Are There Too Many Artist/Farmers Markets in EP?
It seems every week there are market events occurring. All different sides of town. There are a few main markets, and new ones are popping up. Is this too many? Is the “market” getting saturated? There are a few similarities and differences between them. Here’s a quick guide on the main differences.
It seems every week there are market events occurring. All different sides of town. There are a few main markets, and new ones are popping up. Is this too many? Is the “market” getting saturated? There are a few similarities and differences between them. Here’s a quick guide on the main differences.
Ardovino’s Desert Crossing
Actual farmer’s market vibe
Fresh produce
Fresh ingredients
Artisans
Very traditional
Very simple booths with a table and their products
The vibe here is definitely something that you get from traditional farmers that are living off the land and are self sustaining. They make everything they eat from ingredients they have grown. No processed foods. Skilled in different ways of preserving, and making the most out of their resources.
Upper Valley Artist and Farmer’s Market
At the Substation and at Mesa Plaza in front of Hobby Lobby on the west side
Modern market
Lots of vendors
Similar products within the market, but different execution
More elaborate booth presentations
A modern take on the markets. These booths have a more elaborate presentation. Tables with table cloths, shelves with decorations. Presentation is a big part of their image. There are lots of vendors. Some will sell very similar products with very slight differences in execution. For example if they sell tumblers, some will be themed as very cute, while other may be themed as darker horror themes, but again still the “same” product.
Kaleidoscope Art Market
Currently occurring mostly at Sunland Park Mall aside from occasional LARGER market such as 4-20 market and Krampus Fest.
Niched
Dark themes
Knick-knacks
Curiosities
Replicas
Kaleidoscope is more of an art market. Very little farmer’s and home grown products. There are a lot of homemade products along with artwork. This includes things like crotchet, jewelry, candles, and more. This market is more niched and themed. A lot of fans of anime, horror, musicians, vintage, etc.
El Paso Downtown Artist & Farmer’s Market
Modern Farmers
Vegan and Lifestyle options
Modest booth presentation
Original Artwork
This is a middle ground from the Ardovino’s Market and the Upper Valley market. This is modern take on the farmer’s market. There are farmers and other homegrown goods. They cater to the different lifestyles such as vegan, gluten-free, non-processed foods, etc. Artists are very original and unique. Very few of them use trademarked themes and characters.
Now you know!
Another little side note is that most of these markets are pet friendly (except the indoor markets) and some vendors even offer dog treats. More consistently at Upper Valley and Downtown markets.
We have sold at all but the Ardovino’s Desert Crossing market. So like us, a lot of vendors overlap in the markets. Each market did feel different, and attracted different customers. We felt different and responded differently to the different crowds and customers. We have been on both sides now.
We would love to hear from you? As a vendor or customer. Which markets do you like more, and why? Which vendors? What do they have that the others don’t? How do you stand out in the different markets? Or continue the discussion on our Facebook group for Artist/Vendor Improvements.
If you’d like a few tips, this is how Super Bowl ads stand out, and you don’t need a big budget.
The BIGGEST Difference Between Local El Paso Business Ads and Super Bowl Ads (it’s not budget)
Small businesses may think that because airtime is expensive that they could never make those during Super Bowl. Small businesses would be WRONG! But that’s good news for you.
Super Bowl is also known for its commercials. It has grown in popularity because it makes it entertaining for people that may not be interested in football (great marketing opportunity). These commercials/ads have a few seconds to get you to REMEMBER their message. Small businesses may think that because the the airtime is expensive that you could never do a commercial like this. Small businesses would be WRONG! But that’s good news for you. Here are a few questions to ask yourself about Super Bowl commercials:
Which commercials do you remember the most?
What makes those commercials so memorable?
Do you need a large budget?
Is the message clear?
Does it solve a problem?
Did they ever explicitly ask you to BUY?
Are you approaching your ads the same way?
What is your audience remembering about your commercial/product?
What problem are you solving?
Let’s break them down a few of my most memorable commercials from this year (2023)
Tax Season
Farmer’s Dog
Bud Light on Hold
Tax Season
If you provide a service that isn’t flashy but is very necessary, this was a really good way to go about it. The commercial portrays that if you do your taxes with H&R Block, they make it so easy, that it will feel as joyous as Christmas. People will be just as excited to have “tax season” come around. Would you actually hold them to this standard? Of course not, but it is a good way of portraying the message since Christmas does have that significance of joy.
What makes this commercial memorable? It makes the product appear flashy and fun, for something that clearly does not have the reputation of being flashy or fun.
Do you need a large budget? Not necessarily. This could’ve been portrayed in a number of ways, but still delivering the same message.
Is the message clear? Yes. We make tax season so easy it’ll be joyous for you! Sometimes there’s a slogan that is just 2-3 words that makes you easily remember the message.
Does it solve a problem? Yes. It makes the mundane task of doing taxes “appear” more “fun.”
Did they ever explicitly ask you to BUY? NO! You are a spectator witnessing this, and makes you want to be a part of it. It simply IMPLIES what your life will be like after you buy.
Questions to ask yourself about your business.
Are you approaching your ads the same way?
What is your audience remembering about your commercial/product?
What problem are you solving?
Farmer’s Dog
The Farmer’s Dog commercial shows the life of a dog. From a puppy and how it coincides with the dog’s human family. As the commercial goes on you see the dog getting older… and older… and you’re expecting the inevitable 😭… but then it doesn’t…How is this dog still around…? Because of good nutrition, you get extra years to make memories 🤯
What makes this commercial memorable? Because we love dogs! More time with them is something we all want!
Do you need a large budget? No. This could’ve been portrayed in a number of ways, but still delivering the same message.
Is the message clear? Yes. Live longer by using our product and giving you the desired result of making more memories with them.
Does it solve a problem? Yes. That dogs have a shorter life span than we would want, this helps extends their life through healthy lifestyle.
Did they ever explicitly ask you to BUY? No. It simply IMPLIES what your life will be like after you buy. (Starting to see a pattern?)
Questions to ask yourself about your business.
Are you approaching your ads the same way?
What is your audience remembering about your commercial/product?
What problem are you solving?
Bud Light
This one caught me off guard because usually these commercials are at a party scene. “Typical” situations where you would be drinking. Hanging out with friends, celebrating, etc. This one also had the very mundane task of being put on hold. So what’s a good way to liven things up and make the time FEEL like it’s going faster? Have a drink! Before you know it, you’re having fun and forgot you were on hold.
What makes this commercial memorable? Very relatable task where we mindlessly wait to even talk to a real person
Do you need a large budget? No. This was shot in a living room.
Is the message clear? Yes. This product makes life temporarily more fun.
Does it solve a problem? Yes. This product makes life temporarily more fun.
Did they ever explicitly ask you to BUY? No. It Makes you remember the next time you’re in this situation. “Oh I wish I had X product that could’ve made this moment a little more tolerable. It simply IMPLIES what your life will be like after you buy. (Make them want it!)
Questions to ask yourself about your business.
Are you approaching your ads the same way?
What is your audience remembering about your commercial/product?
What problem are you solving?
Small Business Takeaways
What is the ONE element that El Paso businesses are doing that these DID NOT…?
…
BUY NOW!! Which is obviously very necessary for a business, but for what reason?! What problem are you solving? The Futur is always talking about how people like to buy, but don’t like being sold to. the internet has really changed this, because if we have a problem, we know how to search. Before the internet, we had to be told what type of problems businesses were solving.
The average age of a small business owner is 44. Gen-X. Commercials from decades ago were very different, but many of us have not broken out of that model.
If you build it, they will come. Not anymore. What problem are you solving? Some of the biggest companies that came out of the last decade were solving a problem.
Instagram - A social media platform that focused on images
Square - Making it easy to take card payments.
Spotify - Instead of having to buy music… you can RENT music.
Uber - Turning consumers into suppliers
Uber Eats (and other food delivery) - People want food, but don’t want to go out. There are drivers already out as Uber drivers.
Does this mean you have to invent some new app or totally change your business? No it just means you have to be more creative in the problems you are solving. And more than ever… people have all sorts of problems 😅.
Pick something you really relate to that your business may already be doing. Maybe this is why you got into the field to begin with. Focus THAT message. Do you have coffee shop, and you decided this because you didn’t like the way you were getting your coffee from somewhere else, so you’re trying to fix it. Focus THAT message. Better ingredients, more effective process, longer lasting, better prices. How do you make them want it? Reactions are a great way. Record reactions or have your customers send you reactions. You can offer an incentive if they send you a reaction. Free item or discount on their next visit.
Recap:
Have clear message…
That solves a problem…
And makes them want to be a part of it…(without having to tell them to BUY)
Now that you have focused your message. Plan an event around your new message. Here are some tips on planning events in El Paso.
