Ferguson Shooting (Blog #6)

 

    

     On Saturday, for the first time since the unrest, West Florissant was left open to traffic and pedestrians in the evening, as National Guard soldiers and police officers stood watch. The decision to leave the street open after dusk was made with little fanfare.

During the march, police cruisers crept along with the crowd, and organizers exhorted the line to keep a tight formation. The marchers paused to speak with a woman standing along the side of the road whose antiques store had been destroyed in the looting and arsons. When the marchers raised their arms into the warm November afternoon and shouted, “Hands up, don’t shoot!” two little girls watching from their front yard did the same, before ducking into their garage.

 

     The march was part of demonstrations here and across the nation touching on police tactics, race and poverty that are stretching toward a second week since the grand jury’s decision.

More than 100 protesters marched through a shopping plaza in the affluent St. Louis suburb of Brentwood, lying on the ground in a “die-in” to represent Mr. Brown’s shooting. As they marched along the sidewalk, they were shadowed by dozens of police officers.

At the memorial to Mr. Brown near the Canfield Green apartments in Ferguson, dozens of motorcyclists swirled through the streets in a show of solidarity. Outside the St. Louis County Courthouse in Clayton, where the grand jury had met, more than 100 protesters circled in silence.

 

 

 

 



Blog #6

 Student Loan Debt

Many of us are likely considering attending college to further our education. It is common knowledge that college tuitions are rising in both public and private schools, which leads to increased debt for graduating students. In fact, 7 in 10 seniors (69%) who graduated from public and nonprofit colleges in 2013 had student loan debt, with an average of $28,400 per student. This was an increase from  an average of $23,925 in 2008.  In New York, 60% of students accumulated debt after finishing college with an average debt of $26,381.

 What do these statistics mean? They mean that college tuition is rising faster and faster as the years go on resulting in more debt for students. Gaining a college education is no easy task, but can lead to lower chances of unemployment and higher wages. With the difficult job market and increased amount of debt due to college education many are wondering if college is even worth it anymore. Many new studies show that it is more worth it than ever. According to a study by the Economic Policy Institute, in 2014 wages for those with college degrees were 98% higher than those without college degrees, which is a record high.  In 2013, 2.2% of workers with a Doctoral degree were unemployed, while 11% of those with only a high school degree were unemployed. It has even been proven that in the long run, going to college will allow you to make half a million more than someone who does not go to college. So, it is more beneficial than harmful to go to college even with increasing amounts of student loan debt. But, with increased tuition it is becoming harder for many to gain a college education. It is unlikely that these costs will decrease any time soon, and more and more students will need to pay student loans after college.

nytimes.com
projectonstudentdebt.org

Blog 6 Controversial case

The most talked about case as of lately is the case concerning the death of Michael Brown. Brown had been shot several times and killed by officer Darren Wilson. Brown had performed a robbery and was later killed, un armed by officer Wilson. Similar to the Trayvon Martin case many people broke out into a sense of disbelief, siding with the criminal, saying the officer abused the rights of his job and accused the officer of being a cold hearted murderer. The decision had been made that officer Wilson will face no charges, a proper verdict and the only reasonable verdict, based on the facts of the case. As expected people responded with rage, and protested.
     The first thing forgotten in the case is that Brown had committed a crime. Sadly this resulted in his death. Police officers have the right to protect themselves, Brown was only a few inches from Wilson when he was shot to his death. This was proven in the lab. Surely Brown was not going over to hug Wilson to thank him for arresting him. Brown did not comply and put himself and the officer in danger. People immediately suggested this was an act of racism. This is such an ignorant suggestion, one that makes no sense what so ever. Skin color had nothing to do with Wilsons recognition that he had to protect himself. These people are looking to blame people of other races as the causes of there problems. Others believe the officer abused his power. Officer Wilson most likely had many plans for the day as well as many things on his mind, non of which included killing an 18 year old African American. Wilson was put in a situation and reacted by protecting himself, a natural reaction anyone would have.
             As a result of the verdict, many of Browns supporters violently protested. As the night went on, the situation grew more intense and chaotic in several locations around the region. Bottles and rocks were thrown at officers, and windows of businesses were smashed. Several police cars were burned; buildings, including a Walgreens, a meat market and a storage facility, were on fire, and looting was reported in several businesses.
                 I believe these inhumane reactions show the type of people which supported Brown as just people who like to resist authority and make excuses as to why they can't succeed in life. If such a case occurred in Manorville would such savages acts occur after a verdict? Absolutely not, similar to most places around the country. Again characterizing the type of people who supported the side of Brown. The acts committed did nothing to solve the problem, just make things worse in the area. Some peacefully protested, the correct way to show discomfort about the results.

Ferguson (blog 6)

This cartoon pokes fun at a very confrontational situation. It displays the citizens of Ferguson with their hands up saying "don't shoot" fearing for their lives, and it also shows a Ferguson officer being paranoid that a video camera is "shooting" footage of what is going on.

It is hard to say what the message or purpose of the visual is. It is quite possible that this cartoon takes the side of the victims of the shootings or represents the people who are choosing to riot. I say this because the police officer seems to be irritated by the fact that his actions are being recorded by the news.

