BRIGGS wrote:Let me tell you something Holfresh--this is my life

I grew up in Brooklyn--went to PS 230. I lived in a Brickstone on Minna Street. I used to walk to school--something these kids dont even do anymore. My dad dropped dead in front of me at his Chock Full of Nuts at age 8. My fcking Grandfather--my dad's dad took EVERYTHING from my mom because he did not have a will--I mean we were fcked over by flesh and blood. My Uncle took the gold chain off of my dads dead neck for his own memento and wouldn't give it to his kids the only thing i asked for(I wanted to wear my dad's chain)--meaning I never had anything from my dad but memories--my uncle's name is Allan Naarden a retired Neurologist. These fcking people did NOTHING for us--his own brother father mother fcked his grandkids over at 8 EIGHT years old thats 8. He vasically absorbed every dollar my father made and even got rid of his clothes--to this day his fcking clothes are gone--no one knows where they are. Well holfresh after a few months we were forced out of Brooklyn and into a small town in CT where my brother and I were basically the only Jews-not only Jews in town(although there were only a few) but the complex I moved to we were the only Jews--suffice to say I had to put up my dukes several times--and whether i won or lost--I fcking brought it. That calmed down--but no one gave me anything--I went to school and worked hard--I played every sport and excelled at football. fast -forward that hard work in school really without anyone helping me for many years got me into Uconn AND I paid for it myself and lets say Ive done well since then. But I grew up with problems less than 1% of this population face--and I turned out fine(well maybe a little kookie) but for the most part--more than fine. I made sure my kids get everything they need to have a great education and all that comes with it. So when I hear someone cant I think to myself--no youre not fcking trying.

Well I give you props, Briggs on overcoming those odds. There are a lot of people in places like Baltimore and all over that have done similar feats in overcoming oppressing odds. I guess the $20,000 question is how do you scale out this kind of perseverance in a more widespread manner? Just the fact that it was an uncle who was a neurologist suggests you are coming from a context where high levels of professional and educational achievement was already there. So a multigenerational situation of lower levels of achievement may be a more oppressive hurdle to overcome.

BRIGGS wrote:Let Carmelo Anthony and a swarm of his buddies put up the money to help Baltimore upgrade their schools. If he wants to do something with his name--be the man who brought a better brand of education to the kids in the city. I have to pay a LOT in taxes in two towns each year to keep our education system running well. You have to invest in education before you will see upgrades in a standard of life---I mean how long has this been going on in Baltimore and other towns 50-60 years? No one gives a sht--thats the main problem. Lets be lazy and blame the system instead of picking myself off the ground and handling things in house.

Baltimore city schools budget is run by the principle, and she divides the funds anyway they see fit, multiple principle have been fired for misuse of funds.. No school trips, no computers, no bonuses for teachers, and if there is potential snow, the entire cities schools systems closes. The principles comes to work in Range Rover one week, and a late model benz the next.

BRIGGS wrote:

holfresh wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:Let Carmelo Anthony and a swarm of his buddies put up the money to help Baltimore upgrade their schools. If he wants to do something with his name--be the man who brought a better brand of education to the kids in the city. I have to pay a LOT in taxes in two towns each year to keep our education system running well. You have to invest in education before you will see upgrades in a standard of life---I mean how long has this been going on in Baltimore and other towns 50-60 years? No one gives a sht--thats the main problem. Lets be lazy and blame the system instead of picking myself off the ground and handling things in house.

The Carmelo Anthony Youth Development Center...
https://www.livingclassrooms.org/ourp_pgming_carmelo.php

That nice he put it there--but that not education. Education is classrooms teachers books--not basketball court rec room. He deserves a lot of credit for that but its not an answer to the problem.

Melo also assists in operating the Carmelo Anthony Youth Development Center located in Baltimore, Maryland. The Youth Development Center provides support for the educational and social development of disadvantaged youth, providing the opportunity to engage in various activities and programs. Many of the children come from public housing or low-income neighbourhoods which lack much of the services provided within prosperous neighbourhoods and communities. The development center provides service in five important areas: education and career development; character and civic development; health and life skills; the arts and cultural enrichment; and sports and recreation.

Anthony also gives back to where he came from as he presented a grant to his former home, Syracuse University, for a new basketball practice facility which opened September 24, 2009. Melo also blends basketball with giving as he teamed up with his former coach at Syracuse University, Jim Boeheim, and helped the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation in creating Courts for Kids. With the help of sponsors, the joint program builds and refurbishes old basketball courts for kids in the disadvantaged socioeconomic areas of Syracuse and Puerto Rico.

Anthony’s work was recognized in 2006 when the premier philanthropic recourse for sports and entertainment, The Giving Back Fund, ranked Carmelo in their Top 10 of the Giving Back 30 report.

NardDogNation wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:Let Carmelo Anthony and a swarm of his buddies put up the money to help Baltimore upgrade their schools. If he wants to do something with his name--be the man who brought a better brand of education to the kids in the city. I have to pay a LOT in taxes in two towns each year to keep our education system running well. You have to invest in education before you will see upgrades in a standard of life---I mean how long has this been going on in Baltimore and other towns 50-60 years? No one gives a sht--thats the main problem. Lets be lazy and blame the system instead of picking myself off the ground and handling things in house.

How about we start that process by making multi-billionaires pay a fair share of their taxes? Then we can continue by preventing them from using our military to protect their foreign interests and assets.

That would certainly be a start!

And very inspiring story Briggs. You are a strong dude to have overcome so many obstacles very early in your life. Much respect

BRIGGS wrote:

holfresh wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:

holfresh wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:

holfresh wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:Let Carmelo Anthony and a swarm of his buddies put up the money to help Baltimore upgrade their schools. If he wants to do something with his name--be the man who brought a better brand of education to the kids in the city. I have to pay a LOT in taxes in two towns each year to keep our education system running well. You have to invest in education before you will see upgrades in a standard of life---I mean how long has this been going on in Baltimore and other towns 50-60 years? No one gives a sht--thats the main problem. Lets be lazy and blame the system instead of picking myself off the ground and handling things in house.

The Carmelo Anthony Youth Development Center...
https://www.livingclassrooms.org/ourp_pgming_carmelo.php

That nice he put it there--but that not education. Education is classrooms teachers books--not basketball court rec room. He deserves a lot of credit for that but its not an answer to the problem.

Did you click the link?..It helps kids educationally year round with classroom work, among other things...

I agree thats a start--its a great gesture but this is a town like many other bigger cities that lack the quality of education and the enforcement to send kids to school every day is a problem that I have not seen go away in my 46 years on this Earth. I go back to some place and say to myself this is still here??? Why? For all of these years why do people still live like this? in 2015 every kid needs to be educated and the parents and towns and cities must make sure this is enforced.

It's bigger than just education..It's a huge social issue that this country have not made the determination to address yet...Education is just a small piece of the puzzle...Lots of these kids aren't prepared to receive an education..They have been defeated before education even begins...What Melo is doing is piecemeal..He can't change whats happening..Pumping money in schools won't change what's happening...

Well thats a pssy defeatist attitude. Man I give up before I even try. What the f kind of panzy BS is that. We dont live in North Korea --this is a FREE MF country and if you want something bad enough--you do it--or atleast you 120% effort. This is the land of opportunity and each kid deserves that chance to work hard. Are you saying that somewhere in the US that a student is denied access to public schools? Are you saying that there is not enough money to improve almost any school? WTF are you saying?

What I'd say is that public schools are woefully equipped to deal with the underlying issues that plague these communities. Learning some bull**** about Hammurabi's Law and getting an "A" on it does next to nothing when it comes to preparing these kids for the obstacles they face beyond school. I know of that much from first hand experience.

BRIGGS wrote:

NardDogNation wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:Let me tell you something Holfresh--this is my life

I grew up in Brooklyn--went to PS 230. I lived in a Brickstone on Minna Street. I used to walk to school--something these kids dont even do anymore. My dad dropped dead in front of me at his Chock Full of Nuts at age 8. My fcking Grandfather--my dad's dad took EVERYTHING from my mom because he did not have a will--I mean we were fcked over by flesh and blood. My Uncle took the gold chain off of my dads dead neck for his own memento and wouldn't give it to his kids the only thing i asked for(I wanted to wear my dad's chain)--meaning I never had anything from my dad but memories--my uncle's name is Allan Naarden a retired Neurologist. These fcking people did NOTHING for us--his own brother father mother fcked his grandkids over at 8 EIGHT years old thats 8. He vasically absorbed every dollar my father made and even got rid of his clothes--to this day his fcking clothes are gone--no one knows where they are. Well holfresh after a few months we were forced out of Brooklyn and into a small town in CT where my brother and I were basically the only Jews-not only Jews in town(although there were only a few) but the complex I moved to we were the only Jews--suffice to say I had to put up my dukes several times--and whether i won or lost--I fcking brought it. That calmed down--but no one gave me anything--I went to school and worked hard--I played every sport and excelled at football. fast -forward that hard work in school really without anyone helping me for many years got me into Uconn AND I paid for it myself and lets say Ive done well since then. But I grew up with problems less than 1% of this population face--and I turned out fine(well maybe a little kookie) but for the most part--more than fine. I made sure my kids get everything they need to have a great education and all that comes with it. So when I hear someone cant I think to myself--no youre not fcking trying.

Dude, you're like 50. Do you understand that the America you lived in doesn't exist anymore? And more importantly, do you understand that the America you lived in was not even accessible to certain Americans?

I did all the things you mentioned, worked 3 part-time jobs to get 40 hours a week and a summer job as an undergrad and still graduated with $38,000 in debt on a ****ing full-tuition scholarship (that was after I was able to put down $12,000 ON THE PRINCIPLE, not just the interest). And the cherry on top is that when I graduated, I was welcomed by the country's worst economy since the Depression. And at the moment, we are 3rd to last in social mobility among industrialized nations. That doesn't come as a shock when you consider how the cost of living has sky-rocketed while wages have stagnated. Even if you wanted to "pull yourself up by the bootstraps", the tools to do so are unfeasible financially. Just for perspective, college tuition has spiked 1120% since 1980:

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/1783700

Nardog kids make salaries in part time jobs today that back in the late 80 and 90s that supported households. I paid roughly 6500 1/2 of the tuition in my home state( with the state discount)and my partial football scholarship in div 1 aa -- which is a job. That would've been 13 k at min wage is 3.37 think about it. I didn't even own a car until I was 23. I had a job T Merrill Lynch before I had license to drive. The moral here is I worked very hard and I made it work without excuses with a great deal against me starting at 8 years old. I don't give a shot if a kid says school costs too much there is away and an avenue for everything if you work hard.

So as a man who works in the finance industry, you believe it's feasible to pay off a mortgage (aka student loan at triple the interest rate) on a full-time minimum wage job? Is there magic involved with any of that? And somehow in your mind, 1980s dollars are the same as today's dollars?

BRIGGS wrote:Let Carmelo Anthony and a swarm of his buddies put up the money to help Baltimore upgrade their schools. If he wants to do something with his name--be the man who brought a better brand of education to the kids in the city. I have to pay a LOT in taxes in two towns each year to keep our education system running well. You have to invest in education before you will see upgrades in a standard of life---I mean how long has this been going on in Baltimore and other towns 50-60 years? No one gives a sht--thats the main problem. Lets be lazy and blame the system instead of picking myself off the ground and handling things in house.

AMEN! i can care less about a bball team...invest in education!!! i love bball but its trivial in the grand scheme of things

NardDogNation wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:

NardDogNation wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:Let me tell you something Holfresh--this is my life

I grew up in Brooklyn--went to PS 230. I lived in a Brickstone on Minna Street. I used to walk to school--something these kids dont even do anymore. My dad dropped dead in front of me at his Chock Full of Nuts at age 8. My fcking Grandfather--my dad's dad took EVERYTHING from my mom because he did not have a will--I mean we were fcked over by flesh and blood. My Uncle took the gold chain off of my dads dead neck for his own memento and wouldn't give it to his kids the only thing i asked for(I wanted to wear my dad's chain)--meaning I never had anything from my dad but memories--my uncle's name is Allan Naarden a retired Neurologist. These fcking people did NOTHING for us--his own brother father mother fcked his grandkids over at 8 EIGHT years old thats 8. He vasically absorbed every dollar my father made and even got rid of his clothes--to this day his fcking clothes are gone--no one knows where they are. Well holfresh after a few months we were forced out of Brooklyn and into a small town in CT where my brother and I were basically the only Jews-not only Jews in town(although there were only a few) but the complex I moved to we were the only Jews--suffice to say I had to put up my dukes several times--and whether i won or lost--I fcking brought it. That calmed down--but no one gave me anything--I went to school and worked hard--I played every sport and excelled at football. fast -forward that hard work in school really without anyone helping me for many years got me into Uconn AND I paid for it myself and lets say Ive done well since then. But I grew up with problems less than 1% of this population face--and I turned out fine(well maybe a little kookie) but for the most part--more than fine. I made sure my kids get everything they need to have a great education and all that comes with it. So when I hear someone cant I think to myself--no youre not fcking trying.

Dude, you're like 50. Do you understand that the America you lived in doesn't exist anymore? And more importantly, do you understand that the America you lived in was not even accessible to certain Americans?

I did all the things you mentioned, worked 3 part-time jobs to get 40 hours a week and a summer job as an undergrad and still graduated with $38,000 in debt on a ****ing full-tuition scholarship (that was after I was able to put down $12,000 ON THE PRINCIPLE, not just the interest). And the cherry on top is that when I graduated, I was welcomed by the country's worst economy since the Depression. And at the moment, we are 3rd to last in social mobility among industrialized nations. That doesn't come as a shock when you consider how the cost of living has sky-rocketed while wages have stagnated. Even if you wanted to "pull yourself up by the bootstraps", the tools to do so are unfeasible financially. Just for perspective, college tuition has spiked 1120% since 1980:

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/1783700

Nardog kids make salaries in part time jobs today that back in the late 80 and 90s that supported households. I paid roughly 6500 1/2 of the tuition in my home state( with the state discount)and my partial football scholarship in div 1 aa -- which is a job. That would've been 13 k at min wage is 3.37 think about it. I didn't even own a car until I was 23. I had a job T Merrill Lynch before I had license to drive. The moral here is I worked very hard and I made it work without excuses with a great deal against me starting at 8 years old. I don't give a shot if a kid says school costs too much there is away and an avenue for everything if you work hard.

So as a man who works in the finance industry, you believe it's feasible to pay off a mortgage (aka student loan at triple the interest rate) on a full-time minimum wage job? Is there magic involved with any of that? And somehow in your mind, 1980s dollars are the same as today's dollars?

Well it would suck to make minimum wage if u completed 4 years of school but hopefully your hard work will pay off. I'd suggest an additional job to help facilitate paying back your loan and looking around for --do something fun as a second job or be creative in ways to help you make additional funds in your spare time.

BRIGGS wrote:

callmened wrote:yikes...sorry to hear about your story BRIGGS. i applaud and respect you even more. but in regards to your overcoming your odds....maybe your just that special and rare. most ppl in your situation wouldnt have made it

There are millions of people in the world with problems. Either you survive and advance or sit back and complain.

i certainly can agree with that statement. however im not sure where or how this post started but to me, this bmore incident isnt about jobs. The idiots rioting are simply taking advantage of a situation. to me there are a lot of poor people and im not smart enough to know how to fix that

to me the PROBLEM in baltimore was the police treatment of freddie gray. The fact that he was wrongfully arrested (for carrying a pocket knife) and the fact that he died due to lack of medical attention - well that bothers me. As a black man, i get harrassed, pulled over and even held at gun point (for NOOOO reason). and trust me, im not a bad person and ive never even had a PARKING ticket in my life. i FEAR cops - and i dont think im supposed to. arent they supposed to protect citizens? i dont cry about it but to me its unfortunate. and its a shame that the baltimore issue has turned into a RIOT issue when it should be focusing on preventing police brutality. in terms of solution; cop cameras!!

