Kwame Som-Pimpong

  • No. 239 – Monday Reads

    Black-Owned Businesses Could Face Hurdles in Federal Aid Program – “This roughly $68 billion will only begin to address the disparities within capitalism brought into relief by coronavirus…By prioritizing clients that already have existing lines of credit, black businesses and nonprofits find themselves yet again excluded from live-saving relief.” Earl G. Graves Sr., a Voice…

  • No. 238 – A New Poor People’s Campaign

    In typical fashion, Chamath Palihapitiya went on CNBC last week and shook things up by saying that corporations and hedge funds should be allowed to lose their shirts as this recession continues to set in: This is a lie that has been purported by Wall Street. When a company fails, it does not fire their…

  • No. 237 – Saturday Audio

    One of the points of discussion following the passage of the $2 trillion stimulus passage has been whether the government should take an equity stake in the corporations that take bailout money. David Calhoun, the CEO of Boeing, balked at the idea of the government taking a stake in the company. A couple years ago,…

  • No. 236 – Friday Reads

    How Rappers and Record Studios Are Coping With the Pandemic – “As devastating as this has been to recording studios, to think the coronavirus is the sole cause of Black artists leaving major recording studios is to ignore the past decade of Black music.” A Revolution of Values – “At Riverside, King assumed Malcolm’s previous…

  • No. 235 – Thursday Reads

    How Would You Decide to Restart the Economy? – “There are likely to be unknown unknowns and, with that, a high risk of collateral damage and unintended consequences — whatever decision you make.” A Reckoning for China’s Opaque Overseas Lending – “With a systemic debt crisis before us, the Chinese government’s willingness to report its data…

  • No. 234 – Wednesday Reads

    Calibrating – “All great investments begin in discomfort.” Issa Rae on the Return of “Insecure” and her Growing Empire – “That craving to tell the stories she’s not seeing anywhere is what’s getting her through this moment of uncertainty.” A Game Plan to Help the Most Vulnerable – “We share the need to look out…

  • No. 233 – Tuesday Reads

    Address To The Nation By President Akufo-Addo On Updates To Ghana’s Enhanced Response To The Coronavirus Pandemic – “The cynics question our capacity for the maintenance of discipline in this period, and in its aftermath; however, I am confident that we will prove them wrong.” Masayoshi Son Talks WeWork, Vision Fund And SoftBank Under Siege…

  • No. 232 – Monday Reads

    A Prime Minister Tries to Storm-Proof Her Island’s Finances – “We wanted to come up with something that was conducive to bolstering resilience to rising climatic risks,” Espinosa says. “Adverse-weather clauses provide vulnerable sovereign debtors with a degree of flexibility by creating built-in buffers that can help them absorb some of the financial impact.” Stakeholder…

  • No. 231 – On Resilience

    It’s not fear that grips him. Only a heightened sense of things. Narrator from 300 In the scene embedded above, a young Leonidas is out surviving in the wilderness as part of his training to be a Spartan soldier. The scene above tells the story of him crossing paths with a wolf looking for a…

  • No. 230 – Saturday Audio

    Here are the five tracks that stood out to me from this week’s new album releases: I really enjoyed this interview with Ibrahim Mahama. His art makes you pay attention and I appreciated his perspective on the development of African countries.

  • No. 229 – Friday Reads

    Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Report Banks Have Too Much Money Now – “But ideally what you want is for banks to have lots of capital in bad times, and then relax those requirements—let them lever up and buy stuff and take deposits and lend and trade Treasuries and generally support the financial system and the…

  • No. 228 – Thursday Reads

    Tackling COVID-19 in Africa – “If leaders across sectors translate their already proven resolve into more targeted, collaborative action in the coming weeks, we believe they can make significant progress in mitigating the economic impact of the pandemic—and safeguarding economies and livelihoods.” What If D.C.’s Black-Owned Restaurants Can’t Recover From the Effects of COVID-19? –…

  • No. 227 – Wednesday Reads

    So much for April Fool’s Day. Telemedicine is essential amid the covid-19 crisis and after it – “What about the features of a visit to a doctor that seemingly can’t be done at a distance, such as the physical exam? Today’s stethoscope is gradually being replaced—like everything else—by the smartphone.” FaintFlex Vol. 19 – Why…

  • No. 226 – Tuesday Reads

    How parking a wireless school bus can help all students get back to school – “South Carolina is planning to deploy 3,000 buses connected to the internet through a contract with Charter Communications so that students can receive home instruction.” Civil rights leaders oppose swift move off natural gas – “Whenever someone disagrees with what you say,…

  • No. 225 – Monday Reads

    A few folks have requested that I send what I’m reading and listening to. Here goes: Joseph Lowery, civil rights leader and MLK aide, dies at 98 – “I’ve never felt your ministry should be totally devoted to making a heavenly home. I thought it should also be devoted to making your home here heavenly”…