Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Interview with Broad Street Studio Youth Staff Member
Akinola Daramola is 19 years old and is the newest addition to the Rhode show which is a branch off of the Broad Street Studio. This are some questions from our interview.
What is your role within the organization?
What is your role within the organization?
I'm on the Rhode show and I participate as an Emcee, Producer, and I balance that also by being a full-Time student at CCRI.
What does your day look like, and what type of activities or tasks do you do?
The days that I participate in the Broad Street Studio are on Tuesdays at 6:00pm. Here is where all the Rhode show members collaborate and brainstorm. This is where the magic happens and where the creativity comes out. We share with each other our own work and see how we can improve. We practice what we might be expected to do for shows and live performances. This is also a time for any other members of Broad street studio to come and experience the arts of poetry weather they are interested in visual arts or liberal arts.
What do you find most challenging in your day and what do you enjoy most?
The most challenging part of being an artist and a performer is that your future is not certain. At the same time we are doing what we love so it makes all the hard practice and long nights of collaboration worth it. Theres nothing else I would rather do. Writing is in my veins in my heart. My heart also is in this organization helping more than just the kids of providence but also the over all reputation and expectations of minorities within the city.
How did you get involved in the organization?
I heard about the Broad Street studio through one of my high school advisers. I was doing music for a while. I felt like being part of the organization could help me with my music and t the same time help the reputation of my people and get our voices out there for the public to hear. The Rhode show has been very successful especially with our new CD that is out called the Growth Project 2.0. This features live beats, freestyles, and our own personal tracks. My artist name on the tracks is the same as my given name "Akinola."
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
Hopefully by then we will have taken over more than just providence. I want our voices to be recognized in major cities starting with New York and Boston. Its hard being an artist from a smaller city like Providence, eventually if we keep working at it we will get our message out there and we will be successful.
The days that I participate in the Broad Street Studio are on Tuesdays at 6:00pm. Here is where all the Rhode show members collaborate and brainstorm. This is where the magic happens and where the creativity comes out. We share with each other our own work and see how we can improve. We practice what we might be expected to do for shows and live performances. This is also a time for any other members of Broad street studio to come and experience the arts of poetry weather they are interested in visual arts or liberal arts.
What do you find most challenging in your day and what do you enjoy most?
The most challenging part of being an artist and a performer is that your future is not certain. At the same time we are doing what we love so it makes all the hard practice and long nights of collaboration worth it. Theres nothing else I would rather do. Writing is in my veins in my heart. My heart also is in this organization helping more than just the kids of providence but also the over all reputation and expectations of minorities within the city.
How did you get involved in the organization?
I heard about the Broad Street studio through one of my high school advisers. I was doing music for a while. I felt like being part of the organization could help me with my music and t the same time help the reputation of my people and get our voices out there for the public to hear. The Rhode show has been very successful especially with our new CD that is out called the Growth Project 2.0. This features live beats, freestyles, and our own personal tracks. My artist name on the tracks is the same as my given name "Akinola."
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
Hopefully by then we will have taken over more than just providence. I want our voices to be recognized in major cities starting with New York and Boston. Its hard being an artist from a smaller city like Providence, eventually if we keep working at it we will get our message out there and we will be successful.
Broad Street Studio- Mission Statement
The Broad Street Studio (BSS) employs and engages Rhode Island youth in artmaking workshops, with an emphasis on those recently released from the state's juvenile detention facility or in the care of the Department of Children, Youth and Families.
