I think you will be reading a few posters here about TED for the next weeks, at least until I get tired of that (and then take a rest and start watching thousands of talks again, getting tired again, and… well, you got the picture).
This talk by Dave Eggers is amazing. It is not about science, but education. More specifically, English education and writing, but the general idea fits any other subject.
“science is a method, not a subject.” (Cath wrote that as a comment to a post sowhere, and I couldn’t agree more.)I will repeat that as a mantra, from now on. But I digress.]
It all started when a group of writers and people working with the English language in general decided to dedicate a bit of their time to help schoolchildren with their homework, clarify doubts about English and so on.
And they rented a small building for that. But it was a commercial building, so according to the law they had to sell something in there, the landlord told.
That’s where the story goes from “good” to “genius.”
(hm, forget I said that. I don’t want to influence your judgement.)
They decided to open a shop with pirate supplies. “For the working buccaneer”. Parrots food, glass eyeballs, wooden legs and so on. In the back of the shop, computers, desks, books and the usual stuff you would expect (826 Valencia is the name of the place)
The store eventually started doing so well that it now makes money enough to cover the rent and some other expenses. Similar initiatives appeared in the US. A store with articles for superheroes (Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co.). A seven-eleven for time travellers (didn’t find the site, but the products are here ) . All with homework going on in the back, together with partnerships with local schools and involvement with the teachers.
And that’s it. I really hope someone opens something like that here in London. Help kids write and build their confidence, learn with them, try new flying capes, buy secret identity kits, fill my cupboard with Barbarian repellent? I would love that.
This is the website of the initiative . It explains the other things going on besides the useless ephemera, like the books the children write,events and so on.
“A seven-eleven for time travellers (didn’t find the site, but the products are here )”
It closed down in 1372, didn’t it?
The time traveller store will have going to be an excellent idea.
And now, a Jewish Joke about shops. Abie and Sadie had a religious goods store on Delancey Street on the lower east side of NYC. The neighborhood was changing. The Jews were moving to Westchester and the Hispanics were moving in.
“Abie, we have to move to Westchester,” said Sadie.
“We can’t”, said Abie. “This neighborhood is our life. We’ve been here for thirty-three years. Maybe we can start stocking Catholic articles too.”
Sadie says,“What? Catholic articles? Bistu in gantzen meshuggeh? We’re Jews. No Catholic articles!!!”
Well, a month passed and they sold nothing but two tallisim, three mezzuzahs and one set of tefillin. Now was the time to fish or cut bait.
Sadie agreed that they had to stock Catholic articles, so she said to Abie, “OK, call that Catholic supply house on Park Avenue.”
Abie: “Hello, Catholic supply house on Park Avenue? This is Abie And Sadie’s on Delancey Street. I want 100 autographed pictures of the Pope, 200 of those beads – what do you call them, rosaries? 500 crucifixes… and I need
those things here tomorrow.”
“OK, Sir. I got your order. Let me read it back. 100 autographed pictures of the Pope, 200 sets of rosaries and 500 crucifixes. But, tomorrow we don’t deliver… …..it’s Shabbos.”
Thank you, Henry. I have now happily and successfully forwarded that joke to my entire (Jewish) family. That is truly very funny.
And I did see Dave Eggers’ talk – it was wonderful. Especially his surprise at the success of a pirate supply store…
My pleasure, Anna. In the meantime I’ve remembered another Jewish joke that’s an even closer parallel to Barbara’s excellent pirate-store tale.
The community mohel lives in an old house with a storefront. The store window is bare, and the mohel just curtains it off.
The municipality, wanting to smarten up the street, demands that people with storefronts put proper shop-type displays in their window.
After a certain amount of thought, the mohel (with the help of his brother-in-law, who runs an office-supply business) sets up a tasteful display of pocket calculators.
All is well until a man barges into a shop demanding a pocket calculator. The mohel explains that it’s just a display made to fulfil the municipal regulations, and in apologetic tones, explains that he doesn’t actually sell calculators.
The customer doesn’t listen at first, and when the mohel finally gets through to him, becomes indignant. If there are pocket calculators in the window, then the shop behind it must surely sell pocket calculators.
“Look,” says the mohel. “For the last time, I’m not a pocket-calculator salesman, I’m a mohel. What do you want I should put in my window?”
Thanks for the jokes, Henry! And the last one made me learn what a mohel is (I had no idea). So, thanks for making me learn a new word (and then being able to enjoy the joke :)
Cue the brilliant Scottish Jewish comedian, Arnold Brown.
He often talks about his late Uncle Harry. One simple joke that I recall:-
“Uncle Harry started off with Judaism, drifted into Buddhism and ended up with rheumatism”.
Graham – made me laugh out loud. But seriously, Barbara, that piarate-store story was great, and very inspirational. I wonder what else might be done?
Another Brownism:-
I was walking the streets of Glasgow the other week and I saw this sign: “This door is alarmed.” I said to myself: “How do you think I feel?”
Yes Barbara, having watched this TED talk it’s fantastic. Thanks so much for flagging this up and writing an excellent summary about it.