The archives essay introduced me to using primary sources like news paper articles and interviews. When reading the interview given by Robert Fitch to Roger Starr later in his life, it gave you an idea of the way he thought of people and some of his influences that made him think Planned Shrinkage was good for the city of New York. I wish they would have had the audio/video version of the interviews so I could see his facial expressions when he discussed certain topics.
The introduction given to us at the LaGuardia archives was very informative. Our instructor showed us how to analyze an interview to gather other information. For example Roger Starr mentions a conversation he had with Robert Moses. Unless you already knew who Moses was you would have to do some research on his history and his effect on New York City. I could definitely see myself returning to the archives in the future to assist me with gathering sources and even help analyze those sources.
After completing the major research essay, I believe the archives essay was more difficult because we were given specific information to use instead of using sources from the internet or the library. While writing the archives essay I feared having a paper identical to others because everyone was using the same information. The thought was on my mind that maybe I left something out that was vital to the paper since you chose the topic and the sources we had to use.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
BLOG 20 - Major Research Essay (Final Version)
Carlos Feliciano
ENGL 103-2682
Dr. Vasileiou
May 31, 2011
“Once Upon a Time in America: The Portrayal of Realism in Film”
Popular films usually start off in a place familiar to many. New York City is the backdrop to many movies due to its large population, scenery and rich history. “Once Upon a Time in America” is a film that takes place in three different eras in the 1920s, 1930s and 1960’s. The film is relevant to the time periods that it portrays, even though it was filmed in 1984. Factors such as prohibition, organized crime, and the economic boom and depression are all portrayed in the film. Even though the film was fictional, it gives the viewer the sense of chasing the American dream that many immigrants hoped for during the 1920’s.
In order to understand the way of life in New York during a historical period, it is essential to understand the economic situation of the city. During 1920s and 1930s, the average annual salary in New York was $1,200 (Fourteenth Census, 78). The average bread cost in the New York at this time period was 12 cents (per pound) (Fourteenth Census, 86). The average cost of buying a house or an apartment ranged from $2000s - $5000s (Fourteenth Census, 112). It is important to note that the 1920s were an economic boom for the United States. This period was quite often referred to as the “Roaring 20s”. On the other hand, the 1930s marked a time of economic depression for the United States. This specific time period began to be known as the “Great Depression”. It is important to understand the difference between these two time periods and their economic situations in order to better understand the characters and their motivation for their actions throughout the film.
In the 1920s New York had almost 6 million residents due to the large amounts of immigrants entering by boat and many immigrants from the south to the northern cities. Many of the immigrants that populated New York City during this time were Jewish people. Similar to other minority groups such as African Americans, Jews were discriminated and not employed as fairly as Anglo-Saxon Americans. Due to these circumstances, there began a movement of “Jewish Gangsters” in New York City. Jewish gangsters were simply first generation Americans that were pressured by their parents to achieve success by any means because Jewish people were discriminated in Europe, and the United States was the hypothetical place where success is achievable by any person who is willing to go out and get it (Berrol, 23).
Some notable Jewish Gangsters were: Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, Longy Zwillman, Moe Dalitz (Fried, 229). During the 1930s, Jewish prosecution in Europe was prominent. The ideals of Anti-Semitism quickly travelled to the United States, and many Jewish people began to experience the same types of discrimination in the states. When Neo-Nazi Americans organized Nazi Rallies in Manhattan, Mayer Lansky was asked by the mayor of New York City to stop the rallies without murdering any of the protestors (Fried, 230). Instantly, Lansky began to eliminate every Nazi rally in New York City. The protestors would often end up with broken bones, however, no one was murdered (Fried, 230).
New York was the center of manufacturing, commerce and culture. By 1923, New York produced 1/12th of all manufacturing in the nation (Updegraff, 24). Most of the travelling at this time period was done via boats and ships. New York City served as the departure and arrival site of major ships. During the Great Depression (1930s), New York City began to build its skyscrapers (Jackson, 28). This became to be known as New York’s landmark feature that made it recognizable around the world. At some time during the 1930s, New York City overtook London as the most popular city in the world.
In 1919, legislatures of the States approved The 18th Amendment to the Federal Constitution, enabling national Prohibition within one year of approval (Olewniczak, 33). During Prohibition, manufacturing, transportation, import/export, and sale of alcoholic beverages were limited or illegal. Women played a large role in bringing Prohibition to the United States of America, believing it would protect women and children from the effects of alcohol abuse. Prohibition began officially on January 16, 1920, when the eighteenth amendment took effect and police were in charge of enforcing the law (Olewniczak, 36).
As anything that becomes banned or illegal, alcohol became available underground at places called speakeasies (Olewniczak, 37). Alcohol was smuggled in large quantities from nearby Canada. On top of the smuggling of alcohol, states owned shipping lines exploited a 3 mile limit in the water where alcohol consumption wasn’t illegal (Olewniczak, 39). Similarly to marijuana today in states like California, Whiskey was prescribed to patients by medical doctors for medicinal purposes. Doctors freely wrote out prescriptions and drug stores did not question the patients. As a result, the number of patients increased dramatically, many of them faking their need for the alcohol.
Bootlegging of alcohol was a lucrative business for criminals. One of the most famous gangsters was Al Capone who built his criminal empire on the profits made by importing and exporting alcoholic drinks (Olewniczak, 43). The bootlegging industry that spread out throughout the United States, primarily in New York and New Jersey, created one of the most significant eras for organized crime.
In 1933, the legislatures of the states approved the Twenty-first Amendment, which revoked the eighteenth Amendment and prohibited only the violations of laws that individual states had in regard to "intoxicating liquors (Olewniczak, 52)". The United States government realized that by prohibiting alcohol, violence only increased. In other words, even though Prohibition was meant to protect families against abuse, the organized crime that developed as a result of the Prohibition, only created more violence.
The Film “Once Upon A Time in America” was directed by Sergio Leone, which was the last film that he ever directed. He was most known for his spaghetti westerns in the 1960s (Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly), which made actor Clint Eastwood famous. “Once Upon A Time in America” was based on a novel called “The Hoods” written by Harry Grey. Leone decided to focus more on fictional characters rather than on the real mobsters mentioned in the book.
The film’s plot is based on a group of Jewish gangsters in New York’s Lower East Side in 1920s from early childhood, to the early 1930s in the last years of Prohibition through their glory years, and into the late 1960s when they meet again. The film is told in a series of flashbacks, from the perspective of Noodles, a character played by Robert De Niro as an adult. Noodles hanged out with a crew for most part of his childhood and young adulthood. Noodles and his crew were soon introduced to Max, who was a Jewish Gangster.
The recurrent theme in the movie revolves around the chase for the American Dream. Noodles, his crush Deborah and his partner in crime, Max, all want to achieve great success. Noodles and Max want to achieve success through crime, while Deborah wants to achieve it through being a movie star. The concept of the American Dream symbolizes the mentality of immigrants during this era in the United States. Countries around the world heard rumors that “anything is possible in America”, therefore immigrants would tell their children that success is a must. Due to this enormous pressure on first generation Americans, many turned to crime when legal opportunities for riches were limited.
Prohibition played a significant role in the film. Due to the ban of alcohol, Noodles came up with the idea to pitch to a local Italian mobster, named Capuano, to save the illegal goods he would normally have to dispose of overboard. Capuano agreed with Noodle’s proposition and this earned Noodles and his crew 10 percent of the earnings from the recovered merchandise. As a result, Noodle’s and his crew began to accumulate a lot of wealth. In addition, the crime brought on by Prohibition was displayed accurately in the film. The United States government predicted that Prohibition would result in less crime and violence in the country, however this theory backfired, and just the opposite occurred.
The film in my opinion paid close attention to detail on the cities landscape. Most films today are not filmed on location because it’s usually cheaper to film somewhere else. However, this movie stood true to the city and was mostly filmed in New York City. There’s even a scene where Noodle’s is released from prison that was filmed nearby on Court Square in Long Island City. Large parts of the film were shot at the setting that they portrayed, except for a shot that was filmed in Paris that was suppose to resemble the old Grand Central Station which in 1980s looked similar to the location back in the 20s/30s.
The lower eastside neighborhood that was recreated in Williamsburg, Brooklyn has that look that the 20s was known for with the brick floors on the streets, the vendors selling fruit outside and even the police walking outside twirling there knight stick. In one of the scenes the actors were indoors of an apartment building and you could see the people bathing with the oversized bathtub in the living room and how everyone shared a community bathroom. The prices in the film were also accurate, where a corn beef sandwich cost one cent. Since a pound of bread was approximately 11 cents, the price of the corn beef sandwich is reasonable.
Another accurate aspect of “Once Upon a Time in America” is the portrayal of Jewish gangsters. As stated earlier in the paper, organized Jewish crime in New York City during the 1920s and 1930s was prevalent. The pressure to achieve success by any means pushed this idea to first generation American Jews, and due to the limited opportunities to make a living through fairways, some Jews decided to gain success the corrupt way. Notorious Jewish gangsters, such as Meyer Lansky, could have been portrayed in the film by Noodles or Max.
The next factor that was accurately portrayed in the film is the rise of Hollywood. Noodle’s crush, Deborah, constantly sought out a career in acting. During the 1920s, filmmaking began to be a popular commodity in the United States and many Americans began to try to pursue a career in acting. Deborah, just like most of the characters in the movie, uses her acting career as a means to gain success as a first generation American. The film industry, back then and even now, is representative as an entrance to the “American Dream”. Once Deborah achieved prominence in the film industry, she was approximately making as much as Noodles and Max made from their crimes. This illustrates the fact that there are loopholes in the system that permits even minorities to become successful legally.
However, there were some elements in the film that were of course in consistent with reality. The film illustrated Jewish mobsters from a very young age. This, however, is not proved anywhere. For the large part, most of the Jewish mobsters that lived in the New York City area during that time period were middle aged man.
“Once Upon a Time in America” is a tremendously directed film that is a fair portrayal of New York City in the “roaring 20s” and “The Great Depression” eras. The director of the film achieved an accurate atmosphere for the viewer by deciding to film the movie in the actual spots that the film portrayed. In addition, the film did a good job by showing the viewers the hardships that first generation Americans had in achieving the success that their parents were telling them that they had to accomplish throughout their life time.
Sources:
1) United States. "Fourteenth United States Census." (1930): 1-1000. Print.
2) Berrol, Selma C. "THE JEWISH WEST SIDE OF NEW YORK CITY." Journal of Ethnic Studies 13.4 (1986): 21-45. Print.
3) Fried, Albert. The Rise and Fall of the Jewish Gangster in America. New York: Columbia University, 1993. Print.
4) Dunbar, David S., and Kenneth T. Jackson. Empire City: New York through the Centuries. New York: Columbia UP, 2005. Print.
5) Olewniczak, Timothy. "Giggle Water on the Mighty Niagara: Rum-Runners, Homebrewers, Redistillers, and the Changing Social Fabric of Drinking Culture during Alcohol Prohibition in Buffalo, N.Y., 1920-1933." Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies 78.1 (2011): 33-61. Print.
ENGL 103-2682
Dr. Vasileiou
May 31, 2011
“Once Upon a Time in America: The Portrayal of Realism in Film”
Popular films usually start off in a place familiar to many. New York City is the backdrop to many movies due to its large population, scenery and rich history. “Once Upon a Time in America” is a film that takes place in three different eras in the 1920s, 1930s and 1960’s. The film is relevant to the time periods that it portrays, even though it was filmed in 1984. Factors such as prohibition, organized crime, and the economic boom and depression are all portrayed in the film. Even though the film was fictional, it gives the viewer the sense of chasing the American dream that many immigrants hoped for during the 1920’s.
In order to understand the way of life in New York during a historical period, it is essential to understand the economic situation of the city. During 1920s and 1930s, the average annual salary in New York was $1,200 (Fourteenth Census, 78). The average bread cost in the New York at this time period was 12 cents (per pound) (Fourteenth Census, 86). The average cost of buying a house or an apartment ranged from $2000s - $5000s (Fourteenth Census, 112). It is important to note that the 1920s were an economic boom for the United States. This period was quite often referred to as the “Roaring 20s”. On the other hand, the 1930s marked a time of economic depression for the United States. This specific time period began to be known as the “Great Depression”. It is important to understand the difference between these two time periods and their economic situations in order to better understand the characters and their motivation for their actions throughout the film.
In the 1920s New York had almost 6 million residents due to the large amounts of immigrants entering by boat and many immigrants from the south to the northern cities. Many of the immigrants that populated New York City during this time were Jewish people. Similar to other minority groups such as African Americans, Jews were discriminated and not employed as fairly as Anglo-Saxon Americans. Due to these circumstances, there began a movement of “Jewish Gangsters” in New York City. Jewish gangsters were simply first generation Americans that were pressured by their parents to achieve success by any means because Jewish people were discriminated in Europe, and the United States was the hypothetical place where success is achievable by any person who is willing to go out and get it (Berrol, 23).
Some notable Jewish Gangsters were: Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, Longy Zwillman, Moe Dalitz (Fried, 229). During the 1930s, Jewish prosecution in Europe was prominent. The ideals of Anti-Semitism quickly travelled to the United States, and many Jewish people began to experience the same types of discrimination in the states. When Neo-Nazi Americans organized Nazi Rallies in Manhattan, Mayer Lansky was asked by the mayor of New York City to stop the rallies without murdering any of the protestors (Fried, 230). Instantly, Lansky began to eliminate every Nazi rally in New York City. The protestors would often end up with broken bones, however, no one was murdered (Fried, 230).
New York was the center of manufacturing, commerce and culture. By 1923, New York produced 1/12th of all manufacturing in the nation (Updegraff, 24). Most of the travelling at this time period was done via boats and ships. New York City served as the departure and arrival site of major ships. During the Great Depression (1930s), New York City began to build its skyscrapers (Jackson, 28). This became to be known as New York’s landmark feature that made it recognizable around the world. At some time during the 1930s, New York City overtook London as the most popular city in the world.
In 1919, legislatures of the States approved The 18th Amendment to the Federal Constitution, enabling national Prohibition within one year of approval (Olewniczak, 33). During Prohibition, manufacturing, transportation, import/export, and sale of alcoholic beverages were limited or illegal. Women played a large role in bringing Prohibition to the United States of America, believing it would protect women and children from the effects of alcohol abuse. Prohibition began officially on January 16, 1920, when the eighteenth amendment took effect and police were in charge of enforcing the law (Olewniczak, 36).
As anything that becomes banned or illegal, alcohol became available underground at places called speakeasies (Olewniczak, 37). Alcohol was smuggled in large quantities from nearby Canada. On top of the smuggling of alcohol, states owned shipping lines exploited a 3 mile limit in the water where alcohol consumption wasn’t illegal (Olewniczak, 39). Similarly to marijuana today in states like California, Whiskey was prescribed to patients by medical doctors for medicinal purposes. Doctors freely wrote out prescriptions and drug stores did not question the patients. As a result, the number of patients increased dramatically, many of them faking their need for the alcohol.
Bootlegging of alcohol was a lucrative business for criminals. One of the most famous gangsters was Al Capone who built his criminal empire on the profits made by importing and exporting alcoholic drinks (Olewniczak, 43). The bootlegging industry that spread out throughout the United States, primarily in New York and New Jersey, created one of the most significant eras for organized crime.
In 1933, the legislatures of the states approved the Twenty-first Amendment, which revoked the eighteenth Amendment and prohibited only the violations of laws that individual states had in regard to "intoxicating liquors (Olewniczak, 52)". The United States government realized that by prohibiting alcohol, violence only increased. In other words, even though Prohibition was meant to protect families against abuse, the organized crime that developed as a result of the Prohibition, only created more violence.
The Film “Once Upon A Time in America” was directed by Sergio Leone, which was the last film that he ever directed. He was most known for his spaghetti westerns in the 1960s (Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly), which made actor Clint Eastwood famous. “Once Upon A Time in America” was based on a novel called “The Hoods” written by Harry Grey. Leone decided to focus more on fictional characters rather than on the real mobsters mentioned in the book.
The film’s plot is based on a group of Jewish gangsters in New York’s Lower East Side in 1920s from early childhood, to the early 1930s in the last years of Prohibition through their glory years, and into the late 1960s when they meet again. The film is told in a series of flashbacks, from the perspective of Noodles, a character played by Robert De Niro as an adult. Noodles hanged out with a crew for most part of his childhood and young adulthood. Noodles and his crew were soon introduced to Max, who was a Jewish Gangster.
The recurrent theme in the movie revolves around the chase for the American Dream. Noodles, his crush Deborah and his partner in crime, Max, all want to achieve great success. Noodles and Max want to achieve success through crime, while Deborah wants to achieve it through being a movie star. The concept of the American Dream symbolizes the mentality of immigrants during this era in the United States. Countries around the world heard rumors that “anything is possible in America”, therefore immigrants would tell their children that success is a must. Due to this enormous pressure on first generation Americans, many turned to crime when legal opportunities for riches were limited.
Prohibition played a significant role in the film. Due to the ban of alcohol, Noodles came up with the idea to pitch to a local Italian mobster, named Capuano, to save the illegal goods he would normally have to dispose of overboard. Capuano agreed with Noodle’s proposition and this earned Noodles and his crew 10 percent of the earnings from the recovered merchandise. As a result, Noodle’s and his crew began to accumulate a lot of wealth. In addition, the crime brought on by Prohibition was displayed accurately in the film. The United States government predicted that Prohibition would result in less crime and violence in the country, however this theory backfired, and just the opposite occurred.
The film in my opinion paid close attention to detail on the cities landscape. Most films today are not filmed on location because it’s usually cheaper to film somewhere else. However, this movie stood true to the city and was mostly filmed in New York City. There’s even a scene where Noodle’s is released from prison that was filmed nearby on Court Square in Long Island City. Large parts of the film were shot at the setting that they portrayed, except for a shot that was filmed in Paris that was suppose to resemble the old Grand Central Station which in 1980s looked similar to the location back in the 20s/30s.
The lower eastside neighborhood that was recreated in Williamsburg, Brooklyn has that look that the 20s was known for with the brick floors on the streets, the vendors selling fruit outside and even the police walking outside twirling there knight stick. In one of the scenes the actors were indoors of an apartment building and you could see the people bathing with the oversized bathtub in the living room and how everyone shared a community bathroom. The prices in the film were also accurate, where a corn beef sandwich cost one cent. Since a pound of bread was approximately 11 cents, the price of the corn beef sandwich is reasonable.
Another accurate aspect of “Once Upon a Time in America” is the portrayal of Jewish gangsters. As stated earlier in the paper, organized Jewish crime in New York City during the 1920s and 1930s was prevalent. The pressure to achieve success by any means pushed this idea to first generation American Jews, and due to the limited opportunities to make a living through fairways, some Jews decided to gain success the corrupt way. Notorious Jewish gangsters, such as Meyer Lansky, could have been portrayed in the film by Noodles or Max.
The next factor that was accurately portrayed in the film is the rise of Hollywood. Noodle’s crush, Deborah, constantly sought out a career in acting. During the 1920s, filmmaking began to be a popular commodity in the United States and many Americans began to try to pursue a career in acting. Deborah, just like most of the characters in the movie, uses her acting career as a means to gain success as a first generation American. The film industry, back then and even now, is representative as an entrance to the “American Dream”. Once Deborah achieved prominence in the film industry, she was approximately making as much as Noodles and Max made from their crimes. This illustrates the fact that there are loopholes in the system that permits even minorities to become successful legally.
However, there were some elements in the film that were of course in consistent with reality. The film illustrated Jewish mobsters from a very young age. This, however, is not proved anywhere. For the large part, most of the Jewish mobsters that lived in the New York City area during that time period were middle aged man.
“Once Upon a Time in America” is a tremendously directed film that is a fair portrayal of New York City in the “roaring 20s” and “The Great Depression” eras. The director of the film achieved an accurate atmosphere for the viewer by deciding to film the movie in the actual spots that the film portrayed. In addition, the film did a good job by showing the viewers the hardships that first generation Americans had in achieving the success that their parents were telling them that they had to accomplish throughout their life time.
Sources:
1) United States. "Fourteenth United States Census." (1930): 1-1000. Print.
2) Berrol, Selma C. "THE JEWISH WEST SIDE OF NEW YORK CITY." Journal of Ethnic Studies 13.4 (1986): 21-45. Print.
3) Fried, Albert. The Rise and Fall of the Jewish Gangster in America. New York: Columbia University, 1993. Print.
4) Dunbar, David S., and Kenneth T. Jackson. Empire City: New York through the Centuries. New York: Columbia UP, 2005. Print.
5) Olewniczak, Timothy. "Giggle Water on the Mighty Niagara: Rum-Runners, Homebrewers, Redistillers, and the Changing Social Fabric of Drinking Culture during Alcohol Prohibition in Buffalo, N.Y., 1920-1933." Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies 78.1 (2011): 33-61. Print.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
blog 18
While doing research for this paper I found it a bit difficult to find information in news paper directories for the era between 1920s-1930s. Prohibition was going on during the era and immigrants from European countries were flocking into the US particularly in New York. Also migration of African Americans from the south to areas like Harlem created the population. Even though a draft was due today I still feel my paper needs a lot of work and I wanted some pointers on what to elaborate on. My draft wasn't complete I wanted to kinda create a outline of the order I wanted to write it without getting into great detail. I was more concern with the structure laid out by professor.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Blog 17
Determinism is a view according to which, given the state of the world at any time, only one future is possible. Hard Determinism is supported by two ideas. The first idea is for those that believe in God. They would say, “God is all-knowing.” If God is all knowing than he already knows what is going to happen in the future. This means there is no alternative possibilities, and events must happen how god foreseen them. The second idea of hard determinism is supported by the laws of nature that include Newton’s laws of motion, gravity and governing the electric magnetic fields. For hard determinist these are the two reasons for believing no one has free will. These views are more fate over free will.
In the play Oedipus the King, Oedipus is told his future by Teiresias that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus tried to tell his own future by leaving town. Since his future was already determined he end up killing an old man who was actually his father and ends up with his mother as the blind prophet Teiresias envisioned. In Minority Report when John Anderton confronts Leo Crow, he tries to arrest Crow rather than kill him but Crow who wanted to die grabs for Anderton's gun and is shot. Even though, Anderton accidentally shoots Crow plays a role in Crow's death which was accurately predicted by the precog, Agatha.
In a way I agree with hard determinism because I believe in god seeing and knowing everything that we do, it is also backed up by science and can almost be proven. The one thing that got me thinking that was said by Michael Huemer in the article was “Unless we have free will, we are not responsible for our actions.” That quote makes you think about the whole plot of pre-crime in the movie “Minority Report.” They were arresting citizens in Washington for crimes they would of committed in the future but there is also the possibility of them not committing murder if given the opportunity to think about it. What they should of done was monitor the citizens and have police ready if they were to attempt murder.
In the play Oedipus the King, Oedipus is told his future by Teiresias that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus tried to tell his own future by leaving town. Since his future was already determined he end up killing an old man who was actually his father and ends up with his mother as the blind prophet Teiresias envisioned. In Minority Report when John Anderton confronts Leo Crow, he tries to arrest Crow rather than kill him but Crow who wanted to die grabs for Anderton's gun and is shot. Even though, Anderton accidentally shoots Crow plays a role in Crow's death which was accurately predicted by the precog, Agatha.
In a way I agree with hard determinism because I believe in god seeing and knowing everything that we do, it is also backed up by science and can almost be proven. The one thing that got me thinking that was said by Michael Huemer in the article was “Unless we have free will, we are not responsible for our actions.” That quote makes you think about the whole plot of pre-crime in the movie “Minority Report.” They were arresting citizens in Washington for crimes they would of committed in the future but there is also the possibility of them not committing murder if given the opportunity to think about it. What they should of done was monitor the citizens and have police ready if they were to attempt murder.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Blog 16
The film “Once Upon a Time in America” plot was based on a group of Jewish gangsters in New York’s Lower East Side in 1920s from early childhood to the early 1930s in the last years of Prohibition through there glory years and into the late 1960s when they meet again. The film is told from the perspective of Noodles a character played by Robert De Niro as an adult; in a series of flashbacks.
The early childhood scenes in the film were during Prohibition which was put in effect in New York City on January 16, 1920 to ban all manufacturing, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. In the film Noodles and the gang would commit small crimes that would earn the money like stealing from homes and local stores or preying on a drunk person to steal there money. Noodles came up with an idea that he pitched to a local Italian mobster names Capuano, that would saved the the illegal goods he would normally have to dispose of overboard when stopped by harbor custom agents.
The movie was actually shot in New York where an entire city block was reconstructed to resemble the 1920s since the film was shot in the 1980s. All the of scenery definitely looked like the era with all the vendors on the street and even small details like in the building everyone would share a bathroom and would have a bathtub in there living room. Some of the shots were also filmed in nearby New Jersey and Florida but also out of the country in Montreal, Quebec and even the Grand Central Station scene in Paris.
The early childhood scenes in the film were during Prohibition which was put in effect in New York City on January 16, 1920 to ban all manufacturing, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. In the film Noodles and the gang would commit small crimes that would earn the money like stealing from homes and local stores or preying on a drunk person to steal there money. Noodles came up with an idea that he pitched to a local Italian mobster names Capuano, that would saved the the illegal goods he would normally have to dispose of overboard when stopped by harbor custom agents.
The movie was actually shot in New York where an entire city block was reconstructed to resemble the 1920s since the film was shot in the 1980s. All the of scenery definitely looked like the era with all the vendors on the street and even small details like in the building everyone would share a bathroom and would have a bathtub in there living room. Some of the shots were also filmed in nearby New Jersey and Florida but also out of the country in Montreal, Quebec and even the Grand Central Station scene in Paris.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
BLOG 15
Security is definitely important in society to protect everyone from crime but some of the measures of security I am against. I believe Internet privacy is a huge problem. The idea that everything I search on Google is monitored is a huge concern. If I search how to make a bomb on the Internet doesn’t mean I’m going to make a bomb it could be out of curiosity. This doesn’t mean I should get flagged and put on a TSA list that could stop me from leaving the state or country. Flagged searches should be monitored if the person is also using the Internet to purchase chemicals that relate to the information found on the site. I personally believe the person who is publishing this information should be flagged and held responsible.
Google is a huge concern in general because they save all of your search history for up to a year and than supposedly get rid of it. Even though they say they will not sell your information to a 3rd Party that could be until they are in desperate need of money and you suddenly start receiving junk email from companies you never heard of.
An interesting point brought up in class yesterday about cookies in the web browser how they are used for advertisement so the next time you do a search you suddenly begin to see ads about booking flights or buy sports tickets. Facebook is also using something as innocent on their site as the “Like” button to advertise products throughout the page. I wonder do we get flagged if you like a page that says, “I hate Bush.”
Some means of security are acceptable and most people would agree. For example all the extra steps to board a plane like taking your belts and shoes off or random person search helps relax me and makes me feel comfortable and safe especially after a post 9/11 world. Sure this is a time consuming process and some of the things they do at the airport are embarrassing, but would you rather have someone sit next to you holding a weapon or explosive, I think not.
Google is a huge concern in general because they save all of your search history for up to a year and than supposedly get rid of it. Even though they say they will not sell your information to a 3rd Party that could be until they are in desperate need of money and you suddenly start receiving junk email from companies you never heard of.
An interesting point brought up in class yesterday about cookies in the web browser how they are used for advertisement so the next time you do a search you suddenly begin to see ads about booking flights or buy sports tickets. Facebook is also using something as innocent on their site as the “Like” button to advertise products throughout the page. I wonder do we get flagged if you like a page that says, “I hate Bush.”
