Jay-Z Called Out Cancel Culture

“You can’t give someone a microphone for 24 hours a day and [have them] not think they have to use it,” Jay-Z told The Sunday Times.

Legendary rapper Jay-Z did a rare interview with the England’s Sunday Times style section in which he talked about how his family navigated the coronavirus pandemic, among other subjects.

The 51-year-old rap icon was asked if he thought cancel culture would end anytime soon.

“These kids, it’s unbelievable,” he said. “Imagine having a microphone, and you’re asked about social justice questions at 18 years old? It’s like, ‘What? I’m meant to know the answer, and if I don’t answer the correct way, if I don’t say everything right, even if my intentions are right, and I don’t say the same right thing, it’s going to be everywhere.’”

The rapper’s reference to social media is aligned with how he uses the platforms: He has a Twitter account he rarely uses and has only occasionally popped up on Instagram.

Kirk and Anne Douglas—Hollywood's Greatest Romance

Anne Douglas, the wife of the late Kirk Douglas, has died at the age of 102, a year after her husband passed away last February at 103.

Married for 66 years, the couple's love story was highly celebrated and immortalized in their enduring love letters.

"Anne was more than a stepmother, and never 'wicked,'" actor and stepson Michael Douglas said in a statement following Anne Douglas' death on Thursday. "She brought out the best in all of us, especially our father. Dad would never have had the career he did without Anne's support and partnership. Catherine and I and the children adored her; she will always be in our hearts." (per Variety)

Anne Buydens and Kirk met in 1953 when he offered her a job as his publicist while in Paris to film Act of Love.

Their early days of courtship are said to have taken persistence on the part of the Spartacus actor but they ended up tying the knot in Las Vegas in May 1954.

In 2017, the couple wrote a joint autobiography on how their love conquered many obstacles titled Kirk and Anne: Letters of Love, Laughter, and a Lifetime in Hollywood.

The book contains several candid letters the couple sent each other during their courtship and marriage.

"Darling," Kirk wrote when they were dating, after a fight. "I have a feeling you're not coming back tonight. I hope I'm wrong! It's been a bad day for me and probably a worse one for you ... but I hope that you are here to read this and that I find you when I get back. Suddenly it seems stupid that I am going to dinner without you—Because believe it or not I love you!"

In another letter, following a period of separation, Anne wrote: "My Darling, Every moment we spent together is still so very much alive. I am awfully lonely without you. Sweetheart, write to me, call me, come over. I want to be close to you. I want to be loved and loved—and loved again! Please, I need it. A."

Before they were engaged and Anne moved to America, Kirk wrote: "Darling. Now more than ever do I need the love you might hold in your heart for me. To say I miss you seems so inadequate. I have been dating very little . . . Come to me, Darling. My heart is empty and I need you near. K."

After their wedding in Las Vegas, Anne wrote: "Darling Isidor! [His real name] Mon cheri, are we really married? I can't realize it. How did I do this?

"Do you think God felt that I really deserved you and that He wanted to give me the greatest gift you can give a woman—the man she loves with all her heart?

"Because, my Darling, I really, sincerely have the most wonderful feelings for you and I want so much to make you happy! I have so many more words to tell you this again and again that I hope it will take our lifetime before you get tired of it! Stolz."

Douglas is survived by children Peter, Michael and Joel and daughters-in-law Catherine and Lisa, as well as grandchildren Cameron, Dylan, Carys, Kelsey, Tyler, Jason and Ryan and great-grandchildren Lua Izzy and Ryder and a sister, Merle Werbke.

The Re-Emergence of Fredrick D. Scott

Fredrick D. Scott Interviewed by Tiffany Gaines

Before interviewing Fredrick, as any good writer does, I did some research on him and some of what I found wasn’t very flattering, to say the least. I learned that he had pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and had gone to prison for 5 years. Reading articles that other media outlets had written during the time of his arrest and sentencing gave me the perception of a slick-talking con man who had stolen money from our community something that upset me, and, rightfully so! As I continued to research, I started noticing things that didn’t quite fit. To begin, I went to his website and social media pages and one of the things that stood out immediately is the fact that he wasn’t trying to hide his conviction but instead was candidly and openly speaking about it, he’d even written a blog about what happened to him on his website: (https://bit.ly/3fjTlPt).

