I'm graduating from Hamilton in less than two weeks.  One of the weirdest aspects of this thought is that Hamilton will go on without me.  I know that sounds excessively self-centered, but it's really bizarre to realize that a place that has affected me so much, is little affected by me in return.  I suppose it makes logical sense that as I grow up and move on, so will Hamilton, accomodating new theatre developments and renovating the dark side.  There are so many elements of my Hamilton years that I will sincerely miss, but the physical space if Hamilton is something that is so concrete and dear to my heart.  When I returned from abroad the dark side was under construction.  The memories I have of lying out in the McEwen quad and crossing the street between KJ and Martin's way are of the past before I even leave Hamilton.  The library was completely reorganized.  If Hamilton underwent these transformations while I was right here, then I can't even imagine the level of change that Hamilton will undergo after I graduate.  Of course the original buildings on the light side will be maintained because it is in their construction that Hamilton is able to preserve the essence of an elitist, collegiate institute.  However, I will greatly miss every other part of Hamilton that will not be the same when I return as an alumni. 

The Brazilian government has recently begun working towards a new “Plan for a Sustainable Amazon (PAS),” which acknowledges the necessity for both acts of founding and preservation in the inhabited and ecologically critical region of the world.  As Harvard law professor Roberto Mangabeira Unger, the man spearheading the PAS project, accurately notes, “The Amazon is not simply a collection of trees…it’s a group of people: 25 million Brazilians.”

            The plan, in theory, seeks to promote the individual and collective environmental stewardship amongst the residents of the Amazon, who are driven toward deforestation by global economic forces.  This is accomplished through economic incentives for residents who learn about environmental conservation and pledge to stop deforesting their land, as well as those who take part in sustainable-use activities.

            While this may sound like a promising initiative, there are those who critique it as an authoritarian attempt to impose specific land-use activities, however environmentally-conscious as they are, on a wide range of land and cultures.  Additionally, the emphasis on economic reinforcement techniques may not truly establish an ethic of use within the Amazonian people.

            The project is a unique and promising direction for government-sponsored conservation efforts; the success of the PAS may be revealing as to the potential for such policy implantation elsewhere.

See the May 15 BBC article for more information: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7399109.stm

Here is an interesting article that talks about the development of garages as places. It is a Canadian article, but applys to our American garages as well. It is interesting to think about the development of a garage. Originally barns or other spaces were altered to allow a car inside to protect it from the elements. But, with the advancements of car exteriors, such protection from the elements is not needed as much. Yet, we still have 1, 2, 3, and even more, car garages. It is a testament to the reliance of our culture on our cars and a representation of the importance of cars that our society creates.

But there also has been the development of the garage into another place. No longer is it necessarily used to house a car, but rather for a work room, storage, or a gym (like pictured below). It is also a genderized place, as the article mentions: a male-dominated space. The author writes, "He notes that in the traditional sense, the garage is male territory. Women tend to allow freedom of the space to the male. Men, as the hunter-gatherers of the family, tend to fill up garages with their finds." But, he argues, women use it as well, mostly as a last resort to get things out of the house they do not want before they eventually make it to the dumpster.

Usually not included in the total square footage of a house on the market, it is interesting to note the importance of the garage as a place within in the home and its importance in our society.

autos.canada.com/news/story.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/us/politics/14cnd-campaign.html?hp

In yesterday's West Virginia primary Hillary Clinton had a sweeping victory over Barack Obama. While this may not have had a substantial affect on the final outcome of the race, it speaks volumes about West Virginia as a place. In the NY Times article, the author implies that inherent racism within the state was the main reason for the results, "Mr. Obama’s advisers downplayed the West Virginia loss, describing the state as demographically unfriendly territory — the primary electorate was 95 percent white; 70 percent did not attend college." While this may or may not be the actual case, it is interesting notion as it relates to the concepts of place. Why did race become such a factor in this primary election but in other historically racist areas of the country it did not?

