New York-based science writer and famed bird enthusiast Christian Cooper was at the 92nd Street Y on July 12 to talk about his hosting of Nat Geo WILD’s new show, “Extraordinary Birder,” and writing his memoir, “Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World.”

During a talk hosted by actress Whoopi Goldberg, Cooper spoke about how bird-watching became a central part of his life at a young age and how he got caught up in the world of birding.

When Goldberg asked Cooper to explain the difference between a “spark” bird and a “life” bird,

Cooper said in birding lingo, a spark bird “is the bird that got you started—the bird that made you say, ‘Wait. What is this? What is this bird? And why am I noticing birds now and why can’t I stop?’” 

His own spark bird was a Red-winged Blackbird. “When I was a kid, at about 9 or 10 years old, I put a bird feeder up in the backyard and kept wondering what all these crows with red in their wings were. I thought for a couple of seconds that I had discovered a whole new species of crow,” he said. But his research led him to understand that he was actually seeing a Red-winged Blackbird. 

RELATED: Central Park birder Christian Cooper is turning his viral video fame into a memoir and TV show

A life bird is a bird that you’ve never seen before, Cooper said. These are the birds that dazzle bird enthusiasts and draw them in, because it makes them realize there will always be a new bird to watch out for. No birder has seen every bird in existence, so there’s always a new life bird to pursue. “Some of them become like Holy Grail birds: You really want to see it one day,” he mused. “And then, one day, here it is and it kind of blows your mind. And that’s one of the best feelings in birding.”

On his “Extraordinary Birder” program, Cooper was able to see one of the life birds he’d been searching for:  the small, brightly colored, Puerto Rican tody. When the series went birdwatching in Puerto Rico, Cooper got to see the tody and was blown away. “It is adorable: it’s kind of green above, white-ish below, some red on it,” he reminisced. “And this oversized head with the oversized orange beak––it’s just the cutest thing alive. The great thing is this bird wanted to try and lead us away from its nest, so it was putting itself in our face so that we would follow it instead of going toward its nest.”

Being able to travel across the nation with his new show has exposed Cooper to a larger variety of birds than had become routine when he mostly did birding activities along the U.S. East Coast. Some of the other locations his show takes viewers to are Alabama, Hawaii, Palm Springs, and Washington, D.C.

The sounds that birds make add to the attraction. “First of all, birds definitely have different dialects,” Cooper said. “I was down birding in Maryland a couple of years ago when I heard this bird sing and I was like, ‘What the heck is that?’ It was a cardinal. I know the cardinal sounds cold, but this cardinal was a southern cardinal. It literally had a southern dialect.”

Birds across the U.S. are as distinct as the people and the environments they live in. Birding and learning about birds is fascinating, and it’s a peaceful pastime that many Black bird enthusiasts and ornithological professionals participate in. Cooper lauded some of the less popularly known but important Black birders who are contributing to the field: Clemson University’s wildlife ecologist, J. Drew Lanham, who last year won a MacArthur Genius award on the basis of his writings about Black birders and Black nature enthusiasts; Scott V. Edwards, a Harvard University professor of organismal and evolutionary biology; and the self-styled “Hood Naturalist” Corina Newsome, who is one of the co-organizers of Black Birders Week.

“I may be, at the moment, the most visible,” Cooper said about being a recognized Black birder. “But you know, there are tons of us. There should be more. And that’s one of the things I hope that I am carrying forward. I’m hoping that with a Black man––a Black person––being the face of this major birding show, that a lot of Black and brown kids might look at it and say, ‘Maybe I can do that too.’”

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“You know, when I began this journey, nearly four decades ago in Houston, Texas, by following in my father’s footsteps in [the] CWA, I never dreamed that I would have the chance to be standing here as the first Black president of CWA,” Claude Cummings Jr. proclaimed on July 12 after he was elected to serve as president of the Communication Workers of America (CWA), the D.C.-based AFL-CIO–affiliated union that represents people who work in media, tech, telecommunications, public service, education, and related fields. 

