A Party With a Purpose

"reforest" New Orleans? I thought the city had to be repopulated and rebuilt, not sseded with trees and stocked with woodland creatures.

Sounds like a perfectly nice idea.

Now Cathar and ROC can post condescending comments about what dupes they are.

So if one couldn't attend the party, how could one donate to your cause??

But I hope they keep the petty arguing in the show--that's what makes it so much fun...

Imagine the meeting to determine which "purpose" they are partying for:

ECO-KID: It must be for the environment, global warming, polar bears, etc.
PETA-KID: No way, Gore won a Peace prize for that, no one is winning a prize for all the fur and leather in this town
VOLVO-KID: Is there a way we can do both?
VEGAN-KID: What about the chickens? We take so much from them.....
NO RED-MEAT KID: Chickens are not as highly evolved as cows-
VEGAN-KID: -no one asked you
PRIUS-KID: What about all the SUV's? If I see one more soccer mom's driving Yukons with one kid....
VOLVO-KID: Hey Prius, stop stealing my thunder, I was here first....
ONERACE-KID: Can't we all just get along??...

(Sorry, too much time on my hands today....)

Brilliant idea! Good for them!

Would you prefer it, "davekingman," if I just posted here about what a ninny you are?

But "reforesting" New Orleans? A phrase like that doesn't exactly indicate familiarity with what the pre-Katrina city looked like, whatever the noble intentions of the young ladies. And the idea of helping someone sell ANYTHING to MTV......

"reforest" seems to be Debbie's description, not the kids.

Regardless, cut them some slack - they are 14.

14 in Montclair, spicoli, can sometimes be equated on a social consciousness level (if one has the right sort of parents) to 21 and up elsewhere. 14 elsewhere in the world is the very stuff of "revoutionary" forces. MTV, unfortunately, is global in reach.

Cut the world some slack.

It may seem like semantics, and poking fun at kids with good intentions, and all of that. But it really isn't. What it is, in my view, is a general impatience with the sort of naivete around what are very real , but also very complex, issues. So in response to crying needs for people in pain, we get lawn signs about Darfur and parties in order to plant trees in a city where people still don't have homes, or jobs to go to. I am sure that these kids mean well and are sincerely motivated to try to help people, but at their age they should be learning from someone about the complexity of this issue, and the stubborn nature of these problems that don't lend themselves to easy solutions. There are people who seem to believe that if you have a concert for hunger, well then hunger will go away. Or farmers will not lose their land. Or ethnic cleansing will cease. And everyone can move on to the next crisis, satisfied with having done their part.
I wish them well and applaud their good hearts. But New Orleans needs so much more, and needs it from people and organizations and agencies who actually have the wherewithal to give it.

Don't know which group the kids are working with, but here's two I googled up that are planting trees in the Big Easy. Apparently hurricanes(much like microbursts) ARE bad for trees...who knew?

Parkway Partners - New Orleans - The Parkway Partners Program, in association with the City of New Orleans Department of Parks and Parkways, works to imprve green space for all New Orleanians as it has for the past 25 years... Since Katrina's devastation of 70% of the city's tree canopy, we have launched an urgent reforestation campaign.

ReLeaf New Orleans takes center stage as Parkwy Partners seeks t restore a canpy that is the hallmark of beauty and health for the environment and its citizens.

Replant New Orleans - New Orleans - It is the mission of Replant New Orleans to provie trees and shrubs, healthy soil, and education outreach services to the residents of New orleans at no cost. We seek to help New Orleanians create a lush, healthy, and vibrant urban forest canopy, emphasizing equitable distribution of resources and grassroots community involvement.

And... let's not begin to discuss those all important college applications...

This is perfect, "Oh, and by way (insert School name here), I helped save/reduce/bring awareness to the (insert social woe here) as a high school student."

These are kids raised in comfort in America. They are major consumers. They purchase alot. The spend alot. Yet, you'll never see them even attempting to sway people to support American economics and American industry.
Granted, the forces that they do get behind are all highly worthwhile social blah blah issues, but, if one looks around, pretty much only America and Israel support our way of life.
These young people are the biggest force behind the mega billions spent yearly on imported goods. "Buy American" -or- "Support American Industry" are totally removed from their mind set.
Almost everything they wear, buy, own, drive, talk on, watch, play with (or on) is made in China, Japan, Germany or names you can't even pronounce.
It would make me so glad to see them turn inward, to their parents and get others to support goods made in the USA and therefore support Americans, the American work Force and American Corporations and American Industry, which are the backbone of this country thaty we call "home".

