President Bush and 9/11

https://docs.google.com/a/esmonline.org/presentation/d/1gRCe-8aCh_QgR5rOoH2XUuKGA4o9KqKCxS97bcSyxvc/edit?usp=sharing
President Bush and 9/11 Powerpoint
By Becky Reals, Sean Brogan, and Giuseppina Mastronardi

Food for Thought (blog 10)

"Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality."-N. Kazantzaki



The word "reality" has a few different interpretations; (1)the world or the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them. or (2) the state or quality of  having existence or substance.




We change reality through our existence because reality unfolds through the contribution of our presence. Society is what creates this reality and each and everyone of us are part of a society. You "cannot change reality," but you can change the way society views it. Reality is something concrete, but you may see the concrete as black and I may see it as gray. We all interpret differently because we all carry different lens.




We can not change the people around us but we can change the way they view it all.




A good example of a reality was racism. The reality of it was that racism was happening. Most viewed it as something good and just. They believed that the African Americans were dirt beneath their feet. But, some thought it was wrong and they were undeserving of that treatment. Those who believed that, decided to make a change. They made society see it in their light; they changed the eyes that viewed their reality. They lens changed and therefore eventually, the reality changed. The reality became that racism was not as prominent anymore.
Change society's eyes and change reality

The Bush Family Connection with Saudi Arabia

blog 10

In class we were exposed to the quote, "Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking it". Besides the fact that I think this is an awesome quote, there are a few different ways that it can be interpreted and there are a few interesting viewpoints that this quote would challenge and disprove. The way I can best reword my interpretation is to not wait for an opportunity to come, and to instead go seize the opportunity to come now. This can be true because if you have a goal in mind that you would like to achieve, there is no "right time" to go and achieve it. In life, waiting for things to come to you, will not usually end in your favor. Instead you have to go make things happen now, because you never know when that opportunity will cease to be available to you. Plus, if the goal is important enough to you, you should not want to wait around for it to fall onto your lap, you should desire to achieve the goal immediately.

One of the more foolish, yet popular quotes we have heard is that "good things will come to those who wait". Maybe this quote fits the shoe of some people who have made accomplishment by just waiting patiently, but when it comes to opportunity in life, this will not get the job done. The quote from class completely disproves this one because generally speaking, hanging around and not making an effort to change anything will not propel you to where you want to be.

Basically I am saying that in order to achieve a positive change in life, the most successful and practical way to get to that point is to work for it. Keeping your fingers crossed is not the most reliable way, working hard is. When opportunity knocks, answer it right away, for waiting even a second too long may result in nothing being there when you open up.

Interpretations of quotes blog 10

“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.”
― W.B. Yeats

This quote is referring to bravery and risk taking. The meaning inspires someone to take a chance instead of waiting for the right moment. When waiting until what might seem like the perfect moment, you could miss an opportunity in a different moment. Take control of a moment and make it yours, don't wait for the moment to control you because when you don't have a say it can't completely be what you want. 

"Be as you wish to seem."

-Socrates

Everyone has a vision of what they imagine themselves to appear as. This quote says to become that imagine. Instead of sitting back and dwelling on what could be, do something about it. Make yourself happy. Be your true self, the self you imagine, the self that satisfies you the most. Why wish you could be/do something when you could do something about it and make that wish come true. Although the "you" is not specific or described, this is how I depicted the message.

"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self."

-Ernest Hemingway

To try to be better than someone else is not applauded. The most rewarding thing is to always try to improve yourself by referring to your former self. Ask yourself from time to time, "Am i a better person than I was?" No matter how much time has passed in between, someone can always be self improved and to do this very efficiently they must be compared with their own decisions/mistakes/accomplishments. 

Blog 10 Quote Discussion

I completely agree with this quote by Hemmingway.  In life, we often compare ourselves with others and try to out-do our fellow humans.  Competition in  moderation is healthy, but we should more often than not be trying to out-do our past self rather than our neighbor.  In a world of so much greatness, we must realize that there is no such thing as perfection yet there is always room for improvement, especially improving ourselves.  We can and should always strive to be the best we can be and always try to improve upon our past selves to become better people. 

There will always be people better than us no matter what we do, unless we are the best.  To be the best at something is a remarkable task and of course is only possible for one person to accomplish.  Rather than try to be the best at something, we must strive to be the best WE can be, regardless of where others fall into place.  Being better or superior to someone else is no great achievement but becoming superior to your former self is truly noble.  Looking down upon others is not something to be proud of.  However, looking down at your previous self and knowing that you are better than that is a remarkable achievement that all should strive for.

