From Philly.com
Teen 'Jeopardy!' champ wants to buy a guitar, study medicine
POSTED: Tuesday, February 19, 2013, 10:06 AM
Leonard Cooper won $75,000 for taking a title home from the teen tournament on Jeopardy!—the culmination of which aired last week. The clip of Cooper's Final Jeopardy answer, "Who is some guy in Normandy but I just won $75,000" has been played no fewer than a billion times in every corner of the Internet, by now
Cooper spoke with the Daily Beastto discuss his new fame and fortune and his plans for the future. He applied to Brown, but couldn't disclose that he had won the tournament. He says that he didn't cram for his performance.
I pretty much winged it. It’s funny, because the 15 contestants there were all talking. Apparently, there’s a website that has every single answer from every single Jeopardy! game all categorized. A lot of them had been looking at the site. I had no idea it existed. So they were all studying the questions. I wasn’t focusing on getting information. I was focusing on getting faster than everyone else.
Cooper says he wants to buy a guitar and study medicine. Oh, and Steve Harvey told him to neaten up his afro. Check out the rest of the Q&A over at the Daily Beast.
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Being young, black, and safe
Lini S. Kadaba, For The Inquirer
Posted: Wednesday, February 20, 2013, 8:25 AM
The Lindner family: Parents Donna and Steven with Sam and Sophia
Whenever 13-year-old Samuel Lindner goes out with his friends, his parents remind him to "act like you've been somewhere."
The phrase has been a constant in the Lindner household since Sam was in preschool. It means he should present himself with confidence, bred of education and experience. Be polite, on his best behavior, and make smart choices.
On the surface, the advice sounds like typical parental nagging. But Sam, his 15-year-old sister, Sophia, and his parents know those five words connote much more - a set of unwritten rules that can mean the difference between success or failure, even life or death. The Lindners, who live in Ardmore, are African American - and that simple fact adds layers of concerns for the welfare of their children.
"Sam knows racism exists, and he understands why," says Steven Lindner, 48, a Lower Merion commissioner and corporate trainer. "But that doesn't make it any easier. . . . We don't want him to fester over it. We just want him to be aware of these situations."
The Lindners and other African American parents say they need look no further than the daily headlines to validate their heightened awareness. This month, Trayvon Martin would have celebrated his 18th birthday. Instead, the Florida teenager's death a year ago next week remains a stark reminder to black parents of the dangers their children face.
The Lindners tell Sam not to travel in groups of teens - to avoid any suspicion of hooliganism. And whenever Sam or Sophia head to the store, the mantra is: "Don't forget to get a receipt. Don't forget to get a bag." Because, the Lindners have told their children, blacks too often are profiled as shoplifters.
"It does make me angry," Sam says, his usually soft-spoken voice rising a notch. "But just certain times when I'm going to have to let it go."
His mother, Donna Lindner, 44, a school administrator on the Main Line, says: "I think these conversations are essential. The costs are too high to take a chance."
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