By Erica and Matt Chua, on Mon Feb 18, 2013 at 10:00 AM ET
Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. For the uninitiated it’s known as the world’s biggest party. For those who have lived it there’s no way to explain it. Dozens of major streets closed for parties with thousands of bands playing filled with millions of people partying while drinking tens of millions of beers. Carnival is crazy.
As an Argentinian we met at 4AM said to us, “I came last year and it was so crazy I had to come again with my friends.” Next time we go we’ll do the same and bring friends because there will be a next time…here’s why.
HE SAID…
A five-day adventure like Carnival is hard to sum up. With days and nights filled with the unexpected it’s hard to remember exactly what happened, so let’s review the tape. Here’s the official replay of my Carnival 2013:
With temperatures around 90 degrees through the night, $1.50 ice-cold beers are an easy way too cool off…
Number one thing I love about Carnival? It’s everything “freedom-loving” Americans have outlawed. Imagine if nine drunken, tu-tu clad, men jumped on a city truck and used it as a dance platform in your city…in Rio, the driver just shook his head and kept on driving with them aboard…
Read the rest of… Erica and Matt Chua: Carnival Instant Replay
My friend Eric Patrick Marr, a passionate social entrepreneur, has been working to promote entrepreneurship in the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky. At his invitation, I went to the state’s two largest cities, Lexington and Louisville, to talk with local entrepreneurs and community leaders about what it takes to spur more innovation and entrepreneurship in a region.
It’s a goal that nearly every locale seems to have these days, but here there’s a particular sense of urgency given the recent election of new mayors in both towns. Lexington Mayor Jim Gray and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer are both first-time office holders coming to public service directly from successful private sector business careers. Both new mayors ran and won on economic development platforms. Like me, they believe it’s vital to think about the challenge of fostering entrepreneurship and innovation at the level of the city — and that their cities have the potential to lead the way by becoming innovation hotspots.
Each has a deep and rich economic heritage to draw on — and to overcome — in that quest.Louisville’s economic legacy is that of a classic industrial-era city; Lexington, only 75 miles north, has a predominantly agrarian heritage, centered on the region’s many beautiful and expansive horse farms. In both cities, even as people take pride in the past, some worry that it hasn’t equipped them to build new engines of regional prosperity and job creation. It’s a concern I see in cities in every mature economy that once lived in high-growth prosperity but no longer do. Like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, they yearn to get back to it, but think it might take something magical, the economic equivalent of ruby red slippers, to effect the change.
My take is that they already have the power within them. I’ll admit this is based on a quick impression. But in my 24 hour visit I met individually with Mayor Gray and Mayor Fischer, talked with the Lexington City Council, taught a class on business model innovation at the University of Kentucky, and met with over 150 local entrepreneurs at several sessions bouncing back and forth between Lexington and Louisville. Talk about total immersion. It was incredibly energizing.
What I perceived was a critical mass of entrepreneurs and innovators who are passionate about the local community and stand ready to co-create their region’s economic future. This really hit me during that class session at the University of Kentucky. When I asked, “How many of you are fromKentucky?” every hand in the room went up. These students constitute a network with deep roots in the community and deep commitment to it. Soon to be part of the local workforce, they are also trained to be entrepreneurial in whatever they do, and eager to make a difference. They are the net-generation, with an unprecedented ability to self-organize, mobilize social change, and create their own economic opportunities. They don’t need ruby red slippers.
My message to them, and to the entrepreneurs and innovators I met, was this: don’t wait for local institutions to clear a path. You have to lead. And once you demonstrate real progress, the institutions will get on board. They will not want to be left behind.
Meanwhile, my advice to community leaders was to play a catalyst role. What does that mean? I like to think of the work of the catalyst as having three parts:
Connect. Winning communities enable random collisions among unusual suspects. They know the most important value-creating opportunities are found in the gray areas between sectors, silos, and disciplines. So, get better at enabling the cross-community connections that will give rise to productive collaborations.
Read the rest of… Saul Kaplan: Will the Sun Shine Bright on Kentucky Innovation?
Guys, I have to tell you something that will either upset or (hopefully) liberate you:
You are TOO COOL to still be carrying a backpack.
