I have something to share, sub rosa (puns might be the wrong way to start but, I have fun learning new Latin).

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue....or is that, Roses are Blue, Violets are...?

Coming soon to the United States of America (though Japan has been growing and selling the special flowers since 2009) is the rose that grows blue all on its own. No need to purchase white roses and dye them as in the past. No need to invest in some other flower. Blue roses are expected to be appear in the US as early as November 2011.

What has yet to be determined -- what will the blue rose will symbolize?

Yellow= friendship, happiness
Red= love
White= humility, innocence
Orange= enthusiasm
Pink= admiration
Blue= WILD CARD! (at least for now.)

The New York Times article on Monday, May 17th, by Jacque Steinberg, "Plan B: Skip College," noted that,

 "Of the 30 jobs projected to grow at the fastest rate over the next decade in the United States, only seven typically require a bachelor’s degree, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics."

Although college graduates have a lower rate of unemployment than those with only a high school diploma, they may also be saddled with a sizable debt upon graduation. The article goes on to mention that some scholars suggest (and those scholars are college professors at that!) that college isn't the best path to success.

In this time of high national unemployment, many Americans have returned to school, many with the assumption that no investment in education is a wasted investment.

I wonder how much of that has been drilled into us by parents and politicians.

Is it worth reconsidering the value of education as the price tag on that learning goes up and the demand for jobs which require college degrees does not increase as quickly?

The push for college degrees likely adds to credential inflation. In a conversation with Professor Richard Vedder of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, he noted that he recently needed a tree to be cut down from his yard and discovered that the man who he hired to do the job had a master’s degree in English History. Dr. Vedder said that the man made for good company, but Vedder didn't imagine that the tree-cutting job was likely to be making much of a dent in any loans or debt the graduate might have acquired. Dr. Vedder suggested perhaps the U.S. government should not have funded or be funding that kind of educational investment either.

Does the pursuit of learning teach us as much to live outside our means? Is the push for higher education inspiring a culture of debt?

Education is often interpreted as a vehicle to transcend the economic lot into which we are born, a tool to climb the social ladder. Encouraging higher education may raise the competitive edge of the nation as a whole as we increasingly compete for jobs not just in America but in the global marketplace. 

And although only 7 of the 30 fastest growing jobs in the nation require college degrees, it may be wise to remember that those jobs can not account for the creation of jobs we can't yet imagine. With technological innovation, social networks and human ingenuity, it may not be possible to anticipate what jobs will fill the market in the coming years. We may be that we need to keep learning and studying in order to be prepared to work in the fields we have yet to define.

I discovered a blog post from 2008 that caught my attention. Where I live the street names are pretty obvious, often political players well known to many high school history grads but around the United States, how many residents know what it means to live on the street that they call home?

Here is an excerpt from the blog I was reading and a link to the full post. It inspires me to keep asking questions and can serve as a good reminder to us all that learning more about our world can begin just outside our doorsteps.

From: BrooklynRon.Com
"Councilman Vann's office has put together a list of Bed-Stuy's byways, with accompanying brief bios of the historical figures whose names now grace the street signs.

The irony here is that many of the figures were slave holder and slave traders.

Vann acknolwedges having a political as well as historical motive in putting this list together. He still is piqued that the City Council thwarted the wishes of himself and Councilman Charles Barron to have a section of Gates Avenue named after the late black activist Sonny Carson.

And so in making the case that many of Bed-Stuy's street names have, let's say, sullied backgrounds, he's also making the argument that the names should be, in many cases, changed...."

Read more here http://www.brooklynron.com/2008/03/al-vann-says-ch.html

Fashion designer Alexander McQueen died today and a selection of his final Twitter posts were published on the Wall Street Journal blog. The article has set me thinking more about my own public-ness (ironic to consider this on my public blog?).

Instinctively I feel that I don't want my Twitter feed to speak for me in my final moments of life (or after my final moments). I imagine my friends and family and even my professional work would speak more descriptively to my life. I recognize that the written word has always outlived the writer--and in a way that, previously, impressed me more than intimidated me. This leads me to be thoughtful about my reaction of hesitation towards Twitter.