What We All Want From El Paso Events
Events are beneficial to businesses for entering new markets, giving the community things to do, and to build stronger relationships in the community. But things can go south real quick if we don’t plan correctly. Here are some tips that will have people eagerly waiting for the next event.
Many times in El Paso we don’t hear about an event until after the fact. We see friends posting about the event they just attended, and we didn’t even know it was occurring. Sometimes even big events like a tour or big name artist. What’s worse is that we were available, and had nothing to do!
Other times, even if we do attend an event, it is poorly run, leaving us with lots of questions. Events are beneficial to businesses for entering new markets, giving the community things to do, and to build stronger relationships in the community. But things can go south real quick if we don’t plan correctly. Here are some tips that will have people eagerly waiting for the next event.
Announce and Advertising
Announce your event as soon as it is confirmed. If you don’t have all the details, simply state that details will be coming soon. This at least puts a bug in the pubilc’s ear that they need to watch out for this event. An online poll showed that if people are interested in an event, they would like to know WEEKS ahead of time. Depending on the size of the event, I would recommend 6 weeks for smaller events to 6 months for larger events.
Next step is to advertise. Advertising has definitely changed. There is a learning curve, but for the better. Advertising has become more efficient and more targeted.
Traditional vs Digital
You can get a billboard for an average of about $3,000. A TV/radio commercial for about $5-$500 per second of airtime depending on the reach of your area. This CAN reach a lot of people, but do they all need to be reached?
Although this sounds good in theory, it is better to accept that not everybody is going to be in your market. Would you air a commercial for women’s hygiene products to a male audience? Even if you aired to everybody, it is only being 50% effective (assuming women make up 50% of this audience).
This is how digital marketing is more effective. People share their interests, have formed behaviors and patterns on the platforms. When you place a digital ad, you have the ability to target these very specific pattern. Omni-Versal is constantly learning new techniques and strategies to make digital marketing more effective. If this is an area you are struggling with, and are in the El Paso, TX areas, contact us for a quote. The video below breaks down the main differences between traditional and digital.
Variety of ads
Once you start learning more details about your event, release them as you find out. This builds anticipation. As you start releasing info, it is more easily digestible. For example let’s say you are doing a themed event. You have confirmed a special guest. Run an ad based on this guest. You have confirmed a special activity, run an ad announcing this activity. You are releasing a new product for the event, run an ad announcing this product.
This helps target different markets. And you can start to see which one may be more popular and more in demand, and plan accordingly for it BEFORE the event. Digital ads offer you demographic info to help you understand what to expect.
Size of the Event
Something that can make an event terrible is being unprepared for the turnout. Especially if the venue is too small for the amount of people. It’s great to have a great turnout, but the lack of preparation can turn some people off to future events.
With your digital advertising, try to start getting a feel for how many people to expect. Are there a lot of interactions, such as commenting, and sharing. Ask questions to see the engagement. Facebook events gives people the option to let you know if they will be attending. Not everyone that claims they will attend will attend.
About 10-25% of people will not show up after saying they will. You can alsorequire a ticket, even if they are free. This can give you more information as to what to expect and plan accordingly.
Competing/Coinciding with Other Events
When you are going to plan an event, you have to research as to what else may be going on that day that can hurt or help out your event.
For example, let’s say you have a business downtown, and they are doing the lighting of the Christmas tree. You should have promos and products that go along with this event. This would not be a great time for you to do your Hawaiian night luau. People in the area are in a different mindset. Even if you had a people interested in an anti-Christmas party, would this be the best time and place to do it?
Another example is if there is another event going on that has the same market(customers). For example, if you are setting up an art event, are there any other art events that may pull from your event? Are your artists going to be torn between choosing your event or the other?
This is the reason movies won’t release if they know they have to compete with a blockbuster movie like a Marvel movie. Sometimes avoiding the release for several weeks because they know this will be pulling movie-goers.
Help Us Picture Ourselves at the Event
You need photos and video of your event or setting. If it is the first time doing an event, then you may not have video or photos of real people attending your event. Show pictures of the event location with decor set up for the event. Go LIVE on social media to showcase the venue or how it is going to transform.
I like to know what to expect from an event, and at times has been a deterrent if it is a location I have never been to, and there are no photos. It has also left a bad taste in my mouth if stock photography was used. Stock photography and video are generic photos and videos. For example, if an event used generic photos or video of people at the event, and once I arrive it was not like it was in the photo, I feel deceived. If you need event photos and video for an announcement, contact us. This is not what was “promised.” Ease people into the environment so they know what to expect
Bathroom
Most people don’t really feel comfortable with port-a-potties. We use them because it is better than nothing. Some would prefer to go elsewhere before the event. So whatever info you can provide about this is great.
Also, have people that are going to be constantly monitoring bathroom situations for cleanliness. Supplies, such as soap, towels, and trash. Many events have been ruined by poor bathroom situations.
Parking
This has been a HUGE deterrent for me. If I am familiar with a location and know it has a terrible parking situation, I will not attend. I don’t mind paying for parking, but also as long as I am aware of it ahead of time. I do not like surprise expenses and neither does the public. Make this perfectly clear as to what to expect from parking.
If I do not know what to expect from parking, and it is a terrible situation, I will leave. If the venue has future events, I will not attend until the situation is dealt with.
What is considered terrible parking:
Small capacity - small lots where you have to wait for others to leave to get a spot.
Dirt lots - No maintenance, potholes, big rocks, debris that can damage tires or flying up from other vehicles. Well maintained gravel lots are fine.
Unorganized - Sometimes when there are big lots, there should be people directing traffic to know where to park to make it more efficient. When nobody directs, we get spots that are wider than they should be, taking up valuable room.
Tight maneuvering - When the parking lot is so small that it feels like we can barely drive around each other.
Paid vs FREE - Either one is fine, as long as it is made perfectly clear what is to be expected
Security - We are a fairly safe city, so even if it is in broad daylight with eyes capable of seeing something. No obstructions. Good lighting. Close to the venue where people coming and going can see suspicious behavior.
Updates
Use social media to give people updates! Updating a website may be hard to do on the spot. Have a link on the homepage that is specifically for updates. CLEARLY VISIBLE. The link should take you to whichever social media platform your are going to use for the updates. Use this to update WEATHER, parking changes, traffic, schedule changes, entrances, policy updates. Anything that has changed that was not part of the original plan.
COMMUNICATION
Leave very little room for unanswered questions. Have an FAQ section clearly accessible answering the following 6 questions.
When?
Date
Start time AND end time
Best time to arrive or head over
Where?
Venue
Indoor or Outdoor
How to get there
Where you can park (free or paid)
Public transit routes
Landmarks
Booking
Do you have to buy tickets in advance
Different prices and packages clearly explained
Limited availability?
Audience
Family-Friendly
Age groups (over 18 or 21)
Items allowed
Bag check
Water bottles
Strollers
Metal detector
Food?
Food availability
Types of food
Outside food allowed
Seating for food
Price range
Alcohol (wristbands)
Think about it from the attendee’s perspective. Walk in their shoes. Leaving the house. What do you would take or not take? What time to leave? Best routes. Where to park and how much.
Items allowed signs need to be in the parking lot! People get upset when they are inconvenienced for something that should’ve been made clear well before even leaving the house. There should be little room for confusion or reason for misunderstanding.
Depending on the event, what food will be available. Do they accommodate lifestyle diets, allergies, kid friendly, and price ranges.
This is just a start and a basic frame work. Leave a section where you can be reached if it is a more specific question that was not addressed. And ANSWER in a timely manner. Not answering quickly makes the event appear unorganized.
We will have this available as an easy to use checklist to our email subscribers to make sure your event is a success!
Events are a great way to attract new people and markets to your business. Here are some other ways to attract more people to your event.
6 Tips for Small Businesses to Reach New Customers, but #1 is the BEST One You're Not Doing
As a business you should have a few customers that ALWAYS come to you. They live in a different side of town but would rather drive across town to come to you. How is your relationship with your loyal customer?
Having trouble reaching new customers. Try these tips.
As of the beginning of 2023, you might have set new goals for your business. You already have a steady pace of current loyal customers, but are trying to reach more. New faces and new regulars in a new year would really make you feel great. Try these tips.
Boost Reviews - Boost reviews positive reviews
Emphasize your strengths - People come to you after going to a competitor to fix what they got wrong. Emphasize this!
Shareable Content - If you make content that’s shareable, that reaches people outside of your bubble
Reveal your secrets - Demonstrate why you are the expert and do things the way you do
Sell to competitors - You are not selling the same product or service. Sell them a technique or business model that helped your business
Royal treatment to loyal achievement - Give your LOYAL customers royal treatment! They will spread the word about your business.