Racism in my mind is a very thought provoking topic. I can speak about how I feel about racism however I am not too privy to the events that have taken place in Ferguson so I will not use them as examples or as a basis for my thoughts.

I think the fact that racism still exists in 2014 is completely outrageous. We live in such an advanced society and I am unaware as to why old beliefs and values still are carried by American people. We live in the most diverse country in the world where studies show how the population of races like Mexican and Middle Eastern will reach an exponential sky rocket in less than 50 years and how Islam will soon be the # 1 religion in the US yet we are prejudice to people's appearances and beliefs? I think many people have tricked themselves into thinking they are not racist to seem like an open minded and fair person but they truly hold unnecessary opinions.

This is the part that really effects me in the biggest way. When my friends or any ignorant high school kid makes a racist joke even when the targeted race is not present, they are being a complete racist, and just because this person and his buddies are all white, does not mean he should be making jokes about border hopping, for example. If you look at a person and you make any assumptions or profile them based on appearance, you are also a racist in my mind. The biggest test (in my book) is to ask someone how they would feel if their sister married an African American. Majority of people would be uneasy with it and/or put a squash to it and try to ruin the relations. Why? I have African American friends who are remarkable young men and will one day look to marry. What world are we living in if you don't let a beloved family member marry someone they love because they do not look the same as you? What kind of example is this showing to the rest of the world?

I am not sure if racism will ever go extinct. Certain people who feel their race is superior will continue to pass their brain washing thoughts down & I am not sure how much/ what can be done to stop it.

Blog #6: Poverty in America

            Many people overlook poverty. Many people think that the only poverty in the world is everywhere but America. So, big name corporations like to win over an audience by donating a certain percentage of profits to Africa. That's great and all, don't get me wrong. However, how the heck are we going to solve problems in Africa when we, as citizens of America, can't even look at our own?


          Forget about percentages for a minute. Think about the last time you were in walking the streets of New York. How many homeless people did you see? A couple, right? Now that's the extreme kind of poverty. How many people do you know have low income rates and yet support a family of five? That is also a form of poverty. Just because you can't openly see someone in rags doesn't mean they aren't struggling to support themselves or their family.


           In 2013,  the United States Census calculated 45.3 million people in poverty. That number is too large to comprehend. 45.3 million people struggle to get food for their family, or don't even know when their next meal is. Children are either neglected or pushed to the brink of breakdowns. Teenagers drop out of school because they don't care or need to help their families. So in order to help other countries, we must first look at the ugly problems of our own. Poverty is a common struggle and it's a man made problem. However, since rich people don't have that problem, we don't hear about it. Just because we can't always see it doesn't mean it's not there.

Poverty in America (blog #6)

Poverty in America has become a major crisis for the nation. If we don't do something about it soon the whole country could see a difference in living. According to data released by the Census Bureau more than 45 million people, or 14.5 percent of all Americans, lived below the poverty line last year. The median household income is about $52,000. I feel that the government should step in and try to eliminate as much of the poverty here in the US as possible. I don't believe that  the government should take control, just bring in funding that could change the lives of those that don't have the ability to make themselves a better life. Although America is the land of the free and everyone has the choice to make themselves a better life, sometimes in some areas its not as simple. If the government was to take half of the money they give to other nations outside of the US to fix their poverty problems and used it to build better schools and help more underprivileged kids attend college to make them able to create a better life for them self. I think its important that young people work hard for the money that they earn and not just revive a welfare check in the mail. If the government is able to make it more readily available for students to go to college than maybe there will be less people that rely on Obamacare or any other type of welfare. If America is able to cut down the cost of living and learning on the next level, which is essential to have a steady job that pays well and will keep people above the poverty line, than hopefully we can end this crisis and have everybody win.

The water crisis (Blog #6)

http://water.org/water-crisis/water-facts/water/

     It is hard for Americans to I'm imagine a world with out clean, drinkable water. Many Americans don't even know that it is an issue for a major part of the world. Especially since the U.S. used 50 billion plastic water bottles last year, that's not even including the fresh tap water available daily. The link above shows the shocking statistics and comparisons about the water crisis happening now.

Firearms in the US

Because of our discussion in class about the events in Ferguson, I decided to do my 6th blog post about firearms. I found a lot of statistics about firearms in the US and interesting facts about the topic. In the United States, 270 million to 310 million civilians own firearms. The defense of the US has approximately 2.7 millions firearms. There are various statistics that show what all these guns are used for. One statistic says that 200,000 times a year women use a gun to defend against sexual abuse.
Through out the years, professionals have been keeping track of how many deaths are caused by firearms. In 1998, 9,257 people were killed due to gun homicides and in 2012, 8,896 people were killed. In 1995, 657 people were killed as a result of justifiable gun homicides and in 2010, 617 people were. In 1999, 16,599 people were killed because of gun suicides and in 2011, 19,766 people were killed.
Even though the right to own a gun is guaranteed by the US Constitution, it can be limited by the government. According to the federal law an individual may purchase a long gun (rifle or shotgun) at age 18 and a handgun at age 21, as long as the purchaser is not any of the following:

• Anyone currently under indictment for a crime punishable by more than a year in prison
• Anyone who has been previously convicted of such a crime
• A fugitive
• User of any controlled substance
• Anyone who has been committed to a mental institution or deemed mentally defective
• An illegal alien
• Anyone who has been dishonorably discharged from the military
• Anyone who has renounced his or her U.S. citizenship
• Anyone who currently has a restraining order against him or her from an intimate partner or child of said partner
• Anyone who has been convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor

There is a penalty of 10 years in prison for unlawful possession of firearms. After all, 88.8 per 100 residents of the United States owns a firearm. As you can see many people in the country own guns. Now even though it is scary to think how many firearms there are in people's houses, we can only hope that the restrictions the government puts on the people buying the guns helps prevent harmful situations. It's also scary to think that some people use their guns on themselves. Guns bring a lot of danger in the world, but it's hard to ban the use of gun because some citizens actually use guns for self defense and for the right reasons.

