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Order for Racism. Racism Anyone?

When I think of Starbucks, I think of fair trade and “ethnically sourced” secured coffee beans, wonderfully laid out desserts and treats that my waist line dislikes, and cool stripped down funky folky alternative music playing in the background while I drink a hot delicacy I can barely pronounce. I think of people conversing, while others around them are seeping the juices of the Internet to fuel their apple laptop latest reality game apps. I think of people completing school or professional work away from their homes and offices. Starbucks has the ability in a sense to serve as an escape. But as a person of color, especially a historically marginalized people, there is no quarter given. Two Black men in Philadelphia discussing possible business ventures in a Starbuck were reminded that within the 21st century two separate worlds for Blacks and everyone else continues to exist within our world. The denial of bathroom rights to potential paying customers, an automatic response to call the police, and consequential police engagement and arrest without legitimate legal cause are representations of 21st racism. A similar incident has recently surfaced on video caught in a Los Angles area store where onlookers observed white non-paying patrons getting access to the bathroom while Blacks were denied. These discussed incidences are the simple echoes of a system of oppression that has existed for Blacks since the first Dutch flagged slave ship arrived in Jamestown in 1619. Source:

Digital Transformation: Painting the picture of the Future

There has been an enormous amount of talk and attention dedicated to Digital transformation as of late. But what does DX really mean for your company, industry and Canada? Simply explained, and according to i-Scoop - Digital transformation is the profound transformation of business and organizational activities, processes, competencies and models to fully leverage the changes and opportunities of a mix of digital technologies and their accelerating impact across society in a strategic and prioritized way, with present and future shifts in mind. To learn more, join Nigel Wallis - IDC’s VP of IoT & Industry Research - at Directions Canada 2018, where Wallis will share insightful research on the implications of Digital Transformation for Canada’s key sectors and workforce. Explore the opportunities and pitfalls of acting on the 3rd Platform technologies. Spaces remaining are limited. Click the image below to register for this year’s IDC Canada Directions conference or simply click on Nigel's icon to arrange an opportunity to chat directly with him. Source:

Time with family or time to make some distance?

It’s news that didn’t come as much of a surprise to a lot of political insiders – but it still has all of Washington talking. Paul Ryan, the popular Speaker of the House and a leading Republican is retiring. Though he has been on the Hill for more than two decades, Ryan, who is only 48 is calling it a career. Or is he? Some wonder if he’s just putting enough political distance between himself and Donald Trump in an effort to preserve his reputation and potentially mount a campaign for 2020. With speculation of a contested GOP primary or Trump not seeking re-election – Ryan may be the safe-bet Republicans are looking for? There is a lot of speculation about Ryan’s next move. Will he take a tour of the private sector and opt for a career with a lot more money? What’s next is anyone’s guess – and that’s where our experts can help. Mark Caleb Smith is the Director of the Center for Political Studies at Cedarville University. Mark is available to speak with media regarding Paul Ryan and his announced retirement. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview. Source:

How serious is the sabre-rattling over Syria?

Last Saturday, though not ‘officially confirmed,’ a poisonous gas attack happened in the besieged Syrian town of Douma. The World Health Organization has confirmed that 500 people showed symptoms of being exposed to "toxic chemicals". This act of aggression supposedly by the Assad government has opened a Pandora’s Box. President Donald Trump is threatening missile strikes. Russian officials are threatening retaliation for any American aggression. Many world leaders are on edge and watching closely – Syria has become a powder keg and what happens next could have global implications. What are President Trump’s options? What could happen if the Russians counter? Is there a diplomatic option? There is an enormous amount at stake and a lot of scenarios to consider. That’s where experts from Missouri State University can help. Dr. David Romano, political science professor at Missouri State University, researches Middle Eastern politics and government. He's an expert in theories of peace and conflict, and foreign policy. He's available to speak about the escalating tensions, potential outcomes and consequences regarding any action in Syria. Click on his icon to arrange an interview. Source:

Gun Violence Hits Close to Home

On March 9, 2018, three mental health professionals lost their lives from gun violence by a former resident under treatment at Pathway Home. One of the victims, Executive Director of the Pathway Home program at the Veterans Home of California, Christine Loeber, was a master’s prepared Social Worker. Veterans Home of California and the Pathway Home program, has been a partner with the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work VAC since 2012 and have hosted over 16 of our MSW students in field practicum. NASW-CA paid tribute to the incredible work Christine Loeber provided to the Social Work profession and her commitment to our Veteran and Military members. In continued support of our partnership with Veterans Home of California, we reached out in support and condolences of the tragic loss experienced that day. Source:

Who's the best gift-giver? Baylor marketing expert shares her research findings

Meredith David, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing, studies marketing strategies with an emphasis on consumer behavior and well-being. Her newest study on gift-giving centers on "social projection" -- making choices on behalf of others based on your own preferences. The research reveals that people who are “secure” in interpersonal settings are the ones most likely to engage in social projection (making choices on behalf of others based on their own preferences). Conversely, those who are “anxious” in such settings are less likely to assume that others share their own preferences and less likely to make choices for others based on their personal attitudes. “You’d think that secure people with lots of friends and healthy personal relationships would have a better idea of what someone would like as a gift, but that’s not the case,” David said. “This research shows that individuals who are anxious in interpersonal situations and who have fewer close, personal relationships are better at predicting what a person may like.” Dr. David’s research focuses on marketing strategies with an emphasis on consumer behavior and well-being. Recently, her research has explored how new media technologies, including smartphones, impact personal and workplace relationships. Dr. David has also published research related to customized pricing tactics, interpersonal attachment styles, and the pursuit of health goals. Her research appears in numerous journals including the Journal of Business Research, Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, Journal of Advertising, European Journal of Marketing, and Psychology & Marketing, among others. Dr. David has been interviewed and quoted for her research in many national and international news outlets, including ABC News, Fox News, Oprah.com, Redbook Magazine, Consumer Reports and Health Magazine. Source:

