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Meet the Creator of Kooli Randall Law

Austin Tang — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 17:29:10 +0000

Listen to “Meet the Creator of Kooli Randall Law” on Spreaker.

Randall Law

Is a creator in the truest sense of the word—someone who doesn’t just imagine what could be, but builds it for the people who need it most.

Born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, Randall’s journey blends creativity, purpose, and an unshakable commitment to legacy. He is the creator of the Kool World mascot, Kooli a character that has grown into a movement rooted in inclusion, confidence, and community pride.

Before Kooli ever stepped into the world, Randall’s creative path stretched across national platforms. His work includes appearances in national commercials and campaigns connected to Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, DrugFreeWorld.org, and multiple GOOD Magazine projects. Along the way, his impact and leadership earned him recognition such as the 2025 Excellence in Public Service Award, 2024 MILLSUMMIT Impact Award, 2023 DBT 40 Under 40, and the 2022 400 Years of African American History Commission Award. He is also a proud graduate of the prestigious James H. Gilliam Fellows Program through the Wilmington Urban League.

Today, Randall Law continues to lead with intention as a father, husband, entrepreneur, and sought-after motivational speaker. Through K-12 schools, special events, and community programs, he challenges young people including adults to dream bigger, think differently, and believe out loud.

His guiding motto says it all:

“Let’s make the world KOOL again.”

The Birth of Kooli: From Idea to Impact

The idea for Kooli didn’t start as a mascot, it started as a question.

While building his apparel brand Kool Kolored Kid Generation, Randall asked himself: What am I really trying to do?

The answer was simple, yet powerful: change the world.

In 2022, inspired by iconic character-driven brands and symbols that unite people across cultures, Randall began sketching a character. The early concept was influenced by classic cartoons like Bart Simpson, but the vision quickly evolved into something bigger—something global.

During a late-night brainstorming session, with music playing from one of his favorite artists, J. Cole, Randall heard the lyric “Cole World” from the song Who Dat. In that moment, it sounded like “Cool World.” That spark changed everything.

“Cool World” became Kool World—a name that aligned perfectly with Kool Kolored Kid Generation. Randall removed the head from the original sketch and replaced it with the Earth, symbolizing unity, diversity, and shared responsibility. He dressed the character in KKKG apparel, and for the first time, Kooli had an identity.

But the mission didn’t fully reveal itself until Randall visited Nemours Children’s Health after a back-to-school initiative. Inside the hospital, he noticed children who rarely, if ever, got the chance to leave. He walked away asking a new question:

How can I bring the joy, inspiration, and community impact from outside the walls—inside?

That moment turned courage into action. Randall pitched the idea of a purpose-driven mascot to Nemours—one designed to engage hospitals, schools, and community spaces while inspiring kids and families to believe in their own power to create change.

kooli is high fived as he enters.

Kooli Steps Into the World

On August 10, 2024, Kooli made his official debut at the 100 Pairs to Give x3 event at William Penn High School—standing tall in front of 400+ attendees, students from four school districts, families, and community leaders. Kooli was welcomed alongside other beloved mascots, marking the beginning of something historic.

Just months later, in December 2024, KKKG partnered with Main Event, Londyn’s Corner, and Ambitious Pathways to launch Kooli’s Corner Christmas Giveaway, serving 100 foster children and their families with unlimited games, food, gifts, and unforgettable memories.

In just one year, Kooli has appeared at 37 events and engaged more than 18,092 individuals—and the journey is only getting started.

Randall’s story and Kooli’s stand as proof that when creativity meets courage, and purpose meets action, joy can become a legacy that touches generations.

#RandallLaw #Kooli #KoolGeneration #KoolWorld

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Dr. David Weill, author of TELL ME I BELONG: A Journey Across Faiths and Generations (Union Square & Co.; December 9, 2025)

Austin Tang — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 14:29:38 +0000

Listen to “Dr. David Weill, author of TELL ME I BELONG: A Journey Across Faiths and Generations” on Spreaker.

“In this fascinating and personal book, Dr. David Weill takes us on a journey to understand his Jewish identity and heritage. It can be a guide for anyone who is searching for an elusive sense of belonging.”