Vincent Van Gogh (blog 6)

         
          While at the MET, there were many paintings I enjoyed looking at. One of the reasons is because Vincent Van Gogh is one of my favorite painters. This painting is called Van Gogh in a Yellow Straw Hat. One thing I particularly like about this painting is the colors used and the style of the brush strokes. I feel Van Gogh made it look very realistic and he captures every detail so well, like the hat and the facial hair. One thing I noticed was how the paint changes direction to express different forms and textures in the face. This is why this painting is my favorite.

          While at the MET, this was also the painting I chose to look at for five minutes and draw for five minutes. It was very interesting doing this experiment because it helped me really see every detail included. Focusing and analyzing on one painting also helped me try to find real meaning behind it instead of just looking at a million different paintings for like a second. It was interesting and also difficult to try to draw everything in the five minutes too, because there was so much detail that I wanted to include, but it was very fun to do. When after finishing the drawing, I made a list of something I left out of my drawing, and one of the things I didn't include was the shape of the hat, nose and the brush strokes used were off as well. This is why I chose this painting to do the five minute experiment on.

Paying for College During High School (Blog Post 6)

     Everyone knows college is expensive, but few know the true extent of the cost.  In fact, hundreds or even thousands of dollars are spent before a student is even accepted into college.

     Although some argue that students' problems are solved by financial aid, the students must first get into college, which is easier said than done.  AP tests, ACT's, SAT's, and SAT subject tests are just a fraction of the costs.  It is crucial to remember that a student must pay to prepare for these tests as well.  Next, college applications themselves cost hundreds of dollars.  Finally, students must embark on multiple college tours to decide if they even want to attend any of the schools they just spent their hard-earned money trying to impress.
   
     Each AP test costs $91.  Of course, if one wants achieve a high score in order to get credit for a college level class, one must purchase a review book, and each book costs approximately $10-20, depending on the subject.  It costs $15 per college to send your scores.
     Each ACT with writing costs $54.50.  Registering late adds $24 to this price.  This allows you to send your scores to four colleges, and each additional college costs $12.
     Each SAT costs $52.50, but if one misses the deadline and has to register late, that price is nearly doubled to $98.50.  Again, this price includes four colleges, but each additional core sent costs $11.25. Classes to prepare for the SAT can cost hundreds of dollars, while the College Board sells study materials ranging from $30-70.
     Each SAT Subject Test costs $26 per registration, plus another $16 for each test.  There is a $28 late fee.  The College Board sells an official study guide for $22.99.

     It is important to note that students often take these tests multiple times, and therefore must pay to register multiple times.  Students often take more than one AP test per year, and many take the SAT or ACT more than once to try and achieve a higher score.

     Now it's time to actually apply to college.  The College Board recommends applying to five to eight colleges.  The price varies depending on which colleges a student applies to.  For example, applying to SUNY Binghamton costs $50, while applying to Columbia University costs $85.  And even though the Common Application is used by over 500 colleges, one must still pay individual application fees for each college.

     Let's say a student were to take three AP Tests, one ACT, one SAT, and two SAT Subject Tests.  They purchased the review book for each AP test.  They register for all their tests on time, but opt not to purchase a review book for the ACT or SAT.  They apply to five colleges and send all their test scores to each one.  Three of these applications cost fifty dollars, but two cost seventy dollars.  Sounds reasonable, right?  All these costs add up to $63.75 spent on the SAT, $58 spent on SAT Subject Tests, $66.50 spent on the ACT, $408 spent on AP Tests, and $290 spent on college applications.

     This student will have spent approximately $886.25 on college before they have even graduated high school.


Sources: actstudent.org and collegeboard.org

Becky Reals

Madame Joseph-Michel Ginoux

This is the Vincent Van Gogh painting that I decided to draw for my assignment at the Met.

Thanksgiving (Blog #6?)

      As we celebrate this Thanksgiving we should remember what really matters in life, and not take anything for granted, as I sometimes do.

     I'm thankful for my family. I'm most especially thankful for my mother who does so much for me it's kind of embarrassing. I'm thankful for her dragging me out of bed every morning. I'm thankful for the lunch she makes me everyday, even though I complain about it. I'm thankful that we see movies every Saturday with each other. I'm thankful she has weekends off. I'm thankful for the meals she makes every night, even the ones I rarely eat. I'm thankful she drives me to the end of the driveway and waits with me at the bus stop. I'm thankful for all the time we spend together, the good and the bad. I'm thankful for all her perfections and all her perfect imperfections. I'm thankful for her hugs and kisses because I know I won't have them forever. I'm thankful for knowing her like the back of my hand and she, me. I'm thankful for all the fights we have because it's when we love each other the most. I'm thankful for everything she does for me, for being my mother.