6. Boost Reviews
Data vs anecdotes. We did a whole podcast episode on this that you can listen to HERE. When we need reassurance, we look for reviews.
If you had only star reviews (4.5 out of 5 stars ⭐️) vs anecdotal blurbs about the product, which would you trust more? I personally would go for the blurbs. There is a little more human insight to how useful it is and common frustrations that you would like to be aware about.
If you have these on your website or social media, you can boost them on Google or Facebook to give that reassurance to potential customers that are on the fence.
5. Emphasize your strentgths
There is something you do, or provide a benefit that your competitor does not. MAGNIFY it. Why do customers come to you already? It could be that you have:
The best pastries
Friendly staff
Short waits
BEST quality of ingredients because they are local
BETTER knowledge and experience (15 years experience, won competitions)
Let this be known by
Mentioning it on social media
Adding it to receipts
Putting it on a sticker that you add to orders
Put it on your website
Make it sound catchier if to really have an impactful message. This doesn’t mean you will only be known for this, but it does give an edge over a competitor that is clear to the public. “When you come here, you get this.”
Wal-Mart is known for low prices. Nothing against Wal-Mart, but low prices, does not mean good quality. Their promise was low-prices. So now its customers know if they want something affordable, i can look here. They are a multi-million dollar company with that promise.
It is important to note to stick to something you are already doing. If you are trying to implement something new, it may feel unnatural to you and your brand, and will be hard to stick to. Be genuine with your business.
4. Shareable Content
This commercial never said, “Buy ketchup, on sale at your local market.” What makes this ad work? How can you apply this concept to your business.
This one is easier said than done. The days of old style advertising are gone. “Come in and buy this!” People like buying…but they don’t like being sold to. The Futur YouTube channel is great for elaborating on this idea. This used to work because as a seller, you knew more about the product than the customer. Now…not so much. People know a lot more about the product than they used to.
If you saw an ad like this…would you share it? I feel like the only time we would share something like this is if it is a REALLY good deal. Black Friday good. Everyone is being advertised to, how are you going to stand out?
Think of the content you do share now?
Funny
Heartfelt
Very useful
Satisfying
Cringy
This is where it gets more difficult to be creative, but also fun to play around with ideas. Such as when one person plays two people, voice-overs, or just crazy things that happen behind the scenes in your business. When it is shared, this reaches new people outside of your existing circle.
3. Secrets Revealed/Trusted Expert
Crumbs & Doilies is her shop. I discovered her as Cupcake Jemma. She has 2.4 million followers. Check out the comments in the video.
Why do you go out to eat? Or get a haircut? Is it because you do not know how to do it, or because you do not want to do it, or is it to save time?
Unless it is something super specialized and unique, and you are the inventor of the technique or process…reveal the secret. Sometimes people may think there is a secret, and be just as surprised to find out that there is no secret. The secret is you are experienced. Which shouldn’t be much of a secret at all either…
If you are a baker, or a mechanic, your market was only customers that needed these services. What if there are people learning to bake, or be a mechanic? If they try your techniques, you will gain their trust. Trusted expert. If one their friends needs a cake or car work, they will have recommendation.
Chef Ramsey gives away his cooking techniques, would you be able to take his secrets and start your own restaurant with the same success? In the same way, you can unlock a new market.
2. Selling to competitors
You may have something you use that you created that helped you overcome an obstacle as a business.
A spreadsheet
An email template for conversions
Any other strategy that created results
These are things that can be sold to your competitors that can help them out. It may seem counter-intuitive to help them out, but this is still a business and you are still doing what a business is supposed to do, which is make money. This is a new market. If it is valuable enough, this can come with a very generous price-tag.
1. Loyal Customers
Pat Flynn has completely transformed my approach to looking at a business model. What do you think?
This is the best one! If you take anything from this, take this. As a business you should have a few customers that ALWAYS come to you. They live in a different side of town but would rather drive across town to come to you. How is your relationship with your loyal customer?
Do you know their name?
Do they know your name?
Do they have a “regular” thing they come to you for? If you have a restaurant, do they always order the same meal. If they’re coming to you for a service, is it usually the same service?
How often do they come?
Think of things that you and your best friend would know about each other. As business owners, we end up seeing customers as numbers, unfortunately. The personal touch can go a long way.
Learn their name
Introduce yourself
Learn about why they come to you
Figure out their pattern
If you think you need a little reminder to get the conversation going, we have a conversation guide available. Sign-up to receive our emails and get a FREE download of our Customer Conversation Guide.
Once you know a little bit about them, give them the royal treatment.
Upgrade their meal
Have their order out first
Give them a little discount
Have a special place for them, like a special table next to the window, etc.
This in turn makes them realize how important THEY are to YOU. If this were to happen to you, what would be one of the next things you would do? You would probably tell one of your friends.
Picture these two scenarios. Kim is your loyal customer. Khloe is her friend.
Scenario 1
Kim just told Khloe about her experience at your shop. She talked about how she loves this place already, and now they went a step further and got the royal treatment.
Scenario 2
Khloe just came across an ad on her instagram feed about your place. It is a really great reel that is boosted and is reaching a lot of people.
Which of these scenarios is likely to be more impactful to Khloe?
The BEST FRIEND! Kim already has a reputation and rapport that is trustworthy to Khloe. Your reel and ad is great, but there is more history with her friend.
It is IMPORTANT to note that you this doesn’t mean you have to give special treatment to everyone. Figure out who are your loyal customers. If you do this to non-loyal customers, it can become an expectation. This can backfire and expect special treatment every time. It isn’t special if everyone is getting it.
Consider joining the Omni-verse
As a business or as a customer. We put promote, share, and inform our followers about unique and creative businesses.
We incentivize our followers to visit local businesses on our list, by giving away small prizes, playing games, and more. We are looking to improve customer and business relationships to better fit each other’s needs.
Embrace your obstructions, create your solutions.
Universal creativity.
Obligation of Gift Giving
Is it really the thought that counts? How often do you expect something in return? Does a gift require reciprocation?
Release Date: December 23, 2022
Is it really the thought that counts? How often do you expect something in return? Does a gift require reciprocation?
DISCLAIMER: Some hard and difficult topics. If you are easily offended, this may not be for you. There are sometimes some hard topics and hard truths, and if you are not ready for it, i suggest maybe to revisit at a later time when you do feel more prepared.
Audio
Welcome to Eclipsed Views where we see what it would take to change our views. This is for self-help through Kaizen, a Japanese term for improvement in small increments.
DISCLAIMER: Some hard and difficult topics. If you are easily offended, this may not be for you. There are sometimes some hard topics and hard truths, and if you are not ready for it, i suggest maybe to revisit at a later time when you do feel more prepared.
Introduce
Guests: Enrique Ponce and Candice Sierra
We are citizens, colleagues, professionals, consumers, friends, family-members, teachers, learners, human beings.
Street Epistemology - Socratic Questioning
How did you come to that stance?
Are those reasons legitimate enough to continue to hold that stance?
Conjecture - Forming an opinion based on incomplete information.
How do you know when you have enough evidence to form an opinion?
Topic - Obligation of Gift Giving
Scenario - Scale from 1-100.
State your position. At the end we come back and see if the needle moved at all.
You are going to a family gathering. As the years go by, the “kids” are growing up and getting boyfriends and girlfriends. On a scale of 1-100 how likely are you to get a gift for the new boyfriend/girlfriend. 0- not at all and 100 very likely
Candice - 80/70
Kique - 40/20
Vero - 10/40
Sal - 10/15
You are working with an intern at work, and they just gave you a gift. You weren’t planning on getting them anything. How likely are you to give them a gift back?
Candice - 101/99
Kique - 5/5
Vero - 100/90
Sal - 10/20
You have a decent sized family with a lot of kids, cousins, etc. You got a little something for everyone, but you didn’t get a single gift from anybody. Gift giving is not supposed to be about reciprocity. On a scale of 1-100 how much does this affect you. 0 not at all 100 very much so.
Candice - 0/40
Kique - 0/5
Vero - 60/60
Sal - 25/25
Questions to think about?
Define:
Obligation: to bind legally or morally
Gift: something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation
What are your thoughts on this topic?
What should be the criteria for someone to make your list? Money vs no money.
You are the boyfriend/Girlfriend that does not get anything because the family barely knows you.
Don’t buy me anything…
The thought that counts? Bad gift vs the thought?
Relief from not getting a gift.
Getting rid of a gift.
Measuring the gift in hours you work.
Couples? Kids Gifts? One of the kids you don’t like…
People who expect a gift…
Rekindling friendships during Christmas because of a gift
How did you come to that stance?
Conjecture. How do you know when you have enough evidence to form an opinion?
