Education Day! While I still put up the good fight for the City of Rochester, the fact is my wife and I moved out of it last year. Reason number one had to do with the random gunshots a few doors down one night while we were asleep. The second reason was our first daughter was rapidly approaching kindergarten and I didn't want to send her to the City schools. Hypocritical? Sure, but it is what it is.
The day started off early with the class meeting at East High School on Main Street. Aside from going through the metal detectors on the way in, East reminded me of my own high school in Philly. Kind of dilapidated, with no warmth to make you feel welcome. "Institutional" is the best word I can think of to describe the feeling of the place. The class met in the library, which was closed to students for the day. At first I was a little concerned with this, but I did take note of the number of times someone tried to come in. I'll have to assume the single digit numbers were due to the student body being told in advance that the library was closed rather than the lack of interest in using it.
Dr. Rick DeJesus, VP of Student Affairs at St. John Fischer College opened the day by reminding us that solving the educational problem in our country is one that's been tackled, dropped, picked up, and dropped again by a myriad of people with no immediate success in sight. But, that we were to keep an open mind through our day and to take in all we could. He was followed by Patty Malieri, Chief of Staff for the RCSD. Instead of a talk, she lead a brief Q&A session. The Qs were fairly limited as I believe we were all feeling the need to move on to the next part of the day, school visits!
I should stop here and admit I have a bit of a bias for the first school we went to, The Harley School. My wife and I attended an open house there a few years back and fell in love with the place. As an artist, my wife was blown away by the facilities that were available to all students to take advantage of. As an engineer, I of course looked at the track record numbers of student success. :) We've discussed sending our daughters there, but alas the cost is far too prohibitive. Especially when you have to double it!
Our whole visit can best be summed up with two sentences: "WOW!" A short sentence, but it was heard a lot from those of us in the class. And, "every child should have the opportunity to attend a school like this". The latter was one of my classmates before even entered the building. Simply walking up to it, listening to the birds sing in the fields and the quiet ambiance of the grounds, is a visceral event. The school is housed in a former church, and the impression I had walking up to it during the day was "Cathedral of Education".
Inside, we were met by the Director of Admissions, Ivone Foisy and an elf. No, not a real elf. He was one of the teachers there. This was the day before their holiday break, and the school was allowing both students and staff to blow off some steam by taking it easy. Our elf and Ms. Foisy took us on a magical tour of their facility and it was nothing less than spectacular. The students could be found milling about the halls or in classrooms watching holiday movies, and the teachers and staff were all working actively to ensure the kids had a good day.
My favorite moments? First would be the art room. I imagined my daughters in there and the marvelous creations that would come from them. It's a beautiful two-story room, filled with supplies and workstations and...everything! They even have a glass blowing facility. Second to this would be encountering their "reading nook". Yes, they have a reading nook for the kids. It's just outside one of the libraries (ONE of the librarIES) tucked quietly under a set of stairs.
They have a reading nook.
Our tour actually ran quite a bit long as there's just so much to see and so many great programs and features to learn about. The pride the staff have in their school comes across clearly, and they spent a lot of time showing every amazing nook (not really continuing on that last paragraph there) and cranny. As such we had to be dragged from Harley to move on to our second school visit.
This one was to James Monroe High School on Alexander. I wrote four paragraphs on Harley. Don't expect as much gush here. After driving around the block a couple of times to find a place to park (apparently, there's only one spot dedicated for parents and other visitors), we found a spot on the street a few blocks away. On the way in, I happened to notice the nice playground area outside the school. I thought to myself how it was on par with the one I saw outside the Harley, and so I had hope. That's when one of my classmates decided to point it out and the incongruity of it being at a high school. I'll let you ponder for a moment.
Just like at East, we were greeted by a guard sitting next to a metal detector leading into the school. The principal apparently hadn't told anyone we were coming, so we had a few moments of confused reactions from staff until the principal came out to wrangle us. And, wrangle he did. After unchaining the doors, he lead us into the auditorium where he told us all about his accomplishments and the good work he had done at his previous school to turn it around. He told us about his childhood and growing up in, I believe, Brooklyn. We also got a good overview of how they came to find out the two now-racist murals on either side of the stage have been appraised at over a million dollars. Nice!
But, you say, what about the school itself? Sad to say, he never took us out of the auditorium. I don't know if it was a time constraint or not, but to be honest it felt more like he really didn't want to show us around. He did talk a little about the issues he faced there, such as the lack of parking. There was also the revelation that they have a large Latino community, and for whatever reason a large population of Latino girls who were pregnant or already had children. Thus, the playground. It was for the day care.
Having high notes to end our tours with, we headed back to East High for lunch and debrief where we learned the other teams experiences mirrored our own: the private and charter schools were doing well, the public ones, not so much. This wasn't a universal, but an obvious disparity.
After our debrief session, we got to participate in a panel discussion with students from all around the city. This was a VERY enlightening discussion, and it could again be summed up by describing two of the students. First was Denzel, a very (and justifiably) angry but extremely eloquent young man who related the horrors of attending Franklin High School. He waxed for quite some time, well past his allocated time, about what he faces. He described the uncaring attitude of staff and faculty who have basically labeled him a troubled student and locked him away in a cell disguised as a classroom. There, he's required to sit quietly and read the material he's given and nothing more. There's no challenge, no interest, no desire to help this young man succeed. When he was finished, I looked around the room in hopes that some higher-up from the RCSD had arrived early so I could challenge them to help this young man. No one deserves the life he's been dealt.
The second student was a young lady from a local Catholic, all-girls school. I apologize I didn't write her name down, but having spent the early part of my own academic career at a Catholic school she was fairly typical of students at private schools. I don't mean that in a bad way, she certainly was very smart and able to hold her own in the discussion. No, when it comes to this student, she essentially put the period on the sentence "every child should have the opportunity to attend a school like this". At one point in the discussions, Denzel was relating more of his trials and tribulations when she cut in and said "I don't understand how this can be? I mean, the biggest issue we have to contend with in my school right now is they just banned yoga pants!"
She stopped there, but it was obvious from her face that she got it. We all did. In fact, that's where I'm going to end the description of the day and take us right into the opinionated portion of the article. There were two more panel discussions afterward, but the disparity in our educational system revealed by The Crisis of the Yoga Pants really speaks more to the problem than anything else. Some people are given the opportunity to better themselves and prepare them for success. Others are dumped in a room and told to keep quiet until graduation. If they happen to learn anything along the way, it's most likely by accident. The dividing line seems to be drawn in right around the same spot as a person's net worth.
I should clarify that my intent is not to place all of the blame on the RCSD, either. Despite my getting into a brief shouting match with one of the superintendents over misunderstanding one of my questions, I fully understand what they're up against. As she pointed out, the RCSD has to pay for busing kids around the area. They also have to take in every student, which includes those with mental disabilities and problems, and care for and attempt to educate those students. They face a diminishing budget and a populace that can't or won't take the time to fully understand the issues. That's of course assuming they're even able to get access to the right information on which to base a decision. From what I gathered, it appears the school district is TRYING, but are hindered by costs and political crap.
I left this program day with my world view intact. However, I did find the scope of the issue to be so much larger than it was before today. You see, as a parent, I've got my own opinions on education. My view is the education of my children rests 100% on me (well, and my wife, of course). The teachers and schools are there to set the curricula and schedule. That's it. If my children, for example, somehow made it to the sixth grade without being able to read...the typical consensus is to blame the teachers and the school system that failed them. That may be politically expedient, but it really would have been ME that failed them. It's MY responsibility to ensure they're learning what they're supposed to. It's my responsibility for them to know what they're supposed to know when they're done with school.
But, politicians can't get on TV and say "we can't fix the education system until parents start taking the responsibility on themselves", can they? Of course not! Can you imagine the outrage that would erupt from a statement like that? So, the responsibility for the failure falls on the teachers and system. Perhaps if we tweaked this, pulled here, moved this over there and...oh, yeah, let's REALLY vilify the teachers! Hell, they have a union, that's pretty much the mark of Satan right there!
This isn't a "responsibility" thing, so all you neo-libertarians in the audience can stop jumping for joy. Let's face it, if you're a parent who is making minimum wage and working three jobs to put food on the table how are you supposed to spend hours every night checking your children's homework? Frankly, most people in that position are probably lacking in the educational experience themselves to ensure the kid's gotten it right. In other words, until we "fix" the poverty problem in our country the education issues aren't going anywhere. Study after study has confirmed that 80% of what determines a child's academic success is the level of parental involvement. With that 80% not being brought to the table, how do you make up the difference with the remaining 20%?
