“I was a school dropout and we’re still killing creativity and risk” The Entrepreneur Says Our System Needs To Change At school Richard Branson would sit at the back of the class “doing my own thing”, baffled by the lessons. “I was a dyslexic school kid who had very little understanding about what we were being taught and what was going on on the blackboard,” he says. “Bizarrely for a dyslexic, I started planning a magazine to try to get young people to campaign for a change in the education system to make it more relevant to people, and also to campaign against the Vietnamese War and the Biafran War and other injustices that were going on in the world at the time.” Omaze CEO and co-founder Matt Pohlson, Sir Richard Branson, Omaze winner Keisha, and Space For Humanity Executive Director Rachel Lyons congratulate Keisha at her home in Antigua One day the headmaster at Stowe, his independent boarding school, gave him an ultimatum. “He said to me, ‘Richard, I know you’re starting this magazine. You’ve either got to leave school and do it or stay at school and do your formal education.’ I was 15 years old and so I said, ‘Great — I’m off.’ There was so much about education that I and other fellow students were really frustrated about, and the frightening thing is that in 50 years not a lot has changed.” On Branson’s last day the head told him that he’d either end up a millionaire or in prison. That turned out to be prescient. By the age of 22, the entrepreneur had not only set up his magazine, Student, but had also opened a chain of record stores, Virgin Records, and founded the brand that would make his fortune. The Virgin Group now controls more than 400 companies, running trains, planes and even a rocket as the entrepreneur goes into battle with his fellow billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos to conquer space. Yet as he looks back at his career at the age of 71, Branson points out that he would still be considered a failure by an education system that defines success purely in academic terms. “I once did an IQ test as an eight-year-old. I don’t think I filled in anything,” he tells me. “Go forward 30 or so years, I was running Europe’s largest private group of companies. I didn’t know the difference between gross and net [profit], but it didn’t matter . . . what mattered was my character, whether I was good at inspiring people and motivating people, whether I wanted to make a real difference in the world.” Branson still cannot do crosswords and is hopeless at spelling, but is convinced that the dyslexia that held him back at school has been an advantage in his business career. “I think by being dyslexic, I learnt to become a good delegator, which is a really important thing in life if you’re becoming an entrepreneur and building businesses. Richard Branson Touchdown in Tampa Bay, Image by Virgin “I surrounded myself with wonderful people who were better than me at a lot of things. I think I’m more creative at certain things. If [dyslexics] are able to concentrate on things they’re good at, they will really excel at them.” Getting letters in the right order is, by contrast, “so unimportant really”. I am speaking to the businessman on Zoom as chairwoman of The Times Education Commission, which publishes its interim report tomorrow. I’m in cold, wet Hackney, he’s in the sun-soaked Caribbean, where he has been giving his grandchildren the sort of education he wishes he had had as a boy. “Yesterday I took my grandkids around Necker Island and we said, ‘There’s a scarlet ibis over there,’ and then we went on the internet and found out all about scarlet ibis and how they’d been wiped out in the British Virgin Islands a hundred years ago, then recently reintroduced, and how if a scarlet ibis breeds with a white ibis you get a pink ibis. Then we moved on to flamingos and giant tortoises. We were just getting out and about looking at things which are relevant and exciting. And sadly the conventional school educational system doesn’t really do that.” Branson insists there must be a total transformation in education to engage children in the digital age and prepare young people for the modern world. His family foundation Big Change, set up by his daughter Holly a decade ago in the wake of the London riots, is launching a campaign for a radical reshaping of learning in the wake of the pandemic. The entrepreneur says that he was lucky to have had parents who could support him when he dropped out of school, but too many children, particularly the most disadvantaged, are being failed by the “one size fits all” education system in Britain. “There are some people who need a particular way of being taught and there are others who definitely don’t need that way of being taught, and at the moment, everybody gets taught the same way,” he says. “So much emphasis is put on exams and that precludes schools from being adventurous. They’ve just to concentrate on exams, exams, exams. Creativity is stifled by the exam system.” The focus on grades is increasingly at odds with what employers want, he says. “At the Virgin Group now, for most jobs we don’t ask for test results. We look for character. It’d be hypocritical for me, who left school at 15, to be judging people based on exam results. “I would love to see a situation around the world where standardised testing is replaced by continual assessment, and people have a sort of education passport populated with everything wonderful that kids are doing, from academics to sports to how kind or how confident they are. For most jobs, you don’t need to be assessed in the formal, boring way which puts everybody in the same box.” Virgin Galactic | Images by Virgin Galactic Branson warns that schools, colleges and universities are failing properly to prepare young people for the workplace. “You definitely don’t need all that rote learning and memory skills,” he says. “I went to David Cameron in the first year that he was in office and said, ‘You know, as far as I’m concerned, if people want to become entrepreneurs, we’d almost prefer that they’d left school at 16.’ School is so irrelevant. Let them have the university of life by being out there learning from doing things.” Virgin has started to offer loans to young people to start a business instead of going to college or university. “In running those businesses they are learning much more about life than they would ever learn in school or college,” Branson says. The education system also, in his view, inculcates a fear of failure and “stamps out” the willingness to take risks, which is essential in business. Branson is calling for a radical overhaul of the curriculum, with a greater focus on creativity to foster an entrepreneurial spirit. “The most successful people around the world are creative people — creative musicians, creative entrepreneurs, creative artists — they’re the people that make a real difference in this world, and the education system is not designed for them at all. Unless they quit school early, a lot of that creativity can be completely stifled. There are a few lucky ones that have managed to get through that and stay at school, but if I talk to Bill Gates or Larry Page or pretty well every successful person I know, they quit formal education early.” The businessman insists that the pandemic is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change course. A survey by Big Change and the Institute for Public Policy Research found that 79 per cent of young people, 74 per cent of parents, 77 per cent of teachers and 78 per cent of employers believe that now is the time to rethink the purpose of education and to change the system for the better. “Through the pandemic, families have had to learn to teach their kids differently than they would have done in formal education and I suspect that for many kids they found that a blessing,” Branson says. “I think reform should not just come from teachers, it should not just come from politicians. It should come from young people. “I remember my frustration being young and not being listened to, and I think I had every right to be frustrated. I was wasting my time sitting in a classroom doing completely irrelevant things that I had no interest in whatsoever, when I wanted to be inspired, and I had to effectively create my own education for myself.” Richard Branson at Caribbean Climate Accelerator By ML Staff. By Rachel Sylvester, The Times, The Interview People

In London, youth activists threw soup at Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers,” asking, “Is art worth more than life? More than food? More than justice?” In Melbourne, Australia, two protesters superglued themselves to Picasso’s “Massacre in Korea” to highlight the connections between climate change and future conflict and suffering. Others have engaged in similar protests, targeting a Boticelli at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy; an ancient Roman statue at the Vatican; a Klimt in Vienna; and a mummy exhibit at Barcelona’s Egyptian Museum. Two young protesters were arrested after throwing soup on the glass covering Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ at the National Gallery in London.Just Stop Oil/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Their actions have incited mixed responses around the world. Some people praised the activists’ daring and ingenuity; others lambasted the groups for polarizing the fight for climate justice, sending mixed messages and using plain poor logic. But tactics like these draw media attention and make a lasting impression, and that’s the point – especially right now. A few small pop-up protests appeared at the COP27 venue in Egypt, rather than the usual mass street marches.Gehad Hamdy/picture alliance via Getty Images Normally in November, tens of thousands of climate activists converge on the United Nations climate summit, with noisy street theater and large marches that can be counted on to draw media attention and light up social media feeds. This year’s summit is in Egypt, where the government effectively bans public protests and has cracked down on political dissent. Small pop-up rallies have appeared briefly in U.N.-controlled areas. And the U.N. allowed a march of several hundred people on Nov. 12, 2022, but it had to be inside the conference venue. The Egyptian government agreed to arrange a designed protest space – but it’s several blocks away from where negotiators and heads of state are meeting, and is monitored by Egyptian security. Instead, activists have been working from the inside, and using audacious actions in their home countries, to draw public attention to the cause. Inside COP27, young activists like Luisa Neubauer spoke to the media to press their case. Photo by Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images I study the role of disruptive politics and social movements in climate policy and am in touch with activist groups at the summit. With governments slow to act on the rising climate risk, young activists in particular are growing in number and organizing globally over social media. They aren’t necessarily more aggressive than in the past, but they are finding creative ways to make their voices heard. A brief history of protest and division Environmental activist groups have always had differences of opinion on policies, different visions of the future and different approaches, from family-friendly actions to more radical and destructive acts. In the first part of the 20th century, the division was between preservationists, who wished to keep ecosystems pristine, wild and untarnished by humans, and conservationists, such as President Theodore Roosevelt, who believed natural resources should be extracted for human use but at a rate that would preserve them for future generations. Activists today use social media to reach a global audience. One young activist walks through some of the history of environmentalism. In the 1970s and 1980s, following the success of the first Earth Day and the signing of the landmark U.S. Clean Air and Clean Water acts, many environmental nonprofits professionalized. They invested time in lobbying, set up offices in Washington and began courting corporate partnerships. Other environmentalists accused them of selling out and called them “light greens,” or “shallow environmentalists.” From that mindset emerged “deep” or “radical” environmentalism, which argued that the only way to save the world from irreversible damage was to challenge political and economic systems rather than work from inside them. Groups like Earth First! embraced radical tactics, such as sabotaging oil pipelines and blocking logging forests. Earth Liberation Front went further, claiming several acts of arson in the 1990s. Tamer but more global protests today Recent years have seen an uptick again in confrontational actions that draw attention, like shutting off oil pipelines, staging standoffs to block oil infrastructure and throwing soup on multimillion-dollar paintings. But the movement is known better now for peaceful mass protests that draw hundreds of thousands of people with witty signs, theatrics and chanting. The rise of youth climate activism. What is unique today is the transnational character of environmental activism, and how young activists have become the face of the climate movement. Rather than “thinking globally, acting locally,” environmentalists have taken their fight worldwide, often coalescing around key events like U.N. climate summits. With the help of social media, their messaging quickly goes viral. Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg launched the global school strikes for climate, and within months had encouraged over a million schoolkids to walk out of class to demand action on climate change. Still, for every noisy protest, thousands of climate activists are busy quietly working behind the scenes, lobbying lawmakers, pressuring governments and industries with lawsuits and influencing international negotiations, especially during the U.N. conferences. Activism behind the scenes at COP27 While the U.N. climate conference in Egypt has meant fewer opportunities to demonstrate, activists are still making their voices heard. For example, members of the Climate Action Network, one of the largest global climate advocacy networks, get their messages to delegates inside the talks by writing white papers on technical aspects of the talks, offering sample text for consideration and publishing a daily newsletter geared toward negotiators called “The ECO.” The group, credited by scholars for influencing the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, is pushing for action this year on “loss and damage” – compensation for developing countries hit hard by climate change. From the inside and the outside, activists have been a major force in recent years in getting the world to adopt a 1.5 degree Celsius target for limiting global warming and introducing language on “climate justice” and human rights in the 2015 Paris Agreement. For groups of activists often fighting oppressive, hierarchical structures, the horizontal form of organizing, with fluidity and lack of structure, is the very ethos they are trying to emulate and support. So, looking at the young protesters throwing soup on a Van Gogh, given the lack of progress in nearly 30 years of global climate negotiations, broken promises on climate finance and the disinformation in some media coverage of climate change, more provocation may be exactly what is needed to draw attention to the problem. And so is the tough work you don’t see that’s influencing the negotiations. Words By Shannon Gibson Associate Professor of International Relations and Environmental Studies, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Special thanks to The Conversation for republishing permission.

Shortly before Lionel Messi took to the stage to lift up the World Cup trophy, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani put a black cloak, called a “bisht,” over the Argentinian soccer star’s shoulders. Images of Messi wrapped in black fabric, which might have been construed as obscuring his national jersey, caused confusion around the world. Many fans questioned why the Argentinian soccer star was shrouded in an Arabian cape, with some suggesting that it “ruined an iconic moment.” What is the bisht? And what is its significance? Argentina’s Lionel Messi is honored with a cloak prior to receiving the World Cup trophy at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, on Dec. 18, 2022. AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis A cloak for the ages As a scholar of Middle Eastern cultural traditions, I’m aware that the origins of the bisht date back to the fifth century B.C. It was initially used as a traveling coat to protect the skin of nomadic shepherds and Bedouins as they journeyed through different climates. The word itself derives from Persian and translates literally to “on one’s back.” Also called an “aba” in Arabic, the bisht is traditionally a long, hand-woven cloak made of camel hair and goat fur. Its fibers were specifically crafted for the harsh desert climates – both cold and warm. The process of spinning and weaving the fabric together – usually black, brown, beige or gray – makes it highly breathable. Over time, tailors began adding specialized trim to the cloth, such as hand-spun gold or silver. The trim, called “zari,” was crafted by mixing fine metals with silk to give it a lasting sheen. The zari was added to the outer portions to distinguish traveling cloaks from those to be worn by dignitaries or on special occasions. By the time of the Prophet Muhammad in the sixth century, soldiers and generals who performed well were shrouded with a bisht after battle in the conquests of the Persian and later Arab empires. The more transparent the fabric and more ornate the trim, the higher the honor. In countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar that were formed in the early 1900s, royalty and politicians, referred to as Al Malaki, frequently wore the more ornamented bisht. Culture and the meaning of style Today, there are many kinds and levels of the bisht, ranging in price from a few hundred to a few hundred thousand U.S. dollars. While the invention of the sewing machine facilitated the mass production of these cloaks, royalty, dignitaries and sheikhs wear only handmade, woven and trimmed bisht. Like fashion and outerwear around the world, Middle Eastern clothing such as the bisht or the traditional white robes worn by many Arabs in the Persian Gulf, called “dish dasha,” are a status symbol. For Qataris, shrouding Messi, the star of the FIFA World Cup, with their most honorific clothing was an opportunity to share their culture – and the geopolitical importance of the World Cup games – with the world. Words By Pardis Mahdavi Provost and Executive Vice President, The University of Montana. Special thanks to The Conversation for republishing permission.

