Archives for July 2010

“I find beauty in things that might not be beautiful to others,” says photographer, Kree Gumbs. His edgy style, eye for beauty, and amazing talent come off in every photo he shoots. Only 20-years-old, this Brooklyn resident challenges what is trendy or hip and breaks barriers by juxtaposing what he sees as true beauty and what the world may categorize as beautiful. Initially, he began taking photographs for Myspace and his ability to capture moments continued to grow. Kree does not limit himself to a specific genre of photography. He takes pictures of anything that catches his eye from a parked yellow Lamborghini in Soho, NYC to a blue butterfly bush in his mother’s garden. “I like taking pictures of everything and anything that sparks my attention.” I attempted to get him to pick a favorite photo but Kree, like a proud father, loves all his pictures equally. He, however, feels what sets him apart from other young photographers is that he sees the world through a different pair of lenses. Kree sees beyond what is normal and accepted by society. He is never afraid to take a photograph that some may consider a risk. “I don’t feel people see what I see when I look at the world.” This theory reflects his idea that his photographs are taken based on his natural instinct to recognize beauty. It doesn’t take him long to catch a stunning photograph, “if the object is eye catching, I just focus and shoot,” says Kree. He is also interested in Video Editing, Graphic Design and “Anything Artsy.” Kree exemplifies the importance of youth engagement in the arts such as photography. I think Kree and I can agree that the world would be a rather boring place without art. It is amazing how he is able to touch so many different people of different ages, of different views, and perspectives with his photographs. Kree sees photography as an opportunity to express himself. It enables him to reveal to others a view of the world through his thick magnifying glasses.

 Do really believe that beauty is really skin deep? Or do you believe that it is judge by society?

Every day we look at the T.V or magazine and see beauty as it is perceived by society. Society has told us that being a size zero and wearing every fashion alive, is the only way you will be accepted. We tend to take that to heart. Whatever happened to being yourself and being accepted for who you are? We wonder what the next fall fashion is going to, instead of what our next exam is going to be on. As we fall in to our appearance, the more we fall out of knowing who we are.

    With the pressures of living up to societies expectations, we are inflicted with low-self esteem. Low- self esteem is defined as:  self-esteem reflects a person‘s overall evaluation or appraisal of her or his own worth. When life throws us a new wardrobe every season and we fail to collect or add that wardrobe to the one we had just a season ago, we are viewed as “not fly” ” not popping” or “not up to date” and that’s when our social life declines. When our social life declines, so does our self esteem {at a faster rate}. We tend to blame ourselves for our misfortune, because you did not buy this seasons wardrobe because, last season’s wardrobe was so expensive. We do not realize that it is not our faults it is societies.

   Society also chooses our mind set as well, when it comes to the point of our appearance .As we get older, and we reach the peak of our adolescent years, we are more vulnerable to changes in our appearance by society. It’s like we just let society take over our mind and change the way we view our appearance, and the way we think other people look. Society changes more than just our minds it changes our social class.

   As we change physically, we change who we hang out with and who we attract. When we follow society, we tend to not care for the people that were your friend before the big change and we leave them behind. After our old friends are shaken off, we look for people who also changed with us and start to unite with them, and then wreak havoc on the ones who you left behind. Society is also wreaking havoc on our minds and attitude.

     Do you really know who you are? Or do you know the person society wants you to be? Society has really evolved into something, that hypnotizes or minds and thinking processes.

       

Lots of times I hear to be more girly you have to wear a skirt, or you have to wear lipstick, or bright nail polish. I consider my self-girly, but not to the point where consider me having to wear tight shirts or mini skirts. Me being girly is letting out the inner girl. For example, the fact that I can cry to a friend about boy problems, instead of me puffing out my chest saying, “ I’m good” when I’m really not, makes me consider my self as a girl. Cause I can go through that girl problem then cry about it makes me girly in my eyes. Being girly isn’t wearing your hair out everyday, especially when you’re a ponytail girl. Does that consider me a man or a tomboy? Although I can sound like one at times? And that my hands aren’t exactly as soft as other girls? Guys look for the girly girls that show there girly interest on the outside of them, they look at them for what they wear, the color of there lip gloss, they shape of there butt of breast instead of the inside girly part of them. I’m considering about being the external girly, but would that change the way my special type of internal girly is? Or does it depend on the fact that I can keep my special type of girly while changing my look? To be both types of girly. I will try it out and make a deal. If my external girly interferes with my internal girly, I feel that it isn’t worth my new change. Dressing in jeans and a T- shirt, is something that makes me feel comfortable, but trying something new is something I’m willing to try out. In the end, I’m still me on the inside, that’s the one type of girly that wont change. /Users/si121840/Desktop/eva-longoria-housewives3.jpg vs. /Users/si121840/Desktop/3294049702_06572b77ee.jpg

It isn’t success after all, is it, if it isn’t an expression of your deepest energies? (French, Marilyn) Everything we do in life comes at a fast pace and we sometimes put enough energy in to it. Life comes with lessons that we never expect and it either teaches us or we suffer for our decisions. Being a hard worker means to take criticism from other when you’re incorrect and being humble to make that change.  

Having self discipline is one idea of hard work. You wonder to yourself, how can having self discipline make me a better person? When a man has self discipline in his life he knows who he is. Women argue how men don’t do enough, which listening to their feeling is an annoyance, not knowing how to do simple things such as cooking and cleaning. For man to have self discipline he allows himself to fix himself. I mean that when he sees his wrong, he wouldn’t ignore it. He would respond in a direct way because he knows that pain will be a factor and probability that he will hurt himself or other person. If men would put a greater emphasis into who they are, we would see the rates in dead beat fathers go down, more homes secure with a father figure, which can make sons into great men in society and less of women feeling that men are boys and that the a good man  really exist. I believe that women have more self discipline than men because research and my personal experience show that women are harder working than men. Some women have an mentality of getting things done at a fast pace and not wasting time as too some men would relax first then do work later.

I say that’s a slap in the face when it comes to hard working. Are women more hard workers than men? Yet is it the individual that defies the gender? Men and women always feel that one’s is either superior to another or than being equal is a must or a myth between us.

Having the ability to be a hard worker comes in all of us, however if we are a man or a woman we should acknowledge that hard working is a discipline in our self. Willing to be ardent about whom we are, defines our capability in how we handle this world and if we can bond and share the generous work that each of us created.

Was there ever a time when you wanted to go somewhere but you didn’t know where? When you don’t have a place to go what should you do? You should search the internet for places to go or just go walking around the city with a friend; you would be surprise on what places you will bump into. My top recommends places for you to go to this summer would be the Top of the Rock, Riverbank State Park, Central Park, Ripley’s Believe it or Not museum and Boat rides (the beast and the circle line).                                    

The Top of the Rock is located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (the entrance is on 50^th street between 5^th and 6^th avenue. It is opened from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm. This is a great place to take pictures and also see every inch of New York City without actually going there. Tickets prices are as follows, adults: $18.00, children (6-12): $13.00, Seniors (62+): $18.00, sunrise sunset (adult and seniors): $30.00 and sunrise sunset children: $15.00.  The sunrise sunset ticket allows visitors to come two times in one day, for example if you wish to come once in the morning and then again in the evening.

Riverbank State Park is located at 679 Riverside Dr and for any information you may call (212)-694-3600. Riverbank is opened all year around from 6:00am to 11:00pm you can get to riverbank by car or by taking the #1 train or the Bx19 bus straight into the park. The events that you can do involve an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, a skating rink for ice skating from November to January and roller skating for the rest of the year, a section for: baseball, basketball, paddleball, and track. There is also a great view along the side of the Hudson River. This place is also great for picnics. Prices vary depending what it is you want to do.

Central Park extends from Central Park South which is (59th St.) to 110th St. at the northern end and from 5th Ave. on the East Side to Central Park West (8th Ave.) on the West Side. Did you know that Central Park covers 843 acres which is 6% of Manhattan? There are events such as Shakespeare in the park that are taking place this summer in central park. There are also about 49 different places that can be viewed at central park for more information on those places goes on to www.centralpark.com.