It's nice that we won't leave any child behind, despite the fact that legislation like that only ensures more do. And, those that do succeed don't know squat compared to those who were educated prior to its passing. This doesn't mean, though, that we ignore the obvious and glaring short-comings of our education system, but it means we start having a meaningful dialog that actually addresses the issues instead of what's politically expedient to blame.
It also means we leave the damn teachers alone until we've solved at least SOME of the actual issues that are out there. Good teachers can't thrive in an system that prevents them from educating their students. Kids can't be educated under a system more interested in testing the teachers than the students, and using the students as proxies to "get" the teachers. You can't put a pile of manure on top of a flower and then blame the flower for not smelling as good anymore. Until we get a handle on the system, there's no real way to distiguish the good teachers from the bad, and I admit there are bad teachers out there. Let's fix that, and stop with the blaming.
On a final note, I'd like to mention that I do have some serious problems with the educational system as a whole and the direction it's headed. The problems are fundamental to the fact that life in the 21st century is going to be dramatically different than life in any time prior in our history. Looking at current technologies, and those that are on the horizon, it's very easy to see that within the next 20 years you'll be able to get a chip implanted into your brain that will give you 24/7 access to the Internet. That changes the landscape of education away from reciation and regurgitation. When kids have instant access to all of the world's knowledge, expecting them to memorize it becomes superfluous.
As such, we need to modify how we educate to focus even more on experiential learning and critical thinking skills. Students need to be taught how to find the right information in a sea of conflicting viewpoints. They need to understand how to apply the knowledge they have. And, they need to be taught the emotional intelligence necessary to use that application for the greater good. No small undertaking, to be sure. But, if we're going to put the effort into redesigning an educational system shouldn't we do so to prepare for the future instead of trying to fix the past?
Monday, February 4, 2013
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Leadership Rochester: Program Day #2
As Program Day #3 is roaring into sight, I realized...oh, no! I never posted about last month's! So, let's get to it. Program Day #2 was called "Who takes care of whom?" and the basic premise is to introduce the class to the various social organizations in the Rochester area, what they do, what limitations they face, and the issues faced by those who need access to them. On the whole, it was a very enlightening day. One I think most folks would benefit by participating in.
The day started off early...WAY early! I had to meet up with the class at 5:45am. Did I mention I work the night shift until 10? Eek! But, we needed to meet that early as the first task of the day for each of the teams was to make breakfast for one of the homeless shelters in town. I should start by pointing out that each of our teams was given a list of food to procure not only for our breakfast, but also to ensure the shelters had some extra. I had managed to score two loaves of bread generously donated by Small World Food. (If you see them at the Rochester Public Market, make sure you mention LR gave 'em a shout-out and then buy yourself some of their amazing granola! I LOVE the maple cashew!) But, our class is fortunate to have someone who works at Wegmans and they ended up donating ALL of the food needed by ALL of the teams! (If you see them at the Rochester Public Market, ask them what the heck they're doing there). Way to go Wegmans!
After dispensing all of the food, my team set off for our destination: The Open Door Mission. On arrival, we were given a quick tour of the kitchen and set right to work. Everyone on our team jumped right in and worked their butts off to make a fantastic breakfast for everyone. Sam, who is a fireman, jumped right in to working the grill. The man knows how to feed a large number of men! I, with the help of one of my teammates, made the grits. I've had grits once or twice and like 'em, but I've never made them. I've certainly never made 2 gallons of them! Quite the learning experience for me.
The men started filing in as we were cooking and I was struck by the diversity. I had honestly expected what one would typically picture when you say "homeless man", but that image only matched a small number of those we served. The rest seemed like someone I might work with, or be neighbors with. Some of them were young, in their twenties, some not much older than that. There were a couple with obvious mental issues, that was clear, though. I didn't get the chance to sit and chat with any of them, though, as I was busy tending to my grits. They apparently require constant stirring...
As we were cleaning up breakfast, a fellow came in and sat down. The pots and pans were already away, so I went over and asked if I could make a plate up for him. He thanked me and I went back to the kitchen and started unwrapping. The mission admin, however, told us we couldn't serve him. They had rules, and the men needed to learn to follow them. He was late, he wasn't getting any food. A few minutes later, after speaking to the man, the admin came back in and said he'd explained it to him and he could now have some food. He wasn't going to let the guy go hungry, but wanted to make a point.
And, here's where it gets difficult for me. On one hand, I think I need to share my honest assessment of the day. On the other hand, my honest assessment will only make sense to some folks, and probably enrage the rest. But, if someone from the majority wants to give their assessment, I guess they can do that. I can only view the world through my own eyes and relate what I saw...
Here's my problem: as an atheist, I generally don't have issues with religious charities. Most charities do have some level of a religious background, but most also don't force it on either their guests or the people they serve. Open Door, however, is all about spreading the word of the Bible. Throughout the breakfast, a preacher spoke to them about accepting Jesus into their hearts and how that would make everything all right. Most of the men, though, either ignored him or walked away from him as he was talking. When the admin was explaining about the rules, he did talk about how he had men who'd lived there for 7-8 years. He admitted that was no longer a mission, it was enabling. I have to wonder how much quicker the men would make it out if they were actually provided something they could use here and now, and not simply be proselytized for solutions for the hereafter.
Keep in mind, this disparity only became crystal clear when we met up later in the day to debrief on our experiences. I believe our team was the only one that went to a primarily religious-backed organization, and the one thing that resonated in what they had to say about those other locations was the hope they felt from the people living there. Hope they'd get back on their feet. Hope they'd find a job. Hope they'd get their kids into a home. Hope was ubiquitous elsewhere. It caused me to be taken aback when I first heard someone mention the overwhelming feeling of hope. I experienced none of it at Open Door. Was hope absent because of the religiosity of the place? I guess I can't say with 100% certainty, but it seemed fairly obvious who was offering it and who wasn't.
After serving breakfast (and leaving a LOT of extra food behind), we headed to the Hillside Family of Agencies headquarters. I'd heard of Hillside before, who in Rochester hasn't? I know a couple of folks who have worked there, and have encoutered them regularly in my travels as TEDxRochester licensee. What I'd never done, however, was gone to their campus. And, when I say "campus", I mean CAMPUS! Wow, I never knew all of that was up there! It's like a mini-college campus up on the hill, tucked away out of sight. Promise, I'm done saying "campus" for at least a paragraph or two.
We met in one of the meeting halls to both debrief from our mornings as well as be broken up into new teams for our afternoon assignment which really was the "Who takes care of whom" portion of the day. Each team was given a small piece of paper with a scenario on it, and our job was to get assistance for the imaginary person in the scenario. We were challenged, however, to do so in an hour and fifteen minutes and we weren't allowed to use our smartphones as Internet devices. If we wanted to search, we could go to the library, just like someone who needed public assistance would need to do. You can just hear all the groans THAT limitation caused, can't you?
My team was tasked with a teen who was homeless. His mother had moved in with her aunt, but there wasn't enough room for the boy, so he was drifting around living with friends. The friends had suggested he apply for food stamps to help with food costs, but since he didn't have a permanent address or birth certificate, this would prove difficult. What do you do? What DO you do?
We decided immediately that we should hit the Brighton library first to gather information. But, on the way out, my team mate who was a police officer suggested we stop by The Center For Youth quickly since it was right around the corner. Okay, let's try that! We got there and explained our situation. The receptionist asked us to take a seat and she'd get someone for us. Minutes later, my friend from City Council, Elaine Spaull came out and greeted us all with a "what are you all doing here?!" Apparently, she knew almost every one of us. That's Elaine!
We chatted for a moment and then she pulled us into a room and gathered folks to help us out. She brought in two of her directors and we talked in detail about what the Center offered and how they could help. If, for example, this young man had come to them, they wouldn't stop at just getting his immediate needs filled. They'd help get him that birth certificate, they'd help him find a place to live, they'd take a fully holistic approach to taking care of his needs. "What if, however, he went first to DSS instead?" I asked. "They'd refer him to us." was the immediate reply. DSS has a relationship with the Center and would get him the help he needed through them.
Not bad, and with 35 minutes to spare! Someone suggested we not rush back, but bask in the glow of our success over a cup of coffee. We all agreed. :)
On returning to Hillside, I ran into another friend, Eric Wheeler. Eric was one of the first speakers at TEDxRochester when he was the curator of the International Center for the History of Electronic Gaming at The Strong. He's moved on since then and was now working at MCC helping returning veterans get their education going.