For most college football coaches, the move from a mid-major conference to a Power Five conference would be met with widespread praise. Not so for Deion Sanders. Jackson State Tigers coach Deion Sanders greets right tackle Deontae Graham during the Cricket Celebration Bowl on Dec. 17, 2022. Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images When the Pro Football Hall of Famer announced he would be leaving Jackson State University, where he has coached the football team since 2020, to become head coach at the University of Colorado Boulder, many ardent fans and supporters reacted with dismay and disbelief – particularly his fans and supporters from the Black community. Jackson State is one of 107 historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs. Some HBCU alumni and supporters saw Sanders as betraying the cause of rejuvenating HBCU sports and returning them to a time when football greats such as Jerry Rice, Walter Payton and Steve McNair attended HBCUs as a stepping stone to professional stardom. Debates about whether he was a “sellout,” a “traitor” and a “hypocrite” quickly surfaced on social media and in major media outlets. As a scholar who specializes in Black culture, I was struck by the ways in which this Sanders story was tied to a concept I write about called clout-chasing. It’s a process in which cultural capital is harnessed on social media to attract media attention, likes, followers and fame. You’ll often see young people looking to launch careers as content creators described as clout chasers. Institutions, however, can also chase clout. And I saw Jackson State doing just that when it hired Deion Sanders. Black Schools Matter Over the past decade – after the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, the spread of national anthem protests and the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor – HBCUs have received more attention and investment as places for the revitalization and advancement of the Black community. In 2019, Black billionaire Robert Smith promised to pay the student loan debt of that year’s entire graduating class at Morehouse College. In the summer of 2021, the Department of Education awarded more than US$500 million in grants to HBCUs. Finally, President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan and other forms of pandemic relief have provided nearly $3.7 billion in relief funding to HBCUs. HBCU athletic departments have also received increased visibility. Though HBCU programs have always been overshadowed by schools in conferences like the Big Ten and SEC – what are known as Power Five conferences – HBCU sports have started to receive more national television coverage. Top recruits have started taking official visits to HBCUs as they weigh which school to commit to. In the summer of 2020, after star basketball recruit Makur Maker spurned offers from the University of Kentucky and UCLA to attend Howard University, The New York Times proclaimed that a movement of top Black athletes attending HBCUs was underway. A star with staying power Like many, I grew up watching Deion Sanders play professional football and baseball. I idolized him. He wore gold chains, danced his way to the end zone, wore expensive suits and – most importantly – he was a celebrity who fully embraced Black popular culture. He was also one of the first athletes to understand that he was a brand off the field. Over the course of 14 seasons, defensive back Deion Sanders was elected to eight Pro Bowls.Focus on Sport/Getty Images His appeal transcended race, gender and class, putting him in a rarefied group that includes Michael Jordan, Serena Williams and LeBron James. Even after his playing career ended in 2005, Sanders’ star never dimmed. He had his own reality show produced by Oprah, has served as a regular analyst on the NFL Network, and has acted as a pitchman for companies like Nike, Under Armour, American Airlines and Aflac. Sanders has also seamlessly adapted to the social media era, regularly posting videos on Instagram to an audience of 3 million followers. Simply put, he is still one of the most famous people in the world. Like his younger counterparts with huge online followings – digital natives like Odell Beckham Jr. and LaMelo Ball – Sanders possesses an immense amount of digital clout. Coach Prime joins the HBCU ranks I was hardly surprised when Sanders made a quick splash in Jackson. Fueled by the talents of his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and former top high school recruit Travis Hunter, Jackson State quickly attracted national attention as a HBCU powerhouse. After a COVID-shortened 2020 season, Sanders, whose players affectionately call him Coach Prime, led the school to two consecutive appearances at the Celebration Bowl, an annual game in which the champions of the two prominent HBCU conferences face off. While boosting Jackson State’s profile, Sanders also presented himself as someone scholars like Brandon J. Manning have termed a “race man,” or a loyal member of the Black race who dedicates their life to directly contributing to the betterment of Black people. Under the pretense of looking out for the future of HBCU athletics, Sanders said he would be better positioned than anybody to protect the legacy of HBCUs. Black student athletes, he argued, should choose to go to Jackson State because their association with him would not only give them clout, but also the kind of attention and encouragement that they could expect to receive from a Power Five program. Yet it was always going to be close to impossible to keep Sanders at Jackson State if he consistently won. Many suspected that Sanders eventually wanted to compete against top-tier programs like the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia. In fact, during an October 2022 interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Sanders talked openly about listening to offers from bigger schools. Despite these realities, many Black folk wanted to believe Sanders would be in it for the long haul. Now they’re dismayed, believing the momentum Sanders gave to HBCU athletics could come to a screeching halt. God changes his mind But unlike some prominent Black cultural critics who derided Sanders’ decision, I don’t think he’s a sellout. Jackson State was arguably chasing some clout of its own when it hired Deion in the first place. At the time, Sanders was a coach with no experience beyond the high school level. He did, however, have plenty of experience performing – and winning – in the brightest of spotlights. Jackson State probably knew that taking a flier on an untested celebrity coach would be worth it: It would attract attention and, with it, money. On the flip side, I also believe Sanders knew that he could build his coaching clout further at Jackson State by appealing to what sociologist Saida Grundy calls the Black respectability politics and Christian values of HBCU campuses. You could see this when he said that God told him “to even the playing field” for those who attend Black schools. It was a symbiotic arrangement all along: Sanders leveraged his clout to grow the program that embraced him, but he was also hoping to attract the attention of an even bigger program. I believe Sanders ultimately did more good than harm in terms of raising the profile of HBCU athletics. Furthermore, one person was never going to catapult HBCUs to the prominence of Power Five programs. Sanders is part of a bigger group of former professional players and coaches leading HBCU programs. Former NFL head coach Hue Jackson now heads the football program at Grambling State University; NFL Pro Bowler Eddie George currently mans the sidelines at Tennessee State University; and Olympic gold medalist Cynthia Cooper-Dyke coaches the women’s basketball team at Texas Southern University. If Sanders was a sellout, it was only in one sense: Jackson State football games routinely sold out during his tenure, shattering attendance records for the program. Words By Jabari M. Evans Assistant Professor of Race and Media, University of South Carolina. Special thanks to The Conversation for republishing permission.

