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- Salty Ginger Talk Newsletter
MIT Class president barred from graduation ceremony after pro-Palestinian speech at commencement event
Our take: The current war between Israel and Hamas is the continuation of a conflict that has been going on for literally centuries. The Middle East has been the cradle of civilization since the beginning of recorded history, which means most if not all major religions originated somewhere nearby.
Those who summarily condemn one side or the other do not understand this history. It is much more complicated than most people understand. Which brings us to the 2025 Class President at MIT.
MIT is a premier university. Only the brightest of the brightest get accepted there. The class president for 2025 is no exception. She decided to submit a fake speech for one of the commencement exercise to get the administrators to let her speak, then substituted a protest speech supporting Hamas and calling Israelis murderers.
The administration was not happy about the situation. They have banned the class president from the graduation ceremony, although she will still receive the degree she earned. The class president has stated she is fine with the “punishment” and continues to hurl invectives at Israel and her supporters.
Our real position on this is that anyone who says one side is completely right and the other side is completely wrong is not paying attention and is letting their emotions cloud their judgement. Both sides have valid arguments, and both sides have performed acts that are stomach turning – in the name of their cause. The only real solution here is to stop all the violence and get people talking to each other instead of screaming over each other. Until that happens, there can be no peace.
COURTESY: MSN
Memphis residents upset new $12 billion private investment is led by Elon Musk company
Our take: Memphis, Tennessee, is a city on the decline. Despite being a manufacturing hub in the mid-20th century, the decline has been steady for several decades. Businesses have closed up shop, jobs have disappeared, and the population has declined.
You would think that a multi-billion-dollar investment by a private business that did not ask for a tax break or special treatment, promised to bring high-paying and secure jobs to the area, and light a spark in the area. But you would be wrong.
Some Memphians are up in arms because the company set to make the investment is owned by Elon Musk. Musk is looking for a large, vacant building in which he could get his proposed supercomputer up and running quickly to compete in the emerging AI industry. Memphis has several such buildings. It’s a match made in heaven.
However, a small but vocal segment of Memphians does not want Elon Musk in their city. They have raised questions about the company skirting environmental issues by using temporary gas turbines for power. And they don’t like Musk’s politics. A county health board is actually considering not approving permits for some of these turbines.
We hate to break it to these folks, but you cannot eat moral superiority, and righteous indignation does not pay the bills. The city has been on a steady slide to poverty and irrelevance for decades. Sure, they can and should raise concerns about environmental issues.
No problem there. But telling musk to take his $12 billion dollar investment somewhere else because they are pissed he ran DOGE is both stupid and irresponsible. These people can speak for themselves, but they should not speak for the tens of thousands of Memphians who support the investment.
These people should be asked what their plan is to bring jobs and investment back to the area. No one is stopping them from buying these buildings and opening businesses there.
COURTESY: MSN
List of jobs that pay close to $100K that employers have trouble filling could be for you
Our take: We included this article to illustrate the point that there are plenty of jobs available that could support a family. Facilities manager, nurse practitioner, and marketing manager are all on the list.
Some of the jobs are more blue-collar/trades related, and some require formal education and degrees, but all are achievable by anyone who decides they want to pursue them. If you are unhappy with your current work situation and are thinking about making a change, take a look at the list.
COURTESY: MSN
Tip of the Day
Building resilience and grit varies from person to person and is influenced by our culture. Still, the American Psychological Association offers 10 ways to build resilience that just about anyone can do.
If you are not a social person, becoming more social (i.e., purposely connecting with others) can help.
Get control over how you respond to the adverse events you experience.
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus gets credit for saying, “The only constant in life is change.” Get used to it. Sometimes a goal needs to be abandoned because it is no longer attainable. The inability to accept things that we cannot change is a futile pursuit.
Apply the Kaizen principle to your goals. Start with the absolute smallest component that relates to the larger, long-term goal. As Walt Disney famously said, “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
Commit to making decisions when you find yourself in a tough situation. There is no room for wishy-washy actions.
We can learn a lot about ourselves when we struggle through a bad experience. How have our relationships grown? How have we gained strength or perspective?
Forget negative self-talk. Trust that you know yourself better than anyone else, and you have the intelligence and power to make forthright decisions. You can solve problems as they arise.
Bad things will happen. Try to think about them from a lifelong perspective. Draw a line on a paper representing the day you were born to the age you believe you will die. Mark off significant life events, positive and negative along that line. Place a line on that paper that represents your current age. Put a dot on that line to mark the current adversity. In the grand scheme of your life, how significant is that dot? When you look back at past events, how much or how little do they affect your life now?
Practice optimism. This is not a denial of the bad. It is an acknowledgment of the good and what is possible in your life.
Practice self-compassion, get some exercise, learn something new, and spend time laughing.
Quote of the Day
“Every oak tree started out as a couple of nuts who stood their ground.” - Henry David Thoreau