Sitting just last week in Wendies' I over heard a 20-something young female proclaim "I don't think I own anything made in the USA" ~
But, it was with such pride & excitement, that she said it. I was stunned. Sad.
I think that alot of it comes from the parents mindset and is "hand me down" mindset.

but do you know what constitutes made in America anymore? Corporations are global. My Japanese Subaru was made in Indiana and it's very likely your Chrysler was made in Mexico or Canada. So how many Americans benefit more if I buy a Jap car? Oh yeah Mercedes Benz bought Chrysler years ago so it's not American although the media still refers to them as part of the Big 3. Oh never mind it's American again since mercedes just sold it to some American vulture hedge funds that will shortly layoff thousands of American workers that the German parent would never do. So what's American anymore? And Amercians better off belonging to an American company? I think Levi's closed their last American factory years ago. Walmart buys most of its stuff from China. Where is an American supposed to go to buy American? Globalization is everywhere. It's ummmm global?

I believe my tall half skim mocha Macchiato was made in the good old USA.

And remember, let's not be so 1950's with our Buy American. As most countries attain wealth, they farm out production to those places where it is cheaper.

So while my pants are made in non-USA, they were designed and sold here. And what about Google, they don't "make" a think but are worth more than any manufacturing company? The big money is not just in manufacturing. So while I empathize with your point, I think you fail to consider the modern world we live in-- the big money is now also in the designing and selling of things where thankfully the USA is king.

actually the machine that makes the macchiato was designed and made in Italy. The milk, a commodity, came from America and the labor, your barrista, is American, perhaps. And the beans were definitely not American. so even your simple cup of joe is a microcosm of globalization.

Now as for Google, that's another industry being hollowed out and outsourced piece by piece to india and china. All the low level jobs are getting sucked away. You don't graduate college as the chief designer. You start at the bottom and work your way up the ladder. The bottom rungs of the ladder are being sent overseas and soon they will be the ones doing the designer jobs, not us.

Sandy - this is all organized by MTV, one of the biggest exporters of good ole 'merican culture. Nothing says "USA" better than a bunch of drunk young college girls flashing their boobs during spring break.

Ah, "Itsnot..." Let me get this straight, Starbucks uses ONE machine to sell 1 million (here the Prof exaggerates to make a point) $5 cups of joe. The money stays in the store to pay for the great location (local), the help (local) and Mr. Starbucks (Seattle). Clearly the money is in the sale of the finished coffee, not the means of production.

As for google, they are hiring like crazy (see below) so, no recent grads don't become the Chief engineer, but they get a job (where they will leave and develop some other software...).

And don't forget, please don't forget, the USA leads the world in creativity so I do not fear designers from afar (although I love my nintendo wii and vw...).

I thought we were past the "everyone makes something we don't, therefore the USA is doomed argument." Wasn't it during the go-go Clinton 90's that that was proved wrong? (Said with great fondness for the go-go 90's).

Google Hiring

See this NY Times article to feel better about the USA's creativity.

NYT: Young Tycoons

I'm not knocking SBUX but it's another service economy job with less pay and benefits replacing a manufacturing job that has been sent overseas.

Google is a tiny tech company hiring a few hundred grads, compared to the American behemoths IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Cisco, etc, that are racing to India and China opening up new shops and hiring 1000's of their graduates, not ours.

Huh? You need to read up Itsnotlife. Calling Google tiny is like saying "search" will be a minor internet need. (BTW little Google is the 5th largest company in the USA).

And hell, even Apple is worth more than IBM.

But again, what's the unemployment rate? 4.8% (a number my finance Prof said was impossible. But that was in 1987). So, fear not the future is bright as these kids here show the continued creativity that will drive the USA.

God bless 'em!

5th largest? based on what? some wall street inflated market cap? you still hanging on to your Xerox and Kodak stocks? they used to be the largest companies in America based on market cap too. Google is not the 5th largest employer in America. They are not even in the top 100.

Market cap which is how we have always measured size.

My point was directed at your silly "tiny tech company" comment.

Wal-Mart is the largest employer.

(now go use google to find out some other facts.....)

Edgemont Park could use some trees....