It turned out he was there for the next portion of our day, the debrief/panel discussion. Similar to last month's panel discussion, this panel was made up of a group of folks who all work in providing services to specific persons with needs. As mentioned, Eric Wheeler spoke about his advocacy for veterans in the upstate NY area. Perhaps the most interesting take away came from him. He explained that the Rochester area is one of the BEST places in the country to be a returning veteran due to the wealth of services offered. Glad to hear!
Also on board were two folks from different senior assistance programs (I misplaced their info and will update this with it later) and Chris Hilderbrant, COO of the Center for Disability Rights. Chris gave a talk about his life that was both moving and entertaining. Suffering a spinal cord injury at the age of 14, he recounted dealing with the lack of accessibility he's faced in his life and how he "accidentally" fell into leading the charge to change things.
The discussion group was interesting, but it was the findings of my class I was most interested in. All of the other teams ended up having to put in a lot more work than we did to get the results they needed. Most remembered to use 211 as a starting point to find services, though. I'm embarrassed that it never even crossed my mind as my wife and I spend a lot of time in local Goodwills, and that ad is constantly running through my head!
I'll spare you all the details, though, as I'm sure you're as exhausted reading all of this as I've become from typing it! The short of it is, if you're in need of accessing one of our social nets, it ain't easy. For example, almost every group expressed having discovered a "secret code word" that would direct them to the right assistance. If you didn't discover that code word, though, you spent a lot of time jumping from person to person explaining and re-explaining your needs and situation. One team member made the point that those in need, should they be in possession of a cell phone, could very quickly exhaust their monthly minutes on just one call into "the system".
So, what did I learn today? Honestly, there were a number of interesting tidbits here and there, but the day pretty much confirmed my view of public assistance and charity. The system is needlessly complex, and I believe that's entirely by design. There are those who believe we shouldn't provide any social assistance to anyone under any circumstances, even if it costs lives. By making the system too complex to navigate, I believe the hope is that those who don't REALLY need assistance will simply give up, get jobs and stop being lazy parasites (their opinions, not mine).
Or, there are those who believe that there are people who genuinely have need of assistance, but the system is too gummed up with people who don't need it and just want to scam the system for "their" money. A lot of the complexity comes from a need to excessively verify, re-verify, confirm, etc to ensure no one gets a single penny they don't need. Unfortunately, all of this additional scrutiny increases complexity which, by its nature, decreases efficiency and increases costs. It's ironic to note these types of people will scream bloody murder if you try to introduce legislation that curtails the illegal activities of businesses because that legislation would decrease their efficiency. An efficiency that was only gained by cutting corners and perhaps causing some people to suffer, mind you, but an efficiency nonetheless.
Certainly no immediate solutions to these problems present themselves, but I certainly wasn't expecting any after being immersed for only one day. I had hoped going into it that things weren't as bad as I thought, so it was disappointing to learn they are. The one positive I did find, though, was the people involved who dedicate their lives to trying to make things better for others, no matter how hard. It's their tireless devotion that's most inspiring!
The day started off early...WAY early! I had to meet up with the class at 5:45am. Did I mention I work the night shift until 10? Eek! But, we needed to meet that early as the first task of the day for each of the teams was to make breakfast for one of the homeless shelters in town. I should start by pointing out that each of our teams was given a list of food to procure not only for our breakfast, but also to ensure the shelters had some extra. I had managed to score two loaves of bread generously donated by Small World Food. (If you see them at the Rochester Public Market, make sure you mention LR gave 'em a shout-out and then buy yourself some of their amazing granola! I LOVE the maple cashew!) But, our class is fortunate to have someone who works at Wegmans and they ended up donating ALL of the food needed by ALL of the teams! (If you see them at the Rochester Public Market, ask them what the heck they're doing there). Way to go Wegmans!
After dispensing all of the food, my team set off for our destination: The Open Door Mission. On arrival, we were given a quick tour of the kitchen and set right to work. Everyone on our team jumped right in and worked their butts off to make a fantastic breakfast for everyone. Sam, who is a fireman, jumped right in to working the grill. The man knows how to feed a large number of men! I, with the help of one of my teammates, made the grits. I've had grits once or twice and like 'em, but I've never made them. I've certainly never made 2 gallons of them! Quite the learning experience for me.
The men started filing in as we were cooking and I was struck by the diversity. I had honestly expected what one would typically picture when you say "homeless man", but that image only matched a small number of those we served. The rest seemed like someone I might work with, or be neighbors with. Some of them were young, in their twenties, some not much older than that. There were a couple with obvious mental issues, that was clear, though. I didn't get the chance to sit and chat with any of them, though, as I was busy tending to my grits. They apparently require constant stirring...
As we were cleaning up breakfast, a fellow came in and sat down. The pots and pans were already away, so I went over and asked if I could make a plate up for him. He thanked me and I went back to the kitchen and started unwrapping. The mission admin, however, told us we couldn't serve him. They had rules, and the men needed to learn to follow them. He was late, he wasn't getting any food. A few minutes later, after speaking to the man, the admin came back in and said he'd explained it to him and he could now have some food. He wasn't going to let the guy go hungry, but wanted to make a point.
And, here's where it gets difficult for me. On one hand, I think I need to share my honest assessment of the day. On the other hand, my honest assessment will only make sense to some folks, and probably enrage the rest. But, if someone from the majority wants to give their assessment, I guess they can do that. I can only view the world through my own eyes and relate what I saw...
Here's my problem: as an atheist, I generally don't have issues with religious charities. Most charities do have some level of a religious background, but most also don't force it on either their guests or the people they serve. Open Door, however, is all about spreading the word of the Bible. Throughout the breakfast, a preacher spoke to them about accepting Jesus into their hearts and how that would make everything all right. Most of the men, though, either ignored him or walked away from him as he was talking. When the admin was explaining about the rules, he did talk about how he had men who'd lived there for 7-8 years. He admitted that was no longer a mission, it was enabling. I have to wonder how much quicker the men would make it out if they were actually provided something they could use here and now, and not simply be proselytized for solutions for the hereafter.
Keep in mind, this disparity only became crystal clear when we met up later in the day to debrief on our experiences. I believe our team was the only one that went to a primarily religious-backed organization, and the one thing that resonated in what they had to say about those other locations was the hope they felt from the people living there. Hope they'd get back on their feet. Hope they'd find a job. Hope they'd get their kids into a home. Hope was ubiquitous elsewhere. It caused me to be taken aback when I first heard someone mention the overwhelming feeling of hope. I experienced none of it at Open Door. Was hope absent because of the religiosity of the place? I guess I can't say with 100% certainty, but it seemed fairly obvious who was offering it and who wasn't.
After serving breakfast (and leaving a LOT of extra food behind), we headed to the Hillside Family of Agencies headquarters. I'd heard of Hillside before, who in Rochester hasn't? I know a couple of folks who have worked there, and have encoutered them regularly in my travels as TEDxRochester licensee. What I'd never done, however, was gone to their campus. And, when I say "campus", I mean CAMPUS! Wow, I never knew all of that was up there! It's like a mini-college campus up on the hill, tucked away out of sight. Promise, I'm done saying "campus" for at least a paragraph or two.
We met in one of the meeting halls to both debrief from our mornings as well as be broken up into new teams for our afternoon assignment which really was the "Who takes care of whom" portion of the day. Each team was given a small piece of paper with a scenario on it, and our job was to get assistance for the imaginary person in the scenario. We were challenged, however, to do so in an hour and fifteen minutes and we weren't allowed to use our smartphones as Internet devices. If we wanted to search, we could go to the library, just like someone who needed public assistance would need to do. You can just hear all the groans THAT limitation caused, can't you?
My team was tasked with a teen who was homeless. His mother had moved in with her aunt, but there wasn't enough room for the boy, so he was drifting around living with friends. The friends had suggested he apply for food stamps to help with food costs, but since he didn't have a permanent address or birth certificate, this would prove difficult. What do you do? What DO you do?
We decided immediately that we should hit the Brighton library first to gather information. But, on the way out, my team mate who was a police officer suggested we stop by The Center For Youth quickly since it was right around the corner. Okay, let's try that! We got there and explained our situation. The receptionist asked us to take a seat and she'd get someone for us. Minutes later, my friend from City Council, Elaine Spaull came out and greeted us all with a "what are you all doing here?!" Apparently, she knew almost every one of us. That's Elaine!
We chatted for a moment and then she pulled us into a room and gathered folks to help us out. She brought in two of her directors and we talked in detail about what the Center offered and how they could help. If, for example, this young man had come to them, they wouldn't stop at just getting his immediate needs filled. They'd help get him that birth certificate, they'd help him find a place to live, they'd take a fully holistic approach to taking care of his needs. "What if, however, he went first to DSS instead?" I asked. "They'd refer him to us." was the immediate reply. DSS has a relationship with the Center and would get him the help he needed through them.
