed world, but with the expanded child tax credit those numbers finally began to move in the right direction. Almost immediately, monthly child poverty in America was slashed by 30 percent. So, too, was child hunger, as more than 2 million kids no longer had to worry about not having enough food to eat. The expanded credit was a lifesaver for millions of American families, 90 percent of whom reported they spent the money on basic necessities like food, clothing, and education.

The policy was based on a simple concept—give parents money. The credit was increased from $2,000 a year to $3,600 for a child under 6, and to $3,000 for those between the ages of 6 and 17. Rather than giving parents a lump sum at tax time, the government issued advance payments for half the credit. So each month, the IRS deposited payments of up to $250 per child between the ages of 6 and 17, and up to $300 for kids under 6, into the bank accounts of more than 61 million families.

In addition, the tax credit was made fully available to families with little to no income. In the past, 27 million children—approximately half of whom are Black and Latino—received less money because their parents didn’t make enough money. With the expanded credit, those children were finally eligible. In Biden’s Build Back Better agenda, the expanded credit would have become permanent. But when the credit expired in December, Congress failed to extend it. Almost immediately, millions of the nation’s most vulnerable children were plunged back into poverty.

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April 15, 2022

Make Some Pad Krapow in Honor Thai New Year

Pad krapow is an everyday meal for Soothr co-founder Joel Chidensee, who especially loves it on Songkran.

https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/soothr-pad-krapow-recipe



The dish most Thai people crave in Thailand when they’re hungry is pad krapow, according to Joel Chindensee, a co-founder of Soothr, which opened in New York’s East Village in 2020. “It’s like mac and cheese for us—it’s comfort food,” he says.

The basil stir fry dish hits all the right notes: the protein choice is completely customizable, so you can opt for ground pork, cubes of tofu, or even tangles of squid; the spice level can range from mild to tongue-searing heat; and though traditionally consumed with steamed jasmine rice, pad krapow can really go with any carb (spaghetti is a popular option). “McDonald’s in Thailand actually do a krapow patty for their burger,” Chidensee says. “Pad krapow is for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—especially with a fried egg on top.”

This goes for Songkran, Thailand’s new year, as well. Unlike Lunar New Year or Thanksgiving, Songkran doesn’t really have a traditional designated dish or meal. The new year celebrations are more focused on water. Festivities include making merit at temples by pouring water on statues of Buddha, cleansing the hands and feet of elders to wash away any bad luck from the previous year, and endless water fights with friends, family, and complete strangers. Lots of celebrations involve booze, too.

“During Songkran, you just need something that will boost your energy because you’re going to be partying. A lot of carbs, a lot of sticky rice,” Chidensee says, reminiscing on his own Songkran holidays spent back home in Thailand. “People drink so much—you just need to eat so you don’t get wasted.” For Chidensee, pad krapow is the perfect dish for this.

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April 15, 2022

Kushner's Saudi deal must be scrutinized to protect U.S. democracy

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/04/14/saudi-arabia-kushner-deal-protect-us-democracy/



The Saudi Arabia business managers knew the deal didn’t make sense, but Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved it, perhaps knowing that what he was buying couldn’t be measured as a simple dollars-and-cents return on investments. That’s how Saudi Arabia ended up giving $2 billion to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of the former president who served as a senior adviser to Donald Trump in the White House. The deal has raised alarms for the obvious corruption in reflects — but the implications could be even more consequential.

Managers of the Saudi Public Investment Fund objected to the investment, citing “the inexperience of the Affinity Fund management” — the firm was founded just last year by Kushner — and other risk factors. But MBS was quick to overrule their objections and ordered the transfer.

For MBS, Kushner represents another powerful domestic proxy to interfere in American politics. The crown prince has not forgiven President Biden for speaking ill of him during the campaign and now he is out for blood. MBS has picked a side and has carefully cultivated ties with Republican leaders and former Trump officials.

https://twitter.com/mikepompeo/status/1463157028512219143
MBS expects a substantial return for the billions he is showering on Republican figures. Of course, Saudi interference in U.S. elections is not new. Donations made by foreign agents hired to act on behalf of Saudi interests exceeded $1.6 million in the 2018 election cycle, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.

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April 15, 2022

Some new beer reccos from me

https://www.beergium.com/en/new-products

La Source (Belgium) Old Fashion 75cl

Cocktail Inspired Gruit. With Gentian for bitterness and oranges at whirlpool. Aged several months in bourbon barrels with our house culture.







Stigbergets (Sweden) Midnight Special - Pistachio Vanilla CANS 33cl

Imperial Pastry Stout






Funky Fluid (Poland) Triple Gelato: Svestkovy Kolac CANS 50cl

Ice Cream Sour with plums, blackcurrant & cinnamon






The Many Worlds (Denmark) You Were Never Really There CANS 44cl

Oatmeal Porter with Danish Wildflower Honey and Coconut






Paranormal (Sweden) Neo Normal CANS 33cl

Triple Fruited Gose with Peach, Apricot, Passion Fruit, Mango, Lime, Indian Coriander & Sea Salt






La Source (Belgium) Primitive 033 Walnut Baltic Porter 33cl

Chocolate Walnut Cake Baltic Porter with Cocoa & Vanilla Beans & freshly torrefied Walnuts





Fauve (France) Les Cerisiers de Mai CANS 33cl

Pastry Sour with Griotte Cherrie, Vanilla & Tonka

April 15, 2022

Elon Musk Offers to Buy a Broken Website: Twitter Is Beyond Repair

The platform has problems that Elon Musk can't fix

https://newsletters.theatlantic.com/the-third-rail/62586fc76c9086002056f4cb/elon-musk-buy-twitter-bid/



Earlier today, Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk made an offer to buy Twitter, and not only was it immediate front-page news across the land, but it created an immediate, anguished outcry on the website itself. I had a different reaction. Musk is trying to buy a broken website that’s helping break our culture, and that website might be beyond repair.

