Furious 7 is releasing this weekend which means all of mankind is about to have their eyeballs blasted (and brains removed for two hours) with the most insane special and practical effects that don’t involve space or superheroes or space-based superheroes. Here’s a quick cut of some behind the scenes footage of Furious 7 and man, the action sequences look fantastic.
The worst day of the year is once again upon us, but thanks to ThinkGeek it’s made slightly more bearable with a new batch of fictional products that the company might one day actually produce and sell. Some of them are a long shot, but that won’t stop us from dreaming.
The New York International Auto Show 2015 kicks into high gear this week, and Volkswagen is ready not with one nor two but five models to show off. Granted, four of them are concepts, but considering they’re legacy, they are more than noteworthy. In time for the 60th anniversary of the Beetle line, the car maker is announcing four Beetle … Continue reading
Have you missed white Kindle e-readers ever since they disappeared in 2012? So has Amazon. The internet retailer has quietly unveiled a white version of its basic Kindle reader that’s headed to at least China on April 8th, and Japan on April 20th. It…
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You hear it everywhere today: higher education needs massive disruption; the traditional model of education is dead; a third or more of higher education institutions will be closed a decade from now. And some of the disruption is coming in the form of MOOCs and other screen-based technologies: they will explosively expand access; they will dramatically lower price; they will improve education.
While there are many problems in higher education and each of these issues deserves careful analysis, I focus here on the individual student and her/his educational experience in the electronic age. I focus on the human being who is maturing through the educational process, developing creative thinking, critical analysis, problem-solving, the ability to write and speak effectively and to productively collaborate with persons of different backgrounds and experiences than their own. National polling of employers has repeatedly placed these college-derived outcomes at the head of the list of desired employee attributes.
How best to develop these maturities? We are told that since college education has become very expensive, or at least some approaches to it have become very expensive, we must exploit technology. Would-be students are to be put in front of a screen to download knowledge to their brains from a “cloud”. Transmitting knowledge in bytes from server to student in a sterile (little or no human teacher intervention), electronic environment is deemed to be a much cheaper means to impart information. The student progresses at their own pace and on their own time, and at least in a physical sense, alone. Given enough screen time, the student is supposed to emerge from the virtual university with certification equivalent to a college degree and become effective in the world of jobs and life.
The student is apparently conceived as the equivalent of the Artificial Intelligence machine that digitally acquires both basic knowledge and decision-making abilities based on downloading data into memory and persistent trial and error; in other words, a Robot.
Well-meaning disruptors of higher education have lost track of our humanness. They forget that we are complex beings whose thought patterns cannot be mimicked by a machine (at least not now nor in the near future). They ignore fundamentals of human interaction, such as that our communication is multifaceted, not two-dimensional on a flat screen. Tone, tempo, body language, eye contact, talking with the hands, immediate response to signals from the other, all contribute to communication and can profoundly change the message (have you ever had one of your emails misinterpreted by the reader?). These disruptors have pushed aside some of our human needs in communication as well as other human characteristics like uncertainty, deficiencies in persistence, and lack of self-confidence.
Students hunger for human interactions to mature through their educational career. They have deep needs to talk with faculty members about their future directions in life and their path to their degree, as much as about problems in their course. Through these discussions they learn much about themselves and can safely question premises that open new windows on the world for them. Students need faculty members to respond synchronously to what they voice to uncover both new understandings and misunderstandings lurking in the student’s head. They need faculty members to diagnose learning hurdles that the students cannot articulate or do not understand. And they occasionally need faculty members to push them, nuanced by the nature of their one-on-one communication. All the many facets of person-to-person communication that we humans use are required to successfully meet the students’ needs. Machines, even with humans programming them, are not able to substitute for person-to-person interactions in the learning environment.
The most desired outcomes of higher education, including creative thinking, critical analysis, problem-solving, the ability to write and speak effectively, and to productively collaborate with persons of different backgrounds and experiences than their own, are complex human skills. They require complex human interactions to fully develop.
If you, as an individual, have the immediate need to acquire, for example, a body of facts for a certification for your professional development, and you have the persistence to finish everything that you begin, and you prefer working largely alone, and if you can read quickly and effectively in whatever format, you may find an on-line approach to that body of facts effective for you. But then could you not have found a similar path through the 20th century public university on TV or the 19th century library in their day?
As we solve problems in higher education in the 21st century, remember that our subjects are human beings, not blank memory chips waiting to be filled.
Your landlord has given you the keys. You’ve driven or flown or sailed or ski-doo’ed triumphantly into this new city that you’ll be calling home. Your moving boxes are brimming with your most essential belongings. You’ve brought along clothes, furniture, books, photos, friends…
Shoot.
You didn’t bring any friends.
