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http://www.afronerd.com/2021/09/y-last-man-premieres-disney-hawkeye.html

 

Afronerd Radio can now be heard LIVE courtesy of Apple Music/Itunes

Let's just jump right into this, shall we?  It's the infamous Mid Week in Review broadcast from the makers of the Afronerd Radio "steam engine," airing live and direct, every Wednesday at 8 p.m. eastern on BTalk 100.  Join your AFROnerdist hosts as they analyze this (mid) week's topics as follows: the long-awaited graphic novel to Hulu TV series translation of Brian K. Vaughan's Y: The Last Man premiered this week (three episodes thus far) and we share our thoughts; we finally caught a glimpse of Disney's Hawkeye series courtesy of a new trailer that smacked the internets:

We never did discuss the upcoming "swinging 60s" Black spy-themed video game, Deathloop but it must be highlighted for its premise alone; yet another Disney+ series, What....If? chugs along with episode 6-check for our impressions;  basketball phenom, Russell Westbrook, causes a stir by wearing a dress for New York's Fashion Week, and as expected, he as fervent supporters and detractors.  Case in point, Mr. Kwame Brown submits his "Mama's cookin' " for your listening pleasure:

     

If there was ever an example of a legendary Boondocks episode mirroring reality, Westbrook's (and other recent examples) recent excursion fits the bill:

So now HBO Max is considering another Batman rogues gallery member to render a proverbial closeup? Listen to our musings pertaining to a proposed Penguin TV series; the extremely popular Luther UK series starring Idris Elba, purportedly will get the Netflix film treatment;  and lastly, will the recent signing of Marvel and DC talent for the new journalist/writer platform, Substack, change the game for graphic novelists? And why aren't we hearing POC writing talent being offered 6-figure deals? Or any deals?  

One thing that Dburt is doing (finally) is investing in cryptocurrency, courtesy of Roundlyx. We would implore our followers to investigate, discern and then explore by using our referral code: afro-87A4BF

Call us LIVE at 508-645-0100. AFTER CLICKING ON THE HIGHLIGHTED LINK, GO DIRECTLY TO AFRONERD RADIO!!! 

Also, Afronerd Radio's podcast format can be heard via BTalk 100 Pandora, Spotify and,  IHeartRadio....more formats to follow!

https://www.themarysue.com/justice-for-j6-rally-fizzles-out-with-only-a-handful-of-attendees/

The ‘Justice for J6’ rally, a right-wing follow-up to the horrific January 6 Capitol riots, fizzled out today after only a handful of diehard Trumpers bothered to show up. The few attendees, clad in Trump merch and Hamilton cosplay, were far outnumbered by journalists, police, and other law enforcement officials who mobilized in response to the devastating attack in January which saw five people dead, hundreds of Capitol police officers injured, and $30 million dollars worth of damage to the historic building.

Of course, the circumstances around today’s rally are wildly different. Trump and his family aren’t in attendance, nor can Trump promote the rally due to his social media ban. And much of the pro-Trump audience can’t afford to travel to Washington, D.C. for the event, unlike the January 6 riot which saw plane tickets and bus rides funded by Alex Jones, Publix heiress Julie Jenkins Fancelli, and other right-wing supporters and dark money donors.

There is also no urgency to the planned rally, whereas on January 6 the crowd was motivated to stop Mike Pence from certifying the election results. Now that we’re 9 months into the Biden presidency, it is clear that there is no shadow Trump government, no coup, and no plan. And while the Capitol was woefully unprepared for January 6, there are now security fences and hundreds of armed guards protecting the perimeter.

Cassie Miller, a senior research analyst with the Southern Poverty Law Center, said “There are more hurdles here in place than reasons for people to come out to this event, … People are simply just too fearful after all of the arrests related to Jan. 6 to go out and do this kind of big nationwide event.”

Extremist groups like the Proud Boys warned their members to avoid the rally, claiming the government was “baiting” them to participate. And many more Trump devotees are still facing legal consequences from storming the Capitol in January, with over 600 domestic terrorists facing criminal charges. The Department of Justice described it as the largest criminal investigation in American history.