To understand the news event, we have to understand a few facts about Twitter, its users, and its effect on our culture. Taken together, these facts paint a picture of a website that is relatively small (compared to the rest of social media), disproportionately influential with the political elite, and distorts both the right and the left in deeply destructive ways.

If you look at a chart of popular social-media sites, you’ll note that you have to look far down the list to find Twitter. It’s way behind Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. It’s below a host of foreign social-media sites. It’s below even Telegram and Pinterest. It sits just above Reddit as the 15th-most-popular social-media site in the world.

But that’s not all. Only a small slice of Twitter’s users are active. According to a 2020 Pew Research Center survey, only 10 percent of tweeters create 92 percent of all U.S. tweets. Combine all the numbers, and 3 percent of the American population creates 90 percent of all tweets. In other words, only a small minority of one of the smallest of the “significant” social-media sites produces any real content.

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April 15, 2022

The 5 Best TikTok Recipes to Try Right Now

Make chocolate-covered dates, chorizo tostada, or fresh rhubarb muesli.

https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/tiktok-recipes-to-try



The kids on TikTok are currently spamming comment sections with brownie recipes. Why, you might ask? The world may never know. But rest assured, there are plenty of TikTok food trends that prove far more interesting. From aloe vera juice and baked Boursin to Hailey Bieber’s pizza toast and Jennifer Aniston’s Friends salad, there’s no shortage of creativity on the app. This month, we’re particularly excited about the ingenious concoction that is chocolate-covered, nut-butter-stuffed dates, sprinkled with sea salt and crushed peanuts.

Bircher muesli with rhubarb

Rhubarb season is upon us, and this recipe proves that oats don’t have to be relegated to cold-weather breakfasts. The rhubarb juice will infuse the oats with a satisfying complexity, taking on flavors of orange, thyme, and star anise. Tart, spicy, and sweet all at once, the dish is made complete with the texture of shredded apples, pistachios, and golden raisins. This springy bircher muesli is a great way to start your day, beautiful to look at, and good for you, too.

Chocolate-covered, stuffed dates

As if dates weren’t indulgent enough, this dessert trend takes their richness to the next level without foregoing the nutritional factor. As Zaynab Issa describes, working with pitted dates and using a piping bag will streamline the process, allowing you to assemble them in bulk and freeze for later. The possibilities for toppings are endless, but as one commenter suggested, you can have the best of both worlds by adding peanuts to the inside and sprinkling flaky salt on the outside.

Chorizo tostada

It’s amazing to think about how one small tortilla can hold so much goodness. This is a sausage, egg, and cheese re-imagined, with a spicy salsa macha to top it all off. Substitute soyrizo for the sausage and avocado for the egg, and you’ve got yourself a vegan breakfast.

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videos at the link

April 15, 2022

A Dozen Donuts at Krispy Kreme Are Now the Same Price as a Gallon of Gas

Krispy Kreme is offering a discount based on gas prices in the US.

https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/krispy-kreme-gas-prices-dozen-donut-discount



Gas prices. Inflation. Companies raking in record profits. It's all the scuttlebutt around the water cooler, eh?

Krispy Kreme is capitalizing on the increased attention being given to rising gas prices. The donut shop says it is tapping its "strategic donut reserve." Across the US, a dozen donuts will be the same price as the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline. (None of this premium nonsense here.) This Wednesday, April 13, a dozen breakfast desserts will cost just $4.11.

You'll be able to get donuts at the price of a gallon of gas every Wednesday starting April 13. The deal will run through May 4, with the gassy price for each dozen being set on the Monday of each week. The announcement says that you can grab up to two dozen Original Glaze donuts at that price.

That makes two days each week where there's a special offer at Krispy Kreme, following the announcement that cinnamon rolls are back on the menu every Sunday. Take advantage of the deal now, before gas prices get high enough that this isn't a discount anymore. (Just kidding, because prices are falling nationally from their high point in March.)

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April 14, 2022

Coca-Cola Enterprises boss admits taking 1.5m pounds in bribes

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-61111415



A former Coca-Cola Enterprises manager has admitted taking more than £1.5m in bribes in exchange for helping favoured companies win lucrative contracts.

Noel Corry, 56, provided Boulting Group, Tritec Systems, and Electron Systems with confidential and sensitive data from 2004 to 2013.

It gave them an advantage over rivals in contract bids. Corry, of Lymm, Cheshire, was given a 20-month suspended sentence and the companies involved were fined.

A former director of Tritec Systems, Gary Haines, 60, of Market Drayton, Shropshire, was also given a 20-month suspended sentence and a former contract manager at Boulting, Peter Kinsella, 58, of Manchester, was given a 12-month suspended sentence at Southwark Crown Court.

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Gender: Female
Hometown: London
Home country: US/UK/Sweden
Current location: Stockholm, Sweden
Member since: Sun Jul 1, 2018, 06:25 PM
Number of posts: 47,157

About Celerity

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