    I'm thankful for God. For His unceasing love and mercy, when I don't deserve it. For being my Heavenly Father and choosing me as His daughter. For calling me back to Him, home, when I insist on doing it my own way. For listening to me even when I don't listen to Him. For knowing what's best for me when I don't have the slightest clue. For promising never to forsake, to abandon, or leave me. For being so trustworthy. For keeping Your promises. For being so good, You don't have to be, You answer to no one, yet You are. For wanting to know and love and cherish and seek out and provide for and protect such a lowly sinner like me. For being the Almighty King, everything is subject to You. For "For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting" (John 3:16). You sacrificed Your only Son for me(and for each individual person on this planet). Why? because You want me to spend eternity with You, this is the gift of salvation. It's a gift because no amount of good work could ever merit it. I am so unworthy of You and everything You do for me, yet You still love and care for me and want to spend eternity with me. God is good. God is love. God is just. God is merciful. God is God.


 "God has the final say. When He says Yes or No; no man can stand against it. Let Him fight your battles for you and He shall make sure you win in the end, all you have to do is have faith in Him, pray without ceasing and always acknowledge Him and His works in your life. Like the saying clearly says God is good and so He is always. With Him you are surely a winner, the head and never the tail".
                                         -Unknown    

           

blog 6

 

 

According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau on in five children under 18, are living in poverty in the United States. The incidence of poverty rates varies widely across the population according to age, education, labor force attachment, family living arrangements, and area of residence and other factors. Kids with single mothers are more prone to poverty because these mother need to support their children on their own. In 2012, a child living in a single mother family was well over four times more likely to be poor than a child living in a married-couple family. In 2012, among all children living in single mother families 47.2 percent were living in poverty.

More and more Americans have jobs since the economy started to rebound. But many of them are still trying to catch up. The 1990s were a time when employment was high, and we could cut welfare rolls and push people into work. The 2000s and 2010s  have been characterized by crappy jobs with very little pay, and by a government hesitant to spend any of its tax dollars on people at the bottom end of the income ladder.  Families that have kids are generally doing better than couples in a relationship and or childless. But still the number of people in poverty is insane.

These numbers will only stay the same or even rise if we don't seek a change in government. They should be assisting these families and help them  get on their feet. Once they are able to provide for themselves and family they can pay them back over time. In some other countries such as  Chile the government provides housing for poverty stricken families and lets them pay it off and add to the housing over time. This system has proved to be very successful in the urban communities effected by poverty. This system may be a way the Unite States can decrease its poverty rate.

Poverty Stricken America

The political cartoon makes strong reference to the fact that the United States is quick to jump into wars all over the world for various reasons yet fighting our own domestic war on poverty has been put on the back burner.

This is an alarming problem that really gets on my nerves. I promote the United States serving as a humanitarian figure, intervening in world issues that strongly need aid. However first and foremost must come the citizens of the United States. All efforts should be emphasized on improving the impoverished state of the American people.

I find that it should be of the utmost importance of the US government to have poverty on top of their priority list. It is their responsibility to take care of the lowest class of Americans who can not take care of themselves. They should make jobs more readily available, cloth, feed, and largely step in to improve the state of living of the less fortunate citizens.

Some people unlike me, have less of a heart for the poor. I would ask them, what other focus should the US be working on? It is hard to find a cause more worthy and vital than to assist the citizens in poverty. I do not believe that the government should spoon feed underprivileged Americans their whole lives and give them the idea that they do not have to work hard and earn what they get. But it is the responsibility of our government to assist and help in whatever means they can. It is for the betterment of our own people, and for others who are not below the poverty line, step over the line in the sand, help others, and be unselfish in improving the lives of the needy.

Blog 6

Poverty on Long Island

According to 2010 Newsday, the Eastport South Manor town has 147 students in poverty out of 4,043. The poverty rate is 3.6%. This suburban town is not alone with many others that suffer with homeless and families with financial problems. Suffolk and Nassau county are the second and third counties in New York that have the highest foreclosure rate, with Queens being the first. Not only does Long Island hold this negative standard, Long Island holds the highest level of homeless war veterans.
Suffolk county holds the most homeless war vets, as they proceed through their day, visit food pantries and soup kitchens. But when night time approaches, these veterans who served our own country we live in have no place to sleep. They have no friends or family, and if they do, they are unable to house them.  It's bad enough that they're homeless, but they also have horrible heAlth conditions that's are unbearable.

• These war vets should have a home to live comfortably in considering they risked their lives to protect ours. The government should provide some sort of aid to help them live worry free. 

Blog 5

A 90 year old man was arrested for the second time for assisting the homeless and feeding them. Arnold Abbott, a WWII Veteran, has been serving the homeless for 23 years until a new law has broached in Southern Florida. Abbott and two pastors were fined $500 due to the new ordinance that bans public food sharing. Abbott stated that he doesn't look to go to jail, but if he has to he will. This shows his dedication towards the homeless and how he wants to help them not suffer. Others say that this worsens the homeless problem in this area, because providing them with a meal and keeping them in that cycle on the street is not productive. 

