What if I were to tell you there is a magic number that does determine attractiveness, and it can be seen from the parthenon to the Mona Lisa? In the art world, it’s hard to break the rules because there are no one set of definites, but painters have found a way by using the ancient theory of the golden ratio to find beauty. Many use this visual principle as more than a compositional guide, instead of applying it to an image to make it proportionally attractive, it consults the image as a diviner of lines and shapes. The more input the image receives from the artist, the more it begins to determine itself. There’s a push and pull between the creator and the creation that resolves itself like an equation. Despite the mathematical conclusions found in the pictures, the results are anything but formulaic. The reason it is so popular is because it has created the vision of perfection seen as favored by gods and humans alike.

While the golden ratio is arguably successful in making art aesthetically pleasing, to claim it’s God’s building block found in all manifestation of nature and art is as dubious as a conspiracy theory. Once you see a pattern, it’s hard to not see it in all shapes and forms, but paintings look at the golden ratio exposed on its own by the secret formula it imposes. Look at basilicas or triforium buildings like churches for example.. Painterly interpretations of what could be hard-edge straight lines provide a needed indeterminacy for the viewer to approach the work on a human level, creating a distinction because heavenly and earthly, or even reality and fantasy. 

The Parthenon

Viewing the world through the golden ratio can be useful, but it’s only a one sided perspective. There’s little evidence to suggest its more right than one’s intuition, but there’s a willingness to invest in the golden ratio’s veracity because it offers a peak behind the curtain. The subjective nature of art is what elevates it beyond other endeavors because it eludes scientific analysis, but we're closer than ever to understanding how the mind reacts to art through our advancements. Is it coincidence how we react to perfect proportion?

It might be that it’s only a matter of time before artists, instead of using the golden ratio, become more like scientists and consult mounds of brain scans from various experiments and questioning minds to predict the viewer’s reaction, calculating with a high degree of clarity what colors, shapes and motifs that create the strongest reaction, making a work of art that is beautiful rather than subconscious reliance.

Improve Yourself

Today in class one of the quotes we went over was about how it was more noble to improve yourself than it is to show you're better than someone else. I believe this is accurate because you shouldn't have to bring someone else down just so you can feel accomplished. You should measure yourslef on your own scale, not compare yourslef to someone else's. While scouring the Internet i found another quote which illustrates this well. 

#10 Illuminati

http://www.gotquestions.org/illuminati-conspiracy.html

In the article above it basically explains what the conspiracy behind the illuminati is and how it is a plan for the 'new world take over'. The Illuminati is said to be Satanic and is more commonly associated with pop culture with leaders apparently like Jay Z & Beyonce. It's said that if you sell your soul to the devil for fame that you will become a rising star and have into the 'elite society' however i guess you burn in hell or do the devils low work like pick up his laundry. There is no actual proof that there is an actual group or cult but the references to said group is present in most pop culture. For example its believed making your hands into a triangle is a shoutout to the group some artists even put it in their lyrics. Many conspiracy theories relate back to the illuminati due to the fact its a plan for the 'new world' take over. However, there is no information on how to actually get into the cult i'm assuming you can just send the devil a twitter DM or face time him and i'm sure you can't just send him an I.O.U for your soul. If this is a real cult though that is kinda scary.

#10 Hemingway Quote

     This quote really stuck out to me in class and felt a desire to write about it for my blog. We didn't have too much time to discuss it in class, but I believe it is more than just boasting or saying its wrong to be superior to others. To me, It`s about working your way to becoming the best possible you and moving towards it each day. Hemingway seems to forewarn of competition between your fellow man.
  
     As it states you must be more introspective than  looking outward on oneself. I believe this quote is motivation to be the best version of you. It is good to refer to others as benchmarks of excellence, especially when they are doing well in the goals which you want to pursue. However, know that your end goal is to create your own unique  path in life and excel in your own shoes not just be a clone of somebody else`s aspirations. The quote does not discourage you from being inspired by others but the main thing is to never loose sight of you own ambitions and goals. Because really, your biggest and only competition in life is yourself not just perceptions of others.
     Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses. Nobody is good at everything you are good at and visa verse. We all have our unique talents that makes us,us and nobody else. You yourself are an unlimited source of competition as you continue to mature and better yourself every waking second of your life.

     I feel as though Ernest Hemingway himself believes that there is no real benefit of being superior to others. He believes it is not noble to compete with your own kind. When bettering yourself there is no limit to the superiority. There is no maximum to reach because there is always,literally always a way to get better. For example look at the people who are pure geniuses in their fields. They still study and find new things fascinating; people like Einstein aren't going to know every single thing about black holes for example,but the superior knowledge he has motivates him to continually learn and better himself until the day he dies. Have you ever heard of anybody being the maximum amount of smart that can fit in your brain. Well I haven`t. The mind is endless (as far as I know) and can always be filled more. It seems to overlap with the other quote about "not just filling a pail, but lighting a fire". Your brain,nor your superiority can ever be filled. Though many of us are prone to getting lazy, there is more we can be doing, I know I can better myself or I would have 100+ averages in every single class. I don't know exactly why I better my self slower than somebody who has very high grades,but even if it is at a slower rate I try to always better myself.Still the whole point is that we shouldn't compare ourselves to others,but work with our own unique experience in life that nobody else shares with us. That is true nobility,that is the only way to be superior(but only figuratively).

"Death and the Robot"

   Last weekend, I visited the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. While I was on campus, there was a viewing of some of the student thesis work that had come out of the school recently.
   One of the films shown was called "Death and the Robot," a 2013 project by Austin Taylor, now an alumnus, which won numerous awards and recognitions at a variety of film festivals.
   The stop-motion short centers around a robot that lives beneath a cemetery and grows flowers in his underground greenhouse. Up above, Death calls the graveyard her home, destined (or cursed, rather) to kill anything she comes in contact with. One day, she stumbles upon the robot, who is kind enough to show her his garden - and a special bond is formed.
   Continuing with our study of love, I found this piece to be rife with not only beautiful imagery but sorrowful irony and the age-old adage that "opposites attract." While there is no dialogue, none is needed. The score and the wonderfully whimsical animation do more than enough to convey this uncommon yet charming love story.
   Through a union of science fiction and fantasy, this piece manages to portray love's enduring and pure characteristics; it isn't hard to discover the depth of the bond between the two protagonists. With a sort of fairy tale lore about it, "Death and the Robot" calls on love's innocence to tell the story.
   I don't really want to let his piece do all the talking, but I'm afraid there isn't much more I can say without revealing key details. It's really a film you have to see yourself. That being said, here's the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okCIHAbve3k

I hope anyone reading this gets just as much out of it as I did.

#9 The bubble

Today in class we looked at and discussed some quotes and one that stuck out in my mind was one by N. Kazantki.“A man needs a little madness, or else... he never dares cut the rope and be free.”  First off how about meaning? The quote in its' simplest form means that if you don't take risks then you cannot move forward. The ''madness'' within us is what pulls us forward, it is the first step to every journey. On the same hand if your decisions are too safe and withing your comfort zone you will not grow or advance. Taking a leap of faith is hard but it might be well worth it.

As an artist I live in a bubble by myself. Within this bubble I live and go about my daily routine, i'm comfortable here. But when I feel like drawing or painting in the back of my mind a little voice rings out. This voice is the risk, the madness that dwells inside my brain. With every piece of art I've every created I have had to step out of my bubble for a moment. If I try not to either, one: artist block sets in or two: anything I put on paper just doesn't live up to what is in my mind. So the next logical step is to take that leap of faith, to engage the madness. 

This quote perfectly captures the decisions we sometimes make that can go unnoticed. These can be as simple as what to wear that day or as extreme as deciding on skydiving. Next to each other they seem vastly different but the similarities they share have an impact to your everyday. For example that shirt you wore could start a conversation that in return, could begin a friendship that lasts a lifetime. While the skydiving adventure gives you a new look on life. Both situations will shape the future and both involve a risk, a little madness. And this untapped madness holds a vault of potential adventures and experiences.   

