Michelin enters the Singapore street food scene, causing both fame and disruption

Chan in the kitchen
Source: Michelin Guide Singapore via YouTube
52 year old chef Chan Hon Meng has been a street hawker all his life. Before his Singapore food stand opens each day, customers are already queued up to buy his delicious dishes, which costs $2 Singapore – or USD$1.87 – the lowest price Michelin-starred meals anywhere in the world.

When Michelin invited Chan to receive recognition for the excellent quality of his food, the Malaysian-born chef didn’t quite believe that the invitation was real. But a few weeks later in July 2016, he beamed from ear to ear as the company spokesman welcomed him on stage and awarded Chan’s Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle restaurant a single, coveted star. read more

Platform: A Vision for Black Lives / Una Visión para las Vidas Negras

Vision for Black Lives
policy.m4bl.org
The policy platform A Vision for Black Lives, is breathtaking in its vision and scope. Demos Action and Mijente contributed a Spanish translation of the platform.

Visite la plataforma en español Una Visión para las Vidas Negras.

You can follow along and participate in the conversation today and tomorrow (August 1st and 2nd) at #Vision4BlackLives.

Usted puede seguir y participar en la conversación hoy y mañana (01 y 02 Agosto) en Twitter utilizando el hashtag #Vision4BlackLives.

Down about the conventions? This is what a real platform for transformation looks like. #Vision4BlackLives https://t.co/a3GyMfhQ57 read more

NY Times reports: Cory Booker is just an image. And other reasons to dislike the guy.

Booker marketing hot pockets

Booker marketing hot pockets
Source: twitchy.com
Some of the reasons to dislike Cory Booker:

Booker was handsomely paid to go into Newark and blow it up from the inside so property values would fall and residents would be eager to sell to developers and gentrifiers for a fraction of what their properties were worth. That’s what gentrification is all about.

While Mayor Booker went around collecting over a million dollars for speeches, he managed to also push a Newark firefighter to the ground in front of a burning building … to fire a huge number of police officers and to cripple the city’s Department of Public Works so snow removal could not be performed. Interestingly enough, he concurrently waged a misleading PR campaign based around his promises to personally shovel out residents who were snowed in. The number of Newark residents Cory helped were just a handful of those needing professional snow removal. read more

In Irvington & Jersey City police, fire & community join the Running Man Challenge!

Irvington Fire Fighters dancing
Source: Irvington Running Man Challenge video
Irvington’s video kicks off with a stunning vocal performance by Mayor Vaughn’s secretary and features crowd scenes of city employees rocking the beat and even breakdancing and performing acrobatic stunts.

In Jersey City’s video a police official orders officers to, “Get in there and dance. Have fun!” Even the K-9 unit obeys, dancing at the Hudson River’s edge with New York City for a backdrop. Scenes filmed around the city show its breadth of ethnic and arts diversity. read more

March for a Clean Energy Revolution | Marcha por la Energía Renovable

Join the March for a Clean Energy Revolution on Sunday, 24 July 2016 in Philly.
Únese a la Marcha por la transición inmediata a la energía renovable el domingo 24 julio 2016.

Find a bus or carpool to the march.
Buscar transporte por bus ó ride compartido a la marcha.

Scholarship tickets available. If you need one contact Matt Smith 201-321-1967.
Los pasajes se pueden obsequiar para los que necesitan una mano para poder asistir la marcha. Contáctame por email ó al teléf 862-203-8814 por mayor información. read more

Good reasons to release non-violent offenders after basic sentence fulfillment

Crowded Prisons, Wasted Money 75% recidivism
Source: centerforprisonreform.org
This testimony was given by a member of the Integrated Justice Alliance (IJA) to the Senate Judiciary Committee on 14 July 2016.

