deerstalker

Evelyn Magley has made history as the first African American woman to ever own a male professional sports league in the United States. Magley and her husband, retired NBA player David Magley, are the founders of The Basketball League (TBL), a newly formed minor professional basketball league which acquired the North American Premier Basketball (NAPB) league and is scheduled to debut next year.

“I am thrilled to start a league that treats our players with the greatest level of respect thereby impacting our community in a manner that is consistent with our faith, by serving those who need it the most,” said Magley in a statement. She was named as the CEO of the league while her husband operates as president.

The league has targeted 40 markets in the U.S. and Canada and expects to start with 12 to 16 teams in January 2019. Some of the teams include the Kansas City Tornados, Ohio Bootleggers, Nevada Desert Dogs, Vancouver Knights, Raleigh Firebirds, Tampa Bay Titans, and San Diego Waves. Each team will play 32 games that will be available via livestream.

TBL offers athletes who don’t make it in the NBA or G-League another option to play ball professionally and earn anywhere from $1,500 to $7,500 a month. TBL is also dedicated to providing families with affordable and quality entertainment as well as community support through the launch of an upcoming philantropic arm, youth camps, clinics, and nonprofit organizations. Plus, the league gives individuals and groups an opportunity to own a professional sports business with a relatively low cost barrier to entry.

David Magley, who most recently served as the Commissioner of the National Basketball League of Canada, said Mrs. Magley brings a “unique vision” to the new league as the wife of a pro athlete and the mother of four children who played sports collegiately. “Her passion for people allows us to build on a vision of impacting community through giving young men opportunities that do not exist today, then leveraging our platforms to engage each local market to benefit the youth and non-profit initiatives she is so very passionate about,” said the former Cleveland Cavaliers small forward in a statement. He was drafted in 1982.

According to her bio, Magley is the former Director of Community Engagement for the Brampton A’s of the NBL Canada, where she scaled the forward-facing programming of the NBL team and nonprofit organizations within the community at large. She graduated from the University of Kansas and worked as a professional music educator and music therapist. She also co-founded an inner-city ministry focused on mentoring children through the gospel, academic services, food, and music called Children with Purpose.

The post Meet the First Black Woman to Own a Male Professional Sports League in the U.S. appeared first on Black Enterprise.

In a recent town hall meeting, Pennsylvania State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner took a question from 18-year-old Rose Strauss, who wanted some answers regarding her rep’s stance on energy.

“Two-thirds of Pennsylvanians think climate change is an issue that needs to be addressed but you have said that climate change is a result of people’s body heat and are refusing to take action of the issue,” she said. “Does this have anything to do with the $200,000 that you have taken from the fossil fuel industry?”

That’s a totally reasonable question about a real thing Wagner once said. Rather than actually answer her though, he responds with a patronizing dismissal.

“You’re 18 years old,” he told her. “You’re a little young and naive.” In the video above, you can hear some of the crowd laughing and applauding. Videos taken from other angles though, make it clear not everyone thinks that’s at all funny. You can hear one man yelling at Wagner to “Answer the question!”

Instead, Wagner asked the crowd, “Are we here to elect a governor or are we here to elect a scientist?”

That’s a ludicrous response. Wagner doesn’t have to know the intricate, scientific details of climate change, but then he can’t also expect to go unchallenged when he spouts inane, fake “facts” dismissing actual science.

It’s true that a lot of young people pride themselves on their idealism, but idealism is not the same thing as naivete. Strauss is a member of Sunrise Movement, an organization made up of young people determined to make climate change a top political issue. These are informed, engaged, politically active young people. I don’t know what about that says “naive” to Wagner. Too bad for him, they are young, but, at least some of them, like Rose, are not too young to vote.

If being young and naive means wanting action on climate to protect the health and safety of millions of people around the world, then call me #YoungAndNaive.

— Rose Strauss (@rose_strauss) July 20, 2018

If being young and naive means expecting our politicians reject campaign contributions from the fossil fuel executives threatening our futures, then call us #YoungAndNaive. @rose_strauss @sunrisemvmt #NoFossilFuelMoney

— Sunrise Boston (@SunriseBoston) July 20, 2018

If being “young and naive” means we believe no one should be lose their home to a flood, a fire, or another climate disaster just so a handful of wealthy corporate executives want to make a profit, then call us #YoungAndNaive. https://t.co/OAq4z22YtM

— Sunrise Movement (@sunrisemvmt) July 20, 2018

If being Young and Naive means asking politicians to care about the health and wellbeing of our communities then I’m proud to be #YoungAndNaive

— Anam Rathor (@AnamRathor) July 20, 2018

#YoungAndNaive may well just kick his ass at the polls.

— Politicab (@Politicabbie) July 20, 2018

“Young & Naive” may well be Generation Z’s “Nasty Woman.”

While we’re on the subject of women refusing to accept the condescending dismissal of men in politics, take a look at this video from Sharice Davids, who is running for Congress in Kansas’ 3rd District. She’s Native American, an MMA fighter, loves the Arrowverse*, and she’s also gay.

At a town hall event, Davids used her time allotted for a closing statement to address some dismissive comments one of her opponents made about gender non-conforming and LGBTQIA people. I cannot find the comments themselves, but when she said she was going to address them, she was met with wild applause.