Hemingway says YOLO (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 will never get, you will have a good life."

This quotation that we discussed in class was taken from one of Ernest Hemingway's novels, titled For Whom The Bell Tolls.  The story takes place in Spain at the height of the Spanish Civil War.  In this setting, the fragility of life is more apparent than ever, so it makes sense for one to encounter such a "Carpe Diem"-type quote nestled within the novel.

Hemingway is passionately reminding his readers the importance of living in the moment.  When he states, "There is nothing else than now," he is pointing out that both the past and the future are abstract concepts.  Yesterday is merely a memory, images stored in the brain.  Tomorrow comes from the assumption that time will continue on, and that we will be around to experience it.  It feeds off imagination, for no one has ever been to "tomorrow" in order to discover exactly what it has in store.  However, "now" is tangible; using our five senses, we can experience all that our "now" has to offer.  There is no need to assume or imagine what is going on "now", because we can simply tune in and see for ourselves.  

Often, people waste time dwelling on yesterday and waiting for tomorrow, missing the opportunity to experience the now. Imagine a scenario in which you spend each day of a month counting down until the next month, because you are looking forward to an event.  Once this event comes, it is not what you expected.  This makes sense, because the future is abstract and we have no means of discovering how it will pan out.  After the event, you realize that you could have accomplished something great over the last 30 days, but instead you've accomplished nothing.  In this scenario, you were negatively affected by thinking about both the past and the future.  While anticipating the future, you have created a month full of empty days that have not positively benefitted your life in any way.  Once the anticipation ended, you looked back on this folly and criticized your past decisions, instead of making new ones in the moment.  This is a repeating cycle of unhappiness and missed opportunity.

One of my pet peeves is listening to people constantly count down to friday and dread the arrival of monday.  As we count down to friday, we are disregarding the importance of every other day of the week.  And when friday finally comes, it lasts 24 hours, and soon enough monday is approaching and everyone is unhappy yet again.  If instead we took advantage of the privilege of living for seven full days in a week, perhaps we could begin something meaningful on monday and have something to be proud of on friday.    

Extra food for thought :)

William Butler Yeats Quote

A quote by William Butler Yeats states that "Education is not the filing of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." When I first read this quote, I interpreted in a negative way, which confused me. I was thinking of lighting a fire as a negative thing, and was unsure of why Yeats was comparing education to it. Then, after reading it over a couple more times, I realized that the "lighting of a fire" is actually referring to inspiration. The filling of a pail is merely feeding information to students. A good teacher should inspire students to challenge ideas, ask questions, be curious, and be passionate about the subject that they love. Instead of just making them remember irrelevant information that does not mean anything to them, teachers should encourage students to on their own. Is was mentioned in class today that a bucket can only be filled to a certain point, but that a fire can spread wildly. I completely agree; learning should have no limits. By lighting a fire and allowing it to grow, a teacher gives students the unlimited ability to continue learning. On the other hand, a teacher who only "fills the pail" limits the learning capability of their students. 

I also agree that a Yeats' quote describes the ideal learning situation, and that our education system does the exact opposite. The point of going to school should be to learn, but in reality, school only teaches us to memorize information in order to pass tests. Most of the things that we are taught are forgotten after the test. I believe that school would be more successful if education was focused more on inspiring students and making them want to learn themselves. Putting less emphasis on test scores and being less concerned with how students compare to each other would cause us to be able to "light a fire" instead of just "fill the pail." 

Kayla Mueller

In class we have seemed to stray away from the topic of ISIS compared to the beginning of the year.  I remember when I first heard about ISIS is was held high with concern to most people. Then came Ebola and ISIS was discussed about less and less. 

As shown in a recent event, a 26 year old names Kayla Mueller was captured and killed by ISIS.  Many left heartbroken especially her family members.  Kayla Mueller was in Syria serving refugees fleeing a war-torn region.  According to her parents she was a very helpful, caring, intelligent woman. “Well, yeah, it was overenthusiastic youth and, of course, being naïve. But who wasn't, you know?” Carl Mueller said. “How many mistakes have we all made in life that were naïve and didn't get caught at? Kayla was just in a place that was more dangerous than most. And she couldn't help herself. She had to go in there and had to help.” (Eun Kyung Kim). 

Now the part that really disturbs me is what exactly is Obama doing? It seems to me and many others that he is laying back and not taking any responsibility for this terror.  I completely understand why he can't just go and bomb ISIS because they are located in civilian areas, but, there are many other methods to defeating them.  Our troops outnumber ISIS by thousands and these soldiers are ready to fight.  What exactly is Obama waiting for? More Americans dead? That does not sound like the correct leadership an American President should withstand.

ISIS demanded 6.2 million dollars for releasing Kayla.  It is near impossible for a family to raise that type of money.  Although it is expensive Obama refused to pay the ransom.  The father of Kayla made an interesting point by asking Obama.. "What if it was your daughter held hostage?"  I can bet millions that Obama would pay as much money as ISIS wants in order for his daughters safety.  These people that are being captured are daughters and sons of many.  Any parents out there would understand that you would want anything and everything done to bring your child home even with the policy of refusing to pay ransom.  Many are also mad about U.S. government policy that forbids paying ransoms for the lives of American citizens, noting other Western countries have paid millions to secure the release of their nationals.  Obama is not doing the most important job; protecting his citizens and this country. 

blog #10

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

I believe there is a lot of validity in this quote. Basically, he is saying instead of trying to be better than everyone else, try to be the best version of yourself possible. Life is not a competition between you and your peers. You shouldn't live your life trying to be better than the next person, and constantly comparing yourself to others. Don't worry about what everyone else is doing with their lives and focus on your own. Once you can do this, you will lead a much happier life. Always comparing yourself to others and trying to become better than them is exhausting and unrealistic, because no two people are the same. Everyone's meant to be different, to accomplish different things and to just be different human beings in general. There's no scale to measure if you're "better than someone else" so why try? Be yourself, be happy, and be whatever you want to be and then you will gain true nobility. Become better than the person who you were the day before instead of trying to be better than everyone else around you.

The Filling of the Pail

W.B. Yeats has said "Education is not the filling of a pail, it is the lighting of a fire."

Yeats' ideal of education sounds smart and inspirational, like something you'd find on tumblr. But when you think about it, the pail needs to be filled before you can burn it to the ground.

If a student doesn't have a broad and strong foundation - general history, math, exposition to literature, writing, etc. - what are they to draw from when they want to delve deeper into certain areas? How would they even know what they were interested in? There must be something to burn, and Yeats' idea doesn't provide for that. He posits that education should provide inspiration, and should not just stuff kids with useless information. However, without some information that might be useless in the "real" world, people would not find anything to be curious about. There must be some base which people can build up from, and that base may be otherwise useless information.

The curiosity and inspiration that Yeats is talking about is the curiosity and inspiration to learn more and more, and to better oneself with knowledge. Children should be exposed to as many different things as possible, so that they may pick and choose from that reservoir what they want to make up their personalities. Once they have been exposed, when they have reached an age in which they are able to think for themselves and choose their path in life, they will have a place to start.

DMT: Life After Death

I have recently watched a documentary and done much research on the psychoactive substance known as Dimethyltryptamine, or DMT for short. The documentary, "DMT: The Spirit Molecule", adapted from the book written by Rick Strasssman. It delves into his research and experimentation with DMT starting in the 90's. He also discusses the role of DMT in the human body, soul, and beyond.

