Damn the Man

MDG reviews

2008-05-06T21:51:21Z

After seeing the MDG presentations in both discussion and lecture, it's been brought to my eyes a) how much work we all have done this semester, and b) the honors groups presentations were a lot longer than ours.

with that said, I really enjoyed the presentation on Mali for goal 2 in my discussion group, as well as the honors group that had goal 8.
I thought that the group who had goal 8 did a pretty exceptional job considering it was such a broad goal. The way that they pinpointed the top goals and found pretty solid solutions for each was great, as well as there ability to address almost all of the goals as opposed to one or two.
the group who had goal 2 in my discussion class did a really good job of explaining the overall situation in Mali, as well as explaining their architectural solution. I thought they did a great critique of both their choices for addressing the goal, as well as the architects who designed the groups choices. I learned a great deal from their presentation, and I think that their images really helped to support their message.

Session 3 (4/16/2008)

2008-04-29T21:21:14Z

I helped out a new kid today, Ben. I met Ben in the computer lab, where he was playing a bunch of different computer games (he was kicking butt pretty hardcore). After the computer lab, we went down and figured out what we had to get done, and proceeded to work on his math by counting out certain types of blocks involved in a building making game (contributed by previous Architecture students might I add) that just so happened to be Ben's favorite game. After we'd worked on that for a while we went back ate a snack, and filled out his end of day points sheet. I was told that I would be with ben for the remainder of the semester, so I look forward to seeing him next time.

Session 2 (3/19/2008)

2008-04-29T21:20:44Z

I helped out Sofia again, we worked on homework, math in particular. We played a few games, and had a delicious snack of cookies, snack bars, and juice. I think it went much better this time because I knew the person already, and I was more relaxed because I knew what to expect. I hope it goes as well next time.

...and out come the wolves

2008-04-07T00:28:26Z

well here is my meager attempt at a cover page using word.

]]> Download file

also this isnt working, not sure why, but it isnt, so if anyone needs further clarification on the completeness of this blog, just hit me up and i'll send you an actual working viewable version of this cover page!

ideas...anyone?

2008-03-12T02:52:43Z

As far as I can tell this blog is just supposed to involve ideas/images that may or may not be what our actual presentation looks like/involves? if this blog is getting at anything else, it's gone over my head so dont expect it to be answered here...sorry.
with that disclaimer in place, here are a few ideas I had for project:

]]> I was thinking either we'd have a few boards set up with some historical info, some info on our organization, and then some info on how we/our organization could improve even more. Seeing as large boards with a lot of info on them are pretty inconvenient, I was also thinking a power point, something pretty simple to set up, has the potential to be pretty diverse, and easily changeable, and also we'd be able to add things like videos, images, and other info that'd be a lot more complicated with presentation boards. Also powerpoints are a lot more entertaining (and readable) than a 2x2 foot board on a wall 5-20 feet away. I've tossed around the idea of something smaller and more personal (i.e. a portfolio, or report sort of thing) I just dont think doing this would convey to the extent my group and I'd like it to, the level of poverty and misfortune that occurs throughout Haiti due to lack of responsibility, and honest governmental enforcement.

other than that, I've got nothing.

weaaak

2008-03-08T22:26:59Z

...

]]> The built environment. As of now this environment consists of large concrete and metal structures, busy streets with multiple lanes of traffic, along with sidewalks packed with students moving to or from their classes. I come from a small town in the middle of wisconsin, and I've lived there for almost my entire life. Marshfield, my hometown, is primarily a medical city. We've got both Saint Joeseph's hospital and the Marshfield Clinic which I'm pretty sure are top 100, or 1000, or whatever in the nation so thats cool. Aside from that though, marshfield is either known for it's mass amounts of bars, or for the dairy farms throughout the area. Coming from 18 years of that, to the Twin Cities was quite the adjustment, and I love it. The way the city blocks differ from the blocks in marshfield is incredible, there's so much more life on them than back home(I think this might be a framework). Also the way people become increasingly more active as the day progresses, and then starts to die down as night falls. This I think is great, because in marshfield it's really busy in the morning when everyone goes to work, and then in the evenings when everyone goes home, other than that the streets are pretty much dead. I think the city as a whole could be considered a phenomena, because it is in fact a complex system that incorporates frameworks, and clockworks; it does have a traceable origin, which in turn shows that the city has duration; there is reason to the city, the stoplights and streets are set up in a certain way so that everyone can travel efficiently and safely from one place to another; there are deffinate boundaries throughout the city set up on multiple levels; and despite it's duration, the city itself has changed and molded multiple times all throughout the city.

comparison of what the cities and my hometown are like.

yes, I know, I know weak, but hey in my opinion, it's the thought that counts, regardless of the quality. I really hope you feel the same way :)