Cummings was elected to take over the leadership position during the union’s 79th convention in St. Louis, MO, which took place July 10–12. Elected over Ed Mooney by a margin of 59% to 41%; Cummings is the first Black person elected to serve as CWA president in the union’s 85-year history.

Ameenah Salaam was elected to serve as the CWA’s secretary-treasurer, and is the first Black woman to serve in that position. Cummings called Salaam “a powerhouse who understands the type of effective leadership our union needs.”

In his address to the CWA after his convention win, Cummings gave a speech that emphasized the importance of unity and the necessity of bridging any differences so the union can do the progressive work it needs to do. 

One major issue CWA members want addressed is the way companies are confronting remote work issues. Although worker opportunities to have Work From Home (WFH) days became widespread during the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies are now demanding that workers return to their office buildings. Cummings, who is an at-large member of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, an African American trade unionist group, and the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists,  has pledged to fight for the maintenance of WFH for union members.

“I’ve already talked to AT&T management this morning and they’re getting a schedule together so we can meet with [AT&T CEO John Stankey] and the rest of the senior vice presidents…about the issues that are important to us. And we’re bringing the VPs into those meetings so we can lay out to them what we’re not going to do,” Cummings told the convention.

“Our values of community and solidarity are the foundation of our strength as a union.”

In his presidential acceptance speech, Cummings emphasized that “is why, at this very moment, we all have to commit to coming together as one union, one family, and together fight for what we collectively believe in. That I am Black may be historic in the eyes of others, but for CWA in District 6…this milestone is just a continuation of our legacy of open-door opportunity for all, regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or other differences that may separate us but do not divide us.”

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Message to parents who have sons with NFL potential currently playing high school football.

Immediately have them switch positions if they are running backs. Quarterback, wide receiver, safety and linebacker are much more viable options with far longer career spans.
NFL running backs have become greatly devalued over the past two decades while the aforementioned positions have retained their utility, and even increased in earning power and importance. There is no more glaring evidence than the New York Giants.

This past March, the Giants signed 26-year-old quarterback Daniel Jones, who by any objective measure has been slightly above average in his cumulative four seasons with the franchise since being drafted by them in 2019, to a four-year, $160 million deal that includes $82 million over the first two years.

Conversely, the Giants, led by co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch, and general manager Joe Schoen, placed the franchise tag on running back Saquon Barkley,, at a mandated amount of $10.1million? for the upcoming season after they failed to reach a long-term extension with the 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and two-time Pro Bowl selectionby Monday’s 4 p.m. deadline.

Now Barkley, who the Giants, under former general manager Dave Gettleman, drafted with the No. 2 pick in 2018, and the team cannot negotiate a new deal until after the conclusion of the 2023 regular season in January. Comparatively, Barkley has been inarguably and measurably better at his position than Jones has been at his.

Yet, the contract the Giants reportedly offered Barkley included $22 million in guaranteed money over the life of the deal, $60 million less than Jones will make in just the first two years of his contract. As inequitable as the two circumstances are, it’s what the economics and market of the NFL bear. Along with Barkley, the Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, who led the league in rushing last season with 1,653 yards, and the Dallas Cowboys No. 1 back Tony Pollard, were also unable to consummate long-term extensions with their respective teams.

The highest paid backs in annual salary are the San Francisco 49ers Christian McCaffrey ($16 million), the New Orleans Saints’Alvin Kamara ($15 million), the Tennessee Titans Derrick Henry ($12.5 million) and the Cleveland Browns’ Nick Chubb ($12.2 million).

Juxtapose those salaries with the Green Bay Packers’ cornerback Jaire Alexander making an average of $21 million per season, the Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith signing a five-year extension last season for $100 million with $45 million fully guaranteed, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill set to cash in on $30 million in the upcoming season, the San Diego Chargers safety Derwin James ready to make $19 million, and the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts poised to take in an astronomical $51 million in the 2023 campaign.

Barkley’s options are to sit out the upcoming season or play on the franchise tag.

“It is what it is” he tweeted soon after the deadline to reach a new deal had expired.

What it is for the many talented young football players coming soon after Barkley and his peers. Playing running back may be a passion and dream, but it is unfortunately an unequivocally a bad business decision.  