Now, DMT is a naturally occurring compound found in the human body and plants alike. The gland that secretes it is found in your brain. The pineal gland, located in the center is what is responsible for this substance. Its general purpose, for short, DMT is what makes you have dreams. Every time you sleep, a little bit of this molecule is released into your body. This is what causes your dreams to be so lifelike. Also, when you die, your brain's last function before death is to release all of the stored DMT it has left. Now imagine that the DMT released when you dream is a glass of water. When you die, that glass of water is now a flowing river. (hold onto that thought)

DMT, under the Controlled Substance Act of 1970, is a Schedule I drug for its hallucinogenic purposes. But many argue that it's not "some drug to have fun with". DMT when found in nature, is located in many plants but most specifically, cacti. Now tribes in South America use the cacti to create ayahuasca, a psychedelic substance that is used for many religious and spiritual purposes. Why you ask?

In Strassman's own accounts and the accounts of over 60 other's who used the drug during the research period, called the effects of DMT "profound". It was not any other hallucinogenic like LSD or mushrooms. It was leagues beyond that. Its now known that a use of DMT is referred to as a "journey" compared to a "trip" due to the profoundness of its nature. Users described the experience as life changing. That the perception of reality was not only altered, but discovered. A trip beyond the material realm that we live in. All of the subjects said that they're experience (which lasted 10-20 minutes) felt like an eternity. Not exaggerating, beyond a lifetime. DMT, had brought them to what they described as "The Devine Realm". Summing it up, its said that DMT is what allows us to transcend ourselves as a human being and become the entity of our soul.

Okay, so if you take this substance in its smaller controlled doses, its said to bring profound, life changing results. So, back to my earlier point, when death comes to you, ALL your stored DMT is released. An unimaginable experience id assume thats only achieved through death. If DMT is seen to be so divine in its small doses, then what would a huge dose at death mean. If it has such a correlation with your soul, could it be possible that DMT is the gateway to it. That when you die, all your DMT reserves help your soul to make its journey to the afterlife. That eternity or "heaven" is a real place only reachable through the transportation of your soul.

Let me just state something, I'm not sure how well all of this information is getting to you. I don't believe that I'm not doing it justice at all in my writings but i felt compelled to speak.
I HIGHLY urge you all to take and hour and a half out of one sunday or something to watch "DMT: The Spirit Molecule". Its on Netflix, so there ain't no excuse to not see it.

In summary, food for thought. Perhaps, just perhaps, there is a key to unlock our spirits and the world beyond. And that key is already inside us.

The "Pop Culture" Illuminati...Our Idols May Be Evil.

   Many of us have heard myths about the Illuminati and also have heard that people like Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Kanye West are a part of the elitists group. The Illuminati is a group founded in 1776 in Bavaria originally made of the greatest thinkers and routed out to those of the highest power and money holding in the world. They are a group who want to create a one world government. They apparently control the global economy as well as the media and parts of government throughout the world. Some think this is such a far fetched idea but is it?
   We know of big names like Rothschild and Rockefeller are closely associate them with their accomplishments and money but they are also sought to be some of the family dynasties in the Illuminati. We know that both of those family have an abundance of money, and what do they do with it? Fund the secret society possibly? Maybe they are the leaders of the people we look up to.
   Some celebrities are closely tied with the illuminati like Miley Cyrus with the "all seeing eye" tattooed on her finger. Also we remember when Beyonce was performing the super bowl halftime show and flashed the illuminati symbol with her hands (making a triangle by putting her hands together) the power ironically went out moments later. Was this a job of the Illuminati letting us know they have power over us? Beyonce may be apart of the illuminati, but what about her husband?
   In the Jay-Z and Kanye West music video for "Otis" we see many symbols. After the transformation of the Maybach(The Maybach being a status symbol because only the wealthy can afford it much like those in the secret society), Jay-Z is seen in a white t-shirt with skull and cross bones. Also at 0:51 Kanye throws up the Baphomet symbol with his left hand.  Another thing I noticed was throughout the video the men were in front of the american flag but instead of stars they were bullheads and uzi guns which represent Moloch the god of destruction. Another thing is the song title is also a word known for something else. "Otis" stands for "Only The Illuminati Succeeds". Not to mention Jay-Z's record label is ironically labelled Roc-a-fella...can this be alluding to the Rockefeller family? Who is notoriously associated with the Illuminati like I said before.
   Many other celebrities have flashed Illuminati symbols in their videos. Rihanna's whole "Umbrella" video is a symbol. From her sitting the the triangle, to the actual song meaning of a good girl falling under the devils umbrella bringing her to the dark side, to even having Jay-Z featured on the song and wearing all black. In the Lady Gaga "Bad Romance" video, you see the bullheads appear like in the Otis video. Another Lady Gaga Video "Judas" (It is believed that Judas betrayed Jesus), Gaga flashes the Illuminati symbol and also sings "Ill bring him down" referring to her doing what she can to bring Jesus and religious beliefs down. (Which was an Illuminati goal) Another artist, Kesha has had Illuminati symbols in her videos, like the pentagram, upside down cross and the all seeing eye in "Die Young" not to mention her lyrics "We're gonna die young." She however, claims that she was forced to sing that and she knew the demonic and dark meaning behind it. Is this all a coincidence? Maybe, but maybe it just goes to show that money is controlling the media and who has the money to do that? Maybe those like the Rothschild and Rockefeller's, and who are they associated with? The Illuminati.