Its worth considering what and where differences exist between the digital publishing age, when we can publish ourselves without the eye of the editor and the (paper) printed age- especially as I continue to expand my public presence as a journalist, as a public radio employee and just as a young person living in these times.

The WSJ article's selected McQueen tweets were quite moving and expressive but the ideas the article inspired continue to rotate, flop, drop and twist around in the dryer of my mind.
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By WSJ Staff
After it was announced Thursday that Alexander McQueen had died, the designer’s Twitter feed was removed, on which he revealed on Feb. 3 that his mother passed away the day before. A few days later he said, “Sunday evening been an F—-g awful week but my friends have been great, but now I have to some how [sic] pull myself together and finish with the…”

On Feb. 1, a couple of weeks after his Fall 2010 menswear show, he posted, “From heaven to hell and back again, life is a funny thing. Beauty can come from the most strangest of places even the most disgusting places.” A few minutes later, he posted: “Why people ignore the ugly things in life but within this they are missing the beauty that lies under the rotten fruit!!!!!!!!!!!!”

On Feb. 3, he tweeted that his mother had passed away the day before. “RIP mumxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,” he said. And a few minutes later: “But life must go on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

His last tweet, sometime after Feb. 7, said: “I’m here with my girl Annie Tinkerbell wishing Kerry the slag, happy birthday in NY, your [sic] 40 now girl time to slow it down we think.”

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The President of the United States released this statement today:

"With its ruling today, the Supreme Court has given a green light to a new stampede of special interest money in our politics.  It is a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans.  This ruling gives the special interests and their lobbyists even more power in Washington--while undermining the influence of average Americans who make small contributions to support their preferred candidates.  That's why I am instructing my Administration to get to work immediately with Congress on this issue.  We are going to talk with bipartisan Congressional leaders to develop a forceful response to this decision.  The public interest requires nothing less." 

The case President Obama refers to is Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. The Supreme Court ruled that the government can't ban corporations' spending during federal election campaigns.

The Judicial Branch is meant to serve as a check and balance to the powers of the President and the Executive office and the Legislative branch t. President Obama appears to be aiming to get the Legislative branch on the side of the Executive branch and give the (intended) equilateral triangle of our government a hefty shove. It remains to be seen when checks and counter-checks will settle into a balance.

(photo credit Michael Czerwonka for The New York Times).


This Article from the New York Times caught my attention and it wasn't just the  brightly colored design for LA Gang Tours. Here is an excerpt.

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The New York Times
By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD
Published: January 15, 2010
LOS ANGELES — The tour organizer received assurances, he says, from four gangs that they would not harass the bus when it passed through their turf. Paying customers must sign releases warning of potential danger. And after careful consideration, it was decided not to have residents shoot water guns at the bus and sell “I Got Shot in South Central” T-shirts. READ MORE
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What do you think ? Digging into the gritty side of history? Glorifying violence? Does it serve the community, private business or both? Could this business model be replicated? Should it be?

 I'm interested in your thoughts.

 

The article "Write Like A Man," on Salon.com's broadsheet got me thinking about my own blog. Mostly it made me sad to think that rather than being proud of my work, one day I might reconsider wanting people to know that it comes from my mind, my fingertips. Writing under a pseudonym is not a thing of the past.

  Here's a taste from writer Kate Harding

["...But even I've bought into the myth of meritocracy enough that my first thought upon learning a female writer massively increased her success by adopting a male pseudonym was, "Wow, how retro! How Brontë, how Eliot, how Sand." Certainly not "how Rowling."]

Read the Salon Article Write Like A Man

I'm excited about this blog called People's District. DC-based photographer, DJ and community-connector Danny Harris has been diligently stepping out into the corners of DC to bring the words and images of The District to the web. He's weaving DC's people together with the threads of their thoughts and their impressions of this town.

I'm in conversation with D.H. about creative ways to bring some sound into the mix and how to continue to inspire the residents to connect through their voices and actions.

People's District reminds me of this favorite destination. Check them all out.