The Citykids Foundation has partnered with Lincoln Road Business Improvement District to exhibit artist Keith Haring + City Kids “Speak on Liberty” artwork, a 90’x30’ banner that became the largest freestanding and most important piece ever created by Haring, as it engaged 1,000 CityKids in the artistic expression of what liberty and freedom meant to them. The banner will be showcased on the exterior of Lincoln Road’s 1111 building from November 28. 2022 through January 2023, and it has been previously exhibited in Milan, Paris, and New York City. Now - Jan 31, 2023 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM By ML Staff. Special thanks to Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau for content republishing and image.

Most newer sports are hybrids of older ones, and pickleball is no exception. The progeny of tennis, badminton and pingpong, pickleball is played by singles or doubles teams who hit a ball back and forth over a 3-foot-high net until one opponent commits a fault. For every headline about pickleball’s miraculous growth, you can also find stories about conflicts and infighting. Emilee Chinn/Getty Images In 1965, the inventors of pickleball played with what they had – a repurposed badminton setup, pingpong paddles and a perforated plastic ball. Today’s 4.8 million American pickleballers have much more to play with: In the U.S. there are 38,140 courts, 300 manufacturers of pickleball equipment and hundreds of grassroots clubs. There’s been a good amount of speculation about the explosion of pickleball’s popularity. But now the sport seems poised to burst into the mainstream, with Lebron James and other luminaries of the NBA and NFL recently announcing large investments in the professional circuit. Still, the young sport is not immune to growing pains. As I argue in my book “Emerging Sports as Social Movements,” the popularity of some fledgling sports may seem self-evident in splashy headlines. But their less visible social undercurrents ultimately shape whether they’ll continue to attract new players and fans. Pickleball’s feudal period For an organized sport to grow, it needs structure – a common set of rules, rankings, equipment standards, scheduled events and a sense of identity that can unite players and fans. At present, pickleball’s social fabric is spread thin and woven together by a network of competing interests. For every headline about pickleball’s miraculous growth you can also find stories about conflicts and infighting among various leagues and governing bodies, as well as between pickleballers and tennis players. The sport has three professional leagues battling for control of the pickleball kingdom. It has two international governing bodies: the International Federation of Pickleball and the World Pickleball Federation. The lesser lords of pickleball also feud with tennis players over dual-use courts and plans for expansion in public parks, with reports of “turf wars” and “a tug-of-war” between the two racket sports. “Picklebalkanization,” anyone? Internal squabbles are common in emerging sports movements. Cornhole, disc golf and esports, for instance, have faced similar challenges. In some cases, conflict can be a good thing. It may spur innovation. But it can also leave some would-be fans, sponsors and players wondering whom they should watch, invest in or play for. Compared with traditional racket sports, pickleball is less expensive, requires less space and may be more compatible with the aches and pains that come with age. And unlike other emerging sports, pickleball’s future seems bright. But for now it has more in common with French feudalism of the ninth century – when territorial disputes were commonplace – than a modern unified sport movement headed for the Olympics. Birds of a feather dink together If two strangers meet in a bar and happen to share an interest in pickleball, they won’t be strangers for long. Shared passion is the glue and fuel of emerging sports communities. But the human tendency to bond with those who are like us also poses a problem for sports seeking to achieve widespread popularity. Sociological studies show that our love of sameness partly explains why our groups and social networks tend to be homogeneous, such as male-dominated occupations, predominantly white community groups, and friendship circles united by a single religion. For grassroots sports, which spread through social networks, the sameness problem can limit growth by narrowing the flock to those with similar feathers. Pickleball seems to have more gender parity than other sports. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images Pickleball insiders like to talk about the sport’s relatively balanced gender ratio, which stands at roughly 60% to 70% men and 30% to 40% women. The newest professional league, Major League Pickleball, is promoting the sport through mixed-gender competitions, with teams comprising two men and two women – a unique format in the male-dominated world of pro sports. But grassroots sports sprout from the ground up, and long-term growth depends partly on the demographic diversity of core players. Pickleball may be trending younger, but one-third of its avid players are of retirement age. Roughly half the population of pickleball players probably saw the Apollo 11 moon landing. Calculating accurate statistics on niche communities is difficult, but based on my review of multiple academic and journalistic sources, pickleballers are predominantly older, white, affluent and suburban. For instance, two survey-based studies with large samples estimated the proportion of white players at 93.5% and 94.1%. Demographic homogeneity is a tough trend to buck. Of course, some sports, like golf and NASCAR, have expanded their reach without solving the sameness problem. But given the nation’s reckoning around race and gender, a successful push for greater diversity could be the one thing that separates pickleball from the crowd of dreamer upstarts. Will the revolution even need to be televised? That sports grow when mainstream media pay attention to them seems obvious. Increased media coverage from ESPN or CBS attracts more participants and consumers, enticing sponsors and fostering stronger sport institutions. Yet, as a growth strategy, buying airtime on ESPN – which sports like cornhole and ax throwing are doing – may provide little more than airy hope. As pickleball strives to expand its audience, it faces stiff competition from traditional sports brands like the NFL and NBA, as well as emerging brands like esports, mixed martial arts, disc golf, cornhole, drone racing, round net, darts and ax throwing. With so many options, some sports just won’t make it big. The history of emerging sports is filled with booms and busts. Interest