Baylor Biology Professor Travels To Antarctica To Study Leopard Seals As Part Of NSF-Funded Research

As part of an $800,000 National Science Foundation-funded project, Stephen J. Trumble, Ph.D., associate professor of biology at Baylor, and other experienced Antarctica researchers from the University of California, Santa Cruz and Colorado State University will work to gain an understanding of the foraging ecology and physiology of the leopard seal, an Antarctic apex, or top, predator. “This three-year project will collect data on foraging and dive behavior, diet, habitat use and fuel use in leopard seals,” Trumble said. “Ultimately, the goal is to relate foraging behavior with physiological performance and determine physiological limits. The estimated physiological limits combined with habitat modeling will help us understand how leopard seals may respond and cope with a changing Antarctic environment.” Trumble and his fellow researchers will conduct their research at the remote Cape Shirreff Field Station on Livingston Island, relying on 55-years of combined experience and lights to navigate the terrain in the dark while searching for leopard seals. A vertebrate physiologist and expert in marine mammals, Trumble has made his fair share of national research headlines since he began working at Baylor in 2008. Along with his graduate students in his Laboratory of Ecological and Adaptational Physiology (LEAP), Dr. Trumble investigates and publishes on basic and applied research involving skeletal muscle physiology, organismal energetics, lipid biochemistry, digestive physiology and health indices in models ranging from rats to seals to whales. Source:

Baylor Black Gospel Music Expert Pens Dallas Morning News Column Remembering MLK

Robert Darden, professor of journalism, PR and new media at Baylor University, is a gospel music expert. He penned this column to commemorate the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. and to remember the music that carried people through the grief of the time. He writes: "In the days of rage and grief that followed the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis on April 4, 1968, many Americans found, at least for a time, relief in music. Rosa Parks, whose brave stand on a Montgomery, Ala., bus just 13 years earlier was the inciting incident in the slow build of the civil rights movement after World War II, watched as Detroit erupted in violence. She sat in her room playing Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" over and over. She said the song 'saved her sanity.'" Darden is the author of two dozen books, most recently: Nothing But Love in God’s Water, Volume II: Black Sacred Music from Sit-In to Resurrection City (Penn State University Press, 2016); Nothing But Love in God’s Water, Volume I: Black Sacred Music from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement (Penn State University Press, 2014); Jesus Laughed: The Redemptive Power of Humor (Abingdon Press, 2008); Reluctant Prophets and Clueless Disciples: Understanding the Bible by Telling Its Stories (Abingdon Press, 2006); and People Get Ready! A New History of Black Gospel Music (Continuum/Bloomsbury, 2004). He founded the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project, the world’s largest initiative to identify, acquire, digitize, categorize and make accessible gospel music from gospel’s Golden Age (1945-1970). The BGMRP provides the gospel music for the Smithsonian’s new National Museum of African American History & Culture. Source:

‘Internet’ Presidents and the evolving art of communicating

There’s no question the first four presidents of the internet age are different, but Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump share one thing in common: They have emphasized their personal character to win office and to fight back against critics. In his new book Presidential Communication and Character: White House News Management from Clinton and Cable to Twitter and Trump, University of Mary Washington Political Science Professor Stephen J. Farnsworth examines how presidents sell themselves and their policies in an ever-expanding and sometimes precarious media environment. “Character conversations are ideal for a modern media system that gives rise to short-attention-span politics,” said Farnsworth, a sought-after political commentator who has spent decades researching presidential communications and the media. “They also serve the politicians’ interests, as constantly distracted news consumers may not remember when politicians said one thing yesterday and a different thing today, much less punish them for inconsistency. With the various modern media cocoons that exist today, a person may never hear a president called to account for a comment that turned out to be false.” Dr. Farnsworth is professor of political science and international affairs at the University of Mary Washington. A published author and a media ‘go-to’ on presidential politics, he is available to speak with media regarding this issue. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview. Source:

Trade wars – is America’s economy collateral damage?

There’s been a lot of tough talk on trade coming from Washington as of late. With debates and even some delusions about trade surpluses and deficits,it’s feed for the political fodder, but are the politics behind the talk negatively impacting America’s economy? President Trump says he is standing up for American jobs, but by threatening to tear up NAFTA and imposing billions in tariffs on China, is starting a street fight with America’s traditional trading partners worth it? The common folk might think so. However, those who control the markets on Wall Street think not. The DOW is down. A lot. The NASDAQ is also falling. That means a lot of money is being lost and the ripples might be felt by middle America in the form of lost jobs. So, what exactly happens in a trade war? Is America truly getting the raw deal President Trump is claiming when it comes to doing business with China, Canada, Mexico and others? What will come of all the tough talk on trade? How will it impact the economy? There are many questions and issues to consider. That’s where the experts from Missouri State University can help. Dr. David Mitchell is a professor of economics and director of the Bureau of Economic Research at Missouri State. He is also an expert in economic forecasting and understanding market trends and direction. He can address what these trade wars will do for America's economy and what, if any, effects they will have on the American people. Click on his icon to connect with him. Source: