Comments (4)

By Kerri Provost, August 31, 2010 10:33 am

By now, you’ve probably heard that Hartford was placed on a controversial list. It’s funny how some have latched right on to the notion, but when Hartford makes other lists, its presence on them is instantly dismissed.   For example, CNNMoney.com named Hartford as one of the best places to start a small business. The posting of this link to a friend’s Facebook page was followed by immediate reactionary comments, dismissing the ranking. But between CNN and a source I had never heard of, I am going to typically find CNN to be more reliable. The opposite seems to be true for many; they believe whichever source reaffirms their own beliefs. Yet, how is it that multiple pieces of evidence are routinely ignored? Forbes.com placed Hartford on a list of Best Cities to Find a Job. On another list, Hartford moved from #149 (out of 200) in 2008 to #49 in 2009 Best Performing Cities. Those are just three lists that refute the claim that Hartford belongs on a “worst” list based on its economy. Hartford is known for its insurance industry, but insurance is not the only game in town. The economy is also not the only way to take a city’s pulse. A neighborhood in Hartford was named on “Best Places for First-Time Buyers to Get an Old House” published on This Old House. But that’s a positive story, so there’s nothing to see there. Right?

Live in Hartford, a local blog, has published a number of articles which implicitly, and at times explicitly, make the case that Hartford is very much alive. Heck, the name of the blog itself, no matter which version of “live” one reads it as, makes this exact point. While some are using economics as the way to take a city’s temperature, Emily and Julie measure life in another way. In an article published yesterday, Emily directly addresses the recent controversial list. In March, she took a similar approach by listing the plethora of arts and entertainment activities happening within city limits. In January, Julie wrote about the standpoint theory, and described how someone from not here referred to Hartford as a cosmopolitan city. Going back to June 2009, Julie shows what a party for the brand new science center looks like. A piece from March 2009 talks about what it is like to live here as young(ish) professionals. This is just a sampling of what a single blog has done to describe, in words and pictures, Hartford, at length. There are no bait-and-switch tactics, no sensationalism, and no appeals to emotions used here (well, except for when the bloggers try to find homes for dogs). It’s honest. But as Emily writes, “what do I know, I just live and work and shop and play here.”

Every so often a major media outlet declares something dead. Or, they will mask a statement by turning it into a question. They will ask if  God is dead, or feminism is dead. Egregious claims and controversial debates sell copies, more than nuanced argument will. Take for example the claims made by a District Attorney candidate in that state just to our north. Continue reading 'It’s Called the Heartbeat for a Reason'»

Comments (4)

By Kerri Provost, August 27, 2010 8:31 am

The Pump House Gallery reopened its doors as an art space Thursday evening. The site has gone from a state of neglect to one that we can be proud of: the patio has been weeded, walls have been given a fresh coat of white paint, and the terribly faded sign over the entrance has been repainted. As part of The Week of the Parks, Bushnell Park had its grass mowed, shrubs removed from the front of the Pump House Gallery, branches trimmed,  and benches repaired. Continue reading 'Legacy of Hartford Parks'»

Comments (4)

By Kerri Provost, August 24, 2010 7:00 pm

Entering The Hartford Club reminded me of how I felt during my first year of college. It was a monumental crossing of a threshold that seemed so off limits to me. While The Hartford Club is far more opulent than my alma mater, my anxiety level was nearly the same when approaching both places. Would it be obvious that I did not belong? I would learn, of course, that there were others like me — first generation college students. First time Hartford Club crashers. Trespassers. There was paperwork proving my right to enter, but still, a trespasser at heart.

I would observe how others moved about, spoke to one another, sat in certain groupings. In both experiences, even when I gained cultural literacy, when I began to blend, I knew that at the end of the day, there was part of me that would never, ever, feel at home. Today, as I walked home from The Hartford Club, it became much more apparent. The achievement gap that was being spoken of was purely academic for much of the audience. It was one thing to talk about discrepancies in performance and economics; it is quite another for these disparities to be palpable. In the Georgian Revival private club on Prospect Street, there is mouthwash in the “ladies lounge.” In my neighborhood, there is litter strewn across the school lawn. The litter has been there all summer long and the school is one of the lowest ranked in Hartford. It remains so, even after being shut down and later reopened as a “new school.” The kids who can not read, who are dropping out, who are creating all the financial burdens we heard about in this morning’s forum — they are not some sad abstract statistic; they are the kids that I pass every time I take a walk around the block.

Slamming the Door on the Achievement Gap

The MetroHartford Alliance forum held at The Hartford Club this morning was titled Hartford Public Schools Education Reform and Next Steps. Presenters included Superintendent of Hartford Public Schools, Dr. Steven J. Adamowski; Executive Director of Achieve Hartford!, James L. Starr; and the Commissioner of Higher Education for the State of Connecticut, Michael P. Meotti. All speakers addressed the issue of closing Connecticut’s achievement gap.

The very phrase “achievement gap” softens the issue. Education Week explains the achievement gap as:

[...] the disparity in academic performance between groups of students. It is most often used to describe the troubling performance gaps between many African-American and Hispanic students, at the lower end of the performance scale, and their non-Hispanic white peers, and the similar academic disparity between students from low-income and well-off families. The achievement gap shows up in grades, standardized-test scores, course selection, dropout rates, and college-completion rates. It has become a focal point of education reform efforts.

