Hasta La Gadget!

Over the holidays, I took my son to see Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb. I liked it. It was very entertaining and did a nice job of tying the three movies together, and bringing the story to a close.

The centerpiece of the series is the secret power of the Golden Tablet of Pharaoh Akhmenrah. Every night at the museum, the Tablet glowed and all of the exhibits came to life. We got to meet endearing characters like Teddy Roosevelt, Rexy the T-Rex, Dexter the Monkey, and many others.

In this final chapter, the tablet was losing its power. It was tarnishing right before our eyes and the lives of the characters were coming to an end. To save the exhibits, the cast traveled to the British Museum to speak to Pharaoh to learn the secret of the Tablet, and restore its power.

Yes, the story is pretty far-fetched. Exhibits come to life. An Egyptian tablet possesses secret powers. You may be surprised, however, to learn that is one thing shockingly more unrealistic in this movie.

Spoiler alert: The museums’ AED devices.

The AED devices at the Museum of Natural History the British Museum were integral to the story line. Early in the movie, La, the Neanderthal (played by Ben Stiller), gets his hands on an AED device and electrocutes himself. Hilarious, right! What would you expect? He’s a Neanderthal!

After witnessing the amazing utility of the AED device, Larry (also played Ben Stiller) saves the day when he uses an AED device to electrocute Xiangliu, the nine-headed snake demon, who threatens to wipe out the cast as they travel through the British Museum to meet Pharaoh.

I’m really glad that both museums had AED devices. They should. An AED device is the only device that can save someone from sudden cardiac arrest. When a heart goes into cardiac arrest, the heartbeat becomes irregular, and the only way to correct it is to deliver a shock via an AED device. In a country where sudden cardiac arrest is the #1 cause of death of student athletes and adults, we should have these things readily available.

In fact, an AED increases a person’s chances of survival by 40 percent! On the flip side, for every minute after cardiac arrest that an AED is not used, the chances of survival decrease by up to 10 percent.

These facts don’t come through in the movie, and rightfully so. It’s a holiday blockbuster comedy, not a PSA! However, it’s important for us to realize that the electrocuting AED depicted in this movie is every bit of fantasy as the Tablet.

AED devices are smart machines. When the pads are placed on the patient’s chest, the machine diagnoses the problem. If there is a normal heart rhythm, the AED will do nothing. If there is an irregular heart rhythm, the AED will instruct the bystander to push a button and deliver a shock. If another shock is needed, the AED will instruct the bystander to do it again.

Simply, you can’t hurt anyone with an AED. You can’t kill anyone with an AED, especially a nine-headed mythical serpent.

The irony of this movie is that the AED, not the Tablet, is the object that brings people back to life. Make sure that your local museum, school, shopping mall and every other public facility has one, unless, of course, they have magical tablets. If so, you’re golden.

By Tarini Mohan

It’s almost like I was born with the fierce need for independence.

Luckily, my parents gave me the most important gift of all: they made me a responsible individual with the wings of independence. Practically from the minute I was able, I moved out of my house, at what I now think of as the tender age of fifteen. I went to an international boarding school in India, The Mahindra United World College of India, a school that truly fosters independence in its students. My UWC experience made me the person I am, it strengthened my wings and helped me realize that with freedom comes responsibility. The school effectively showed me that I couldn’t do all the things I wanted to do in my life if I ran with my newfound level of independence. So instead, I learned to fly cautiously. Most importantly, since the school gives utmost importance to social service, it sowed more firmly the seeds of my passion for making a difference in the lives of vulnerable people.

Later in life, I flew with my still unclipped wings to Uganda to volunteer for BRAC and help raise the income of poor farmers. Although my parents and my school had taught me to be responsible, I made a mistake and sat on a motorcycle taxi without a helmet. A grievous mistake, one that must not be made by anybody, young or old, at any cost. I suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and lay in a coma for three entire months.

During those three months, my parents were right there by my side while I was in the intensive care unit. Not for a second did they lose hope that I would someday awaken. They made sure nobody entered my room with eyes brimming with tears. They didn’t want any bad vibes to come to me. My mother spent practically every night in the hospital, in a bed by my side. She would chant and pray daily for me to wake up. My father had to continue teaching his class, as trying as those times were, but he also wanted to be there for his daughter. He taught the class via video through Skype late at night. He is the primary breadwinner of my family and had to pay the daily bills, the bills for my hospitalization and a portion of my brother’s college tuition.

If I were him, the stress caused by all of this would have taken its toll on me. My father, on the other hand, never once mentioned it.

My recovery from the coma was slow, filled with hours and hours of physical, speech and occupational therapy. For most of these sessions, my mother insisted on being present by my side. I could no longer fly, as I was unable to walk at all, couldn’t propel myself on my wheelchair due to a non-functional arm, and my speech could not be understood most of the time.

