There is a difference between
Life and Survival.
Whatever medical science may profess, there is a difference between Life and survival. There is more to being alive than just having a heartbeat and brain activity. Being alive, really alive, is something much subtler and more magnificent. Their instruments measure blood pressure and temperature, but overlook joy, passion, love, all the things that make life really matter. To make our lives matter again, to really get the most out of them, we will have to redefine life itself. We have to dispense with their merely clinical definitions, in favor of ones which have more to do with what we actually feel.
As it stands, how much living do we have in our lives? How many mornings do you wake up feeling truly free, thrilled to be alive, breathlessly anticipating the experiences of a new day? How many nights do you fall asleep feeling fulfilled, going over the events of the past day with satisfaction? Most of us feel as though everything has already been decided without us, as if living is not a creative activity but rather something that happens to us. That's not being alive, that's just surviving: being undead. We have undertakers, but their services are not usually required; we have morgues, but we spend most of our time in office cubicles and video arcades, in shopping malls, in front of televisions. Of course suburban housewives and petty executives are terrified of risk and change; they can't imagine that there is anything more valuable than physical safety. Their hearts may be beating, but they no longer believe in their dreams, let alone chase after them.
But this is how the revolution begins: a few of us start chasing our dreams, breaking our old patterns, embracing what we love (and in the process discovering what we hate), daydreaming, questioning, acting outside the boundaries of routine and regularity. Others see us doing this, see people daring to be more creative and more adventurous, more generous and more ambitious than they had imagined possible, and join us one by one. Once enough people embrace this new way of living, a point of critical mass is finally reached, and society itself begins to change. From that moment, the world will start to undergo a transformation: from the frightening, alien place that it is, into a place ripe with possibility, where our lives are in our own hands and any dream can come true.
So do what you want with your life, whatever it is! But to be sure you do get what you want, think carefully about what it really is, first, and how to go about getting it. Analyze the world around you, so you'll know which people and forces are working against your desires, and which ones are on your side... and how you can work together with us. We're out here, living life to the fullest, waiting for you-hopping trains across the United States, organizing political protests in French public schools, writing beautiful letters at sunrise in Bangkok. We just finished making love in the corporate washroom a minute before you walked in on your half hour lunchbreak. And Life is waiting for you with us, on the peaks of unclimbed mountains, in the smoke of campfires and burning buildings, in the arms of lovers who will turn your world upside down. Come join us!
CrimethInc. Workers' Collective Trans-Cyberian Consulate 3.0.5 (Build 16), CSS 2 and XHTML 1.0 T
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
8 things to do to get active
1.
Pay attention to where and how you spend your money. Is your money going to support companies that don't care about you? Are they destroying the environment, killing animals, treating your friends who work for them like shit? Are they trying as hard as they can to sell you a product that gives you cancer? Are their advertisements designed to manipulate you, to make you feel insecure or make their product seem like more than it really is? You don't need to give those motherfuckers your money! For that matter—do you buy many things that you don't need? Soft drinks and junk food at convenience stores, for example? Do you end up spending a lot of money whenever you want to relax and have a good time? There are a thousand things you and your friends can do that are fun, creative, and don't cost anything (having intense discussions, exploring hidden parts of your town, making music—instead of drinking at bars or going to movies and restaurants) just as there a thousand ways you can eat and live more cheaply (Food Not Bombs, building furniture instead of buying it, living in big houses with a bunch of friends). Once you experiment a bit, you'll probably find that you enjoy life a lot more when you're not always shelling out cash for it.
2.
Now that you spend less, you can work less, too! Think about how much more time that gives you to do other things. Not only will it be easier to do things that help you spend less, like volunteering at Food Not Bombs (the less you work, the more time you have to make sure you don't need to), you'll also be able to do all the things you never had time for before: you can travel, exercise, spend more time with your friends and lovers. When it's sunny and beautiful outside, you can go out and enjoy it!
3.
And you'll have time to do the other things you need to do to take back control of your life and your world. First, start reading. It doesn't really matter what, so long as it makes you think about things and gives you new ideas of your own. Read novels about human beings struggling against their society, like J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye or George Orwell's 1984 or Joseph Heller's Catch 22; read the beautiful, dreamers' prose of Jeanette Winterson or Henry Miller. Read history: learn about the Spanish revolution in the 1930's, where whole cities were run by the people who lived in them, rather than by governments; learn about the labor union struggle in the USA, or the Free Speech Movement in Berkeley in the 1960's. Read philosophy, read about environmental issues, read vegan cookbooks and underground 'zines and comics and everything you can get your hands on. Here's a hint: if there's a university in your town, you can probably get a membership for about $10 a year—and most libraries include videos, too!
4.
Reading isn't the only way you can expand your horizons and clarify your ideas. Talk to people about the things that interest you, arguing when you don't agree, so you'll get to know your own beliefs better. Write to the people who are doing the 'zines you like, discuss and debate things with them, ask them for directions to find out more about your interests. Try writing about your own ideas, and sharing that with people, until you feel confident doing this. Travel to different places, try to learn about other cultures and communities, so you'll have more than one perspective on the world and you can start to imagine what the world is like through other people's eyes.
5.
Now you'll know what you want, and you can go about getting it. Seek out other people and groups with similar goals, and figure out how to support them or participate in what they're doing. Maybe you can copy fliers and give them out at shows; maybe you can organize benefit shows for organizations you want to support (women's shelters, radical bookshops, local groups protesting against the execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal or lobbying for protection of the environment). Maybe there are public protests and demonstrations going on that you want to be part of. Try to help find ways to make these more challenging and fun than just a bunch of people holding signs; everyone's so bored with doing that that there must be a more effective and exciting way to go about it.
6.
You can start your own projects, as well, you know. If there's no Food Not Bombs in your area, get a group of people together and find some local businesses that will donate their leftover food. If there's something fucked up at your high school or college or workplace, try organizing a walkout to force the "authorities" to do something about it... and to show everyone that those "authorities" only have as much power as we let them have. If the main street of your town lacks life and excitement, try organizing an unexpected festival to take place in the middle of it one weekend. Shake up everyone's lives and expectations, shake them out of their apathy and boredom so they'll start thinking about things. Establish networks with other people who are also interested in having an effect on the world around them, so you can help each other do this.
7.
Through all of this, don't stop questioning yourself and your assumptions. Try to see through all the social programming you've received throughout your life: consider how gender roles constrain the way you act, how your own relationships with people reproduce the same hierarchical order that your fighting in mainstream society. We're not going to really change anything unless we can create new ways of living and interacting, new values that show themselves in the way we treat each other. Show your friends how much you care about them. Consider doing things you never thought you should or could do: dancing, singing, admitting things that you've been taught to be ashamed of.
8.