I believe that this man should b e able to feed them, maybe just not in public. There are many food pantries and soup kitchens that these homeless people can attend. This is a good deed but a park is not the place to execute it. Arnold is brave by continuing to serve these people with the risk of getting arrested again. I don't agree with him being arrested because he is causing no harm, but breaking the law is breaking the law. He should take up his act into a private place. 

To Live by the Sickle, to Die by the Sickle (Blog 6)

The art of mid 16th century Europe was radically different than that which preceded it. The prior Italian Renaissance of the 15th and early 16th centuries had encouraged a rebirth of Greek and Roman ideas of literature, science, and art. This renaissance of classical ideas resulted in one very significant philosophical movement, termed "Humanism." Humanism is a school of philosophy which emphasizes the value of the human race, as well as each individual person. The influence of humanism was what caused sculptors of the Renaissance to deviate from High Classical Greek ideas of idealized perfection and "arete," and while creating beautiful art to also emphasize the humanity of the subject at hand, as Michelangelo did in his Sistine Chapel ceiling. Well, the Italians may have developed the ideas of humanism, but the Dutch took those ideas and further developed them, as Pieter Breugel the Elder did in his 1565 masterpiece The Harvesters. 

The Harvesters shows a group of peasants harvesting wheat in the fields. The painting is believed to be a member of a 5-6 panel artwork which depicted the seasons of the year, with this painting representing late summer. Breugel has taken extreme care in painting the landscape, with detail rivaling that of the ancient Romans. Romans, however, would rarely represent the undesirables of their society, nor would the Greeks (save Old Market Woman). The artist has no intention of idealizing the figures, just to represent them accurately, as they naturally appear. We see exhausted workers sitting for lunch and some still devout in their labors of the sickle. This painting is a telling commentary on the lives of the poor, and how they survive from day to day, contrast to the depictions of religious figures in Italy, yet equally as beautiful. I was extremely lucky to stumble across this painting at the Met on Thursday, so here's The Harvesters. 

Poverty Cartoon Blog #5

Poverty is a growing problem in America that not everyone sees, maybe by choice or oblivion. People see that countries like Africa are in poverty and feel that our country is nothing like that. We have more food, clothing, and housing opportunities and in a lot better condition. Poverty can effects anyone from adults to kids and many families and people are suffering from it in America.

          This cartoon helps prove the point that poverty effects everyone including children. The boy is this cartoon looks like he isn't even a teenager yet and the ball attached to him is dragging him down. Kids dealing with poverty within their family can effect their lives too. College is usually a goal of most kids and being in poverty can hinder their opportunity to be able to attend college. Also if a kid has to help support his family and get a job it can effect his life in many ways especially his social life and education. 

Vincent Van Gogh Blog Post #5

     Vincent Van Gogh was born in 1853 and died in 1890. He was a son of the Dutch reformed minister and a bookseller's daughter. Van Gogh started painting at the age of twenty- seven. Before this career he was an art dealer and a clergyman. He wanted to become a pastor in the Dutch Reformed Church just like his father. Between these decade (1880-1890)he painted 900 paintings and more than 1000 pictures on paper. At the beginning of his art career he studied other paintings and tried to copy them. He also read drawing manuals and lessen books. His idea of becoming a great artist was that before you work with colors such as red, blue, yellow, green, etc. you had to first master using black and white. Van Gogh's uncle was an art dealer, after he moved from his parents house he moved to the Hague. His uncle was able to sell his first piece of art and he received his first earnings as an artist.

      

     In is early painting times, he painted The Potato Eaters which became one of his most famous early paintings. During his early times he liked to use darker colors to show his understanding. But in his later paintings like The Starry Night he was able to express the paintings with lighter colors. Later in his life he moved to Paris with his brother Theo where he saw the works of an impressionist and neo-impressionists. This inspired Van Gogh to paint Self- portrait with a Straw Hat, which expressed his earlier peasant study. Van Gogh enjoyed painting so much that often times he wouldn't eat, this therefore led him to his poor health. 

     

      When Van Gogh died, his wife collected his paintings and letters and dedicated herself to make his work recognition. During his life time Van Gogh only sold one painting, The Red Vineyard, and only became famous after his death. Also his brother Theo, who was also his best friend, died six months after Van Gogh and together they are buried in Auvers, France next to each other. 

Sources:

• http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/gogh/hd_gogh.htm
• http://www.vangoghgallery.com/misc/fun_facts.html
• http://www.ducksters.com/biography/artists/vincent_van_gogh.php

The Metropolitan Museum of Art-Blog 5

The beginnings of the Met date back to 1866 in Paris, France, when a group of Americans agreed to create a "national institution and gallery of art" to bring art and art education to the American people. John Jay was mostly responsible for the project after he returned to America from France. When Jay became president, his Union League Club in New York rallied civic leaders, businessmen, artists, art collectors, and philanthropists to the cause, and on April 13, 1870, the Metropolitan Museum of Art became open to the public in the Dodworth Building at 681 Fifth Avenue. 