Love. What is it good for?

So there I was listening to a little Edwin Starr when it got me thinking, well what about love? What is it good for? And I came to the very groovy conclusion of , absolutely everything. SAY IT AGAIN!

In all seriousness, love really is a great thing. It's the glue that keeps us together, it's what makes us want to be around one another, to help one another. We all know that warm fuzzy feeling we get when we're with someone we love, but did you know that aside from just a good feeling inside there are actual health benefits associated with love as well?

Harry Reis, PhD and co-editor of the Encyclopedia of Human Relationships, tells us that "There is very nice evidence that people who participate in satisfying, long-term relationships fare better on a whole variety of health measures".  The department of Health and Human services backs this claim with quite a few research proven benefits of love.

Just by taking a small dose of love everyday you can expect to see: Fewer doctor visits, less colds, lower blood pressure, less stress, faster healing, less anxiety, and even better natural pain control.
Not to mention that people who maintain long lasting relationships are proven to have a lower chance of succumbing to depression or substance abuse and tend to live longer happier lives.

So get out there and get yourself some love. Make a friend, find a mate, give a stranger a hug, it doesn't matter, just a little bit can go a long way.

9. "Living On One Dollar"

As our discussion of poverty is coming to an end, I came across a  documentary called "Living On One Dollar" on Netflix. It is 56 minutes long and after 56 minutes it left me feeling sad. The mission starts with 2 friends and 2 film makers who go to a village called Peña Blanca in Guatemala for 2 months. They have to live like it is their home. They get a "house", land and all with only $1 each. They came up with an efficient way to earn money, they would draw numbers out of a hat and that is how much they "made" that day, ranging from 0-9. Th natives there don't know when or how much they will get paid because they don't have a set job, most are day laborers and work in fields. Chris, Zach, Ryan and Sean were eating under 500 calories each day, sleeping on the ground, getting bit by fleas while they slept and eventually Chris got sick and had to be taken to the hospital but the medicine to make him better was too much money, they didn't have enough.

Chris, Zach, Sean and Ryan started befriending some of their neighbors and they met Chino, 12, who can't afford school so he works in the field as his job. He is 2 and Chino already knows that he will become a farmer, Chris asked "If you could be anything what would it be?", Chino said farmer but Chris asked again and Chino said a pro-football player.

Rosa is 20 years old who never got to finish her education but wanted to start her own business. Supplies for school is only $25 (American dollar) and most families cannot afford that.

