Fortunately, entertainment and entrepreneurial education can go hand-in-hand. You can get all sorts of insights on being a leader, scaling a business and other entrepreneurial challenges you're facing from anywhere, even TV shows. (Business.com)

The discrepancies in earnings, wealth and other markers of financial success between black and white Americans are stark. Black Americans, for instance hold much less wealth and have higher rates of unemployment. But perhaps more unsettling than the gaps themselves is the fact that even as many black Americans make progress that should help bridge the divide, such as by working more hours, they have yet to see tangible or enduring economic advancement. (The Atlantic)

Today it's Maxine Waters and April Ryan. But for black women in America, many days they can insert their own name into a tale about being disrespected, or discriminated against, while they're just trying to do their jobs. (USA TODAY)

Whether you’re in an entry-level gig that’s going nowhere, a mid-level manager whose career has stalled, or stuck in an industry you hate, you can make it better by building the skills you need to get out, says leadership coach Jennifer Davis, founder of Jennifer Davis Coaching. Use your current role as a springboard to your next big opportunity with this six-step approach. (Fast Company)

What if the skills gap at your company is actually the result of the challenges and disconnects that occur internally? (Entrepreneur)

The booming growth of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), like most transformational technologies, is both exciting and scary. It’s exciting to consider all the ways our lives may improve, from managing our calendars to making medical diagnoses, but it’s scary to consider the social and personal implications — and particularly the implications for our careers. As machine learning continues to grow, we all need to develop new skills in order to differentiate ourselves. But which ones? (Harvard Business Review)

Google has partnered with Howard University to offer black software engineers a chance to learn from a new program called "Howard West". The first 12-week batch consisting of 25 to 30 juniors and seniors in Howard’s computer science program will commence this summer with numbers expected to increase in future semesters. Candidates have to apply and get accepted to the program, following which they will receive stipend and school credits. (Yahoo Finance)

Unlike many large tech companies, Uber doesn't release its diversity data. In fact, the company apparently doesn't even track it, according to a report from Bloomberg. This revelation isn't entirely surprising. In a conversation with Fast Company earlier this year, Uber's head of human resources, Liane Hornsey, said she's never seen diversity reports have any measurable effect on a company's diversity. (Fast Company)

Saudi Arabia gave Saudi Aramco a huge gift this week by slashing the tax rate on the national oil company to 50% from 85%.The kingdom stressed that the drastically reduced tax rate, which is retroactive to the start of 2017, would be offset by dividends and investment profits.The enormous tax relief will also add tens of billions of dollars to Aramco's coffers at a time of growing concern over how much the world's largest oil company is actually worth. (CNN Money)

Even as the country prepares to ban liquor sales near major highways to curb drunk driving this year, consumption of alcohol in India has expanded at an average of 8.9% annually in the past six years, reaching an estimated $22 billion (1.46 trillion rupees) last year. India is the 3rd largest liquor market in the world, with an overall retail market size of $35 billion per annum. A global study by Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has found that alcohol consumption in India has risen by 55% over a period of 20 years, from 1992 to 2012. (Forbes)

Even as many college and university administrators pledge each year to diversify their student populations, the challenges that beset Black males remain daunting and should be a growing concern for all of us who care deeply about the future of higher education. (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)

A University of Kansas professor who studies HBCUs says moving to a business model may be key to survival, but it could ultimately change the schools’ mission, and a focus on accreditation is vital. (The University of Kansas)

If you live in a big city and like to dine out, odds are you’ve used OpenTable lately. The reservations service makes it easy for millions of users who use its app or website to find places to eat and to secure tables at their favorite restaurants. Unbeknownst to most of their customers, those restaurants may have already anticipated their reservation—that’s because they use OpenTable, too, to learn more about their diners. (Fast Company)

Like the internet, this technology is designed to be decentralized, with "layers," where each layer is defined by an interoperable open protocol on top of which companies, as well as individuals, can build products and services. Like the internet, in the early stages of development there are many competing technologies, so it’s important to specify which blockchain you’re talking about. And, like the internet, blockchain technology is strongest when everyone is using the same network, so in the future we might all be talking about "the" blockchain. (Harvard Business Review)

Computer engineers at Stanford are taking things a step further for more skilled workers in the knowledge economy. They’ve invented something called flash teams. Although still somewhat experimental, flash teams use software platforms to break down complex work that requires collaboration, such as engineering and web design, into modules of specific tasks that the network hands off from freelancer to freelancer, in a virtual assembly line. (Fast Company)

mall business loans are available from a large number of traditional and alternative lenders. Small business loans can help your business grow, fund new research and development, help you expand into new territories, enhance sales and marketing efforts, allow you to hire new people, and much more. This article sets forth 10 key steps to take in getting a small business loan, with some practical advice and insight on the lending process. (Forbes)

Learn how to use branding, marketing, and social media concepts to leverage online and in-person brands to achieve career or business success. (Black Enterprise)

The Chicago area likely would suffer far fewer murders, graduate many more young people from college and produce billions more in gross product if it were more integrated—racially and ethnically, as well as economically. That's the bottom line of a new report being issued today by the Metropolitan Planning Council and the Urban Institute that tries to answer a crucial question: Are Chicagoans, collectively and individually, paying a price for segregation? (Crain's Chicago Business)

Oil prices are down so far this year -- and so are energy stocks. But some experts think that won't last for long. (CNN Money)

It can pay off to know where you stand, especially when it comes time to negotiate your next pay raise. While income varies considerably in the U.S., depending on location and industry, Glassdoor's latest local-pay report finds that the median salary for U.S. employees is $51,272, up 2.9% from February 2016. (USA TODAY)

Ford said Tuesday it is investing $1.2 billion in three Michigan facilities.Most of this investment was agreed upon as part of a 2015 labor deal with the United Auto Workers union. For example, Ford is investing $850 million in its Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, where 3,700 people work. Ford originally pledged to put $700 million into that plant as part of the labor deal. In January, it announced plans to build its new Bronco SUV and Ranger pickup there. (CNN Money)