Hank wrote:Kudos to all the hardworking guys here and went through adversity when they're young. And these adversities are needed to build characters and to understand the importance of hard-work and education. To play devil's advocate, what if we as a country take away all of these safety net and social benefits? Would people work harder and appreciate what they have more? And to make better financial decision in life? There are a lot of other countries poorer than us in the world, but there seem to be a lot less violent and much more hard-working (I always worry about a immigrant/expatriate taking my job and they deserve to do so base on effort). I always thought the quote "don't ask for a lighter workload, but for a stronger back" was a good principle to follow. Yes, I do agree the poor in this country has it bad, but we still have the richest poor in the world with access to food, water, and electricity.

Here's another interesting comment I heard when I was discussing with a Chinese person who grew up in poverty (at least by US standards). She said a lot of poor people in United States aren't real adults, they're just kids being raise by the government (instead of real parents/community) and do not know how to take care of themselves. I don't completely agree with the statements, but I do believe there is some truth to it.

Here's another interesting article about being self-sufficient on $10/hour. I am not endorsing what she did, but just saying it's possible to live a decent life with $10/hour.

http://www.businessinsider.com/noelle-hancock-move-to-caribbean-2015-5

Why a 31-year-old Yale grad gave up a $95,000 salary to move to the Caribbean and scoop ice cream
Anyone staring out the office window on an endless Friday afternoon might dream of giving it all up for the good life on a sunny, sandy, Caribbean island.

Noelle Hancock actually did it.

On Cosmopolitan.com, Hancock explains why she walked away from her $95,000 salary as a journalist in New York City, her East Village apartment, and most of her belongings to move to St. John, the smallest of the US Virgin Islands.

Four years ago, inspired by a tropical screensaver and hungry for a vacation, she broke her lease, sold her possessions, and bought a one-way ticket to the USVI, where she took a job scooping ice cream.

Hancock was 31 years old, a graduate of Yale University, and came from a conservative Southern family that was aghast at her decision.

She writes:

Perhaps there was something indulgent and Peter Pan-ish about this new lifestyle. But the truth is, I was happier scooping mint chocolate chip for $10 an hour than I was making almost six figures at my previous corporate job. It was calming to work with my hands. I met new people constantly, talking face-to-face instead of communicating via email and instant messaging. When I closed the shop at the end of the shift, my work was done and my time my own.

Besides, I found that not everyone shared my parents' concern. "When I moved here 25 years ago, my dad insisted I was ruining my life," said one of my regular customers when we got to chatting about our lives one day. "Recently he visited and told me, 'You had it right all along. I'm toward the end of my life and looking to retire to someplace like this, and now I'm too old to enjoy it.'"

Hancock muses that pursuing a nontraditional path has opened her up to a whole world of opportunities and lifestyles — none of which provide the familiar financial stability and predictable career path of her life in New York.

She added:

These days, I work as a bartender, a job I pursued simply because it's something I always wanted to try. Sometimes I think back to the question I used to be asked in job interviews: "Where do you see yourself in five years?" That always seemed a depressing notion, to already know what you'd be doing five years in the future.

Here it's not unusual for someone to work as a cook on St. John, then move to Thailand for six months to work as a dive instructor, then they will head off to Alaska and work on a fishing boat. Living abroad has exposed me to a different approach to life, one in which you're not expected to settle in one place and do one kind of job. Perhaps some of us are meant to move around every few years, change jobs and live many different micro lives.

Hancock isn't the only one who's been inspired to create the lifestyle she dreams of. Jonathan Banks spent four years sailing the world instead of showing up for his MBA; Danika and Chris Garlotta have turned to freelance jobs to support them as they tour the globe; Scott Leonard moved his wife and three sons onto a 50-foot catamaran to manage his company from distant shores; Jonathan Look sold everything he owned to spend his retirement abroad.

If you ask people like them, there's more outside that office window than traffic.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/noelle-hancock-move-to-caribbean-2015-5#ixzz3Z5wy2QIF

The facts don't bare out any of the points you are trying to make. The other industrialized are far more socialized than we are, work less/are less productive and still rank higher than us on a happiness index included in a UN report. But if North Korea is what you want, I'm sure they'll welcome you with open arms, lol.