‘the opinion of ten thousand men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject.’

*marcus aurelius

*Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121 – 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva-Antoine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace, calm, and stability for the Roman Empire lasting from 27 BC to 180 AD.

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art credit: project argentum

Pengpeng, Zhou Shasha, Jin Jinjun/Zhejiang Daily Press Group/VCG Getty

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would you hang off the side of a cliff for coffee?

this cafe in Hangzhou, China, rewards adventurers

who complete a rock climb with a cup of joe and some views —

just don’t look down.

(I do love coffee, pretty much any kind, anywhere, but I couldn’t do this.)

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“coffee is a language in itself.”

-jackie chan

Michelin-starred chef heads restaurant entirely staffed by formerly unhoused people

Adam Simmonds is a two-time Michelin-starred chef and Catey Awards Hotel Chef of the Year recipient. And last year, he added chef director of the world’s first restaurant almost entirely staffed by previously unhoused individuals to his resume. Home Kitchen, located in Primrose Hill, London, is a nonprofit fine dining establishment that provides its staff with travel expenses, professional culinary qualifications, and the London living wage.

Aside from some senior members, the team is recruited solely from the unhoused community. If staff members pass a 90-day probation, they’re eligible for a fully paid culinary training course at Westminster Kingsway College. The goals of the whole operation are to kickstart the staff’s careers, address worker shortages in the hospitality industry, and confront the “very flawed public perceptions of what it is to be homeless,” Home Kitchen co-founder Michael Brown told The Guardian.

Simmonds is now working on additional launches in Brighton, England, and San Francisco. “Home Kitchen will act as an accelerant out of poverty for our recruits and an incubator of untapped talent for the catering industry,” he wrote ahead of the London restaurant’s opening. “I believe the restaurant business is an ideal vehicle for social impact, as changing perceptions in this industry can inspire broader societal change.”

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‘although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.’

-helen keller

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source credits: home kitchen, the guardian

going over the frozen lake to mackinac island, michigan, 1950s

once the only way to get there in the winter months

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while inside:

The Mackinac Island library’s fireplace, which roars with warmth when the temps don’t soar. the fireplace is adorned with tiles that are works of art, and above the fireplace is a Shakespeare quote from “The Tempest,” which is set on a fairy isle, not unlike Mackinac. It reads,

“The isle is full of noises, sounds and sweet airs that give delight and hurt not.”

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source credits Mackinac Island Library 2023, Michigan Historical Society

this company knows how to mix things up!

what did you wear during your covid meeting days?

here’s something that i wore one day (with pajamas)

to surprise and cheer up my teaching partners and class

when we met online during this very challenging time.

channeling my inner llama

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‘if you’ve got it, flaunt it, and if you don’t got it, flaunt it.’

-mindy kaling, american comedian/actress

a little guy who i work with (age 5)

wrote this in his journal in response to my question

what a brilliant list.

translation:

1.kindness

2. goofiness

3. dignity

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‘it is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer.’

photo credit: Sushma Hedge

Nelson, Australia, Estuary Beach

Where the river meets the ocean…

‘This has got to be one of the most unique beaches I’ve been to! The Estuary Beach in Nelson as the name suggests is the meeting place for the Glenelg river and the Southern ocean. On one end of the beach, the slow moving and meandering river is noticeable whilst on the other the ocean with its roaring waves! This makes for quite a sight if imagined! The beach also features a giant Oxbow Lake. The sort of shells I found here were quite different from the other beaches around the Great Ocean Road and the Melburnian Bay. This beach would provide as an excellent example for those studying the journey of a river from its source to the ocean. I would highly recommend anyone visiting the area to drop by and have a look at this unique beach.’ – S

another week and yet another fun grandie experience

this time it was grandie j’s turn

 who loves the performing arts

a natural actor who loves to entertain

always ready to pitch in

and do what needs doing

to bring a show to life.

 in his school play,

beetlejuice jr., the musical

he played a bettlejuice clone

was also a mover, helping with props and stage setup

 what a colorful and lively show

the actors truly seemed to have as much fun as the audience.

bravo, j!

so glad to see you doing what you love.

‘the world is a complicated place, and there’s a lot of division between people.

the performing arts tend to unify people in a way nothing else does.’

*david rubenstein 
*(a busy guy, see below)

*David Rubenstein  is an American lawyer, businessman, and philanthropist. A former government official, he is a co-founder and co-chairman of The Carlyle Group based in Washington, D.C. Rubenstein is also the principal owner of the Baltimore Orioles (MLB).

Rubenstein is the chairman of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the National Gallery or Art, the Council of Foreign Relations and the Washington D.C. Economic Club. He is a former board of trustees chairman at Duke University and the Smithsonian Institution. He served as co-chair of the board at Brookings Institution. In 2022, he became chair of the University of Chicago’s board of trustees.