Now look to the future. How can you stay involved with these things as you get older? How can you construct your life so you will always be free to do what you want to? Talk to people older than you who haven't given up and gone back to the daily grind of eat-work-sleep-watch TV. With a little input from them and a lot of resolve on your part, you can maintain your activities and your lifestyle as long as you want to. Idealism, adventure, and resistance don't have to be reserved for youth alone. History is filled with men and women who refused to compromise or calm down, who went all out from the cradle to the grave. They are the artists, the leaders, the heroes and heroines even people from the mainstream respect. We can all have lives like theirs, if we're brave and idealistic enough.
If all of us demand control over what we do and what goes on around us, if all of us do what we can to make life exciting and fair for everyone, things are bound to change. A lot of people know that we don't live in the best of all possible worlds, but persuade themselves that it's hopeless to try to improve things because they're afraid to commit themselves, to take any risks. But it's that lack of ambition that is the biggest risk of all—for what if you do nothing, and nothing happens, and we lose our chance to make this world the paradise it should be? Don't be shy or timid—there's nothing more exciting than taking an active role in the world around you, and there's nothing more worthwhile!
Pay attention to where and how you spend your money. Is your money going to support companies that don't care about you? Are they destroying the environment, killing animals, treating your friends who work for them like shit? Are they trying as hard as they can to sell you a product that gives you cancer? Are their advertisements designed to manipulate you, to make you feel insecure or make their product seem like more than it really is? You don't need to give those motherfuckers your money! For that matter—do you buy many things that you don't need? Soft drinks and junk food at convenience stores, for example? Do you end up spending a lot of money whenever you want to relax and have a good time? There are a thousand things you and your friends can do that are fun, creative, and don't cost anything (having intense discussions, exploring hidden parts of your town, making music—instead of drinking at bars or going to movies and restaurants) just as there a thousand ways you can eat and live more cheaply (Food Not Bombs, building furniture instead of buying it, living in big houses with a bunch of friends). Once you experiment a bit, you'll probably find that you enjoy life a lot more when you're not always shelling out cash for it.
2.
Now that you spend less, you can work less, too! Think about how much more time that gives you to do other things. Not only will it be easier to do things that help you spend less, like volunteering at Food Not Bombs (the less you work, the more time you have to make sure you don't need to), you'll also be able to do all the things you never had time for before: you can travel, exercise, spend more time with your friends and lovers. When it's sunny and beautiful outside, you can go out and enjoy it!
3.
And you'll have time to do the other things you need to do to take back control of your life and your world. First, start reading. It doesn't really matter what, so long as it makes you think about things and gives you new ideas of your own. Read novels about human beings struggling against their society, like J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye or George Orwell's 1984 or Joseph Heller's Catch 22; read the beautiful, dreamers' prose of Jeanette Winterson or Henry Miller. Read history: learn about the Spanish revolution in the 1930's, where whole cities were run by the people who lived in them, rather than by governments; learn about the labor union struggle in the USA, or the Free Speech Movement in Berkeley in the 1960's. Read philosophy, read about environmental issues, read vegan cookbooks and underground 'zines and comics and everything you can get your hands on. Here's a hint: if there's a university in your town, you can probably get a membership for about $10 a year—and most libraries include videos, too!
4.
Reading isn't the only way you can expand your horizons and clarify your ideas. Talk to people about the things that interest you, arguing when you don't agree, so you'll get to know your own beliefs better. Write to the people who are doing the 'zines you like, discuss and debate things with them, ask them for directions to find out more about your interests. Try writing about your own ideas, and sharing that with people, until you feel confident doing this. Travel to different places, try to learn about other cultures and communities, so you'll have more than one perspective on the world and you can start to imagine what the world is like through other people's eyes.
5.
Now you'll know what you want, and you can go about getting it. Seek out other people and groups with similar goals, and figure out how to support them or participate in what they're doing. Maybe you can copy fliers and give them out at shows; maybe you can organize benefit shows for organizations you want to support (women's shelters, radical bookshops, local groups protesting against the execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal or lobbying for protection of the environment). Maybe there are public protests and demonstrations going on that you want to be part of. Try to help find ways to make these more challenging and fun than just a bunch of people holding signs; everyone's so bored with doing that that there must be a more effective and exciting way to go about it.
6.
You can start your own projects, as well, you know. If there's no Food Not Bombs in your area, get a group of people together and find some local businesses that will donate their leftover food. If there's something fucked up at your high school or college or workplace, try organizing a walkout to force the "authorities" to do something about it... and to show everyone that those "authorities" only have as much power as we let them have. If the main street of your town lacks life and excitement, try organizing an unexpected festival to take place in the middle of it one weekend. Shake up everyone's lives and expectations, shake them out of their apathy and boredom so they'll start thinking about things. Establish networks with other people who are also interested in having an effect on the world around them, so you can help each other do this.
7.
Through all of this, don't stop questioning yourself and your assumptions. Try to see through all the social programming you've received throughout your life: consider how gender roles constrain the way you act, how your own relationships with people reproduce the same hierarchical order that your fighting in mainstream society. We're not going to really change anything unless we can create new ways of living and interacting, new values that show themselves in the way we treat each other. Show your friends how much you care about them. Consider doing things you never thought you should or could do: dancing, singing, admitting things that you've been taught to be ashamed of.
8.
Now look to the future. How can you stay involved with these things as you get older? How can you construct your life so you will always be free to do what you want to? Talk to people older than you who haven't given up and gone back to the daily grind of eat-work-sleep-watch TV. With a little input from them and a lot of resolve on your part, you can maintain your activities and your lifestyle as long as you want to. Idealism, adventure, and resistance don't have to be reserved for youth alone. History is filled with men and women who refused to compromise or calm down, who went all out from the cradle to the grave. They are the artists, the leaders, the heroes and heroines even people from the mainstream respect. We can all have lives like theirs, if we're brave and idealistic enough.
If all of us demand control over what we do and what goes on around us, if all of us do what we can to make life exciting and fair for everyone, things are bound to change. A lot of people know that we don't live in the best of all possible worlds, but persuade themselves that it's hopeless to try to improve things because they're afraid to commit themselves, to take any risks. But it's that lack of ambition that is the biggest risk of all—for what if you do nothing, and nothing happens, and we lose our chance to make this world the paradise it should be? Don't be shy or timid—there's nothing more exciting than taking an active role in the world around you, and there's nothing more worthwhile!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Ginger
Ginger is the common name for the monocotyledonous perennial plant Zingiber officinale. The term is also used to describe the edible part of the plant which is commonly used as a spice in cooking throughout the world. Often referred to as ginger "root", the edible section is actually a rhizome. The ginger plant has a long history of cultivation known[citation needed] to originate in China and then spread to India, Southeast Asia, West Africa, and the Caribbean.
Culinary uses
Ginger root, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 20 kcal 80 kJ
Carbohydrates 17.77g
- Sugars 1.7 g
- Dietary fiber 2 g
Fat 0.75 g
Protein 1.82 g
Thiamin (Vit. B1) 0.025 mg 2%
Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.034 mg 2%
Niacin (Vit. B3) 0.75 mg 5%
Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.203 mg 4%
Vitamin B6 0.16 mg 12%
Folate (Vit. B9) 11 μg 3%
Vitamin C 5 mg 8%
Calcium 16 mg 2%
Iron 0.6 mg 5%
Magnesium 43 mg 12%
Phosphorus 34 mg 5%
Potassium 415 mg 9%
Zinc 0.34 mg 3%
Percentages are relative to US
recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient database
25.4-pound ginger "root"
25.4-pound ginger "root"
Pickled ginger
Pickled ginger
Young ginger rhizomes are juicy and fleshy with a very mild taste. They are often pickled in vinegar or sherry as a snack or just cooked as an ingredient in many dishes. They can also be stewed in boiling water to make ginger tea, to which honey is often added as a sweetener; sliced orange or lemon fruit may also be added. Mature ginger roots are fibrous and nearly dry. The juice from old ginger roots is extremely potent and is often used as a spice in Chinese cuisine to flavor dishes such as seafood or mutton. Powdered dry ginger root (ginger powder) is typically used to add spiciness to gingerbread and other recipes. Ground and fresh ginger taste quite different and ground ginger is a poor substitute for fresh ginger. Fresh ginger can be successfully substituted for ground ginger and should be done at a ratio of 6 parts fresh for 1 part ground.
Ginger is also made into candy and used as a flavoring for cookies, crackers and cake, and is the main flavor in ginger ale-- a sweet, carbonated, non-alcoholic beverage, as well as the similar, but somewhat spicier beverage ginger beer.
Medical uses
The medical form of ginger historically was called "Jamaica ginger"; it was classified as a stimulant and carminative, and used frequently for dyspepsia and colic. It was also frequently employed to disguise the taste of medicines. Ginger is on the FDA's 'generally recognized as safe' list, though it does interact with some medications, including warfarin. Ginger is contraindicated in people suffering from gallstones as the herb promotes the release of bile from the gallbladder.[4] Ginger may also decrease joint pain from arthritis, though studies on this have been inconsistent, and may have blood thinning and cholesterol lowering properties that may make it useful for treating heart disease. [5]
The characteristic odor and flavor of ginger root is caused by a mixture of zingerone, shoagoles and gingerols, volatile oils that compose about one to three percent of the weight of fresh ginger. In laboratory animals, the gingerols increase the motility of the gastrointestinal tract and have analgesic, sedative, antipyretic and antibacterial properties [6]
Nausea
Ginger has been found effective by multiple studies for treating nausea caused by seasickness, morning sickness and chemotherapy,[7] though ginger was not found superior over a placebo for post-operative nausea.
Folk medicinal uses
There are a variety of uses suggested for ginger. Tea brewed from ginger is a folk remedy for colds. Ginger ale and ginger beer have been recommended as "stomach settlers" for generations in countries where the beverages are made and ginger water was commonly used to avoid heat cramps in the US. Ginger has also been historically used to treat inflammation which several scientific studies support, though one arthritis trial showed ginger to be no better than a placebo or ibuprofen.[5] Research on rats suggests that ginger may be useful for treating diabetes.
Information reposted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
House fire claims life of Zoobomber, artist Cody Reuwsaat
House fire claims life of Zoobomber, artist Cody Reuwsaat
Rest in Peace .
To all the friends and pamily of this amazing artist and wonderful friend .
.R.
Has anyone set up a birthday party for friends and family to celebrate his life ?
Reposted by Jonathan Mystery on February 28th, 2008 at (2:23pm)
from
bikeportland.org
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Editor) on February 27th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Cody Reuwsaat, R.I.P.
(Photo from Zoobomb Forum)
Late Monday night, a house fire in Southwest Portland claimed the life of Cody Reuwsaat.
Cody was a professional artist, specializing in horror make-up and props (the Willamette Week wrote a story about his work last year). Cody was also a friend of many people in the community and a regular Zoobomber.
Mini Bike Winter IV - Chariot Wars
Cody in full regalia at last year’s
Ben Hurt Chariot Wars.
(Photo © J. Maus)
Word of his untimely death (he was only 28) spread quickly on the Zoobomb forum and plans are set for a memorial Zoobomb tonight, proceeded by a potluck and gathering of friends.
After taking some unforgettable photos of him at last year’s Mini Bike Winter Chariot Wars event (how can you forget that face!?), I finally met the man behind the make-up at a potluck brunch held before this year’s Chariot Wars. It was hard to believe this kind, unassuming man was the same person I knew only from my photographs.
Cody’s friends on the Zoobomber forum describe him as being, “amazingly talented” and a “gentle giant.”
His art and his presence will be missed.
R
Monday, February 25, 2008
Reiki
Today I will reflect on Reiki .
Reiki has played a important role in my life as well as many others .
I myself have been attuned and practice at a master level to help others
as well as myself .
I have chosen to practice this and help others without using our traditional currency
for payment of reiki treatments .
I will list the following symbols along with the meanings .
You may develop your own reiki practice by learning more and being attuned yourself .
I am here to get you started .
Small Steps !
Here is the mantra of
the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Repeating this mantra accumulates merit and eases negative karma; meditating upon it is believed to purify the mind and body.
Om Mani Padme Hum
Cho Ku Rei
Sei Hei Ki
Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen
http://www.holisticonline.com/Reiki/hol_Reiki_home.htm
Much Love !
...................................................
PROJECT LOVE
mysteriousmuse@gmail.com
Reiki has played a important role in my life as well as many others .
I myself have been attuned and practice at a master level to help others
as well as myself .
I have chosen to practice this and help others without using our traditional currency
for payment of reiki treatments .
I will list the following symbols along with the meanings .
You may develop your own reiki practice by learning more and being attuned yourself .
I am here to get you started .
Small Steps !
Here is the mantra of
the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Repeating this mantra accumulates merit and eases negative karma; meditating upon it is believed to purify the mind and body.
Om Mani Padme Hum
Cho Ku Rei
The first of the Usui symbols is commonly known as The Power Symbol. Pronounced in Japanese as Cho- Koo- Ray, it is learned in Reiki levels 1 & 2. It means Put all the power of the Universe here and is most often drawn by the practitioner’s dominant hand on each of his/her palms before sending treatment. Additionally, it is often drawn on the recipient’s Crown Chakra before a session thoroughly begins. It can be placed wherever the practitioner feels whether on him/herself or the recipient.
Drawing it, imagining it or chanting it three times can invoke Cho Ku Rei.
Sei Hei Ki
This the second symbol used in Usui Reiki. It is taught in Reiki level 2 is most commonly known as The Emotional Symbol. It is pronounced Say- Hay- Kee. It means God and humanity become one. It is most often used when there is an emotional release or build up in the recipient.
Invoke Sei Hei Ki the same way as Cho Ku Rei.
Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen This is Usui Reiki Distant Healing Symbol. It is taught in level 2 and means May the Buddha in me connect to the Buddha in you to promote harmony and peace. Pronounced Hon- Sha- Zee- Show- Nen, it travels unhindered through time and space. It is most often used in distant healings and attunements and is perhaps the jewel of understanding Reiki.
Invoke Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen the same way as Sei Hei Ki.
The Usui Master symbol, Dai Ko Myo is taught and given in the Master Level. This is the last symbol Usui used in attunements. Like it’s Tibetan sister, it heals the spiritual state of the recipient and connects the individual with his/her greatest potential. It means Great Being of the Universe Shine on Me.
Invoke Dai Ko Myo the same as Hon Sho Ze Sho Nen.
More information can be found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reiki
http://www.reiki-for-holistic-health.com/
http://www.holisticonline.com/Reiki/hol_Reiki_home.htm
Much Love !
...................................................
PROJECT LOVE
mysteriousmuse@gmail.com
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Word of the Day < Learn>(022308)
Today's word of the day is Learn .
I would like to start out this blog by writing a little bit of what I have learned about Learning . LOL
I have been born into this body , this vessel , to observe, and learn from my experience in my life time . I am here to learn , to know myself, free of any attachment, by not feeding into fear and practicing love , helping others in the small ways that i am able too.
another blog on learning
http://limweehan.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!28AE40E8FC14319B!345.entry
mysteriousmuse
More information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning
Friday, February 22, 2008
Word of the day < Truth >(022508)
Greetings !
I have not written as much as intended to write when i agreed and committed to this part of the project. I will continue to post , so please keep reading .
mysterious muse
So here is word of the day !
.......................
Truth
.......................
Beyond all the "questions and answers" lies moment to moment experiences during our life on this planet . We are all playing a very role in our own lives .
Now I could write a series of books on various subjects on life , but I have found overall a majority of the answers I was asking, were to be found within myself and my own journey .
It is just the same for you to experience your own journey and live your own life ,
and learn from your experiences .
What is your truth ? What have you learned ?
What are you still learning ?
Do you know your self ?
Please post a comment !
More information can be found at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Food of the day (022008)
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family Rosaceae. It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits. The tree is small and deciduous, reaching 5–12 m tall, with a broad, often densely twiggy crown.[1] The leaves are alternately arranged simple ovals 5–12 cm long and 3–6 cm broad on a 2–5 cm petiole with an acute tip, serrated margin and a slightly downy underside. Flowers are produced in spring simultaneous with the budding of the leaves. The flowers are white with a pink tinge that gradually fades, five petaled, 2.5-3.5 cm in diameter. The fruit matures in autumn, and is typically 5–9 cm diameter. The centre of the fruit contains five carpels arranged in a five-point star, each carpel containing one to three seeds.[1]
The tree originated from Asia, where its wild ancestor is still found today. There are more than 7,500 known cultivars of apples resulting in range of desired characteristics. It should be noted however, that cultivars vary in their yield and the ultimate size of the tree, even when grown on the same rootstock.[2]
Apple cultivars
- See List of apple cultivars for a listing.
There are more than 7,500 known cultivars of apples. Different cultivars are available for temperate and subtropical climates. Reputedly the world's biggest collection of apple cultivars is housed at the National Fruit Collection in England. Apples do not flower in tropical climates because they have a chilling requirement.
Commercially popular apple cultivars are soft but crisp. Other desired qualities in modern commercial apple breeding are a colourful skin, absence of russeting, ease of shipping, lengthy storage ability, high yields, disease resistance, typical "Red Delicious" apple shape, long stem (to allow pesticides to penetrate the top of the fruit), and popular flavour.[2]
Old cultivars are often oddly shaped, russeted, and have a variety of textures and colours. Some find them to have a better flavour than modern cultivators,[10] but may have other problems which make them commercially unviable, such as low yield, liability to disease, or poor tolerance for storage or transport. A few old cultivars are still produced on a large scale, but many have been kept alive by home gardeners and farmers that sell directly to local markets. Many unusual and locally important cultivars with their own unique taste and appearance are out there to discover; apple conservation campaigns have sprung up around the world to preserve such local cultivars from extinction. In the United Kingdom old cultivars such as Cox's Orange Pippin and Egremont Russett are still commercially important even though by modern standards they are low yielding and disease prone.[1]
Although most cultivars are bred for eating fresh (dessert apples), some are cultivated specifically for cooking (cooking apples) or producing cider. Cider apples are typically too tart and astringent to eat fresh, but they give the beverage a rich flavour that dessert apples cannot.[11]
Modern apples are generally sweeter than older cultivars. Most North Americans and Europeans favour sweet, subacid apples, but tart apples have a strong minority following. Extremely sweet apples with barely any acid flavour are popular in Asia[12] and especially India.[11]
Tastes in apples vary from one person to another and change continually over time. As an example, the U.S. state of Washington made its reputation for apple growing on Red Delicious. In recent years, many apple connoisseurs have come to regard the Red Delicious as inferior to cultivars such as Fuji and Gala due to its merely mild flavour and insufficiently firm texture.Health benefits
| Apples, with skin (edible parts) Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy 50 kcal 220 kJ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient database | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
An old proverb attests to the health benefits of the fruit: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Research suggests that apples may reduce the risk of colon cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer.[19] Like many fruits, apples contain Vitamin C as well as a host of other antioxidant compounds, which may reduce the risk of cancer by preventing DNA damage. The fiber content, while less than in most other fruits, helps regulate bowel movements and may thus reduce the risk of colon cancer. They may also help with heart disease,[20][21] weight loss[21] and controlling cholesterol,[21] as they do not have any cholesterol, have fiber (which reduces cholesterol by preventing reabsorption), and are bulky for their caloric content like most fruits and vegetables.[21]
There is evidence that in vitro, apples possess phenolic compounds which may be cancer-protective and demonstrate antioxidant activity.[22] The predominant phenolic phytochemicals in apples are quercetin, epicatechin, and procyanidin B2.[23]
The seeds are mildly poisonous, containing a small amount of amygdalin, a cyanogenic glycoside, but a large amount would need to be chewed to have any toxic effect.[24]
Information Reposted from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_apple_cultivars
Recipes
http://www.pastrywiz.com/archive/category/apple.htm
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Combating Hypothyroidism Naturally
I have included this article to help others with thyroid problems by providing them with information . Please use the internet to look around a little about thyroid disorders.
I myself have had hypothyroidism since I was born . It has affected in more ways than i could of ever thought possible .
-mysteriousmuse@gmail.com
I have reposted this article from
http://ezinearticles.com/?Combating-Hypothyroidism-Naturally&id=80781
The condition known as hypothyroidism is when the thyroid gland does not function properly. This results in the body having reduced levels of thyroid hormone in it. Dry skin, hair loss, hoarseness, excessive menstruation, fatigue, lethargy, depression, intolerance to cold, constipation and weight gain are all symptoms of hypothyroidism.
