Narmada Gobin, Entry 8

Walking by the river

Walking by the river.

It was that kind of day
With the Spring Sun soft and warm
There was a kind of energy
That moved within my form
I could have walked the whole day long
As I felt me, natures pull
Oh Lord those river trails are beautiful.

I passed a group of roos
Who were grazing by the river
Some Parrots screeched above my head
And set my heart a quiver
And as those creatures gave their calls
A Kookaburra laughed
Oh how I love to walk that river path.

It was that kind of day
That you’d like to last for years
With the country air rich in my lungs
And my mind all calm and clear
I could have walked until I dropped
Along that river trail
Feeling good and living in the now.

16 September 2004

http://www.poetrysoup.com/poems/best/environment

Ximena, 7

The term of ecofeminism caught my attention a lot because as a person that believes herself to be a feminist, I could not exactly understand how the topics could relate. I looked up the topic and came across a wonderful ted talk by Julia Mason that delighted and at the same time really disturbed me.

She intertwined the two in a way I had not thought of: we assign our environment feminine characteristics and refer to it as Mother Nature, it is no coincidence that we treat the feminine sex and environment the same. Where men stand high and make decisions in regard of the lives of women and our environment.

This comparison struck me because it made so much sense. I'm constantly annoyed by how misogynistic our every day life is and how much we pollute our planet and this new concept encompassed my concerns and more.

Mason touched on a couple of more points like that one of breast milk. The pollution that surrounds a pregnant mother also contaminates her breast milk which potentially harms the baby she carries. She also talked about the term "pink washing" which reminds me of that reading we did where the term "brown washing" came up. These are similar in the fact that corporations change the color of their products be it green to appease the environmentalists or pink during breast cancer awareness month. However, in actuality these corporations do not wholeheartedly support any of the causes and their products may contain thinks that pollute women's organisms or the earth. It's recommended to do a bit of research before buying yogurt in October or "recycled" school supplies.

Ximena, 6

I have always had a bit of a problem with the use of "I" in an essay. We were always thought to never use it because we weren't professors and it was also not professional. During my second year in Hunter, a professor went on an insane tangent in class in which she talked about how enriching and progressive the use of "I" was. It made sense... I dared to do it in her assignments, but only in hers. In peer review sessions for other classes I cringed reading "I think," "I believe," "I'm convinced." Eventually, I got over the fear of the notorious "I." I mean, the few students that use it, did so in an interesting and intellectual way. It always remained in the back of my mind.
When we did our first peer review session I could not keep this issue to myself and not because it bothered me but because it felt right to bring it up. I'm very excited about our Narrative Essay because I can freely talk from my point of view….without being afraid of anyone really judging my work. Also, these blogposts are something new to me. I've never has to do them for any classes so this is a fun experience.

 

Thank you for your thoughts

All of you have written some interesting and thoughtful stuff on this little digital wall of ours. I want to point everyone to Paul's most recent blog entry. After our discussion about the virtualized absence of waste Paul has written an entry that provides some very useful and interesting information about NYC waste. Here is a video link by philosopher Slavoj Zizek, discussing his concept of "ecology," by which he means, the virtual (imagined) absence of waste, as well as the cornucopian conceptualization of nature by some cultures of environmentalism.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGCfiv1xtoU

Gabriella Grimes Entry #7

I've been thinking a lot about how the environment can warp our perceptions of certain things as well as mood. Spring is often seen as the season of love and rebirth, which makes sense. After three months of harsh cold and grey skies, it only makes sense to want to feel happier and new when warmer weather rolls around. The phrase "Spring Cleaning" still makes me cringe to this very day because I hate cleaning at first and then I get obsessive and won't finish cleaning until about five hours later. But I digress. Nature can seriously mess up how we view things and I feel that most of us aren't even aware of it. On a sunny day, my friends can be the loveliest people to be around whereas on a day on which it is cold and raining, they are the most horribly annoying people I have ever met in my entire life. I'd say that the one time when the environment changed my views of a person the most is the Summer before high school when I went away to Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to study psychology. There was a girl there who I was practically head over heels for. It turned out that she lived not too far from my home in the Bronx as she lived in Brooklyn, but when I saw pictures of her on the concrete rather than the grass, she didn't seem as appealing. It was as if the butterfly I had known fluttering around on the grassy quad had migrated to a street sign and was now a moth. It's honestly just very weird that this can even happen. On the flip side, a guy I dated a couple years ago still looks more appealing on a city sidewalk than in Central Park. Or maybe it's an aspect of what I associate with different environments; for example I wouldn't associate a river with a large grey building, nor a truck with a forest. Maybe my views of nature and the environment in general is constantly morphing to suit new things I've learned or experienced. Huh.