If you’re no longer a student and are not on a euro tour, there’s no excuse. For some reason, Manhattan’s streets are overrun by knapsacked men, and it always makes me scratch my head because it is such an awkward and unattractive look. It’s especially troubling when the guy in question is wearing what would otherwise be a nice work outfit. Instead, his look is overwhelmed by a clunky nylon box strapped to his back, which only makes one wonder what grade he’s in. It’s also downright dangerous on an NYC subway when the backpack-wearer turns around in tight quarters. I’ve seen this happen to more than one woman, and the guy had no clue he nearly took her out! There are many better options out there to comfortably carry your things while looking great and not injuring lovely ladies who might otherwise be into you.
$50 and under
I like both the style and the price of this messenger bag from Urban Outfitters. It’s got a vintage feel while still work appropriate. The bag comes in two color combinations: khaki with brown and brown with brown. I prefer the contrast of the khaki and brown option (above) — classic and classy ($48).
Read the rest of… Julie Rath: Too Cool for School (The Case Against Backpacks)
“I do not know anyone who has gotten to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It won’t always get you to the top but it will get you pretty far.”
Margret Thatcher
As a society we have grown into people who are looking for the quickest and most efficient way to live our lives. Cars, microwaves, computers, the internet were all invented to make our lives easier.
Health and fitness is no different. Go to any magazine stand and look at Muscle and Fitness or Shape magazine and you will see pages after pages of advertisements for the latest muscle builder or fat loss supplement.
I’ve always pondered what it would be like to survey 1000 people and ask them one question; If you could have the body of your dreams without working out or dieting by taking one pill per day. Would you do it? The only catch is it would knock off 10 years to your total life span. What do you think people would say?
I have a gut feeling it would be an overwhelming amount of people that would take the pill, taking the easy road to success, cheating their bodies, their mind, their soul and their lifespan.
The problems these days are people are not willing to get their hands dirty and not patient enough to stick with anything long enough to make it count. We have been programmed to believe quicker, efficient is better.
I disagree, efficient is not better, effective is and what trumps everything is quality and hard work. It’s not easy to go to the gym 5 days a week and work your butt off. It’s not easy to juggle kids, marriage, jobs and try to get healthier or have the body you have dreamed of. It’s not easy and it never will be.
My rant today is nothing short believing in you. Believing that the hard work you are putting in is worth it. Believing that anything and everything is possible with hard work, determination and preparation.
As humans we were meant to struggle but we were also meant to persevere under any and all circumstances. You don’t need the easy way out, you don’t need the quick fix and your life will not be complete without the effort it took to get what you want.
We will not lose….ever.
That’s my rant for today. Repeat after me; I WILL NOT LOSE. I’m out.
My friends, family, and students are used to my repeated profession of love for modern technology. They laugh when I pledge adoration for my camera, washing machine, air travel, television, teleconferences, the iron lung (I just watched The Sessions with Helen Hunt and John Hawkes—great movie by the way), movies, my blender, power-point projectors, computers and the web, and, my iPhone!
This is an amazing time to be alive; I feel deeply, deeply, deeply fortunate to live in this part of the world today. I have such gratitude for these intelligent inventions that make my life easier and bigger (consider the amount of time it used to take our great grand-mothers just to wash family laundry. I don’t know about you but I don’t have time to beat my husband’s shirts and underwear against the rocks at the local stream). And I love my automatic garage-door opener so much.
BUT, no matter how terrifically these things enhance, ease, and upgrade my life, they take up but a speck of space in my heart compared to what I feel for the essential celebration-worthy, beauty of interaction between human beings.
I’m talking about friendship here. Today I profess my love and adoration for this. It’s fitting for valentine week, too.
The typical starter in blooming friendship is life-commonality—resonating with the experiences, views, needs, interests, and dreams that others also hold dear.
“We know this, we know this—we’ve had friendships since kindergarden—they come and go, some last, there will be more where that came from.” For many people the commonality of friendship has become so expected that its essential value to human happiness is enormously undervalued.
