Sybil Wilkes ‘What You Need To Know:’Hacking Investigation Goes Deeper, The Black Social Media App

Source: REACH Media / Reach Media

Sybil Birthday Shoutouts

Tamika “Tiny” Harris, 48 (Xscape, T.I. wife)

Connor McGregor, 35 (MMA fighter)

Laurieann Gibson, 54 (Choreographer)

Alexis Skyy, 29 (LHH Hollywood)

Vincent Pastore, 77 (Big P on the Sopranos)

Loni Love, 52

Jane Lynch, 63 (Glee, Marvelous Ms Maisel)

1. Chinese Hacking Investigation Goes Deeper

Chinese Hacking Investigation Goes Deeper

What You Need to Know:

The investigation into the cyber breach of Microsoft that resulted in the hacking of U.S. government emails is picking up steam. It is now being reported that hackers accessed the email account of U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. Reports indicate the breach was discovered in May, with reports of the breach in June. The White House and Microsoft acknowledged that the attack was part of a larger breach. But how widespread that breach was, is still unknown. The attackers, believed to be Chinese, also targeted emails at the House of Representatives. It’s also unclear if all of the targeted emails, or attempts at other offices or departments, were successful.  

2.  Spill: The Black Social Media App For All the "Tea"

 Spill: The Black Social Media App For All the “Tea”

WRITTEN & CONTRIBUTED BY KHAMERON RILEY

What You Need to Know:

Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter and quick monetization of the platform through paid verification, subscription services, and daily limits on the total number of tweets you can send if you aren’t subscribed, has created a digital Great Black Migration from Twitter to a new app called Spill.

The goal of the new app, which launched in mid-June, is to become “the de facto platform to discover and discuss culture worldwide,” according to the app’s Apple Store description. Users can post their thoughts along with gifs and photos on the app.

3. Tips to Avoid Eyestrain

Tips to Avoid Eyestrain

What You Need to Know:

If you work on a computer (as many of us do), you’ve probably noticed that too much screen time can lead to something called computer vision syndrome (CVS)—that tired, strained feeling your eyes get. According to studies, CVS affects about 64 percent to 90 percent of office workers.

The good news: CVS probably doesn’t cause permanent eye damage. But the syndrome can still bug the heck out of you. The most common symptoms of CVS include burning, blurry (or double) vision, dryness, eyestrain, headaches, irritation, redness, and neck and shoulder pain.

4. Kansas Trans Residents Rush to Have Their Driver’s Licenses Changed WRITTEN & CONTRIBUTED BY KWYN TOWNSEND-RILEY What You Need to Know: A state-court judge ordered Monday as part of a lawsuit filed by the state’s Republican attorney general that Kansas must stop allowing transgender people to change the sex listed on their driver’s licenses. District Judge Teresa Watson’s order will remain in effect for up to two weeks, although it can be extended. This is significant because transgender people have been able to change their driver’s licenses in Kansas for at least four years, and almost 400 people had done it by the end of June.

Kansas Trans Residents Rush to Have Their Driver’s Licenses Changed

WRITTEN & CONTRIBUTED BY KWYN TOWNSEND-RILEY

What You Need to Know:

A state-court judge ordered Monday as part of a lawsuit filed by the state’s Republican attorney general that Kansas must stop allowing transgender people to change the sex listed on their driver’s licenses. 

District Judge Teresa Watson’s order will remain in effect for up to two weeks, although it can be extended. This is significant because transgender people have been able to change their driver’s licenses in Kansas for at least four years, and almost 400 people had done it by the end of June. 

5. couple Opens Doors of First Black-Owned Wine Tasting Room in Houston

couple Opens Doors of First Black-Owned Wine Tasting Room in Houston

WRITTEN & CONTRIBUTED BY CHERIE S. WHITE

What You Need to Know: 

The next time you pick up that bottle of wine from your local store, think of Pur Noire. The first Black-owned tasting room in Houston, Texas is the brainchild of Carissa and Kenneth Stephens and they’re taking their love of wine to their hometown.

After tying the knot in 2014, the couple vacationed in Italy. It was during this visit and experience of Italian culture that sparked the idea of making wine part of their financial future.

“We started making wine back in 2018, but especially with red wines, you have to age them, and so we decided on the red blend that we were making called Pur Epiphany, which is the first wine that we made,” Kenneth added.

 

But to their surprise, the Stephenses were forced to delay their brick-and-mortar opening due to the pandemic. After detouring to host pop-up brunches, Pur Noire sales soared. Eventually, the couple was able to open the doors to their tasting room, where guests are taken on a journey of premium wines. Guests are led along a guided, interactive wine-tasting experience by a well-trained Pur Noire associate. “The same way that we tell the story of the brand…and go deep and tell you about the grapes and the wine and how it’s made, the expectation is that the wine associates are able to convey that same message,” Kenneth explained.

 Pur Noire hosts other events, including group tastings and food and wine pairings. Pur Noire is also available to wine lovers nationwide, not just in the Houston area.

 Go to the Pur Noire website for more information.