in gambling sports like jai alai and horse racing has declined tremendously since the late 20th century ESPN’s X Games popularized alternative sports like skateboarding in the late 1990s, but some disciplines, like street luge, were left behind. Drop “poker” in a Google Trends search box and you’ll see that the Texas hold ‘em boom lasted for about three years, from 2004 to 2006. The next big thing in sports may not boom at all. Given that younger consumers are migrating to streaming services, the revolution may not be televised to a mass audience but instead will be streamed to die-hard fans. Niche sports like pickleball may have an advantage as sports spectatorship fragments. For small sports, a modest audience with slow but steady growth could be a recipe for sustainable success. There are numerous options for watching pickleball matches, such as YouTube channels, livestreams via Facebook, fuboTV, and some coverage on broadcast and cable channels, but demand for live coverage remains modest. Ultimately, with so many shiny new sports to choose from, the winners will be determined not by flashy media exposure or top-down commercial forces but rather by bottom-up community development. No matter how hot the publicity gets around pickleball, the consumer base for watching the sport will draw heavily on people who already love playing it. The love of any sport has roots in culture – not commerce. If pickleball lives up to the hype, it will do so on the backs of volunteers and grassroots organizers who can transform a loose network of casual players into an international community of pickleball fanatics. Words By Josh Woods Professor of Sociology, West Virginia University. Special thanks to The Conversation for republishing permission.

A hot toddy here, a work holiday party and Grandma’s famous sweet potatoes that you can not refuse - that’s what the holiday season is all about, but where does wellness come into play? A 2021 NAMI survey found that three out of five Americans feel the holidays negatively impact their mental health. Between family obligations and work events filling up the calendar, as well as the pressure to try as many foods and drinks as possible, it’s no wonder many people fall away from their health and wellness routines to meet holiday obligations. That does not have to be the case. At Crunch Fitness, we encourage people to set fitness goals, especially during the upcoming holiday season, so they have a better chance of staying in shape and maintaining their current fitness level. Adhering to fitness and wellness programmes also has a positive impact on mental health, especially during a time of year that can be very stressful for many people. People can take an hour or so each day to really invest in themselves, and that can be something different for everyone. Whether you work out, go for a jog, do Pilates, lift weights or treat yourself to a facial, focusing on self-care can do wonders during this time. As for actual fitness goals, they should always be reasonable, attainable and not too far-fetched. Instead of setting daunting goals during this time, such as losing 50 pounds or gaining massive amounts of muscle, I would suggest setting small, achievable goals that involve small steps toward a long-term goal. Remember that goals can change over time. So follow the “no judgments” philosophy encouraged by Crunch and be kind to yourself as you go through the holidays! When it comes to achieving those goals, find something you enjoy doing to make the process more enjoyable. Working out should be fun and exciting and never feel like a chore. In the fitness industry as a whole, and especially at a gym like Crunch Fitness, there really is something for everyone For the group fitness junkie, there are so many options. From Pilates to Barre to Zumba, the sky’s the limit. Those who excel with a trainer can focus on the specialties that appeal to them most, such as strength training, toning, flexibility or performance. Those who like to take their workouts into their own hands can go to the gym on their own and create the best possible experience for themselves So, the best thing you can do is give yourself a schedule for your wellness programme and make this a priority to stay engaged and committed. Fitness should be scheduled just like any other commitment. This can be as simple as putting a workout on the calendar, while for others it can mean working with someone who will hold them accountable. This could be a strength training session with friends, an appointment with a personal trainer, or a group fitness class with a favourite trainer - whichever route is chosen, keeping to the schedule is expected. To get even more specific: When you make a fitness plan, write it down, commit to it, and stick to it. People should do what is best for them to achieve those goals and stick to the schedule they have set for themselves. This can be a vision board, sticky notes on the refrigerator, or even using a smartphone to remind themselves. And most importantly, do not be sad if you do not exercise for a day or two. Remember, it’s all about prioritising your own holistic well-being and building habits to achieve long-term goals. Crunch Fitness - South Beach www.crunch.com/locations/south-beach 1259 Washington Avenue Miami Beach, FL 33139 +1 305-674-8222 Words from Carole Steinhauser, Operations Manager, Crunch South Beach

The Advisory Board of Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ NAF Academy of Hospitality & Tourism (AOHT) is delighted to announce that Steve Adkins, President of the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (MDGLCC) was named South Florida Tourism Professional of the Year at its Annual Awards Luncheon held December 15th at the Hyatt Regency Miami. More than 350 of the who’s who in the hospitality and tourism industry attended the highly anticipated event to benefit the AOHT work-based learning activities and scholarships for students and professional development for teachers. “It is a pleasure to recognize Steve Adkin’s many years of outstanding contributions to the AOHT, our hospitality and tourism industry and community,” said Wendy Kallergis, Chair of the AOHT Advisory Board and President & CEO of the Greater Miami & The Beaches Hotel Association. “An accomplished business and industry leader, Steve has dedicated his career to building business relationships, closing social gaps, working for equality, assisting the marginalized, and making the community a better place to live, work and play,” With professional roots in the banking industry, a move to Miami more than 20 years ago presented an opportunity for Adkins to take an active role in the hospitality and tourism industry as the owner of a Miami Beach bed and breakfast hotel. As a gay