Chairman and Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee,

Good afternoon. My name is Anna “Cuqui” Rivera and I am here today representing the Integrated Justice Alliance (IJA). Founded in 2008, a statewide network working toward a fair, effective criminal justice system: one that promotes public safety, the restoration of individuals and families, protects and safeguards the rights of individuals in custody, promotes transparency, ensures accountability and spends taxpayer dollars wisely. read more

Bernie did endorse Hillary but he did not concede. Meaning: his delegates will count at the DNC

The Bernie movement
Source: YouTube
Bernie Sanders and the movement he has ignited all over the United States has been on tenterhooks since Bernie endorsed Hillary for President. But there’s more going on here than meets the eye. Robert Nestah explains what meaning it has for the Vermont Senator’s campaign, his supporters and his pledged Democratic National Convention delegates that Bernie also did not concede the Democratic presidential primary race to Ms. Hillary.

In Question and Answer form, Nestah lays out what every Bernie supporter ought to know about the logistics behind Sen. Sanders’ move: read more

Law school professor writes razor-sharp reply to students’ complaint about her wearing #BlackLivesMatter t-shirt

Prof Leary & Black Lives MatterThere isn’t much to add to this law school professor’s reply to students who (anonymously) complained about her wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt on campus. Inside Higher Ed reports that Professor Patricia Leary answered courteously, comprehensively – and basically, just tore the students’ snarky little racist diatribe into tiny little shreds. Their letter is available at the Inside Higher Ed link. I have not heard a better explanation of why #BlackLivesMatter deserves its day in the sun, anywhere. Nope. Judge for yourself: read more

Physicians for Social Responsibility & others to hold fart-in protest at DNC

Fart-in-Class
Source: WikiHow
The Philly Branch of Physicians for Social Responsibility is promoting a fart-in protest at the Democratic National Convention. USA News tells us what a fart-in is:

Advocates for poor people and progressive causes say they still plan to make a stink – literally – during Hillary Clinton’s big night accepting the Democratic presidential nomination this month.

The plan: feed beans to Democratic National Convention delegates for Bernie Sanders, and send them into the Philadelphia convention hall to show what they think of the former secretary of state… read more

NJ judge strikes deep blow to low-income tenants seeking affordable housing

Affordable-Housing-GraphicColleen O’Dea of NJ Spotlight does a great job laying out both the present significance and background story behind a State Appeals Court’s Monday July 12 ruling that relieves municipalities of the need to provide affordable housing for at least 50,000 New Jersey tenants who are seeking affordable housing today.

The logic that underpins the ruling is so convoluted as to appear arbitrary. The Appeals Court judge’s curious logic works this way: less tenants qualify for affordable housing assistance today than actually exist in the state of New Jersey because their need for affordable housing developed during a period that affordable housing was not legally mandated in the state (during the years 2000-2015). read more

Filmmakers explore challenges gay life presents for Chinese families in China and abroad

Saving Face film
Source: Saving Face film cover
Homosexuality is a complicated topic in Chinese society, both in China and abroad.

Sophia Lavara directs Inside the Chinese Closet, a new documentary filmed in China about how families in this country hide a son or daughter’s homosexuality by pressuring them into fake marriages. Huck Magazine reports:

Both Cherry and Andy, the protagonists in the feature, have come out to their parents; frank and uncomfortable discussions between families are depicted on screen. “These marriages are still for the parents,” explains Sophia, “it’s funny to say that, as parents know their children are gay, but as long as they go on to have a “normal” life, getting married and bearing a child, the parents are seemingly happy.” Sophia suggests parents are less concerned by their children’s sex life, or with the gender of those people with whom they go on to have an affair. read more

Hundreds of Asian Americans create Google Doc letter in 1 day to tell their families about the relevance of #BlackLivesMatter

An Open Letter
Source: Letters for Black Lives
Brian Fung of the Washington Post reports on a completely new phenomenon that came to life this week when Christina Xu started a letter online to explain to Asian elders why the #BlackLivesMatter movement has relevance and importance for the Asian community, called for community input and acquired hundreds of collaborators in the space of just a few hours.

In fact, let’s draft letters in our native languages to our parents and our communities. Get it passed around WhatsApp, WeChat, LINE, etc. read more