There are different causes of hypothyroidism, cretinism is a type of hypothyroidism that develops at birth and results in stunted growth and mental development. A common cause of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis which is an autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland. Damage done during radiation treatment or surgery to the thyroid gland to treat hyperthyroidism (an over active thyroid gland) is another common cause of hypothyroidism. Also some drugs, such as phenylbutazone and lithium, sometimes also cause hypothyroidism. Some people with an enlargement of the thyroid gland which is known as goitre have hypothyroidism. This is cause by an iodine deficiency which could be the result of eating too many foods that contain goitrogens such as rapeseed, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower or by another disorder that effects the thyroid hormone production. A condition known as secondary hypothyroidism is cause by the hypothalamus or pituitary gland not stimulating the thyroid gland properly. Severe hypothyroidism is called myxedema.
Extreme iodine deficiency is another possible cause of hypothyroidism but this is rare.
Medical treatment of hypothyroidism consists of prescribing synthetic thyroid or desiccated thyroid hormone. Naturopathic practitioners like to use desiccated natural thyroid complete with all thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormone replacement is necessary in most cases of hypothyroidism.
Changing the diet will help with hypothyroidism. Eating goitrogenic foods such as rapeseed, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, maize, lima beans, soya and pearl millet should be limited. These foods contain natural goitrogens, which are chemicals that cause the enlargement of the thyroid gland by interfering with thyroid hormone synthesis. Cooking is known to make the goitrogens elements less effective but it would be wise not eat these foods raw. Foods that contain iodine such as kelp, beetroot, radish, parsley, potatoes, fish, oatmeal and bananas should be kept in the diet. In the treatment of underactive thyroid, fats, sugars, sodium chloride, red meat and egg intake should also be restricted.
The relationship between iodine and thyroid is complex, iodine is needed by the body to form thyroid hormone, and goitre and hypothyroidism can occur through iodine deficiency. Extreme and prolonged iodine deficiency can lead to serious types of hypothyroidism, such as cretinism or myxedema. On the other hand, consumption of excessive iodine intake can result in either hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. The amount of 150 mcg that is usually in multi-mineral supplements should be enough to stop iodine deficiency but not enough to do harm.
The amino acid tyrosine is an essential part of the thyroid hormones and neurotransmitters; this has been found to be deficient in people with hypothyroidism. Practitioners often recommended a low dose of thyroxine such as 1000mg to correct hypothyroidism. People with depression also have low levels of tyrosine, this is why it has be linked to hypothyroidism.
Vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and vitamin E are needed for the synthesis of thyroxine. The B vitamins and copper are vital co-factors for tyrosine metabolism. Copper, iron, selenium and zinc are essential in the production of T3 from T4.
Some herbs can help combat hypothyroidism, nettle will balance the thyroid with both under and over activity. Bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus) is a type of brown seaweed that contains iodine. Hypothyroidism due to small intake of iodine may possibly improve with bladderwrack supplementation; also kelp has been linked to helping with hypothyroidism. Some people with hypothyroidism have seen improvements by taking Chinese herbs.
Another aspect to look at is chemical sensitivities. Research has shown an association between hypothyroidism and multiple chemical sensitivities. It was found that people with exposure to toxic heavy metals, polybrominated biphenyls and cardon disulfides through their occupations suffered from depression, fatigue, poor memory and constipation which are all symptoms of hypothyroidism.
Another important factor in the treatment of hypothyroidism is exercise. Exercise increases tissue sensitivity to the thyroid hormone and stimulates thyroid gland secretion. This is especially true in people who are dieting; this is because when dieting the metabolic rate decreases but exercise prevents this decline. An exercise regime of between 15-20 minutes per day will be beneficial with hypothyroidism. This exercise needs to be strenuous enough to raise the heartbeat, an exercise such as walking, swimming, running and cycling.
In conclusion, to combat hypothyroidism, it is best not to consume foods high in goitrogens especially raw but to increase foods high in iodine in the diet, to exercise daily for 20 minutes, to supplement the diet with multiminerals and multivitamins, B complex, vitamin C, manganese, tyrosine, kelp and iodine and to check whether sensitivity to chemicals are causing hypothyroidism. Some Chinese herbs may also help.
The following supplements may help if you are suffering from Hypothyroidism.
B vitamins complex
Manganese
Multivitamin and multiminerals
Vitamin C
Tyrosine
Kelp
Iodine
Stewart Hare C.H.Ed Dip NutTh
Click Here To Read More On How To Beat Hypothyroidism Naturally
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stewart_Hare
Monday, February 18, 2008
Interesting Food for thought
http://www.realage.com/ct/eat-smart/food-and-nutrition/tip/5031
http://www.realage.com/ct/eat-smart/food-and-nutrition/tip/4918/
http://www.realage.com/ct/eat-smart/food-and-nutrition/tip/4881/
http://www.realage.com/ct/eat-smart/food-and-nutrition/tip/4872/
http://www.realage.com/ct/eat-smart/food-and-nutrition/tip/4764/
http://www.realage.com/ct/eat-smart/food-and-nutrition/tip/4687/
http://www.realage.com/ct/eat-smart/food-and-nutrition/tip/4918/
http://www.realage.com/ct/eat-smart/food-and-nutrition/tip/4881/
http://www.realage.com/ct/eat-smart/food-and-nutrition/tip/4872/
http://www.realage.com/ct/eat-smart/food-and-nutrition/tip/4764/
http://www.realage.com/ct/eat-smart/food-and-nutrition/tip/4687/
Please check out :
Not a good queer blog spot at http://notagoodqueer.blogspot.com/
My friend Lisa
Lisa/Lee
NotagoodQueer@gmail.com
MA@PSU
Special Education
Lisa's Profile
http://www.blogger.com/profile/01527512483098762273
Word of the DAY <021808>
Todays word is
Action
For example, throwing a ball is an instance of action; it involves an intention, a goal, and a bodily movement guided by the agent. On the other hand, catching a cold is not considered an action because it is something which happens to a person, not something done by one. Generally an agent doesn't intend to catch a cold or engage in bodily movement to do so (though we might be able to conceive of such a case). Other events are less clearly defined as actions or not. For instance, distractedly drumming ones fingers on the table seems to fall somewhere in the middle. Deciding to do something might be considered a mental action by some. However, others think it is not an action unless the decision is carried out. Unsuccessfully trying to do something might also not be considered an action for similar reasons (for e.g. lack of bodily movement). It is contentions whether Believing, intending, and thinking are actions since they are mental events.
Some would prefer to define actions as requiring bodily movement (see behaviorism). The side-effects of actions are considered by some to be part of the action; in an example from Anscombe's manuscript Intention, pumping water can also be an instance of poisoning the inhabitants. This introduces a moral dimension to the discussion (see also Moral agency). If the poisoned water resulted in a death, that death might be considered part of the action of the agent that pumped the water. Whether a side-effect is considered part of an action is especially unclear in cases in which the agent isn't aware of the possible side effects. For example, an agent that accidentally cures a person by administering a poison he was intending to kill him with.
A primary concern of philosophy of action is to analyze the nature of actions and distinguish them from similar phenomena. Other concerns include individuating actions, explaining the relationship between actions and their effects, explaining how an action is related to the beliefs and desires which cause and/or justify it (see practical reason), as well as examining the nature of agency. A primary concern is the nature of free will and whether actions are determined by the mental states that precede them (see determinism).Some philosophers (for e.g. Donal Davidson) have argued that the mental states the agent invokes as justifying his action are physical states that cause the action. Problems have been raised for this view because the mental states seem to be reduce to mere physical causes. Their mental properties don't seem to be doing any work. If the reasons an agent cites as justifying his action, however, are not the cause of the action, they must explain the action in some other way or be causally impotent.
