FILTHY LUCRE: “A decade of practice honed my talent. But cash let me express it. To pretend otherwise is to spit in the face of every broke genius who can’t afford materials or time. It’s to say I got here because I’m better than them.

I am good. But it’s never just about that.”

— Molly Crabapple
read the rest of her amazing essay, Filthy Lucre.

I’m just north of “Dark Night Of The Soul.”

pubhealth:

Why Finnish babies sleep in cardboard boxes

For 75 years, Finland’s expectant mothers have been given a box by the state. It’s like a starter kit of clothes, sheets and toys that can even be used as a bed. And some say it helped Finland achieve one of the world’s lowest infant mortality rates.

It’s a tradition that dates back to the 1930s and it’s designed to give all children in Finland, no matter what background they’re from, an equal start in life.

The maternity package - a gift from the government - is available to all expectant mothers.

It contains bodysuits, a sleeping bag, outdoor gear, bathing products for the baby, as well as nappies, bedding and a small mattress.

With the mattress in the bottom, the box becomes a baby’s first bed. Many children, from all social backgrounds, have their first naps within the safety of the box’s four cardboard walls.

Mothers have a choice between taking the box, or a cash grant, currently set at 140 euros, but 95% opt for the box as it’s worth much more.

The tradition dates back to 1938. To begin with, the scheme was only available to families on low incomes, but that changed in 1949.

(From BBC)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22751415

(Source: leavemymouth)

cartermagazine:

Today In History

‘Dr. Mae Carol Jemison became the first black woman astronaut on this date June 5, 1987.’

(photo: Dr.Mae Carol)

-CARTER Magazine

soulbrotherv2:

On this date [June 4] in 1972, Angela Davis was acquitted of all charges stemming from a failed escape and kidnap attempt in the Marin County, CA’s Hall of Justice two years earlier.

In the escape, kidnap attempt, and shooting, the trial judge and three others were killed. Though not at the crime scene, Davis was implicated when police claimed that the guns used had been registered in her name. Davis fled via underground and was consequently listed on the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted Criminals list, setting off one of the most intensive manhunts in recent American history.  [Continue reading at the African American Registry.]

For further research, see also:

The Morning Breaks: The Trial of Angela Davis by Bettina Aptheker.

Angela Davis: An Autobiography by Angela Y. Davis

misterand:

Patti LaBelle and Nina Simone

fyeahpocredcarpetfashion:

Focus on the two ladies:  Michelle Thrush, from the  Cree Nation in  Canada in the black dress;  and  Misty Upham from the Blackfeet Nation in the USA in a light dress. Misty says they are the first Native Americans to walk the Cannes red carpet. Also, the man right behind Misty is Puerto Rican actor Benicio del Toro.   They are doing so for their movie Jimmy P. Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian