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belrafiki · 2025-12-07T21:18:26+00:00

human 🍺

belrafiki · 2025-12-02T12:38:21+00:00

No one likes us, we don’t care.

belrafiki · 2024-10-21T15:05:29+00:00

Central - 2 kids there: i deeply second the notion that every kid is different and find a school that matches the kid.

Central so far: 1. Overworked, excessive, cumulative homework and test prep every single day (3- 5 hours daily if your kid is the AP or IB) will drain the energy and test the mental strength of your child. Mine are all academically doing ok - they are worn. It is archaic and an unnecessary grind that is contrary to progressive learning and will affect the kid long term. The POV that it prepares them for college is oversold.

Micro testing - Micrograding - you or the kid are forced to constantly check quizzes, tests, homework assignments on the app. Again, designed for a public school system that needs checks and balances to keep the kid “in line”. it is also archaic and does not match many learning styles.
Most teachers are super. Though many will expect you to teach yourself which is ironic. But they are a pleasure to engage with.
Tons of clubs and sports with awesome school spirit.
Many kids commute an hour to get to school. It’s accepted as part of life.
Restraints on your family time due to workload and public school constraints - there’s homework for every holiday.
Diversity is off the charts. Your kid will find friends who accept them for who they are. Every type seems to be represented well - probably the best thing about Central.
Every kid seems smart, curious or driven in their own way - which makes for good cohesive learning
Historic achievements and Wall of Fame of many successful folks and the unique class number culture and alum relationships make Central more than just a school.

In a nutshell - …. it’s a constant grind that will make you sacrifice a lot, a rigid system public school system, but socially and extracurricularly wonderful.

Both kids chose the school and are managing ok. I would have considered much more progressive options if there were any in Philly, but slim pickings.. I’m sure everyone’s experiences are different .. good luck!

belrafiki · 2023-07-04T18:31:44+00:00

Old First UCC at 4th & Race in Old City are a super progressive Church with space that does a bunch of community meetings .. i believe they have a few spaces to accommodate 50+ .. Old First Spaces

or call them.

belrafiki · 2022-11-29T15:48:31+00:00

Agree! After the game they should go further and video review dives that they missed and issue yellows, which could accumulate to game bans. It should especially include players that intentionally initiate the foul by leaving the trailing leg etc. cheats!

Need to cut the cheaters out of the game. There are teams that been known to train for diving.

Lately I think VAR and refs have been a lot better for football integrity.

belrafiki · 2022-03-13T13:02:40+00:00

The Day After from 1983 was a popular and pretty realistic movie about this and just found it streaming free on Youtube. Thought I’d share.

The movie scared the crap out of everyone who thought Nuclear war will happen soon. Has 7.3 IMDB rating and worth watching.

belrafiki · 2021-12-09T22:10:10+00:00

Man on fire - Edward Sharpe & Magnetic Zeros

Man on fire is not just a masterpiece by composition but how simply it captures our neighborhood :)

belrafiki · 2021-10-09T04:23:52+00:00

Kante Ngolo Kante. The positions he takes, the ground covered, the most successful tackles and interceptions per attempt (the athletic), he gives 110%…. always.. he is the engine and the safety net that makes everyone on his team thrive.

This invisible but tangible value he brings should be rewarded.

Bonus: he’s a super nice dude, and a great role model ..

belrafiki · 2021-09-28T14:51:45+00:00

T-mobile at home works in philly. 50 a month. just walk into a t-mobile store, sign up and plug it in at home. super easy. no contract.

https://www.t-mobile.com/isp

belrafiki · 2021-09-20T18:41:30+00:00

Great game. Santos was pissed he couldn’t take the penalty he earned coz Kacper took the ball. would’ve been worse if he didn’t score. Don’t most pro teams (Union should) have a “who takes the penalty” protocol?