Different programs offered at the Broad Street Studio-
Visuals- Painting, Pencil Drawing, Sculpture, Textiles, Printmaking, Ceramics, Photography
Performance- Emcee Writing, Beatmaking, Guitar, Rapping, Dance
Other- Graphic Design, Computer Hardware, Resume Workshops, Portfolio Building, Apprenticeships
Literature- Essay Writing, Short Stories, Poetry, Muzine
Different programs offered at the Broad Street Studio-
Visuals- Painting, Pencil Drawing, Sculpture, Textiles, Printmaking, Ceramics, Photography
Performance- Emcee Writing, Beatmaking, Guitar, Rapping, Dance
Other- Graphic Design, Computer Hardware, Resume Workshops, Portfolio Building, Apprenticeships
Literature- Essay Writing, Short Stories, Poetry, Muzine
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Porblem Statement for Haiti Floods
The Republic of Haiti was hit by 4 storms. These four storms, Fay, Gustav, Hanna all hit Haiti in about one month. The storms were extremely destructive and killed at least 800 people including 520 in a city that was hit the hardest, Gonaives. More than 800 people still remain missing. The houses of thousands of others were completely destroyed and many were left homeless with no where to go. In the port city of Gonaives the situation is the most serious. The entire city is completely paralysed and submerged by two meters of flood water. The storms have also set back the Gross Domestic Product of the country which in turn has effected the economy.
Monday, September 22, 2008
The brain in love and Invisible Forces
Anthropologist Helen Fisher asks questions such as "Why do we crave love so much?" She quotes great writers such as Walt Whitman, " I would stake all I have for you." Her questions are those which ask what the specific reasons are scientifically for people to fall in love and need another person so much that they would even give their life for love. She asks what is our physical need for love. To seek the answer she participated in interviewing people who had just been dumped or rejected to oversee the results of their MRIs. This gave her an understanding of the way the brain reacts after a broken heart. The studies revealed that when a person is in love with another the brain produces large amounts of dopamine which is located in the lower part of the brain. This part of the brain is the system that controls wanting and craving and it becomes more active when you don't get what you want.
During a romantic relationship, not a lustful one a person will always be thinking of their significant other especially if they spend a lot of time together and become a large part of their life. It also especially in the beginning of a relationship allows you to ignore any flaws and become very tolerant and happy. The levels of dopamine in the reward system become very high when you are around that person. Once the relationship has ended unexpectedly or badly the good feelings that the person allowed you to feel turn into confusion and a yearning to fix the problem. Fisher relates the feelings of a break up to be very similar to a person in rehab. These people go through "relationship relapse and withdrawls". For example a friend of Fisher's recently broke up with her boyfriend of 2 years. She will be driving and hear a song on the radio that triggers her memory of him. All the same cravings to be loved come back which is a withdrawal and she has to pull over to the side of the road to cry.
Romantic love can be addictive and that could possibly be why we all crave to be loved. 100 species of animals have favoritism and chemistry for choosing the right mate. This is the core root for the expression "love at first sight". The feelings and sensations of reward and ecstasy that come from being in a romantic relationship can last for a lifetime with some couples. These feelings can last for up to 35 years later. Fisher goes on to ask," Why do we fall in love with one person over another?" Most of the time it has to do with common backgrounds, levels of intelligence and state of mind. The most important thing is chemistry. No one really knows why certain people were meant for each other. What we do know is that while in love their is no greater natural feeling.
Speaking of being loved and accepted Tony Robbins motivational speaker and leader of many charities, asks the question " Why do we do what we do? Whats driving you?" What makes a difference in peoples lives. He says some things that drive us are our sense of achievement and sense of contribution. Our decision making abilities and our past will determine our future. Our emotional levels have almost everything to do with achieving your goals. With the right balance of emotions and a healthy control over those emotions the sky is the limit. There are invisible forces that motivate everyones actions. People must know their personal desires, goals, targets, drives, and what motivates them. People need 5 things in their lives to be balanced emotionally.
1.) Certainty- You must be certain before you achieve. Without certainty there is no motivation. Become certain before completing a task what your results will be and understand your actions without just going about the motions.
2.) Variety-Try new things and find what works for you. Don't get caught up in a bad routine.
3.) Connection and Love- We all need to feel loved. Whether it be found through a partner, your friends, family, being surrounded by nature, animals, pets, God, whatever makes you feel love you have to have it in your life.
4.) Critical Importance- We all subconsciously long to feel accepted and able to contribute our talents and personalities for the greater good. Its not about ME its about WE.
5.) Grow to Change and Adjust- Accept changes in your life and adapt to your surroundings. Move forward.