Session 1

2008-03-06T03:21:57Z

I volunteered at Homework-n-Hoops, run by the Bethlehem Community Center. I tutored a girl named Sofia, and helped her work on her math (multiplication). We played ping pong earlier in the day, and while working on her math, had a snack. I thought it went really well, we got a long great, and she told me that she like me as a tutor because I made things fun. I think next time would be even better if I was partnered up with the same person, or if I was a little more talkative right away.

the worlds greatest blog entry - part deux

2008-02-27T05:27:15Z

If I was released from the architecture program, I cant say my life would be sent into an immediate downward spiral that resulted in myself losing my job, family, friends, and ultimately my life. No, I really dont think much would be affected, but for the sake of a blog entry, I'll humor myself (by myself I mean my TA and Ozayr) and write what will soon be known as "the worlds greatest blog entry - part deux"

]]> Architecturally, artistically, bodily, lyrically....ok so I'm not even sure how I do any of these things now, let alone how they impact my environment. I think i'll take this blog prompt in a different direction.
"IF" I do anything belonging to the aforementioned groups, I dont think architecture is a major influence on them. In fact, architecturally, i'm pretty sure I dont do anything that affects my environment... at least not yet.
The time: 2053
The place: An empirical America that is'nt that eco-friendly (but is totally open to change)
The reason: this blog actually turned out to be the worlds greatest blog entry

My fortress would be decked out in a Frank-Lloyd-Wright-ish style only taken to the size of a skyscraper. By doing this, I'll be able to set up research areas that would help me develop breakthrough ideas in the field of architecture that would ultimately help to save the world.
I would use my high-ranking status in society to influence the thoughts and ideas of important politicians (only for good of course) and in doing so would help to make the worlds level of environmental sustainability far higher than ever previously thought possible.
Artistically, I think that because I'd have such massive amounts of material on hand, that I'd experiment with certain techniques, and work on applying them to both my architecture and the world around me. In doing so, I may or may not stumble upon a really sweet invention which would only propel my fame, fortune, and power into the stratosphere.
Bodily...well I didnt mention this before, but in the year 2053 people are just huge. I'm talking like 6'5" as a minimum height, and everyone's really ripped because we've decided that machines are the real cause of pollution not humans so everyone is forced to do lots of physical labor. So yeah, bodily, I'd be about 8' 8", 350Lbs. and I'd have incredible intellect due to the vitamin supplements that would be instituted into all food at that time period. Using both my massive brawn, and my cunning intellect, I'd work my way through issues previously thought impossible. World hunger? gone. Extreme poverty? gone. What about global warming? well I'll have solved that in 2038, but still, gone. Needless to say, my world would be pretty intense, but pretty ideal overall (by ideal I mean that "I" think it'd be cool).

america before

america after

Oh yeah, I forgot lyrically. well I guess I would lyrically affect my environment by spreading word of my awesome achievements on horseback, maybe as a poet? Either way, flowers would blossom, the sky would open up, and the world would be at peace when I spoke of my tales, causing my "world" to be even more perfect than even I, Kevin "the Lone Wolfe" Wolfe had ever imagined. This all goes to show that even when you're a super human from 45 years in the future, who's helped to save his world from countless enemies (pollution, global warming, poaching, bad hand washing habits, etc.), you can still learn something new everyday.

Case-in-Point:
Hit up a local library, who knows...you might just learn something new :)

music doesn't make the world go round

2008-02-19T20:10:46Z

Playlist: -Down in the Dumps-
Bobby James - N.E.R.D.
Mardy Bum - Arctic Monkeys
Vampires - Atmosphere
April 29, 1992 - Sublime
With a Little Help From My Friends - The Beatles
Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles
Stayin' Alive - The Bee Gees
Song for the Dumped - Ben Folds Five
Wild World - Cat Stevens
Police and Thieves - The Clash
Fortunate Son - CCR
Hit Rock Bottom - The Dandy Warhols
Pass the Dutchie - Musical Youth
People Are Strange - The Doors
Times Like These - Foo Fighters

]]> I chose these songs, not necessarily due to their direct connection with my Millennium Goal (Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger), but due to their connection with the feelings and affects of extreme poverty and hunger. For example, Bobby James, a song by N.E.R.D. is a song about a boy and his recent addiction to drugs, while Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles) is a song about the neglect and disregard of certain members of a community. While neither of these directly apply to my goal, the mood of these songs (as well as, for the most part, the rest of the playlist) convey a feeling of "down and out"-ness, chaos, and disregard, all of which I would assume are in close connection with extreme poverty and hunger. The songs that don’t follow this theme would be "With a Little Help From My Friends" (The Beatles), "Stayin' Alive" (The Bee Gees), and "Pass the Dutchie" (Musical Youth). I felt that these songs, while they still focus on the theme of my goal, were more upbeat, and had a more positive message. They don't necessarily make poverty and hunger out to be a burden, they seem to distort the usual perception by focusing on survival through positive thinking, and I feel that this attitude is extremely important if we really want to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger from our planet.