How aware are you of your biases when forming opinions?
What is blocking your view? What is keeping you from changing your mind?
What about you? What are your thoughts? Let us know.
Political Correctness
To be offended or not to be offended? That is the question. Who decides what should be offensive or not?Sometimes it appears others are being offended for other people. Who does this benefit? Is it getting the desired outcome? What are it’s pros and cons?
Release Date: December 9, 2022
To be offended or not to be offended? That is the question. Who decides what should be offensive or not?Sometimes it appears others are being offended for other people. Who does this benefit? Is it getting the desired outcome? What are it’s pros and cons?
DISCLAIMER: Some hard and difficult topics. If you are easily offended, this may not be for you. There are sometimes some hard topics and hard truths, and if you are not ready for it, i suggest maybe to revisit at a later time when you do feel more prepared.
Audio
Welcome to Eclipsed Views where we see what it would take to change our views. This is for self-help through Kaizen, a Japanese term for improvement in small increments.
DISCLAIMER: Some hard and difficult topics. If you are easily offended, this may not be for you. There are sometimes some hard topics and hard truths, and if you are not ready for it, i suggest maybe to revisit at a later time when you do feel more prepared.
Introduce
OPTIONAL introduce skilled areas. Impact of bias on the listeners opinion.
Relation
Friends
Family
Length of time knowing each other.
Years
Months
Weeks
We are citizens, colleagues, professionals, consumers, friends, family-members, teachers, learners, human beings.
Street Epistemology - Socratic Questioning
How did you come to that stance?
Are those reasons legitimate enough to continue to hold that stance?
Conjecture - Forming an opinion based on incomplete information.
How do you know when you have enough evidence to form an opinion?
Topic - Political Correctness
Scenario - Scale from 1-100.
State your position. At the end we come back and see if the needle moved at all.
You’re applying for a job that requires you to be politically correct to a high degree. This job would be paying you a good chunk of money that you/family could really benefit from. On a scale of 1-100 how likely are you to take the job?
Louie 10/10
Vero 98/90
Sal 60/60
Someone rallied a group of people to vandalize your home/business/place of work. The person who rallied these people did not participate in the actions, but has been constantly talking to this group to do something. On a scale of 1-100. Should they be held equally accountable? 1 being not accountable, 100 accountable.
Louie 51/51
Vero 60/60
Sal 75/75
Scale of 1-10. 1 is strongly disagree 10 is strongly agree
Morally acceptable to punch a Nazi
Louie 10
Vero 10
Sal 10
Stripping citizenship of someone who burns the flag
Louie 2
Vero 2
Sal 1
Law that requires use of transgender people’s preferred pronoun
Louie 1
Vero 2
Sal 1
NFL player being fired for refusing to stand for national anthem
Louie 2
Vero 2
Sal 1
Being fired for offensive posts
Louie 1
Vero 1
Sal 1
Questions to think about?
Define Political correctness
the avoidance, often considered as taken to extremes, of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalize, or insult groups of people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against.
Vero - Not offending individuals who are different than yourself
Louie - Prioritizing sensitivity over facts.
Why did you choose this topic?
What are the pros and cons to political correctness? Who does it benefit?
Is voicing an unpopular opinion the same as being politically incorrect?
How do you critique these groups without it being considered an “attack”
Why are the ones that want political correctness trying to enforce it?
Does it accomplish what it is trying to do?
What would be a better solution?
How did you come to that stance?
Article on Politically incorrect terms
What about you? What are your thoughts? Let us know.
Data vs Anecdotes
Remember when your friend was trying to convince you not to do that thing, cause they had a bad experience with it, but the data you’ve seen says otherwise. Listen to our conversation as to how we each deal with this differently.
Release Date: November 25, 2022
Remember when your friend was trying to convince you not to do that thing, cause they had a bad experience with it, but the data you’ve seen says otherwise. Should you go with your friend’s advice, or go with the data? Wouldn’t it be easier if we already knew the outcome? Unfortunately, we do not have those abilities. Listen to our conversation as to how we each deal with this differently.
DISCLAIMER: Some hard and difficult topics. If you are easily offended, this may not be for you. There are sometimes some hard topics and hard truths, and if you are not ready for it, i suggest maybe to revisit at a later time when you do feel more prepared.
Audio
Video
Welcome
Where we take difficult topics and try to identify what’s blocking your view. Try to unlearn and rewash and possibly rewire our brains since we don’t seem to be having much luck changing other people’s views. For Self help through kaizen, a Japanese term for improvement in small increments.
DISCLAIMER: Some hard and difficult topics. If you are easily offended, this may not be for you. There are sometimes some hard topics and hard truths, and if you are not ready for it, i suggest maybe to revisit at a later time when you do feel more prepared.
Guests - Jose
We are citizens, colleagues, professionals, consumers, friends, family-members, teachers, learners, human beings.
Street Epistemology - Socratic Questioning
How did you come to that stance?
Are those reasons legitimate enough to continue to hold that stance?
Conjecture - Forming an opinion based on incomplete information.
How do you know when you have enough evidence to form an opinion?
Topic - Data vs Anectodes
Scenario - Scale from 1-100.
State your position. At the end we come back and see if the needle moved at all.
Scenario 1
You’re about to have a procedure, a close and trusted friend says he had a terrible experience with it, but the data and your doctor says the data shows it’s safe. On a scale of 1-100, what would you normally side with, 1 your friend’s anecdote, or 100 the data.
Jose - 95/95
Sal - 90/85
Vero -90/90
Now your friend is having a different procedure done that you have had. You had a good experience. The data is now showing that there may be unforseen side effects. You still have not experienced any side effects. On a scale of 1-100, 1 should they listen to you, or 100 to the data.
Jose - 95
Sal - 90
Vero - 80
Questions to think about?
factual information (such as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation
a usually short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident
an account regarded as unreliable or hearsay.
"his wife's death has long been the subject of rumor and anecdote"
Why did you choose this topic?
When should anecdotes have consideration over data or vice versa?
Are reviews anecdotes or data?
What about our anecdotes vs data? How should they be received? If they are in a skilled area do they count as data or still anecdotes
What is blocking your view? And what is blocking others view?
How do you propose solving this issue? How can a compromise be reached?
What is an actionable first step we could take in starting to remedy this?
What about you? What are your thoughts? Let us know.
7 small El Paso businesses offering exclusive discounts on Small Business Saturday 2022
There are over 18,000 local businesses, how do you know where to visit? How about some award winning ones from Best of El Paso that are offering discounts.
There are over 18,000 local businesses, how do you know where to visit? How about some award winning ones from Best of El Paso.
Most of these are restaurants, but hey, we all enjoy eating, especially if they are award winning, you have little to lose. They are family friendly with great staff, and great products, and even better, they are offering discounts exclusive to us at Versal.
Weirdoughs
Our favorite doughnut place EVER! I can’t believe they are in El Paso. We have visited another largely popular doughnut place, Voodoo Doughnut, in Portland, Oregon. This place has them beat! The “Normie” which is their regular glazed, has such a great flavor in the bread alone. But our favorite is the Trixie, with pink strawberry icing and sprinkles. Classic Homer doughnut.
And exclusive through Versal, they are offering a SWEET discount 😉
J&M Creations
You haven’t seen candles like these! They not only do the job of making it smell nice, but they look amazing! They are molded into different shapes like flowers, skulls, and characters. AND have recently made the candle ALL El Pasoan have been waiting for. Especially those that don’t live here anymore. El Paso RAIN!
They also have events like candle making classes.
And exclusive through Versal, they are offering a SCENTsational discount 🤦🏻♂️
The Hen House
Our favorite wing place! Great alternative to chain wing restaurants. Unique flavors that are created for us, El Pasoans. This is where you take your out-of-town friends and family. Our favorite is the Enchilada wings 🤤. And as weird as it may sound, don’t pass up the peanut butter jelly wings. Peanut butter flavored wings, with a spicy jelly sauce for dipping 👌
And exclusive through Versal, they are offering a SPICY deal (4 more to go 😅)
The Dripping Cauldron
El Paso's newestc offee and tea shop with a gothic theme located in northeast right next door to Sinister Kustoms. Featuring over 30 different Bones Coffee flavors. Over 15 Specialty coffee items including Lattes, Frappe's, iced coffee blends and of course fresh brewed and ground espressos.
And exclusive through Versal, they are offering a SPOOKtacular deal 😅
Doc’s Unique Collectibles
“We love toys!” Collecting things can be a stress releiver, mood enhancer, and a relaxing activity. Think back to that time you finally got that toy you had want SO BADLY! How you felt to finally hold it, touch it, and that new toy smell ❤️. Everything from Marvel, to Star Wars, Jurassic Park, FUNKO Pops! Great selection!
