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The Empathic Capitalist: Non-Political News From the Social Entrepreneurial Front / #PuertoRico #positivedisruption

Santurce, Puerto Rico, USA Latest News: After speaking at length with various municipal government offices, one of them suggested that a signature petition effort to organize the local community around the formalization of the skatepark, garden, and fishing area would serve as a bulwark against government expropriation and possible purchase of the property by a private owner. The ‘Parque Punta Las Marias,’ situated in San Juan, Puerto Rico’s Atlantic coast in the Santurce neighborhood of Punta Las Marias, is heavily protected land by the local residents looking to keep it as a place of urban respite. It has been ground zero for a non-violent, community-driven turfwar symbolizing a microcosm of what has been happening to the island itself. Deep in bond debt, Puerto Rico’s government has looked to develop local industry, garner outside investment, and sell-off land in order to stay as close to solvency as possible. At the same time, many Puerto Ricans have become increasingly invo...

The Innovation of Special Education: Meditative, Story Dance / #executivefunction #edchat #education

In special education, the ability to innovate with practical ways of developing and strengthening neural connectivity that leads to new ‘thinking pathways,’ even alternative sequences of thinking process that create new mental perspectives, is both easy and challenging. The vast majority of Special Educators are stationed within a formal classroom environment, and thus, must work within the physical parameters of the school building and the individual educational plan agreed to in team meetings. Should the Special Educator adapt to more entrepreneurial outlooks, allowing for themselves to take on a much more independent thinking style in line with that of what is known as the ‘clinical educator?’ Taking license from the entrepreneurial mode of production, clinical educators look first unto observing, reflecting, and studying how their own instructional approach, as a series of methods, strategies, mindsets, and fine-tuning of their professional relationship with those they teach,...

Making The #NewEra Happen / #politicalscience #education #business #community #economy

The determination to focus all of its energy in playing identity politics on the local and national level has continuously depleted any chance of the Democratic Party leadership and its operating cadre of foot soldiers from exercising any kind of moral high ground in shaping the direction of the United States of America. It’s ‘resistance’ campaign, bolsters nothing but division amongst American citizens through the use of whisper campaigns, and use of corporate brands, musicians and entertainers on television and films as political mouthpieces. This kind of narrow-minded political gamesmanship relies on codified social media messaging to release directives on who is currently being targeted in the identity politics game they play. Cloak and Dagger Stuff In essence, a battle of ideas devolves into trivial, immature character assassination tactics which have nothing to do with taking on the substantive moral issues of the day, and everything to do with seeking to sideline peopl...

The Power of Caring, the Precursor Stage to Growth & Development / #education #growthmindset #love #community #family

Not all of us have the same opportunities for educational growth. Not all schools are made the same, and not all home lives have the same developmental supports. This greatly affects how we see ourselves and our place in the community. A child or adolescent hailing from a home life where the father does not raise and instruct risks becoming a child being prepared for failure. We may not all have the same educational backgrounds and receive the same kind of quality education, yet the familial support systems we have have the power to ‘upright’ our vessels. Unfortunately though, parents whom do not care enough exist. I have seen it. Children are left to raise themselves up. Unless they are given another model to learn from, children living in homes where indifference is prevalent are at risk of repeating the same mindset and action patterns as their parents. These situations tend to formulate more in families with limited educational attainment and sparse extended-family support...

The Freedom Essays; Number 3: Maintaining Critical Thinking Safeguards Freedom & Liberty / #TeamUSA #America #family #edchat

In not raising generations of critical thinkers we do a disservice to the principles on which the United States of America was founded upon. The ability to think objectively, without bias and in a goal-directed manner supports the threads of freedom and liberty and is a service to our country, specifically to the ideals that our founding fathers championed and established. In not raising generations of children, men and women to think independently for themselves, we run the risk of creating like-minded spheres of political influence at risk of being overrun by singular political forces. Without independent critical thinkers who can recognize the powerful value to society in their practice of advocacy, we then become a nation of followers resting our minds while giving our hearts to a select ‘elite’ political class of individuals focused on achieving and sustaining power. It is in such ways that freedom dies not in battlefields of war where our soldiers gallantly serve on t...

