A few links:

• Anthony Mullen eats non-educators with only a paragraph and change. A must read for any and everyone. Another great Chris Lehmann forward. [Teacher Magazine]
• Immigration reform becomes more necessary as incidents like this keep happening. Immigration jails, no matter what you feel about them, need not be torture centers. It’s downright criminal. [The New York Times]
• A reality show here in the LES? Please no. Stop shooting now. Now. Now now now. [Gothamist]
• Now this is how you redesign a boarding pass. [PassFail]
• Kanye completely bites my idea. Again. [Rap Radar]
• When New Yorkers were told that they’re the most unhappy people in the entire country, New Yorkers didn’t smile. That’s for sure. [New York Mag / Intel]

As of late, I’ve had little to no drama with friends. Some may say that’s only attainable when you have no friends (I promise I do), but others may point to the company one keeps. Thus, as I’ve gotten older, it’s become easier to cut those off who try to outweigh my priorities.

In the same way, the things we do and the groups we associate with should be treated the same way. The organizations I’ve worked with just in the past week, whether in a leadership role or otherwise, align themselves with my core beliefs and reward me with opportunity. It’s not about the money; that’s what a job is for. It’s about the ability to help connect people with a greater purpose in some distinct arenas. When Media Make Change addresses the digital divide (one of the big reasons I graduated as a computer science major) or the Latino Alumni Network of Syracuse University focuses on retention of Latino students there, I’m there. When the Acentos Foundation invited me to be one of the first Acentos Fellows or MiBodegaOnline.com created this special video correspondent for me, I obliged. Because I don’t just believe in the immediate work I’m involved in, but in all the work done at the organization as a whole.

That’s important.

I say this only because oftentimes, I hear some of my friends complain about the company they keep, but don’t want to offend because they have some sort of connection, whether personal or business. I say quit it. If it’s not an imperative part of your livelihood, let it go. Early. It’s a little deeper than “if it doesn’t make dollars, it doesn’t make sense.” The people we’re associated with, whether friends, loved ones, or otherwise, represent us as much as we represent them.

The best thing anyone can say about anything they’re a part of is raising their hand and voting, “Yay.”

Jose, who’s 2 weeks away from the new …