You don’t have to rely on your parents now, you’re a full grown adult and you can buy what you want 😜. Either way, look for it at the best collectibles shop in El Paso. They have great knowledgeable staff that can get you what you want.
And exclusive through Versal, they are offering a SUPER deal 🦸🏻♂️
Cereal Killers
Did you know 50% of Americans start their day with cereal? I guess it's hard to resist the sweet crunch swimming in cold milk 🤤. Imagine the look on your friends faces when they see you with cereal in a cup, like shake. This is a cereal lover’s DREAM! Bowls of cereal with flavored milks, and fruit 🤤. And the name of this place… killed it! 🗡
And exclusive through Versal, they are offering a special TREAT 🍡
Tiara Del Sol
Last but not least, this isn’t an El Paso one, but a local one.
Ruidoso has 1.9 million tourists every year. 60% of the homes are vacation homes. If you haven’t been, this is a great incentive to get away and just be with nature. Great view! This quaint collection of condos really takes you up to the top of the mountains. At the summit you have great views of Inn of the Mountain Gods resort, Grindstone Lake, Sierra Blanca, and the Ruidoso community.
Think of the pictures 📸
And exclusive through Versal, they are offering a reason to GETAWAY 🧳
Weirdoughs and Hen House did receive awards and recognition, including Top 5 in Best New Restaurant. The Best of El Paso list for 2022 was hard to find, but I do know these businesses posted on social media about it.
We hope you enjoy these places as much as we have. They are run by great people, and truly represent El Paso and surrounding communities. Remember that when you shop local, our money stays here. They pay taxes here which help our community, and infrastructure. You were’ going to get this stuff anyway, make it count for more by shopping local.
Please consider signing up to our email list for on local businesses, events, artists, and more.
Full List of El Paso Businesses offering discounts
Upcoming El Paso Events
Respect, Manners, & Etiquette
Podcast episode. A conversation on respect. We are taught to be “respectful?” But what does this mean exactly? Are adults the best example of being “respectful?” Something may be respectful to some, but no to others. Sometimes it seems to be a one-way street. And does etiquette serve any purpose in the modern world?
Release Date: November 11, 2022
We are taught to be “respectful?” But what does this mean exactly? Are adults the best example of being “respectful?” Something may be respectful to some, but no to others. Sometimes it seems to be a one-way street. And does etiquette serve any purpose in the modern world?
DISCLAIMER: Some hard and difficult topics. If you are easily offended, this may not be for you. There are sometimes some hard topics and hard truths, and if you are not ready for it, i suggest maybe to revisit at a later time when you do feel more prepared.
Audio
Video
Welcome
Where we take difficult topics and try to identify what’s blocking your view. Try to unlearn and rewash and possibly rewire our brains since we don’t seem to be having much luck changing other people’s views.
DISCLAIMER: Some hard and difficult topics. If you are easily offended, this may not be for you. There are sometimes some hard topics and hard truths, and if you are not ready for it, i suggest maybe to revisit at a later time when you do feel more prepared.
Guests - Laura and Jacob Galindo
We are citizens, colleagues, professionals, consumers, friends, family-members, teachers, learners, human beings.
Street Epistemology - Socratic Questioning
How did you come to that stance?
Are those reasons legitimate enough to continue to hold that stance?
Conjecture - Forming an opinion based on incomplete information.
How do you know when you have enough evidence to form an opinion?
Topic - Respect & Etiquette
Scenario - Scale from 1-100.
State your position. At the end we come back and see if the needle moved at all.
Scenario 1
Somebody you think highly of gives you constructive criticism about your craft or skill. One a scale of 1-100, how do you receive this criticism 0 being very poorly, 100 being very good.
Sal - 85/85
Vero - 85/85
Laura - 90/90
Jacob - 90/90
Scenario 2
Somebody you DON’T think highly of gives you constructive criticism about your craft or skill. One a scale of 1-100, how do you receive this criticism 0 being very poorly, 100 being very good.
Sal - 20/10
Vero - 20/12
Laura - 50/30
Jacob - 35/20
Level of Importance
On the same scale, how important is this to you?
Sal - 80
Vero - 85
Laura - 85
Jacob - 95
Questions to think about?
Define
Respect - high or special regard
Etiquette - the conduct or procedure required by good breeding or prescribed by authority to be observed in social or official life
Why did you choose this topic?
How did you come to that stance?
Conjecture. How do you know when you have enough evidence to form an opinion?
How aware are you of your biases when forming opinions?
What is blocking your view? What is keeping you from changing your mind?
Is there a difference between manners, respect, and etiquette?
Respecting elders. Do they have an automatic “deserved” level of respect?
What about you? What are your thoughts? Let us know.
Horror In Our Culture
Why is horror important?
Release Date: October 28, 2022
Why do we enjoy horror movies? Why is it important to have this in our culture? What would we be like without horror? Does horror ever cross the line? Join our fun conversation on a bunch of things horror including horror themed cocktails 👿🎃🔪🍸
DISCLAIMER: Some hard and difficult topics. If you are easily offended, this may not be for you. There are sometimes some hard topics and hard truths, and if you are not ready for it, i suggest maybe to revisit at a later time when you do feel more prepared.
Audio
Video
WELCOME TO ECLIPSED VIEWS
Where we take difficult topics and try to identify what’s blocking your view. Try to unlearn and rewash and possibly rewire our brains since we don’t seem to be having much luck changing other people’s views. Full Topics List
STREET EPISTEMOLOGY - SOCRATIC QUESTIONING
I got interested in doing these podcasts through Street Epistemology, which is a mode of Socratic questioning. You are asked questions to challenge your views, to see if the method you used to reach that conclusion is a reliable method to arrive at a conclusion.
How did you come to that stance?
Are those reasons legitimate enough to continue to hold that stance?
Is this process a useful and efficient process to figuring out the truth
CONJECTURE
Conjecture - inference or opinion formed based on insufficient evidence.
How often do we form opinions based on insufficient evidence? How do you know when you have enough evidence to form an opinion?
BIASES
Bias - a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment
We are all citizens, colleagues, professionals, consumers, friends, family-members, teachers, learners, human beings first. How aware are you of your biases when forming opinions? Does a credential or life-experience make a person more or less credible? Can you keep the same level of open-mindedness after learning such a thing?
WHAT’S BLOCKING YOUR VIEW?
So we form an opinion. What would it take for you to change your opinion? If it has changed, what DID it take? Could it change again?
Topic - Horror In Our Culture
State your position. At the end we come back and see if the needle moved at all.
Government has banned all Horror art forms. The intention is that it will decrease violence in our society. On a scale of 1-100, do you think this would have the intended effect? 0 being not at all, 100 yes definitely.
Sal - 10/10
Vero - 20/10
Chris - 0/0
Lou - 0/0
Real Midsomar vs Paranormal IT. 0-100
Sal - 10/5
Vero - 60/51
Chris - 51/30
Lou -15/15
Questions to think about?
Define: painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay
Why do you like this topic?
How did you come to that stance?
Why is it important to have horror in our culture?
What do you think we would be like without horror?
When does horror cross the line?
Conjecture. How do you know when you have enough evidence to form an opinion?
How aware are you of your biases when forming opinions?
What is blocking your view? What is keeping you from changing your mind?
Favorite Horror Movie
What about you? What are your thoughts? Let us know.
Superstitions & Urban Legends
Do they actually have an effect on unrelated events or are they simply to make you feel better?
Release Date: October 14, 2022
DISCLAIMER: Some hard and difficult topics. If you are easily offended, this may not be for you. There are sometimes some hard topics and hard truths, and if you are not ready for it, i suggest maybe to revisit at a later time when you do feel more prepared.
Superstitions & Urban Legends
Black cats, ladders, umbrellas? Why do we believe in superstitions? Do they actually have an effect on unrelated events or are they simply to make you feel better? Which demographics are most likely to believe in superstitions? A light fun conversation about how we have handled superstitions in the past. How to make other feel validated about their superstitions without ridicule. And if you would ever challenge a superstition.
Audio
Video
WELCOME TO ECLIPSED VIEWS
Where we take difficult topics and try to identify what’s blocking your view. Try to unlearn and rewash and possibly rewire our brains since we don’t seem to be having much luck changing other people’s views. Full Topics List
STREET EPISTEMOLOGY - SOCRATIC QUESTIONING
I got interested in doing these podcasts through Street Epistemology, which is a mode of Socratic questioning. You are asked questions to challenge your views, to see if the method you used to reach that conclusion is a reliable method to arrive at a conclusion.
How did you come to that stance?
Are those reasons legitimate enough to continue to hold that stance?
Is this process a useful and efficient process to figuring out the truth
CONJECTURE
Conjecture - inference or opinion formed based on insufficient evidence.
How often do we form opinions based on insufficient evidence? How do you know when you have enough evidence to form an opinion?
BIASES
Bias - a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment
We are all citizens, colleagues, professionals, consumers, friends, family-members, teachers, learners, human beings first. How aware are you of your biases when forming opinions? Does a credential or life-experience make a person more or less credible? Can you keep the same level of open-mindedness after learning such a thing?
WHAT’S BLOCKING YOUR VIEW?
So we form an opinion. What would it take for you to change your opinion? If it has changed, what DID it take? Could it change again?
Topic - Superstitions & Urban Legends
Scenario - Scale from 1-100.
State your position. At the end we come back and see if the needle moved at all.
You’re faced with a challenging situation that is out of your control. How likely are you to rely on a superstition? 0 definitely not relying on a superstition, and 100 definitely relying on a superstition.
Roger - 80/30
Leasette - 0/0
Sal - 0/0
Vero - 70/40
Questions to think about?
Define Superstitions:
a: belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation
b: an irrational abject attitude of mind toward the supernatural, nature, or God resulting from superstition
2: a notion maintained despite evidence to the contrary
Urban Legend: an often lurid story or anecdote that is based on hearsay and widely circulated as true.
Common Superstitions
Friday the 13th
Umbrellas inside
Crossing your fingers
Make a wish on a wishbone
Knock on wood
666
Breaking Mirrors
Black Cats
Bad luck comes in 3’s
Walking under a Ladder
How do you make superstitious people feel validated?
Would you ever deliberately challenge a superstition? Why and how?
Did you have any superstitions?
What would be a modern superstition?
Conjecture. How do you know when you have enough evidence to form an opinion?
How aware are you of your biases when forming opinions?
What is blocking your view? What is keeping you from changing your mind?What are your thoughts? How do you handle expectations and its outcomes.
What about you? What are your thoughts? Let us know.
Expectations vs Reality
How do you manage your expectations?
Release Date: September 29, 2022
DISCLAIMER: Some hard and difficult topics. If you are easily offended, this may not be for you. There are sometimes some hard topics and hard truths, and if you are not ready for it, i suggest maybe to revisit at a later time when you do feel more prepared.
Expectations vs Reality
Audio
Video
WELCOME TO ECLIPSED VIEWS
Where we take difficult topics and try to identify what’s blocking your view. Try to unlearn and rewash and possibly rewire our brains since we don’t seem to be having much luck changing other people’s views. Full Topics List
STREET EPISTEMOLOGY - SOCRATIC QUESTIONING
I got interested in doing these podcasts through Street Epistemology, which is a mode of Socratic questioning. You are asked questions to challenge your views, to see if the method you used to reach that conclusion is a reliable method to arrive at a conclusion.
How did you come to that stance?
Are those reasons legitimate enough to continue to hold that stance?
Is this process a useful and efficient process to figuring out the truth
CONJECTURE
Conjecture - inference or opinion formed based on insufficient evidence.
How often do we form opinions based on insufficient evidence? How do you know when you have enough evidence to form an opinion?
BIASES
Bias - a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment
We are all citizens, colleagues, professionals, consumers, friends, family-members, teachers, learners, human beings first. How aware are you of your biases when forming opinions? Does a credential or life-experience make a person more or less credible? Can you keep the same level of open-mindedness after learning such a thing?
WHAT’S BLOCKING YOUR VIEW?
So we form an opinion. What would it take for you to change your opinion? If it has changed, what DID it take? Could it change again?
Topic - Expectations vs Reality/Outcomes
Scenario - Scale from 1-100.
State your position. At the end we come back and see if the needle moved at all.
On a scale of 1-100. Are you usually more disappointed or impressed by outcomes of your expectations?
Sal - 45/
Vero - 48/60
Julian - 75/60
On a scale of 1-100. Do you think this is cause by personal internal reasons, or external cultural and societal causes. 1 being yourself and 100 being others.
Sal - 60/60
Vero - 51/75
Julian - 40/55
Questions to think about?
Define …
Why did you choose this topic?
What is blocking your view? What is keeping you from changing your mind?
Scenario 1. Elaborate. Why do you think this is?
Scenario 2. Elaborate. Why do you think this is?
What are your thoughts? How do you handle expectations and its outcomes.
Are We Alone?
The universe is a BIG place
Release Date: September 16, 2022
DISCLAIMER: Some hard and difficult topics. If you are easily offended, this may not be for you. There are sometimes some hard topics and hard truths, and if you are not ready for it, i suggest maybe to revisit at a later time when you do feel more prepared.
Are We Alone?
WELCOME TO ECLIPSED VIEWS
Where we take difficult topics and try to identify what’s blocking your view. Try to unlearn and rewash and possibly rewire our brains since we don’t seem to be having much luck changing other people’s views. Full Topics List
STREET EPISTEMOLOGY - SOCRATIC QUESTIONING
I got interested in doing these podcasts through Street Epistemology, which is a mode of Socratic questioning. You are asked questions to challenge your views, to see if the method you used to reach that conclusion is a reliable method to arrive at a conclusion.
How did you come to that stance?
Are those reasons legitimate enough to continue to hold that stance?
Is this process a useful and efficient process to figuring out the truth
CONJECTURE
Conjecture - inference or opinion formed based on insufficient evidence.
How often do we form opinions based on insufficient evidence? How do you know when you have enough evidence to form an opinion?
BIASES
Bias - a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment
We are all citizens, colleagues, professionals, consumers, friends, family-members, teachers, learners, human beings first. How aware are you of your biases when forming opinions? Does a credential or life-experience make a person more or less credible? Can you keep the same level of open-mindedness after learning such a thing?
WHAT’S BLOCKING YOUR VIEW?
So we form an opinion. What would it take for you to change your opinion? If it has changed, what DID it take? Could it change again?
Topic - “Are We Alone”
Scenario - Scale from 1-100.
State your position. At the end we come back and see if the needle moved at all.
Do you believe in life outside of Earth? 0 Not at all 100 Absolutely!
Sal 95/95
Vero 90/95
Leasette 85/90
Roger 95/95
Have we ever been visited by other lifeforms from outside of Earth? 0 not at all 100 absolutely
Sal 49/75
Vero 75/80
Roger 51/75
Leasette 51/80
Belief in ghosts, higher/other non-physical beings? 0 not at all 100 absolutely
Sal 5/5
Vero 25/25
Roger 25/25
Leasette 60/60
Saying "I Don't Know"
Do you pretend to know things you don’t?
Release Date: September 2, 2022
DISCLAIMER: Some hard and difficult topics. If you are easily offended, this may not be for you. There are sometimes some hard topics and hard truths, and if you are not ready for it, i suggest maybe to revisit at a later time when you do feel more prepared.
Saying “I Don’t Know”
WELCOME TO ECLIPSED VIEWS
Where we take difficult topics and try to identify what’s blocking your view. Try to unlearn and rewash and possibly rewire our brains since we don’t seem to be having much luck changing other people’s views. Full Topics List
STREET EPISTEMOLOGY - SOCRATIC QUESTIONING
I got interested in doing these podcasts through Street Epistemology, which is a mode of Socratic questioning. You are asked questions to challenge your views, to see if the method you used to reach that conclusion is a reliable method to arrive at a conclusion.
How did you come to that stance?
Are those reasons legitimate enough to continue to hold that stance?
Is this process a useful and efficient process to figuring out the truth
CONJECTURE
Conjecture - inference or opinion formed based on insufficient evidence.
How often do we form opinions based on insufficient evidence? How do you know when you have enough evidence to form an opinion?
BIASES
Bias - a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment
We are all citizens, colleagues, professionals, consumers, friends, family-members, teachers, learners, human beings first. How aware are you of your biases when forming opinions? Does a credential or life-experience make a person more or less credible? Can you keep the same level of open-mindedness after learning such a thing?
WHAT’S BLOCKING YOUR VIEW?
So we form an opinion. What would it take for you to change your opinion? If it has changed, what DID it take? Could it change again?
Topic - Saying “I Don’t Know”
Guest is Chuy. A close friend since 2005.
Originally, this topic came to mind because I see people not using it enough. Meaning they would pretend to know more than they actually did.
Then I was made aware of the flip side, that people also use it as a dead end. Someone may ask you something you DO know about and say, "I don't know," as a means to not engage further.
So how do you know how much you don’t know about a subject?
Scenarios
State your position. At the end we come back and see if the needle moved at all.
