Racism--From Our Campuses to the United Nations

So racism is so still alive and disgusting in the world today.

Just this week...

- Students at a major local university here in Washington, D.C. hang bananas from nooses targeting blacks on campus for the 2nd time this school year.  And today, students rally to plead for an investigation and intervention. 

- As every U.S. senator has agreed, the Unjust United Nations continues its institutionalized Anti-semitism and unfair targeting of democratic ally, Israel, labeling them an Apartheid state, pushing a grotesque boycott, divestment, and sanction regime, denying Israel's claim to it's ancient and modern day capital of Jerusalem, and falsely targeting them--truly one of the most progressive states in the entire world--as a human rights violator. 

Bias, bigotry, prejudice, racism, anti-semitism, hatred, and discrimination--it's all still around us.

Whether your Jewish or Black or Indian or Asian or LGBT or whatever--it's open season from lynching bananas with references to gorillas to targeting the Jewish State with everything from murder to economic terrorism and so on. 

Why people want to smash the living daylights out of others and call themselves righteous doing it is beyond a mystery and speaks more to the truth of what's genuinely evil in the hearts of mankind. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Racism--From Our Campuses to the United Nations

Graduation Day

So proud of Minna graduating from University of Maryland today. 

And in only 3 1/2 years...record time, while she worked an internship too.

With a major in communication, please G-d she will go out as the keynote speaker said, "the glue that mends broken dialogue" in society.  

Communications comes from community...from marketing and branding to public relations and diplomacy, communications is key in everything we do from vetting ideas, innovating, decision making, teamwork, and even social media. 

Lots of luck in your future and may Hashem bless you in all that you do.

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Graduation Day

PLS DNT STP

I first saw an advertisement for this music group near George Washington University. 

I was taken by their name: PLS DNT STP (i.e. Please Don't Stop).

Pretty smart!

I checked out one of their music videos online and asked my wife to listen as well. 

As it started, she goes, this is the type of thing that can give people with epilepsy a seizure.

Yes, she was joking, I think. 

But then she said she liked it and to post it to her Facebook, which I dutifully did. 

The music is a little young, but even we can appreciate the high energy and cool factor. 

I wrote on my wife's Facebook wall, "You're Bad!" ;-)

PLS DNT STP

If I Could Do School All Over Again

This program at Draper University of Heroes was written up in Bloomberg BusinessWeek (25 Feb. 2013) as The Silicon Valley Survival School. 

But really this is the remaking of education by venture capitalist, Tim Draper. 

There is an awesome focus on building thinkers, dreamers, inventors, and entrepreneurs--not just some more liberal arts majors without an real idea of how to apply what they learned or "what they want to be when they grow up."

The skills taught get you out of your comfort zone, break your fears, teach you life survival skills, and give you a core business foundation to hopefully, create the next great thing. 

Draper uses the terms superheroes, creativity, and imagination--skills so often overlooked in the traditional classroom where dated topics are not applied to real life, stale modes of teaching keep people in their seats and snoozing, and memorization is valued more than real critical analysis and innovative thinking. 

I am excited here by a curriculum that focuses on the big picture areas of vision, truth & justice, and creativity, and has lectures with CEOs of successful companies along side practical training in martial arts, survival, SWAT, first aid, lie detection, yoga, art and design, speed reading, cooking and more. 

This 8-week crash course teaches you how to come up with great ideas, start and finance a business, network, brand and sell, and classes are limited to 180 students, and the cost is $7,500 or 2% of your income for the next 10 years. 

The capstone is a 2-minute pitch to a panel of real investors, and the chance for Draper Fisher Jurvetson to make an actual investment in it. 

Investing in good ideas is one thing...investing in great people with the skills to succeed is even better.

I'd like to see this program expand to true University and even high-school level proportions--so we can really teach kids rather than just imprison them in mind and body. ;-)

If I Could Do School All Over Again