Grandkids

Barbara Streisand believes there’s a place for us.  A four-minute duet you might enjoy.

Peter (Paul-and-Mary) Yarrow believes kids can be taught to treat each other well.

His Operation Respect this week released a revised, refreshed Don’t Laugh at Me curriculum — entirely free.

Used in tens of thousands of schools around the world since its original publication in 2000, Don’t Laugh at Me has stood the test of time and its themes, activities and iconic music still resonate and inspire educators, school counselors, after care providers, camp counselors, youth ministers and all who work with children and young people.

From music to research, statistics to profiles of the schools and districts with which we work, we hope the new site offers support to those seeking a kinder, more respectful world for children.

If you don’t want your kid beating up on all the other kids — or one of them bullying yours — check it out.

Or maybe your kids are grown and — like Lesley Stahl — it’s now your grandkids that you dote over and fret about.  Her just-published Becoming Grandma is a labor of granny love — and #24 out of 2 million titles on Amazon.

So alert your grandkids’ school or summer camp to the availability of this free curriculum.  Couldn’t hurt.

And speaking of teaching kids to accept diversity, one of the grandmas Lesley Stahl profiles is my pal Babs Siperstein, fellow DNC Executive Committee Member, whose kids still call her Dad (she was Barry when they were born) and who is on the front lines of opening hearts and minds to this whole transgender thing that’s only lately begun terrifying the good people of Mississippi and North Carolina.

In fairness to them — and others, including me 10 or 20 years ago — let’s be honest: the T in LGBT does take some getting used to.  What doesn’t?  And yet once you do get to know folks like Babs, the fear often turns to empathy, respect, and friendship.

(Another of my trans friends, Diego, was Barney Frank’s aide-de-camp in Congress — a prince. A third, Martine, of whom I’ve written before, was America’s highest-paid female executive a couple of years ago.  Her company may save your life someday.  A fourth, Renee, pitched for my all-boys high school baseball team, caught for the football team, and captained the tennis team. Then captained the all-male Yale team and won the all-Navy tennis championship, as recounted here. I feel fortunate to have friends like these.)

So it is good timing that Science yesterday published, “For real this time: Talking to people about gay and transgender issues can change their prejudices.”

. . . In one of the strangest twists in social science history, their study shows that the canvassing strategy really can influence biases. “The data are solid and the analysis convincing,” says Gabriel Lenz, a political scientist at UC Berkeley. . . . The effect is “so large and enduring,” he says, “that many researchers will be skeptical.”

But he buys them.

Have a great weekend.

UPIP — I was just the tiniest bit early re-suggesting this at $10 Tuesday — it dropped 31% yesterday.  The company announced plans to sell its patent portfolio for $30 million, significantly less than we hoped it might one day win in court.  But between UPIP’s current cash, the cash they will receive from this sale, and the value Chris thinks can be realized from its $1.7 billion in net operating losses, the stock remains a good bet for money you can truly afford to lose. I’m buying more.