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The Mets and Yankees are one week into the second half of this season. The Mets will have 67 games remaining when they host the Chicago White Sox at Citi Field in Queens this afternoon and the Yankees will have 65 when they play the Kansas City Royals at home in the Bronx tomorrow, the start of a three-game series.

The Mets and Yankees will face each other next Tuesday and Wednesday at Yankee Stadium in their second Subway Series this season. They split two games in June at Citi Field. Thus far, it has been a trying season for both teams who were forecast by most close followers of baseball to be World Series contenders. 

But the Mets were 44-50, fourth place in the National League East, 17.5 games behind the division leading Atlanta Braves before playing the White Sox Wednesday. They were eight games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the third NL wild-card spot. The Yankees were 50-46 when they closed out a three-game road series last night against the Los Angeles Angels. They were last in the American League East trailing the first place Tampa Bay Rays by nine games and 2.5 out of the third AL wild-card position. 

The Yankees have been treading water since last season’s AL MVP, outfielder Aaron Judge, sprained ligaments in his right big toe running into the right field fence at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles on June 3. The team was 15-21 prior to yesterday’s game. Besides Judge’s absence, dubious personnel decisions have been a source of the Yankees mediocrity. Now they will look to add players that can help bolster their laboring everyday lineup and pitching staff, with Chicago Cubs’ outfielder Cody Bellinger prominent on their radar. 

They have been unable to find consistent pitching and hitting with the exception of the outstanding season put together by starter Gerrit Col and perhaps infielder Gleyber Torres, with the latter hitting safely in nine straight games going into yesterday’s contest. Cole is 9-2 with a 2.78 ERA and 134 strikeouts. On Tuesday, the Yankees had a season low two hits in a  5-1 loss to the Angels. It was their fifth loss in their previous six games. 

Meanwhile, the Mets are most likely going to be sellers at the Major League Baseball deadline of August 1. Closer David Robertson and outfielder Tommy Pham are sure to be on their way to new ball clubs, likely playoff and World Series contenders. The Mets have been under .500 since a 6-4 loss to the Braves dropped them to 30-31. Their hitting has been collectively ineffective and the pitching sub-standard, an unexpected development for a team that was 101-61 last season. 

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Season two of the Apple TV+ series “Swagger”is underway, following the stories of young hoop stars. Inspired by NBA star Kevin Durant’s AAU experiences, “Swagger”explores the world of youth basketball as well as the daily realities of life in America. The season two premiere screened at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival.“Swagger” was created, executive produced and directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood, whose company Undisputed Cinema has extensive film and television credits. Nearly three decades ago, Bythewood was in a play that featured basketball. “You had to make your shots in front of a live audience,” he recalled.“We revisited so much of that in ‘Swagger.’ We did this one hour of the show where the basketball game is all in one shot. We never cut. So, I referenced that particular experience because you have to finish the game.You have to get to the end. If you miss, you had to work your way back into the narrative,” Bythewood said.The character of Jace Carson, played by Isaiah R. Hill, is a central figure in “Swagger.” The predominantly white prep school in the series did not have much success until the school’s athletic director brought in the Swagger players. In one scene, Jace makes 10 consecutive free throws while having a conversation.  The scene was shot without cuts, so if Hill missed a shot, he’d have to start from the top and make 10 free throws. A choreographer helped set game action that aligned with the script. Most importantly, the actors had to look authentic.

“There’s nothing more unsatisfying in a sports film than when the actors don’t look legit,” said Bythewood. “It was very important that you really see our players making baskets. … Some of the most fun parts of the sequences are when we would do free play sometimes as well. There would be a couple of unchoreographed sequences that we were able to use.”

Of course, actors must also give convincing performances. Bythewood said quite a number of young men auditioned to play Jace, some with more acting experience and some with the hoop skills.

“I watched Isaiah’s basketball footage, and when he dunked it had this flair and excitement,” Bythewood said. “In addition, I saw some talent, so we got him an acting coach.While some of my actors underwent three months of basketball training, Isaiah underwent three months of acting training. He was really able to deliver.”

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* This article was originally published here