People usually do not start going though these steps all at once until something traumatic happens in their life that will make them appreciate their own lives more. Usually relating to their first encounter with the death of a loved one. People need to not wait for this to happen and explore their own web so we can appreciate ourselves and try to understand our own emotions and how it effects others. If we all learned to understand each other better starting with our own soul we would all realize that we all want the same things and we will be united.
During a romantic relationship, not a lustful one a person will always be thinking of their significant other especially if they spend a lot of time together and become a large part of their life. It also especially in the beginning of a relationship allows you to ignore any flaws and become very tolerant and happy. The levels of dopamine in the reward system become very high when you are around that person. Once the relationship has ended unexpectedly or badly the good feelings that the person allowed you to feel turn into confusion and a yearning to fix the problem. Fisher relates the feelings of a break up to be very similar to a person in rehab. These people go through "relationship relapse and withdrawls". For example a friend of Fisher's recently broke up with her boyfriend of 2 years. She will be driving and hear a song on the radio that triggers her memory of him. All the same cravings to be loved come back which is a withdrawal and she has to pull over to the side of the road to cry.
Romantic love can be addictive and that could possibly be why we all crave to be loved. 100 species of animals have favoritism and chemistry for choosing the right mate. This is the core root for the expression "love at first sight". The feelings and sensations of reward and ecstasy that come from being in a romantic relationship can last for a lifetime with some couples. These feelings can last for up to 35 years later. Fisher goes on to ask," Why do we fall in love with one person over another?" Most of the time it has to do with common backgrounds, levels of intelligence and state of mind. The most important thing is chemistry. No one really knows why certain people were meant for each other. What we do know is that while in love their is no greater natural feeling.
Speaking of being loved and accepted Tony Robbins motivational speaker and leader of many charities, asks the question " Why do we do what we do? Whats driving you?" What makes a difference in peoples lives. He says some things that drive us are our sense of achievement and sense of contribution. Our decision making abilities and our past will determine our future. Our emotional levels have almost everything to do with achieving your goals. With the right balance of emotions and a healthy control over those emotions the sky is the limit. There are invisible forces that motivate everyones actions. People must know their personal desires, goals, targets, drives, and what motivates them. People need 5 things in their lives to be balanced emotionally.
1.) Certainty- You must be certain before you achieve. Without certainty there is no motivation. Become certain before completing a task what your results will be and understand your actions without just going about the motions.
2.) Variety-Try new things and find what works for you. Don't get caught up in a bad routine.
3.) Connection and Love- We all need to feel loved. Whether it be found through a partner, your friends, family, being surrounded by nature, animals, pets, God, whatever makes you feel love you have to have it in your life.
4.) Critical Importance- We all subconsciously long to feel accepted and able to contribute our talents and personalities for the greater good. Its not about ME its about WE.
5.) Grow to Change and Adjust- Accept changes in your life and adapt to your surroundings. Move forward.
People usually do not start going though these steps all at once until something traumatic happens in their life that will make them appreciate their own lives more. Usually relating to their first encounter with the death of a loved one. People need to not wait for this to happen and explore their own web so we can appreciate ourselves and try to understand our own emotions and how it effects others. If we all learned to understand each other better starting with our own soul we would all realize that we all want the same things and we will be united.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Clinton Global Initiative
The Clinton Global Initiative was a commitment to offer innovative political risk insurance to Palestinian business. This agreement was signed to create a new type of risk insurance to meet the needs of the Palestinian business community. This will ultimately encourage investment and sustain to create more jobs. It will establish a facility funded by both public and Private organizations. It will provide essential technical assistance including marketing monitoring and guidance. If the insured exporters grow 10% per year, this insurance product could facilitate over 400 million dollars in exports from Palestinian territories. This article is interesting to me because it very much involves the concept of sustainability while also helping to insure and secure Palestinian business from harm while also providing work. Another reason why this article caught my eye is because one of the companies doing work and research for this particular project is the Aspen Institute which my mother happens to do social science research for.
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