Since this time, the museum`s collection has grown tremendously and today, tens of thousands of objects are on view at any given time in the Museum's two-million-square-foot building.  Throughout the nineteenth century, the museum grew and purchased several collections including the 1874–76 purchase of the Cesnola collection of Cypriot art which helped to boost the Met`s reputation.  By the twentieth century, the Met had become one of the greatest art center`s in the world, featuring works from Manet, Matisse, and Renoir.  The museum has continued to add to its many collections, some of which include: arms and armor, the arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, ancient Near Eastern art, Asian art, costume, drawings and prints, European sculpture and decorative arts, Greek and Roman art, Islamic art, medieval art, modern and contemporary art, musical instruments, photographs, and the Robert Lehman Collection.

Throughout its history, the museum has undergone architectural projects and expansions, including a more recent one completed in 1991 which allowed for the addition of more collections including the Arts of Korea gallery and several others.  Throughout the year of 2014, the Met has attracted 6.2 million visitors from around the world and continues to grow and preserve art for the public to see.

*Feel free to click on the underlined or bolded collections to view them on the Met website

 

 

Museum Mission Statement

The mission of The Metropolitan Museum of Art is to collect, preserve, study, exhibit, and stimulate appreciation for and advance knowledge of works of art that collectively represent the broadest spectrum of human achievement at the highest level of quality, all in the service of the public and in accordance with the highest professional standards.

 

 

Arrested for helping homeless (blog 5)

  A North Carolina church group was actually threatened to be arrested just for feeding the homeless. For the past six years, this church group has set up food on Saturdays and Sunday's for the homeless to come and enjoy, until they were greeted by an officer who said that, if they attempted to distribute food, they would be aressted. They asked permission to hand out biscuits to the 70 people that were already lined up outside to be fed, and the police officers rejected this request. They had to turn all of the hungry homeless people away, and explain to them that if they handed out the food they would indeed be arrested. The Raleigh police were there to enforce the city ordinance banning the distribution of food in any of the city's parks. In order to go through with feeding the homeless, they would need to apply for a permit to use the park, which would cost $800 a day. The group is looking for private buildings or other places to continue to feed the homeless. 

  Believe it or not, on Long Island, and even in our small community of Eastport and Manorville, there are many, many homeless people, or just people in need alone, that some of us may not even know about. Since the holidays are coming around, and we recognize that people are in need, our school is participating in Stuff-A-School. We are going to fill the rotunda with food, clothes, toys, books, and more. We are also collecting prom dresses and gently used sports equipment for kids in need. In my opinion, helping the homeless should never ever be considered a crime, and the people in the church group should continue searching for places everyday so they can continue to feed the homeless once again. http://abcnews.go.com/US/nc-police-threaten-arrest-church-group-feeding-homeless/story?id=20062760

Poverty among Veterans (blog5)

      Many veterans that have put their lives in jeopardy to save ours are now homeless. Its a messed up situation. There was about 12,700 homeless veterans in 2010 and the number kept increasing. These veterans left their homes and families for months or years at a time and now when they're done fighting for us, we cant even provide them with a place to live? We should be paying veterans a monthly salary that they will be able to live off of. There's plenty of organizations, but that's not enough. The organizations they have in place do not help everyone therefore we should be making more of an effort to give them a good secure life just like they gave to us by fighting. Not only is that an issue but a lot of veterans turn to alcohol and drug dependence which makes it harder for them to compete for a job. PTSD is also still a big issue within veterans. Its not easy to hold a job with PTSD. These are just some of the many reason we should be doing more for our veterans.

Poverty in America (Blog #5)

   

      This political cartoon proves the point of how Americans are losing money fast. The family on the left is one of many that now don't have enough money to support themselves, and they're asking for money from Uncle Sam. But since America as a country can't even get itself out of debt, it seems that they can't do anything that will actually help stop poverty. In 2012, 46.5 million people lived in Poverty USA. That’s means the poverty rate for 2012 was 15%.The number of people living in poverty in 2012 (46.5 million) is the largest number seen in the 54 years for which poverty estimates have been published.    

      The supplemental poverty line varies between urban and rural America. For example, the poverty level in major metropolitan levels is $30,000 or even higher in some locations because people have to pay more for food, shelter and transportation. Government benefits do make a difference for many Americans, the report shows. Food stamps and tax credits helped keep more than 13 million people out of poverty. Social Security put almost 27 million Americans out of poverty. The real issue about poverty is being unemployed.

Van Gogh (5)

  
   Above was always my favorite Van Gogh, "Field With Crows". There's really something undeniably dark and unsettling about it, whether that's just from the emotionally charged brushstrokes or the field itself, and that always appealed to me for multiple reasons. But for the most part, I find it so interesting not just because of its ominous tone, but the fact that it's a perfect reflection of Van Gogh himself, for better or worse.
   Van Gogh's story is arguably the most tragic in art. His fame was entirely posthumous for starters. That comes off as especially cruel to us now, knowing that we're even discussing him in this light, let alone the art community as a whole putting him on a pedestal. It's hard to tell how Van Gogh would have even reacted to that kind of praise. Despite being in almost complete obscurity, Van Gogh's voice was uncompromised throughout his work, something any artist should respect more than anything. And Van Gogh died under the assumption that his voice went unrecognized. It's a shame. But anyway, that's not really the tragedy I see in this work, that's more just an extremely depressing backdrop. What I see is a reflection of his turbulent and troubled mind itself. The crows seem clearly agitated (assuming they're flying away from the field) and in the way, the painting itself does as well. The sky sort of churns and writhes into itself, noticeably different from the more aesthetic "Starry Night" that we all know so well. It's hard for the viewer to even discern whether or not we're looking at day or night here. The thing is, this is pretty much the point in my mind. And obviously it's up for interpretation, that's what's great about art after all, but I see this as a turbulent landscape that lacks any logic at all. Similar to the obviously turbulent and violently depressed mind of Van Gogh. Whether he intended it or not, I feel like his paintings came to be his outlet for making sense of his mind frame. "Field with Crows" especially comes off as a purely emotional representation of what his life left him with. Most artists do that anyway, but it's clear that the painting's weren't therapeutic enough in his case. And that's a shame too.