People use the phrase, “I don’t know.” Some may be overusing it, commonly when trying to hide information. Meaning that you do know but would rather not say. There is also under using it. When you truly do not know, but pretend to know. Perhaps from fear of coming across as unintelligent, or incompetent. On a scale of -10 to 10. How do you use the phrase, “I don’t know?” -10 overusing it and withholding information, 0 being honestly not knowing, 10 under-using it and pretending to know information.
Sal -4/-1
Vero 3/0
Chuy 2/4
On a scale of -10 to 10. How do you see others use the phrase, “I don’t know?” -10 over-using withholding information, 0 being honestly not knowing, 10 under-using it and pretending to know information.
Sal 5/5
Vero 7/7
Chuy 7/7
Size of the Building
This scenario popped in my head to try to grasp how much you may not know. Can you tell the size of the building just by the room you are in. For example, say you are kidnapped and wake up in a room. Let’s say this room is set up like an escape room. The room does not have any windows. You have to solve puzzles to get out. And as you solve the puzzles, you get out of that room and lets you start exploring the building. You start getting an idea of how big this building could be, and if you are close to getting out or discovering all of it. But, could you tell from where you first started?
Questions to think about?
Shakespeare famously wrote “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.”
Socrates - “The only true Wisdom is knowing that you know nothing.”
Impact on society from overusing “I don’t know.” How does it impact it when we withhold information, and impact when we pretend to know information?
Are there any instances when you should say it to withhold information? Or to pretend to know something?
Any particular areas/groups/organizations you see this occurring more than others? Who uses it too much? Who doesn’t use it enough? Politics, Religion.
So how about you? How often do you use the phrase, "I don't know?" And, how do you use it?
Ruidoso, NM resort or condo? Where to Stay and How to Decide
Whether you just need a change of scenery or want to isolate yourself. Here are the pros and cons of staying at a resort or a condo in Ruidoso, NM.
We have visited Ruidoso, NM several times. It is a popular tourist attraction near where we live in El Paso, TX, because it is an escape from the desert. Either way there are many places to stay. Whether you want to go and be away from it all, or you still want a social atmosphere, just a change of scenery. Here are the pros and cons to both.
Resort - Inn of the Mountains Gods
Inn of the Mountain Gods is a resort in Mescalero/Ruidoso, New Mexico. It offers a Casino, Golf Course, and Event venue for concerts, chefs, weddings. It also includes a spa, and pool. Other Outdoor activities include a zip-line, pedal-boats, fishing, biking, and more.
The resort in town is Inn of the Mountain Gods. This is a Mescalero Apache owned business. It has all the amenities of a resort in which you won’t have to leave the property because you have everything you need for a vacation.
Casino
Golf Course
Restaurants
Taphouse
Recreation such as zip-line, pedal boats, fishing, and more
Spa
Special events venue for concerts, weddings, and even special presentations of famous chefs.
Beautiful rooms with a amazing views.
Condo - Tiara Del Sol
The condo we have stayed on more than one occasion is Tiara del Sol. This is a set of apartment complexes, way up in the mountain from where you can see Inn of the Mountain Gods, the nearby town, and a great view of Sierra Blanca, which is the main mountain where they do skiing from. This offers all the things you would have in a home away from home. Our unit was a suite that was 2 floors, 2 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, kitchen, dining, washer and dryer.
Full apartment/condo (for the most part).
More isolated (though you do have shared walls) and get see wildlife like deer and wild turkeys.
Great views
Can prepare your own meals
More space.
Pros and Cons
Depending on the type of vacation you are looking for, there are pros and cons to both
Inn of the Mountain Gods - PROS
Everything is there - entertainment, recreation, food
Beautiful rooms and facilities well maintained
Lots to do
Food
Atmosphere (depending if you want people around)
Inn of the Mountain Gods - CONS
Expensive rooms - especially when there is a special event or holiday weekends
Expensive food - the restaurants are good but it will rack up quickly if you are spending multiple nights there, multiple meals.
Average size hotel rooms unless you get a suite.
Atmosphere (depending on if you want people around)
Tiara Del Sol - PROS
Large condo/apartment to yourself
Peaceful and serene - watching wildlife go by from your balcony. Read a book with a cup of coffee. See the night sky.
Affordable - At least way way more affordable than Inn of the Mountain Gods.
Atmosphere - (depending on if you want people around)
Tiara Del Sol - CONS
Old Complex - Not as well maintained. Rustic. There may be bugs and spiderwebs.
Rooms - Rooms are ok also but not as nice of a bed as you would get at Inn of the Mountain Gods.
Not as much to do - Wish there had been a hiking trail nearby, but its pretty much just the complex and surrounding houses/cabins.
Thin walls and neighbors - One of the times we went we were a large group and pretty loud. Another time we were a small group and not a lot of noise, and we got a noise complaint… 🤨😅
Food - You have to make your own or drive into town.
Atmosphere - (depending on if you want people around)
The road - Getting up here in the winter if there is snow would definitely be safer with an all-terrain vehicle.
So it is up to you as to what you want. There are ways to make Inn of the Mountain Gods a peaceful getaway like the condo. If you go off-peak and during the week, it becomes affordable and peaceful without having the crowds. Food can still be expensive, but ammenities such as comfy bed and well maintained facilities stays the same. Let us know what you decide and your experience. Or have other alternatives for both.
Privilege
How are you made aware of privileges you didn’t know you had?
Release Date: August 19, 2022
DISCLAIMER: Some hard and difficult topics. If you are easily offended, this may not be for you. There are sometimes some hard topics and hard truths, and if you are not ready for it, i suggest maybe to revisit at a later time when you do feel more prepared.
Privilege
Welcome to Eclipsed Views
Where we take difficult topics and try to identify what’s blocking your view. Try to unlearn and rewash and possibly rewire our brains since we don’t seem to be having much luck changing other people’s views. Full Topics List
Street Epistemology - Socratic Questioning
I got interested in doing these podcasts through Street Epistemology, which is a mode of Socratic questioning. You are asked questions to challenge your views, to see if the method you used to reach that conclusion is a reliable method to arrive at a conclusion.
How did you come to that stance?
Are those reasons legitimate enough to continue to hold that stance?
Is this process a useful and efficient process to figuring out the truth
Conjecture
Conjecture - inference or opinion formed based on insufficient evidence.
How often do we form opinions based on insufficient evidence? How do you know when you have enough evidence to form an opinion?
Biases
Bias - a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment
We are all citizens, colleagues, professionals, consumers, friends, family-members, teachers, learners, human beings first. How aware are you of your biases when forming opinions? Does a credential or life-experience make a person more or less credible? Can you keep the same level of open-mindedness after learning such a thing?
What’s Blocking YOUR view?
So we form an opinion. What would it take for you to change your opinion? If it has changed, what DID it take? Could it change again?
Topic - Privilege. How to be aware that you have it.
Our guests are Carolina Gonzalez and James Cordova. Friends of our since about 2005. Great and fun people.
Privilege - a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor.
On a scale of 1-100, How privileged are you? 0 being very little privilege(s), and 100 is having lots of privilege(s).
On a scale of 1-100, the effect of privilege on society, 0 being mostly negative and 100 being mostly positive.
What privileges are you aware you have?
How would you notice of another privilege you may have?
What purpose does privilege serve? Would you get rid of yours? Do you try to gain more?
In this episode we discuss privilege. Whenever I come across something that makes me think or question my stance on it, we add it to our list. This occurred earlier in 2022 or late 2021 with white privilege. It was a big topic of discussion. It almost had a very negative tone in media. Not to say certain privileges aren’t negative but I was being very influenced into thinking privilege is having a negative impact.
Gratitude
Upon having our discussion we realized privilege can also be many of the things you are grateful for. Things that we have come to take for granted. It slowly started making me realize that life owes us nothing. All the things we have that are beneficial to our lives, are privileges. They can be lost at anytime if we are not careful. There are somethings you can do to protect some of your privileges, but there are also some that are completely out of our control. Such as being tall or short. So it made me more grateful of even being stuck in traffic. You get to have this experience. Somebody else may be having a completely different and worse experience. Somebody may be having a better experience, but why would life owe me a better experience over someone else.
Expectation
We also came across the question, if we think of something as an expectation, are we more or less likely to think of it as a privilege? If we always have something, and then it is gone is when we usually realize the privileges you have.
Earned vs Unearned
Some privileges are earned, such as working hard, putting in time and effort to get a certain outcome. Some are not earned, as mentioned before, being short or tall. Both may come with its pros and cons, but we have little to no control over that. Should there be preferential treatment to a tall/short person over the other? What if it is for a task that would be easier for a taller or shorter person? But what if this trait has little to no effect on the task. The task is something that favors being good with numbers. Would it make sense to chose a tall or shorter person for this task? And maybe this is where we run in to problems, when we get that “peculiar benefit” for something that has little to no effect on the task at hand. Then people start to lose this benefit… without realizing it was a privilege. What outcomes does this start having on our society?
In any case give it a listen and see what you think and what conclusions you form. What would it take to change your view?
Unlearning - How do you know when it's time?
The teacup is your mind. You can’t fit anything else if you don’t get rid of what is already there.
Episode 05 - Release date: August 5, 2022
I finally understood this concept during my Buddhism phase. I was learning a lot about it and really related. I heard the teacup analogy. If you haven’t heard it, it pretty much is a quick story about serving an already filled cup with tea, with more tea, so it overflows. The teacup is your mind. You can’t fit anything else if you don’t get rid of what is already there. I had that Hallelujah moment. Get rid of previous mentalities.
Learning
As we grow up we learn many things and trust those around us. Over time you may start to question why you do certain things, and realize that it may not serve much of a purpose in your lifestyle, or it may be outdated and doesn’t have the same usefulness it once did.
This also reminds me of the parable of the raft. A man builds a raft to cross a stream/river. After he crosses the question is, do you continue to carry the raft, or leave it. Some say continue to carry it in case you need it again. Some say to leave it as its purpose is done. I am of the type to discard. Once the purpose is done, then there may no need to keep it around. Some argue about emotional attachment. To me the emotional attachment is not dependent on my ownership or possession of the item.
Harder to learn or unlearn?
Think of a new skill you are acquiring. Learning a musical instrument, driving, cooking. You have some successes with it. Somebody else comes along and tells you you’ve been doing it wrong. At this point, if you’ve had some successes, then it’s certainly not wrong if it works, but it may be inefficient. Unlearning your method and learning the new “efficient” method may take more effort than to have learned it efficiently in the first place. So the question is, which is harder/easier, to learn something new, or unlearn something old?
When is Unlearning not necessary?
My personal opinion would be if it is not affecting others in a negative way. But Buddhism teaches interdependence, and we are all more connected than we may realize. So if it affects you, it probably affects others.
What about you? How do you realize it’s time to unlearn? Have you ever realized it? Let us know or comment below.
Is There a More Beautiful Route in New Mexico? | Road Trip Gems
a road you would take, even if it means adding an extra 30-60 minutes to reach your destination, because traveling through this section, brings you more peace and stability than going the usual “common” path.
Think of your favorite road trip? I don’t mean a one time occurrence. I mean a road you would take, even if it means adding an extra 30-60 minutes to reach your destination, because traveling through this section, brings you more peace and stability than going the usual “common” path. The road. The scenery. The weather. Do you bring someone along to share it? Keep it to yourself? What about it makes it so memorable? This is another Road Trip Gem. You wouldn’t spend/plan a whole vacation just for this one destination, but are definitely glad it crossed your path.
Connecting two towns
Between two small towns in mountains in New Mexico there is a road. Both towns are in the middle of a forest. A pine forest with open meadows blooming with purple flowers in the spring, and warm colored hills of the leaves in the fall. If you keep your eyes peeled, you may see some of its natural inhabitants, like deer, hawks, ravens, cows, wild horses, wild turkeys, elk, and maybe even a bear. How to get there
To get to this town you’ll need to cross through a tunnel portal. As you cross the tunnel you begin to see the desert shrubs disappear. You begin to see trees. Then taller trees. More trees. You can’t see the mountain floors anymore. You are immersed in the Lincoln National Forest. A trestle can be seen from the side of the road, which brings to the image to your mind of what this must have been like to experience this scenery from the inside of the train riding the trestle. A “cloud climbing” rail. You soon arrive at the little town in the mountains known as Cloudcroft. Very small town with a population of less than 1000. It could almost seem like it was a town trapped in the old west if it weren’t for the paved roads, cars, and gas stations. the whole main strip of town is maybe about a mile long, then you’re back in pure forest.
And as you leave town, there is the road that takes you to another small, about 10 times the population. A tourist town known as Ruidoso, meaning noisy, for it’s “noisy” river. To get to the other town from here, you’ll get to experience the most peaceful and scenic drive in New Mexico. NM-244. NM-244 is also the route you would take to get to Silver Lake. A popular tourist destination. Though I have never been, I still love this drive.
My first encounter on this road
The first time I remember experiencing this I was maybe in high school. It is the only connecting road between these two cities and if you wanted to access it another way, you have to go around to another nearby town and the bottom of the mountain, then go back up. As we were driving through I remember liking the scenery then, because it was more isolated. Less cars and things that may remind you of city life. It is a two lane road. One coming and one going. I have always been fascinated by wildlife in its natural environment so I would always be looking out. This is one of the first times I remember seeing a raven. I was positive this had to be a raven, because it was so majestic. This was not just a black bird that I would see back at home. It was perched on a wooden fence as we slowly took one the roads sharp turns. It also appeared to just be taking in the scenery.
At the time I didn’t really know where I was, but wouldn’t revisit it till much later. I don’t even remember how much later, but it must have been once I was old enough to drive and go there on my own. I have never driven it on my own, so it must have been with Vero or my sister. Once I did revisit, I knew this was the road where I saw the raven. And it’s not uncommon to see other wildlife. We have seen all the ones I mentioned before, except a bear, but I do know they are in the region.
If you are ever in either of these towns, I recommend taking the road less-traveled and rejuvenate your mind to bring that sense of peace to yourself. This road has been a memorable part of our lives since I showed it to Vero. We even took some wedding photos there. It is definitely recommended, you will not regret it.
Check out our video above of our experience from our Ruidoso 2022 trip. Check out our previous entry from our trip where we visit the Alamogordo Toy Train Museum. So what place comes to mind for you? Any Road Trip Gems near you? Leave us a comment down below.
Alamogordo Toy Train Museum | Road Trip Gems
If you’re traveling through Alamogordo to get to Ruidoso, Cloudcroft, Las Cruces, or El Paso, Texas, you may want to make a pit stop to the Alamogordo Toy Train Museum.
There are fun little places you can’t really fly to. You wouldn’t spend/plan a whole vacation just for this one destination, but are definitely glad it crossed your path. If you’re traveling through Alamogordo to get to Ruidoso, Cloudcroft, Las Cruces, or El Paso, Texas, you may want to make a pit stop to the Alamogordo Toy Train Museum. It’s a small little building, but it still fits tons of toy trains. They have several scales/sizes, some running and some not running. It definitely sucks you in to how incredibly patient, time-consuming, and sense of accomplishment that this hobby can bring.
Train Museum - Interior
At the time we went, it was approximately $7 a person which included a tour of the museum, and a ride on their outdoor model train. The tour includes 3 rooms with running displays. They have a train track that is set up high near the ceiling, as well as one that is hanging upside down from the ceiling (not functional but cool to see). One that is electric with the wire overhead like the actual electric trains. And their grand finale is there largest room with a slight replica of the area, representing Alamogordo, an surrounding towns such as Cloudcroft, Carrizozo, Ruidoso, and others. Cloudcroft is a nearby town that is in the mountains. It is about a half hour drive into and up the mountain. You drive through a tunnel and it always fascinates me how much the landscape changes after going through the tunnel, like a portal. Depending which direction you’re going, it transforms from desert to forest. Soon you will be surrounded by pines and evergreens. As you get nearer to Cloudcroft, you will see a trestle. A trestle is a type of bridge or structure to hold something up. In this case it used to be for train tracks. One of the models pays homage to when this used to be a functioning railroad from Alamogordo to Cloudcroft.
About Cloudcroft
Cloudcroft Trestle
As I mentioned, you will be able to see the trestle as you drive in. You can pull over and take pictures if you’d like. Sometimes you will see people at the other end of the bridge and wonder how they got there. If you continue on the road, there will be like a rest area, where there are clean bathrooms. There is a trailhead there where you can get to the “other side” of the trestle. It is a fairly easy hike. There are some steep parts, and is maybe about a mile to get to. The scenery is beautiful, especially during the fall. But fall foliage happens extremely fast. You have about a 1 to 2 week window, about the 2nd and 3rd week of October. They also get snow quite regularly during the winter months. Which is great for all the nearby desert people that rarely get to see snow.
Train Museum - Exterior
Caboose in Alamogordo Toy Train Museum
The other part of admission was the ride on the G scale train, that runs along Alameda park and another set of real railroad tracks. We even got lucky and got to see a real train pass by alongside us as we were riding. It is a round trip that maybe takes 15-20 minutes. Back at the museum there is also a caboose. According to their website, it can be rented for kids parties, etc.
Consider stopping
As mentioned if you are passing through Alamogordo, or if Alamogordo is your destination, I would definitely consider adding this to your itinerary. Check out our video on Youtube of our experience or the gallery of photos taken from our experience.
Our favorite doughnut place EVER! I can’t believe they are in El Paso.