While all of the above are no longer true, some still are. I still live at home, cannot cook my own meals due to poor balance and don’t earn enough money to sustain myself. Would you believe it if I said that I still have a great many things going for me? This is true thanks to my parents loving care and support. A big thank you also goes to BRAC for continuing to have faith in my abilities even after my brain has been damaged. BRAC rewards valuable work, no matter who the doer is. It really does believe in creating opportunities for people. This is true of BRAC as an organization and is also true of each and every staff member.

I was on vacation when I heard the news that a credit officer for BRAC’s Microfinance program in Liberia, by the name of Ophelia, had contracted Ebola from her boyfriend, Moses Yekelo. Ebola ended up claiming both of their lives. Moses and Ophelia left behind a five-year old daughter, now an orphan. Hearing this news made my heart ache. I tried thinking of who could provide some assistance to the child. Moseline is still too young to even be aware of the misfortune that has struck her. I have no contacts in West Africa and neither do my parents. Out of the blue it struck me — why did somebody else have to take the first step for me? I could help this innocent child. Her successful future could be a reality if I had the courage to take a first step.

This is why I have created a fund called Educate Moseline Yekelo.

With these funds, this child will be empowered through education to eventually earn her own livelihood and help her look after her grandmother, who took care of her when she was orphaned. Maybe some day she’ll even get a scholarship to UWC and then move on to a top liberal arts college or Ivy League university. Following that she could very well develop the cure to cancer. Who knows.

The possibilities for her future are endless. But first, we have to create the opportunity by making a very small investment in Moseline Yekelo’s education.

Tarini Mohan is Program Advisor at BRAC USA and is a native of New Delhi, India. Tarini work largely focuses in fundraising for the agriculture program in Sub-Saharan Africa for which she assists in proposal writing. Tarini also works on fundraising for a range of BRAC programs, such as — BRAC’s Ebola response and road safety. She joined BRAC Uganda as a volunteer in 2010, an endeavor that was cut short due to an motor vehicle accident. Due to her passion for her work, before she had even fully recovered, she was back to volunteering for BRAC USA. She became a part time employee in March 2014 and works remotely from DC, where BRAC has set her up to work out of the Center for Global Development. Tarini received her B.A from Wellesley College, where she majored in Economics.

During the State of the Union this week, President Barack Obama called for a renewal of economic opportunity in America. The Aspen Institute has partnered with the White House and national business organizations to recognize leading employers that provide expanded career opportunities for their workers; promote the widespread adoption of business policies and practices that increase economic opportunity; and cultivate education and workforce development efforts that support and advance these initiatives.

Read below to learn more about a new initiative called UpSkill America and what employers can do to increase the skill level of working Americans.

As the economy continues to improve, many employers are struggling to find skilled workers to fill the jobs they are creating. At the same time, tens of millions of frontline American workers in low-wage jobs could be trained to fill more skilled roles but lack a clear career path. These workers are only half as likely as their higher-skilled colleagues to receive career-relevant training.

We recognize the critical need to help frontline employees – from food service workers to daycare providers, from health care workers to construction laborers – obtain new skills. That’s why we created UpSkill America, an employer-led movement to expand economic opportunity for American workers.

We need more American business leaders invest in effectively upskilling their workers. Leading the way to the middle class for more hardworking Americans is good for business and good for America.

UpSkill America’s three-part mission is to:

1. Recognize leading employers that provide expanded career opportunities for their workers
2. Promote the widespread adoption of business policies and practices that increase economic opportunity
3. Work to cultivate public-private education and workforce development efforts that support and advance these initiatives

Based on discussions with employers, we found that employer-provided training is a significant factor in promoting opportunities for frontline workers to learn more, contribute more, and earn more over time.

Here is what more businesses can do:

1. Increase investments in frontline workers to pave the way for job progression and better pay.

• Put money toward developing the “foundational skills” necessary for career advancement, including ESL or adult literacy programs offered in easily accessible formats.
• Shift training funds to equip frontline workers for success in higher-paid, supervisory and/or technical positions.

2. Encourage more frontline workers to take advantage of higher education benefits.

• Allow full-time, part-time, and hourly workers to be eligible for existing benefits.
• Reduce financial barriers by paying upfront cost of tuition rather than reimbursement, and cover mandatory registration fees.
• Guide workers to leverage their benefits by promoting prior learning assessments that help workers earn credit for what they have learned on the job, or directing workers to high-quality competency based programs.

3. Recognize and reward frontline workers’ on-the-job training and skill mastery with promotions and incentives.

• Let workers know what on-the-job skills they need to progress into managerial and/or technical roles, and create financial incentives that encourage employees to acquire them.
• As possible, allow employees flexibility in their schedules to attend classes or training that they need to progress.
• Guide workers to online tools that allow them to build, grow, and demonstrate practical skills to enhance their career–at any time and from anywhere.
• Connect workplace learning to education benefits by making workers aware of the ability to earn college credit for their learning so they can efficiently earn credential that can qualify them for new positions.
• Create an easy-to-understand picture of potential career paths and the education or training needed to get there.

