When we face end-of-civilization (as we know it) hurdles that we need to solve, it baffles me that anti-vaxers are actively destroying herd ammunity and bringing back deadly diseases that we have irradicated! Really? We don’t have time, money, or stamina to deal with unnecessary outbreaks of measles, mumps, and other diseases.
Anti-vaxers’ ignorance (inability to read scientific proof and evidence) is fueled in social media with claims from misinformed people (and even professionals) with unethical motives.
My daughter (an ER doctor) and many of her colleagues get comic relief from ZDoggMD… (also a doctor) whose hysterical videos state the facts. Watch this:
When we face end-of-civilization (as we know it) hurdles that we need to solve, it baffles me that anti-vaxers are actively destroying herd ammunity and bringing back deadly diseases that we have irradicated! Really? We don’t have time, money, or stamina to deal with unnecessary outbreaks of measles, mumps, and other diseases.
Anti-vaxers’ ignorance (inability to read scientific proof and evidence) is fueled in social media with claims from misinformed people (and even professionals) with unethical motives.
My daughter (an ER doctor) and many of her colleagues get comic relief from ZDoggMD… (also a doctor) whose hysterical videos state the facts. Watch this:
In this short podcast, Rob and I reflect on the recently concluded TEDxMeritAcademy on Sunday 9/15.
You can check out bios of the speakers and see photos (up soon) of the event at tedxmeritacademy.com!
One of my favorite parts of “101 Dalmatians” is the scene with dog owners walking their dogs – illustrating how common it is that pet owners choose pets who look like them. I’ve mused about that and have been known to snap photos when I see people with their “twin” dogs.
According to William Chopik, a social psychologist at Michigan State, dog owners and their pets actually share personalities, too. A highly agreeable person is twice as likely to have an agreeable dog – one that is more active and excitable — than an aggressive person. So conscientious people have well behaved dogs, neurotic owners have fearful dogs, and relaxed people have chill dogs?
This makes sense because first you choose and then train your dog. Naturally, your dog is going to pick up on your personality traits. So now I’m going to look at both physical and personality similarities when I see dogs and their owners.
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Let’s face it, when donors endow coaches, their children get into highly selective colleges. Endowment=Bribery. The recent college admissions scandal just exposed the sloppy and desperate parents who went overboard to cheat and bribe coaches and admissions officers. But we need to stop looking away and deal with the elephant in the room. College admissions officers collude with coaches as they consider which students to admit every year.
According to Michael Dannenberg at the think tank Education Reform Now, wrote:
“Yale should recognize just how complicit it is in a corrupt admissions system. Yale and other elite schools implicated in the national college admission scandal want to portray themselves as victims, but really they’re co-conspirators. These implicit quid pro quo arrangements and tilted playing field admissions policies like the legacy preference and early decision don’t reward achievement, don’t promote diversity and are profoundly unfair. If just one member of Congress would force a vote on this issue, we could clean up a lot of the underlying corruption in elite college admissions.”
Student athletes need to have academic skills that are comparable to other students. When student athletes take precious seats that other students could have filled, it’s not fair. I remember one of my students commenting on how she could take classes with the Stanford jocks to get an easy A because they had tutors and took their exams in hotels while traveling for games. Let’s make college about learning with peers who all got in based on their own merits.
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Our speakers nailed their talks at our TEDxMeritAcademy event yesterday! Each speaker shared their projects (with the audience and the TEDx world) and everyone experienced and learned something new.
Loved hearing from guests how inspiring it was to hear these teens speak. And best of all, each student became more confident and empowered.
I’ll be posting their speeches over the next few months!
Don’t forget that TEDxMeritAcademy is TOMORROW, 9/15 at DNA’s Comedy Lab in Santa Cruz! Tickets are only $18 at the door, so stop by and catch these amazing talks by students who want to change the world:
“Influence on Teenagers” by Sethumadhav Perumalla
Sethumadhav discusses online misinformation that only a clown could believe. He explains how teenagers are easily influenced in ways that harm themselves and others. Acting on and spreading false medical information can lead to illnesses and deaths. Insulting people online leads to mass cyberbullying through copycat behavior. People shouldn’t be swayed into believing or repeating online information without enough evidence. How teens act online can negatively affect them and other users of social media. His advice can help teens avoid becoming stupid clowns.
“Animal Abuse in Eco-tourism” by Shreya Agrawal
Shreya will shed light on how animals are mistreated behind the scenes, and how many tourists are misinformed about animal cruelty and the ecotourism industry. She will also discuss how to evaluate various types of wild animal businesses. Shreya hopes that you will support humane ecotourist destinations to end animal abuse for our entertainment.
“Ode to Advance Directives” by Nicole D’Arcy
This music video about advance directives was a Stanford Medical School project. By using a bit of humor and music, Nicole D’Arcy and Anna Krawisz encourages everyone to write their advance directives to make it easier for loved ones when health and life decisions need to be made in the future. Audio produced at the Stanford Videography Department.