—Walter Isaacson

A heartfelt memoir about the search for religion and identity

“I’m not Jewish.” For years, that’s what David Weill told anyone who asked about his religious background. Yes, his father was a Jew who had left Nazi Germany as a boy. But his mother was a Southern Baptist. Growing up in New Orleans, religion wasn’t something his family discussed, let alone practiced. As an adult, he developed a fervent zeal and profound devotion to his work as a specialist in organ transplants. Transplantation was all he needed to define and fulfill him—until a crisis shook him to the core.

As a boy, Weill’s only experience with religion was when he accompanied Deborah, the family’s domestic help and his second mother figure, to her all-Black Baptist church. As a young doctor, he fell in love with Jackie, a nurse from rural Iowa and a devout Catholic. Much to the chagrin of her parents, they were married in a Dallas hotel rather than a church. After settling in Palo Alto, close to Stanford University Medical Center where Weill headed the heart and lung transplant program, their two daughters were baptized and confirmed at a local Catholic church. When his oldest daughter, Hannah, was around ten and asked him why he never joined them at mass on Sundays, he told her, “I’m not Catholic.” She looked at him, brow furrowed, and raised a question that would prove to haunt him, “What are you then?”

TELL ME I BELONG follows David Weill’s search for the answer. In 2015, after the simultaneous unraveling of his carefully crafted career and the death of his father, Weill began to doubt everything, including his purpose in life. While grappling with emotional pain and sinking deeper into despair, he began to suffer perplexing physical symptoms. In his moment of crisis, he was seized by a strong desire to practice a formal religion. But for Weill, the real question was, Which religion? Eventually, he chose Catholicism and was baptized at age fifty. He found solace in heart-to-heart talks with a priest and his daughters’ happiness at having the whole family at church together. Everything was fine—until 2020, when he learned that his mother had converted to Judaism right before marrying his father. He was born a Jew. And in the eyes of the Jewish faith, he would always be Jewish. That realization sparked his second quest. In an interview, David can talk about:

· What drew his mother, a native of Selma, Alabama, to Judaism—partly because, to quote her, Jews “always seemed like such practical people,” and largely as a rejection of Baptists who preached love for all God’s children and practiced racism.

· His father’s complicated sense of being Jewish, which he viewed as a source of pride for its association with smart and successful people while remaining wary of being ostracized or stigmatized for the religion he was born into.

· His determination, with the help of investigators, to learn more about his grandfather’s time imprisoned in the Buchenwald concentration camp, and the role of his famous relative, the composer Kurt Weill, in orchestrating his family’s escape to the United States.

· His heart-wrenching trip to Berlin, accompanied by his daughter Hannah, to find his father’s first home, and the inner work of defining himself.

Ultimately, David Weill made peace with who he is and where he belongs. “I am not turning away from Catholicism as much as I am embracing Judaism, because it is mine, always was,” he reflects. “It just took me a while to get there.”

DAVID WEILL, MD, is theformer Director of the Center for Advanced Lung Diseases and the Lung and Heart-Lung Transplant Program at Stanford University Medical Center. A sought-after advisor to various transplant programs across the country, he also serves on the Board of TransMedics, a company focused on improving availability of donor organs. Dr. Weill has also served on several non-profit boards including the Tulane Medical School, Xavier University of Louisiana, SFJAZZ, the Isidore Newman School, the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) Foundation, NextGen Personal Finance, and the Bellevue Literary Review. Dr. Weill’s writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Salon, Newsweek, the Chicago Tribune, STAT, the Washington Post, The Hill, LitHub, Tablet, The Times of Israel, TODAY.com, and the Los Angeles Times. His previous books include the memoir Exhale: Hope, Healing, and Life in Transplant (2021) and a novel, All That Really Matters (2024). He lives in New Orleans. For more information, please visit davidweill.com.

Social Media:

https://www.instagram.com/davidweillmd/

https://www.facebook.com/david.weill/about/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidweillmd/

TELL ME I BELONG

A Journey Across Faiths and Generations

By David Weill

Publication date: December 9, 2025

ISBN: 978-1454961833; $24.99 Hardcover

Union Square & Co.

The post Dr. David Weill, author of TELL ME I BELONG: A Journey Across Faiths and Generations (Union Square & Co.; December 9, 2025) appeared first on Good News!.