Abdul Moontarin Entry #8

This weekend the weather was great and it started to rain finally instead of snowing. People really get annoyed when it rains but, I find it amazing. I think rain is something that is so calming. Yesterday when it was raining I just went outside and just walked around. It helped me get my thoughts cleared out and it also really made me happy. I can't wait for it to rain a lot more this April. Really looking forward to it. If you ever get the chance try to walk in the rain without an umbrella.  If you do, you will see what I'm talking about. Rain is simply just beautiful.

Laura Mulhearn #8

VERISIMILITUDE & EPISTEMOLOGY

    I have lived many years of my life with the idea of verisimilitude & epistemology. This has made me look at myself and how I can improve my own condition in life.

In regards to nature, the truth is that we need to focus on our environments and really know what really needs improvement. First, as individuals we need to know that our environment is a safe one. We also need to maintain that safety. We also need to know that we can make sure that the environment can actually have organic soil and clean water. This will heal our bodies from disease. There are things that you can do in your daily life to make a positive contribution. This really leads us to the subject of Epistemology.

Laura Mulhearn #7

HOW NOT TO MEMORIZE TEXT: EAT  EIGHT DOLLARS WORTH OF CANDY

Ode To Candy

 Mary Jane, Clarke, Mike and Ike walked down 5th Avenue. They were all going to see the Lemon Heads.They were playing at Irving Plaza downtown. All of them went on shopping sprees that day.They met up with Peppermint Patty.Mike said. "You look so Red Hots, Sweet Tart!" She replied. "Oh, Henry!" You are so sweet. He said. My name is not Henry- It's Mike! She apologized and told the group that they had a great bar to hang out at called Heath Bar. They went to the bar before the concert.The concert was so cool for them, Clarke said," Wow! I have worked all week and this concert is a sure lifesaver." The band was center stage and the  main star-bursts out the lyrics of the main tune and the crowd went crazy! Mary Jane and Clarke shared some kisses while the music set was good and plenty. They all left Irving Plaza and they walked down 5th Avenue where they went to Benny Borittos and ate Hot Tomales!

The End

Paul Hunter Zaid #8

Where Does NYC Trash End Up???

     After trash was brought up during our last class discussion I was left wondering where does New York City trash go? The city's last landfill, the Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island was closed on March 22, 2001 by pressure from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). At its peak twenty barges – each carrying 650 tons of garbage – were added to the site every day! In 2001 it was estimated that, if kept open, the landfill would have eventually become the highest point on the East Coast.

     

     To this day NYC has no landfills or incinerators, but on average it's citizens produce 12,000 tons of trash every day. Most of Manhattan's waste is incinerated in New Jersey and non-recyclable waste is sent to landfill in states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia. Paper waste that is properly separated from regular garbage is recycled locally or is processed for further recycling overseas. Glass, metal and plastics collected at the curbside are sent to New Jersey, where they are processed and sent to various recycling markets. 

     I gathered this information from GrowNYC, a non-profit agency created in 1970 by the Council on the Environment of New York City. GrowNYC's goal it to improve New York City's quality of life through environmental programs that transform communities and empower all New Yorkers to secure a clean and healthy environment for future generations. I found these other interesting facts listed on their website:

• New York City residents currently recycle only about 17% of their total waste--half of what they could be recycling under the current program.

• 7.5% of our waste stream consists of plastic film such as supermarket bags.

• The United States produces 70% of the world's solid waste.

• 80% of US products are used once and then thrown away. 43% of dumped or burned municipal discards, by weight, consists of packaging and containers, or disposable products such as paper or plastic plates, cups, diapers, junk mail, trash bags, tissue paper and towels.

     Personally I know that I have areas for room of opportunity to reduce the waste that I produce and I'm confident that others can say the same for themselves. The reality is that there is no "away" when we use the term "throw-away," and hopefully my blog entry can all make us conscious of that.

www.grownyc.org
www.grownyc.org/recycling/facts

Ximena Esparza, 5

As part of the Hunter College Dream Team we share our room with other clubs. One of these clubs is the Hunter Sustainability Project. I'm not involved with them but since we share the space I get a glimpse of the projects they do and their everyday habits. They promote the use of reusable water bottles and have glass jugs full of fresh water in the fridge. Their devotion inspires me to want to take care of the environment. They even have recycling bins in the room. One of the corners of the room is being used to build a sectional sofa from recycled materials and it's so creative, I envy them. I try to reuse things in our side; I make scrap paper out of flyers that were never given out and save energy. Throwing out a plastic bottle leads me to an existential crisis, sound familiar?, and I want to save it and use it as a vase. Then, I wonder if blue bins and stainless steel bottles matter anyway and question whether or not we can be saviors and if so what are we trying to save anyway?

Narmada Gobin, Entry #7

I started writing this personal narrative and so far it's been a really exciting start. Describing a place that you are close to did not seem like an easy task. However, I knew way more about New York City that I had thought. It's a city filled with many man made creations however, it is a beautifully constructed place that has many parts of nature around. I don't really want to get into it because I have to leave the details for my essay. When you look at the little details of the city, you can really see how amazing it is. I love everything about NYC. I remember when I had to visit my boyfriend at his base down in Jacksonville, NC. He is stationed at Camp Lejeune. It was such a small little town and I wasn't very fond of it. You had to drive everywhere and to buy a sandwich if you were starving was like a mile away. You could not live down there if you didn't have a car. It was so different for me and I wouldn't mind living there if we got married but deep down I know I would be making a sacrifice! Taking the trains in New York develops patience in you. If you wanted to go somewhere, you would get there with enough time. Unless you hear that "there's a sick passenger" announcement when you have somewhere to go. The city does have it limits but there's just so much that you can do.

Melissa Leggard number 4

Although i have been absent from classes due to a family matter, the time away has given me time to reflect on the second essay at hand. Mother nature surely does surround us, whether we believe so or not. I have had time to watch the Sun rise and set, the tide from the ocean rise and fall, as well as watch a close one being swept away by Miss Mother Nature. I believe that this close encounter with nature has affected me and will be a positive push for our second essay.

Abdul Moontarin Entry #7

For the second Essay we have to write a narrative that relates to the environment. I was thinking about different ideas that I could write about and then i thought about one. I remember when I went to Bangladesh to visit my family. I ended up traveling all around Bangladesh. Surprisingly enough I fell in love with the country. I just loved how the country made me feel. I just loved seeing how beautiful it looked. Instead of being in the city i was in areas where there were more trees, grass, plants and animals. I just loved walking in the morning and seeing everything. I also loved watching the sun set from the beach where the water seemed so clear. I honestly felt at peace because of the environment. I wish i was able to experience it more. Hopefully I will go back soon to visit.

Jacek 7

So far, our consideration of nature and the environment has led us to conclude that we do not have a stable, fixed definition of nature, even though we readily and inescapably experience it all the time. In fact, as we have seen in our readings, nature can be experienced in many ways, and can be many things, none of which exhaust the possibilities. Now let us look within--we each have in ourselves human nature. Is this nature possible to define? If we make the analogy, we are led to believe that the thing we each have within ourselves, human nature, is just as complex, multifarious and elusive as the nature around us, even though we readily and inescapably experience that nature all the time too. If so, then why do we accept the superficial, harmful, and often degrading categories, stereotypes etc. that society puts us into? Human nature is not to be defined, it is to be discovered, and its possibilities also are limitless.

Gabriella Grimes Entry #6

Spring!
I thought it would never come and I'm horribly relieved. After four months of it being colder than normal, I feel excited. It might rain a lot, but I'd rather it rain and be warm than have no chance of rain but 20° weather. The absolute best part of Spring has to be the fact that as I look out the window right now, there is still sunlight. Going outside is no longer a chore because the rays from the sun feel like one thousand kisses from god himself.
The change in weather is yielding an overall better mood from most people i know as well. Even the most devoted winter lovers have been awaiting this 50° weather. Fifty degrees doesn't even sound that warm but compared to what new york has faced recently, we may as well be in a tropical paradise. If I didn't wait until the last second to do homework, I would definitely have taken a walk to central park and written bad poetry about the trees beginning to show their flowers once more.
I think I can settle for the courtyard in front of my building where I can write about that one tree standing on its lonesome in the middle of 104th street. People dump garbage on it all the time, but for the past two years, I've still seen it grow and thrive. Go nature. (Whoo!)

Yevgeniy Kotlovskiy #3

So I was in a strange scenario this weekend, and long story short, I was reading this river. The river was very fortunate to move downward as that only verifies the physics of water. That's a thought right there though, when one reads a river does this illustration of scientific sensibility validate that the universe is as it should be? Does reading a river imply that there is some almost concrete alphabet? So far I'm only noticing that reading a river is merely observing flow. I bet Melville read the rivers that inspired his writing of Moby Dick, but then again this story of almost Shakespearean manipulation is turning into a strange romance of sorts and quarks.As I walk outside, I realize that I'm really glad I haven't run into Moby Dick.

Paul Hunter Zaid #7

Death and Nature

     This week I received devastating news that my dear friend Gary was losing his battle with cancer. Gary is the father of my best friend Katie who I first met in college back in 1998. I not only became friends with this wonderful woman, but also with her entire family. The Rudningen family became my second family, they accepted me for who I was, they never judged me, gave me endless encouragement, and allowed me to be the person that I really was.

     I'm writing this entry to help myself digest this recent news. I've never experienced a friend facing death and the feeling of helplessness that comes along with it. How does this relate to nature and the environment? I can only see it as the cycle of life in nature. Death is inevitable and something one can never really prepare for or know how we will react to. Death is all around us, the leaves on a tree turn from a lush green to golden yellow, then brown and brittle,  and then falling to the ground. Everyday animals and vegetation are taken by humans for their resources without many of us giving it much thought. I just discovered that according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that globally 8 million people die annually from cancer.

     There is no way to possibly be prepared for death, or to prepare for the roller coaster of feelings that come with this process of knowing one's life has a limit. It's only my hope that for each of us that we can respect and cherish life and see the joy and beauty that each of us possess in having with each day. I hope that I can find the best words and gestures to help a friend prepare for the end of his life.

I believe that you're here on Earth for a short time, and while you're here, you shouldn't forget it. 

Bea Arthur

I believe that you're here on Earth for a short time, and while you're here, you shouldn't forget it.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/bea_arthur.html#YfrvgfybA4rkMByl.99

I believe that you're here on Earth for a short time, and while you're here, you shouldn't forget it.

Bea Arthur

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/bea_arthur.html#Y7AQ6zmDTmRacMFx.99

Laura Mulhearn #6

A Whale OF Fun Facts

Recently I saw a video that said that Elephants eat fish. It did eat a fish!
It was thought by many that Elephants were vegetarian.
It just seems so wild that an Elephant is so huge yet it is a pescetarian.
A whale eats fish as well as plankton. Now that's some small food.
A whale is so huge like an elephant yet they eat no meat but fish.
Male whales are called bulls and female whales are called cows!
Now, I feel sorry for those female whales. Who wants to be called a cow?
There is no female that wants to be called a cow.

I hope you enjoyed a whale of fun facts!

Narmada Gobin, entry #6

For class, we have been reading some pretty intense readings and even more intense interpretating. It's nice to read them without giving each sentence a meaning. While reading Melville I knew with the questions given that there was a meaning to the whale but it was not what I thought. I figured that whiteness according to the author shouldn't be thought of as superior. He found lots of flaws where white represented it in a bad way. However, I thought he was just using examples to say terrible things about the color white. When I finished reading the passage I was one hundred percent sure that it was about racism. I got the vibe that this man wasn't a racist person and he was explaining that I assume slavery was not a good thing. It was around the time of slavery when they book was written so that also gave me the impression that this might be about blacks versus whites. Racism was a very common thing for people during this time. Individuals had to be very brave to say what they really felt. In the class it wasn't brought that the text had any indications of racism or slavery so my interpretations was not accurate. It's so interesting to me they way that these authors use nature to describe such common every day problem. It's amazing how he uses a white in this text to represent whiteness as not being as superior as everyone thinks. He uses such amazing examples to represent whiteness that it just makes sense in his claims.

Abdul Moontarin Entry# 6

I saw a documentary on the amazon rain forest. It amazes me that there are places like that; overgrown with lush vegetation and animals I've never seen. It was interesting how some animals used camoflauge to hide themselves from others and how the defended them selves from predators. For example, there was a poisonous tree frog. If it touched it's predator, a fast acting poison would paralyze the predator. That is one of the many animals that live there. But although it is a beautiful area, it is also very dangerous. Plants can be poisonous and harmful just as much as the animals there. If I was given the chance I would actually love to visit the amazon forest and see the dangers and beauty with my own eyes.

Gabriella Grimes Entry #5

Discussing the Melville piece in class definitely helped to understand what the narrator was explaining. I've been thinking about "whiteness" and how the narrator believes it plays a role in our society and it's such an interesting idea because the beliefs which were held during the time of the narration are still in a way held today. What is it about white what seems so unnatural? Looking around my apartment, I see so much white: white bags, white boxes, white walls, white canvases. However I have to admit the aspect of too much white is frightening. It's unsettling to see so much white and why wouldn't it be? White is the color of the paper you will use to complete your midterms; white is the color of ghosts that will haunt you at night; white is the color of slenderman; white is the color of that creepy mannequin in the window of H&M. What I find creepy about white is that it's the only color that can be seen in very dark lighting clearly. The moon's whiteness illuminates the entire night sky and can even be seen during the day time. Whiteness follows us through our daily lives and it is always there. When you watch movies of someone going insane and getting admitted into a mental hospital, it's all white everywhere: white rooms, white uniforms, white sheets. Someone once made the argument to me that white is used in institutions because it will relax the patient. But what if it's doing the exact opposite? What if the whiteness is enforcing the patient to lose a grip on reality? I once knew a schizophrenic who saw shadows and I wonder if white walls ever made his mind see the shadows even more. What can't be seen on a white wall? If you look closely enough, you can even see your own reflection.
One of the most horrifying stories I read as a child was one about a boy on vacation with his parents. He goes to sleep one night and when he wakes up in the middle of the night, he goes to check on his parents and they aren't there. He decides that they may be downstairs in the hotel lobby but when he arrives downstairs, the lobby is entirely empty without even a bellboy to be found. The boy goes outside and to his surprise everything is white: the tropical island paradise with every color of the rainbow is now entirely white. The people he runs into are also white, but not in the sense of race. These people were as white as snow. This story always terrified me as a child because of my inability to understand how something that I imagine to be the absence of color can be the most terrifying hue in the world. White is so easily tainted, as one can imagine fresh snow being stepped on for the first time and maybe that's one reason it seems frightening. Humans with all our faults have a hard time keeping anything flawless and as children we're often told to be especially careful when wearing white. Whiteness is a very mysterious aspect of the natural world and I would wonder how many people in the world don't even consider it to be natural.

Jacek 6

There is something very interesting about the Melville reading we have done this week. There, he seeks to understand the "nameless horror." To do so, he asks concrete questions, answers them, gives examples, and develops their meaning. In other words, he is carrying out a type of inquiry. Why is this interesting? Because if we generalize, we arrive at the conception of literature as inquiry. Literature as inquiry. But what does literature inquire into exactly? And how does it do so? And furthermore, what does it find?
Melville uses the phrase "man's soul." To make this non-sexist lets use "human soul." (The next question is to ask whether animals have souls.) Is this what literature inquires into then? Can it reach truths that none of our sciences are capable or reaching? What do we learn of our souls from it?

Paul Hunter Zaid #6

Daylight Saving Time Explained

     As I get on in my years, Daylight saving time disrupts me more and more each season. I know I've heard the reasoning behind this system, but I realized it's escaped me and I'm sure many of you are in the same boat. So what's with this whole "Spring ahead, Fall back" business? Benjamin Franklin often gets credit for proposing daylight saving time. I've heard this somewhere along the line, but it’s not exactly true. Instead, Mr. Franklin put forth an idea in a 1784 satirical Journal of Paris essay, “An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light": Residents would save money on candles if they got up with the sun instead of their usual wake-up time of noon. The idea failed to see the light of day until 1883, when U.S. railroads instituted a standardized time for their train schedules. That time change was imposed nationally during the First World War to conserve energy, but was repealed after the war. It again went into effect during World War II.

     After that, it was up to the states to decide if they wanted it, and when it would start and end. Congress finally enacted the Uniform Time Act in 1966, which standardized the beginning and end of daylight time for the states that observed it. In 1974 and 1975, the energy crisis moved Congress to enact earlier daylight start times. They were reversed when the crisis ended. Since then daylight saving time had always been in April- until the Energy Policy Act of 2005 ordered the time change to begin earlier starting in March 2007.

Although there are now some eight months of daylight saving time, not everyone was behind the time change-including myself. 

     Growing up in rural Minnesota my parents told me daylight saving time was created so that farmers would have more daylight while planting in the spring. Of course with the same breath they stated that it was mostly for the town people so that they could play golf and enjoy the outdoors. Many in North America have come to believe that this system is almost a due, to extend the evening in summer. If you want to ignore daylight saving time, head to these places that don’t change their clocks: Hawaii and Arizona (except for the Navajo Nation), American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands all decline to observe daylight saving time, according to the Department of Energy. So is all this worth it? I'm not really sure as I'm lost in thought of long, sunny, warm days.

Narmada Gobin, entry #5

I am kind of excited for our upcoming essay. For one, we will be talking about ourselves. I don't think anyone knows us better than we do. It's interesting to think that we will be relating ourselves to nature. In a way I can see how it is possible but in a way, it sounds pretty hard. Like I've said in a previous post, this class really makes you think about the world and your surrounding environment. I feel like being able to live in New York City and have a roof over your head is such a priviledge. There's so many kids out there drinking dirty water and sleeping on floors filled with rocks. It's a harsh reality that we don't really want to think about. I know for sure I don't like thinking about it. I know I don't take any thing that I possess for granted. I may not be the richest person out there but I make sure that I try my best to help those in need. If I could go to developing countries overseas and help those children I would not even have to think twice. The harsh conditions that they face everyday seems so unreal. You couldn't think that people were capable of living like that. It's not even only kids that are living like that but adults as well. There's a different part of this world that we don't see everyday. Respecting and learning about different environments and appreciating what we have is something people should learn. We should't take our environment for granted. We should accept that we are living a rich lifestyle compared to many others.

Laura Mulhearn #5

Slaves of  Perservatives


Fast Food Nation
Fast Negotiation
Fast Juice Generation
Fast Humanitarian Relation

Slow Brewed Brew
Slow Walks
Slow Cooked Stew
Slow Talks

KFC, Burger King,
Jack In the Box,Wendy's,
Taco Bell, Pizza Hut

IHOP NOMORE
IRUN NOMORE
DRIVE THROUGH THE DRIVE THRU
DO NOT PASS GO

In and Out Burger,Sonic,
Gray's Papaya,Artichoke Pizza,
Popeye's Chicken NEEDS SOME SPINACH!!!

Jacek 5

Perhaps in Thoreau we can find an example of a healthy balance of values and concerns. Clearly, he values nature; but he doesn't stop there. He is also concerned about his fellow human beings, in particular, he is forcefully opposed to slavery.
Since we have finite time and energy we all have to make choices as to what values we will make our own and defend during the course of our lives. But we need balance--how can one focus on protecting the environment without also taking a stand on protecting the human rights of one's fellow human beings? Otherwise, there would seem to be an odd disconnect, since the two are related. When human rights are protected there is a foundation for broadening the sphere of rights to include non-human life. And how can the rights of non-human life be sustained in a world which doesn't respect fundamental human rights?

Yevgeniy Kotlovskiy #2

After the end of a long and snotty battle with the flu, I emerge into a world that has sun and natural remedies for cabin fever. As I walked the streets, I swim the thought of how much more enjoyable life is outside closed doors and why would the best things in life are sometimes just there. Might say that happiness is found when it is no longer sought after or deeply coveted. Yeah, the flu really sucks.

Abdul Moontarin Entry #5

Yesterday was another beautiful day. The fact that there was a nice breeze and the sun was shining bright in the sky made me feel amazing. After my class was over yesterday I took a walk in Central Park. I honestly thought it was spring yesterday. When I was walking in Central Park I ended up sitting on a bench and just examining everything around me. Not only that but after having such a stressful week, by being there in Central Park yesterday made me feel so relaxed and calm. I honestly can't wait for our class to be held in Central Park. I think the park is a beautiful place where we can examine and learn many things. 

Gabriella Grimes Entry #4

I'm feeling a little bit of a love/hate relationship with Nature at the present. This class is definitely something I'm not used to and it's a very new experience. Of all my years of school, I don't think I've ever had to write a paper on anything really concerning nature. In any assignment I had based on a nature reading, the only work that came along with it was analyzing the author's views rather than forming my own opinions. It's sort of bittersweet. I realize that there are a lot of things I should have known before about nature and the environment that I do know now. I didn't know there was such a thing as Anthropocentrism until this semester, and of course I had no idea there was such a thing as Eco-Feminism, but now I feel I can confidently use these terms in some way which is a pretty rad thing. Writing the first paper was definitely a challenge for me, honestly. Before writing the paper, I didn't have as good of a grasp on some of the concepts we were learning in class, but closely reading the Quammen piece actually helped me a lot. Better yet, I've been able to form my own opinions on things which weren't even a little bit relevant to me before 2014. I've gotta say, even though I felt nervous having my essay edited by the class, I'm really happy I was able to have that done. I think my essay is much better than it was before and it's really amazing to look at my first draft and all the concepts I was trying hard to understand and all the thoughts I was trying to organize whereas in my final draft my writing is more confident and concise.

Also I've realized I'm the person who has put up three consecutive posts. This will be my legacy.

Gabriella Grimes Entry #3

I like to consider myself an artist. I don't think I'm that great but it's a stress reliever. A few days ago I decided I wanted to practice painting with acrylics and thought to myself how wonderful it would be to paint something with a tree or animal or something. So naturally, I went online to find a tutorial on how to paint. I didn't get up and go outside to walk to Central Park which is about five blocks west of my apartment. Apparently that was too much trouble for me. Halfway through my painting I looked down at the youtube tutorial on my phone and felt some sort of shame. I could have left my house and look at the tree in front of the building even, but I didn't. I feel that the older I get, the more alienated I become from nature. I never grew up in an area surrounded by grass or mowed lawns, but I always went to the park with friends or family. I hated being inside when I was a child but the older I got, the more I became unimpressed with nature. "This tree is a thousand years old!" someone could tell me, but I wouldn't care. I'm more impressed by my cellphone. Can a tree hold 400 songs? Can a tree give me access to countless pictures of Leonardo DiCaprio? Can a tree show me how to turn an old sweater into a beanie? Granted, it can show me what a tree looks like. However, I don't seem to care anymore about nature. And I feel that when I do decide to go out to the park, I do it to make myself believe I'm more interesting in some way. I want to romanticize my life and what's more horribly romantic than sitting on a park bench and writing in a small notebook about how all the trees are dying.

I care enough about nature to understand that it needs to be preserved but I don't care enough to go out and stare at blades of grass for two hours. I don't want bugs crawling on me or birds attacking me or leaves getting caught in my hair. But I just remembered one day a couple weeks ago when it had just finished snowing. The snow on the ground was already dirty and disgusting and I angrily dragged my feet through gross brown slush on W 118th St, and then I looked up and saw a tree with snow on its branches. It was the only thing left untouched by humans and the only thing in the surrounding area that was actually beautiful. I don't have the greatest relationship with spending time with nature, but it's amazing that when I feel everything outside is nasty that I'll find pleasure in something that grew on its own. Maybe I might spend a bit more time in Central Park. After all, my phone doesn't have leaves that I can color with. My phone doesn't have leaves that change color. My phone doesn't surprise me with grown over time and make my morning with the scent of dew. And my phone cannot provide me with oxygen.