The 4 guys became very close with Anthony or Antonio. Anthony invited the guys to his home for a traditional pulique dinner which is made only 2 times a year, the cost of ingredients is expensive but Anthony and his family insisted. Anthony has a large family to take care of and he is the only one in the village with a set job and can rely on a constant pay check. He actually paid for all the hospital bills for chino's mother when she was very ill. Anthony called Chris, Zach, Sean and Ryan his brothers and invited them back to his house whenever they wanted and he will provide shelter and food.

Chris and Zach made a point that people with nothing are willing to share and give anything they have, even if it is limited. People like Anthony are willing to spend money that needed to be saved and spend it on ingredients for guests to have dinner. I recommend watching this, it opened my mind a lot more an it took me into the world that people actually have to live through. This isn't some Hollywood documentary where they make it seem not so bad or the worst thing in the world. It just shows how 4 guys from America having to survive how native do, which is very difficult.

Its all about survival!!!

10. Mississippi Burning

The film itself stressed the important of equality, and the whole superiority complex people are struggling to comprehend recently. The detectives in the film had treated the case just as they would any other, not getting hung up on the rumors of the two boys being pro-equality, as well as to include the black boy in the tally of those who were missing. While on the other hand natives to the state of Mississippi would only acknowledge the two white boys as "faking it" and laughing away up in the north at "us southerners", and not even giving the time of day to the other young boy, all of white stirring up a commotion over feelings of intrusion. This film can be see as almost a parallel of modern day Ferguson and  the entire situation being summarized into the conflict of white vs black, when in reality if we looked beyond that, we might be able to settle out the issues at hand a bit better. People have a tendency to feel the need to ignite a personal spark deep down inside and apply themselves into the the problems at hand, it's not entirely wrong to do so, but it should not all be based upon a single persons feeling on an issue, and bettering only themselves.

Hurricane Carter

   In 1975, Bob Dylan, the famous American folk songwriter, wrote a song entitled "Hurricane," recounting the retrial and second conviction of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, an African American professional boxer who had been found guilty of a triple murder.
   The first conviction came in 1967, after Carter and another man, John Artis, were identified as the two black men who had entered a Paterson, New Jersey bar and killed the bartender and two patrons. The man who had identified them, Alfred Bello, saw them walking from the direction of the bar and hid from them as they approached and got in their car, which was parked nearby. His testimony served as a central point in the conviction of Carter and Artis.
   Eight years later, Bello recanted his testimony, and Carter and Artis were released on bail, pending a retrial. Once the court proceedings began, Bello was given a polygraph test, and it was confirmed that Bello was telling the truth about having seen Carter and Artis...after already claiming that he hadn't, which is what prompted the retrial. It was also overlooked that he claimed in the 1975 trial that he had been both inside and outside of the bar during the shooting, while in the first trial he claimed that he had never entered the bar. This contradicting claim was added to when a tape recording of an interview with Bello revealed that he may have been bribed or induced into testifying.
   Regardless, after almost nine hours of deliberation, a jury found both Carter and Artis still guilty. However, in 1981, Artis was released on parole, prompting Carter's attorneys to appeal for a writ of habeas corpus three years later. Finally, in 1985, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey granted it, citing racial prejudices and gross oversights in regards to the police work done on the case, and Carter was released.
   While Carter was eventually found innocent, the media responses to his case have been found to be largely questionable. Dylan's aforementioned song makes a host of claims about Carter that have been considered inaccuracies and embellishments. Also, in 1999, the film, The Hurricane starring Denzel Washington as Carter was released, which, while receiving positive reviews and numerous awards, was slammed for its historical inaccuracies.
   Most of the accusations come regarding Carter's habits outside of the ring; for example, during his short-lived release in 1975, a woman who participated in a fundraiser for his bail claims to have been beat by Carter over a disputed hotel bill. This was eventually dismissed in court.
   Also, Carter himself stated that he and another man used to wander about on the streets, armed with guns, looking to pick fights - he even claimed to have knocked out a horse at one point.
   He served in the Army, as well, though for a short time - he was court martialed four times and eventually considered unfit for service.
   Does this change the fact that the U.S. justice system finds him innocent of the fated 1966 triple homicide? No; these statements have hardly anything to do with the case. The point is that, during the whole incident, he became a media darling and a rallying point for civil rights activists that led to claims that he was "all love." Meanwhile, his often violent habits and tendencies were casually left out of question.
  Still, after his release, Carter eventually became president of the Association in Defence of the Wrongfully Convicted, a Canadian organization that advocated individuals such as himself who are convicted of crimes they did not commit. Perhaps he had a change of heart; after all, he was in prison for almost twenty years.
   I don't believe I was trying to prove a point here; I think it's just a fascinating tale of another civil rights case that got heavy media attention but was, perhaps, inaccurately portrayed.