If you’ve landed yourself in a brand new city without a single friend to accompany you, never fear. Here are seven tried-and-true ways to make friends in a new city, which I’ve gathered from casting my own roots in New York City, Los Angeles and Seattle.
1. Get out of the house.
This may seem self-evident, but sometimes when you’re in a new place, there’s comfort in staying nestled inside, free from awkward interactions on street corners or GPS mishaps that land you in the Bronx instead of Brooklyn in the dead of night. (Hey, it’s happened to me at least.)
But it’s essential that you do as much as you can outside the walls of your home. Read a book at a coffee shop. Eat at a restaurant instead of hauling take-out back to your place. Join a gym instead of exercising around your living room to workout videos on YouTube. Out in the world is where you’ll have your first incidental conversations, start to recognize people who have the same routine as you, and even get your first invite. And when you do…
2. Say yes. To everything.
When I moved to New York City, I knew hardly anyone. But I was intentional about making friends. I said yes to every invite (within reason to my safety). When a friend said she knew someone who knew someone who was hosting a game night, I jumped at the chance to go. When a cute guy in the curtain aisle of Bed Bath & Beyond asked me out for a drink, I said, “Sangria, please!” When my coworkers invited me to join their volleyball team, even though the last time I’d played was in gym class 20 years prior, you better believe I signed up. At first, these invites were just welcome breaks from lonely nights in my new place. But eventually, they turned into friends.
3. Follow your bliss.
There are naturally activities that you’ll enjoy more than others, and this is likely where your tribe exists. In your efforts to get out of the house, try to invest in activities that you’ll truly relish. If painting is your thing, go to a local art class. If you’re a dog lover, volunteer at an animal shelter. If there’s something that you’ve always wanted to try, but have been hesitant about, now is the time. Anonymity is actually a wonderful gift, because in a new city, no one will even know if you make a fool of yourself trying something that you’ve always been curious about.
4. When you connect with someone, nurture that relationship.
Eventually, as a newfound social butterfly, you’ll cross paths with someone whom you feel a deeper connection with. It could be just an inkling — hey, there’s something I like about this person. Or it could be an instant aha moment — I’ve found my new best friend and I just know it.
Whatever it may be, nurture that instinct. Now it’s your turn to extend an invite. Suggest the two of you get coffee. Meet for happy hour. Take a yoga class together. Heck, even request to be Facebook friends and ease into messaging there. The process of strangers turning into friends is a unique and beautiful one, and it grows from respecting a relationship enough to cultivate it when the right one comes along.
5. Grow your circle.
The great thing about finding someone whom you really connect with is that they probably have a dozen other like-minded friends you will also enjoy. Don’t underestimate the power of one friend turning into another, and another, and a whole friend circle. Seek opportunities to meet your friend’s extended group when the time is right. It could become your own.
6. Be confident.
Hey, very few people have gotten through life knowing the exact same folks throughout. Nearly everyone has been an outsider at some point, while walking into a party alone or scanning the cafeteria for a familiar face. So there’s no reason not to walk into a room with your head held high. If these people knew you, they would love you. They just haven’t had the chance yet.
7. Follow the golden rule.
Once you realize that everyone has been the lone wolf once or twice (now including yourself), you’ll discover a new appreciation for those people who go out of their way to make everyone feel welcome. Be that person; be an includer. If you see someone who looks like they may be new around town, welcome them. If someone is straddling the edge of a conversation circle, take a step back so that they’re welcomed in. Be gracious when people extend those first invites. Keep your commitments. Be someone whom others would want to know and introduce around town.
. . .
The period of making friends in a new city knows no specific timeframe. Sometimes it takes weeks; more often, it takes months or even years. And all of that is O.K. The important thing to remember is that eventually, if you’re diligent about putting these principles into practice, you will find your people. You’ll connect with friends that make a city so much more than just a city — that make it a home.
When he hosted the first White House Passover seder in 2009, President Obama was reflected a growing trend: Christians hosting a Passover celebration. Soon thereafter, I began to receive invitations to speak at local churches about Passover. I realized a book was needed. What was written was either overly-simplistic, unnecessarily complex or just plain wrong.
Having already built a decent platform, I worked with an agent to find a publisher. The most attractive offer came from Abingdon Press, also known as the United Methodist Publishing House. I’m not sure this dry Church knew that the Passover meal involved four glasses of wine! Yet, the match was a good one from the start.
Seeing why it works gives us insight into how the spiritual landscape has changed, and highlights new ways we can grow spiritually. Here’s what I learned:
1. We look for inspiration from many sources: Gone are the days when a Baptist wouldn’t read a book by a Catholic, or a Jew wouldn’t read a book by Presbyterian. Two of the most popular religious voices of the last century are Father Thomas Merton and Rabbi Harold Kushner.