Not bad, and with 35 minutes to spare! Someone suggested we not rush back, but bask in the glow of our success over a cup of coffee. We all agreed. :)
On returning to Hillside, I ran into another friend, Eric Wheeler. Eric was one of the first speakers at TEDxRochester when he was the curator of the International Center for the History of Electronic Gaming at The Strong. He's moved on since then and was now working at MCC helping returning veterans get their education going.
It turned out he was there for the next portion of our day, the debrief/panel discussion. Similar to last month's panel discussion, this panel was made up of a group of folks who all work in providing services to specific persons with needs. As mentioned, Eric Wheeler spoke about his advocacy for veterans in the upstate NY area. Perhaps the most interesting take away came from him. He explained that the Rochester area is one of the BEST places in the country to be a returning veteran due to the wealth of services offered. Glad to hear!
Also on board were two folks from different senior assistance programs (I misplaced their info and will update this with it later) and Chris Hilderbrant, COO of the Center for Disability Rights. Chris gave a talk about his life that was both moving and entertaining. Suffering a spinal cord injury at the age of 14, he recounted dealing with the lack of accessibility he's faced in his life and how he "accidentally" fell into leading the charge to change things.
The discussion group was interesting, but it was the findings of my class I was most interested in. All of the other teams ended up having to put in a lot more work than we did to get the results they needed. Most remembered to use 211 as a starting point to find services, though. I'm embarrassed that it never even crossed my mind as my wife and I spend a lot of time in local Goodwills, and that ad is constantly running through my head!
I'll spare you all the details, though, as I'm sure you're as exhausted reading all of this as I've become from typing it! The short of it is, if you're in need of accessing one of our social nets, it ain't easy. For example, almost every group expressed having discovered a "secret code word" that would direct them to the right assistance. If you didn't discover that code word, though, you spent a lot of time jumping from person to person explaining and re-explaining your needs and situation. One team member made the point that those in need, should they be in possession of a cell phone, could very quickly exhaust their monthly minutes on just one call into "the system".
So, what did I learn today? Honestly, there were a number of interesting tidbits here and there, but the day pretty much confirmed my view of public assistance and charity. The system is needlessly complex, and I believe that's entirely by design. There are those who believe we shouldn't provide any social assistance to anyone under any circumstances, even if it costs lives. By making the system too complex to navigate, I believe the hope is that those who don't REALLY need assistance will simply give up, get jobs and stop being lazy parasites (their opinions, not mine).
Or, there are those who believe that there are people who genuinely have need of assistance, but the system is too gummed up with people who don't need it and just want to scam the system for "their" money. A lot of the complexity comes from a need to excessively verify, re-verify, confirm, etc to ensure no one gets a single penny they don't need. Unfortunately, all of this additional scrutiny increases complexity which, by its nature, decreases efficiency and increases costs. It's ironic to note these types of people will scream bloody murder if you try to introduce legislation that curtails the illegal activities of businesses because that legislation would decrease their efficiency. An efficiency that was only gained by cutting corners and perhaps causing some people to suffer, mind you, but an efficiency nonetheless.
Certainly no immediate solutions to these problems present themselves, but I certainly wasn't expecting any after being immersed for only one day. I had hoped going into it that things weren't as bad as I thought, so it was disappointing to learn they are. The one positive I did find, though, was the people involved who dedicate their lives to trying to make things better for others, no matter how hard. It's their tireless devotion that's most inspiring!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Send Ryan to Europe!
A few weeks ago, my friend Dave asked me to write a recommendation for his son, Ryan. Ryan had applied to be part of the People to People Student Ambassador Program. For some reason, he thought one coming from me would carry some value. Fortunately for Ryan, that plan didn't backfire. :)
I think the best way to sum up would be to simply share my recommendation letter with you:
It is my pleasure to recommend Ryan to your program. When I was asked, I was honored to write this letter for him. But, the reality is anyone who knows Ryan would write you something similar.
I met Ryan approximately 7 years ago, and was immediately impressed with his very high level of intelligence. He was only 6 or 7 at the time, but he handled himself very maturely and was able to participate in conversations fluidly and cogently even at that time. I left that first meeting with him thinking "that kid's going to do some great things!"
As I've watched him grow, he's matured into a fine young man who is inquisitive and talented. His level of empathy and leadership has truly shown since the birth of his younger brother, whom he very patiently teaches and works with regularly. I have no doubt that, thanks to Ryan's mentorship, I will one day be writing a similar letter for little Daniel.
Since I became the licensee for TEDxRochester, Ryan's father has brought him to every event. One would think a 12 year old boy (as he was at the time of the first event) would be uncomfortable in such an environment, surrounded by nothing but adults. But, not Ryan. He thought nothing of walking up to City Council members, business leaders, community leaders, researchers, etc and just struck up conversations left and right. After every event, I always get numerous people asking me "who was that kid?"
In closing, as much as I believe Ryan will benefit from being a part of your program, I also believe the program will benefit from having him.
The reason for this post is that we're now at the hard part...raising funds. Ryan needs about $7000 to make this dream come true and I'd like to see that happen. I know all too well the horrors of fundraising and so am reaching out to my community of friends and partners to assist. This first fundraising, though is an easy one: he's asking folks to donate their returnable bottles and cans and he'll use the funds from that. If you're willing to donate, message me privately and we'll work out the logistics.
Thank you!
I think the best way to sum up would be to simply share my recommendation letter with you:
It is my pleasure to recommend Ryan to your program. When I was asked, I was honored to write this letter for him. But, the reality is anyone who knows Ryan would write you something similar.
I met Ryan approximately 7 years ago, and was immediately impressed with his very high level of intelligence. He was only 6 or 7 at the time, but he handled himself very maturely and was able to participate in conversations fluidly and cogently even at that time. I left that first meeting with him thinking "that kid's going to do some great things!"
As I've watched him grow, he's matured into a fine young man who is inquisitive and talented. His level of empathy and leadership has truly shown since the birth of his younger brother, whom he very patiently teaches and works with regularly. I have no doubt that, thanks to Ryan's mentorship, I will one day be writing a similar letter for little Daniel.
Since I became the licensee for TEDxRochester, Ryan's father has brought him to every event. One would think a 12 year old boy (as he was at the time of the first event) would be uncomfortable in such an environment, surrounded by nothing but adults. But, not Ryan. He thought nothing of walking up to City Council members, business leaders, community leaders, researchers, etc and just struck up conversations left and right. After every event, I always get numerous people asking me "who was that kid?"
In closing, as much as I believe Ryan will benefit from being a part of your program, I also believe the program will benefit from having him.
The reason for this post is that we're now at the hard part...raising funds. Ryan needs about $7000 to make this dream come true and I'd like to see that happen. I know all too well the horrors of fundraising and so am reaching out to my community of friends and partners to assist. This first fundraising, though is an easy one: he's asking folks to donate their returnable bottles and cans and he'll use the funds from that. If you're willing to donate, message me privately and we'll work out the logistics.
Thank you!
Monday, November 19, 2012
The Irresistible Ingress
I first stumbled upon the cancerous conspiracy when a baneful video overtook my browsing feed. It was a communication, but it wasn't for me. It spoke of a detestable malevolence that was being unleashed on our world and of those who were conspiring with it. It also made mention of those who were raising their fists in defiance of whatever cackling, squamous fiends were seeking entrance to our world, but only in passing.
Within moments, I started my research. What a fool I was! Since it concerned eldritch terrors beyond our comprehension, I started of course with Necronom.com. I won't go into how I was granted a login to that dread site. Suffice it to say my college years were a time of degenerate experimentation, and better consigned to the dusty, far reaches of my memory. The only evidence of the foul acts I committed in my quest for hidden lore remain within the jabbering chaos that comprise my dreams.
Alas, that accursed digital tome was of no value to my search! Oh, how I wish I was possessed of greater alacrity and could have recorded that feed. Even now, it fades from my mind like some living thing making recollection of its secrets harder and harder to achieve. Of this, I am certain; the dread symbol I saw within was unlike any charm I've ever laid eyes on. It was not the Elder Sign, or any of its ken, but the angles within angles seemed... familiar, but still alien. And, for one who has researched the darkest of knowledge, that is saying much.