Quotes:
"Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime" - Aristotle
"Anyone who has struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor." - James Baldwin
"No man can worship God or love his neighbor on an empty stomach." - Woodrow T. Wilson
"The greatest man in history was the poorest.�? - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread." - Mother Teresa

For the most part I've never heard any of these quotes prior to writing this blog, but the ones I did hear of (Aristotle and Mother Teresa) carried a powerful message towards not only my Millennium goal, but me as well. During the course of my senior year in high school, I went on a mission trip to the country of Honduras for two weeks, to help work in a mission clinic. While there my eyes were opened up to a whole new world I'd never experienced before; poverty ran rampant in the streets, the people I met (while extremely generous and kind) were incredibly thin, usually had multiple ailments, and were often seen wearing what appeared to be second or third generation hand-me-downs. Coming from America, this came as quite a shock to me, but it only fueled my passion to help people less fortunate than me live a better life. When I returned to America my ideals had been skewed; I was no longer your typical American, ignorant to the situations of third world countries. No, when I returned, I returned with a great deal of knowledge that has since affected how I live each day. I no longer desire the luxuries I once felt I "needed", because I now know firsthand what it's like to live in a place where luxuries are few and far between, if existent at all. The following pictures are just a handful of the images I obtained while in Honduras that I feel shows the level of poverty, as well as the level of contentment felt throughout the nation despite their lack of clean and up to date facilities:

the design of pollution

2008-02-12T22:57:41Z

Throughout the the Twin Cities' there are many social design issues that require both the thoughts and attention of problem solvers everywhere. However the most influential of all the social design issues would have to be the air pollution not only throughout the cities, but throughout the U.S., North America, and the rest of the world. Over the past few years there has been a steadily increasing trend in more eco-friendly cars as well as more environmentally friendly ways to get through your average day. We've seen some of these methods instituted throughout the cities already (i.e. the lightrail, bike lanes, tunnels/skyways, the public bus system, taxi companies, etc.), and while they've done a great deal to decrease the amount of chemicle emmissions given off from our vehicles, theres still more to the issue than just transportation.

For the most part, i'm pretty sure no one's every gotten an e-mail advising people to stay inside due to the trash level outside, which is perfectly reasonable. However this doesnt mean that one form of pollution is necessarily worse than another. Sure air pollution affects everyone, which is why we've started to take action against it, but trash and overall land pollution is almost if not an even bigger issue. I've been to a fairly large portion of the country, and the one similarity between each state is the amount of trash. There hasnt been one state that's extrememly clean, just like I havent noticed a state thats perticularly dirty. I have heard however, more air pollution warnings in certain states than others, which is understandable when you take into account the population size as well as the number of large cities in the state. For this reason I say we shift our focus (not entirely, that would be stupid) from air pollution towards land pollution. If we can prevent the pollution of Earths ecosystem on land first, our job of cleaning up earths atmosphere will be considerably easier. It doesnt take much, if you see a wrapper on the ground, pick it up. If you've got an empty wrapper in your hand, hold onto it and throw it into a trash can (theres plenty of convenient locations all over the U of M campus). A few pieces of trash picked off the ground by everyone in the Twin Cities, would equal out to be quite a bit of trash not on the ground, and I think we can all take a sigh of relief knowing that our planet will crap out a few years later than previously expected :)

photo 1: http://photobucket.com/mediadetail/?media=http%3A%2F%2Fi51.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Ff377%2Fgravediger%2Ficons%2Fair-pollution-systems.jpg&searchTerm=air%20pollution&pageOffset=3

Photo 2: http://photobucket.com/mediadetail/?media=http%3A%2F%2Fi204.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fbb123%2FFishergirl-Kelly%2FIMG_1863.jpg&searchTerm=picking%20up%20trash&pageOffset=8

Photo 3: http://photobucket.com/mediadetail/?media=http%3A%2F%2Fi101.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm49%2Fburndog6%2FMinneapolis.jpg&searchTerm=minneapolis&pageOffset=2

flow of the streets

2008-01-31T22:16:46Z

I feel that Goldsworthy's idea of energy, flow and transformation is very present throughout the city, however it doesnt occur in the same ways that Goldsworthys artwork occurs, and I dont think it looks nearly as incredible either. The idea of energy, flow and transformation i feel can all be attributed towards humans,where in this case humans represent the energy that flows throughout the city taking its toll on whatever he/she/it touches. This change that is cause could be either good or bad depending on the person, but regardless of what the result is, ultimately the change that all of the energy (people) in the cities cause affects the overall flow of the cities themselves. If more people travel to a certain area of the cities, obviously theres going to be more erosion, and therefor more transformation. This transformation might not always be something like the erosion of a sidewalk or street, for example a certain area of the city might transform into a park for children to play in which I should think counts as an improvement. Overall energy flow and transformation are found all throughout the city, but in most cases they are caused by humans themselves, whether it's trash left on teh ground, pot holes on the street, or worn down curbs humans use there energy to transform there surroundings in such a way that the city seems to flow in quality throughout time.