9/11 Conspiracies

     To start, I wasn't too thrilled about the class choosing 9/11 conspiracies to be the focus of this unit. I hoped for ones I had more of an interest in, not because of the events themselves but because of the evidence behind them (JFK, RFK, MLK). And that's not to say I didn't have interest in 9/11 conspiracy theories, I've actually spent a decent amount of my time looking into them before, and believe me, there's enough merit to some that made that time well spent. But that being said, after taking the big picture into account, their validity sort of disappaited in my mind.

      I don't believe the government always acts in our best interest, and I'm all but positive 9/11 is one of many events we're routinely lied to about as a nation. Those lies however, to me at least, don't reveal anything regarding our government staging an attack to earn our backing. More than anything, they reveal an administration too incompetent to fill the holes in their logic, let alone conspire so discretely within itself.  This was the same administration that couldn't manage a watertruck into Katrina torn New Orleans, let alone plan and execute an attack on its own nation under our noses. Frankly I find it hard to believe Bush could manage to plan out a bowl of cereal, let alone an ingeniusly manipulative plot to trick a nation into a rallying cry.  What we know is probably the tip of the iceburg in my mind, but I firmly believe Bush himself is barely past that tip either. 

     I'm going off what I know, and what I know is our government is often filled with gaping holes in competance. Too many for something this major not to slip through. Behind the curtains, who knows how the world, or our government, truly operates.  But that's a dark curtain, and one none of us will  ever be close to seeing. So with 9/11, and for that matter world affairs in general, I do feel our knowledge is surface level. But suggesting that it's as flat out as our own government secretly being responsible, to me, is actually too simple. It has to run deeper, and it's probably deeper than we'll ever realize. Did the government know how to exploit 9/11? Absolutely. Were they remotely aware of it beforehand? Maybe, but I'd mark that as incompetance. Maybe I'm too untrusting, but the world is a scary place. In my mind, 9/11 is just one of countless instances thats true backstory is something the public will never know. I'm not talking about Illuminati, or Free Masons, or Aliens, im talking about the disparities between what we as the mundane masses know as compared to the reality of our societies possible deep inner workings. It's a general conspiracy theory, but what im basically saying is I think there are larger and deeper conspiracies in our world. And saying 9/11 was perpetrated by our own government directly just seems too simple . And I especially don't believe anyone would think it's a good idea to put this massively intricate plot into the hands of man with a slightly above average IQ and a tendency to mispronounce the word "nuclear". 

Blog 10

There is nothing else than now. There is neither yesterday, certainly, nor is there any tomorrow. How old must you be before you know that? And if you stop complaining and asking for what you never will get, you will have a good life.

                         -Ernest Hemingway    

      I love this quote by Ernest Hemingway it is so beautiful and so powerful in many ways. When I read this quote I feel like he is telling his readers to live in the present. He wants us to realize that yesterday is over and we can not change that. Tomorrow has not come, so why worry? If we do stop complaining about things we do not posess we will be happier, there are reasons we do not have the things we want. Whether we know the reason or not we still do not have it. You cannot change things so enjoy life, life is short.

Expansion of quotes

"Wisdom begins in wonder"- Socrates 

    Although there is no exact definition of what it means to "be wise", I believe that gaining wisdom requires a sense of basic knowledge, or rather understanding, of ones self and the world that surrounds them. Being wise does not entail the ability to list thirty  digits of pi; I would even say that being at the top of your class is not intrinsic to approaching a true sense of wisdom. You can't have a TRUE understanding of the world unless you begin to genuinely think for yourself. Until you begin to wonder. Being wise isn't about knowing all the answers, it is about having the courage to embrace the questions. 

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire"- Yeats

   The filling of a pail is monotonous and uninvolving. The lighting of a fire is spontaneous and extraordinary. No two fires are exactly the same; each is unique- from the way it catches, to how it burns, all the way until it burns out. We should strive to make the education system the same way- young adults being treated as individuals- each spontaneous in when, and how, they blossom intellectually. 

-Laura Kesnig 

Blog #10

          Our generation has truly changed the meaning of relationships and I blame social media for this change. I feel as though girls blame men but we are both to blame. People have caused such stress over high expectations that are so unreasonable. Relationships with such a high level of stress are not healthy in order for relationships to even last. Times use to be so much simpler, for example when my mom was a teenager. She never worried who's best friends were on snapchat and how she couldn't trust people because of what they do behind on their phones. High expectations have always been around for relationships but the use of social media has just caused a lack of trust, which brings out the worst in people. It is scary to think that so many young people in this generation truthfully feel as though they will never marry because already they have seen he worst in the people they love and are scared to ever love someone the same. Nothing is ever permanent and people feel as the things that happen now as we are young will define their future. I wish that many would see past these young ages with social media and learn that as you grow older, love is uncontrollable. It is weird to see how much people have changed their thoughts on marriage and relationships because we have lost trust in humanity.