FIVE EASY THESES: Commonsense Solutions to America’s Greatest Economic Challenges, by James M. Stone.

admin — Fri, 06 May 2016 15:49:23 +0000

“Five Easy Theses sets out key issues of public policy easy to identify in concept but long unresolved in practice, We ask:

• Why the U.S. needs to raise the age for social security benefits
• How mandatory military and social service could cut down on student loan debt
• Why regulating too-big-to-fail banks will stop damage to jobs and small businesses
• Why “Right to Die” is important for improving healthcare costs and efficiencies

“Five Easy Theses sets out key issues of public policy easy to identify in concept but long unresolved in practice. Stone proposes sensible approaches to breaking the long-standing political deadlock. The specific measures to deal with budgetary balance, income inequality, public education, healthcare, and financial reform should provide a guide for constructive debate as we choose our next president.”
— Paul A. Volcker, Chairman of the Federal Reserve (1979-1987)
Current Chairman of the Volcker Alliance

At a time of political gridlock in Washington, Americans are eager to end infighting and find solutions.

FIVE EASY THESES: Commonsense Solutions to America’s Greatest Economic Challenges, is an urgent call to action to all of us and our leaders to find solutions to five of our most pressing economic and domestic public policy issues: Fiscal Balance, Inequality, Healthcare, Education, and Financial Sector Reform.

Highly praised by leading authorities in each of these five areas and from both sides of the political aisle including Paul Volcker, Edward O. Wilson, Atul Gawande, FIVE EASY THESES relies on straightforward common sense to liberate the public discourse from partisanship and focus it instead on what might really work to solve the economic problems most directly impacting our lives today.
James M. Stone, the founder, Chairman and Chief Executive of the Plymouth Rock Group of companies, former Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner, and former Chairman and Commissioner of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, argues that it is time for the electorate to challenge the deadlocked status quo and pressure our political leaders in both parties to stop running away from the issues that really matter.

This book is not just for policy wonks but for anyone worried about their rising healthcare costs, the future of their Social Security and Medicare, the effectiveness of education to prepare their children, and how their prosperity might be affected by income inequality and recklessness in the financial sector.
In FIVE EASY THESES, Stone presents a researched analysis of each sector, offering the context needed to understand what got us to where we are, and proposes the potential solutions that will lead us on the right path. These include:

Fiscal Balance
Stone identifies the worst loopholes and sources of waste in today’s tax policy. The federal government should stop making commitments it has no plans to fund. This problem is most severe with respect to our Social Security promises to the next generation of elders. Congress should cease to offer expensive tax breaks that serve no useful policy purpose. The most wastefully extravagant of these tax expenditures is the deduction available to corporations and individuals for payment of interest on their debts. The Social Security system can be secured by ceasing to automatically expand benefits as life expectancies rise. The corporate and personal interest deduction should be flat-out repealed.

Income Inequality
The greatest threat to traditional American values today is the drift toward an aristocracy of wealth. It is harmful that the fruits of our recent economic growth have virtually all been taken by top 0.1% of the population. To remedy this, and restore the economic strength of the middle class while maintaining a safety net for those in need, we must take steps that may sound as radical as the income tax sounded a hundred years ago but are just as necessary. We must begin to tax unrealized gains resulting from investment asset appreciation, and we must stop cold the leakage from inheritance taxes brought about through trust loopholes and excessive exemptions.

Education
Our system of grade school education and our private-public balance of higher education are in need of major repair. The grade school curriculum is poorly serving those who will not be earning a four-year college degree. The costs of college are undermining the benefits of higher education to all but the wealthiest students. Our nation ranks no better than mediocre by international measures of educational attainment. A universal national service program would offer a powerful set of solutions to the educational shortcomings, while providing other social and economic benefits as an extra dividend. The book lays out an 8-point plan and a bold post-secondary program to make education more effective and affordable for both college-bound and work-bound young people.

Healthcare
The United States spends about 18 percent of its GNP on healthcare, while the rest of the developed world averages a little more than half that. Yet, our people experience worse health outcomes than those in other nations. The extra spending exceeds a trillion dollars a year, a vast amount you could put to many better uses. Only within the framework of a single-payer, single-negotiator, single-regulator system can we provide rationality, sensible incentives, and cost-effective administration. The gain to the public of a trillion dollars a year would be the largest available boost to the economy within reach today, and proper incentives would improve America’s health outcomes

Financial Sector Reform
With first-hand experience as a financial regulator, Stone shows how an out-of-control gargantuan banking, derivatives and hedge fund sector can be curbed to make finance serve, rather than dominate, America’s real commercial sector. The emergence of unmanageably large and complex banks whose failures would bring all of us down, the creation of hedge funds whose security and business practices remain beyond regulatory purview, and the rise of derivatives traded with nearly unlimited leverage, all contribute to the financial sector’s enrichment at the rest of the economy’s expense. The overall scale of the financial sector is out of proportion to its economic value. The current situation is at least as hazardous as before the crash. Banks should be downsized. Hedge funds should cease to exist outside of the successful and safe regulatory structure applied to mutual funds. And derivatives trading should be backed up by reserves that would reduce its volume to a tiny fraction of today’s unimaginable numbers.

