Peter Yarrow - Social Activist at Barnes & Noble

BY: MICHELLE AREAN, MARIANA GUERRERO AND YEDICA LEAL

Hundreds of people ranging from pre-schoolers to the elderly gathered at the Barnes and Noble on Kendall last Thursday to listen to Peter Yarrow , who captivated the crowd with songs about green dragons and jet planes.

Yarrow, who is known by people of all ages, is part of the group Peter, Paul & Mary, which was the number one recording group in the country in the 1960s.

Young children know him for his well-known song “Puff the Magic Dragon,” which was later turned into a cartoon special. Adults are fans of songs such as, “Leaving on a Jet Plane” and “This Land is Your Land.”

Anastasia Nagler, 82, of Pinecrest went to the event on Thursday to listen to Yarrow perform, though she missed it when she went to another Barnes and Noble. She recalls going to watch Yarrow perform with his group, Peter, Paul and Mary in the ‘60s at the Lam’s club on Purdy Avenue on South Beach. With an oversized copy of “Puff the Magic Dragon,” in her hand Anastasia stood in line for over an hour to get her copy signed. “I’m taking it for my daughter,” she said. “She can read it to my grandchildren.”

Groups of young children joined Yarrow on stage and sang every word to his songs. When a 3-year-old was singing along, Yarrow stopped the song midway to ask the child for her age. He then said, “If a three-year-old knows the words to the chorus, wouldn’t you be happy?”

Yarrow is committed to social change. He coordinated many events for the anti-Vietnam War movement and has been at the frontlines of change since the civil rights movement in the early sixties. Many issues have moved Yarrow to give of his time, among these are: hunger, homelessness, nuclear threat, education and equal rights.

Yarrow is quoted on his website as saying, “Most of my work over the past 25 years has been devoted to organizing demonstrations, benefits and campaigns, many of which have had the effect of bringing a policy debate to public focus or moving a political agenda forward. It’s become cliché to say ‘think globally and act locally,’ but it works.”

Yarrow’s latest project is an educational crusade, which keeps children from becoming bullies. The project titled: “Operation Respect: Don’t Laugh at Me,” an intensive curriculum in character development, was introduced in 2000 into elementary and middle schools by The Department of Education.

The song, “Don’t Laugh At Me” will help transform school campuses and other youth organizations into more compassionate, safe and respectful environments. The project provides free educational materials designed to build an atmosphere that reduces the emotional and physical cruelty some children inflict upon each other through ridicule, bullying and violence, in extreme cases.

The program features three curricula, one for grades two through five, another for grades six through eight, and a third for summer camps and after-school programs, reports the University of Northern Iowa.



The long lines of adults waiting to get books signed by Yarrow after his performance demonstrated how strong of a following he has by people of all ages. Not only do young children love him for Puff the Magic Dragon, but also adults were taking copies for themselves and friends.

There were even retired teachers in line with his book taking a few copies to share with other teacher friends. Arlene Velez, said her son, who is six-years-old, liked the performance. “He didn’t know this author. We recently moved here from Puerto Rico; he knows about Spanish authors, but he’s just starting to learn about other American authors,” said Velez.


NPR's What's in a Song? 'What's in a Song?': Don't Laugh by Taki Telonidis
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4124291


The New Yorker article from 2005 about "Don't Laugh at Me" educational program: http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/07/04/050704ta_talk_collins


Blog entry from Universal Hub -- about "Don't Laugh at Me" http://www.universalhub.com/node/10051

A New Home Every Day

BY: MICHELLE AREAN, MARIANA GUERRERO, YEDICA LEAL



Rob Wells doesn’t have a permanent fire station. He has a new team for a day – every day. Monday was his first time at Station 37 in Southwest Miami-Dade.

Wells, a 32-year-old shift-relief firefighter from Miramar, is assigned to different Miami-Dade stations as part of his two years of rooky training. He drives from his home in Miramar to his assigned station. Once there, he talks to his supervisor, checks the engine and makes sure the equipment is ready.

“If a call goes bad and we don’t have something, it’s pretty much my head. I’m the rooky,” he said.

In between calls, they spend time together like a regular family does. They eat together, chat about their day and snicker at each other’s jokes.

“We clean. We cook; we run calls together. It’s a family; there are a lot of jokes and pranks, but that’s important for the fire service because you get to know each other that way,” he said.

This was his first time at station 37 and he was already one of them.


“It’s like being in college or having an extended family. Every time I come to work I meet new people.”

And even though rescuing cats, ducklings and even horses is not uncommon, most of the calls are more complicated. His most impacting call was about a child who had drowned. He arrived at a house where a desperate mother was holding an already dead child.

“It was pretty rough because I walked through the door and the mother took the baby -- the baby was blue, lifeless -- and throws the baby on me,” he said. “It’s very serious. I think a big part of this job is trying to remain calm. That’s what people don’t see, and a lot of people think that firefighters just play around all day and they just sleep all day, but it’s a challenging job, that’s what’s great about the job.”

The best part about his job is being able to make a difference in people’s lives.

“Sometimes it’s as simple as holding someone’s hand,” he said. It’s not always that simple. “It’s a challenging job because you have to be sharp. Seconds count,” he said.

They train on a daily basis to maintain that sharpness and be able to respond to any call.

“You take the good and the bad. You have good calls and bad calls,” Wells said.

Every day brings about a new learning experience for the fireman.

“Every call I run a call I’m learning. Even just spending time with the firefighters, we talk about our calls. We talk about our bad calls. We talk about our good calls,” Wells said.

The station has a set of five pictures hanging from the dinning room wall. These photos show images of 9/11, a recollection to them of what that day meant for their careers and lives.



“After 9/11 America in general is just not the same. We had a lot of brothers and sisters die and we take them with us. We’re a family, so when we run calls safety is always on our minds,” Wells said.

“Terrorism is a big thing. It could be a simple call that can go haywire,” he said.

Wells first decided he wanted to be a firefighter when he was 14 years old. He was surfing, when during a low tide he fell off the board and the fin from the board jabbed into his leg.

“Lifeguards came, they called rescue and they came and took me to the hospital. And I thought it was the coolest thing,” Wells said.

About the cats . . . “You’ve never seen a cat skeleton on a tree,” Wells said. “They come down.”

Wells is originally from Cleveland, Ohio but grew up in Vero Beach, Florida.



Audio of Interview:

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SPECIAL SIDEBAR POST BY MICHELLE AREAN:
http://singleandfab.com/blog/2007/09/19/firehouse-experiences/

It's a Pajama Party ~ Michelle

On Friday, September 7th I took my goddaughter and her sister to Barnes and Noble on Kendall Drive where they were having a Pajama Party! What kind of party could possibly take place at a bookstore, you ask? One involving about 30 children all dressed up in Spiderman PJs, Ninja Turtle shoes, and even some Disney Princess' PJ pants and their parents.
The children gathered in the Children's section of the bookstore, while a 2nd grade teacher read bedtime stories to them. She read a couple of books, which included Goodnight Moon and Goodnight Moon 1,2,3. The kids all sat attentively listening, those old enough to understand what was going on. The ones who were too small were wandering around exploring books in awe. Their hands were on everything that caught their eye and the store employees seemed to welcome the exploration.
After the reading was complete, the reader asked the kids questions, sparking some reading comprehension skills, while they thought they were there for fun. Disguising learning as a fun night or even a treat after a long week in class? Brilliant! Later, the children were able to participate in a coloring activity. A bedtime story isn't quite complete without some milk and cookies to go with it, so of course they were given that as a little snack while they colored.
The price of this activity you may be now wondering? It is totally free! The PJ Party readings take place at the Barnes and Noble on Kendall drive every first Friday of the month at 7 p.m. and lasts about an hour. Other activities for the children are going on all month long. Though, I'm not between the ages of 2 - 9, I really enjoyed this activity.
The next children's activity is on September 20th at 7 p.m. with a reading and musical performance by Peter Yarrow doing Puff, the Magic Dragon. I know I'll be there with my goddaughters; Puff the Magic Dragon was one of my favorites back in first grade some 22 years ago or so.

For more information on events happening at a Barnes and Noble near you, check out: http://storelocator.barnesandnoble.com/events.do;jsessionid=1D9197E4470B2CE99599E3CE15812925

Here's a glimpse of what's in store:

Disney: The safest place on Earth.//Yedica

In response to Mattel's worldwide toy recall in the last couple of months, The Walt Disney Company will begin to inspect its own toys before they hit the market. Millions of Chinese-made toys were removed from store shelves due to unsafe levels of lead paint. Disney will take on the job of testing its products, which is usually done by the manufactures. The testing of more than 65,000 children's products will begin within the next two weeks. The program will also include random testing of products already on store shelves. Disney is doing everything to protect their brand from safety fears and secure holiday sales.
Other Companies that will independently test its products:
*Toys "R" Us
*Sesame Workshop
*Nickelodeon