The rally was organized by former Trump campaign staffer Matt Braynard, who now runs community organizing group Look Ahead America. Braynard said the rally was protesting the harsh treatment of insurrectionists, who he claims were treated worse than BLM and Antifa (note: they weren’t). “This is a purely patriotic exercise of First Amendment rights of fellow humans, fellow Americans who have been denied their civil rights because of their political beliefs,” Braynard said, failing to mention the murders, beatings, and chaotic violence that took place on January 6.

Many took to Twitter to mock those who attended the clown show:

Justice for J6 organizer Matt Braynard – with only a handful of rally-goers present – is being protected by a security guard with a singular air-pod. pic.twitter.com/zde7HavuuZ

— Zachary Petrizzo (@ZTPetrizzo) September 18, 2021

It looks like the #JusticeforJ6 “Rally” could have been an email. pic.twitter.com/YLfxWOiBb4

— Erich with an “h” 🇺🇸 (@ErichinATL) September 18, 2021

The very small crowd size at the #JusticeforJ6 traitorous rally shows the waning influence of the former President. https://t.co/zdf0GCTlFs

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) September 18, 2021

Yoooooooooo! Scut Farkus, from A Christmas Story, is at the #JusticeforJ6 rally! pic.twitter.com/Ks8KSZYIKm

— Jax Persists (@LadyJayPersists) September 18, 2021

Live shot of the #JusticeforJ6 rally pic.twitter.com/ol077HQsEY

— Tristan Snell (@TristanSnell) September 18, 2021

They could have held the #JusticeforJ6 rally on a Zoom call. https://t.co/o1qoNBZqxr

— L.A. Goldenrod (@LAGoldenrod) September 18, 2021

(via Washington Post, image: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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The post ‘Justice for J6’ Rally Fizzles Out With Only a Handful of Attendees first appeared on The Mary Sue.

http://nerdywithchildren.com/best-science-toys-for-kids-by-age/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=best-science-toys-for-kids-by-age

We’ve discovered the best science toys for kids and teens to make learning fun!

Kids learn a lot from playing. In fact, play is a lot like science: kids make hypotheses about how the world around them works (I bet I can jump off that thing and not die) test them (SPLAT!) and report their results to a community of like minded individuals who share their quest for knowledge (Did you guys see that?). The science toys on this list let your kids play science, which will help them learn about science. By the time they hit middle school or high school, their playing at science with programming or gardening or taking apart an old car will have become actual science. As always, these age categories aren’t scientific principles—feel free to ignore them if you want.

Elementary School (Ages 6-11)

Engineer Academy Space

This is a combination activity book and papercraft space toy making kit. The box opens to contain a book on one side and a drawer full of punch-out paper models of planets and spacecraft on the other. The book explains the phases of the moon and the planets, and some cool experiments that are easy to do at home. It also includes instructions for building the paper spaceships, which for me is the main attraction. Kids can start with simple papercraft models like the planet Earth and work their way up through the Space Shuttle and Voyager probe to a three stage rocket that uses the box as a launch pad. The models can be a little fiddly—it’s best for you and your kids to work together on them until everybody gets some practice. Remember, Scotch Tape is your friend. There’s no need to be a papercraft hero.

Think Fun Gravity Maze Marble Run Brain Game

In this game, kids and their grown-ups assemble a three dimensional maze out of “gravity maze towers” to channel a marble from the top of the maze to the bottom. It’s a great choice for kids who are into puzzles. The game comes with 60 different logic challenges, some of which are hard for adults. The challenges that come with the game are only the beginning. The game is flexible: kids can build their own mazes and set their own challenges. Gravity Maze can also be a gateway to learning about electrical engineering—the mazes are similar to circuits and getting the marble to where you want it to go is similar to getting electricity to where you want it to go.

Stuffed Water Bear (Tardigrade)

This is just what it says on the tin: a stuffed animal version of a tardigrade, or water bear. These microscopic animals are famously tough: they can survive extremes of temperature, pressure and radiation. There are a lot of plush tardigrade options out there for the discerning stuffed animal enthusiast—this one is the cutest that I found.

