There was an article Angel showed me today in a newspaper I have never heard of called The Militant. It was about how his father is still fighting back against the 15 layoffs at Damico & Sons of which he was included. It was an interesting paper in that it was greatly socialist oriented and advertised some of Marx’s writings. Spring fever was in the air again today, seeing as how many of the little boys were exceedingly rebellious. Luckily, Angel was great today and did his homework without my needing to keep him on track. For the sake of the other tutors, however, I hope the other kids calm down.

There was one problem which I noted today when we were in the computer lab. Ordinarily, I would have ignored it, but this is the second time it has happened. Angel and I tried to print off a Word document which was one of Angel’s assignments. When we tried printing, a seemingly endless barrage of some other document kept printing. It was always the same group of pages, so I assume that someone before us had decided to choose to print a large number of copies. Luckily, we were able to somehow fix the printer and print off the document.

The first group which went today presented the first millennium goal: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. The first thing I have to say is that their document was amazing. It looked almost like the portfolios which we viewed in class. The document was well organized and was broken into three notable sections: what are poverty and hunger?, successful architectural attempts, and failed architectural attempts. The only problem which I noticed was that there was an overwhelming amount of text on the pages and few visual aids. The visuals which were there, however, did add to what was being discussed. A few of their points really stood out to me although I have heard them before. For example, I have not heard the famous quote “history repeats itself� in reference to poverty. It is interesting to actually consider how there has been some sort of caste system with a majority of the people on the bottom and a minority at the top. I don’t know if it will ever actually be possible for poverty and hunger to be completely removed. One reason is because the human population continues to grow and there will eventually be a point, if we haven’t already reached it, where we surpass the carrying capacity. After all, our resources are not unlimited.

They also discussed the correlation between poverty and crime and they stated how there has been a recent trend of rising poverty in the suburbs. It is an interesting phenomenon how the gentrification of a city’s center will stir the upper and middle classes to move back to downtown areas. The suburbs were actually generated as a result of citizens attempting to move out of the city.

I was initially a little confused as to whether the group’s proposed urban living complex was an actual city proposal or just the group’s idea of what would be an ideal construct. It was neat how they took the idea of Rural Studio and applied it to the Twin Cities. I only have a few items of critique in reference to the proposal. First of all, the project seemed to focus more on creating a sustainable building than a solution to local poverty. The edifice would only help a few families and probably wouldn’t help them to exit the realm of poverty permanently. Overall, the group members were obviously knowledgeable of the content and had some quality ideas.

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The second group’s project, which was about the insane development which is Dubai, discussed the goal of developing a global partnership for development. Although it may be a bit nitpicky, I thought that they should have stated which goal they were discussing. (I don’t remember them mentioning which goal they delved into, but it is possible that I just missed it.) Their concept was very creative with their entire design influenced by the idea of Dubai as a “package�. Along with the package idea, it is interesting how Dubai is re-exporting its tourism-based economy to other developing nations. Graphically, the document was very useful for conveying the project goal.

One problem was that the group didn’t discus each of their subtopics (economy, education, tourism, structure, and technology) evenly. It made it seem as though some aspects of Dubai were more important than others. The economy was talked about quite a bit with the focus on tourism and Dubai's unique currency. The goal of educating youths in developing countries, but I was somewhat confused by how the development would play a role. Tourism was obviously huge and the group described how labor is being imported, how a sustainable economy is being created around tourism, and how this new culture gets rid of the local culture and instead focuses on “glitz and glamour�. The last bit about immense allure reminded me of our earlier discussion about Times Square. The structure portion was about Dubai as an “industrial city� and how it is considered to “not be prone to human failings�. A vast number of stadiums, rapid construction, and helicopter taxis show how Dubai is attempting to become the city of the future. Finally, in regard to technology, I wonder how the city will stand up to the extreme amount of water and power which will be required to keep its infrastructure flowing smoothly.

I also noticed a picture which we had in our project of a bamboo house and had to chuckle internally, but just a little.

Honestly, after viewing the projects which other groups came up with, I almost feel as though our document is inadequate.

There was no homework again today, so we searched for pictures of Angel's favorite sports figures and made a calendar page on the cartoon network homesite. After recreation, it got interesting, but not in a good way. Four of the boys decided to play a learing game which consisted of spinning a spinner to determine a path through the states. At each state, they would be read a paragraph and three questions regarding that state and would have to answer the questions. The problem occured, because they could not seem to focus and decided that it would be a good time to fight. The other three tutors and I then needed to try and calm the boys down and get them to pay attention. It was a losing battle. After a while, the game basically broke up and Angel and I decided to play a different board game in which the players needed to determine the alphabetical order of words. Luckily, this was easier to keep under control. I have to admit, however, that in general the kids at the Homework n' Hoops program have been well behaved. It was bound to happen that there would be one difficult day. The pending springtime atmosphere was probably another contribution to the situation. Nothing got severely out of hand so I guess the session wasn't that bad.

So today at Homework n’ Hoops, I started to think about how designed spaces are political and convey messages to those who enter them. When one enters the main room in the Loring Nicollet-Bethlehem Community Center, you can easily see that the space used to be a church. When I looked into the history of the community center, I found that it had in fact been the Bethlehem Presbyterian Church which began to offer social services to children and families in 1958. Slowly, the church’s activities, which were operating cooperatively with another church site, evolved into the community center it is today. The community centers merged in 1972 and were sponsored by churches, the county, the city, and even the state of Minnesota.

