A World We Dare Imagine

A Foundation For The People

The Ariel Nassib Foundation for Basic Living Necessities and Education. I am passionate about the work that the foundation will do because it will provide people who do not have the basic necessities of life like food, water and shelter a solution were they will learn to sustain themselves and be given the opportunity to succeed and live their lives more comfortably. The organization is unique in that it will focus on poverty stricken groups to work together to help one another, which will help boost morale within communities. Groups will be given tasks and using he technique of separation of parts and specialization villages and communities can become more efficient. You will have farmers, home builders, care takers. The Foundation will help provide infrastructure and resources to get started as well as knowledge and education so that people in need will have the chance to learn the best way possible-- in a hands on environment. Anima Mundi Development Partners should support this organization because it will give people a way to become productive and produce to sustain themselves and the lives of people around them who are also in need.

Helping the World

I think that if I had all the money in the world I would focus on two main things. First I would try to give people who don't have the basic necessities of life, those necessary tools to survive. This would include water, food, and some type of shelter. After they have the tools needed to survive I would focus on teaching these less privileged people how to sustain themselves and also show them tools to help them learn more. I would like to give tools to people who want to learn more about careers. Give a child in Africa Internet connection so they can look up college/career opportunities once they have learned to read for example. People who have the urge to learn more should be given the opportunity to do so and I believe these people will make the most out of the tools and educations you give them.

New Favorite Pizza Place in La!

What Makes a Great Pizza?

The most important component of any pizza is the crust. First off, to even be considered in my top 5, the pizza must be thin crust. Thick crust pizza only guarantees you one thing—a bloated stomach. Creating a thin crust pizza is a science of delicate flavors, whereas thick pizza is geared towards people who are looking for some more bang for their buck, and in return are receiving a heavy disproportionate pie (not saying it can't be done correctly, just not my cup of tea). Now that size is out of the way there are a couple of different things you want to look for in your crust: texture and taste. Texture is key. You want your crust to have a crisp bite at the surface and a relatively chewy texture on the inside without being thick.  It’s not an easy dynamic to achieve but for the chefs who understand the science of making an artisan pie, that is just the beginning. Next you want to look for a distinct taste of crust that is not overpowered by the other components of the pizza and can stand on its own. Each master pizza chef has their own distinct flavor when it comes to their crust. The way they achieve this is determined by the kind of oven they use, the amount of yeast and other ingredients used in the dough, the aeration process of the dough and any seasonings they may use. A good crust should be able to hold all your toppings firmly (no droopiness) when you pick up your slice and not only act as the vehicle that transports your toppings from you plate to mouth but, also serve a purpose for the eater in terms of texture and taste. 

Last week I tried a new pizzeria in Beverly Hills called Upper Crust that just opened in Beverly Hills and was amazed at what I discovered. The pizza was unlike any other pizza place I have ever had in Los Angeles. It’s even comparable to pizza’s I have had in New York and Italy.

To be honest, Upper Crust is not a place I would normally walk into and try but a friend who knows his pizza recommended it. It doesn’t look like a place that produces great pizza by any means but, Wow! If you agree with me on what it takes to be considered a great pizza then definitely give this place a chance, it is incredible! Upper Crust redefines the way artisan pizza can me marketed and sold. Highly recommended.

http://www.theuppercrustpizzeria.com/locations/beverlyhills/

*I have no contact or affiliation with this company

Genius Post # 3

Money and the Meaning of Life

In an interview with Jacob Needleman, I learned his insights between the relationship of money and the meaning of life. Money may be one of the greatest influences throughout the course of ones life. For some it comes easy and for others it can be challenging to obtain. The key is to know you own personal views on money. How do you value money and how does it affect your behavior. Needleman proclaims that money cannot change who a person is. I am not sure if I agree with this statement but I agree with his point that a competitor will always try to compete the same way a nervous, stressed person will find reasons to worry about. In addition Needleman talks about how being wealthy does not make a person intelligent or smart in other areas. I agree with this statement but I think that people who are wealthy do have access to resources and people to better equip themselves with knowledge in other areas and subsequently giving them a major advantage. Lastly I agree that having money is not how success is measured rather one can measure success through other measures like how happy one is, and the kind actions of giving back to something bigger than yourself.

Genius Post #2 - Chapter 9

In the introduction, the author mentions three perspectives of financial transactions, which are faith, hope, and love, and he wishes to bring more consciousness to money and its uses to an evolving appreciative economy by letting people understand these qualities. One way the author uses to explain faith is by relating it to brand allegiance: if customer’s experience with the product confirms the promise of the brand, the product earns customer loyalty and makes itself a shopping habit of the customer. Loan transactions is another example: the lender look over borrower’s creditworthiness and financial history to establish enough faith for himself to make the decision, while borrower need a faith of himself to honor the loan commitment before he asks for the service. The author says hope is a future bearing since it processes over time and gift transaction, one example of transactions based upon hope, to charity is entirely future bearing because no one could expect what the outcomes of the charity activity are and what impact the activity sponsored by this gift could bring to the world.