Gabriella Grimes Entry #2

Over the past couple of weeks I've realized that although I would love to be one of those people who loves nature in every way and would be able to survive without technology or any of the items the modern human in America owns today, I am just not one of those people. I want to save trees, but I can't help but to write down assignments on random scraps of paper. And forget about using one piece of paper; I go through about ten pages of paper per week just writing down assignments I shouldn't forget as well as a bunch of other things which I forget anyway. I want to say I care about what I'm doing to the Earth and how I'm affecting it as an individual, but I have my moments. I'll scold people for littering or not recycling properly as I claim over and over again that I was born on Earth Day so I have a responsibility to help Mother Nature out, but then when nobody's looking I'll put a soda bottle in the regular garbage. I'll throw a gum wrapper on the sidewalk; I'll leave the water running and buy fruits and vegetables that are definitely not organic. I would really like to tell people truthfully that I always try to take care of the Earth but it wouldn't be factual. I don't think any human can really say that they haven't disturbed nature in any way. Is that horrible? I don't think so. Someone can't live without using the resources around them. Man will always do things to harm nature but we can also do things to help. So maybe instead of telling people to stop destroying the Earth by disposing cigarette ashes on the street, I should mind my own business and stop leaving the water on in the bathroom.

I'm sorry this made little sense.

Paul Hunter Zaid #5

Oscars and the Environment

     This past Sunday I watched the 2014 Oscars for 7 hours. I poured myself a mimosa at 5pm and watched the celebrities parade down the red carpet and stayed immersed in the awards until the very end. I will admit that I am a celebrity news junkie and I was drooling over Liza Minnelli and Ellen to say the least. I've noticed over the years of my Oscar Award show viewings that there is usually, if not always a documentary that relates to the environment or nature in one way or another. After reviewing the contenders for Best Documentary Short Subject, I discovered CaveDigger, produced by Jeffrey Karoff. This film is the story of Ra Paulette, a man who obsessively digs massive, ornately carved sandstone caves in Northern New Mexico as art. This artwork is commissioned by members of the public, who envision smaller scale projects, but Paulette often takes years to finish, and artistic conflict ensues over money and the scope of the project. All of his caves are created by using just hand tools. The story is the classic battle of how one knows when an artistic project is finished. At the end of the film, we see Paulette start his magnum opus (great work), a cave he expects to take the last 10 years of his life to create, on unauthorized land, and in secret. 

     Although the film did not win the Academy Award I felt it was a vital tidbit to post to our class blog as it relates to the course theme of environment and nature. My reasoning for blogging about CaveDigger is that we always seem to find ourselves looking at the destruction of the environment and here is an artist and filmmaker who have shown us how art, film, and appreciation in the most simple form as sandstone can be recognized by Hollywood and those who view this documentary. We all may view our talents, goals, and dreams as small commissioned works, but we must know that we have the power to create cathedral size outcomes. 

"Dream on it. Let your mind take you to places you would like to go, and then think about it and plan it and celebrate the possibilities. And don't listen to anyone who doesn't know how to dream." 

-Liza Minnelli

cavediggerdocumentary.com

Abdul Moontarin Entry #4

This  past Monday supposedly New York was supposed to have a severe snow storm. Im here thinking "Here we go again, another long day of inches of snow that I have to shovel". I woke up thinking it was like winter wonderland outside. Instead I saw small little white dots on the streets. I actually started laughing of how exaggerated people made the snow storm seem. Honestly, I like winter but, having a snow storm every week is really a pain. I was relieved to see there was barely and inch of snow outside. I really hope it continues to be like this until Spring comes. I just wish it starts to get a bit warmer. Other than that I am actually loving the weather we are currently having.

Ximena Esparza, 4

The cracked podcast, from the Earwolf network, releases its episodes every Monday morning and this week's topic was "Mind Blowing Ideas About Alien Life." It sounds silly but bare with me. They talked about alien life in ways that would not have occurred to most people. They claim that the death of alien sightings/UFO phenomena was camera phones and that we are unbelievably anthropocentric for being convinced the aliens' ultimate destination is "our backyard."
This episode caused me a mini-existentialist crisis way too early in the week. Firstly, they bring up the idea that aliens, provided that they exist and are intelligent, may already be among us. If we can very easily make a chimpanzee mom out of pillows to trick a baby chimpanzee, what assures us that aliens don't already fake themselves as humans. Well, our dominant views lead us to believe aliens could never do that because they would probably be clumsy at faking human emotions thus blowing up their spot. This is rather humorous because aliens would have the technology to travel across the universe to earth but would fail to replicate a simple smile.
Another centric view on the subject is that we feel attacked because aliens may need our resources. The fact that we think our resources are so "special" that creatures from other planets would use their advanced technology to get their hands on some water proves how human-centric we really are. Our planet is made up of the same elements of many other stars. There are also countless stars like our sun that can provide similar conditions to other planes, like the sun to earth, to create and sustain life.
Lastly, as a human race we have been doing research about space for such a minute period of time that chances are we won't find aliens any time soon.
Cracked Podcast - Mind-Blowing Ideas About Alien Life

Melissa Leggard number 3

The Only One That Knows Your Heart

It would be the perfect day if I could figure you out.

