As we mentioned last week, November is National Adoption Month and this past Saturday I represented HRC’s All Children – All Families initiative at the Freddie Mac Foundation’s Adoption Expo in Washington, D.C.

The expo featured over 30 public and private adoption agencies and offered plenty of information for anyone interested in pursuing adoption. Agency representatives were at booths in the exhibit hall answering a range of questions from “What’s my first step?” to “What resources are available to me after I adopt?” They also held workshops answering the most common questions about the adoption process and discussing topics such as trans-racial adoption, how to know if you’re ready to adopt and adopting older children.

Over 2,000 people registered for the expo and I connected with many LGBT individuals and couples in attendance. Several of them came up to my booth and asked for information on LGBT-friendly agencies in the D.C. area. It was great being able to tell them about the work that Adoptions Together (Silver Spring, MD) and D.C. Child & Family Services Agency are doing to welcome and support LGBT-headed families. Both agencies are participating in All Children – All Families. Adoptions Together was one of the very first agencies to achieve our Seal of Recognition for its policies and practice with LGBT clients. Watch this Adoption 101 video featuring both agencies from last year’s National Adoption Month celebration at HRC.

Throughout the day, many non-LGBT individuals and couples also came to my booth not sure what All Children – All Families was about.  I was never sure what to expect after giving them my brief “elevator” (more like “booth”) pitch:

“All Children – All Families provides resources for adoption and foster care agencies so they have the tools and training needed to really welcome and support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender prospective adoptive parents.”

A lot of people politely smiled and went on to the next booth realizing our resources weren’t for them. Many stopped and chatted with me, wanting to learn more. I was thrilled by the messages of gratitude and support from our allies in attendance. Some quickly snagged all our handouts, explaining something like: “I have a good friend who would definitely be interested in this.” A couple people asked, “Do you have a website?” occasionally adding, “I’ll e-mail my cousin. Maybe she’d be interested in adopting if she knew about this work.” And there were those who simply stated, “It is really great to see you here. Thank you so much.” They all understood that this work is about finding families for the over 100,000 children and youth in foster care in the U.S. and that LGBT individuals and couples can be those families.

Interested in adoption? Learn more at www.hrc.org/adoptionmonth2010.

With Congress soon back in Washington for the post-election “lame duck” session, HRC’s this week launched an aggressive grassroots campaign to urge Senate action on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal before the end of the year.  Field organizers on the ground are focusing on eight key states to amplify the voices of veterans and other fair-minded Americans who know the time is right to repeal this law and strengthen our national security.

“In the waning days of the 111th Congress, Senators have one last chance to follow the advice of the President and top military leaders by sending ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ to the dustbin of history,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “It would be a travesty for a small group of senators to continue to hold hostage a bill with critical military equipment and pay raises just because some senators don’t want to even debate repeal.”

HRC organizers are already deploying to eight states critical to repeal – Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.  They are recruiting and mobilizing veterans to speak out, holding public events and blanketing local media with pro-repeal messages to raise the issue’s profile.  The latest grassroots push follows on the successful field campaign to pass repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate Armed Services Committee in May as well as the organization’s grassroots efforts over the August recess.

With the full House of Representatives and Senate Armed Services Committee having passed the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with the DADT repeal provision, the next step is for the full Senate to pass the defense bill.  DADT repeal is just one small element of the legislation that authorizes thousands of defense programs critical to our national security. Without Senate action in the lame duck session, it would be the first time in 48 years that Congress failed to act on the NDAA.

Aside from enacting repeal following the Pentagon’s Comprehensive Working Group study on DADT repeal implementation, the bill authorizes $725.9 billion for defense programs in FY 2011.  This includes: funds for a pay raise for the troops, and benefits for severely wounded combat veterans; funds for troop protection in Iraq & Afghanistan including for measures to counter IEDs and to up-armor Humvees; funds for missile defense programs, new aircraft and new vessels; billions for military construction, land acquisition, and military family housing functions; as well as billions for new equipment for National Guard and reserve units. Check out a full analysis of the NDAA.

Even if you don’t live in one of those states, take action now!  A list of things you can do is at our Repeal DADT Action Center.