Metrorail: A tour into the realm of public transportation || Mariana

I'm probably not the only one – who has never traveled on a form of mass transportation in Miami. What? Where? The Metrorail? Yeah, I know it is the cool little train that you see when you go to Dadeland Mall or when you are driving through one of the downtown Miami streets.
Every time I see it I think of Disneyworld's monorail. But the fact is that I've never set foot on a Metrorail train.
Neither have I ridden a bus in Miami – ever; one time in Fort Lauderdale.
When I was in High School, a friend and I made the "excursion" from Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale to my house in Plantation. We rode the bus the get home. That was interesting, but a one-time experience, considering it took us about two hours to get home; a ride that would have taken us about half an hour in a car.
I believe I am not the only one and that there is most likely a large part of the Miami population who has never used one of these services unless they don't have another choice.
It seems convenient, you don't have to get stuck in traffic (in the Metrorail's case) and you don't have to drive. It is convenient in fact; look at mass transit in the northern cities like New York and Washington DC, even Boston.
Besides, we help get cars out of the roads, make less traffic, and reduce the amount of contamination in the atmosphere. I'm all for stopping global warming, but the problem is that the service is very limited.
The Metrorail only goes to a certain area of town and when you live where the civilization ends, you still have to make a journey to actually take the Metrorail.
Therefore, we continue to drive our cars, create traffic, and pollute. For now, it's the only choice we have.
For those, like me, who have never ridden the Metrorail, here is a video I found on YouTube of some brave Miamian who gave up his ride to show us what it feels like to make the trip from the South Miami station to the Dadeland station in Kendall. Enjoy!

Survey Says . . . ~Michelle

I saw a posting on the Miami Herald's site announcing that FIU was looking for women, 50 and older, to participate in a survey and small group discussion about how women handle conflicts and problems in relationships with husbands or other intimate partners. The women who participate in this forum would be paid a small stipend for their time.

However, this got me thinking, why only women in their 50s? I think they should try a pool of women in all ages. Aren't women in their 30s at the prime of their lives? Why not include them?

It also came to my attention that no matter how old we are, relationships and men especially, are always a major concern for women. Come to think of it, relationships are the basis of our every day life; we come in contact with people all day long.

I would love to see the end result of this survey. I'd like some advice on relationships from these women who have probably lived through more experiences and may have more answers than I could ever come up with at my age.

So, women in your 50s or older, moms, grandmas, anyone who needs a little extra cash and has their own two cents to share - sign up! Then let me what know the end result is. I'm sure I could use it, as many others in their earlier stages of life and relationships can benefit from your wisdom.

Social Networking Groups -- Even for Stay at Home Moms || Mariana

It's all about finding your friends in the community -- on the web. Social networking sites join people in all types of settings. Most of our contemporaries are familiar with sites such as Facebook or Myspace, but it doesn't end there. Stay at home mom of the Venetian Isles community near Kendall found a way to "meetup." They recently created a meeting group on the website: http://www.meetup.com/ "the world's largest community of local Meetups, groups and clubs."
This website is all about connecting people with common interests. It has a section devoted to Stay at Home Moms who want to meet other stay at home moms in their area.
The moms from Venetian Isles don't have many members yet. So far it's only Giselle, Andriana, and Ileana, but the group, seems to me, will find its way to popularity among the other moms in the community.

"Meet nearby Stay at Home Moms! Come to a local Stay at Home Moms Meetup for friendship and reassurance, parenting and career advice, stories and fun. Lets get together to start meeting other neighbors and families in our community. We'll meet for Tea, cooking recipes exchange and tips, scrapbooking tips, playdates for the kids, picnics and much more. Fun activities for moms, families and kids. Membership Fees of $5/yearly are required for meeting expenses and group's website maintenance," says their group's page.
http://sahm.meetup.com/2238/?gj=sj2

Thumbs up for the local stay at home moms. It sure would have been fun to have a community like this one when I was a kid.

Miami: A Tropical Getaway//Yedica

When planning a tropical getaway, Miami is a top destination. With amazing year-round weather and lots of entertainment, there’s never a dull moment. From the time you check-in at one of Ocean Drive’s art deco hotels, you will experience Miami’s unique flavors. The hottest nightspots, trendiest shops and pristine beaches are just steps away. Water, air and ground tours of the city's most popular attractions, cater to every personality.
If the ocean is your passion, the possibilities are endless. Deep-sea fishing, kayaking, speed boating, snorkeling, windsurfing, sailing and jet skiing are fun ways to spend a day at sea. Want an ecological adventure; experience the Everglades on an airboat ride or explore Biscayne National Park, home of the only living tropical reef within the continental U.S.
Don’t know where to eat? Miami’s dining experiences are as diverse as its population. Satisfy your cravings with a taste of Caribbean, Argentinean, French, German, Greek or Spanish cuisine.
Plan your Miami vacation ahead and discover all the possibilities this eclectic city has to offer.

Only in Miami//Yedica

Only in Miami a street is named after a car, only in Miami Cuban coffee is made with Brazilian beans and Dominican sugar, only in Miami the school board superintendent makes more than the governor, only in Miami a boy is saved by dolphins at sea, only in Miami dead people vote, only in Miami 60 degrees is considered cold, only in Miami alligators are part of the scenery, only in Miami efficiency is a real estate term, only in Miami dominoes is the national sport, only in Miami English is a second language, only in Miami it's okay to live at home when you're 30. And then people wonder, why we love Miami so much.