I read the blog, visited all of the references Fredrick cited in the footnotes, and began to realize that there was far more to his conviction than what appears on the surface. Being the skeptical person I am, however, I took the time to look at the case records of his criminal conviction. That is when things became clear, I found that Fredrick was actually telling the truth, he had never been indicted, he did plead guilty on a prosecutor’s information and there is no record of anyone else ever being charged in his case. Based on my reading of the definition of a Conspiracy under federal law, I cannot understand how the government got away with this!

As I continued to look at Fredrick’s social media pages, I began to realize that he is a very very knowledgeable black man in the areas of finance and business development. I was impressed with the amount of content and resources that he provides to the community free of charge. More, I was impressed with who and what Fredrick is. Fredrick is currently a business consultant, private equity investor, social activist, and philanthropist who has authored 6 books in the areas of financial literacy and business development. He is the CEO of The Scott Family Office Intl., a Single Family Office, and the Chairman of the Board for his family foundation, The Scott Family Foundation Intl. which is a Civil Society Organization and member of the United Nations Global Compact. Fredrick is also a Committee Member for the National Action Networks Second Chance Committee in New York and on the Board of Directors for Our Women In Politics.

His client testimonials and reviews speak to someone who is good at what he does, puts his clients first, and produces real results. I was surprised to learn, when I spoke to Fredrick, that most of his clients, he’s helped free of charge! When I asked him why he simply said “I believed in them, wanted to see them succeed, and I knew they didn’t have the capital to pay a consultant. I have learned the hard way to be a giver where it makes sense because when you give to the right people you gain so much more in return long term.”

Speaking to Fredrick, I could feel the passion and love he has for what he does immediately. I found him to be well-spoken, candid, and funny. When we spoke of his past trials, he was honest and admitted that he was arrogant, selfish, and didn’t manage relationships in the way he should have. He was quick to add that while he didn’t do what he was accused of, he certainly wasn’t an angel. He was on the institutional side of Wall St. and things are never “cut and dry” at that level, but, he didn’t do anything different in his investment banking and advisory firm than what is done every day on “the street” the only difference was the color of his skin and the unconventional path he took to get as far as he has.

When asked about his future plans he spoke of continuing to manage and grow his family's assets, continuing to make an impact through his family's foundation and his own efforts in underprivileged communities of color globally, and continuing to be an outspoken advocate for Social and Criminal Justice Reform in America. In the end, I am glad that I decided to do this interview, that I didn’t judge a book by its cover, and that I took the time to do the research and get to know Fredrick for myself. I look forward to the impact that I believe he will make in our community and his continued growth as he continues to re-establish himself as the knowledgeable, authoritative figure he once was. Furthermore, we recently had a discussion regarding bringing him into my music and entertainment space to potentially deliver his expertise for a couple of companies I currently advise for. He agreed and for now, the future looks promising.

To learn more about Fredrick D. Scott, FMVA, or gain access to the amazing content he shares visit his website at https://fredrickdscott.com or look for him on Instagram @fredrickdscott and YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/FredrickDScottllc.

Meet Elite Speed and Strength Coach, Carrington Beckford

Four years ago, Carrington Beckford decided to take his passion for sports and turn it into a full-time career. Although he was born in Jamaica, Carrington has spent most of his life in Stamford, Connecticut so it only made sense to create his brand where his athletic career started. Overdrive Elite Performance Systems was built in Stamford, Connecticut but is soon moving to New Canaan, Connecticut for expansion purposes. Carrington is known throughout Fairfield County as one of the most highly sought-after strength and speed coaches.

The programs of Overdrive are scientific and are specially formulated to help athletes perform beyond their maximum potential. Not only does Overdrive improve athletes’ speed, agility, and strength, but it also gives them a sense of confidence and leadership. The programs provide age and skill level appropriate weight, speed, agility, power, endurance, coordination development, technical and tactical training.

Beckford has experience and a background in several sports. Transitioning from college athlete to coach was not so easy for Beckford. Beckford grew up playing football and running track for Stamford Highschool. He received athletic scholarships to play at Northern Michigan University and East Stroudsburg University. However, Beckford ended his athletic career with a torn achilles. He recalls, “I tore my achilles my senior year and was incredibly devastated. I knew it was not the end, but it was part of the journey”. Taking his injury as a blessing, Beckford decided to start coaching and giving back to his community. “Football put me in a position to know that I wouldn’t be where I am today without the ability to inspire, to impact, to teach the love the passion, the preparation that the student athletes that I train '' says Beckford.