Middle School (Ages 12-14)

Ion: A Compound Building Game

The goal of this card game is for players to form neutrally charged compounds from a hand of cards representing elements and ions. Different compounds are worth different scores, with more complex compounds netting higher scores. Players can expand the game with action tiles, which let you play more cards, rearrange the cards in play, and other feats. There are also expansion cards representing transition metals, polyatomic ions, and every self respecting middle schooler’s favorite, radioactive elements. It’s a lively game, makes an excellent vector for trash talk (another middle school favorite), and will reinforce some of the chemistry lessons that your kid will encounter in middle school.

Erector by Meccano Super Construction 25-in-1 Motorized Building Set

Okay, there’s something I need to get out of my system. Travel back in time with me, Nerdy With Children readers, to a State High School Theater Festival in the early 90s, held near a construction site at which a prominent piece of equipment bore the legend “Super Erection System”. It was hilarious when I was 15. It’s hilarious now. I can’t think of Erector Sets without thinking of the Super Erection System.

Erector sets are far more hard core and less forgiving than Lego. There are no Marvel Erector sets. Will Arnett does not host a TV program called Erector Masters, much to the relief of parents of 12 year olds. The models in this kit require close attention and more coordination than Lego does. My daughter and I have found that it helps to take breaks and build the models in multiple sessions. In the process of building the dune buggy, we’ve both learned a fair bit about mechanics and how machines fit together.  Erector is better practice for real robotics, carpentry and other making than Lego because Erector pieces are fastened with screws and bolts instead of plastic studs. If you have a contrarian kid, someone who doesn’t want to follow the Lego crowd, then maybe Erector is the creative medium for them.

High School (Ages 14-18)

Arduino and Raspberry Pi

Arduino and Raspberry Pi are platforms for serious hacking and making. I’m not an expert on either system, but I’ll do my best to explain what they are for and the difference between them. You can learn more about both systems here and here. 

Arduino is a microcontroller that can be programmed using the Arduino programming language and Arduino IDE software. It’s good for simple, repetitive tasks like opening a door or watering plants. Arduino is easier to use than Raspberry Pi, is relatively inexpensive and will run on basically any operating system. Arduino software is open source and there is a vast user community out there to consult with when you and your kids get stuck. The Arduino organization maintains a Getting Started With Arduino Products web site that’ll put you on a firmer foundation than I can. 

Raspberry Pi is a build-your-own computer that runs Linux. It can do anything the computer you’re reading this on can do: play games, run applications and control complex electronics projects like drones and robots. You can program it in a variety of programming languages, including Scratch, which your kids may already be learning in school. Although Raspberry Pi materials are not open source, there is still an extensive user community out there to support/cheerlead/commiserate with you on your software projects. Raspberrypi.org maintains a Getting Started With Raspberry Pi web site, and Make: Magazine has published a Getting Started With Raspberry Pi book.

North Spore Blue Oyster Mushroom Grow Kit

Join the Blue Oyster Cult and grow your own mushrooms! This kit contains a block of sawdust called a substrate that is pre-populated with blue oyster mushroom mycelium, as well as instructions for how to grow and harvest the mushrooms. You just cut open the box, spritz the substrate down with tap water a couple of times a day and the mushrooms take it from there. North Spore sells kits for growing many different types of mushrooms, but they say that the blue oyster mushrooms are the easiest to grow. Growing their own food can give your kid confidence at a time when they really need it. Plus, blue oyster mushrooms are packed with riboflavin, and who doesn’t want more riboflavin? For more information about fungi and how awesome they are, take a look at Merlin Sheldrake’s book Entangled Life.

The post Best Science Toys for Kids By Age appeared first on Nerdy With Children.

https://blackgirlnerds.com/the-killing-of-kenneth-chamberlain-interview-with-frankie-faison/

Frankie Faison is a seasoned actor whose distinguished career spans nearly five decades in theater, television, and film, including Do the Right Thing, the HBO series The Wire, and the Cinemax series Banshee. Now, he’s giving an extraordinary performance in his latest film The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain, based on a true story.

BGN had the opportunity via telephone to speak with Faison about this life-changing role and what he wants people to walk away knowing from the film.

What about this role grabbed ahold of you? Why did you want to take on the role of Kenneth Chamberlain?