All That Matters / #mindfulness #family #community

Our lives move so quickly. The days race on as we live them out. My father, maternal grandfather and paternal grandmother all passed away within a five year period. I consider the life investment we had put into each other and how they are now gone, yet their investment is still with me. Some of these memories were simply sitting next to one another towards the end of their life span. I consider my time with my own children and see how fast they grow, how ‘all of a sudden’ they are in new epochs of their lives.  What is important?  The successful English businessman, Richard Branson points out that he does not see work as work and play as play, but both as extensions of his life. The social enterprise I am forming with the people of various towns, a competitive skateboarding league training youth to develop executive function skills while creating social opportunities for typical youth and those with special needs to mentor and positively impact each other re...

Re-Threading The American Quilt / #socialgood #socent #socialresponsibility

updated 9:48 am 4/7/17 Yesterday I entered a level four maximum security jail. I had a volunteer interview with the chaplain there. I saw no inmates and only entered into the administrative section of the jail to have a conversation with the chaplain on my social enterprise proposal. We discussed the viability of a key component of my proposal, that of physically revitalizing the Bridgeport, Ct. playgrounds after a collaborative grant search and acquisition of funds to purchase new equipment, along with any possible training needed for the first round of inmates I would theoretically be working with. The idea is to have the men give back to the community and to themselves by beautifying the communal environment of the city and therein, through their work, that they do ‘soul work’ in the process of the physical exertion and mission of the endeavor. To this the chaplain let me down gently, explaining that though my proposal was a good one, given the security level of the jai...

The Man With The Heart Of Gold / #MasterOfTheCaribbean #sailorsway #empathy #sailing

Tio Guillo would steer the ship and Tia Rosi and I would follow his directives. Back then the boat was smaller, way smaller. It was called, Memo, which is a nickname for Guillermo (William). The cockpit was small, not like the newer, custom sailboat he roams the seas on now. This guy is a sailor’s sailor if there ever was one. Tio Guillo knows how to be both gentle and strong as the moments call for them and he has the respect and love of all who know him. Just like Boaz in the bible, Guillo is known by the ‘elders at the entering of the ‘city gates,’’ his good works walk before him, his eyes look straight ahead and his wife adores him. I think of my uncle and I realize how much I love the guy and why I love him. It is not so much the mass of our conversations, but the time we spent with each other. The time he afforded me with him. He took me under his wing and his impression on my life has emphasized the value of honesty, grit and goal-directed persistence in being t...

Unleash Your Heart In Service / #servantleadership #community #specialeducation #youth #success

"Practicing kindness and selflessness, you naturally align your life with the integral way." Lao Tzu, Hua Hu Ching Moments come and go, seasons change, opportunity flies by. What is all that matters? Is it important for the heart to live in accordance with God's will?  When I was fifteen I got on my knees and pleaded with the Lord to make me a Field General in his army. I wanted my life to count for something and understood that I was making a decision to forfeit a life of security and relative comfort in giving myself to the Lord.  Now I realize that he has been drawing me to him, rather than me approaching him on my own volition. In a world where the definition of success appears to be connected to money, my kind of success finds no ground to rest on, save in the eyes of God. In working with typical children and those with special needs, I recognize the value I bring to positively shifting lives. I bring hope, encouragement, enthusiasm, kindness and instruction...

#WashingtonOriginals Soccer Air Dribble Invitational / #community #positivedisruption #SouthNorwalk #Connecticut 9/3/16

@WashingtonOriginals Saturday, September 3, 2016  Ryan Park 6-7 pm  with Coach Bill, MA SpEd scheduled activity:  soccer air dribble practice Cognitive-Physical Development in the heart of South Norwalk, Connecticut. rain date: Sunday 9/4/16, 6-7 pm

In service to others our hearts stay light. / #Syria #refugees #family #community #skateboarding #liberty #freedom

Right now there is war and tragedy in Syria. The boy in this picture has lost family and is probably not Judeo-Christian. Should my empathy run on certain lines, yet not on others? Is not humanity a family? Being a brothers and sisters keeper puts our focus on being servants to others and the overall welfare of the community. The mind goes into a foresight-mode geared towards looking for ways to be of service.   Is Syria a lost case? Did we ever think there would be skateboarders roaming in Afghanistan? Over a decade of Soviet occupation and nearly two decades of official U.S. and allied force occupation, the tension between armed forces bent on different purposes over the Afghani-land has been something of an enigma. The people of Afghanistan are a simple people. They are either ‘from the land,’ or are focused on going about their business. They are sheep headers, farmers, servant leaders, skateboarding girls, traders, and artists. More than anything, they ar...