The amazing memories we shared are too numerous to count.

The kisses on my forehead

The laughs

Fights

Hugs

Or the promise wrapped in red.

You’re shy, outgoing and comical wrapped in one.

Jerk

Baby

Are names that stung

Good context or bad

Names that shone on my darkest days; somewhat of a dad

Caretaker

Lover

Fighter

Things you both shared.

The only difference was you actually care

I need you present not just for now

But when we're old and never questioned how

How we got here?

How we lasted?

Are things I never heard you say

But instead mom did

I wish she had someone like you

To love and cherish and hold

To grow old

You’re the best gift god gave me

And that promise tied in red will surely keep

 

 

 

 

 

Jacek 4

I just read Paul's post 4 below and I agree with what he is saying about fear. So what do we do? Consciousness is the first step--we become aware of our fear. Then we are faced with what can be a difficult choice: how to respond?

Here are my observations on the Thoreau piece. I found it difficult to separate what is valuable in it from what isn't. In parts he seems to be constructing a mythology out of other mythology. So what results? Well, more mythology. But why?
There is an Orwellian line on page 184. Thoreau says: "...the farmer displaces the Indian..." Farmers and Indians are not inert bodies that displace each other, like when you place some mass in a container of water and the water gets displaced. Thoreau must have known that the farmers and Indians came into conflict and then we know what happened, and so did he. So Thoreau is using language to mask the facts, just as Orwell said about the English language.

Melissa Leggard number 2

I appreciate the fact that we can come together and commentate on each others work. Although I have not gone yet I feel that it has affected all of our personal writings. I like the fact that we can take criticism as a class and perfect our writings. I have made many changes to my essay I hope that it is what professor wants out of an essay.

Laura Mulhearn #4

Star light, star bright

The coldness of this winter has chilled me to the bone. I watched a movie today with someone that I know from long ago. Her name has changed to be an alias. This is so strange.She carreid over her life so fast.
She worked on a ship and now she is in a movie. How could she be so lucky? I have only dreamt of being in the movies and nothing has ever worked out for me. I guess I could be jealous or I just don't know how she transitioned so fast. It's been years and I have never made anything in film that I have wished. Sometimes in life there is a gold star for a do gooder and a gold star for a walk of  famer. The only stars I tend to see are in the sky.
I read the poem Star by W.S.Merwin and it seems that the star he writes about is an Ape. Go figure.

"Star light, star bright,

The first star I see tonight;

I wish I may, I wish I might,

Have the wish I wish tonight.^{[1"  - IT'S AN APE!!!}

^Footnote1English language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 16339.

Narmada Gobin, Entry #4

The workshops we have been doing in class seems to be really helpful because everyone has a different way of reading and interpreting our papers. So, all the different opinions and feedbacks that we recieve helps each writer see their various writing issues and in a way help fix them. Personally I was really embarassed when my paper was read out loud because I felt that out of all the papers that I read, mines was probably the wrost. It made me realize how bad my writing really is. I do admit that I am probably not a good writer  but I do want to express myself in a way that people can understand me and what I am trying to prove in my papers. Sometimes criticism is harsh because what I am trying to say in my paper, someone else might not understand it. So for me to go and change it is pretty hard! However, I  take the critism with a very open mind because I want to make sure that others understand my work. I am hoping that throughout the semester my papers will improve. The topic for the next paper seems very interesting and I hope it will turn out better than this once.

KayJoon Post #4

My parents have always been very generous when it comes to guests, visitors and anyone who may need a place to stay. I have a big family, therefore we have a pretty big house (for Queens at least) and it’s open to just about everyone and anyone. Our latest tenants being cats. My parents have been feeding the neighborhood cats for a while and there was only so much time until they were welcome inside. The problem is, we already have a cat (a very disagreeable one, who fights all the strays that come through). Point of all of this is that this has led me to do TONS of research on non-euthanizing animal shelters in the area. To my surprise, there were very few. So I visited the one closest to me and it turns out they don’t take strays! I’m extremely frustrated, not with the shelters, but with humanity. I’m also very embarrassed, and guilty, of being part of a world that just doesn’t care. I’m pretty sure animals’ lives are meant to be enjoyed and carefree, but for some reason they cause us stress and lots of trouble.