Blog 10

             One topic that was just briefly covered in class but is of great importance are the incidents concerning Charlie Hebdo. Charlie Hebdo produces satirical cartoons poking fun at different concepts, mostly involving religion and politics. The company's productions is all about freedom of expression. Recently after drawing cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad the company was attack by Muslim extremists. Depicting the prophet is against their religious beliefs, the reason behind the vicious attacks.Many were killed and injured during the attacks leaving people heartbroken and horrified. Theses were tragic results, also under attack the the freedom of  expression and speech, freedoms listed under our first amendment rights.
              Many argue that we should fold into the wants of the terrorists, keeping the lives of all safe however this only allows the terrorists to win. They may have taken innocent lives but they can not take away the freedom to express oneself under their senseless suppression.The freedom other first amendment provides the ability to deepen thought and come up with great ideas. All humans do not agree with each other and never will, this is what keeps the world going and sparks innovating ideas. Backing down, caving into the terrorists wants shows weakness. Just because someone does not like an idea does not mean it should be censored. The freedom of speak thought and expression will live forever, something nobody can take from us.

Blog 10- Love and trust

"Trust is like a paper, once it's crumpled it can't be perfect again." 

   I like this quote a lot because it can apply to a lot of other things. When i was in elementary school my teacher had us pass a piece of paper around and each person would crumple it. Each crumple represented a mean word or action. At the end when you try to reopen the paper it has all these folds and you can't smooth them back out into its original shape. Doing this activity was meant to teach us to be careful of what we would say because you can't take it back, and it would always stay in that persons heart. 
   In the quote it talks about trust. Trust is very important in any relationship, whether it is with your parents, friends, or significant other. Trust is something you have to build. the more you maintain that trust the higher it builds, but when something ruptures it, it falls apart and is hard to build back. If I trusted a friend with a secret and she told another friend, i would no longer trust her. Although I would have forgiven her I would still remember what she did and how I can no longer fully trust her. 
    This idea does not only apply to trust, but also love. Love is very fragile and you can't just give someone your heart. Nowadays people just throw their hearts to others, and to each person who gets the heart, the heart will crumple each time with each heart break. When you finally meet someone you want to fully give your heart to, you would give them a crumpled heart because you went through so many before you found the right one.  

Blog #10 quote

There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self

   I agree with this quote. It should not matter if you are better than the person standing next to you as long as you are your best self. Some people compare themselves to others but everyone is different. For example if someone lost 20 lbs and you tried your hardest to loose 10lbs and you are satisfied, that is an accomplishment. To be a better person in oneself can be a different better person to another.

Arnolfini and His Bride

   Before break we were discussing love, so I chose to analyze a painting that portrays a more formal depiction of love from the 1400's. This piece, filled with hidden messages, is considered to be one of the most famous celebrations of love and reveals to us the inner meaning of what was believed to be a true marriage.

  This piece, even though originally unnamed, his referred to as many things such as "The Arnolfini Marriage" or "Arnolfini and his bride" or "Arnolfini wedding portrait". This was created by Jan Van Eyck in 1434 with oil paint. This painting is can be considered the epitome of Northern Renaissance art, exemplifying two major characteristics of this artistic movement, hidden symbols and a certain detailed realism that focused on the tiniest detail of every image.

 In this painting we see Giovanni Arnolfini, a prosperous Italian banker who had settled in Bruges, and his wife, standing side by side in a bridal chamber, facing towards the viewer. The husband is holding out his wife's hand. Despite the restricted space, Van Eyck has surrounded the couple with many, very detailed symbols.To the left, is what is believed to be oranges placed on the low table and the windowsill are a reminder of an original innocence, of an age before sin. Unless, that is, they are not in fact oranges but apples. In which case they would represent the temptation of knowledge and the Fall, but it is difficult to tell which it truly is. Above their heads, the candle that has been left burning on one of the branches of an ornate copper chandelier can be interpreted as the nuptial flame, or the eye of God. The small dog in the foreground is an emblem of fidelity, loyalty, and true love. Meanwhile, the marriage bed with its bright red curtains evokes the physical act of love which, according to Christian doctrine, is an essential part of the perfect union of man and wife.