Her is the statement she made:

One of the most important things I see in this campaign is the way that people are dismissed, the way that people are silenced and erased, not just from our history but from our current conversations.

We have a lot of decision-makers who talk an awful lot about the voice that they want to be. And that’s not what we need. What we need is someone who will listen. What we need is someone who cares about the voices that have already been talking for so long and are not being listened to. This is why we don’t have leaders in Congress, because they don’t want to listen, they just want to talk. They’re decision makers, but not leaders. And we need leaders.

*Full disclosure: That interview was conducted by my husband, Brock Wilbur, and we are both very disappointed that Davids is running in the district next to ours because we want to vote for her very badly.

(image: Shutterstock)

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—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—

“If it bleeds we can kill it” goes both ways in the latest film in the Predator franchise. The first trailer for the film debuted recently showing off the monster that will kill […]

The post SDCC Brings New Footage of The Predator appeared first on Geek.com.

Wood Ranch BBQ and Grill in Mission Valley

There are so many things to think about when getting ready for the undertaking that is San Diego  Comic Con. One of the things at the top of con-goers minds is where will I be able to get a good meal. Those lucky enough to get a hotel in the hotel lottery will find plenty of choices in and around Gaslamp, but what about those staying a little further away in Mission Valley.

Mission Valley houses hotel circle which includes a number of hotels reasonably priced for SDCC attendees. Finding a great place to eat in this area might require a bit more legwork than finding a place in Gaslamp. The Nerd Element visited such a place in Wood Ranch BBQ and Grill in Mission Valley. The restaurant, while located in southern California/ LA recently expanded to the San Diego area and is ready to serve SDCC Mission Valley occupants needs. Check out our experiences below as it might lead you to your new favorite place.

Llana

We discovered a hidden gem right off of the freeway that would be great for con goers. Wood Ranch is a So Cal staple with 15 locations throughout California.

Upon entry we were shown to our table and drink orders were taken. I had a Raspberry pomegranate martini (?) that was so good I needed round two. It had fresh juice with a hint of lime and plenty of fresh raspberries. The alcohol wasn’t overpowering and would be a refreshing treat at the end of a long day at the convention.

As we were starving and had already plowed through their signature garlic rolls we decided to place an order of chicken barbecue potato skins. They were absolutely delicious. The skins were just crispy enough and it was a nice precursor to the meal that was about to be served.

My meal consisted of tri-tip cooked medium loaded mashed potatoes with bacon and cheddar, and signature peanut coleslaw. The tri-tip was tasty as were the coleslaw and potatoes. Bring your appetite because they do not serve small portions. I got the 7 ounces even though there’s a choice of a 10-ounce piece of tri-tip and with the appetizers drinks and rolls, it was more than enough.

Kimberly

Upon entering Wood Ranch Bar and Grill I immediately noticed the size of the location. This would be a great place to service the number of comic con attendees that stay at hotel circle. In addition, this is a very family friendly place which is a big plus for a lot of families that frequent the con. Family friendly is a large need not met within the Gaslamp district. Garlic rolls graced the table almost immediately after being seated. These rolls were absolutely delicious. Be careful ladies and gentlemen these are dangerously good, and you could eat three of them without even blinking! I had to limit myself to one as to not fill up before getting our meal.

Appetizer

At the recommendation of the waitress, we ordered chicken BBQ potato skins for our appetizer. These were not your typical potato skins. These potato skins equal the size as a regular baking potato cut in half which is about twice the size of a normal potato skin. If someone asked me to describe the perfect potato skins, this is what I would describe.  The skins were extremely crispy but not burnt and the cheese was plentiful but not overbearing. The BBQ chicken gave it a bit of a tangy taste which brought the entire skin together. I would definitely recommend trying these on your next visit to Wood Ranch.

Entree

For my meal, I ordered the pulled pork with Wood Ranch famous peanut slaw and a premium side of roasted brussel sprouts. Most meals come with two sides and you can upgrade to a premium side for a dollar or so more. Let me just say that I loved these roasted brussel sprouts and I would have been content with eating a plate full of them as my meal. The sprouts were roasted with a bit of crispiness and seasoned very well. The famous peanut slaw was excellent.

My meal came with regular coleslaw on the side so I was able to compare the two and it was no contest. If coleslaw is a personal favorite, definitely try the peanut coleslaw, you will not be disappointed. The pulled pork was cooked just right still juicy and not dry. The pork came with a bit of the vinegar based bbq sauce but not nearly enough needed to cover all the pork you are given.

These are not small portions, the chances of you having leftovers is very high. Overall, I was happy with my meal. For comic con goers in the mission valley area looking for a good BBQ restaurant that is family friendly with plenty of seating, this place is for you.

Are you in Mission Valley looking for a family-friendly restaurant to eat at? Check out Wood Ranch BBQ and Grill, located right next to the Double Tree Hilton. The address is  7510 Hazard Center Dr #215, San Diego, CA 92108 in the Hazard Center Plaza. 

The post Wood Ranch Grill, Mission Valley SDCC Attendees Hidden Gem appeared first on The Nerd Element.