"" but do you know what constitutes made in America anymore? Corporations are global. My Japanese Subaru was made in Indiana and it's very likely your Chrysler was made in Mexico or Canada. So how many Americans benefit more if I buy a Jap car? Oh yeah Mercedes Benz bought Chrysler years ago so it's not American although the media still refers to them as part of the Big 3. Oh never mind it's American again since mercedes just sold it to some American vulture hedge funds that will shortly layoff thousands of American workers that the German parent would never do. So what's American anymore? And Amercians better off belonging to an American company? I think Levi's closed their last American factory years ago. Walmart buys most of its stuff from China. Where is an American supposed to go to buy American? Globalization is everywhere. It's ummmm global___________. ""

Oh boy, where do I begin?
Yes, your Japanese Subaru was made in Kokomo, Indiana, by Americans. However, your are being short sighted. Subaru takes the profits, (not the gross) THE PROFITS back to Japan and invests it in their homeland. (Subaru, BTW is now owned by Toyota).
Regarding Chrysler Corportaion, yes, they are "Whole Again" and have gotten Mercedes out of their hair. Yes, they make cars in Canada & Mexico, but, again, the profits stay in America (now, since M-B is outta there.)
Everything M-B did while owning ChryCo was horrid. They over inflated everything, falsly, spread manufacturing too thin, treated the retailers like crap and overspent like Brittany! It will take a few years to get them back in the black, but they've got great leadership now.

All of this is neither here nor there & is waaay off topic.

What I said is that it would be a noble cause for these young people to try & influence their peers & their parents to support American based corporations.I do think that you know a Westinghouse from a Tosheba ?
I mean we've had "Save the Whales" and "Save the Beachs" and "Save the Trees" and Save the this and that. I'd like them to make others aware that we need to support OUR own manufacturing corporations.

What do find so offensive 'bout that ?

Perhaps your stock would go up and make you more $$$. Would you object to that?

To "Save our Manufacturers" you would be spending $50 for your kids shoes instead of $12.95 at payless. OR your plasma would be double the price. That computer? Don't even ask.

But as Americans we've already voted on this one: we want it cheap regardless of where it was made. Therefore, unless you can figure out a way to manufacture your product in America and have it compete price wise, you are sunk. (Of course there will always be folks- like me- who go out of their way and pay more to buy American at times, but I'm fortunate enough to be able to. Many are not.)

But this begs an earlier question, "What constitutes American now?"

I answered that.

Made in America, by an American Corporation. It's really very simple.

Here's a test:

Westinghouise -- Tosheba
Honda -- Buick
Sanyo -- Zeneth
G.E -- Panasonic

See, not all that hard.

But, once more, you insist on going off topic.

Topic:
For youthful people to band together to popularize Buying products produced by American Corporations to keep jobs here, and to keep productivity here and to keep America an industrialized nation, and not dependant upon India, Japan and China in the next generation(s).
Would most people on this board actually work for the wages paid in China? NO! But, you simply cannot have it both ways. Cutting nose to spite face syndrome.

Toshiba?

(Once again I insist to go off topic? Nice try cutie, see my 5:16 comment about these great kids.)

But you seem not to understand the now complex issue of "buy American." Because it is very HARD to tell if a product is "American" or not. You see, if a product is created and designed in American by an American company, manufactured in America, China, India and assembled in Mexico and sold (marketing and advertising) by Americans, is that American?

I go by the value added test. For it I look to the creation, design and sales of a product (others use percentages to make this determination). So, while manufacturing jobs are leaving (if not gone), much of the value added jobs are still here. That's why say Apple (the only computer the prof will own) is a buying American in my book.

Your simplistic understanding of this issue is clear because you did not "answer" this question.

And if I wanted to go off topic I would explain how this issue also creates a false impression of our "trade imbalance."

But I won't.

I don't care much about where a product is designed. If the profits of the sale of it go to an American company and if it's manufactured here in America, then it IS "American"

What are "Value Added" jobs ?

You say, "Your simplistic understanding of this issue is clear because you did not "answer" this question."

I did not see any question ?

Sandy, Sandy, Sandy..... See the last sentence of my 8:55am post, which articulates what question we are addressing her.

And you don't care where a product is designed? Um.... any idea how much $$ those jobs are paid versus manufacturing? Do you think the iphone just came into begin? It was designed by a talented and well paid team of Americans... And what about the team of advertising and marketing folks? All American.

But the iphone is "assembled" overseas. But according to your calculus it's not American... Huh?

Unfortunately, your clear lack of understanding of these issues forces me onto other concerns.

Like that waste of money "Dog Park" in Brookdale.

I agree ! That dog park was designed in and the particles manufactured in China !
The fencing came from England, but, an American Designer designed it, but he did it in Canada! Don't even ask about the water feeders ~

Who cut the trees above the park, illegal, sorry, undocumented immigrants? Would that be american?

Sandy you are so far over your head it's scary.

But I'm enjoying your lack of understanding so keep going.

What was I understanding, again ? :)

Oh, 'Ya, I know, we live in America, so we are allowed to have a different opinions. Yes ?

I think it's great that Ari, Seth and Ivy are putting this project together.

Does anyone have the contact information for this project's primary point of contact? (Is it Ari or is it someone else?) I'm in a position to bring resources and donations to the project.

Self-correction: Seth should have read "Seta" - my mistake.