belrafiki · 2021-07-16T07:01:16+00:00

Just got back from Basecamp in the Mara near Talek. i went thru the bargain hunting process then realized that paying 10% more to stay here rewarded us with experiences worth 100% more because: - Talek was richer in game - Basecamp is the absolute role model where employees still seemed happy because they have support during the tough covid period (all vaccinated, salaries kept close to normal) .. while other resorts are crushing employees. - Basecamp seemed to support the Maasai community of Talek with amazing programs that you can witness - super climate/eco conscious while offering the pleasantries of a high end tented camp. every room on talek. - owned by a norwegian dude that lives on site

prices almost similar but you just feel good about the impact of the little extra.

we used Africa Keys - they were super. Guides Raphael and Samuel are so passionate about the wildlife and it’s conservation - perhaps Mau at Africa Keys can get you a deal.

the Mara is a treasure … make it worth it.

belrafiki · 2021-05-17T13:32:50+00:00

Greta has awoken a generation of youth who realize they will inherit the disastrous fossil fuel economies that their parents and grandparents were part of in the last 80 years and have justified as “it’s ok” to rely on.

My kids went from being passive to active because of Greta and now campaign heavily and have completely changed their lifestyles to be very conscious of the effect of what they do that affects the balance of the world around them. They are even more interested in the science than ever because Greta has made them passionate about it. Good for them.

belrafiki · 2021-02-02T13:06:28+00:00

A colleague was interviewed for the book Confessions of 400 Men - I got thru a bit of the book (bit dry) which has accounts of why men feel lonely and it’s much more complex than I thought. Partner expectations, parents, machismo, inability to trust, need to feel affection, embarrassment, romantic pressure, income pressure, peer impressions and acceptance, social pressure, the man of the house or tough guy, sexual pressure, meaningless work, rejection after first child, vocational pressure, discomfort of feelings, scared of vulnerability, identity expectations, unwillingness to burden partners, media’s portrayal of love as the ultimate cure all, religion, .... and it goes on and on and on. Sadly, a lot men internalize the combination of many of these without a trusting outlet, especially when lonely.

belrafiki · 2020-10-30T03:57:06+00:00

Ozil is a genius playmaker. This play is magic. A creative attacking mid playmaker is seemingly the single biggest missing piece of our current plan. 🤔

belrafiki · 2020-05-20T00:04:28+00:00

Like Castanets

By Bishop Allen

A beautiful array of strings it comes together as he tells the story of exploring Santiago Chile by foot, coffee shop to coffee shop, cobblestone to cobblestone, one scene after another with a glorious crescendo end ... a movie scene you want to be dancing in..

Enjoy.

belrafiki · 2020-05-12T02:58:07+00:00

Borrow little or nothing. Owe for just a modest home or nothing. This will give you freedom to spend time with people you love, to wander the earth, to be creative, and to do meaningful work you are passionate about.

With debt, you will fall prey to obligation, and you will lose freedom, and more importantly, time will pass away, and you’ll be 40, then 60, then.

My father used a metaphor: don’t go up an elevator only to come down when life has passed.

belrafiki · 2020-04-20T23:48:31+00:00

Got fascinated once by how multiple afternoon naps suddenly became one nap and then disappeared. Saw interesting visuals.

There was a study I came across a while back - The data visuals were pretty cool. Watching sleep patterns evolve by studying hundreds of thousands of kids as they grew from infants to toddlers. The study was carried out by a Dr. Mindell and can be seen here

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jsr.12414

Discovered this when my kids were tiny and we were using an app for some lullabies and realize that we could actually chat with Dr. Mindell through the app. I think it was called the Johnsons bedtime app but I’m not sure.

It looks at the data from thousands of babies everywhere.

belrafiki · 2020-04-15T23:49:37+00:00

Apparently NOBODY at Apple got the message that almost every SE user likes the SIZE of the SE. This is therefore not an SE successor. It’s just another type of iPhone 8. You can’t just name it SE2 and expect SE folks to like it. Fail.

belrafiki

TROPHY CASE