I learned to read from 'Sesame Street' by the time I was three

I didn't attend preschool. Like many kids of my generation (the first to even watch 'Sesame Street'), we didn't have STEM daycares or preschools or the like. What we had was PBS, with 'Sesame Street' and 'Electric Company' and 'Romper Room' and 'Captain Kangaroo'. Television was a teacher, as well as babysitter. These, along with some books we found in an attic, were the reasons I learned to read early. Even now, I don't have HBO. I don't even have cable TV. I can't afford it. Neither can a lot of people, and that includes a lot of people with kids that don't have the wherewithal to have the 'perks' of their wealthier peers, such as early childhood education--something that should be universally available, rather than a perk. So it saddens me that this has come to pass:

Why Sesame Street’s Move to HBO Is Both Great and Extremely Depressing

In short, Sesame Street was founded to help low-income kids keep up with their more affluent peers. That is literally why it exists. It succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations. And now it is becoming the property of a premium cable network, so that a program launched to help poor kids keep up with rich kids is now being paywalled so that rich kids can watch it before poor kids can.

That in itself is not a tragedy or an injustice. Tragedy is the devastating funding cuts that Head Start has suffered in recent years, affecting tens of thousands of young children. Injustice is the nationwide lack of subsidized high-quality child care and universal pre-K. In this context, relocating Sesame Street to the gated community of HBO—even if that community's gates swing wide at nine-month intervals—is only to be expected. There could be no more cruelly perfect metaphor for the ultra-efficient sorting processes of socioeconomic privilege.

Hmm...two quizzes in one night

Quiz: Which 'Sesame Street' Character are You?

I always liked Grover. Besides, he always sounded like Yoda, and vice versa, because Frank Oz was at the wheel. And yes, if I had a semi-secret identity like 'SuperGrover', it would probably be what Wikipedia describes as 'well-meaning but inept'. Thanks Dave Reid for sharing the quiz.

I'd really like to see it, it sounds great

Nigerians set to find out how to get to Sesame Square

Starring a yam monster, an HIV-positive puppet and talking drums, the Nigerian version of the famous US TV show Sesame Street is all set to hit TV screens this weekend.

There are no New York-style streets with tall blocks of flats punctuated with fire hydrants, but smaller houses with gardens surrounding a huge mango tree, lined with straw baskets.

This is Sesame Square, featuring Kami - a furry, golden, female muppet, and the energetic Zobi, a blue, male muppet, who drives a stationary yellow taxi.

The likeable Kami is five years old, and HIV-positive, in a role that is expected to help eliminate the stigma associated with the Aids virus.

Yemisi Ilo, the executive producer of the series, notes that having a character like Kami will "help educate children in a fun and lighthearted way".

"Our reality here in Nigeria is that there are hundreds of thousands of Aids orphans," she adds. "We want all children, including those with HIV, to be able to relate with the characters."

"It is by no means heavy… Kami doesn't come out saying she is HIV-positive. It's just who she is."

Although a lot of Nigerians either have no TV or lack the electricity to run it, there's a lot of excitement for the programme. It is expected to help educate children about such things as malaria prevention and encourage ethnic diversity and harmony.

Sesame Street has been so iconic in the lives of people my age and younger (I was born two years before it hit the airwaves, so I was probably one of the first toddlers to watch it). I am fascinated by how it has grown and spread throughout the world to be adapted to other cultures. Even today I almost bought a Bert and Ernie shirt that said on the back 'You Complete Me'. Really. Almost.

The folks at Sesame Street have done a lot of good over the years. I hope they're able to stay on the air (or in whatever format comes along) for a long time, wherever they are.

Yipee!

Also, in the current season, they're teaching kids to love the Earth. (See: Sesame Street Goes Green at 40--But Warming "Too Scary") from National Geographic.

And just for nostalgia, I give you the 1-2-3 red ball sequence from when I was little:

PS

Today's Google logo Muppet was Oscar the Grouch. :) It's my favourite so far; I love Oscar (we're both packrats, for one).

.

:)

On November 10th it will be the 40th anniversary of the premiere of 'Sesame Street'. The show debuted when I was two. By the time I was three I was reading, in part due to Jim Henson's Muppets. Google celebrated yesterday with a logo with the 'l's being Big Bird's legs. Today they have Burt and Earnie on the logo. I can hear the strains of 'Rubber Duckie' in my head. Want to bet that Kermit will be featured on November 10th itself? 'Sesame Street' is the longest-running children's programme in US television history.