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." --- Mahatma Gandhi
Artist of the Week <021808>
Todays Artist Is
Elizabeth Zaikowski
A short Biography
http://www.elizabethzaikowski.com/bio.index.html
A slide show
http://www.elizabethzaikowski.com/gallery/slideshow.html
YO , It is NOW the appropiate moment to Read Food of the Day !
Greetings!
Today is such a wonderful day ! It is, is it not ?
What about you ? How are you doing today ?
Send an e mail to the email address on this page . I appreciate each and every one !)))
I would now like to take the "time" and energy to share something i have recently discovered .
I would like to remind you, for I Love YOU. <> See for your self .
.............
What have you learned from eating poorly with no regard for your body and mind/brain ?
What you eat , and put in your body will have a immediate and a long term effect on your quality of life .
What you eat , will help you have a healthy and happy life by supporting your internal mental functioning and overall high energy level or it will contribute to the decay and rapidly increase your body's aging process .
Since our emotions , thoughts and over all lives are controlled by our brain and body , would we not want to keep this vessel free of viruses and germs?
Do You want your car , bicycle , or legs to stop working ?
Live Healthy , and show some love to your Brain and Body
Much Love and appreciation for YOU !
mysteriousmuse@gmail.com
Today we are going to look at Berries
I have a couple of favorites myself as I have tried many, but have only found a few that I would buy on a daily basis .
These include :
Goji Berries
http://gojiexpress.com/PDF/HowGojiBerriesKeepYouYoung.pdf
Acai berries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acai_berries
http://www.oprah.com/presents/2005/young/life/life_acai.jhtml
Blue Berries
http://www.blueberry.org/health.htm
Marion berries!
http://www.marionberries.com/home.htm
Strawberries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawberry
I have found some great recipes for some very tasty and healthy treats for you to prepare and enjoy!
http://www.redbookmag.com/home/berry-treats-hl-3
Please check out this blog spot for more interesting information on food , etc.
http://thedeliciouslife.blogspot.com/2005/07/lychee-magic-dragon-berry.html
http://health.howstuffworks.com
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Word of the day ------> ART
In my life , Art plays a very important role . I express my thoughts and emotions by creating .
As you may or may not know , everything is art .
We are all artists of our experience , as we construct in space , a tangible
example inspired by our own experience .
Our canvas is everywhere and anywhere
Our potential is limited by our own will . We have been given many tools , and have many capabilities available,..... if we make the decision or choice to apply them and take action .
Please take a look around where you are at this moment ,
your current experience, and who you are , defined by your actions .
I would request that your "self", observe yourself, and your environment .
What do you see ? <>
Much Love and appreciation for all the artists . >
The project of Love ......... has been created for artists of all kinds .
I will strive to reach my highest potential . I will practice my art with Love . ( artist affirmation )
Now the ball is in your court ...do it ... yeah just do it , ...do it .
-mysterious muse 08
I will now be adding a new blog to the daily agenda .
It will be : Artist of the day ----------> You ? ????????
********<-----------please send me a resume and a Bio to this email address mysteriousmuse@gmail.com---------------->>>>>>***********
The information posted below is reposted from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art
refers to a diverse range of human activities and artifacts, and may be used to cover all or any of the arts, including music, literature and other forms. It is most often used to refer specifically to the visual arts, including media such as painting, sculpture, and printmaking. However it can also be applied to forms of art that stimulate the other senses, such as music, an auditory art. Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy which considers art.
Traditionally the term art was used to refer to any skill or mastery, a concept which altered during the Romantic period, when art came to be seen as "a special faculty of the human mind to be classified with religion and science".[1] Generally art is a (product of) human activity, made with the intention of stimulating the human senses as well as the human mind; by transmitting emotions and/or ideas. Beyond this description, there is no general agreed-upon definition of art. Art is also able to illustrate abstract thought and its expressions can elicit previously hidden emotions in its audience.
The evaluation of art has become especially problematic since the 20th century. Wollheim distinguishes three approaches: the Realist, whereby aesthetic quality is an absolute value independent of any human view; the Objectivist, whereby it is also an absolute value, but is dependent on general human experience; and the Relativist position, whereby it is not an absolute value, but depends on, and varies with, the human experience of different humans.[2] An object may be characterized by the intentions, or lack thereof, of its creator, regardless of its apparent purpose. A cup, which ostensibly can be used as a container, may be considered art if intended solely as an ornament, while a painting may be deemed craft if mass-produced.
Visual art is defined as the arrangement of colors, forms, or other elements "in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium".[3] The nature of art has been described by Richard Wollheim as "one of the most elusive of the traditional problems of human culture".[4] It has been defined as a vehicle for the expression or communication of emotions and ideas, a means for exploring and appreciating formal elements for their own sake, and as mimesis or representation.[5] Leo Tolstoy identified art as a use of indirect means to communicate from one person to another.[5] Benedetto Croce and R.G. Collingwood advanced the idealist view that art expresses emotions, and that the work of art therefore essentially exists in the mind of the creator.[6][7] Art as form has its roots in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, and was developed in the early twentieth century by Roger Fry and Clive Bell.[5] Art as mimesis or representation has deep roots in the philosophy of Aristotle.[5]
Contents[hide] |
[edit] Usage
The most common usage of the word "art," which rose to prominence after 1750, is understood to denote skill used to produce an aesthetic result.[8] Britannica Online defines it as "the use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with others."[9] By any of these definitions of the word, artistic works have existed for almost as long as humankind: from early pre-historic art to contemporary art.
Many books and journal articles have been written about the concept of "art".[10] Where Adorno said in 1970 "It is now taken for granted that nothing which concerns art can be taken for granted any more[...],"[11] in 1998, Walt Weaver claimed that "It is self-evident that nothing concerning art is self-evident anymore."[12]
The first and broadest sense of art is the one that has remained closest to the older Latin meaning, which roughly translates to "skill" or "craft," and also from an Indo-European root meaning "arrangement" or "to arrange". In this sense, art is whatever is described as having undergone a deliberate process of arrangement by an agent. A few examples where this meaning proves very broad include artifact, artificial, artifice, artillery, medical arts, and military arts. However, there are many other colloquial uses of the word, all with some relation to its etymology.
The second and more recent sense of the word art is as an abbreviation for creative art or fine art. Fine art means that a skill is being used to express the artist’s creativity, or to engage the audience’s aesthetic sensibilities, or to draw the audience towards consideration of the finer things. Often, if the skill is being used in a common or practical way, people will consider it a craft instead of art. Likewise, if the skill is being used in a commercial or industrial way, it will be considered Commercial art instead of art. On the other hand, crafts and design are sometimes considered applied art. Some art followers have argued that the difference between fine art and applied art has more to do with value judgments made about the art than any clear definitional difference.[13] However, even fine art often has goals beyond pure creativity and self-expression. The purpose of works of art may be to communicate ideas, such as in politically-, spiritually-, or philosophically-motivated art; to create a sense of beauty (see aesthetics); to explore the nature of perception; for pleasure; or to generate strong emotions. The purpose may also be seemingly nonexistent.