“Why Plastic Belongs in the Trash” by Spencer Balliet
Plastic is piling up all over the country, and we only have ourselves to blame! Spencer Balliet will talk about the problems facing the recycling industry and what can be done to fix it. This includes information about the misconceptions of plastic, what has happened to the recycling industry over the past two years, what you can do right now, and his project H.E.A.R.T. Plastics that intends to save millions of pounds of plastic from landfills all over the country.
“What is Your Backstory?” by Nicole Jones
“What if We Restructured the School Calendar?” By Zachary George
Zachary proposes that we alter the traditional school schedule by replacing long summer vacation with seven, evenly distributed, one-week breaks. This revised schedule would have the same amount of learning time, just spread out to encourage a better work/life balance. By adopting Zachary’s new schedule, students will benefit by not losing academic momentum during the summer, having a consistent and supportive schedule, experiencing less burnout, and increasing their school attendance. Zachary’s schedule is not only advantageous to students but also to parents and teachers.
“Why Fires Pose Such a Great Threat — and How to Prevent Them” by Arul Mathur
Millions of acres of land are destroyed across the nation each year as a result of wildfires. What if a fire were to erupt near your home? Arul Mathur discusses the threats that fires of all types pose to our everyday lives, and calls for a solution to control the damage being done by them. He also explains the effects that fires have on our society, and presents an idea which may help in stopping this crisis.
Thrilled that we are hosting our third TEDx event at DNA’s Comedy Lab in Santa Cruz! Join us on September 15, 2019 at 1 pm! Get your tickets for TEDxMeritAcademy at tedxmeritacademy.com/tickets. Meet Zachary George!
“What If We Restructured the School Calendar?” by Zachary George: Zachary proposes that we alter the traditional school schedule by replacing long summer vacation with seven, evenly distributed, one-week breaks. This revised schedule would have the same amount of learning time, just spread out to encourage a better work/life balance. By adopting Zachary’s new schedule, students will benefit by not losing academic momentum during the summer, having a consistent and supportive schedule, experiencing less burnout, and increasing their school attendance. Zachary’s schedule is not only advantageous to students but also to parents and teachers.
About Zachary George: Zachary George is a high school senior and does many activities outside of school relating to teaching through mentoring, leadership positions, and tutoring at his local high school and middle school. Zachary hopes to help improve his teaching skills and the world of education.
Thrilled that we are hosting our third TEDx event at DNA’s Comedy Lab in Santa Cruz! Join us on September 15, 2019 at 1 pm! Get your tickets for TEDxMeritAcademy at tedxmeritacademy.com/tickets. Meet Arul Mathur!
“Why Fires Pose Such a Great Threat — and How to Prevent Them” by Arul Mathur: Millions of acres of land are destroyed across the nation each year as a result of wildfires. What if a fire were to erupt near your home? Arul Mathur discusses the threats that fires of all types pose to our everyday lives, and calls for a solution to control the damage being done by them. He also explains the effects that fires have on our society, and presents an idea which may help in stopping this crisis.
About Arul Mathur: Arul Mathur is a tenth-grade student in Danville, California. He has a passion for public speaking, and competes in speech and debate tournaments across the Bay Area. He also has an interest in computer science and medicine.
Thrilled that we are hosting our third TEDx event at DNA’s Comedy Lab in Santa Cruz! Join us on September 15, 2019 at 1 pm! Get your tickets for TEDxMeritAcademy at tedxmeritacademy.com/tickets. Meet Shreya Agrawal!
“Animal Abuse in Eco-tourism” by Shreya Agrawal: Shreya will shed light on how animals are mistreated behind the scenes, and how many tourists are misinformed about animal cruelty and the ecotourism industry. She will also discuss how to evaluate various types of wild animal businesses. Shreya hopes that you will support humane ecotourist destinations to end animal abuse for our entertainment.
About Shreya Agrawal: Shreya is a sophomore in high school who is very passionate about animals. In her free time, she likes to read, draw, sing and play badminton. Her ultimate goal is to help stop animal abuse and help them live a better, more natural life.
Thrilled that we are hosting our third TEDx event at DNA’s Comedy Lab in Santa Cruz! Join us on September 15, 2019 at 1 pm! Get your tickets for TEDxMeritAcademy at tedxmeritacademy.com/tickets. Meet Sethumadhav Perumalla!
“Influence on Teenagers” by Sethumadhav Perumalla: Sethumadhav discusses online misinformation that only a clown could believe. He explains how teenagers are easily influenced in ways that harm themselves and others. Acting on and spreading false medical information can lead to illnesses and deaths. Insulting people online leads to mass cyberbullying through copycat behavior. People shouldn’t be swayed into believing or repeating online information without enough evidence. How teens act online can negatively affect them and other users of social media. His advice can help teens avoid becoming stupid clowns.
About Sethumadhav Perumalla: Sethumadhav Perumalla is a senior and interested in business and finance. He enjoys playing video games, spending time with friends, and reading. He wants to help other teens learn about online and social media dangers which pose significant threats to themselves and others.