Ripley’s Believe it or Not museum is located right in Times Square of 234 west 42^nd street, for more information you may call at (212)-398-3133. This museum includes over 500 unusual artifacts from all over the world from the one and only Robert Ripley. They have a gift store and if you want more information you can go to www.ripleysnewyork.com. The hours range from 9:00am to 1:00am and are open all year around. The ticket prices are as follows, general admission: $26.95, childrens (ages 4-12): $19.95, senior citizens: $21.95 children (ages 3 and under): free.  

The beast is reccomended for people with a more wild adventurous side. To take this heart pounding ride go to pier 83 located at west 42^nd street. This ride is 30 minutes long and the beast goes 45mph. the rides will be going on from May 1^st to September 30^th. The hours range from 12:00pm to 7:00pm. Although in order to ride the Beast you must be at east 40”/100cm tall. The prices on tickets are as follows, adults: $22, children: $16, senior citizens: $22.

However if you do not like wild rides, you can try something more calming like the sightseeing cruises. They have three versions of this type of cruise; the different types are as follows: the three hour cruise explores three rivers, seven major bridges, and an extraordinary close up view of the statue of liberty. This cruise also includes a snack bar and a gift shop all on board. The ticket prices for the 3hr cruise is $34 for adults, $21 for children, and $29 for senior citizens. The two hour cruise takes you on a semi-circle cruise, which you will be able to see a close up of lady liberty, sail down the hudson, cruise around the battery, up the east river, and under the Brooklyn, Mahattan, and Williamsburg Bridges to the united nations and back. The prices for this cruise are as follows $30 for adults, $19 for children, and $26 for seniors. The last version of all three types of cruises is the 75min liberty cruise. On this cruise you will see and hear about the statue of liberty, Ellis island, the historic immigration center, and the world financial center. The ticket prices on this cruise are as follows: adults – $24, children – $16, and senior citizens – $21.

Don’t waste this summer make it as adventurous and exciting as it can be. Make this summer an outer body experience by going to places that you love and know that you will enjoy and also try going places that you have never been to before.   

Daily when kids turn on the television to turn to a channel, they would always turn to a cartoon channel. That we have established to be the natural attraction of all kids. However, the problem is how many of the cartoons are actually cool, fun, and educational at the same time? Even though many cartoons do give moral lessons in its episodes, many don’t give kids that are 5 and up educational foundations.

Where’s the Magic School Bus?

As a child growing in the 90’s, I have always been attracted to the Magic School Bus cartoon because it’s fun, humorous, cool, and educational.
“I remember sitting in front of the T.V. with my eyes glued to it; it was so fascinating,” expressed Jin Mei Chen, an uprising senior at NYC Lab School.

Through Magic School Bus kids are exposed to the sciences around them. This cartoon served as a foundation for kids that once they are old enough to learn about science, they know something already.

In one of the episodes, the class of six elementary students led by Ms. Frizzle went inside a human body. As a kid, learning about how the body works would not only make them learn but also question. This starts them to think about the subject and stir their curiosities up in order to get them excited for school.

Despite how fabulous, fun and educational cartoons are, many similar cartoons to the Magic School Bus are not produced or aired anymore. When counting the number of exciting and educational cartoons, one would never need another hand to count over 10. So, what happened to the Magic School Bus? For years there are no new episodes of the Magic School Bus. This is a pity because some people argue that the Magic School Bus would mislead the kids to think about unrealistic information such as a school bus that can turn into anything. The problem with that argument is that nowadays most kids are all over cartoons that contain even more fantasy like Yu-Gi-Oh.

We need Magic School Bus back and new, fun and educational cartoons in order to help build educational foundations for the kids.

In every second, somebody somewhere is doing something that damages the Earth. Little things such as turning off the lights and leaving the tap water on can make a difference; it can either help the earth, or worsen it. Did you know that where you buy fruits from matters as well? The next time you go shopping for fruits, don’t go to the supermarket. Go to a local farmers’ market instead.
Once you step into the fruit aisle in the supermarket, you find apples piled up high and apples in clear bags labeled organic. There are more to these apples than you think. The apples in the high pile are commercially grown and most likely bought from an apple orchard very far from the supermarket or in another state for a cheaper price. That means that these apples contain some pesticide residue and uses up a lot of truck fuel to arrive to the supermarket. The organic apples must be better and healthier than the piled commercial apples since it a bit more expensive and organic right? Although the organic apples may be a slightly better alternative over the commercial piled apples, the bagged organic apples can be just as bad as the piled commercial apples. Organic apples are labeled “organic” because they are grown without pesticide and with techniques that are a bit more eco-friendlier. However, the organic apples are bought from farms far away and placed in plastic bags. This means that these apples uses up a lot of truck fuel to be delivered to the supermarket and uses up more water, energy, and nonrenewable fuels to create plastic bags that are non-biodegradable.
A farmers’ markets sell fruits that are grown through sustainable agriculture. This means that a farmers’ markets sell fruits and vegetables that are grown locally through eco-friendlier practices. According to the “Food, Fuel, and Freeways” study by Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture Chicago, apples that were shipped to the Terminal market travelled 1,555 miles while the apples that were shipped to the farmers’ market travelled 105 miles. The 1,555 mile drive calculates to more than 10 gallons of gas used to deliver apples to the terminal market. According to the Environmental Protection Agency of Transportation and Air Quality, every gallon of gas produces about 20 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. By the time the apples reach the terminal market from the farm, more than 200 pounds of carbon dioxide are produced. The apples that are shipped to the farmers’ market would save 180 pounds of carbon dioxide.
Choosing where to buy fruits may seem like a little thing, but that little thing can impact the earth. The apples from supermarkets use up a lot of fuel and deliver a lot of carbon dioxide into the earth’s atmosphere. The apples from a farmers’ market use less fuel and emit less carbon dioxide. Supporting a local farmers’ market can provide a safer environment.

The fashion world is distancing away from us every minute, every day. Honestly, I don’t know what the latest trend is anymore. All I do is look around and follow the trends my friends and classmates follow in school. I feel that it is unnecessary to have fashion trends because after awhile, it would be abandoned and another new trend becomes “hit”. Then it goes in a cycle all over again. It’s just like catching a bus and if you missed it, all you can do is wait for another bus. I am struggling to catch up with everyone else and I’m always wondering how a new trend forms. Who started all these new trends? What is the purpose of these trends? A few weeks ago, animal shaped rubber bands were a hit. Majority of the students were wearing them like bracelets and they were collecting different animal shaped rubber bands. Well, they are just rubber bands that have a shape of an animal. It’s not like we never saw a rubber band before. I guess it’s something new and we are curious about it for awhile and once we are bored with it, we just put it aside. I, myself collected 6 of them-a car, camel, penguin, duck, dolphin, and pig. I got bored with it and gave some to my friends. Even if I give it to them, they wouldn’t want it because it is out of date. It’s not popular anymore so it’s useless to wear it. I left my “bracelets” on my desk and I haven’t touched or looked at it for awhile. I’m glimpsing at people’s wrists and none of them are wearing it!The price increased to $4.99 a pack of 24 rubber bands when it was a hit. After a week or two, unsurprisingly it dropped to $2.99 in Walgreen and in the streets; they sell them for $1.00. Now what happens to the rest of the leftover products in stores if no one is buying it? Well, they just have to be patient and wait approximately a few years later where the rubber bands become popular again. The rubber bands would be waiting in the storage room until they become old and dusty. Recently, it has been peaceful with no new fashion trends. If we are having fashion trends, why don’t we do something more productive like everyone supporting “going green” and carry a recyclable tote bag. We can even buy reusable water bottles so we can reduce plastic water bottles. It would be fashionable and it shows that we do care about our environment.