Many of us might agree with an eloquent prayer included in the Jewish prayerbook, “Open our eyes, that we may see and welcome all truth — whether shining through the wisdom of ancient revelations, or reaching us though the Prophets of our own time … for You, God of love, of justice and of peace, continue to shed Your light on every generation that yearns for You and seeks Your guidance.”
2. Christians are open to the Jewish roots of their faith: In speaking and teaching at churches, I have seen an unprecedented openness — even eagerness — among many Christians to explore the Jewish roots of Christianity.
Knowledge of Jewish texts and traditions can bring Christians closer to their faith. It can deepen the experience of prayer, expand the meanings of biblical passages, and open our eyes wider to the role of God in our lives.
3. Jews no longer speak only to themselves: For many generations Jews wrote and studied primarily with other Jews. We let profound wisdom remain hidden in texts accessible only to those who spoke Hebrew or Aramaic. That wisdom, however, can speak to people of all faiths.
The last few decades have witnessed attempts to make that wisdom more inviting and accessible. The Talmud has been translated into English. Hebrew is taught at many universities. Simply put, Judaism is not only for Jews.
This change does not mean all religions are the same. The founder of the Methodist Church, John Wesley, is credited as the first person to use the phrase “agree to disagree.” As people of faith, we will not always agree, but we can agree to disagree. And we can continue to learn from one another.
Are you interested in trying Passover? Get a free script for a Passover meal compiled by Rabbi Moffic.
Fourteen federal student loan borrowers refusing to make their monthly payments to protest the U.S. Department of Education’s shoddy oversight of for-profit colleges met with senior government officials on Tuesday to share their stories and learn about the department’s plan to help them.
The Education Department’s answer, in short: Keep on waiting.
The borrowers are part of the so-called Corinthian 100, a growing group of roughly 100 former students of schools once owned by Corinthian Colleges Inc., the troubled owner of what was once one of the largest chains of for-profit campuses, and are now struggling with their debts.
Over the past few years, state and federal authorities have sued Corinthian, alleging the company duped students into taking out loans by advertising false job placement and graduation rates. The company denies the claims. The borrowers, organized by anti-debt activists borne out of the Occupy Wall Street movement, now want the Education Department to forgive federal student loans taken out by current and former Corinthian students on the grounds that borrowers shouldn’t have to repay debt based on a school’s fraud.
The group, which says it has amassed more than 300 applications from former Corinthian students wishing to have their debts discharged, claims it has the law on its side, pointing to federal statutes and a provision in their loan agreements that states borrowers can refuse to repay debts if they were defrauded by their school. Some Democrats in Congress are on their side, but it’s not clear whether the Education Department stands with them.
The Tuesday afternoon meeting, organized by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and held at one of its offices in Washington, provided a glimpse into the long odds the Corinthian 100 face.
“The consumer bureau seems to be on our side, but the Education Department seems to need a fire under their ass,” said Jessica King of Newport News, Virginia, a borrower who attended the meeting. “And we’re the ones who will light it.”
Officials from the CFPB, Education Department and Department of the Treasury listened to borrowers such as King who claim they were either lured into taking out loans with bogus promises of future job prospects or were simply signed up for loans by their school’s staff without their consent.
Some of the borrowers cried as they explained why they attended Corinthian-owned schools, the shock they faced when they couldn’t get jobs with their credentials and the fear they live under as a result of mounting debts they can’t afford to repay.
“Like so many other current and former Corinthian students we have heard from across the country, dreams of higher education have been turned into stories of financial despair,” said Rohit Chopra, the CFPB’s point man on student issues. “We continue to urge struggling borrowers to submit complaints with federal agencies to aid regulators in holding accountable those who break the law.”
Joining Chopra at the meeting were Undersecretary of Education Ted Mitchell and Deputy Undersecretary of Education Jeff Appel. Prosecutors from state attorneys general offices in Massachusetts, Kentucky, Oregon and New York joined the session via conference call.
After the borrowers shared their stories, they pressed the Education Department for information. They wanted to know when the department would wrap up its long-running probe into alleged wrongdoing by Corinthian, for example. They also asked for the guidance the department gives its contracted loan specialists who field calls from borrowers who claim they were defrauded and demand loan forgiveness, and wanted to know how many borrowers have successfully had their federal debts discharged as a result of school fraud.
One former Corinthian student at the meeting asked Education Department officials why they don’t notify students when their school is under investigation. Corinthian has operated schools under the Everest, Heald, and Wyotech brands.
For the most part, meeting participants said, the Education Department representatives offered few answers.
“What these Corinthian students have experienced is troubling, and it is why we took a series of actions in recent months to hold Corinthian accountable and put the school on the road to closure,” Denise Horn, an Education Department spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement. “We will review every claim [for loan forgiveness] and continue to investigate Corinthian to help students as much as possible.”