My research, however, did uncover one name: Brandon Badger. As ever a contrived nom de plume as ever I'd heard, but it was the only lead I had. I tracked him to the Niantic Project, although that proved to be a dead end as well. No record in any registry I could find, not even an address! The unctuous marketing drivel that was their website left me, in a way, with even less insight than I had before visiting it. The remorseless, conscious thing behind that vague prose was obviously adept at obfuscation.
These failures, however, only fueled my desire to delve into deeper and more obscene fathomage. It was far too easy to find this scant information, and experience has taught that when one finds the first breadcrumbs that the destination is worth finding the rest of the path. So, oblivious to my better judgement, I began scouring the more aphotic reaches of the Internet. Chat room after chat room, dread forum after dread forum, my persistence lead me nowhere except deeper into repugnant frustration.
It was only then that the frighteningly malevolent implications of this connivance began to dawn on me. Even Google, in its acumen and knowledge, seems to have not eluded without taint. Every search either lead to no new insight or worse...to some aberrantly-bestial carnality for which no appropriate age limit could be applied to spare the hapless viewer from permanent scarring.
Thus, this missive. No matter how obsequious in my tenebrous investigation I was, I gleaned no more trace of Niantic or this Badger personage. Whatever conformation their apparently many-tentacled organization takes, it remains adroitly concealed. Ingress to their shadowy coterie can only be secured by parlaying according to their precepts. By placing this document unconcealed on the Internet, I am declaring my intendment to engage in their sacrilegious pursuit. I am powerless to resist my own cupidity for obscene enlightenment.
If my countenance be forever lost to this world, tell my wife and daughters that I loved them. If I am successful, my remaining time will not be my own.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Leadership Rochester: Program Day #1
It's been a while since I've had a chance to really update this blog, and those who know me know why; involved in far too much stuff! Most recently, I've been accepted into the 2013 class of Leadership Rochester. This group takes local leaders and introduces them to not only the problems facing our area in a personal way, but also introduces them to those in the community who are working to make things better. The class is made up of a two day retreat wherein you spend the first day meeting your fellow classmates and then spend the second day participating in a simulated society exercise. After, one day a month is spent engaged in community issues and solutions.
I'm not going to tell anything about that second day of the retreat, as it should remain a surprise to everyone who has the opportunity to attend!
So, instead, I'll tell you about the first program day, Getting Grounded. The class was divided up into multiple teams who each took different routes around the city to get a better picture of our community. My team scored the City's Sectors 4 & 5, which comprise a significant portion of the 19th Ward (where I lived for 15 years) and the entirety of the Inner Loop. We started the day meeting up at the Downtown Presbyterian Church . We were given our driving directions for the day and then let loose onto the City!
Our first task was to stop and check out some new, very expensive homes being built downtown. These homes are located near the Plymouth Avenue area inside the loop and will be going for upwards of $250,000. Not a small chunk of change for the area they're in! The idea, I believe, in pointing these out was to showcase how there is an uptick in the number of people moving back into the City each year. They're not moving into cheap homes, though.
From there, we took a brief driving tour of the Corn Hill section of town. Although I've driven past it a thousand times, and have eaten at the restaurants in Corn Hill Landing dozens of times, I never really took the time to head back behind Nathaniel's to see what was back there. Turns out, that's a shame as there are some truly beautiful streets with amazing and diverse architecture!
Once we'd completed our circuit, we headed back downtown to get to our next stop, the Rundel Library, to meet up with city planner, Tom Hack. I'm ashamed to admit that having lived in Rochester for 18 years, I'd never actually stepped foot into the Rundel. But, then, since I'm a seriously digital-type person, I honestly haven't spent much time in libraries, period, over the last 20-25 years. I'm glad we had to stop in because the Rundel is a beautiful building!
And, what brought us to the library? Well, Tom Hack, as I said! He spent a goodly amount of time chatting with us about plans that are in the pipeline and wishlist for the City. He explained about the "watering" of Broad Street, which would essentially close off that street in a way that pays homage to the fact that it was once part of the Erie Canal. I'd heard about this plan before and always thought it was a stupid idea, but after seeing the full presentation, I'm VERY impressed! It really fits in with the RocCity 2.0 walkable downtown concepts!
Was that the only reason we were meeting up with Tom? Nope. Tom was also there to take us into...the subway tunnels!! For those who don't know, Rochester once had a subway, but it's been abandoned for about 60 years. I'll spare you the background, though. TEDxRochester 2012 speaker, Mike Governdale does a much better job of it on his blog, RochesterSubway.com. I've been wanting to get down into the tunnels for quite some time, so I was stoked when I found out my team would get that opportunity!
It lived up to expectations, too. I know it sounds stupid, but you have to understand that I rode the subway in Philadelphia every day when I was in high school. I never got the opportunity to see anything beyond the platforms and what flashed by as we zipped through the tunnels. I knew it was just going to be a dank, dark hole in the ground, but nonetheless I was glad to have finally gotten the chance. The first thing I noticed? A whole lot bigger than I'd thought! I've seen pics others have taken, but they're typically just of the Broad Street tunnel. There's so much more beyond that, and it was just creepy and cold and oh so neat.
The second thing, which was impossible to overlook, was the graffiti art everywhere. According to Tom, it changes from week to week, yet they've never actually seen anyone in there doing it. Each artist apparently gets a section to work on, and it appears almost as if there's a competition going on down there. Apparently, there's also folks who live in some parts, but we didn't get to meet any of those... :)
After leaving Tom, we continued on our tour. This time, we focused on the 19th Ward. We headed over to the Clara Barton school #2 where we met up with folks from Rochester Roots, a group that works with kids from the schools to farm fresh vegetables which are then sold at the St. Mary's public market. We got a tour of their facilities and greenhouse, but the real point of directing us here was to see the disparity in living conditions between here and Corn Hill just a short jaunt away on the other side of Ford Street. One really gets a sense of what the Occupy movement was about when you get dropped right into the midst of it all.
We then drove to the Boulder Coffee on Genesee Street to meet up with one of the directors of the 19th Ward Community Association. We chatted for a bit about what they're doing to increase the economic potential of that area, including getting the Brooks Landing project approved, funded and built. This has been a great boon to this community as it's driven money into a neighborhood that desperately needed it and the transformation is spectacular. We toured the area around the Staybridge Suites hotel which is just a gorgeous place to spend time.
From there we headed to lunch at Deli Sandros, a new deli representative of the revitalization of that community. Wonderful food, and if you get there an the Buffalo mac & cheese in on the menu that day, do NOT skip it!
At this point, we were WAAAY behind on schedule and so had to zip through the remainder of what we were supposed to see. But, on the whole, I think we got the point...there's a huge disparity in how people live in Rochester, but there's a lot of change happening that should lead to better things. We headed back to the church where we were greeted by a panel of community leaders. Each team then took a few minutes to create a presentation of what they experienced, and every one was so varied from every other. I think the one that was most interesting was the one that headed to Pittsford. Their tour started out visiting a trailer park! In Pittsford!
I learned a lot about our area in that fast-paced day, and have gained further appreciation of the hard working folks who are putting in the effort every day to make a difference in their community. I'm inspired by people like that, I suppose that has something to do with my doing TEDxRochester, and it energizes me to know there's so many people working to make Rochester a better place.
Tomorrow is program day #2: "Who takes care of whom", and about all I know is I'll be at the Open Door Mission at about 6am. So, that means coffee is #1 on the agenda!
I'm not going to tell anything about that second day of the retreat, as it should remain a surprise to everyone who has the opportunity to attend!
So, instead, I'll tell you about the first program day, Getting Grounded. The class was divided up into multiple teams who each took different routes around the city to get a better picture of our community. My team scored the City's Sectors 4 & 5, which comprise a significant portion of the 19th Ward (where I lived for 15 years) and the entirety of the Inner Loop. We started the day meeting up at the Downtown Presbyterian Church . We were given our driving directions for the day and then let loose onto the City!
Our first task was to stop and check out some new, very expensive homes being built downtown. These homes are located near the Plymouth Avenue area inside the loop and will be going for upwards of $250,000. Not a small chunk of change for the area they're in! The idea, I believe, in pointing these out was to showcase how there is an uptick in the number of people moving back into the City each year. They're not moving into cheap homes, though.
From there, we took a brief driving tour of the Corn Hill section of town. Although I've driven past it a thousand times, and have eaten at the restaurants in Corn Hill Landing dozens of times, I never really took the time to head back behind Nathaniel's to see what was back there. Turns out, that's a shame as there are some truly beautiful streets with amazing and diverse architecture!