4. Work with other employers and partners so that frontline workers’ learning and training leads to marketable and industry-recognized credentials that can generate higher pay.

• Recognize and award national credentials or badges that companies value and reward with higher wages.
• Create partnerships with two- and four-year colleges that enable your workers to earn credit towards a certificate or degree while continuing to work.
• Work in partnership with employers of all sizes to develop training and career programs.

5. Create new or expanded apprenticeship and other work-based learning programs to complement other training investments.

• Align a new apprenticeship with the skills that are most in demand in the market and that leads to higher wage opportunities upon completion.
• Offer registered apprenticeships to your frontline workers in order for them to advance to more senior-level roles.
• Partner with education and training organizations to offer internships, co-ops, and other work experiences for students and job seekers.

6. Offer scheduling flexibility or stability–and related supports–to frontline workers that allow them to succeed at training, higher education, and career advancement.

• Provide schedules in advance and provide stable and consistent hours for hourly or frontline workers.
• Implement a policy where workers can request work hours that allow them to take classes and attend training sessions.
• Connect workers with mentoring and advising that can help them make wise decisions training or education and career advancement.

NEW YORK — New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet said in a revealing interview published Friday that he “absolutely” agreed with Times reporter James Risen that the mainstream media had “failed” after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

“The mainstream press was not aggressive enough after 9/11, was not aggressive enough in asking questions about a decision to go to war in Iraq, was not aggressive enough in asking the hard questions about the War on Terror,” Baquet told German magazine Der Spiegel. “I accept that for the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.” (Baquet was previously top editor the Los Angeles Times.)

Baquet’s admission echoes remarks made by his predecessor Jill Abramson, who said in a July speech that editors gave in too readily to the Bush administration’s demands. “I think, in real time, right after 9/11, none of us had a notion of what the ‘war on terror’ would involve and that there would be so many aspects of civil liberties that would be called into question,” Abramson told HuffPost after the speech. “We were naïve.”

The most difficult decision an editor is likely to face is when a top government official — all the way up to the president or vice president — contends that publishing certain information could get someone killed or put the country at risk of a terrorist attack. And security concerns are, at times, a compelling reason not to publish such information. But both the Bush and Obama administrations invoked such concerns so frequently after 2001 that some editors, including those at the Times, have become more reluctant to give in.

In the Der Spiegel interview, Baquet said he regretted that the Times had not reported in 2011 that the U.S. was operating a drone base in Saudi Arabia, a decision he made after hearing from a “high-ranking CIA official.”

“I accepted it. And I was wrong,” Baquet said. “I made a decision on deadline that I regretted almost the next day. We then published the information later. It taught me a lesson. But there are instances where I think you do have to hold things back, and I can think of some instances where I don’t regret it.”

Baquet wasn’t the only one to hold the drone story, as The Washington Post and the Associated Press also acceded to the CIA’s request. But The Times of London did publish that detail back in July 2011. Richard Beeston, the late foreign editor of the London paper, told HuffPost at the time that calling the CIA on such stories was “futile” and expressed surprise that top U.S. papers had followed the agency’s request.

Though Baquet said Friday that he regretted his decision regarding the drone base, the Times didn’t report on it until Feb. 6, 2013, long after foreign outlets had already revealed it. “I think the government’s argument is that losing the drone base would jeopardize national security,” Baquet told HuffPost the day after the Times published its story. “We didn’t think there was a compelling news reason to blow off that argument. When a compelling news reason developed, we published.”

Der Spiegel’s Isabell Hülsen and Holger Stark also asked Baquet about one of the paper’s most pivotal, and controversial, decisions after 9/11.

In Dec. 2005, the Times published a blockbuster report on the National Security Agency’s warrantless wiretapping, a move that infuriated the Bush administration. But the Times had actually held the story at the administration’s request for 13 months, finally publishing just weeks before Risen was to reveal the secret spying program in his book, State of War.

Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden has said the Times’ hesitance a decade ago prompted him to bypass the paper when he decided to leak documents detailing the vast U.S. surveillance state. Baquet, who was not at the Times when the paper made its decision, said it “hurt a lot” that Snowden didn’t come to them. Baquet acknowledged having been beaten by The Guardian and Washington Post on “arguably the biggest national security story in many, many years.” Baquet said the Times did good follow-up reporting, but that losing the major scoop “was really, really, really painful.”

Baquet suggested Snowden’s revelations, along with the WikiLeaks disclosures and his own regrets about withholding some information, have shaped his thinking going forward.

“It was the whole understanding of how much the country had changed through the War on Terror,” he said. “For me personally, the Saudi Arabia example was really powerful because it became so clear to me. When I reconstructed for myself how I made the decision, I remembered how I’d called up the reporters and they disagreed with me. I made the decision without really talking to them enough. I think I did everything wrong. And then Snowden sealed the deal.”

When asked why the next Snowden should come to the Times, Baquet said that the paper has “the bodies, the brains, and, I would argue, the guts to publish it.”

Read the full Der Spiegel interview here.

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