Finding Free WiFi

Some Things Are More Important Than Football

If you haven't heard the story of Myron Rolle I hope you read on.

Myron was an elite athlete coming out of high school, a five star recruit and the best DB in the country (many rating systems had him as a top 5 recruit if not the #1 recruit in his class).

A prep school star with a 4.0 GPA and a football lineage (yes, related to Samari Rolle), he signed with Florida State and at that point dropped off my radar.

Until recently, when I heard that he, yep, had graduated from college in 2.5 years and was BYPASSING THE NFL DRAFT (he was honorable mention all american last year) because he got a little thing called the Rhodes Scholarship.

I truly, truly hope this young man (scary when people are younger than me) reaches his dreams.

Study at Oxford.  Kick butt for a few years in the NFL.  Graduate from Med School.  Become a neurosurgeon. Go back to his roots in the Bahamas and change the world.

I hope that in a few years we have thousands of kids running around in Myron Rolle jerseys.

Everything I Need To Learn In Life I Learned At LAX

Sitting at LAX, pushing 7 hours, waiting for a new plane after my plane conveniently decided to stop having a break system.  I suppose that's important.

In the 8 different locations I've been in (in search of Starbucks Chai, the shoe shine guy, and power outlets), I've somehow dealt with a lot of people.  Some life lessons:

DON'T treat the guys in suits different than the folks in sweatpants.  You never know who you're talking to.

DON'T be late, it will make you stressed out (Jason Castro from American Idol was not having a fun time in his sprint through security).

DO: Develop rapport even in tough situations that have a 1 minute shelf life: the very stressed counter attendant made a lady smile when she said El Salvador (the travelers home) was a beautiful place.

DO: Make friends.  The shoeshine guy in terminal 4 rocks.  Tip him well.  

DON'T take up 3 seats next to a power outlet with your bags when you aren't using a power outlet.  When space is limited only occupy the space you need.

DO: Smile often and easily, even if it's not necessarily a 'smiling' moment.

DO: Laugh at your predicament with others in the same one...makes everything a little easier.

DO: Thank God for Wifi (even if it costs $5.99).

DON'T: Make travelers pay for their own food when you make them sit in a bloody airport terminal for 7 hours.  PEOPLE NEED TO EAT DINNER, especially when your lack of airplane made them cancel plans with a very attractive date.

What it Takes to Be an Entrepreneur

The best Guy Kawasaki photographic-blogging-journey ever:

"Everything I need to know about entrepreneurship I learned from my comrades in Russia,"

He saves the best for last.  Scroll down.

Nothing But Nets

Cool Charity #1- Nothing But Nets

At NothingButNets (.net)  $20 buys a net to cover a family's home in Africa..coated in insectiside and effectively prevent Malaria (moreso the bugs carrying it), one of the leading killers of children in Africa.   Full service, including shipping.  Takes care of a family of four.  Awesome.

I like the 'no brainer charities.'  It's one thing to give money.  It's another thing to buy a net that saves children's lives.  

Note to other companies raising money to save the world:  Make it tangible, make the story simple.  Then get Rick Reilly to write about it.

Any Sports Illustrated (or now ESPN) reader knows who Rick Reilly is.  My favorite sports author, he brought NothingButNets to the mainstream (it's a United Nations Foundation Charity) a few years ago with his article urging anybody who'd spent anytime using nets as a form of entertainment to purchase a net as a form of survival.

Now, they've raised distributed over 23 million bed nets and are working to cover the entire continent.  Check them out at http://www.nothingbutnets.net