  The focal point of the whole composition is the mirror, not the couple themselves, and what can be seen when looking into it. Two tiny figures can be seen reflected in it, they have been identified as the painter himself and a young man, arriving to act as witnesses to the marriage. The essential point, however, is the fact that the convex mirror is able to absorb and reflect in a single image both the floor and the ceiling of the room, as well as the sky and the garden outside, both of which are otherwise barely visible through the side window. The mirror thus acts as a sort of hole in the texture of space. It sucks the entire visual world into itself, transforming it into a representation. This detail is particularly amazing because it is so small, one of the smaller details in the image but one of the most magnificent.  

Interracial Marriages/Love

In class a few weeks back we talked about interracial relationships and some of said that were not attracted by someone of the opposite race. Yes you may not be attracted to someone of a different race but that doesn't mean the world we live in today isn't. Interracial marriages have exceedingly grew over the years. The graph above provides us with the U.S Census Bureau of 2010 data on this topic. Many races such as Asian and Hispanic have opened themselves to integrating racial relationships but as for the Caucsian race we are not so easily. This was seen in the classroom, many students (we live in a community of mostly a white population) stated they would never be attracted to someone not of their race and the graph proves this statement. 

Being with someone stems from love within oneself an a mutal love from whom you are sharing yourself with. It shouldn't matter what color or ethnicity of that person, love is love and if it happens suddenly and unexpected take it for what it is and enjoy the ride.

Poverty in Miami

This past February break i took a vacation down to Miami Beach where i was shocked to see many live in poverty. Once you look past the countless luxury cars, beautiful beaches, and upbeat nightlife you see how much the natives there are really struggling. One day, we rented city bikes and rode up and down the boardwalk. Up and down the beaches and lines of palm trees were homeless people, playing instruments, singing, or just begging. Anything they could do to earn a couple of dollars. What really broke my heart was one night when a young boy, at least 9, was playing the trumpet outside of a cvs, his dad next to him screaming that he better keep playing because he needed money. The Miami-Dade county has a mere 78% of people that graduate high school, compared to the 86% is the average for Florida. However, the city has various projects devoted to helping those who are homeless & below the poverty line. They have a homeless trust and have programs where they provide bus tickets to those who can't afford to to get back to where they originally were living. They have meters (like car meters) that you put money in lining the sidewalks that goes to homeless projects. According to miamidade.gov "They are a safe, reliable and fully accountable means for you to help people who are homeless because 100% of the money collected in these meters is used directly to fund additional shelter beds, and expand the number of indoor meal programs for people experiencing homelessness. When you see one of our homeless donation meters, please consider giving your change to change a life." I believe that they are fully devoted to helping these people. 

Love

Since we were discussing the topic of love the week before mid-winter recess, I decided to take a love quote and discuss it.

"Love isn't something you find. Love is something that finds you."

-Loretta Young

Love is similar to fate. You cannot expect it to happen at a given moment. You must be patient and wait for it. Love works in mysterious ways. I feel that people try too hard to find the right person. Sometimes, that doesn't work out too well. I feel that you have to be in the right place at the right time. Again, as you can see, love is similar to fate. You could just be going about your normal life routine when someone enters your life for the first time and rocks your world. This is the way that love finds you. It'll find everyone with time. I believe there is someone for everyone in the world, it just takes time. For example, I know a couple who's meeting was completely fate-driven, in my eyes. The girl was supposed to move to Florida when she was just three years old. A business deal fell through at the very last minute and her and her family were forced to stay on Long Island. A couple of years went by and her and her family eventually moved out to Manorville, a town that the girl has never heard of before. She spent years and years here living her life. One day, she met a guy that completely changed her life in the early years of high school. The two of them talked and became friends, but dated other people. But, they decided to see a movie with each other months after their first meeting and realized that they loved each other. Now, the two of them have been together ever since.

If you're curious who the girl is in the example, it's me. I never knew I'd meet my boyfriend when I did, and I especially never thought I'd be still with him, over three years later. As I said before, love works in mysterious ways, and it'll find you when you least expect it.

Cure for Cancer Conspiracy

Cancer is like an army that goes through villages and kills anything and everything in its path. It is a horrible disease and is very difficult to stop. It is hard to find a cure because cancer isn't caused by one agent. It is caused by hundreds and maybe even thousands diseases and forms of viruses and bacteria. The mutation of the genes are never ending and the rogue cells take over. Since cancer is very aggressive medical  professionals have dedicated so much time and research in trying to find a cure. And even though scientists have made a lot of advances, a cure has yet to be available. According to MIT’s Phillip Sharp, “This disease is much more complex than we have been treating it, and the complexity is stunning.”
Now even though so many people are trying to find and want a cure for cancer, others believe that scientists have found a cure but are suppressing it. Cancer is a multi-billion dollar industry and if a cure was discovered, that industry would be destroyed and that money would be lost. This is why people believe that individuals, companies, and organizations involved in the industry are suppressing the information regarding the cure to keep their industry thriving. I do not 100% believe in this conspiracy but I don't 100% deny it. If you look at Tobacco companies, there are individuals and companies that put people's lives at risk by selling them addictive cigarettes just so they can make more money. So it's not hard to imagine someone doing that with the cure for cancer. If their is a person in the world that has the cure for cancer and is withholding it to get more money, then they are inhumane and immoral. I cannot even imagine how someone could choose money and profit over a life. So many people have died from cancer and it has devastated so many families.  A lot of people need and want the cure for cancer and I hope that no one is hiding it from the world.
Here is a link to a video talking about the conspiracy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHfDoCDQjpo

Marriage and Divorce

Divorces are caused by domestic violence, affairs, trust issues, different feelings, and the biggest factor, money. Healthy marriages have proven that they help both partners mentally and physically. Also, growing up in a happy home protects children from mental, physical, educational and social problems. The marriage rates are extremely high in the United States, but unfortunately so are the divorce rates. Statistics show that 90% of individuals in Western cultures marry before the age of 50 years old. On the contrary, 40 to 50% of those couples divorce. It is bad enough for some families to separate and not be solidified anymore, but children find it extremely difficult and frustrating to meld with their parents new spouse, they don't feel the same connection, in some cases, I honestly wouldn't blame them.

Just my perspective, I feel as if there is a lack of trust in today's society; morals have changed. Our generation has lost the value of romance, the value of trust, the value of conversation, and sadly small talk is the new deep. My great-grandparents would tell me, if something isn't working out, you make it work. There are many hurdles in relationships, and getting over them makes it that much stronger. 

Love

     Feelings or emotions can be hard to define, especially one such as love. Love is so difficult to define because everyone has a different view on it based on their past experiences. Also there are so many different types of love, including:  romantic love, family love, friend love,  even love of non-humans such as  inanimate objects or animals. Love is more easily expressed through actions than through words. It is easier to put your loved ones needs before your own, than to describe in words how they make you feel. It is nearly impossible to  use words to convey exact emotions.
       Art can portray love in a much more effective way. Many artists use visual art to express feelings. In 1889 Auguste Rodin attempted to portray romantic love  in his famous sculpture "The Kiss". This sculpture  depicts the close and personal relationship between two people in a blank setting. With nothing else but the lovers in the piece it is easy to try and understand  that they are the only thing on each others minds. In this piece sex isn't depicted as cheap as it is in today's culture, it is shown with sweet and tender gestures, with the emotions that come with love, in a way no words in any language could  describe.

Divorce Rates ( Blog #10 )

                   There are many factors that can play a role in divorce such as expenses, domestic violence, affairs,family life, you no longer have the same love for each other, etc. The marriage rates in the United states are very high as well as the divorce rates almost half of marriages end up in divorce. From 1960 to 1980 divorce rates rised significantly, in the past decade they have began to decrease but are still very common in not only in the united states but as well as other countries. A matter of fact the united sates isnt even ranked in the top 5 of countries with the highest divorce rates, leading the way is Russia the it's Belarus, Ukraine,  Moldova, and Cayman Islands. According to discovery channel couples with children have a lower divorce rate then couples without children, do you find that surprising?
                 i feel as if people feel you must get married no matter what, i feel as some people love the person they're with and have things in common but their love doesn't last for the rest of their life. Also all these people spend thousands of dollars for the wedding and their relationship doesn't even last more then 5 years.  why do you think divorce rates are so high? do you believe people rush themselves into getting married? lastly, do you think people  take marriage serious enough?





                                                    David Sherlock

Cost of higher education around the world (blog 10)

      Statistically the amount of Americans who go on after high school to achieve a higher education is dropping immensely.  According to the PPIC report, “Closing the Gap: Meeting California’s Need for College Graduates,” estimates the state will have one million fewer college graduates than it needs to fill all the skilled jobs in America. We’ll need 60,000 more baccalaureate degrees per year by 2025. I find this to be primarily because of the increased cost it takes to attend college. I would like to believe that most Americans would like to go to college and receive a degree, but because of the extremely high and unreachable cost for some people they are forced to skip college and go right into the labor force somehow. 

      As you can see in the graph above college tuition in the United States is much higher than all the other nations throughout the world and is more than double the OECD average. This is a major problem for the US and will cause an even bigger problem in the future. Like the PPIC report said, there is not going to be enough qualified people in the United States to fill all the skilled jobs that are going to be opening up in the years to come. I believe that America needs to somehow lower the cost of a higher education without losing any of its credibility. The cost of college cannot be this high, it is unreasonable to ask the average citizen to pay this for 4 years and then  be bale to come out of college with all the debt and make a positive living.

Blog 10: Arnolfini Wedding Portrait

In honor of Valentine's Day and our week long study of love, I decided to write a blog post about the Arnolfini Wedding Portrait, which depicts the wedding of Giovanni Arnolfini and Giovanna Cenami. Painted by Jan (Johannes) Van Eyck in 1434, it perfectly exemplifies the important characteristics of Northern Renaissance painting: hidden symbols and tremendous detail, all depicted with oil paint.

"Giovanni Arnolfini was a representative of the Medici family in the Flemish city of Bruges (in Belgium), one of the foremost commercial centers of northern Europe".  As a result, he was a wealthy man, and a great deal of the hidden symbols allude to his great wealth.  The most prominent example of their wealth is their clothing, with Giovanni wearing a fur coat and Giovanna wearing a beautiful green dress.  Next to Giovanna, one can catch a glimpse of "oriental carpeting, an extravagant possession for a person of fifteenth-century Europe".  Another detail that is just as extravagant is the oranges on the windowsill.  Oranges did not grow in Flanders, and would have to be imported like the carpet.

However, this piece is not all about the expensive trappings of wealth.  A number of other hidden symbols refer to the marriage taking place.  The dog at the bottom of the portrait represents fidelity and loyalty, while the oranges on the windowsill symbolize casting aside the temptation of marital infidelity.    The wooden clogs at the bottom were a common wedding gift, and depicting both figures with their shoes taken off (a second red pair can be seen in the background) symbolizes the sanctity of marriage.  Finally, the single lit candle in the chandelier represents "the presence of God in the sacrament of holy matrimony and was part of the Flemish wedding custom".

An essential aspect of art created during the Northern Renaissance is tremendous detail.  One can see every individual hair on the dog, and the textures of objects such as the wooden clogs and chandelier have been carefully rendered.  If one takes a closer look at the round mirror in the background, one can see not only the backs of the two figures, but also two additional figures, one being the artist himself.  Furthermore, the tiny circles surrounding the mirror depict the Passion of Christ, all carefully painted with an extraordinary attention to detail.

The entire painting was created using oil paint.  Its long drying time enabled Northern Renaissance artists to reach this level of tremendous detail in addition to providing a beautiful, lustrous appearance.

Source: REA AP Art History review book

Becky Reals

Blog Post 10 (?)

     This week in class we've been talking about love. What is it? For me this is the definition of love, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.


     Now this is not easy to do, I'll be the first to say, but this is what true love is. A pure, complete giving of your whole self. Putting others before yourself, and caring for their wellbeing. This kind of love does not magically happen, it takes work, a conscious effort to lower your needs to someone else's. It could be very foreign to us given our current society, to only care for our gratification.  But I believe thinking about yourself all the time is exhausting. Personally, when I am thinking only about myself I feel shallow and superficial, I crave a deeper meaning, and a deeper happiness that stems from helping others. It's amazing how something as little as a smile could change someone's entire day, and we will never know the impact we had on them. As Mother Teresa stated, "Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love."


     Perhaps the next movie in class we can watch is Pay it Forward (I'm pretty sure that's the one where someone does something good and it affects multiple peoples lives because then everyone starts doing nice things?).


     I know this might be kind of random but I know how in class we pick love songs, and there is these two Dean Martin songs that I love, Innamorata (Sweetheart) and Return To Me (Ritorna-Me). Check them out:)


    

Under Love's Heavy Burden Do I Sink! (Blog 9)

Never was a greater love story than that of Romeo and Juliet, which has inspired stories from Bernstein, Laurents and Sondheim's 1959 musical West Side Story to the popular Disney movie High School Musical. The tale of lovers defying their rival clans is a potent and thrilling idea, which I find best expressed through music. There have been roughly 27 operas based upon the story, as well as a ballet by Prokofiev and symphonic poem by Berlioz, but none hold a candle to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1869 composition, in the format of a concert overture (a standalone overture with no link to a larger work, such as an opera). Tchaikovsky, through use of colorful orchestration and wonderful lyricism, places sparring Capulets and Montagues at each others' throats, while Romeo sings his devotion to Juliet.