Have you ever observed the way that 10 year olds appreciate their new friends, or on the flip-side, teenagers who don’t have any? What about Facebook—I know a lot of people who spend some good amount of time there, making friends and keeping them, in space, ahem.
From a human-development hierarchy-of-needs perspective, friendship is to the human spirit as manna was to the Hebrews.
Watch this terrific video about the blooming of friendship—it’s just 4 minutes and 53 seconds long—your heart will like it and you will observe human spirit in action as time and place seem to recede (and that’s not an easy set-up for grown-ups sittin in a ball-pit on a busy urban side-walk), and complete strangers become important and personal to one another:
(This video created by Soul Pancake by the way, a fabulous site that captures art, philosophy, science, spirituality and humor, and serves it up all warm and (ful)filling.)
Now I ask myself what it is that I look for in friendship today. Have you deliberately thought about this lately? Me thinks this an important question. As adults we’re no longer really limited in our choices for the most part—we’re out there in the world with options greater than who lives next door or who sits next to us in classroom alphabet seating.
I loved that the question from the ball-pit was “who inspires you?” not, who pisses you off that you want to complain and gossip about? We absolutely have choice when it comes to whom we want to spend time with. And time is definitely a “spending”—there’s no reason to waste it in depleting relationships with “friends” who remind us of our worst qualities.
So I’m making this a valentine week of heartfull thought about what I most appreciate about my loved-ones (you know who you are! Mu-ah!), all those I’ve loved in friendship but who are no longer in my life, and the type of friend I want to continue to grow into.
And finally, with this brilliant invention called YouTube, applaud with me here as I sit in awe as two of my favorite things come together in this video: the seeds of unexpected spontaneous friendship, and the technology that allows us a ringside seat at the beauty of it.
By Lauren Mayer, on Tue Feb 12, 2013 at 1:30 PM ET
We all have our own irrational fears, based on an emotional response rather than facts. Kids are afraid of monsters in the closet, phobics are afraid of spiders or the color red, single men are afraid of commitment, I’m afraid of cheerleaders – none of these things actually pose a threat, and we eventually either grow up, learn to move past our fears, or in the case of my husband, realize that being married is way more fun than he’d thought.
So with the Supreme Court preparing to hear cases related to gay marriage, it’s time to apply that same standard of rationality to the objections raised by opponents. Gay marriage has been legal in Massachusetts since 2004 (as well as in many progressive states and countries, and frankly, we in California should be ashamed of ourselves for being less progressive than Iowa and Canada!). Therefore, instead of vague fears, we can look at the actual effects on society in those locations – and guess what, absolutely nothing bad has happened. The predictions of societal catastrophe, public fornication, gender confusion, and children behaving terribly have not come true – in fact, the divorce rate has declined in Mass, and experts predict we’ll see the same effect in other states once more data is in. So one could argue that gay marriage is GOOD for society as a whole, not just for all those committed couples who are denied the legal protections we take for granted. (Note – the way I convinced my previously commitment-phobic husband that we needed ‘just a piece of paper’ was to point out that our gay friends have to spend thousands of dollars in legal fees to get a fraction of the protection we could get for $50 and a quick trip to City Hall.) (Although now I let him think the whole thing was his idea!)
There are so many real things in this world of which to be afraid – financial collapse, global warming, more Kardashian reality shows – so I believe it’s time for opponents of gay marriage to recognize that there is nothing to fear, and to go find something that actually justifies worrying. And to help them along, here’s a song examining the evidence.
By Nancy Slotnick, on Tue Feb 12, 2013 at 8:30 AM ET
“The only way you could meet my crazy was by doing something crazy yourself.” –Bradley Cooper as Pat in Silver Linings Playbook
We all bring our crazy to a relationship. Silver Linings does a beautiful job of writing a relationship where both participants are crazy but they take turns. They meet each other where they’re at. They end sentences with a preposition. They scream and throw dishes in public. They hug people whom they have a restraining order against or from. They end sentences with a preposition again. Did I mention that people call me crazy? They think I’m dreaming my life away, just like John Lennon wrote.
I struggle with how to let people into my life without letting them take over. How to embrace my crazy without getting caught up in it. How to recognize someone else’s crazy when they’re telling you it’s you. And when it’s also you. So complicated.
