Health Care Bill

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/6709678.html

The Health Care Bill narrowly passed the House of Representatives and I'm so excited! I will write more on this later, but I definately had to add this to my blog!

Berlin Wall

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2009/11/06/clancy.east.side.gallery.cnn

I always knew about the Berlin wall, but I actually didn't know about the paintings along the sides of it. The reason this story striked my interest was the fact that the artists actually come back to fix up their artwork after it has dried. I also found it interesting that the east side of the wall was freely painted on, but the west side was not before it was taken down. The very interesting thing is that there is a show on the history channel on now about the Berlin wall.

Unemployment linked to crime

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/06/orlando.shootings/

Is the economy crisis linked to an increase in crime? A recent couple of shootings occurred lately and the link above is one of them. I wonder if someone who normally wouldn't go crazy would during this time? I think this is a social issue since Columbine, but I wonder if the violence is getting worse?

MOMA Artical

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/25/arts/design/25loos.html?_r=1&ref=design

I was reading this artical about how at the MOMA they are making little changes to the art that has been there for a long time. Whether it be getting rid of the frames on William Koonings picture or just switching some old Van Goghs around. This is something to think about. Most visitors probably wouldn't notice these changes, but the ones that come often may notice. I feel like this is important because you may find a picture looks much better on a certain wall or it says more next to another piece that relates to it. The frame may change the picture. I remember going to the BMA last year and a picture we had looked at had a horrible frame. I would like to see what it would look like without that.

Autistic Artist Draws New York from Memory

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1223790/Autistic-artist-draws-18ft-picture-New-York-skyline-memory.html

An autistic artist who was able to draw an 18 ft picture of the New York skyline from a 20 minute plane ride on memory alone. This is incredible and I can't imagine being able to do something like this in a million years. The pictures above are an actual picture and his picture side by side so you can see he remembered the specific buildings.
This makes me think of how some of the best artists were a little insane in the membrane. Pretty much all of them had a mental disability. Be it depressed, schizophrenic or autistic. I have actually had this discussion severial times. It's like how if someone is blind their hearing gets stronger. Some of the most talented people fail in other aspects. Leonardo Da Vince only had 7 finished works by the end of his life. Edgar Allen Poe was an alcoholic. Vincent Van Gogh commited suicide. There is a fine line between genius and insanity. I find it interesting and I don't think it's true in every case. It is fun to think about though.

Nefertiti

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/arts/design/24abroad.html?_r=1&ref=design

I have been hearing about the issue of Egyptian archeologist Zahi Hawass wanting the statue of Nefertiti from Berlin, Germany. The issue is that there isn't proof that it was taken legally from Egypt. It is believed that when the archaeologist discovered it he was given permission to bring it to Germany. When Egyptians don't get the artifacts back they cut off excavation from the offending place. Like the Louve in France. The issue here is that if we were to give every museum everything back that was taken 100's of years ago they wouldn't be nearly as interesting. If for example, everything in the Walters was given back to their countries of origin and all we could see are American works it wouldn't be nearly as interesting. I feel like it's immature to ask for everything back when it has been in the place it is at for an extremely long time. In the past Egypt has bidded on this object in better Economic times. I suppose that is the problem. They want it back and can't afford it. I just don't think it's fair if someone bidded on it in the first place to ask for it back. Even if it was stolen in the first place. We should all be realistic about the past and the present.

Leaf Preservation

I have been looking for ideas on leaf preservation and came across several helpful websites. I've decided that I will get some glycerine from a craft or drug store and preserve the entire branch in it. The website bollow has the steps to do it. Leaves can't be preserved forever, but this method should preserve them for several years. I would like to experiment with them a bit and see what I can make out of them. I'm thinking about a necklace or hat right now. I could also make something like a display piece that someone could put in the center of their table. A wreath would look very nice. This idea has mutated a bit since the beginning.

http://gardening.about.com/od/craftsanddecor/ss/Preserve_Leaves.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_4480845_preserve-leaves-glycerin.html