The ultimate derivation of fine in fine art comes from the philosophy of Aristotle, who proposed four causes or explanations of a thing. The final cause of a thing is the purpose for its existence, and the term fine art is derived from this notion. If the final cause of an artwork is simply the artwork itself, "art for art's sake", and not a means to another end, then that artwork could appropriately be called fine. The closely related concept of beauty is classically defined as "that which when seen, pleases". Pleasure is the final cause of beauty and thus is not a means to another end, but an end in itself.
Art can describe several things: a study of creative skill, a process of using the creative skill, a product of the creative skill, or the audience’s experience with the creative skill. The creative arts (art as discipline) are a collection of disciplines (arts) that produce artworks (art as objects) that are compelled by a personal drive (art as activity) and echo or reflect a message, mood, or symbolism for the viewer to interpret (art as experience). Artworks can be defined by purposeful, creative interpretations of limitless concepts or ideas in order to communicate something to another person. Artworks can be explicitly made for this purpose or interpreted based on images or objects.
Art is something that stimulates an individual's thoughts, emotions, beliefs, or ideas through the senses. It is also an expression of an idea and it can take many different forms and serve many different purposes.
Although the application of scientific theories to derive a new scientific theory involves skill and results in the "creation" of something new, this represents science only and is not categorized as art.
[edit] Theories
In the nineteenth century, artists were primarily concerned with ideas of truth and beauty: typically the aesthetic theorist John Ruskin, who championed the raw naturalism of J. M. W. Turner, saw art's role as the communication by artifice of an essential truth that could only be found in nature.[14] There was a radical break in the thinking about art in the early twentieth century with the arrival of Modernism, and then in the late twentieth century with the advent of postmodernism. Clement Greenberg's 1960 article "Modernist Painting" defined Modern Art as "the use of characteristic methods of a discipline to criticize the discipline itself".[15]
Greenberg originally applied this idea to the Abstract Expressionist movement and used it as a way to understand and justify flat (non-illusionistic) abstract painting:
Realistic, naturalistic art had dissembled the medium, using art to conceal art; modernism used art to call attention to art. The limitations that constitute the medium of painting – the flat surface, the shape of the support, the properties of the pigment — were treated by the Old Masters as negative factors that could be acknowledged only implicitly or indirectly. Under Modernism these same limitations came to be regarded as positive factors, and were acknowledged openly.[15]
Though only originally intended as a way of understanding a specific set of artists, this definition of Modern Art underlies most of the ideas of art within the various art movements of the 20th century and early 21st century. The art of Marcel Duchamp becomes clear when seen within this context; when submitting a urinal, titled fountain, to the Society of Independent Artists exhibit in 1917 he was critiquing the art exhibition using its own methods.
Andy Warhol became an important artist through critiquing popular culture, as well as the art world, through the language of that popular culture. The later postmodern artists of the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s took these ideas further by expanding this technique of self-criticism beyond high art to all cultural image-making, including fashion images, comics, billboards and pornography.
[edit] Utility
One of the defining characteristics of fine art as opposed to applied art is the absence of any clear usefulness or utilitarian value. However, this requirement is sometimes criticized as being class prejudice against labor and utility. Opponents of the view that art cannot be useful, argue that all human activity has some utilitarian function, and the objects claimed to be "non-utilitarian" actually have the function of attempting to mystify and codify flawed social hierarchies. It is also sometimes argued that even seemingly non-useful art is not useless, but rather that its use is the effect it has on the psyche of the creator or viewer.
Art is also used by art therapists, psychotherapists and clinical psychologists as art therapy. Art can also be used as a tool of Personality Test. The end product is not the principal goal in this case, but rather a process of healing, through creative acts, is sought. The resultant piece of artwork may also offer insight into the troubles experienced by the subject and may suggest suitable approaches to be used in more conventional forms of psychiatric therapy.
Graffiti art and other types of street art are graphics and images that are spray-painted or stencilled on publicly viewable walls, buildings, buses, trains, and bridges, usually without permission. This type of art is part of various youth cultures, such as the US hip-hop culture. It is used to express political views and depict creative images.
In a social context, art can serve to boost the public's morale. Art is often utilized as a form of propaganda, and thus can be used to subtly influence popular conceptions or mood. In some cases, artworks are appropriated to be used in this manner, without the creator having initially intended the art to be used as propaganda.
From a more anthropological perspective, art is often a way of passing ideas and concepts on to later generations in a (somewhat) universal language. The interpretation of this language depends upon the observer’s perspective and context. So conversely the very subjectivity of art demonstrates its importance in facilitating the exchange and discussion of rival ideas, or to provide a social context in which disparate groups of people might congregate and mingle.
[edit] Classification disputes
It is common in the history of art for people to dispute whether a particular form or work, or particular piece of work counts as art or not. In fact for much of the past century the idea of art has been to simply challenge what art is. Philosophers of Art call these disputes “classificatory disputes about art.” For example, Ancient Greek philosophers debated about whether or not ethics should be considered the "art of living well". Classificatory disputes in the 20th century included: cubist and impressionist paintings, Duchamp’s Fountain, the movies, superlative imitations of banknotes, propaganda, and even a crucifix immersed in urine. Conceptual art often intentionally pushes the boundaries of what counts as art and a number of recent conceptual artists, such as Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin have produced works about which there are active disputes. Video games and role-playing games are both fields where some recent critics have asserted that they do count as art, and some have asserted that they do not.
Philosopher David Novitz has argued that disagreement about the definition of art are rarely the heart of the problem. Rather, "the passionate concerns and interests that humans vest in their social life" are "so much a part of all classificatory disputes about art" (Novitz, 1996). According to Novitz, classificatory disputes are more often disputes about our values and where we are trying to go with our society than they are about theory proper. For example, when the Daily Mail criticized Hirst's and Emin’s work by arguing "For 1,000 years art has been one of our great civilising forces. Today, pickled sheep and soiled beds threaten to make barbarians of us all" they are not advancing a definition or theory about art, but questioning the value of Hirst’s and Emin’s work.[16] In 1998, Arthur Danto, suggested a thought experiment showing that "the status of an artifact as work of art results from the ideas a culture applies to it, rather than its inherent physical or perceptible qualities. Cultural interpretation (an art theory of some kind) is therefore constitutive of an object’s arthood."[17][18]
[edit] Controversial art
Theodore Gericault's "Raft of the Medusa" (1820), was a social commentary on a current event, unprecedented at the time. Edouard Manet's "Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe" (1863), was considered scandalous not because of the nude woman, but because she is seated next to fully-dressed men. John Singer Sargent's "Madame Pierre Gautreau (Madam X)" (1884), caused a huge uproar over the reddish pink used to color the woman's ear lobe, considered far too suggestive and supposedly ruining the high-society model's reputation.
