If you look around the hip-hop scene today, we are definitely seeing the Revenge of the Nerds, particularly when it comes to fashion. Oversized glasses, skinny jeans, big sneakers, skinny ties, suspenders, etc. have all made the comeback as rappers and ballplayers are try to get their Urkel on. However, being a geek may pay off in more ways than just wardrobe.

Reporter Alexandra Robbins has written a new book entitled Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth and it’s all about how the mentality of geeks or nerds—who are often ostracized as kids and teenagers—works wonders for them when they enter the real world. Why is that? Geeks are more likely to be nonconformists, which typically leads to them being teased or outcast. Thinking outside the box, however, is a very valuable skill in the working world which has a tendency to pay dividends, leading to all sorts of innovation and creation. In fact, successful companies such as Yahoo and Google prioritize hiring new talent that is quirky and unconventional, so being a nerd might help to push you atop the corporate ladder.

Robbins gives examples of celebrities who were teased as youngsters (which seems to be the case for many of the big names we know and love) from Steven Spielberg to Lady Gaga I guess I still kinda tease her, though.

As she digs deeper, she tackles school bullying, a trending topic on the national radar, as President Obama and several others have spoken out against it in an attempt to curtail the suicides and harrassment occurring within our schools. Our author notes that not only are children bullied and pressured into conformity, teachers are too. Apparently, the teacher’s lounge can be just as bad as the cafeteria as far as cliques and in-crowds go. If teachers are doing the exact same things they scold kids about, there’s no wonder bullying has become so bad.

However, as is the point of the book, all of the name-calling will pay off in the end.

“When you are in the popular crowd you are more likely to be conformist, you are more likely to hide aspects of your identity in order to fit into the crowd, you are more likely to be involved in relational aggression, you are more likely to have goals of social dominance rather than forming actual true friendships. You are more likely to let other people pressure you into doing things. None of those things is admirable or useful as adults.”

She also notes the nerds are generally “much more self-aware and honestly much braver than the popular students. They are sticking to being themselves in the environment that makes it most difficult to do so.”

Source: Yahoo

SOURCE: http://live.drjays.com/index.php/2011/05/15/does-being-a-geek-pay-off-in-the-long-run/

By now, we all have heard the monumental news that international terrorist and leader of al Qaeda not to mention prolific home video producer Osama bin Laden has been killed with two shots to the head. In the interim, we have celebrated, chanted “USA,” reached across the aisle to congratulate each other (even Rush Limbaugh is quoted as saying “Thank God for Obama,” albeit sarcastically) and we have seen the markets rally behind the news.

The question that we’d all like answered is what happens now? Mainly, this question is asked in the context of retaliation. We know bin Laden is dead, but he was a symbolic leader, making him very likely to become a martyred figure in the eyes of his followers. Even if he is dead, can’t his message and his death be used to inspire al Qaeda to act? What if they respond with various attacks throughout the world?

What happens between the U.S. and Pakistan? Pakistan was not notified of the raid beforehand and provided no assistance with the mission of killing bin Laden. Many journalists and pundits are raising eyebrows over the fact that bin Laden was effectively hiding in plain sight, as it seems there is no way the Pakistani government could not have known of bin Laden’s location. Are we looking at a new beginning for relations between the two nations or are things on the verge of falling apart?

Also, while the death of one man certainly cannot rid the world of terrorism, what will happen to the “War on Terror” started by the Bush administration and continued throughout Barack Obama‘s presidency? Will we see a relatively quick and sweeping troop drawdown and withdrawal, or will there still be a sustained effort by our military to maintain a presence in the Middle East?

Speaking of Obama, how will this affect his reelection bid? If history is an indicator, George H. W. Bush saw a surge after the favorable end to the Gulf War in 1991, but this did not last long enough to take him beyond a one-term presidency. More importantly, does the president get enough juice from this to move forward with other pressing issues more aggressively? The answer is probably not, as the political landscape is so volatile that our own domestic battle lines have been drawn and will probably not subside, even with the game-changing news of bin Laden’s death.

Ultimately, time will tell what is the best answer for most of these questions. The State Department has issued several warnings for U.S. citizens abroad, particularly those who work at American embassies throughout the world as an attack may be forthcoming. Also, regardless of the likelihood of retaliation, the U.S. has sent a quite crushing blow to al Qaeda, which indeed may struggle for a while without a leader. The problem of international terrorism has certainly not been solved, but now is as good a time as any for cautious celebration and a belief that while the arc of the universe is long, it bends toward justice.

SOURCE: http://live.drjays.com/index.php/2011/05/03/what-does-bin-ladens-death-mean-for-us/