KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Hey Guys,

Hope all is well at H.C. Sorry to hear about all the campus craziness in the early-going, but there's nothing like the crisp Fall air to help you move on .

So, I spent much of my summer working on a video for the 15th anniversary of the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP). KIPP is a national charter school program that's closing the achievement gap in under-served neighborhoods with longer school days, school on Saturdays and summer school. With all this school you'd think the KIPPsters (as they're called) would be glum, but whenever I visit these schools, the kids seem upbeat and fired-up about learning.

Teach For America alumni Dave Levin and Mike Feinberg started KIPP in a 5th grade classroom in Houston in 1994. Now, there are over 82 schools (mostly middle schools) in 19 States and the District of Columbia. Mike and Dave busted their asses to make KIPP a reality, and they are two of the most inspiring guys I've ever been around.

All the KIPP teachers I've met have this sense that they're part of a very positive movement in public education. The work is hard and the environment is challenging, but KIPP teachers' commitment to the kids and education is incredible.

If you ever thought about becoming a teacher or a school leader you should definitely check out this video and find out more about KIPP.

Best,

David

Chopped Liver

So, I recently shot a sizzle reel about Liver Transplant for Al Roker Ent, yes that Al Roker. He's actually a very nice guy. A sizzle reel is kind of like a pilot but shorter and more like a commercial for the show than the actual show. The idea is you give it to various cable networks and hopefully they say, "oooh, ahhh, give me more of that." Then, they pay Al Roker Ent to make a whole bunch of them, a series even, and everyone's happy provided that the shows rate well among breastfeeding women between the ages of 28 and 60 or whatever demographic the network thinks it's going after at that moment.

Back to the liver transplant. This lady gave half of her liver to her father who was slowly dying from end-stage liver disease and encephalopathy (look it up!). Did you know the liver regenerates? I had no idea. So does this mean the Prometheus myth was true? The classics department should really get in on this. We're talking about scientific evidence that one of the Greek myths was non-fiction. And if you believe that, I've got a three-headed dog to sell you.

Anyway, if you ever have a chance to watch liver transplant surgery I completely recommend it. Just make sure to eat tons of lasagna before you go. After hours of operating the surgical team pulled a beautiful, living, bleeding half-liver from the donor and placed bets on how much it weighed. And yes, Price Is Right rules were in effect. Then the chief of surgery carried the liver in a bucket into the OR next door where another team sewed it into the recipient. Within a week, the recipient who hadn't read a book in over two years was 86 pages into Merle's Door: Lessons from a freethinking dog. Sizzling, no?

Happy Memorial Day!!

The United Nations: Still Smoking

I was at the UN the other day on an assignment and was pleased to find that the Delegates Lounge is one of New York City's last refuges for what is fast becoming a lost art: smoking indoors. Located on the north end of the UN General Assembly building, the bar offers enviable views of the East River, a groovy modernist decor, and a smorgasbord of foreign nationals if you're into that kind of thing. The UN Security Council is just down the hall, but UN insiders say the real negotiations happen in the Delegates Lounge over stiff drinks and, preferably, in a haze of smoke. But that haze may soon lift.

This past fall under the leadership of Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, the UN passed a resolution banning smoking in all UN buildings. So far the UN's call for a cease fire has been generally ignored by those generally assembled which is pretty much what happened when Koffi Annan tried a ban in 2003. Recently, Secretary General Moon showed alarmingly unilateral tendencies when he strategically withdrew all ash trays from the Delegates Lounge. The smokers countered with coffee cups. Perhaps fire-extinguisher wielding Peacekeepers are next? Talk about in harm's way. Real courage is getting between the French Ambassador and his Gitanes.

Those who love to criticize the UN despite their noble mission (ending human suffering and all that) will find great comfort in the organizations inability to police smoking in their own headquarters. I'm not pro-smoking, but I do like the idea of a small tribe on the brink of extinction (extinguishment?) holding out against a world class bureaucracy despite all the odds even if they happen to be part of that bureaucracy. Something tells me we need smoke-filled-rooms where people sort out matters of great importance. Let them smoke, just as long as it's a peace pipe.