The next time someone teases you about your hidden passion for philately, Hummel figurines or sudoku, consider the successes of UMBC’s own Dr. Arnold T. Blumberg.
An avid comic book reader and collector since early childhood, Blumberg ’93, English, has managed to weave his love of super heroes, zombies, monsters and robots into a career as a published author, adjunct professor and – most recently – curator of the brand-new Geppi’s Entertainment Museum, a mecca of pop culture paraphernalia located in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
“I like to joke with people and tell them all my hobbies have eventually turned into jobs,” said Blumberg, the author of five books ranging in subject from comic book pricing to the finer points of zombie movies.
“It’s pretty much true, though.”
A Passion for Stories
Blumberg, who grew up in Randallstown and has lived in Baltimore ever since, started reading comics like Richie Rich and Casper the Friendly Ghost as soon as he was able – around two years old if you believe his mother. Like many young readers, he also started writing short stories. When it came time to choose a college, he knew two things right away. He would be an English major, and he would do it at UMBC.
“I always felt comfortable at UMBC,” said Blumberg, who visited the campus as a 10th grader. “When I walked around on campus I felt a sense of the world opening up to me.”
While a student at UMBC, Blumberg joined the staffs of student literary magazines Bartleby and the now-defunct Apostrophe, which gave him his first taste of desktop publishing. He also worked with the late Dr. Philip Landon on an honors project examining how robots in science fiction film and literature reflect America’s changing relationship with technology.
The Next Steps
Following graduation from UMBC, Blumberg entered the publications design program at the University of Baltimore, earning first a master’s, then a doctorate. During this time, he found employment with Gemstone Publishing, a local publishing house devoted to comics and toy collecting literature owned by the Entertainment Museum’s namesake/owner Stephen A. Geppi.
In November 2000, Blumberg self-published his first book, a comprehensive guide to collectibles associated with the British science fiction series, “Doctor Who,” entitled Howe’s Transcendental Toybox (co-authored with David J. Howe). To date, Blumberg has written or co-written ten books, including The Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide, The Big Big Little Book Book, Pop Culture With Character: A Look Inside Geppi’s Entertainment Museum, and Zombiemania: 80 Movies to Die For, which he penned with fellow UMBC alumnus Andy Hershberger ’99, American studies.
“One of my main passions is to continue to write books about the things I love,” said Blumberg.
In addition, Blumberg has taught a course in comic book literature at UMBC every year since 1999. Not surprisingly, the course fills up pretty darned fast.
“Being able to go back and teach was wonderful,” said Blumberg, who describes himself as an innately nostalgic person. “I love the idea that every year I come back and I’ve never really left UMBC.”
A New Home
Walking throughout Geppi’s Entertainment Museum, Blumberg can spout fun facts about everything from the 1,400 glassed-in comic books to Steamboat Willie, from a Superman secret chamber ring to the display of Star Wars figurines, which includes more than one piece belonging to Blumberg himself.
But no amount of knowledge of comic book statistics or story could prepare him for the effects such a collection would have on viewers. Since beginning his tenure as curator of the museum in August 2005, Blumberg has come to truly enjoy watching the faces of museum-goers as they re-live integral pieces of their younger lives.
“There are very few places where you can go and be completely immersed in your own childhood,” he said. “I learn something new every day.”
– Jenny O’Grady
Originally posted December 2006

The next time someone teases you about your hidden passion for philately, Hummel figurines or sudoku, consider the successes of UMBC’s own Dr. Arnold T. Blumberg.

An avid comic book reader and collector since early childhood, Blumberg ’93, English, has managed to weave his love of super heroes, zombies, monsters and robots into a career as a published author, adjunct professor and – most recently – curator of the brand-new Geppi’s Entertainment Museum, a mecca of pop culture paraphernalia located in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

“I like to joke with people and tell them all my hobbies have eventually turned into jobs,” said Blumberg, the author of five books ranging in subject from comic book pricing to the finer points of zombie movies.

“It’s pretty much true, though.”

A Passion for Stories

Blumberg, who grew up in Randallstown and has lived in Baltimore ever since, started reading comics like Richie Rich and Casper the Friendly Ghost as soon as he was able – around two years old if you believe his mother. Like many young readers, he also started writing short stories. When it came time to choose a college, he knew two things right away. He would be an English major, and he would do it at UMBC.

“I always felt comfortable at UMBC,” said Blumberg, who visited the campus as a 10th grader. “When I walked around on campus I felt a sense of the world opening up to me.”

While a student at UMBC, Blumberg joined the staffs of student literary magazines Bartleby and the now-defunct Apostrophe, which gave him his first taste of desktop publishing. He also worked with the late Dr. Philip Landon on an honors project examining how robots in science fiction film and literature reflect America’s changing relationship with technology.

The Next Steps

Following graduation from UMBC, Blumberg entered the publications design program at the University of Baltimore, earning first a master’s, then a doctorate. During this time, he found employment with Gemstone Publishing, a local publishing house devoted to comics and toy collecting literature owned by the Entertainment Museum’s namesake/owner Stephen A. Geppi.

In November 2000, Blumberg self-published his first book, a comprehensive guide to collectibles associated with the British science fiction series, “Doctor Who,” entitled Howe’s Transcendental Toybox (co-authored with David J. Howe). To date, Blumberg has written or co-written ten books, including The Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide, The Big Big Little Book Book, Pop Culture With Character: A Look Inside Geppi’s Entertainment Museum, and Zombiemania: 80 Movies to Die For, which he penned with fellow UMBC alumnus Andy Hershberger ’99, American studies.

“One of my main passions is to continue to write books about the things I love,” said Blumberg.

In addition, Blumberg has taught a course in comic book literature at UMBC every year since 1999. Not surprisingly, the course fills up pretty darned fast.

“Being able to go back and teach was wonderful,” said Blumberg, who describes himself as an innately nostalgic person. “I love the idea that every year I come back and I’ve never really left UMBC.”

A New Home

Walking throughout Geppi’s Entertainment Museum, Blumberg can spout fun facts about everything from the 1,400 glassed-in comic books to Steamboat Willie, from a Superman secret chamber ring to the display of Star Wars figurines, which includes more than one piece belonging to Blumberg himself.

But no amount of knowledge of comic book statistics or story could prepare him for the effects such a collection would have on viewers. Since beginning his tenure as curator of the museum in August 2005, Blumberg has come to truly enjoy watching the faces of museum-goers as they re-live integral pieces of their younger lives.

“There are very few places where you can go and be completely immersed in your own childhood,” he said. “I learn something new every day.”

– Jenny O’Grady
Originally posted December 2006

Eric Conn doesn’t exactly have a traditional career. Then again, he was never a traditional student.
Between switching majors several times and taking a few years off from college to play in a rock band, it took Conn nearly seven years to finish school. However, he has never regretted his decision to take a non-traditional path.
In fact, it is Conn’s adventurous edge that has allowed the 1985 computer science major to prosper as an inventor and entrepreneur.
His latest project, Cellblock.com – a social networking site that allows users to e-mail photos from their cell phones to a real-time online slideshow – will be on display at UMBC’s 40th Anniversary, Homecoming and Family Celebration this month.
The Rock Star Life
After high school, Conn chose UMBC for its reputation in the sciences as well as its proximity to home.
“I lived only 4 miles away in Catonsville, and since I didn’t have a car, my primary means of transportation was my feet.”
He started off as a pre-med major, however, the chance to make a living as a rock guitarist lured him from his studies.
“Since music, especially rock music in the early 80s, was a young person’s game, I decided to pursue that career path while I had the chance. After I had lived the rock star life (albeit on a local level) for a few years, I wanted to get back to school and challenge myself intellectually. My junior and senior years at UMBC were my favorite because I had scratched my musical itch and could really concentrate on academic activities,” he explains.
The Perfect Major
By this point, Conn had also finally found his perfect major. After trying out biology, chemistry, physics and math, he decided to study computer science.
“I ultimately selected computer science because I found it intriguing and it allowed me to solve many of the scientific problems that I had encountered in related disciplines more efficiently,” he said, adding, “There were also many jobs available in the local area and since I paid my own way through college, finding a job was a top priority.”
He credits his experiences at UMBC with teaching him self-confidence, discipline, and problem-solving skills. These skills went a long way to help him establish his career.
After graduating from UMBC, Conn worked as an engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for almost 10 years. During this time, he received a master’s degree in computer science. In 1996, he launched a software development company with several friends, which they sold in 2003. In April 2005, Conn started his new company, Gloto Corp.
“Gloto.com is our original concept for a mobile phone interface that enables social networking and remote directory services like maps and directions,” says Conn.
A Twist on the Traditional Slideshow
Gloto Corp. recently launched a new concept as part of its mobile phone interface. The new component, Cellblock, allows users to e-mail photos from their computers or camera phones to a shared photo album at Cellblock.com.
“The idea is simple; however, the implications are great,” said Conn. “Many people can contribute to a shared photo album using regular camera phones and the pictures can be displayed on a large screen as they arrive. This is ideal for public events like UMBC’s 40th Anniversary where anyone in attendance or at home can contribute and view pictures of the activities without any special software or advanced notice. It takes the traditional photo album concept and turns it into a social event that promotes communication between groups of people.”
Cellblock.com’s technology will be used extensively at UMBC during the 40th Anniversary weekend. Attendees will be able to email photos from their phones to a UMBC album (umbc@cellblock.com). The photos will be updated in real-time and appear in a slideshow projected at various points on campus.
In the future, Conn would love to see Gloto.com and Cellblock.com achieve the popularity of other social networking sites.
“We hope that consumers and businesses discover the uniqueness of Gloto.com and Cellblock.com and use it in imaginative ways for fun or for profit. We’d love to have millions of users visit the site each day and contribute content for everyone to enjoy.”
– Jennifer Matthews ’07
Originally posted October 2006