The humanity. He’s passionate about his family. He’s passionate about life, and he just happened to get caught up in a bad situation. It ended up being the thing to take his life. He was a man who was wearing a medical alert system to save his life, and when the thing goes off accidentally, it ended up inviting the bad, bad law enforcement people to his home. That ended up being the thing that cost his life. I have a very dear, close connection to who this man was. I felt it from the very first time I read the script. I felt that I could be very good at telling his story and revealing it to people who come and see this film.

This role was obviously very emotionally and physically challenging. How did you go about preparing yourself for it?

It was certainly the most physically, emotionally, mentally challenging role that I’ve ever done on film in such a sustained way — from the beginning, to the middle, to the end. As an actor, what I do is depend upon the writing of the writer. Then I just give myself to what is going on in the scene and what is going on physically around me. All those elements filter through me as I present the challenges in this role.

The thing about it is, we had such a short time to film it. From the very first moment that I read the script, he began entering my body, my spirit, and my soul. So, by the time we finally started filming, he was there. I just had to sustain him and not let myself get distracted by other things.

The director of the film, David Midell, said that he is “drawn to stories that ask questions about how we, as a society, treat our most vulnerable citizens.” What did you focus on to ensure Kenneth Chamberlain’s humanity came through in the film?

Well, the honesty of who he was and what he was saying. We talked about his bipolarism and his PTSD from the time he was in the war. We talked about them, but we didn’t focus on them. We didn’t make the film about that.

I think David was very good about that. He did it very subtly in the film but enough to see that it’s there. He is very much an advocate for making sure that people with mental health issues are treated right by any establishment — law enforcement, health providers. He has had a lot of experience in that. He didn’t have to speak to me a lot about that. He lives it in every aspect of his life and the way that he carried himself on the set, with people and with me. He was always so careful to make sure that I was comfortable. We were a very small film with a very small budget. But that doesn’t mean anything if you have the right responsible people leading the show.

There was a particular scene in the film when he had the last phone call with his son, Kenneth Junior. It was agonizing and heartbreaking to watch — the fact that he cared more about what could happen to his son than himself.

Yes, that goes back to what I saw in this character that I felt in myself. I very much believe in family and family values, and the protection of your family. You see that he could be in the throes of guys banging at the door and going through shock, and then he would speak to one of his family members and be as calm as a cucumber. It’s because he wanted to let them know that he was okay. He didn’t want them coming over there rushing into something and get in harm’s way.

I found it very moving because I’ve met his son and I see what an amazing man he is. It always brings a tear to my eye as well because he’s saying to his son, his sisters, his niece, “I’m fine. Don’t come here, I’m fine.” But in his head, you can see there’s all kinds of things that are going through it. I think it has something to do with him being focused on the moment and making sure that everything is good for everybody else. I agree that it’s one of the most moving moments in the film.

One of the things that stood out in the film were all the preconceived notions towards the main character. In terms of conducting welfare checks, how do we combat those attitudes?

I think one way is having people see this film and use it as a learning tool. We all have preconceived notions about certain things. You go to a low-income apartment, and your expectations are that the people aren’t doing well, they’re not educated, or they’re using drugs. I think it’s important to know that behind those doors are some of the most brilliant minds you’ll ever find — some of the most sensitive people you’ll ever discover. The only way to break stereotypes is to open people’s eyes and allow them to see stories like this.

What do you want people to walk away knowing after seeing this film?

One thing I want them to walk away with is a better understanding of what a crisis situation can do to a person. This could be the people who are responding to the crisis, as well as the person who is in the crisis. This crisis Kenneth Chamberlain was in was not self-provoked. It was provoked by outside forces. So, I want them to walk away knowing that behind every murder, behind every interruption of someone’s life, there is a real person who has the same kind of feelings that anyone else might have.

I want people to be shaken a bit. Every time I see the film, I’m shaken myself. I’m seeing it as an observer, rather than someone who actually did it. It upsets me to a great degree. I can never watch it without crying.  

Kenneth Chamberlain was a man who lived a simple life, and was not just a victim or number. He was a loving, family man. He was a military man — a marine — and fought for his country. He was all those things. At the end of the day, he ended up being a victim of a terrible invasion by the people who were supposed to be protecting him.

The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain will release in theaters and on-demand on September 17^th from Gravitas Ventures.