While these theses are by no means “easy”, together they have the potential to break through political paralysis and transform the future prospects of America’s next generation. FIVE EASY THESES is the book that is needed now to inspire people on both sides of the political aisle to demand the solutions and leadership that it will take to set our country on the right path.

About the Author:
James (Jim) Stone is the founder, Chairman and CEO of the Plymouth Rock group of companies. He began his career by teaching economics, after earning a Ph.D. in economics at Harvard. He served as Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner from 1975 to 1979 and then as Chairman and Commissioner of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission for four years. On his return from Washington, he founded Plymouth Rock.

He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Boston Globe, and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Global Post, a web-based international news service. Jim is a member of the Board of Directors of two non-profit organizations, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Management Sciences for Health, for which he serves as Chairman of the Board. Jim has served as an advisor to governments in three developing countries, and he has authored a book and numerous articles on insurance and finance. Jim is married, the father of two children, and lives in Boston.

FIVE EASY THESES
Commonsense Solutions to America’s Greatest Economic Challenges
By James M. Stone

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FALL IN LOVE WITH TRAVEL: BUT DON’T FORGET TO PACK SOME COMMON SENSE!

admin — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 18:07:40 +0000

Summer may be over but a new season is here filled with new experiences……

What are the 2013 Fall travel trends?

Bike riding-winery tours and apple-picking through beautiful country roads or Leaf-Peeping (fall foliage) in the Northern Georgia Mountains or around the lakes of New Hampshire sounds awesome!! But don’t fall for the wrong deals!! And use common sense when mapping out the road ahead for a stress free travel experience!!

Stephanie Oswald, national travel expert and editor-in-chief of TravelGirl Magazine, is available for live interviews to sort through the best deals and the most satisfying experiences this Fall! She will discuss everything from best time for a Fall vacation, how to get the best deals, what items should be on your travel checklist, how to choose the best accommodations, ways to circumvent the latest challenges in Fall travel and the latest travel trends.

Stephanie is available to discuss:

• Do Your Research: planning a last minute trip means doing your homework This is a great time to travel as there are smaller crowds and deals to be had now that the summer family travel season has ended.

• Look out for deals: sign up for e-mail deals with your preferred airline Do your research online, but then call the hotel, resort or cruise line that you are interested in – they may have some really last minute specials that will make you even happier.

• Fall Travel Checklist Check the tourism board websites for cities or attractions near you — many have fall festivals that can make an autumn escape even greater!

* Road Trip Planning Tips: Before You Go and On The Road If you’re taking a road trip, plan for rush hours as you drive. Whenever possible, try to leave a little earlier or a little later than everyone else. If you have two drivers in your vehicle, pace yourselves (and your sleep schedule) so you can make better time.

• AAA, AARP and other travel sites have great advice for leaf-peeping destinations and ideas for fall travel. Make sure any clubs you belong to have your current information so that you receive any printable coupons or deal alerts.

• Be a healthy and smart traveler: Always pack a healthy snack such as a granola bar or dried fruits. When you’re at your destination, maintain healthy habits – just because you’re on holiday doesn’t mean the kids can fill up on sugar and soda pop. Stick with healthy juices and drink plenty of water.

• Find a fitness escape that travels with you. Whether it’s yoga, running, or swimming in a hotel pool, plan for time to keep your routine. And if you have special music that motives you, be sure it’s handy on your iPod.