In the twentieth century, Pablo Picasso's Guernica (1937) used arresting cubist techniques and stark monochromatic oils, to depict the harrowing consequences of a contemporary bombing of a small, ancient Basque town. Leon Golub's Interrogation III (1981), depicts a female nude, hooded detainee strapped to a chair, her legs open to reveal her sexual organs, surrounded by two tormentors dressed in everyday clothing. Andres Serrano's Piss Christ (1989) is a photograph of a crucifix, sacred to the Christian religion and representing Christ's sacrifice and final suffering, submerged in a glass of the artist's own urine. The resulting uproar led to comments in the United States Senate about public funding of the arts.
In the twenty-first century, Eric Fischl created Tumbling Woman as a memorial to those who jumped or fell to their death in the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Initially installed at Rockefeller Center in New York City, within a year the work was removed as too disturbing.[19]
[edit] Art, class and value
Art has been perceived by some as belonging to some social classes and often excluding others. In this context, art is seen as an upper-class activity associated with wealth, the ability to purchase art, and the leisure required to pursue or enjoy it. For example, the palaces of Versailles or the Hermitage in St. Petersburg with their vast collections of art, amassed by the fabulously wealthy royalty of Europe exemplify this view. Collecting such art is the preserve of the rich, or of governments and institutions.
Fine and expensive goods have been popular markers of status in many cultures, and continue to be so today. There has been a cultural push in the other direction since at least 1793, when the Louvre, which had been a private palace of the Kings of France, was opened to the public as an art museum during the French Revolution. Most modern public museums and art education programs for children in schools can be traced back to this impulse to have art available to everyone. Museums in the United States tend to be gifts from the very rich to the masses (The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, for example, was created by John Taylor Johnston, a railroad executive whose personal art collection seeded the museum.) But despite all this, at least one of the important functions of art in the 21st century remains as a marker of wealth and social status.
There have been attempts by artists to create art that can not be bought by the wealthy as a status object. One of the prime original motivators of much of the art of the late 1960s and 1970s was to create art that could not be bought and sold. It is "necessary to present something more than mere objects"[20] said the major post war German artist Joseph Beuys. This time period saw the rise of such things as performance art, video art, and conceptual art. The idea was that if the artwork was a performance that would leave nothing behind, or was simply an idea, it could not be bought and sold. "Democratic precepts revolving around the idea that a work of art is a commodity impelled the aesthetic innovation which germinated in the mid-1960s and was reaped throughout the 1970s. Artists broadly identified under the heading of Conceptual art... substituting performance and publishing activities for engagement with both the material and materialistic concerns of painted or sculptural form... [have] endeavored to undermine the art object qua object."[21]
In the decades since, these ideas have been somewhat lost as the art market has learned to sell limited edition DVDs of video works,[22] invitations to exclusive performance art pieces, and the objects left over from conceptual pieces. Many of these performances create works that are only understood by the elite who have been educated as to why an idea or video or piece of apparent garbage may be considered art. The marker of status becomes understanding the work instead of necessarily owning it, and the artwork remains an upper-class activity. "With the widespread use of DVD recording technology in the early 2000s, artists, and the gallery system that derives its profits from the sale of artworks, gained an important means of controlling the sale of video and computer artworks in limited editions to collectors."[23] Another example of this shift is the art of Chris Burden. Chris Burden is most famous for his 1971 performance art piece Shoot in which he had a friend shoot him in the arm with a 22 rifle (and in which nothing was sold). By the late 1980s, in exhibitions and a museum retrospective, he was exhibiting "relics" of early performance art pieces in Plexiglass boxes, including two nails that he used to nail himself to the back of a Volkswagen Beetle in the 1974 artwork Trans-Fixed.[24] By 2003 he was selling the artwork Gold Bullets, 22-carat gold bullets that called to mind his most famous work, in Plexiglass boxes set on a high pedestal at the Gagosian Gallery.[25] This allowed collectors to buy bullets that allude to this important work, that are by this artist, that seem to have other added value in that they are made of gold, and that will be understood as important by others that know the history of conceptual art.
[edit] Forms, genres, mediums, and styles
The creative arts are often divided into more specific categories, such as decorative arts, plastic arts, performing arts, or literature. So for example painting is a form of visual art, and poetry is a form of literature.
An art form is a specific form for artistic expression to take, it is a more specific term than art in general, but less specific than genre.
Some examples include, but are by no means limited to:
An artistic medium is the substance the artistic work is made out of. So for example, stone and bronze are both mediums that sculpture uses sometimes. Multiple forms can share a medium (poetry and music, both use sound), or one form can use multiple media.
A genre is a set of conventions and styles within an art form and media. For instance, well recognized genres in film, for example, are western, horror and romantic comedy. Genres in music include death metal and trip hop. Genres in painting include still life, and pastorial landscape. A particular work of art may bend or combine genre but each genre has a recognizable group of conventions, clichés and troupes. (One note: the word genre has a second older meaning within painting, genre painting was a phrase used in the 17th to 19th century to refer specifically to paintings of scenes of everyday life and can still be used in this way.)
An artwork, artist’s, or movements style is the distinctive method and form that art takes. Any loose brushy, dripped or poured abstract painting is called expressionistic (with a lower case "e" and the "ic" at the end). Often these styles are linked with a particular historical period, set of ideas, and particular artistic movement. So Jackson Pollock is called an Abstract Expressionist. Because a particular style has very specific cultural meanings it is important to be sensitive to differences in technique. Roy Lichtenstein's paintings are not pointillist, despite his uses of dots, because they are not aligned with the original proponents of Pointillism. Lichtenstein used Ben-Day dots: they are evenly-spaced and create flat areas of color. These types of dots were used to color comic strips and are intended to combine the "high" art of painting with the "low" art of comics - to comment on culture and its unreality. Pointillism employs dots that are spaced in a way to create variation in color and depth - it was an attempt to paint images that were closer to the way we really see color - an attempt to get closer to reality. They both use dots but the meaning is opposite.
These are all ways of beginning to define a work of art, to narrow it down. "Imagine you are an art critic whose mission is to compare the meanings you find in a wide range of individual artworks. How would you proceed with your task? One way to begin is to examine the materials each artist selected in making an object, image video, or event. The decision to cast a sculpture in bronze, for instance, inevitably effects its meaning; the work becomes something different than if it had been cast in gold or plastic or chocolate, even if everything else about the artwork remained the same. Next, you might examine how the materials in each artwork have become an arrangement of shapes, colors, textures, and lines. These, in turn, are organized into various patterns and compositional structures. In your interpretation, you would comment on how salient features of the form contribute to the overall meaning of the finished artwork. [But in the end] the meaning of most artworks... is not exhausted by a discussion of materials, techniques, and form. Most interpretations also include a discussion of the ideas and feelings the artwork engenders."[26]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