Van Gogh

Sien In A White Bonnet 

Vincent Van Gogh

A Love Supreme

Martin Luther King Jr. The name is synonymous with the American Civil Rights movement of the mid-20th century. When we hear the name Martin Luther King Jr., most minds conjure the phrase "I have a dream..." King was indeed a dreamer, but his ideals were not unparalleled. In the music world, another genius and like minded idealist was sharing his world view, in a time period contemporaneous to that of King's "Beyond Vietnam" speech.

In 1964, jazz giant John Coltrane had an epiphany; he found his faith in God after a long period of heroin addiction and other negative influences had polluted his life. Coltrane composed his piece, titled A Love Supreme, as an ode to not only the God he had faith in, but the universal force of love, a force which King speaks so strongly of. Coltrane's music is deeply rooted in the opening mantra which the bass plays. The rhythmic and harmonic progression are a consistent motif throughout the piece, over which Coltrane shouts his praise. As the composition modulates through the harmonic cycle of keys, the rhythm and mantra remain unchanged, culminating in the chant towards the end of the album's first track, "Acknowledgement." Coltrane recorded his voice several times over in harmony, mimicking a chant similar to that which would be performed at a Mass. "A love supreme," the euphonious voices repeat, until the piece closes with the bass fading out on the mantra.

Coltrane and King were rather similar in their belief of a universal belief in love and human harmony. Coltrane creates a heavenly vision the only way man truly can: through art. King, on the other hand, describes the impossible means required to reach the state of Earthly unity become heavenly splendor. These men of faith both expressed their ideas and ideals through mediums normally contrasted, but when combined create harmonious vision of a sublime universe.

blog 5

        Racism is a sensitive subject for many and a subject that has been around since the beginning of time and wont be leaving anytime soon. In my opinion racism is part of human nature, a natural born instinct. People naturally want to be around those who are similar to them, this is were they feel comfortable. People often find the humans similar to them and hang around these people. The idea of racism itself is an exaggerated concept derived from the natural human instinct to avoid those different from you.
       There are many people that take this instinct to an extreme, creating hate crimes which is by completely unacceptable. Most people are not like this however are considered racist for being themselves, following natural instinct. Usually people who talk about racism are the real ones with the problem. I believe people are over sensitive and accuse everyone different from them of being racist. People fear being accused of racism to the point were they look for small things to hint towards a racist act that have no racist intent. If someone asks a black person to play basketball, the person may take offense and accuse them of being racist. How is such an innocent act racist? Examples similar to this one form from insecurity not racism.
        When people categorize others they are accused of being racist. This is absurd. For example many black communities are know to be full of crime. If I decide to avoid traveling through a black community with my family based off statistics am i being racist? No I am using common sense. This does not mean black people are dangerous nor bad people, many are great people. Taking offense to such a concept is only promoting racism. Why can a African American categorize themselves and friends as a n*ger but if a white person mentions the word it is a sin? In these innocent scenarios racism is brought forward by the so called victim. The natural instinct will last forever exaggerating small cases into something they are not is what needs to be prevented.

Is ISIS slowing down? (Blog #5)

         As large parts of Iraq are taken over by ISIS, Nouri al-Maliki, who won the 30 April elections, faces dissent between Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds in Parliament as well, making the future leadership in Iraq very uncertain. This cartoon was drawn by a Syrian cartoonist, Yaser Abo Hamed, who is now living in Australia to protect himself. The cartoon is designed to express the belief that the Syrian government has things with ISIS under control, when really ISIS is not slowing down and still is pushing for more power in the Middle East. The artist is drawing this to show that if the government truly believes that ISIS is complete with its reign of terror that they are sadly mistaken. Or the artist could be drawing this because he knows that the government knows that they don't have things with ISIS under control and that they are just saying this to calm the public. Either way ISIS is still a major problem and threat to all nations around the world and if they are not stopped soon a major problem will arise.

Homeless Veterans in the United States (blog #5)

Way too many Veterans are homeless in the United States. These people served in the military to protect our freedom and we don't provide shelter for them ? I believe that the United States should help any Veteran that is homeless and provide them with food and shelter. Mostly people that served in Vietnam are homeless. Most Veterans have a lack of education, so it's harder for them to find jobs to support themselves. Also they may be injured or suffer from mental illnesses that prevent them from getting certain jobs. United States Senate, Brown, pledged to eliminate homelessness among veterans. He would like to eliminate this by expanding legal services and housing opportunities. The Homeless Veterans Prevention Act also helps women in providing a place for them. About 15 percent of homeless veterans are women, but most housing programs are only for men. Brown's goal is to end all homelessness of veterans by 2015. I would hope that veteran homelessness ends.









source:  www.toledoblade.com

Blog #2 Crapehangers

Tis ones folly to fall into a pessimistic pattern. But without my dear adversary in life, living would not be as half as fun without hearing flibbertigibbets spewing flapdoodle pell-mell. Your odious quarrels and disputes do not change my positive disposition one bit, it in fact augments my passion for positivity. 