Once we'd completed our circuit, we headed back downtown to get to our next stop, the Rundel Library, to meet up with city planner, Tom Hack. I'm ashamed to admit that having lived in Rochester for 18 years, I'd never actually stepped foot into the Rundel. But, then, since I'm a seriously digital-type person, I honestly haven't spent much time in libraries, period, over the last 20-25 years. I'm glad we had to stop in because the Rundel is a beautiful building!
And, what brought us to the library? Well, Tom Hack, as I said! He spent a goodly amount of time chatting with us about plans that are in the pipeline and wishlist for the City. He explained about the "watering" of Broad Street, which would essentially close off that street in a way that pays homage to the fact that it was once part of the Erie Canal. I'd heard about this plan before and always thought it was a stupid idea, but after seeing the full presentation, I'm VERY impressed! It really fits in with the RocCity 2.0 walkable downtown concepts!
Was that the only reason we were meeting up with Tom? Nope. Tom was also there to take us into...the subway tunnels!! For those who don't know, Rochester once had a subway, but it's been abandoned for about 60 years. I'll spare you the background, though. TEDxRochester 2012 speaker, Mike Governdale does a much better job of it on his blog, RochesterSubway.com. I've been wanting to get down into the tunnels for quite some time, so I was stoked when I found out my team would get that opportunity!
It lived up to expectations, too. I know it sounds stupid, but you have to understand that I rode the subway in Philadelphia every day when I was in high school. I never got the opportunity to see anything beyond the platforms and what flashed by as we zipped through the tunnels. I knew it was just going to be a dank, dark hole in the ground, but nonetheless I was glad to have finally gotten the chance. The first thing I noticed? A whole lot bigger than I'd thought! I've seen pics others have taken, but they're typically just of the Broad Street tunnel. There's so much more beyond that, and it was just creepy and cold and oh so neat.
The second thing, which was impossible to overlook, was the graffiti art everywhere. According to Tom, it changes from week to week, yet they've never actually seen anyone in there doing it. Each artist apparently gets a section to work on, and it appears almost as if there's a competition going on down there. Apparently, there's also folks who live in some parts, but we didn't get to meet any of those... :)
After leaving Tom, we continued on our tour. This time, we focused on the 19th Ward. We headed over to the Clara Barton school #2 where we met up with folks from Rochester Roots, a group that works with kids from the schools to farm fresh vegetables which are then sold at the St. Mary's public market. We got a tour of their facilities and greenhouse, but the real point of directing us here was to see the disparity in living conditions between here and Corn Hill just a short jaunt away on the other side of Ford Street. One really gets a sense of what the Occupy movement was about when you get dropped right into the midst of it all.
We then drove to the Boulder Coffee on Genesee Street to meet up with one of the directors of the 19th Ward Community Association. We chatted for a bit about what they're doing to increase the economic potential of that area, including getting the Brooks Landing project approved, funded and built. This has been a great boon to this community as it's driven money into a neighborhood that desperately needed it and the transformation is spectacular. We toured the area around the Staybridge Suites hotel which is just a gorgeous place to spend time.
From there we headed to lunch at Deli Sandros, a new deli representative of the revitalization of that community. Wonderful food, and if you get there an the Buffalo mac & cheese in on the menu that day, do NOT skip it!
At this point, we were WAAAY behind on schedule and so had to zip through the remainder of what we were supposed to see. But, on the whole, I think we got the point...there's a huge disparity in how people live in Rochester, but there's a lot of change happening that should lead to better things. We headed back to the church where we were greeted by a panel of community leaders. Each team then took a few minutes to create a presentation of what they experienced, and every one was so varied from every other. I think the one that was most interesting was the one that headed to Pittsford. Their tour started out visiting a trailer park! In Pittsford!
I learned a lot about our area in that fast-paced day, and have gained further appreciation of the hard working folks who are putting in the effort every day to make a difference in their community. I'm inspired by people like that, I suppose that has something to do with my doing TEDxRochester, and it energizes me to know there's so many people working to make Rochester a better place.
Tomorrow is program day #2: "Who takes care of whom", and about all I know is I'll be at the Open Door Mission at about 6am. So, that means coffee is #1 on the agenda!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
An open letter to Hasbro and the Brony community
I was going to write a bit of a history intro to this article, but in doing some research on children's TV, specifically the conversion from entertainment to 100% marketing, I stumbled across this article at Cracked (one of the most unbiased sources of news today). The preamble sums it up better than I could:
Most Gen-Xers don't realize that they owe many of their Christmas memories to the FCC. During the early '80s, parents became concerned by the kinds of things their kids were seeing on TV, so they asked for new rules regulating advertisements shown during kids' shows. Bowing to pressure from the White House and from toy makers, the FCC responded to these concerns by pretty much deregulating children's television altogether. Kids' shows quickly became half-hour commercials for toy lines, which parents began buying at unbelievable rates.
I wasn't all that surprised to find that Hasbro was one of the main culprits in this conversion. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero was pretty much designed from day one to be a vehicle to sell more action figures from their dead toy line to kids. Following on the success of Lucas' prostitution of the Star Wars franchise, everyone wanted the opportunity to bombard kids with new shows that featured dozens of main and background characters that could be pumped out by being assembled by slave labor in China to a slathering audience desperate to play with such memorable characters as He-Man's friend, Cocaine Bear.
Fast forward to 5 years ago when my wife and I were expecting our first child. Not wanting her to be a fully programmed consumption machine, we made the "difficult" decision to get rid of cable entirely and limit ourselves to online programming only. I quoted difficult because it turned out the only part that was difficult was the follow through of the decision. Five years later, I honestly don't miss cable at all. My wife, stuck at home with the kids all day, is starting to feel the jones, though.
On the whole, I think we've done a good job keeping our girls from being spoiled brats. We limit their TV programs only to what we can find on Netflix or online, and even then only allow access to those shows that either are educational or have a reasonably good message. Our oldest daughter's current favorite is the new My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic series. Now, I'll add the disclaimer here that I have decided to fully embrace my bronihood. I even have my own Zecora figure sitting on my desk at work. (Now don't start being a smart alec, it sits alongside my "new paradigm" dalek.) But, my rant below is all about my girls...
Yesterday was oldest daughter's first day of pre-school, so I took the opportunity to hit a Toys R Us to see if I could FIND a Zecora for her. You see, the problem with My Little Pony is there are primarily two types of people buying the figures: adult bronies with cash to spare and adults scooping them all up so they can resell them online for higher prices. The fact that these are toys made for kids doesn't come into the equation. Zecora sells out within hours of being put up on the Toys R Us websites, and almost as quickly in the stores. If you want one, you've got to be fairly lucky or willing to spend twice as much to get one.
And, whose at fault for the root of this problem? Richard Garfield. "Wait! Isn't he the guy who invented Magic: The Gathering?" Yup. And, as much as I love the game, I have to admit the deleterious effect it had on the gaming industry. Most card games after ended up being collectible. Why? Maximizing profit, of course. Hell, even the newest iterations of D&D now use miniatures that come in semi-collectible blind packs.
Thanks also to Pokemon, this meme has infected the general toy industry, too. Nearly every toy line these days has at least one set of items that comes in a blind pack and is collectible. Except...they're not, really. The companies have learned that they can gouge the hell out of their customers by creating an artificial scarcity for their products. This forces consumers to buy large quantities of product that they don't want in order to acquire the small quantities they do. As a result, secondary markets open up that serve to gouge consumers further by charging insane prices for the individual items folks should just be able to buy to begin with.
And, it leaves me scrambling to find boy ponies for my daughter. Of the little molded figures that come in the blind packs, and are the most fun and easiest for small hands to play with, that's what she wants the most: some boy ponies. We caved and bought her quite a few of the blind packs so she could have the small ones to play with, but she was disappointed to find no boys in the mix (I know, I'm worried, too). This latest set is the first to have boys, so when I saw some packs I decided to get her some. But, first, I looked online because I knew some collectors had "decoded" the codes on the bags to determine what was inside.
With a list of the four codes representing boys in hand, I hit the store only to find two full display boxes full of bags...and only one boy in the lot (fortunately, it was Big Mac who she wanted most of all!). The store had even taken to shrink wrapping the bags to minimize the possibility of folks buying only the most "valuable" ones.
Assholes.
Here's the deal collectors: you might make a small amount of profit by taking toys from my daughter for a short period, but if you think putting these in boxes to fund your kid's college education in 15 years is going to work you're sadly mistaken. Remember, it's an artificial scarcity only. The increased prices will only last as long as they're on the shelves. After that, prices WILL fall. In 15 years, that box of Big Macs you've got stashed away will be worth less than what you paid for them, even counting for inflation. Trust me. Fortunately, my little girl's got a daddy who will jump through hoops to get her the one or two figures she really wants. But, if I catch one of you in the store rooting through blind bags...well, just keep in mind, the baseball bats are near and my anger is quick.