While National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results have shown that, over time, black and Hispanic students have made great strides in narrowing the breach that separates them from their white peers, that progress seems to have come to a halt since the mid-1980s.

The achievement gap, to put it in more direct terms, refers to the racial and economic disparities in educational outcome. Connecticut has the dishonor of having the greatest achievement gap in all 50 states, based on the NAEP results. The Superintendent stated that there is a 93% poverty rate within the Hartford school district, based on eligibility for free/reduced school lunch. There are correlations between poverty and other social problems: of those in Hartford who have dropped out of school, 60% have been incarcerated. Continue reading 'Old School, New School'»

Comments (0)

By Kerri Provost, August 10, 2010 2:27 pm

A quick call to the Registrar of Voters yesterday confirmed that I belong to one of the two major political parties, which means little to me beyond my ability to vote in primary elections. It’s not a just system, blocking out those who choose not to affiliate for personal or religious reasons.

The photograph depicts the scene outside the Burns School around 7:30 this morning. There were about the same number of people inside as at the November election, though my polling place as changed, so this observation is neither here nor there.

The half dozen votermaniacs (pictured) were cheering even when no pedestrians or cars were in sight. Luckily, the building has a secondary entrance that sidesteps political cheering squads.

There was no drama to my knowledge (so far) down in Voting District 9, but elsewhere, a candidate’s mom allegedly got into it with her son’s challenger. Let’s hope this is an exaggeration and that people are behaving themselves. For a change, let all the ridiculousness happen elsewhere.

Comments (1)

By Kerri Provost, August 9, 2010 1:08 pm

This week’s Hartford Business Journal lists the top twenty largest in-state banks. Of the twenty, only two are headed by females — New Alliance Bank and Guilford Savings Bank. To put it another way, there are four people with the first name of John who are the heads of banks on this very same list. Continue reading 'Is it the Future Yet?'»

Comments (0)

By Kerri Provost,

What are they worth?

Two North Carolina State University studies showed that celebrity endorsement of candidates would more likely hurt than help the politician. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution argues that political celebrities (think Sarah Palin) as opposed to celebrity celebrities (think Angelina Jolie) can have impact:

“The fact that [Palin] has endorsed, it does make a difference,” Garst said. “Obviously, it would be better if she were here. Nevertheless, you can use an endorsement to get earned media, and that’s what Handel is going to do.”

Earned media, in political parlance, includes newspaper articles and television coverage. The media cover the endorsement and give it more attention, and more voters hear about it.

Endorsements create buzz, which might bring certain politicians into the public’s attention.

What impact do newspapers and other media outlets have on voters when they make official endorsements? It’s not a new tradition for newspapers to make political endorsements, but it’s one that seems questionable. For papers that claim to be unbiased, they are demonstrating one, though in this case, at least the bias is evident when posted in the Opinion Editorial section. Still, if a newspaper claiming neutrality in general starts to pick favorites, what does this mean for how political items are reported upon? If The Newspaper’s Endorsed Candidate is involved in some ethically unappealing behavior, does The Newspaper report on that immediately, or is it ignored as much as possible so that The Newspaper does not look silly for putting its confidence in Endorsed Candidate in the first place?

How does a particular endorsement reflect upon the institution? If a newspaper has in recent years endorsed someone who later resigns from office due to legal problems, what merit, if any, does that newspaper’s present and future endorsements hold? If a candidate’s ethics or behaviors are questionable, it makes one curious why an entity would support him/her at all. Continue reading 'Political Endorsements'»

Comments (10)

By Kerri Provost, July 24, 2010 1:30 pm

Tianna Glass uses the term Jazzmania 2010 on her blog, so I’m borrowing it here to refer to both the Jazz festival last weekend as well as to the free Monday night Jazz. If you have not read her blog, Things Black People Do in Hartford, you best get over there and check it out. And before freaking out about how that sounds so racist, I’ll offer this thought: almost all of the mainstream organizations and media give plenty of coverage to events and venues that already appeal to a particular audience as a whole. If a person is not feeling especially represented by that coverage, what harm is there in creating a new outlet? I mean, that is basically why this blog got started. I did not feel that most of the news in the local mainstream (and I include so-called “alternative” weeklies in this) represented my experience as a Hartford resident, and the experience of someone who is neither in abject poverty nor living in a mansion on the edge of town is somewhat needed if one is to “get” what it is like to live here. So, we welcome yet another perspective to the mix.

Last night as you probably have heard, offered up a free concert in Bushnell Park. The critiques will come below the fold, be sure, but for now, I will say that artist Janelle Monáe, the feature performer, definitely surpassed all of the hype that was permeating the cultural air space in the previous few weeks. Because of the hype, combined with underwhelming video clips online, I had gone to the show more excited for the other acts. I had never heard of her before recently, and as someone who has a radio show on a community station that receives oodles of independent, unique, and out there albums, I thought it strange that Monáe was off my radar. Usually if I do not hear of someone, it is because she is a lackluster, musically talentless pop star.