I strongly believe in the future, I believe in our children, but recently my faith was rattled due to, to put it vaguely, startling life experiences. Perhaps the problem lies within the mentality the elders set into our precious seeds, almost like an acid rain burning off the outer shell and poisoning the nutrient center.Think to yourself one moment; "Why do I think like this? How did I get here?" That's a brilliant question, how did you get there? 

A Stop to Homeless Veterans Blog #5

            As of May, 2014, President Obama announced a five year plan to end veteran homelessness in the United States.  VASH  vouchers (Veterans Administration Supportive Housing)  were made available to serve as a rental subsidy for veterans  so that they could afford housing.  Case managers were assigned to  the veterans to help them find the housing  and services needed to remain housed. Since this plan has began, it has reduced by 17.2%. Six different regions all along the United States have planned to stop this phenomenon by December of 2015. Concern is currently in the process of developing 60 units in Amityville and 59 units in Ronkonkoma. Home Depot  donated $300,000  to help fund for homes and The Long Island Community Foundation gave a $25,000 start-up grant.        
           The main goal for this organization is to just get as many veterans a home each month so eventually there will be none that are homeless. It is unfair to see those who have fought for our country and have provided a safe home for us, do not have one for themselves. It is relieving to finally see this problem be solved. Many organizations are now contributing to build homes and provide services for our veterans. 

Blog #5

This cartoon is making fun of the disease Ebola coming into the USA. People freak out over Ebola coming into the USA but there are many things that kill people everyday. This cartoonist used obesity, tobacco, and alcohol to show how many deaths per year they cause. 

The Deeper Meaning Of "A Modest Proposal" (blog post 5)

       "A Modest Proposal" uses the utmost sarcastic tone to uncover the truth about poverty, along with the ironic title. Jonathan Swift includes inhumane actions like cannabolism to symbolize how humans viewed poverty during his time. Demonstrated by his writing, he believed that the average human mind portrayed the poor as a burden on society. Swift lived in a time of minor ecomonic depression and wide ranged social classes. The wealthy had mass amounts of money while the poor had next to absolutely nothing. The middle class did not average out nearly as much as the difference between the rich and the poor. Jonathan Swift's piece seems so universal because even though it was written so long ago, it relates to our society's problems today. The gap in social classes along with slowly recovering from an economic crisis, mirrors the problems Swift is trying to reveal in his masterpiece.
        The opinions of today could be very similar or very opposite from the views of Jonathan's time. Some wealthy individuals believe that they have worked for their luxury and deserve to flaunt it as they please. However, others believe in helping the less fortunate to get them to a better lifestyle. In my opinion, the moral thing to do is to physically and emotionally want to help someone that has less than you, get on their feet into a better direction. Although one may have worked hard for their success in life, it does not mean they can just brush off a part of humanity or criticize it. Many people may not have the ability or chance to achieve many things in life, but it certainly does not make them a burden to society. Instead of complaining with wanting them out of existence or wishing the problem away, action needs to be taken in positive steps. Swift's point to us readers is wealthy people with a selfish and arrogant attitude about a tradgic issue within society only places a burden on those people as a whole.
         Sitting back and complaining about something doesn't help to make it disappear. Instead, giving any service little or drastic, can work towards mending the issue. Unfortunately, poverty in general is a tragedy that may never go away completely. So as Swift said, leave them be unless you are willing to help them in a positive action. Otherwise, they cause absolutely no harm to society so they don't deserve to be shamed. I believe that Jonathan Swift would of hoped for steps towards equality within social classes for the future as do I.
     

1. 
   

Blog Post #5

                           


                           



                          The Old Market Woman






           Sculpted in the Hellenistic period in Ancient Greece, this piece (Roman copy) accurately represents characteristics of art during the Hellenistic period. In Greece, prior to the Hellenistic period, artists were consumed with the idea of perfectionism and idealism; they loved to show flawless people in their prime. Obviously, this piece goes against perfectionism. This is the first veristic piece in Ancient Greece. Here, the artists' intent was to portray an overwhelming sense of pain through pathos.


Through rhythmos in her clothing and tensed muscles in motion, her pain is quite visible. Her expression shows her old age and years of being beaten down. These are common characteristics of Hellenistic art. During this time period, artists became obsessed with accurate representation of childhood, old-age, and even physical deformity.


The crown on the woman's head associates her with Dionysus, the Greek god of wine. Veneration of Dionysus was widespread during the Hellenistic period, so perhaps this piece was created in his commemoration. The basket she carries suggests either an offering to Dionysus, to herself after a long day of work, or simply something to bargain as a trade in the market.


This is, in one notable way, a Roman copy of the original piece. While still a beautiful work of art, there is a feature here that Greeks would absolutely not allowed. Greeks only created free-standing statues, not statues that were attached. However, it is still outstanding and intricate.