MORE ABOUT STEPHANIE OSWALD:

As the Editor-in-Chief of travelgirl magazine, a Web Correspondent for The Weather Channel, and seasoned travel correspondent for CNN, she has reported on everything from stress-relieving spa treatments and unique escapes around the world to the human side of a hurricane. She is the co-founder of travelgirl — the first national travel magazine to launch after the events of 9/11. The travel and lifestyle publication was chosen by industry leader Mr. Magazine as one of the “most notable” launches of 2003. Oswald is a native New Yorker who spent 13 years globetrotting as CNN’s travel correspondent and host of the weekend program, CNN Travel Now. In 2003, she also launched a groundbreaking series called The Weather Channel Road Crew that showcased the “fun” side of weather. In 2004, she filed written and audio reports during Hurricanes Ivan and Jeanne as the very first Web Correspondent for Weather.com. As anchor and correspondent for CNN Travel Now, a weekly program on worldwide destinations, travel trends and cuisine, Oswald specialized in adventure travel, filing reports from Europe, South America, Asia and the Caribbean. One series took
her into the depths of Papua New Guinea for a rare and eye-opening look at the Huli Wigmen. Her reports also appeared on CNN Headline News, CNN in-flight programming for Delta Air Lines, CNN International and the CNN Airport Network. Immediately after 9/11, she filed human interest stories on the crisis for CNN, and covered the impact on the travel industry during live studio reports on CNN Headline News.

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Magisto Upgrades Artificial Intelligence Algorithm Introduces Emotion Sense Technology

admin — Mon, 01 Jul 2013 18:15:31 +0000

Technology Brings Human Emotion Into Video Stories; Helps The Movie ‘Make Itself’

New York City, NY, June 20, 2013—Today, Magisto introduced a new component of its patent-pending artificial intelligence technology that furthers its mission to forever improve the personal movie-making process: helping a movie ‘make itself.’

Based on the company’s proprietary artificial intelligence algorithm, Magisto’s Emotion Sense Technology (EST) is able to unlock the emotional power of video editing and production from any smartphone.

The camera phone first made its commercial debut in the mid 1990s. Today with more than a billion smartphones on the planet, myriad devices can shoot and disseminate video in increasingly sophisticated ways. Surprisingly, the actual process of editing and producing movies has changed relatively little since its inception in the early 1900s.

“After more than 100 years, video is fast becoming the most popular medium for chronicling and sharing everyday experiences,” said Oren Boiman, CEO and founder of Magisto. “Since few of us are born directors or movie producers, translating the true emotion of an experience into a movie is really hard. With Magisto’s Emotion Sense Technology, our users movies make themselves, breaking down an extremely sophisticated process into a few clicks, and turning average video into beautiful stories.”

The Magisto algorithm generates a mechanical understanding of what’s actually occurring within the scenes of a video. Using that understanding and minimal input from the user, Magisto adjusts its decision making parameters, altering edits, time warping actions, featuring audio and visual highlights and ultimately defining the arc of a storyline. It then ascribes the selected music and graphical theme for capturing and sharing the emotion in an instant; as easy as snapping a photo.

Over a six-month beta test, which included over 60 million videos, Magisto EST has become smarter, faster and more intuitive in analyzing, identifying and replicating a user’s intended mood. Magisto has been able to refine its artificial intelligence in part because it relies on relatively long-form video and multiple photos, which contain lots of information and inferred guidelines for movie making, unlike shorter, disposable, video that delivers one-dimensional vignettes from a single point in time.

In a recent Magisto poll, 81.8 percent of users agree that their recent Magisto videos match the emotion they intended to convey. Examples of videos that have been created with different mood filters and a video news release can be found here in the Magisto VNR.

Kicking off summer, Magisto also announced that it has added two new themes to its “emotion sensing” catalogue. These themes can assist creators in conveying the appropriate mood in their video stories. “Summer Party” and “Fourth of July” will help users set a hot and carefree tone for the summer. Now Magisto users can create movies from pictures and videos and accurately convey the emotions they feel.

About Magisto
Driven by artificial intelligence and simple user experience, Magisto is a cloud based service for creating and sharing professional quality personal movies. It automatically selects the most compelling moments and, like an expert video editor, weaves them together to convey a story with customized styles and music. Magisto can be used across iOS, Android and the Web, and is the highest-rated video creation app in Google Play and iOS App stores. www.magisto.com/about and
And www.magisto.com/how-it-works

The company is funded by Horizons Ventures and Magma Venture Partner and maintains its headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel with offices in New York and California. To learn more, visit http://www.magisto.com,

Find Magisto on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Magisto
Follow Magisto on Twitter @magisto

Media Contacts

Paula Batson
917 873-8294
batson.paula@gmail.com
@peebb

Leigh Anne Varney
Varney Business Communication
415.713.0713
la@varneybusiness.com
@lavarney

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