It’s safe to say that I became a Monáe fan last night.

Her show was theatrical, but not to the point of losing focus of what mattered– the music. Think of a collision between Ziggy Stardust, Freddie Mercury, Grace Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Lauryn Hill, Gwen Stefani, and Annie Lennox. Since I have seen none of them live in concert, this pleased me. There were costumes, a lot of movement on the stage, and a surprising vocal range. The guitarist wailed and made it seem effortless. This made the walk downtown worthwhile.

But, Monáe deserved a better venue and a better audience.
Continue reading 'Still Wavy versus Jazzmania 2010'»

Comments (9)

By Kerri Provost, July 13, 2010 11:24 pm

Dennis House, host of Face the State, moderated the forum

There’s something to be said for having a professional moderator at candidate forums. Tuesday evening’s State Senators & State Representatives Primary Candidate Forum at the Hartford Public Library went off as smoothly as I have ever seen one go, with a large thanks owed to moderator Dennis House who posed interesting questions and enforced time limits — not an easy task. The candidates invited to this discussion will be on the August 10th Democratic primary election ballot: John Fonfara (incumbent) and Edwin Vargas (challenger) for State Senator — District 1; Kenneth Green (incumbent) and Matt Ritter (challenger) for State Representative — Assembly District 1; Kelvin Roldan (incumbent) and Angel Morales (challenger) for State Representative — Assembly District 4; Hector Robles (incumbent) and Alyssa Peterson (challenger) for State Representative — Assembly District 6; and Douglas McCrory (incumbent) and rJo Winch (challenger) for State Representative — Assembly District 7.

Here’s a quick breakdown of my gut response, which is followed by an excruciatingly detailed account of tonight’s event, for those who missed it and do not own televisions on which to have watched it (though I promise to leave out responses that were not too interesting or helpful to me). John Fonfara seems too comfortable in his position and his challenger, Edwin Vargas, seems an eloquent speaker, but not revolutionary. Kenneth Green needs to practice audience awareness by not dissing the city in which an event is housed, while also learning how to accept some responsibility. Douglas McCrory could use some work, with Green, on the area of not being unnecessarily angry sounding. There are times to get riled up, but raising one’s voice when not needed wears thin. At least McCrory tried to hone his message. Alyssa Peterson needs to show herself as a viable candidate, and not just as a warm body to replace Hector Robles. Yes, the allegations against Robles are serious, but one needs to show what her strengths are, not just what her opponent’s weaknesses are. In stark contrast to some, Matt Ritter seemed energetic, knowledgeable, and classy. He was one of the few candidates to not badmouth another person at the forum. rJo is, well, rJo. No surprises there. She wore red and spoke of herself in the third person. But, she did show repeated care for representing constituents. Angel Morales had trouble answering most questions in any direct way. Roldan was fairly straightforward. And Hector Robles? He could not be bothered to show up.

Continue reading 'Pick Your (Political) Poison'»

Comments (3)

By Kerri Provost, July 10, 2010 6:49 am

The demolition of the structure at 1161 Main Street will only be a success if what happens afterward is meaningful, expedient, and future-thinking. While the promised attempt for the City to acquire and destroy this property has many gleeful, the absence of a strong and specific plan for the vacant plot is, at the least, eyebrow-raising. Mayor Segarra, in a press release said:

This is a critically important project. This is an economic development priority for a number of reasons. This is prime real estate that connects our Downtown with our neighborhoods. It is important to beautify all aspects of our city, our visitors deserve to look out of a hotel window and have a wonderful view of our glorious city, our arts community— like the neighboring Hartford Stage which is in the process of a multi million dollar renovation— deserves a neighboring entity that will contribute to the quality of life of Hartford. The reasons to act now are plenty. I can’t think of a single reason to wait any longer.

The 1161 property has been considered an eyesore, which it surely is, but the blight extends beyond this building. This section of Main Street is an example of some of the worst design decisions of the 20th century, which a poorly conceived and maintained roadway. It’s the spot where motorists clog the streets to exit from or enter I-84. Pedestrians wishing to travel along this section of Main are forced to play Frogger with impatient drivers, as the crosswalks are seemingly nonexistent. Malfunctioning WALK signals are a common complaint. Continue reading '1161 Main: Only One Part of the Downtown Blight Problem'»

Comments (0)

By Kerri Provost, June 25, 2010 5:58 pm

Community gardens are a valuable resource for those of us who have postage stamp (or smaller) yards. They provide a place for gardeners to relieve stress by pulling weeds; having beautiful flowers and growing our own food is another bonus.

Garden space is relatively inexpensive and allows one to know exactly where her food is coming from that season, depending on how able of a gardener she is and how much she chooses to plant. I have seen people successfully grow tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, cucumbers, beans, peas, chard, cabbage, fennel, collard greens, corn, brussels sprouts, strawberries, raspberries, squash, zucchini, carrots, thyme, rosemary, basil, mint, beets, radishes, onions, garlic, spinach, broccoli, ginger, cauliflower, and pumpkins in Hartford. Continue reading 'Community and Food'»