Here's to 40 more years! :)

I am almost financially illiterate

I can balance my chequebook 77% of the time, but start talking about retirement prospecti or amortization and I glass over. So it's nice to see a simple explanation of the Madoff scandal as demonstrated by Ernie and Cookie Monster from Sesame Street:

(From the Jimmy Kimmel show):

The only reason I came out organised

is because they asked me where my keys were (the one thing in my house that has a place, on a hook next to the door) and how organised my desk was in elementary school (manageable, as there wasn't much to mess). :)

Your Score: Guy Smiley

You scored 66% Organization, 60% abstract, and 23% extroverted!

This test measured 3 variables.

First, this test measured how organized you are. Some muppets like Cookie Monster make big messes, while others like Bert are quite anal about things being clean.

Second, this test measured if you prefer a concrete or an abstract viewpoint. For the purposes of this test, concrete people are considered to gravitate more to mathematical and logical approaches, whereas abstract people are more the dreamers and artistic type.

Third, this test measured if you are more of an introvert or an extrovert. By definition, an introvert concentrates more on herself and an extrovert focuses more on others. In this test an introvert was somebody that either tends to spend more time alone or thinks more about herself.

You are mostly organized, both concrete and abstract, and more introverted.

Here is why are you Guy Smiley.

You are both mostly organized. You have a good idea where you put things and you probably keep your place reasonably clean. You aren't totally obsessed with neatness though. Guy Smiley is your average Joe. He'll dress up and look nice for his game show, but he's not a neat freak.

You are both a concrete and abstract thinker. Guy Smiley uses his imagination to come up with ridiculous game shows. However he's concrete enough to stick by his rules and perform his role as host. You know when to be logical at times, but you also aren't afraid to explore your dreams and desires... within limits of course.

You are both introverted. At first glance Guy Smiley may appear to be an extrovert given he hosts a popular show. But in reality he struggles to relate with other people. His prizes tend to just be Guy Smiley merchandise. For whatever reason you are a bit uncomfortable in social settings. You may have one or two people that you are close with. You'd rather do things by yourself and you dislike working in groups where things are always so inefficient.

The other possible characters are
Oscar the Grouch
Bert
Snuffleupagus
Ernie
Elmo
Kermit the Frog
Grover
Cookie Monster
Big Bird
The Count

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have written many many tests for fun on this site. Feel free to choose another one from my handy categories. If you liked a test, please rate it before continuing.

Intelligence tests (all with answer keys)

The are you Smarter Than a 1st Grader Test Test your school smarts against my 1st graders.
The Proper Urinal Etiquette Test
The State Locator Challenge I'll show you a picture of a state, you tell me which one it is.
The 10 Tricky Anagram Puzzles Test A fun quirky IQ test.
The Following Directions IQ Test The name says it all. Perhaps my trickiest IQ test.
The Take the Jeopardy Challenge Test A great tests for fans of jeopardy. Somewhat lengthy.

"Which character am I" tests

The Your Sesame Street Persona test By far, my most popular test.
The Smurf Personality Test 16 smurfy possibilities. Smurf facts included.
The Your Seinfeld Identity Test Surely the only test here that uses "Kavorka" as a variable.
The Life in Hell Test Which rabbit are you in this Matt Groening (The Simpsons) strip?.

Tests that are actually games

The Real Choose Your Own Adventure Test 29 possible endings. Uses internal links to navigate.
The Survivor Game Great fun for fans of the T.V. show. Complex scoring algorithm.
What will you do for a Klondike Bar? Life and death hangs on each choice you make.
The Morphed Faces (with a reward) test Quick. Kind of dumb but fun.
Let's Play Rocks Paper Scissors Takes less than a minute. Bet you can't win.?
The Murder Mystery Flash Game A dumb addictive flash game I did not create.

Death related test

The Wecome To Your Funeral Test Tells you who attends your funeral and when you'll die.
The Who's Dying First Test See if you are likely to outlast me on this planet.
Would Jesus Die For Your Sins? Short and sarcastic (like me!)

Bizarre compatability tests

The Choose Your Next Planet Test When ours becomes inhabitable, where should you go?
The Would Judge Judy Yell at YOU test? Can you escape her wrath? Probably not.
The If We Were Both Lesbians... Sure you dig my tests. But would you dig me...as a woman?
The Would Zeppo Sleep with you test My very 1st test. Would my cat date you or more?
The Yankees or Red Sox fan test Which team SHOULD you root for. Fun questions.

The rest (or the "Could be deleted any day tests...")

The Do You Know the Muffin Man Test No clue how to describe this test.
The Let is snow? Let it snow test This test will tell you if you like snow. Seriously.
You too can get 10,000 takers The author reveals his secrets to creating popular tests.

The Smokey the Bear Forest Fire Test This test is really pathetic. Don't take it.

Link: The Your SESAME STREET Persona Test written by greencowsgomoo on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(greencowsgomoo)

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