 

blog #9

"Who's afraid of Aunt Jemima" is a story quilt by Faith Ringgold done in 1983. It is meant to look like a quilt and depicts the famous syrup Aunt Jemima in all different occupations. This artwork has to do with racial and gender issues and inequality. African American women are shown having occupations similar to white males. The medium, a quilt, was done purposely because women were known as making quilts and are connected with feminine art. The statement being made is that not all African American women can be generalized as the happy and successful Aunt Jemima. This quilt work brings to light the oppression and struggles of African American women and their history.

8. Met Trip

The Met hands down has to be one of the most exciting, and all around best trips I have ever taken at ESM. It wasn't as though we all had to experience the same locations, yes there were required pieces to go view and contemplate, but we were free to roam the areas in which intrigued us. My favorite portion of the museum was definitely the Asian wing which consisted of  a mixture of vintage and slightly more modern kimonos. I wasn't able to get photos since we ventured there last and were pressed for time, but they were truly works of art. I'm slightly disappointed I hadn't gone on the third Met trip that was offered, it never gets old. Every time you go you end up discovering a whole section you completely skipped over in your past visits.

I didn't upload them in any order, I just wanted to show you the pieces that caught my eye. I'm more of a fan of paintings than sculptures, but the African wooden statues really interested me. The way they captured the human form in a loose and creative way just baffles me. I'm some what envious I can't do the same. 

American Sniper: The Story of Chris Kyle

Instead of watching the first half of the Super Bowl, I sat down with a bootlegged (ohhhh arrest me) version of the new film American Sniper. You must have all seen the trailers for it but if you haven't, it follows the story of Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper in all of United States military history. With Bradley Cooper as Chris, i was expecting a decent film.

But I was also expecting this film to be a disappointment in the matter that many military films today are practically propaganda for the US military. I was expecting another one of those films similar to the trash movies about the raid on Osama Bin laden or the, dare I say, disgrace to cinematography, Act of Valor.

But I was surprised.

American sniper was an incredible movie. In most respects, it was nothing near propaganda. It did not glorify military lifestyle. It did not make war look fun. And it didn't portray Chris Kyle as a perfect protagonist. It showed the horrific brutalities of war. Kyle's battle with losing close friends in the field and his fight with PTSD after returning stateside. Truly, a down to earth war film.

My only complaint being that there were moments of the film that portrayed all Middle-easterners to be an enemy in a way. There was no positive portrait of an middle-eartern throughout the film. The only exception being the member of Kyle's squad that speaks the language but he may have been American. I don't really remember. Even the Saudis that were being trained to fight insurgents are mentioned, and mentioned only once, in a sort-of-negative manner. In some sense, a demonization of any middle-easterner. But not too bad.
There were also allegations that director Clint Eastwood purposefully portrayed a link between the September 11th attacks and Iraq. But I personally didn't catch that.

Regardless, any of the small complaints i had, are small. Barely present at all. As a matter of fact, there is much more controversy over Chris Kyle's real life story compared to the film.

Coming from someone who once considered military service as a career path for some time, i am presently not very gung-ho about war or any escalated violence. But I found American Sniper to be a very powerful movie. I suggest if you have the spare time, to sit down and watch it.

It is a terrific film and a respectable tribute to one of the most famous men in US military history.