Take for example the famous "Love theme". The strings and reedy cor anglais create a wonderful blend of love and infatuation which is not only of Romeo and Juliet, but of many young couples when they first begin seeing each other. The romance builds, until the flutes and clarinets carry the phrase once again, a climax of love and affection, though underscored by dark horn harmonies, which underscore the misfortune the couple will suffer.

Now, consider a later theme from the work. Here, the basses and low brass battle the woodwinds, as Juliet cries out against her family to make peace with their rivals. A parallel occurs when Romeo, blaring as a trumpet, strikes Tybalt and continues the feuding of the families, which escalates into a brief peace, and the renewal of love between Romeo and Juliet. This continues, until the peaceful veil of death overtakes both the star-crossed lovers, as they descend into an eternity in each other's arms.

The inspiration from this peace is worth noting as well. Tchaikovsky wrote the fantasy overture after suffering great heartbreak. He was rejected by the only woman he every loved, who went on to marry a famous Spanish baritone, and after this fling, he began to accept his growing homosexual urges. His new, and unrequited love for a student of his at the Moscow Conservatory only added to the emotional trauma which inspired the dramatic, programatic Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture.

Love blog 9

     According to webster dictionary, love is defined as a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person. Love can have a numerous amount of meanings though. Love is felt in different intensities; it may consume your whole being, or perhaps it’s just a little crush. Some people in the world are in search for that one person they wish to be with the rest of their lives, whereas there's others who fall in and out of love on a daily basis. Different types of love could be a love you have for a family member, a friend, or a person you're in a relationship with. All didfernt scenarios are viewed differently based on the intensity of the love. Since everyone has different meanings of love, many people have a hard time expressing their feelings to others. When it comes to love bewteen family members, some people feel it's a mandatory and natural thing, which makes it didfernt from a love bewteen people of a relationship. Clearly there's no right and wrong answer of what the meaning of love is.

     In my opinion, love is a deep and unconditional feeling one has for others. I agree that there's no right or wrong answer that defines the meaning of love, since there are multiple types of love scenarios. When it comes to love of a family memeber, think it's terrible that people feel they have to love them since they are family. Except I can't lie either, since there have been times I felt that way too. My relationships with friends can also be very strong because I know I love my friends especially my really close friends who I've known for years, and while it's a differnt level of love, it's still important to me. Regarding a relationship I may have with someone else, I feel it's set apart from others because that's a kind of love that you develop and who you spend your life looking for. It's also the type of love that could lead to intimacy and marriage, which sets it apart from love of a family member and friend. I feel love is unconditional because no matter how much I may fight with one of my family members, friends or a person I'm in a relationship with, I'll still love them no matter what.

Blog 8

          One sculpture that caught my attention the most at the Met was Nydia, the Blind Flower Girl of Pompeii (1856), by American sculptor Randolph Rogers. The girl sculpted was based off of a character in the book The Last Days of Pompeii by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1834. The girl in shown here was caught in the eruption of Mount. Vesuvius, and is desperately trying to navigate her way through the city to the seashore with her two companions without using her eye sight. She becomes separated from them, and is now just trying to survive. Her eye sight has been proven useless from the ash and blackness that surrounds her from the eruption so she must depend of her sense of hearing and touch. The column next to Nydia represents the fallen city and how destroyed and broken it really was while the torn clothing she was wearing is a good indicator of how chaotic things around her really were. The facial expression and the overall bodily posture of Nydia shows how desperate she had become in finding her way out of the city and to find her companions again.

         The reason this sculptor caught my attention the most was the way that Nydia was standing. When learning about the story behind the sculpture, it had become that much more interesting. When I think of marble sculptures, I think more about higher up people being sculpted, like roman gods and goddess', not a random girl. The detail of the dress and the column next to her also drew me in, because of how mcuh detail had been put into it. The way that marble can be sculpted in such a way to make clothing look realistic and almost soft amazes me. When I can barely draw, Rogers can create something like this and it really is amazing. 

