I have wanted a way to show the news articles and websites that over the past week have interested me. These are the articles and websites that I have noticed myself referring back to. I hope to try this each week, tell me what you like about this idea and how I can improve it.

So let's see what I have read this week....

Orlando and Kissimmee are some of the most dangerous cities for pedestrians. My concern is once the area gets a multi-mode mass transit system more people are expected to be walking around the cities. If mass transit is expected to succeed in this area then there needs to be a push to make the region more walkable. I'm imaging a city with 6 foot sidewalks on all major roads. All bus stops be covered bus shelters. All major intersections would have over head crosswalks (as seen in Lake Mary, Fl.) These overhead crosswalks are a major need around the UCF area and around the FullSail area.
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Everyone has been focused on the economy lately.

Looks like Buffet is investing in railroads. I expect with a name like Buffet backing railroads again we will see a rise in government investment in railroads and in turn a larger investment in passenger rail. One of the questions I have is now that a insurance heavy conglomerate owns the rail lines how will this affect the insurance agreements with cities and regions that wish to use those lines for passenger rail. This insurance issue seems to be a hot topic that is stopping many transit systems from getting the green light, including Orlando's own SunRail.

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Sure most of us can't invest like Buffet but I did read an interesting story this week about socially conscience mutual funds. I am somewhat interested in this but then again I see nothing wrong with investing in alcohol, nuclear power, or gambling. But I do like the ones that invest in more ecological focused companies. This whole idea reminds me the issues brought up on Big Love when Bill tried to invest in a Indian casino. Or the church in South Carolina that invested in a local adult bookstore. Both seem like good investments but how socially conscience are they?

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Looks like Al Gore invested in some ecologically conscience companies and then hyped the companies. I really don't see what the big deal is here. Of course you are going to talk about a company you believe in. I invested in Disney and I talk about them all the time, its not because I want my invest to be made better, its because I believe in the company.

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Its to bad that China isn't investing in environmentally conscience companies. This story about their economy really made me think about how connected the global markets really are.

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On a completely different note I saw the Exploratorium is moving. This both excites and sadness me. If you don't the Exploratorium was a game changing science museum in San Fransisco. It was one of the first to bring in the idea of fun interactive exhibits that most museums around the world use nowadays. The Orlando Science Center is larger inspired by the Exploratorium. This move could be a chance for the Exploratorium to once again change the entire way we interact with museums. What I expect though sadly is a over the top design from a world renowned architect that integrates ideas that most museums could never afford to do. I hope that the Exploratorium keeps in mind that is a lighthouse of ideas for many people the world over and that the new location keeps in mind the idea of expensive isn't always best.

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And with 2012 coming out soon I thought this 10 Failed Doomsday Predictions list was quite fun to read. There were a few groups I would have added, like the Koreshan of Florida, but overall this was a fun read of how a little charisma can fool people into just about anything. (Was it me or did this article go way to easy on the Millerites? )

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Well that's about it. I have a few other stories but I think I will use them in up coming entries. I want to think about them and research the ideas a little more. Take some time this weekend and read these stories, post your thoughts on here about them on here if you want, I would love to see what your thoughts on these stories are.

Thanks for reading and have a safe weekend.

I was at Chipotle the other night watching this video. It blew me away. The idea of how a invention can completely alter the course of human thought in less than 5,000 days is almost overwhelming. This is a few years dated but I think the changes of the internet within the last 2 years proves the point that Kevin Kelly is making here.

If everything is interconnected through this 'one' how will we interact with each other, with our clothing, our furniture, and our cities? I imagine cities that become extremely personalized. I imagine a future where each individual can manipulate things like their transit pod (a PRT system car where the car recognizes the rider, the screen can show the most popular destinations for that rider, advertisements will be specifically for that individual, and even have local radio that the individual can select.)

As a person walks around town the ads on buildings will interact with the person. (as talked about here and talked about here, both examples being from Times Sq. This is also found in future vending machines.)

About a month ago I was invited to attend and contribute to a brainstorming session on the issues surrounding local LGBT homeless teens.

Within the Orlando area there is a major problem with homeless LGBT teenagers. Many of them are kicked out of their families houses because of the sexual idenity, they then are forced to drop out of school, and many resort to selling themselves on the streets to make due. Often times older men in the area will bring them in as quasi-sex slaves and will provide them with drugs. Most of the programs that helps homeless teens in Central Florida are through religious organizations where the teenager will not feel comfortable to come out about their true identity. There are programs that help LGBT teens but many of them require the teens to go to a specific location, something difficult when they lack transportation. Also many of these programs are for all LGBT teens and so its usually filled with those of middle class families, somewhere that a homeless teen may feel uncomfortable open up at.