businessman, he became involved with the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. Several years later when the head of the organization stepped down, Adkins stepped into the position and found his calling. “I am honored to receive this prestigious award from such an important organization performing impactful educational work in an industry so vital to our community – hospitality,” said Adkins upon receiving the award. “As an organization focused on DEI, I/Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce appreciates how NAF AOHT curriculum and grants help students RISE to their ultimate potential. We stand with you as partners now and in the future.” Adkins’ business expertise and dedication to advocacy has garnered MDGLCC recognition as one of the most accomplished organizations of its kind in the country. Under his leadership, chamber membership grew twentyfold and through the MDGLCC Foundation, opened the first and only LGBTQ Visitor Center in the world on Miami Beach, which helped position Greater Miami and Miami Beach as a gay and lesbian friendly year-round destination. Adkins is the South Region Co-Chair of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce; Chairman of the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority; Board Member of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau; and Advisory Board member of Miami Beach Pride. Other distinguished nominees of this year’s South Florida Tourism Professional of the Year include Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) Senior Director of Partnership & Events Ali Bibeau; Hyatt Regency Miami General Manager Amir Blattner; Miami-Dade Aviation Department Director & Chief Executive Officer Ralph Cutié; and Miami-Dade County PortMiami Director & CEO Hydi Webb. The Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ AOHT is a member of the national non-profit organization NAF. There are 20 NAF programs in 17 Miami-Dade County public high schools. By ML Staff. Images Courtesy of Miami-Dade County Academy of Hospitality & Tourism

Miami is a bustling city known around the world for its beauty and diversity. It has been the setting for many big movies and TV series, which have helped bring in a ton of tourism. If you're coming to live in Miami, you are going to love it. However, figuring out where to stay is not easy. You want to rent an affordable place in a nice area, but rent is more expensive than ever. While far from the most expensive city in the US, prices are still above the national average. Depending on where you find a place, you may pay an even bigger premium. For this reason, finding an apartment in an up-and-coming neighborhood is an attractive proposition. These are areas which have not been traditional hubs for whatever reasons. There are some great neighborhoods you may not have considered that are seeing a renaissance. Are these neighborhoods safe? Up-and-coming neighborhoods may have higher crime rates than those which are already well-known. This may lead you to feel wary of these areas. However, the good news is that the crime rates in these neighborhoods are still low. For the most part, crime is going down throughout the country, even if we have seen a bit of a blip over the past couple of years. No neighborhood is entirely free from crime. This is why having renters insurance when renting in Miami is so important. You should also ask your landlord to install a good security system if there is not one already installed. Here are some of the best up-and-coming neighborhoods in Miami for 2023. Downtown Calling Downtown Miami an up-and-coming neighborhood might seem strange. After all, it is already a hub. However, until fairly recently, it was home to businesses only. Building codes did not allow for the construction of apartment blocks. A change in building codes has allowed the neighborhood to grow as a residential area. Downtown is the perfect district for young professionals. It is close to where many people work, allowing them to avoid the frequent Miami traffic jams. There is plenty to do, with many restaurants, shopping malls, and some great nightlife. Next to Downtown Miami is Brickell, which is also feeling the boom of new residential properties. These are both great neighborhoods to start renting in while prices are still relatively affordable. Little Havana. Image by Naomi Tamar Little Havana Little Havana came into being in the 1960s. It was where many Cubans settled after escaping Fidel Castro’s regime. However, you do not have to be Cuban to enjoy living in Little Havana. Still steeped in Latinx culture, the neighborhood is attracting more and more newcomers. A retinal unit in Little Havana will bring community with it, as well as access to vibrant culture. You can enjoy the best Cuban dishes at restaurants and even go dancing at local Salsa dancing clubs. Southwest Coconut Grove Coconut Grove is a beautiful area relatively far from the skyscrapers of Downtown. With tree-lined streets, it provides an idyllic home for many Miami families. The Southwest part of the neighborhood is becoming more residential, providing plenty of opportunity for new renters to find a place to stay. Don’t let that fool you into thinking there’s nothing to do. It is close to public transport, so the rest of the city is at your doorstep. Edgewater Love nature? Then Edgewater is perfect for you. This relatively hidden gem provides the perfect landscape for those who love hiking, picnicking, and walking their dogs. It is a very laid back neighborhood. While it’s not ideal for the type A personalities among us, those who love to live in the sunshine will enjoy every day in Edgewater. Flagami Flagami is a small neighborhood with the most affordable rent of any option on this list. It is great for singles and families alike – you'll find it to be a great school district but close enough to the city for those who want to have some fun. The Flagami community is close-knit, making it attractive to those who are particularly community-oriented. The above up-and-coming neighborhoods are perfect for renters in Miami who don’t have endless cash to spend. Choose the neighborhood that most appeals to your personality and your price range. By ML Staff. Images courtesy of Unsplash

VantaBlack’s To What Lengths is open now through January 20, 2023. In the exhibit, at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), the South Florida-based artist explores how ideas about legacy are woven into everyday actions by activating five palm trees on the MOCA Plaza with large-scale braids, adorned with beads, metal, and artificial sunflowers and gardenias. This event is free. Now - Jan 20, 2023 Special thanks to Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau for content republishing and image.