The atmosphere of the Homework n’ Hoops program is one of both fun and learning. Having had past experience with tutoring children, I was initially surprised at how well behaved the children are. I think a possibility for this behavior might be the church atmosphere. Although the space is currently set up like one would expect a children’s learning environment to be, traces of the church are glaringly obvious. The gothic arched windows, the arch of the ceiling, and the general layout of the center is clearly that of the preexisting church. Although it might not be the actual cause of the children’s behavior, the presence of the church’s frame adds to the feel of the location. It’s interesting to think about.

http://www.maccalliance.org/our-members/lnbcc.htm

I have been volunteering at the Goodwill Outlet at 2505 University Ave W, St Paul, MN this semester and I have noted a few problems with their system. I have nothing against goodwill and believe that they are a very honorable and strong organization. Their mission statement is as follows, “The mission of Goodwill/Easter Seals is to assist people with barriers to education, employment and independence in achieving their goals. We prepare people for work.� The vocation of Goodwill serves society as a whole by helping to integrate people into the society and to help them become financially stable. On Goodwill’s home page, they provide a list of their accomplishments:
• “12,899 employment services that help people get jobs
• 4,841 community assistance services, such as resource referrals to partners, financial assistance and winter warmth services while working with us to find jobs.
• 8,765 persons were able to borrow assistive living medical equipment
• 706 rural rehabilitative technology services
• 429 Skills Training services were provided to prepare for jobs in fields with potential for higher wages and benefits
• 1,471 educational services, such as English, general educational development (GED) preparation and computer skills services to provide employability skills for jobs�
Their record provides a praiseworthy description of how they have assisted communities in the Twin Cities area throughout all realms of the socioeconomic world. Goodwill in Minnesota was founded in 1919 (like a certain brand of root beer) as a way to help those who have a more difficult time amalgamating with society whether it be due to a disability, employment, educational, or other obstacle. People of all races can come together and unite to reach their goals. (I don’t actually believe in the concept of “race� and I believe it is something humans made up to explain differences in people. We’re all distinct individuals, but although I don’t believe in race, I realize that the concept exists within the minds of the majority of the people and society, and as such race becomes and actual idea. So, anyways, that was my digression of the day.) Slowly, the original site expanded to the current 15 Goodwill stores, Goodwill Outlet, and Second Début Fashions and Art Boutique.

As one can see, I mean no offense to the Goodwill/Easter Seals organization, but from work inside the Goodwill Outlet building, I noted a few aspects which I think could, and should be redesigned. The Outlet store seems like a fine enough concept, selling generally unwanted goods by the pound, but the methods used for this mass selling of goods don’t feel right to me. What actually happens is that goods (clothing, shoes without a matching pairs, suitcases, and random trinkets) are tossed into broken bins and flung down a conveyor line towards the waiting consumers. After all of the bins are out, an employee gives the word and the shoppers go wild tearing through the merchandise like it’s their last meal. I don’t want to commit the crime of stereotyping, but most of the customers seem to be on the lower end of the financial spectrum. Next comes the problem of the goods themselves. Although some of the clothing and other supplies are passable, shoes without a match are hard to put to use and most of the items appear to be very unsanitary.

I would like to address the problem of the tray line first. With the warehouse building and the mad scramble for goods gave me the impression of cows lined up for the slaughterhouse. Maybe that’s too graphic, but pleasant wouldn’t really be an apropos description of the interior struggle. One way to fix this might simply be a redesigned interior. As design is political, and the interior seemed to reflect the trauma of poverty, a lighter, less factory-like ambiance might be a key factor. Additionally, somehow changing from a conveyor distribution method to more of a traditional “store-like� method such as shelves might also ease the atmosphere. I know it might not be in the budget, but in my opinion it would be a good idea to give the clothing a quick wash and to at least tie the laces of shoe pair together. Although it is an outlet store, and it consists of quickly selling a heap of supplies, improving sanitary conditions and organization is always a superior scheme. All I’m trying to say is that concepts and theories are great and all, but in reality, things may not be as pleasant as they are thought to be from an outside perspective. One needs to actually experience the idea in motion to discover what works and what needs work. Goodwill has a great thing going, and has been and will be of great assistance to society. But nothing is perfect.

Unfortunately, although I asked if it would be tolerable, pictures aren’t allowed inside of the actual Goodwill Outlet building, and I can accept that. People want their privacy and they have every right to it.

Well, here’s my poem of the week. Sorry if it’s a bit exaggerated. I just realized that I seem to apologize plenty. Sorry about that, haha. Anyways…

Madhouse

Lined up gathering momentum
Thrashing concrete and plywood
Perversion of sweaty socked atrium
A message of madness waiting in store
Humbled and grumbling greedy eyes
Survival of fittest in snarling crowd
Loitering caged in crumbled walls
False smiled faces send shafts of grey
Rotting mold and dirt sticking floor
Holds me down to the bitter cold
Shrieking rattles of endless futile material
Thrash fighting for the soiled fabric

http://www.goodwilleasterseals.org/