So I was reading through some of the other posts, and I saw the one about Syracuse and the loss of an architecture school, so it got me thinking about Scranton, my home town, and what was happening there. Since the premier of "The Office," the "coolness" level of my hometown has definitely gone up. I went on to the city's website and read articles about Scranton in the Times and the Washington Post, where I found this one about Scranton and "The Office." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/25/AR2007092501819.html The article talks about what is real in the show and what is not, and how the writers admit that what is real in Scranton is a lot of times more funny than what they could have come up with about it. It also talks about the revitalization that Scranton is going through right now, and the proposed tourist attraction of a tour of Scranton, highlighting "The Office" hotspots. Scranton as a place is changing, revitalizing the outside of its downtown, but also becoming more renowned for its real and fantastical appeal on "The Office."

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/5/7/13125/01135

Grist.org posted an interesting video (Click on photo or link above) about an environmental justice—or, as they say, “food justice”—group in West Oakland called People’s Grocery. The group seeks “creative solutions to the health, environmental and economic challenges our community faces every day,” focusing on organic agriculture as a means of reclaiming food culture and reconnecting to community and place. The People’s Grocery is a place-based movement, “building an independent food system and a local economy grounded in community partnerships and a local knowledge-base.” The group provides fresh, organic foods to residents, education about local and organic agriculture, as well as community development programs.

I recently read Vandana Shiva’s Stolen Harvest for another course, and since I have been thinking a lot about food, culture, and place. I find the People’s Grocery particularly interesting from this perspective because it strives to combat the homogenization of food systems that alienates people from the culture and community bound up in a place. Cuisine, it seems to me, is a tangible expression of culture and place that is universal, at least in the sense that every cultural tradition has a cuisine and everyone must eat. The People’s Grocery, and they are by no means alone, recognize that by providing local, affordable, organic food to West Oakland residents, they can help empower residents to connect with one another and to the practice of place.

 People’s Grocery website : http://www.peoplesgrocery.org/mission.html

John a. powell effectively argues that concentrated poverty and sprawl are regional issues that can only be handled on a regional basis.  One problem that hinders regionalization is a common view that sprawl is an issue at the edge of the metro region, having little impact on the problems of the inner city.  I see sprawl as a “distancing” of understanding between the suburbanite and the urban dweller.  This semester I participated in an inner-city service learning project at the Donovan Middle School in Utica.  I found that this school, which serves the urban poor, is much different from the suburban middle school I attended, which stressed academic studies in preparation for college.  In addition to providing basic education, Donovan has become a social services support system for this group.  Nearly all of the students receive a free or reduced-price lunch.  A large room inside the school, called the Wellness Center, provides a safe place where students can come to eat their lunches away from the social pressures of the cafeteria (including bullying) and to play games or talk with counselors and Hamilton students.  For example, Donovan students who are refugees from Somalia use the Center because they were being disrespected by other students during lunch.  At the Center, there is a rack of slightly-used t’shirts and long-sleeve shirts, which is maintained by the staff there.  Students can “exchange” their old clothes for the items on the rack.  And a batch of sneakers that serves the same purpose is on the floor.  Donovan’s after-school program, the Advantage Program, provides disadvantaged children with a variety of classes and discussion groups, including a Pregnancy Prevention class for the girls and Alcohol Awareness and Planned Parenthood programs for the boys.  I don’t think that many suburbanites are aware of the special problems that are trying to be addressed in urban schools like Donovan.  If they did, a regional approach might find greater acceptance.

I live in Sedgwick Farm, one of several historic neighborhoods in Syracuse.  Sedgwick was built in the early 20th century.  Now, one of the few 19th century neighborhoods in Syracuse, Hawley-Green, is undergoing a revival, spurred in part by an influx of gay and lesbian residents into the area.  See the following story done by Syracuse-area public radio station, WRVO:

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wrvo/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1273374

This story seems to fit in appropriately on the heels of our discussion about Hurricane Katrina and Gulf Coast displacement. One week after Cyclone Nargis battered Myanmar and left tens of thousands dead, some 1.5 million survivors are left with essentially nowhere to go and nothing to eat. Earlier today, the United Nations officially lifted barriers to aid, but that which is scheduled to come into Myanmar is deemed "woefully disproportionate to the needs of survivors." Because of the slow response, the country is at a heightened risk of epidemics such as cholera and malaria, malnutrition, and starvation. To read the full article from today's edition of the New York Times, click on the following link: www.nytimes.com/2008/05/09/world/asia/09myanmar.html.

On a more positive note, have a wonderful Class and Charter Day.