Spoiler alert- I’m going to talk about Silver Linings some more- I just loved it so much. It is rare for a romantic comedy (nay, romantic comedy/drama) to get it right without being trite. One of my favorite scenes was at the diner. Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) opens up about herself and seems to be having a moment with Pat. She offers to help her out and then he insults her by not wanting to be associated with her in the context of his ex-wife.
Rather than crying and running out of the restaurant (at first, at least), which I would have done, she balks. That’s the best word for her face. She looks at him, condescendingly, and says; “You actually think I’m crazier than you.” Not in the form of a question, but as a statement of disbelief. It’s great. I admire that. I wish that in the midst of a heated argument I could have the composure to do that. It was awesome. And then she smashes all the dishes off the table in one fell swoop and runs out of the restaurant, crying. I kind of wish I could do that too. The dishes part. The crying part I’m good at.
The beauty of it is that Pat realizes in that moment that he’s crossed a line and then he comes to the rescue on her crazy. They go back and forth on this as their relationship blooms. And that gives new meaning to the phrase the “dance of intimacy.”
Read the rest of… Nancy Slotnick: People Think I’m Crazy
By Erica and Matt Chua, on Mon Feb 11, 2013 at 10:00 AM ET
Jerusalem is a loaded word. I could preface that with “these days”, but the reality is that it’s been a place of dispute more than peace. ”It has been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times and changed hands 52 times,” according to Wikipedia. If Jerusalem was a sporting event it’d be the must watch game of all-time. We’d be glued to the television wondering how it was going to end, cheering when our side gained the lead and screaming in dismay when control changed hands. The only thing everyone would agree upon is that the officials, those “independent” outside arbiters, were terrible. Sadly the sporting analogy is all too apt, religions are the teams, officials are foreign powers, and Jerusalem is the trophy. Why fight for this trophy? The agnostic doesn’t see a reason.
The golden Dome of the Rock on the right is one of Sunni Muslim’s most sacred sites along with the location of the Holiest of Holies for Jewish people. Just behind this is the Church of the Sepulchre one of Christianity’s holiest sites.
Jerusalem and Israel as a whole is a place where assigned value trumps real value. The value of these places isn’t real, there aren’t $2 billion plus gold monuments like Shwedagon Paya in Myanmar. The land isn’t productive like Iowa. The riches don’t lie beneath the ground like in Venezuela. The country isn’t a paradise like Palawan. There is nothing tangible worth fighting for in Jerusalem or Israel. The reality is that if all of Israel were to fall into the ocean the world wouldn’t be affected. The problem is that people believe that it would affect us. Jewish people believe that theFoundation Stone in the Dome of the Rock is the meeting point of Heaven and Earth. Both Sunni Muslims and Christians believe that their prophet ascended to Heaven from Jerusalem. While these places have limited actual value, for the three of the world’s major religions, Jerusalem is priceless.
Read the rest of… Matt and Erica Chua: An Agnostic Walk Through Jerusalem
True, I have been posting a lot lately about men’s boots, but in the winter, sometimes all you see on a person is his outerwear and footwear, and that’s why I’m a little obsessed. My general feeling about mens footwear is that it should be streamlined and not chunky or clunky. However (and maybe it’s the Maine in me), but when it comes to boots and outdoor gear, I love the look of something rugged and tough. It just screams out masculinity. Like this is a guy who would scoop me up, carry me across a puddle and deposit me on dry curb.
Here are my picks for rugged, lady-scooping goodness:
Red Wings
Red Wings have enjoyed a monster resurgence as of late, largely due to smart partnerships with some major clothing companies.
These babies above are a J. Crew exclusive. If you get them, make sure you go with the “dark wood” color. “Dark straw” is a color no one should ever put on his or her body, I don’t care how close to the ground it is.