W Miami in partnership with local wellness and fitness businesses, is taking over 2023 and helping locals and visitors alike reset and renew with wellness and fitness events all month long. Guests can take in rooftop-breathtaking 360 views of Downtown Miami and unwind with classes hosted by local businesses including bootcamp and cardio kickboxing classes by CKO Kickboxing, yoga by SOL Yoga and Miami Retreats, BollyJazz with Pooja Uberoi, workout class by Brickell Babe Bible, and a ballet inspired fitness class by Ballet Flow. Activities will take place morning and evenings during weekdays and weekends, accommodating those jumping back into the work week. W Miami is kicking off January Reset month on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 10 a.m., with Sol Yoga’s Yoga Flow class perfect for all levels of yogis. Certain classes are free while others require payment to participate. SCHEDULE WHERE: W Miami 485 Brickell Ave, Miami, FL 33131 WHEN: SOL YOGA - Yoga Flow Saturday, January 7, 10 AM Free Brickell Babe Bible - Workout Class Sunday, January 8, 10:30 AM Free BollyJazz - Class instructed by Pooja Uberoi Friday, January 13, 6PM Free CKO BOXING - Bootcamp Thursday, January 19, 6:30 PM Free MIAMI RETREATS - Yoga class by Jessica Tulbure Wednesday, January 21 10 AM Free BollyJazz - Class instructed by Pooja Uberoi Sunday, January 22, 11AM Free CKO KICKBOXING - Cardio Kickboxing Class Wednesday, January 25, 6:30 PM Free CKO KICKBOXING - Cardio Kickboxing Class Thursday, January 26, 6:30 PM Free BALLET FLOW - Ballet Inspired Fitness Class January 28th, 10:30 AM $25, Ticket Link, HERE By ML Staff. Images Courtesy of Unsplash

Miami-based Limestone Asset Management, via a joint venture with Orion Real Estate Group, purchased / closed on Colonial Palms Plaza, located in the Pinecrest area at 13601–13621 S Dixie Highway, Miami, FL, 33176, for $70.5 million on Dec. 23, 2022. Limestone Asset Management invests in and acquires real estate properties over all asset classes throughout North America. The purchase reflects Limestone and Orion’s expansion in Pinecrest, a suburban village in Miami-Dade County, located south of downtown Miami and Miami International Airport. It is one of Florida’s most affluent neighborhoods. The 188,389-square-foot property encompasses seven buildings and 29 tenants, including Marshalls, HomeGoods, PetSmart, Old Navy, Party City, Five Below, Visionworks, CycleBar, Panera Bread, Miller’s Ale House, and more. “With the purchase of Colonial Palms Plaza, we are pleased to continue expanding our holdings in the upscale area of Pinecrest,” said Ibrahim Al-Rashid, chairman of Limestone Asset Management. “This purchase confirms our commitment to the South Dixie corridor.” Kevin Sanz, president of Orion Real Estate Group, led the buyer group, Orion Colonial Plaza LLC. “Colonial Palms Plaza is located in a strong submarket with incredibly high barriers to entry,” Sanz said. “This was an amazing execution by our team, and we are excited to acquire this high-performing center with a superior national tenant roster.” Eric Williams of JLL represented the seller, MetLife Investment Management. Goldman Sachs is providing financing for the purchase. In March 2021, Limestone and Orion closed on Pinecrest Town Center, approximately one mile away from Colonial Palms Plaza for $32 million. Located at 12651 South Dixie Highway, Pinecrest, FL 33156, Pinecrest Town Center is a mixed-use retail and office property. In September 2022, Limestone began a $4 million renovation of the property, with a slated completion date of Q2 2023. More than 101,670 residents, with an average household income of $149,442, reside within a 3-mile radius of the property. The average home listing price for Pinecrest/Palmetto Bay is $1 million+. With a high quality of life and vast acre lots, major business executives and professional athletes have long been attracted to Pinecrest with many new Florida residents flocking to the area since the COVID-19 pandemic. About Limestone Asset Management: Miami-based Limestone Asset Management was founded in 2010 and invests in and acquires real estate properties over all asset classes throughout North America. For more information, visit https://orionmiami.com/our-affiliates/. About Orion Real Estate Group: Orion Real Estate Group provides commercial real estate services to investment clients around the world. Since its founding in 1978, the firm has been involved in more than $4 billion in transactions and holds a portfolio exceeding $800 million. Its headquarters are located at 200 S. Biscayne Blvd, 7th floor, Miami, FL 33131. For more information, visit https://orionmiami.com/ or call (305) 278-8400 or 1-888-255-4502. Images courtesy of Limestone Asset Management