For whatever reason this group of people think that I actually know something about teenagers. I seem have been getting this a lot lately, its nice that people think I know something, I don't really think I know that much about teenagers. I mean it all seems pretty much like common sense to me but I guess to out of touch older people I am a little bit more in touch. Oh well, I love the idea of helping teenagers. I personally think its one of the most marketed to yet one of the most silent about their well being groups in western society so any type I can help teenagers improve their own well being I jump on it.

So I was invited to this brainstorming session about local homeless GBLT teenagers.

I agreed and was soon put on the list. Then I began getting the information about where it was. It held at the Isleworth County Club, one of central Florida's most prestigious neighborhoods. A community where millionaires move in to impress each other.

So here I was in a multi-million dollar clubhouse with a lunch served by a one of the top 70 chef's in the country.

Here I was sitting amongst millionaires, dining on some of the freshest and best food served in America, in a room that rivals that of European cathedrals I have visited and the discussion is on homelessness. I was sitting there just after driving past some of the largest homes in all of Florida, sitting with people that live in those homes and other homes like them and we're discussing homelessness.

Sure not all of the people in attendance lived in Isleworth, or even Windermere for that matter, but many of them did. I have nothing wrong with where a person lives or even how extravagant they may live. But what rub me wrong was here were people that have devoted their life to helping the less privileged in Central Florida and yet they each have a personal assistant, they all seem to live in this upper middle class or even upper class life and yet they claim to know how homeless teenagers live.

There wasn't any homeless teens there. A person brought this up during the discussion and it seemed to be quickly dismissed. The ruling train of thought was of the mindset that these people knew what a homeless LGBT teen would need more than the teen themselves because these people have the research, the education, the titles that it takes to know what to do. The answers in the room ranged from starting a twitter account to inform homeless teens where help is offered. Twitter for homeless people, um I wont even touch that. (though it could have good effects also, just I don't see it with teenagers, from my own observations teens have yet to adopt twitter like many people have believed they have. if you don't believe just do a online search about it and the results show teens dont use twitter. )

Other ideas were websites, myspace pages, in school information sessions, and family counseling. All of these ideas are good (I guess, it just showed how out of touch with technology and teenagers this group was) but in and of themselves these ideas don't do a lot of help.

The day progressed with the normal lame team building activities and brainstorming sessions with rules like 'if money wasn't an issue what would you do?' then when money was brought up it was quickly 'fixed' by the simple idea of applying for more government funding.

Here was a room filled with the who's who of central Florida homeless and teen non-profits, all of which have had cuts because of the recession and the answer they agreed upon to help people is asking for more money. Even as their budgets are slashed and they are forced to turn away people they actually think that the answer to their problem is asking for more money.

I dont have all the answers but I do know that if a group is cutting the amount they give you asking for more isn't going to work. Instead I prefer organizations that are focused on becoming self supporting. Of course the best why to do this is continue to focus on growing an endowment for the organization. (Rollins, the liberal arts college a few blocks from my apartment, has an endowment that is well over $350million. That helps them continue to improve the school and not have as much of a focus on bringing in money, instead they can focus on keeping the school competitive.) if it works for colleges and art galleries it can work for homeless non-profits.

There are many ways to raise funds for programs that don't tap into the infamously loop filled money the government offers. I for one don't want a person in Washington, DC deciding how we should spend our money on reaching the homeless population in our city. Instead it should be our money in our city.

A friend of mine worked with homeless people in Portland. He had the homeless people do art work (the supplies were gently used items from local schools and galleries) that was then displayed in local restaurants and was sold there, the money from the art work then went back into local homeless programs (the artist was able to choice what program they thought was best for the money to go towards, a great way to help the programs that the homeless see doing the best work). (Here is a similar program also in Portland).