I believe that faith, hope and love are 3 characteristics that exist in most transactions that take place in our daily lives, whether it be economical or not. Faith in regards to that the idea that you must have faith that what you are doing and where you are going in a given moment will end up okay. Hope that we need to look forward and believe we can be better and work towards a goal and love in the way that you must love who you are and the process of who you are becoming. All three characteristics are intertwined in our everyday lives both personally and economically.

When we take a deeper look at our economic life, the way we conduct financial transaction is similar to the way we look at our soul. By slowing down and think carefully, we recognize the deepest meanings of faith, hope, and love in financial transactions. This allows us to transform the way we look at our economic life and to conduct businesses with faith, hope, and love. “So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.”

The Genius Of Money

Chapter 7: Cyberbeg.com and Online Begging

In Chapter 7 of The Genius of Money we learn a little about the rich origins and history of begging. The author talks about the cross class interaction of giving money to a beggar and the associated benefits for both parties when a donation is made. From a beggars standpoint they receive a financial gift that they can use to better their quality of life, and from a donors point of view they are giving to the less needy.  It is a conscious self-imposed choice that leads one to the path of enlightenment. There is a sense of connection between you and the person you are donating to, even for a split second.

With the rise of new technology, specifically a website called Cyberbeg.com people can now go online to donate to your local homeless or beggar. This relatively new idea adds additional value for the common beggars as they can now be exposed to more people than they otherwise would begging on the streets, but it also grants them physical relief of having to stand in the streets and beg. They can go do something else with their time. For beggars perhaps this idea is a win, but the author discusses his experience with the site. Not only does he mention he wouldn’t want to visit such a site, which I completely agree with, but he talks about how he felt like a consumer rather than a donor when using the site. There was no spiritual connection or sense compassion when donating through an online portal.

What do you guys think, would it make a difference to you guys when you donate? Which do you prefer?

Chapter 15: The Transcendentalist and the Immigrant

In Chapter 15 we are introduced to two different approaches of money in America. The first are the views of Ralph Waldo Emerson who proposes that almost all people who are wealthy have that wealth because they inherited it and the wealth stays amongst the wealthy. He dislikes this idea and questions it. He believes that the wealthy are shaping the unequal distribution of wealth and that nobody should have the right. Emerson instructs the rich to channel their inner transcendentalist and help those who are less fortunate. His ideas would lead to the “evolution of public charities in America.

Different from Emerson, Eva Hoffman focuses on the relationship of money and people’s personal desires. She wonders if what people desire is actually what they want or a product of advertising and other social influences. She believes that desire is more heavily correlated to the worldly and material rather than the spiritual. Both Emerson and Hoffman discuss the difference between spiritual and materialistic and how one must channel their spiritual side to find deeper meaning. I think both Emerson and Hoffman have profound thoughts on the subject and offer interesting styles of delivering their message.

Greatest Board Game of All Time

Settler's of Catan: A Way to Exercise Strategic Thinking
Shabbat is a jewish tradition that takes place every Friday night. In my family Shabbat is a way for friends and family to spend time together after a long week. Being from a very large family with 18 first cousins, not everyone can always make it to our weekly Shabbat dinners, but we almost always have enough cousins to rally up and play a board game. In fact that is how we like to bond after Shabbat dinners. The game of choice-- you guessed it, Settlers of Catan.

How the Game Works- The Basic Premise

In Monopoly you use money to buy properties and charge rents. In Catan you have 5 resources (your money) that you use to build settlements and cities. Settlements and cities are how you gain more resources and victory points, which you need 10 of to win. This is what a regular board of 3-4 players looks like but there are also expansions that allow you to play with up to 8 players. Typically games last about 80 minutes.

Settlers of Catan 3-4 player board

Why is the game so great?!

It has an incredibly high replay value

One aspect of this game that sets it apart from most other board games like Monopoly of instance is that you can play the game thousands of times and no two boards will ever be the same. The way the board is set up is at complete random, and is completely different each time. This keeps the game fun and exciting even for those who have played many times in the past and is one of the top reasons its a winner at our Shabbats.

It is a very social game that requires a lot of interaction and negotiation

Another reason that we love to play this game at Shabbats is because in a large family of entrepreneurs, lawyers and businessmen it is extremely entertaining to watch the politician come out in all the cousins-- even the nice ones. Trading is one of the fundamental ways of winning this game which I will get into more in the next section, but for excitement purposes it really makes the game competitive and requires even the shy quite cousins break out of their shell. It's a great way to bond but can also be an easy way to make enemies. Either way it adds an aspect to the game that encourages interaction and communication, which makes people feel invested.

It is Monopoly on crack from a strategic standpoint 

The third dimension of this game that I love and arguably the best is that is it extremely strategic. Every piece, rule and resource in this game are calculated to the T. There is no rule in this game that doesn't have a strategic purpose. It is also an extremely economical game. In the beginning of the game you choose what resources you are able to collect which sets the tone for the rest of the game. Catan is a game of shortage and surplus, players can often create monopolies on certain resources, which only add to the intensity of the game.


Overall Settlers of Catan is a great board game that I highly recommend to anyone who considers themselves a strategic mind. Although I only briefly discussed the rules and strategy involved in winning and there are many more rules that you should read about before starting your first game. If interested you can purchase the game on Amazon for $40.