Blog 7

          A few weeks ago we had watched Slumdog Millionaire, which I had really enjoyed. In the movie, Jamal Malik is a contestant on India's version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, but is arrested for suspicion of cheating. based on Jamal's orphan life, the police believe that he should not know the answers at all, from lack of education, and accuse him for cheating. Throughout the story though, Jamal recalls a series of flashbacks, one for each question, showing how he knows these correct answers because he was a street kid.
         After being orphaned at a young age, Jamal and his older brother Salim are left to live on the streets of Mumbai. They come across another street girl in their slum named Latika and they roam the streets together. Later, the "three musketeers" come across a gang leader, who takes them in and tricks them into becoming beggars for his own benefits. After spending some time in the shelter the gang leader, Mamann, had created for them and many other children, Salim learns that in order to gain more money, Mamann was purposely blinding some of the other children in the shelter so that when they went begging, and Jamal was next. Learning this, Salim, Jamal and Latika escape from the shelter onto a train, but Latika was left behind. Upon finding her again years later, the brothers learn that she has become a prostitute instead of his beggar. Salim and Jamal rescue Latika for the first time, but Salim decides her want Latika for himself, telling Jamal to leave them alone, never seeing either of them again.
         Jamal has grown up on his own now, and yet again seeks to find Latika. He finds his brother, but upon finding him, Latika is not there. Salim tells his younger brother that Latika is now like property to another gang leader named Javed, and that she lives and serves him. Oddly enough, with the help of someone who had done her wrong so many times, Salim aids Latika in escaping from Javeds house, even though he worked for him. While Latika is escaping, Jamal is answering the last question in Who Wants to be a Millionaire, which he had become a contestant on knowing Latika would be watching. On his last question he phones a find. He calls Salim but to his surprise, Latika answers, telling him shes okay and out of harm. The movie ends with Salim being killed upon his boss finding out he helped Latika escape, and Jamal and Latika are reunited, Jamal with the grand prize from winning the game show.
        The main point of this movie, that I had understood at least, is that even through the hard times there is still good to be done and compasion to be felt. Even though Jamal was orphaned and begging on the streets, he still held his compassion for his brother and Latika. Jamal saves Latika twice throughout the movie, and was completely dedicated to make sure she was safe. He saves Latika from Mamann and then from Javed showing how closely attached he had felt.

Blog 6

               Italian painter Michaelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was born September 29th, 1571 in Milan, Lombardy. Caravaggio was known for his paintings portraying the emotional and physical human state, and had a great influence in the style of baroque painting. Baroque painting technique can be identified as extreme light a dark contrasts and shadows, which Caravaggio is well known for in many of his paintings. The extreme difference in lighting he used in his paintings created a very dramatic effect, drawing attention to the main focus of the painting, which shocked the people of his time, for they had never seen such work like his. He is known to be one of the greatest painters of the baroque period along with Rembrandt, Rubens, and Velaquez.

           One of these painting portraying his baroque technique was The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, in 1608. In this painting, John the Baptist is being shown to being prepared for execution by beheading. You can see the dagger behind the executioners back and the woman holding the golden plate, ready to receive his decapitated head. What makes this painting so dramatic is the Caravaggio made John the Baptist and the executioner a brighter skin tone than that of the woman waiting to collect his head and the other 3 bystanders, By doing this, he draws attention to the central focus of the painting, John the Baptists execution. It also helps to depict that the beheading was that of the executioners idea, or that he agrees that John should be killed. This is shown by the light on the bystanders faces and the body of the woman collecting the head. The woman collecting the head does not look up from the plate she is holding and keeps  her head down, and the bystanders shows incredible disbelief that this was even happening. The woman holding the plate does not look from the floor, showing she feels shameful for allowing this to happen in front of her and becoming a collective part of the beheading with the executioner.

A documentary to watch on Netflix: Living on One Dollar

    A few weekends ago I was searching through Netflix, looking for something to watch. With the recent discussion of poverty I came across a title that peaked my interest: Living on One Dollar. Two economic majors and two photographers, all in college, plan a trip to Guatemala. Their goal was to fully experience living a life severely under the poverty line. When the students arrived they began to create a budget and discussed how they were going to make money. The town that they were staying in was primarily farm land, as are most poor areas, so they chose to plant and harvest crops.

    With the plan laid out, the guys head to a bank and take out a loan. This bank is unlike ones in the city, which require large amounts of paper work that most poor people do not have. This was a micro finance bank, where people can take out small loans in order to start a business or pay for education. Banks like these, along with things such as a savings club, helps the individuals save money for emergencies or to begin their road to success. 

    To stimulate the unpredictable pay of most farmers the students took their $4 a day ($1 for each) and added it up for the total amount of days they were to be staying for, and then divided it into random amounts ranging from $0-$9. These were all written on pieces of paper and each morning they would pick one out of a hat. There were multiple instances when $0 was drawn a couple times in a row, much like when poor families do not receive pay.

    I'm not going to give the whole thing away so definitely check it out yourself!! It's only an hour long and is so worth the watch. The personal stories are touching, the results are eye opening, and there is even a website to buy handmade items from some of the villagers' businesses.