Why can't we focus on more than one local problem? Why not let the local LGBT homeless teens work in galleries where their art is displayed? Why not create a magazine or books about their stories and then sell them to raise money for the programs? Why not open shops selling goods made by the homeless and then provide the jobs in the shop to the homeless? (I'm imagining a Ten Thousand Villages style shop but it could be anything) I would love to help write and produce a musical or play based upon the story of a local homeless LGBT teen, then through the ticket sales provide money for the local programs (I am really trying to work on this, making it a dinner theater with local foods, local foods, local story, and keeping the money raised locally. I'm hoping to have this vision realized by next fall, I'll keep you guys updated on this side project)

I was surronded by millionaires at this country club and yet they seem to completely forget their business knowledge because now we're talking about a non-profit, why? Why can't a non-profit be self sustained? I hope to see the day where our local homeless programs are not only meeting the needs of the local homeless population but also spreading the idea that a homeless non-profit doesn't have to be in a continual reactive relationship with the government.

We have people who are out of touch with the homeless population being the decision makers for them. Why not put homeless people on the boards? Why not create the jobs instead of just educated the homeless population on where to find jobs? Why not realize the government funding isn't a guarantee and if you want a service to be improving it takes more than asking for more money and then tweeting about it.

Last night my roommate and I were walking over to Panera for dinner. One of the main buildings here in Hannibal Square (at the corner of New York Ave and Morris Blvd) has almost all of its first floor spaces sitting empty. We both commented on how empty the building was.

Then later last night I was out for an evening stroll here on New England Ave and noticed the same thing. In-between the art galleries, offices, and stores sits lots of empty store fronts. Now both of these areas have many restaurants and local cafes. Why could these restaurants not use these empty store fronts as window farms? It could provide local fresh food for the restaurants and cafes while also providing something more than just empty windows looking into half finished store fronts. I think that this could help give the downtown Winter Park restaurants more advertisement and credibility and give the area a more pleasing visual experience.

I know I know, its been 2 months since I posted on here. Its been partly due to the fact that I didn't have a computer and have been using friends computers to do research and homework. But yesterday I finally broke down and bought a new computer. Its an ASUS with Windows 7, thus far I've been very impressed with it.

Let me see...

School is kicking my ass. My classes are all very interesting but there is one class that seems to consume my life. I literally am dreaming about it at night now.

For my Social Research class I am working on a research proposal that deals with religious views of those in new urbanism planned communities vs the religious views of those from the surrounding areas.

For my Contemporary Urban Sociology class I am working on a research proposal that deals with the installation of a Personal Rapid Transit system within the UCF area.

And for the ProSem class I am working on a literature review on the film/tv industry's impact upon local communities it films in.

My focus is Urban Studies with my own school of thought being from the New Urbanism style.

Well thats my schooling.

I now have a job at the school at Institute of Social and Behavioral Sciences. I work on surveys for different groups. Its very interesting and the nice thing is I can use the data collected in my classes.


I moved into a new apartment. Its in the Hannibal Square neighborhood in Winter Park. I live right on New England near Park Ave. Its REALLY REALLY small (like 525 sq ft for a two bedroom) but its all I need. The building is like the old Melrose Place building. The neighbors all call it Hellrose Place, lol. All my neighbors are really chill and great to talk with. I love it. My roommate is awesome, hes' a sociologist undergrad at UCF so we have some of the same professors. Its nice having someone of the same interest to be able to just have normal conversations with. Its really helping me come to a better understanding of sociology.

He is from northern California (what is it about me and making friends with people from the Northwest?) and is really laid back. He is the opposite of my old roommate, whom I really kinda miss, but its nice having such a laid back person around also.


On a more personal note my father has yet to find a job in construction so keep your eyes and ears open. My mom had found one but it didn't last so she is also looking for a bookkeeping job. Lake county is still pretty hard in the recession. I just read an article in the SFGate that oddly enough talked about Lake County, Fl. It really kind of sunk in how bad it is in the LC, I mean if the SFGate is talking about it (through the AP but still) it has to be pretty bad. oh well, new home construction is up in the Orlando market (according to the Orlando Sentinel) so hopefully my dad can get back into it sooner than later.

Well thats about all thats happening around my life. I know most of you follow me on twitter but this update was for those that don't. If you don't you should.

It's so nice being back on here. You guys don't know how much I missed this blog. Its what helps me through my day and what helps me formalize my ideas.

I began this blog just as I was in my freshman year of college (back in those days at AOL Journals- RIP AOL Journals and RIP GeoCities. both of you helped me discover the internet) and now I am here in my first year of Grad school, as scared and confused as I was back then and now I am once again on here blogging through my experiences. thanks for reading. Its you guys who I seem be able to the most real with, you who support me the most, and you who I look forward to continuing this journey with.