“In short, Sesame Street was founded to help low-income kids keep up with their more affluent peers. That is literally why it exists. It succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations. And now it is becoming the property of a premium cable network, so that a program launched to help poor kids keep up with rich kids is now being paywalled so that rich kids can watch it before poor kids can.
“That in itself is not a tragedy or an injustice. Tragedy is the devastating funding cuts that Head Start has suffered in recent years, affecting tens of thousands of young children. Injustice is the nationwide lack of subsidized high-quality child care and universal pre-K. In this context, relocating Sesame Street to the gated community of HBO—even if that community’s gates swing wide at nine-month intervals—is only to be expected. There could be no more cruelly perfect metaphor for the ultra-efficient sorting processes of socioeconomic privilege.”
Comet PanSTARRS, Moon, and Venus : It is the object to the left of the big tree thats generating much recent excitement. If you look closely, there you can see Comet PanSTARRS, complete with two tails. During July, this comet has increased markedly in brightness and has just passed its closest approach to Earth. The statuesque tree in the center is a Norfolk Island Pine, and to either side of this tree are New Zealand Pohutukaw trees. Over the trees, far in the distance, are bright Venus and an even brighter crescent Moon. If you look even more closely, you can find Jupiter hidden in the branches of the pine. The featured image was taken a few days ago in Fergusson Park, New Zealand, looking over Tauranga Harbour Inlet. In the coming days and weeks, Comet C/2014 Q1 will slowly move away from the Sun and the Earth, drift deep into southern skies, and fade. via NASA
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#Wisdom #Quote: If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.
- Pooja, Om Holistic Wellbeing
www.omholisticwellbeing.com
Kerry Washington gives a perfect three part course on how to handle yourself when you are called out for making an offensive statement:
1) Don’t push back 2) Apologize sincerely and quickly 3) Learn from the feedback
It’s that simple people.
Today, August 19, is National Aviation Day! You might wonder why we’re celebrating National Aviation Day, let us tell you…
First, did you know that EVERY U.S. commercial aircraft and every U.S. air traffic control tower has NASA-developed technology on board? It’s true! Here at NASA, we’re invested in aeronautic research. Today’s air transportation system is an integral part of the U.S. and global economies.
It’s the primary mechanism for connecting countries across the world through moving people, as well as goods and services. You feel the impacts of aviation and the air transportation system everyday. Just about every product produced and purchased today has been touched by aviation in some way. Aircraft transport 17.7 billion tons of freight every year. While you may not have flown today, something you needed did.
Our aviation experts are dedicated to improving the design of airplanes so they’re more Earth friendly – less fuel use, lower pollution, less noise around airports. We also work with the Federal Aviation Administration to provide new tools to air traffic controllers for improving efficiency and reducing delays.
So, celebrate National Aviation Day with us! Spread Your Wings, take a photo, post it today and tag #SpreadYourWings and/or #NationalAviationDay. We may even pick your photo to highlight on our NASA web page!
I have a deep love and appreciation of calving and hobbes.
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