Read the rest of… Julie Rath: Puddle Jumping and Lady Carrying
If you spend enough time in a gym, you can hear the most creative questions and mis-truths in any field, anywhere. Any personal trainer that has spent their career in a gym setting, can recite the most compelling stories of clients/members and their beliefs of what is fact. I figure I could write a best seller, just by the sheer volume of misinformation about exercise and nutrition that is conveyed through media outlets and misinformed “experts.” This is not the gym goers fault, rather this is my problem and a problem I tend to overcome through education and factual information. “OK JB what is your point?” My point is there is a lot of information out there I would consider a myth. For example, that is possible to spot reduce. Not possible, next question! Another example, I can eat what I want and still have the body of my dreams. Kinda, sorta possible but depends on genetics and other hormonal factors but for most people, not possible. “Alright enough already, what is THE myth?” The king of exercise myths, the grand puba of misinformation…Lifting weights will make a woman bulky! That’s right, after doing this as long as I have; people, in particular women still believe strength training will make them look like a bodybuilder. Ain’t going to happen!
Now, I am not naïve to think women are not strength training in record numbers. Years ago, most women would join a gym and only perform cardiovascular exercises such as biking or running on a treadmill. Although great for the heart, this alone does not create the lean, sculpted bodies women are wanting and displaying today. It was always thought that women should not lift weights because it would make them bulky and look like a man. The traditional routines would consist of high repetitions, usually 3 or 4 sets with 30-60 second rest periods. Cardio usually would precede strength training. Group fitness classes such as Body Pump or “15 minute abs” would have mostly female attendance. In some clubs you would have “Women’s Only,” areas, full of selectorized equipment and cardio.
Women are displaying incredible results from strength training but the myth still exists. Keeping all things equal, let’s tackle the reason’s ALL women should strength train.
The Differences between Men and Women- YES! I know the DIFFERENCE but I’m not referring to our outer differences, I’m talking about what happens inside the body. As far as muscle goes; a bicep is a bicep and a glute is a glute, whether its on a man or on a female, anatomically they function the exact same. What are different are the hormonal levels that allow our biceps, glutes and all 600 some skeletal muscles to grow. You guessed it, testosterone. Loved by men, feared by women. That’s ok because men produce anywhere from 10-50 times more testosterone than women. YAHTZEE! Men can build bigger muscles than women (in most cases J). Now, does that mean women cannot build muscle, NO! It just means women cannot produce enough testosterone possible to build muscles the size of most males. Debunking the myth has begun!
Strength- Hence the name “strength” training. Picking up heavy things will make you stronger. What does that mean for most women and men for that matter, everyday activities can become easier. Picking up that 20 lb box and placing it on a shelf 2 feet above your head all of a sudden becomes easy. Pulling dog food out of your SUV and throwing it over your shoulder to take in the house suddenly becomes a breeze. Strength training makes you stronger, period. We all could use more strength, everyone, including you!
Body Fat- Most people reading this want to lose weight. Well actually you want to lose bodyfat. You are on a quest for a better physique, more toned arms, a tighter stomach and athletic legs. You cannot achieve that with cardio alone. You need something that packs a punch, something that creates results and gives you the body you have always wanted, you need STRENGTH training. Look at any professional woman’s body, such as Serena Williams or Jennie Finch. They strength train. They build muscle and thus reduce the amount of body fat on their body. In fact you burn calories, post workout, for up to 24-48 hours following a vigorus strength training day. You know how much post workout calorie burn you get from 30 minutes on the elliptical….ZERO! You want to keep your weight off without all the yo-yoing, start strength training.
Strong Bones- Best way to strengthen your bones? Drink milk! WRONG! Strength train. Women are far more susceptible to osteoporosis than men. Strength training will strengthen your bones, increase bone mineral density and delay any and all effects of osteoporosis. Research has found that weight training can increase spinal bone mineral density by 15 percent in six months. Have I sold you yet?
Disease Prevention- For cardiovascular health, strength training lowers ones LDL cholesterol preventing arteries from clogging up. Also, lowers resting blood pressure and helps the body to metabolize sugars better, warding off the signs of diabetes.
Self Esteem- The greatest benefit of strength training for a woman is the benefit of self gratification. The increased feel good hormone serotonin will allow you to feel better about yourself and have a sense of accomplishment. At the end of the day, this is what is about anyway, improving our bodies and minds but also improving how we feel about ourselves.