Today Beckford has trained over 1000 athletes from all levels of sports, such as high school, collegiate, and professional athletes. His goals are to not only impact the youth in a positive way, but instill morals, life lessons, and experiences. “More than a job, this is not a job to me, it’s my calling to make an impact to better themselves, to push themselves, to make the right choices and to focus, to believe in themselves” says Beckford. He has always believed in having a family to support you in both athletics, academics and life. “I’ve always respected and appreciated my trainers, coaches and mentors growing up. They became family to me. They made a big difference in my life and I wanted to do the same for all athletes aiming to achieve their athletic and academic goals” says Beckford.

Beckford focuses on coaching all sports. One of his specialties coaching lacrosse. “They’re multiple areas that I focus on with the athletes that I train in lacrosse,” says Beckford. Beckford works on playing both sides of the ball, teaching different techniques for offensive and defense. “On the offensive side I focus on their acceleration, first step, being able to be efficient using their footwork, body position, power, force and changing speed to create separation from the defenders” says Beckford. On the defensive side Beckford spends more time teaching because, “I realized most of these athletes don’t understand how to use the proper technique and placement to be in the proper position to take away the lane and angles” says Beckford. Beckford breaks it down to the athletes to make sure the main points are covered such as spacing, sliding, being able to use the proper foot placement, moving linear, lateral, back peddling and taking away the strong side of the offensive player. “Lacrosse is a growing sport here in the states. It’s really popular on the east coast which I notice it’s starting to grow countrywide and I’m happy to be a part of that” says Beckford.

Beckford works with high school, collegiate, and professional athletes in all sports, but with lacrosse there are a couple standout players that are a continuous powerhouse that Beckford trains. “Yes, I train Caylee Waters, who is a professional player and one of the goalies for team USA,” says Beckford. In the class of 2021, he’s trained and worked with around 20+ lax athletes going to play Division 1 lacrosse.

Nike and Under Armour added the Football Combine method, which showcase such great talent in the sport. The 40-yard dash that showcases the players first step, acceleration, max velocity, and top end speed. Preparing future generations for a more competitive sport, Beckford notices the testing aspect of camps. “5-10-5 known as the pro agility shows the athlete lateral speed and quickness from acceleration to deceleration back to acceleration and hip mobility and Vertical Jump which measures how explosive the athletes are” says Beckford. Knowing that this is what coaches are looking for at the next level, Beckford has done a great job at preparing them for a growing and competitive career. Carrington sees his business expanding. “I see my business in five years as a franchise as well as a well-known sports facility on the east coast not just Fairfield county” says Beckford. Expanding and growing the brand, sport, and business to help more athletes.

Website: http://overdriveelite.com

The Coronavirus Pandemic is Straining Food Supply Chain

Now, in the second month of the COVID-19 shutdown in Connecticut, the disconnect between what officials say about the food supply and what the economically challenged are experiencing is obvious: hundreds of people in cars lined up for bags of free groceries, half empty grocery store shelves, and food banks and pantries just flat out of food.

Officials up and down government insist the U.S. has plenty of food, including Gov. Ned Lamont, who last week called it “anxiety” about a shortage rather than an actual shortage.

“Our food supply in this state, in this country, in our food banks, is strong,” Lamont said.

Those on the ground say otherwise, and some are calling for a re-evaluation and better coordination of food systems, possibly from the state level.

For now, it’s evident the coronavirus pandemic has created massive problems and unprecedented challenges related to state and federal food policies or systems along two paths. One challenge is in maintaining the food supply itself. The other is in administering the various financial assistance streams needed to keep Connecticut and other Americans fed.

Parts of the supply chain have been threatened by COVID-19. And consumers may not be feeling the impacts of the most pronounced disruption yet - the ripple effect from the closure of several meat processing plants that closed after COVID-19 outbreaks among their workers.

Wednesday, Tyson suspended operations at its largest pork processing plant in Waterloo, Iowa. That follows Smithfield Foods shutting pork processing plants in Wisconsin and Missouri after the closure of its Sioux Falls, SD plant — one of the largest single-source COVID hotspots in the country.

There are reports of more than a dozen pork, beef and chicken plants now closed in several states including Colorado and Pennsylvania. That will likely exacerbate the potential for shortages and high prices beyond what was already occurring as shoppers cleared out grocery stores and food-strapped food banks found themselves competing with the general public in retail establishments.

Long haul trucking to get produce from the two biggest growing areas - California and Florida - has had a tough time meeting the faster purchasing pace, especially with the additional time now needed for cleaning trucks and supplies and ensuring the health of drivers traveling through COVID-19-stricken states.

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