As for Hasbro, I know you're not going to change. You're a prime example of the evil side of capitalism. You're happy to gouge the parents of kids who just want some toys to play with only to maximize your bottom line. Rather than putting out these figures into boxes that allow me to know what I'm getting, you'd prefer I instead pay $60 for the figure I want rather than $2. I hope each of your executives spend an eternity in hell being finger-cuffed by Rarity and Twilight.
Oh, and Princess Celestia is white. You might want to watch your own damn show before putting out toys based on it!
Most Gen-Xers don't realize that they owe many of their Christmas memories to the FCC. During the early '80s, parents became concerned by the kinds of things their kids were seeing on TV, so they asked for new rules regulating advertisements shown during kids' shows. Bowing to pressure from the White House and from toy makers, the FCC responded to these concerns by pretty much deregulating children's television altogether. Kids' shows quickly became half-hour commercials for toy lines, which parents began buying at unbelievable rates.
I wasn't all that surprised to find that Hasbro was one of the main culprits in this conversion. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero was pretty much designed from day one to be a vehicle to sell more action figures from their dead toy line to kids. Following on the success of Lucas' prostitution of the Star Wars franchise, everyone wanted the opportunity to bombard kids with new shows that featured dozens of main and background characters that could be pumped out by being assembled by slave labor in China to a slathering audience desperate to play with such memorable characters as He-Man's friend, Cocaine Bear.
Fast forward to 5 years ago when my wife and I were expecting our first child. Not wanting her to be a fully programmed consumption machine, we made the "difficult" decision to get rid of cable entirely and limit ourselves to online programming only. I quoted difficult because it turned out the only part that was difficult was the follow through of the decision. Five years later, I honestly don't miss cable at all. My wife, stuck at home with the kids all day, is starting to feel the jones, though.
On the whole, I think we've done a good job keeping our girls from being spoiled brats. We limit their TV programs only to what we can find on Netflix or online, and even then only allow access to those shows that either are educational or have a reasonably good message. Our oldest daughter's current favorite is the new My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic series. Now, I'll add the disclaimer here that I have decided to fully embrace my bronihood. I even have my own Zecora figure sitting on my desk at work. (Now don't start being a smart alec, it sits alongside my "new paradigm" dalek.) But, my rant below is all about my girls...
Yesterday was oldest daughter's first day of pre-school, so I took the opportunity to hit a Toys R Us to see if I could FIND a Zecora for her. You see, the problem with My Little Pony is there are primarily two types of people buying the figures: adult bronies with cash to spare and adults scooping them all up so they can resell them online for higher prices. The fact that these are toys made for kids doesn't come into the equation. Zecora sells out within hours of being put up on the Toys R Us websites, and almost as quickly in the stores. If you want one, you've got to be fairly lucky or willing to spend twice as much to get one.
And, whose at fault for the root of this problem? Richard Garfield. "Wait! Isn't he the guy who invented Magic: The Gathering?" Yup. And, as much as I love the game, I have to admit the deleterious effect it had on the gaming industry. Most card games after ended up being collectible. Why? Maximizing profit, of course. Hell, even the newest iterations of D&D now use miniatures that come in semi-collectible blind packs.
Thanks also to Pokemon, this meme has infected the general toy industry, too. Nearly every toy line these days has at least one set of items that comes in a blind pack and is collectible. Except...they're not, really. The companies have learned that they can gouge the hell out of their customers by creating an artificial scarcity for their products. This forces consumers to buy large quantities of product that they don't want in order to acquire the small quantities they do. As a result, secondary markets open up that serve to gouge consumers further by charging insane prices for the individual items folks should just be able to buy to begin with.
And, it leaves me scrambling to find boy ponies for my daughter. Of the little molded figures that come in the blind packs, and are the most fun and easiest for small hands to play with, that's what she wants the most: some boy ponies. We caved and bought her quite a few of the blind packs so she could have the small ones to play with, but she was disappointed to find no boys in the mix (I know, I'm worried, too). This latest set is the first to have boys, so when I saw some packs I decided to get her some. But, first, I looked online because I knew some collectors had "decoded" the codes on the bags to determine what was inside.
With a list of the four codes representing boys in hand, I hit the store only to find two full display boxes full of bags...and only one boy in the lot (fortunately, it was Big Mac who she wanted most of all!). The store had even taken to shrink wrapping the bags to minimize the possibility of folks buying only the most "valuable" ones.
Assholes.
Here's the deal collectors: you might make a small amount of profit by taking toys from my daughter for a short period, but if you think putting these in boxes to fund your kid's college education in 15 years is going to work you're sadly mistaken. Remember, it's an artificial scarcity only. The increased prices will only last as long as they're on the shelves. After that, prices WILL fall. In 15 years, that box of Big Macs you've got stashed away will be worth less than what you paid for them, even counting for inflation. Trust me. Fortunately, my little girl's got a daddy who will jump through hoops to get her the one or two figures she really wants. But, if I catch one of you in the store rooting through blind bags...well, just keep in mind, the baseball bats are near and my anger is quick.
As for Hasbro, I know you're not going to change. You're a prime example of the evil side of capitalism. You're happy to gouge the parents of kids who just want some toys to play with only to maximize your bottom line. Rather than putting out these figures into boxes that allow me to know what I'm getting, you'd prefer I instead pay $60 for the figure I want rather than $2. I hope each of your executives spend an eternity in hell being finger-cuffed by Rarity and Twilight.
Oh, and Princess Celestia is white. You might want to watch your own damn show before putting out toys based on it!
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Confirming my bias for t-shirts
I've been thinking about writing an article about this subject for a while, but based on events of the last week, it's obvious to me that the universe has been prompting me to do so. The last little nudge, described below, was what prompted me to finally sit down and put fingers to keyboard.
So, aside from the fact that I'm generally a bit of a slacker, I have a fondness for t-shirts. They're soft. They're comfortable. And, they more often than not have a symbol or saying on the front that is representative of my mood that day. It's like wearing my heart out on my sleeve, only in this one's on the front.
The whole thing started on Father's Day when my wife and oldest daughter presented me with my gifts, a couple of awesome t-shirts:
Now, before y'all think I've gone and lost my mind, I ask you to remember: I have a couple of daughters. Bigger daughter is a huge fan of the new My Little Pony show. The problem is, so is a significantly large population of adult males. Bronies, they're called. And, while I have to admit I do enjoy watching the show with her...No, really, it's not a terrible show. Some of the plots are fairly complex and have lots of jokes for the parents! Like, the bowling episode where everyone in the bowling alley is from The Big Lebowski. And...you've stopped believing me. Okay, moving on...
While I do enjoy watching the show with her, and consider myself a closet brony, that's not why I have My Little Pony t-shirts. I have them because it's almost impossible to find themed shirts in kid's sizes! Really, and truly! Adult My Little Pony clothes? No problem. Kids? Sure, if you want to spend $20 on a t-shirt for a four-year-old. So, the reason I have a few of these shirts is I wear them for my daughter. She can't, so I wear them for her. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Now, the acquisition of these fine t-shirts made me realize that I need to re-think my t-shirt collection. I haven't counted yet, but I'm sure I've got at least a hundred of the things. As I've lost about 40 pounds in the last year, a large majority of them don't fit anymore, so maybe it's time to prune. Before getting rid of them, though, I thought it might be funny to take pics of all of them and put them out there for everyone to marvel at.
Then, I forgot about the idea...
A few days later, though, Gizmodo ran a story about the "World's Most Awesome T-Shirt". I'm not going to bother trying to find it to link to because frankly it was a stupid article. The t-shirt was a $65 thing with nothing on the front except a tiny logo. Sorry, I've got more brains than money...still, the universe reminded me I needed to write this article!
Then, I forgot about the idea...
But, two weeks ago I got my weekly e-mail from ThinkGeek. Big fan of the ThinkGeek, they sell some quality stuff, but this issue had this baby:
I have to say, I thought about it for about 24 hours before laying down the cash. DJ PON3 in Tron stylee? It really does fit both of our styles (largest daughter and I), so it really was about spending the $20. Once I made the decision, though, I decided to also take advantage of their "One Random Shirt of Surprising Awesomeness" special. You spend $7, and they send you a shirt, whatever they have left. What the hell? I'll roll the dice.
My package arrives and what's inside?
