FRO13 BWB

For the enrichment workshop we had to visit the Mishkin gallery located in Baruch’s Field building. We go to view and learn about many of Theresa Bernstein’s works of art. I had never seen her art so it was a brand new experience, while I don’t love her art I do think that some of her paintings were quite good. I really liked the painting where Bernstein’s father was reading in the New York Public Library, I really liked it because of her use of warm colors, it really made the scene look realistic. When I first saw it automatically reminded me of the 42^nd street library, the painting really made me want to sit down and read like the subjects of the painting. Overall this workshop was a great experience in that it allowed me to take time off and just relax looking at art, something I haven’t done in a while. It also made me interested in learning more about Bernstein because she seemed like an interesting character, her art was very varied and show different states of Bernstein’s life. It seems as if she is the type of artist that uses paintings to channel her emotions and so you can learn a lot about her through her art. I also think that it’s great that Baruch has a gallery because sometimes we can get so involved in our studies that we forget to enjoy life and I think the gallery offers us an opportunity to relax for a few minutes and think about other things besides work.

I think that it is definitely the government’s responsibility to make sure that all its citizens have health care. When reading the Bloomberg rankings for universal health care systems it was surprising for me to realize that countries like China, Algeria and Iran have a more effective universal health care system than riches country in the world, the United States. While the US constitution says nothing about healthcare I believe it is the government’s responsibility to take care of it’s citizens and taking care of its citizens not only defending them from international threats like terrorism and such but also protecting their health. I commend the Obama administration in its attempt to provide a universal health care system however I must admit that this attempt is not completely successful, since according to the ny times  “14 million eligible Americans are uninsured and living in poverty.” I do not think that it is possible for a nation to be considered successful if a great number of its citizens are not cared for. While I understand some people’s stance when they say that its not fair for the hard working people who have to pay their insurance when some “lazy” jobless people get free healthcare, I disagree because the ability to be healthy is a human right in my opinion. Think about the people who because of circumstances beyond their control like an illness or something can’t work, do they not have a right to be treated by a doctor? People need to realize that we are talking about other human beings and we should care about them just as much as we care about ourselves and our families and friends. We should strive to make living conditions better for all and not just for ourselves.

Who I am Playlist

Hi guys I am Maria and this is my playlist (you can click the link to listen), I have a weird taste in music as you can probably tell but that’s ok :

You Are More- Tenth Avenue North

I truly love this song, Its the type of song that can lift your spirit when you are down in the dumps because it is a reminder of everyone’s tremendous value.

When you look me in the eyes- Jonas Brothers

Fly with me- Jonas Brothers

These two songs are examples of my love for love songs and the Jonas Brothers, yes I love the Jonas Brothers and if you think they suck, i am sorry but I do not care I LOVE them!

Defying Gravity- Wicked Cast

Big Bang Two- Chameleon Circuit

This song is evidence of my Loser-dom lol its about Doctor Who, the British tv show, I absolutely love Doctor Who its a great show, everyone should watch it, I apologize in advance if I annoy you with my doctor Who talk I just can’t help it.

I can only imagine- Mercy Me

This is a christian song, the reason why I included it is not exactly the words although they are beautiful but rather the memory attached to it. In the beginning of junior year of high school one of my friends was murdered and this song was played in her funeral. It was a crazy experience I had never had anyone so close to me die it was a confusing and anger-filled experience. I couldn’t understand how a human being could kill another human being. It also was shocking to be confronted by the fact that someone my age with great plans for their future could actually die, it completely threw me off and led me to rethink the plans I had for my future. It made me think about what was the point of living simply to please myself.  I want to never forget to be grateful to God for allowing me to live one more day,although at this point i am not sure what i want to do with my life i do know that i want to do something that has a positive impact on people’s lives. I do not want to live a life where i look back and say what was the point? From this experience I also learned that i should treat people with great respect and show them love everyday because you never know what can happen.

My own little world- Matthew West

Good Riddance- Green day

Don’t Worry, Be Happy- Bobby Mcferrin

Mexico Lindo y Querido- Alejandro Fernandez

I grew up listening to my mom sing this song I think its beautiful because it is a song about the writer’s great love for Mexico,my homeland.

I hope you guys were able to learn somethings about who i am and i hope to get to know you all a bit more this semester and the next years to come.

With much love,

Maria Mares