Horn added that the department is working on other initiatives, such as new rules that restrict the flow of federal student aid funds to dodgy career training programs, to help future students. King, the former Corinthian student, said Education Department officials gave similar assurances during the Tuesday meeting.
“But what we want to know is, what about us?” King said.
While the department contemplates its next move, the borrower group wants students and consumer advocates included in deliberations. “The department makes decision after decision without student input, even though these decisions affect students most profoundly,” the group said in a list of demands it gave the Education Department. “The disregard the department has shown for students’ interests evidences a clear remove from their experiences.”
For years, Corinthian has been dogged by fraud allegations and government investigations into its disclosures and practices. But tens of thousands of students continued to shell out tens of thousands of dollars annually in pursuit of a credential from one of its campuses. Last year, the company began to crumble.
It started after the Education Department demanded information about Corinthian’s job placement figures, which the company used in marketing materials to attract potential students. In June, after the department grew impatient with the company’s alleged unresponsiveness, it told Corinthian it would delay the normally quick transfer of a borrower’s federal loan funds to the company’s account.
That prompted a cash crunch that ultimately led the company to agree to the Education Department’s demand that it either shutter or sell its U.S. campuses. The department then brokered a November deal for Corinthian to sell most of its schools to ECMC Group, a longtime debt collector for the Education Department.
Corinthian ultimately shed much of its legal liability in the transaction. ECMC assumed very little, while picking up a sprawling network of college campuses. Students, meanwhile, were stuck with their debts. The Education Department has originated about $4 billion in loans for students at Corinthian’s campuses since the start of the 2010-2011 academic year alone, department data show.
The reason for the Corinthian 100 debt strike ultimately lies in how the Education Department handled a faltering Corinthian and its divergent approach to saving campuses instead of protecting students. To the student activists, the Education Department chose to save a chain of for-profit college campuses rather than help vulnerable students.
“At the end of the meeting, I told them it’s in your interest to find a solution because otherwise this is going to grow,” said Laura Hanna, one of the group’s organizers. “They know they have a problem on their hands. If they want to give us more fodder, that’s fine.”
Manifesting, to many, is just another new age buzzword. But as soft as it sounds, it’s actually quite a powerful business tool. There are a million ways to start and grow a business, but if you aren’t clear on what you want, it’s easy to get off track. We aren’t talking about business plans or spreadsheets, though these have a time and place. Manifesting is about getting at something far more intuitive and visionary. To make it work for you, it’s important to:
Be clear: When we started our agency, we may not have known what we were doing, but we were crystal clear on what we wanted. We thought about things that were important to us outside of work and what we valued most in our lives overall. We also dug into what we had loved and hated about our former jobs and the culture of the organizations in which we had worked. Then we started envisioning a place where are personal selves and our work selves could spend the day together, where there was lots of laughter and creativity and no annoying politics and where we did not have to go against our guts to support a vision we didn’t believe in. Fourteen years later, these continue to be the principles by which our company operates now. Having a vision, knowing your guardrails and what you are marching towards is vital to it becoming a reality,
Let the right ones in: If two people with the same vision can help make a dream a reality, what about twenty, or thirty or fifty? Before we even had one employee we knew that our people would be our greatest asset and we set about, creating an environment that would attract a like-minded group of talented souls who eschewed politics in favor of doing great work, who challenged themselves personally but always had each other’s backs and we committed to letting each of them grow at their own pace. To manifest a vision for the future you need your whole team dreaming and believing in that future together and in order to do that they need to feel they are an essential and critical part of the mix.
Create simple rituals: As such big believers in manifestation, we like to encourage our team to set intentions for their own lives, both professionally and personally, individually and as teams. At our agency this comes to life through an ongoing practice we developed called “The Sticky Religion” — a vision board placed within the office where team members can contribute “intention” sticky notes, which can be added to and revisited frequently.
Define your work ideals: Many companies think about the clients they want to work with in basic terms — a car brand, a financial services company, a technology leader. We like to go a level deeper and envision the kinds of people we want to work with, the types of assignments we’d find most interesting, areas of particular passion for our teams. It is truly amazing how the simple act of articulating this vision and committing it to paper starts to bear fruit. The phone rings from a contact you haven’t heard from in two years who has an exciting new opportunity. A client thinks of you for a new project that challenges your team in a different way. You turn down an assignment that is not a good fit without guilt or remorse. We are not suggesting this is the only new business tool you use but it’s a damn powerful filter for deciding what to pursue and what to let go.
Manifestation is not aimless dreaming. It takes clarity, purpose and intention but when you really commit to it, you’ll find yourself spending your days building and enjoying the kind of business you really want.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