Okay. Being a math and science geek, I like it on the face of it! But, what could this equation possibly mean?? After racking my brain for a minute trying to think if I'd seen it before, I decided to look on the back...
Awww! Have to be honest, I had thought of buying this one when I first saw it! Well, that was a heck of a deal. Rolled the dice and won! That don't happen often enough. And, lest we think I accept the plot of just any equation, I asked Wolfram Alpha what it thought:
Ha! Confirmed!
As I said to my wife, this is such an awesome representation of our relationship. We both had been going through some tough stuff early on and weren't too sure if we'd make it. But, we took a chance and have a happy and loving home as a result. This one is now in my Top 10 favorite t-shirts because of that.
Well, hell! Now, the universe is practically SCREAMING at me to write this article! Alas, though, I really had no idea what I'd write about. I'd had some ideas floating around, so I let it percolate for a few days before the last reminder showed up.
My wife is friends with, and now works for, a fellow who owns a local horror-themed t-shirt company named Fright-Rags. Fright-Rags doesn't do your typical horror t-shirt, though. They often try to pull out some tidbit from a movie that only a true fan would know, such as the ever-popular "Damn enchiladas" from Friday the 13th.
Beyond the fact that they make a high quality product and have great customer service (their shirt folding peon's pretty awesome, too!), the owner, Ben, is a really great guy. As an example, he has a friend with breast cancer who is without health insurance (oh, look, the Supreme Court just spoke on behalf of the universe today as another reminder!), so he put out an amazing, limited edition t-shirt with all profits going to his friend. It's NSFW, so scroll down carefully!
Yeah, I know. In 21st century America, I shouldn't have to call THAT out as NSFW, but there you are. Anyway, after all of this, I mention Fright-Rags because they're currently taking part in Chase' Mission Small Business. Please, please, please...click that link, sign in and vote for them! These folks REALLY deserve to win the $250k. Maybe that cute shirt-folding peon will even get a raise! If there's anyone who deserves to win, it's Ben. The universe will thank you for it. After all, it's been reminding me all week to tell you about it...
....or, has it? You've now just taken part in an example of confirmation bias. This is the failing of how your brain is built that forces you to favor information that confirms your beliefs. On a small scale, confirmation bias is why when you break up with someone, every song seems to be a sad love song. Or, when you are thinking about buying a particular model car, you start to see that car everywhere you look. You'd probably seen dozens of that model of car the day before you decided to buy one, or heard that song on the radio before you broke up with your significant other, but because you're thinking of it now you notice it more.
On a larger scale, it's why when trying to disprove some lefty/righty nonsense, you only find unequivocal righty/lefty brilliance to debunk it. It's your brain telling you "you're right". Sorry, it's not the universe or any other higher power talking to you. It's just another example of how natural selection can never get anything perfect, least of all your brain.
Congrats, you now know what that fallacy feels like, and will never fall for it again! See, a great article, and I snuck some critical thinking in on your ass. Ha! So, next time you're thinking some higher power is pushing you toward one side of a decision, just look down at your t-shirt. It'll always steer you right...
So, aside from the fact that I'm generally a bit of a slacker, I have a fondness for t-shirts. They're soft. They're comfortable. And, they more often than not have a symbol or saying on the front that is representative of my mood that day. It's like wearing my heart out on my sleeve, only in this one's on the front.
The whole thing started on Father's Day when my wife and oldest daughter presented me with my gifts, a couple of awesome t-shirts:
Now, before y'all think I've gone and lost my mind, I ask you to remember: I have a couple of daughters. Bigger daughter is a huge fan of the new My Little Pony show. The problem is, so is a significantly large population of adult males. Bronies, they're called. And, while I have to admit I do enjoy watching the show with her...No, really, it's not a terrible show. Some of the plots are fairly complex and have lots of jokes for the parents! Like, the bowling episode where everyone in the bowling alley is from The Big Lebowski. And...you've stopped believing me. Okay, moving on...
While I do enjoy watching the show with her, and consider myself a closet brony, that's not why I have My Little Pony t-shirts. I have them because it's almost impossible to find themed shirts in kid's sizes! Really, and truly! Adult My Little Pony clothes? No problem. Kids? Sure, if you want to spend $20 on a t-shirt for a four-year-old. So, the reason I have a few of these shirts is I wear them for my daughter. She can't, so I wear them for her. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Now, the acquisition of these fine t-shirts made me realize that I need to re-think my t-shirt collection. I haven't counted yet, but I'm sure I've got at least a hundred of the things. As I've lost about 40 pounds in the last year, a large majority of them don't fit anymore, so maybe it's time to prune. Before getting rid of them, though, I thought it might be funny to take pics of all of them and put them out there for everyone to marvel at.
Then, I forgot about the idea...
A few days later, though, Gizmodo ran a story about the "World's Most Awesome T-Shirt". I'm not going to bother trying to find it to link to because frankly it was a stupid article. The t-shirt was a $65 thing with nothing on the front except a tiny logo. Sorry, I've got more brains than money...still, the universe reminded me I needed to write this article!
Then, I forgot about the idea...
But, two weeks ago I got my weekly e-mail from ThinkGeek. Big fan of the ThinkGeek, they sell some quality stuff, but this issue had this baby:
I have to say, I thought about it for about 24 hours before laying down the cash. DJ PON3 in Tron stylee? It really does fit both of our styles (largest daughter and I), so it really was about spending the $20. Once I made the decision, though, I decided to also take advantage of their "One Random Shirt of Surprising Awesomeness" special. You spend $7, and they send you a shirt, whatever they have left. What the hell? I'll roll the dice.
My package arrives and what's inside?
Okay. Being a math and science geek, I like it on the face of it! But, what could this equation possibly mean?? After racking my brain for a minute trying to think if I'd seen it before, I decided to look on the back...
Awww! Have to be honest, I had thought of buying this one when I first saw it! Well, that was a heck of a deal. Rolled the dice and won! That don't happen often enough. And, lest we think I accept the plot of just any equation, I asked Wolfram Alpha what it thought:
Ha! Confirmed!
As I said to my wife, this is such an awesome representation of our relationship. We both had been going through some tough stuff early on and weren't too sure if we'd make it. But, we took a chance and have a happy and loving home as a result. This one is now in my Top 10 favorite t-shirts because of that.
Well, hell! Now, the universe is practically SCREAMING at me to write this article! Alas, though, I really had no idea what I'd write about. I'd had some ideas floating around, so I let it percolate for a few days before the last reminder showed up.
My wife is friends with, and now works for, a fellow who owns a local horror-themed t-shirt company named Fright-Rags. Fright-Rags doesn't do your typical horror t-shirt, though. They often try to pull out some tidbit from a movie that only a true fan would know, such as the ever-popular "Damn enchiladas" from Friday the 13th.
Beyond the fact that they make a high quality product and have great customer service (their shirt folding peon's pretty awesome, too!), the owner, Ben, is a really great guy. As an example, he has a friend with breast cancer who is without health insurance (oh, look, the Supreme Court just spoke on behalf of the universe today as another reminder!), so he put out an amazing, limited edition t-shirt with all profits going to his friend. It's NSFW, so scroll down carefully!
Yeah, I know. In 21st century America, I shouldn't have to call THAT out as NSFW, but there you are. Anyway, after all of this, I mention Fright-Rags because they're currently taking part in Chase' Mission Small Business. Please, please, please...click that link, sign in and vote for them! These folks REALLY deserve to win the $250k. Maybe that cute shirt-folding peon will even get a raise! If there's anyone who deserves to win, it's Ben. The universe will thank you for it. After all, it's been reminding me all week to tell you about it...
....or, has it? You've now just taken part in an example of confirmation bias. This is the failing of how your brain is built that forces you to favor information that confirms your beliefs. On a small scale, confirmation bias is why when you break up with someone, every song seems to be a sad love song. Or, when you are thinking about buying a particular model car, you start to see that car everywhere you look. You'd probably seen dozens of that model of car the day before you decided to buy one, or heard that song on the radio before you broke up with your significant other, but because you're thinking of it now you notice it more.
On a larger scale, it's why when trying to disprove some lefty/righty nonsense, you only find unequivocal righty/lefty brilliance to debunk it. It's your brain telling you "you're right". Sorry, it's not the universe or any other higher power talking to you. It's just another example of how natural selection can never get anything perfect, least of all your brain.
Congrats, you now know what that fallacy feels like, and will never fall for it again! See, a great article, and I snuck some critical thinking in on your ass. Ha! So, next time you're thinking some higher power is pushing you toward one side of a decision, just look down at your t-shirt. It'll always steer you right...
Or. Not.
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