Some means of security are acceptable and most people would agree. For example all the extra steps to board a plane like taking your belts and shoes off or random person search helps relax me and makes me feel comfortable and safe especially after a post 9/11 world. Sure this is a time consuming process and some of the things they do at the airport are embarrassing, but would you rather have someone sit next to you holding a weapon or explosive, I think not.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Planned Shrinkage Archieves Project Essay
It’s the 1970’s and the Bronx is Burning. A city with crime on the rise, decimated by the site of abandoned homes, burning buildings, drugs and prostitution. On top of the crime unemployment, cut backs in city jobs and the population of the city was decreasing 1% per year. All of these circumstances inspired the idea of Planned Shrinkage led by Roger Starr.
In the mid-70s Roger Starr was New York City’s Administrator of Housing and Development. Starr introduced a proposal that New York City follow a strategy called “planned shrinkage.” The concept of planned shrinkage was to relocate a group of people from poor, crime infested, deteriorated areas like the South Bronx and Brownsville to more concentrated areas like Far Rockaway. In the process the old buildings will be destroyed and new housing will be built. This was Roger Starr’s idea for saving money in New York City which at the time were suffering from declining population, lost jobs and high taxes.
During the time when Starr proposed planned shrinkage the South Bronx was seeing large amounts of arson, crime and housing abandonment and Brownsville was seeing urban renewal, crime and abandonment as well. Starr saw this as a quick fix solution to all these issues. Moving all people together outside of the more popular cities, then rebuilding the properties that are now vacant and constructing privatized housing, in the effort to get back the middle class that had moved to suburban areas like Long Island and Westchester. In order for this strategy of “planned shrinkage” to take effect, services would be gradually reduced in these areas categorized as slums. These services includes police and fire departments, sanitation, health care, social services, public transportation and schools.
The people didn’t take this news in stride including city council members and mayor at the time Mayor Abraham D. Beame. Protesters invaded press conferences where Roger Starr was set to deliver a statement to the public. Councilman Frederick Samuel and others demanded the resignation of Starr saying that his planned shrinkage idea was genocidal, racist, inhuman, arrogant and irresponsible.
During the time when Roger Starr wanted to introduced the idea of planned shrinkage an article written by Frank Lombardi in the Daily News showed that New York City had cut 3,432 city jobs in a month. During that month 2,082 full-time Board of Education employees were dropped. The bigger picture showed that in past 14 months 25,000 workers had been fired. The most significant agency affected included Police 4,879, Fire Dept. 1,926, Sanitation 2.612 and Social Services 3,815.
Robert Fitch interviewed Roger Starr on 9-2-93 where he explains his philosophy about planned shrinkage. The interview explains his influence about the idea. Starr remembers a conversation he had with Robert Moses on Randall’s Island. During the conversation Starr even questions him and says, “You don’t really think that you can treat people nowadays as though they were parcels in the package room…” Starrs doubt about Moses “slum clearance” approached helped build the foundation for the idea of planned shrinkage.
When hired as executive director of “Citizens Housing and Planning Council” Starr was very outspoken about “rent control” because it was destroying New York City’s private housing stock. He goes on the say “the problem with government programs is that you find yourself having to take in tenants who are extremely destructive and whom you can’t get rid of. Starr being very vocal on these housing subject lead him to being hired by Mayor Beame as “housing and development administrator.
The idea of Planned Shrinkage to save a city seems quite idiotic when you look at the overall destruction it could of caused to the structure of such a diverse area but the idea alone did some good. It seem to have woken up the people of the city to take a stand and force change. Councilmen where opposed to Starr’s idea and defended the city by demanding him to resign. The city never moved, the people rebuild and created a better city.
In the mid-70s Roger Starr was New York City’s Administrator of Housing and Development. Starr introduced a proposal that New York City follow a strategy called “planned shrinkage.” The concept of planned shrinkage was to relocate a group of people from poor, crime infested, deteriorated areas like the South Bronx and Brownsville to more concentrated areas like Far Rockaway. In the process the old buildings will be destroyed and new housing will be built. This was Roger Starr’s idea for saving money in New York City which at the time were suffering from declining population, lost jobs and high taxes.
During the time when Starr proposed planned shrinkage the South Bronx was seeing large amounts of arson, crime and housing abandonment and Brownsville was seeing urban renewal, crime and abandonment as well. Starr saw this as a quick fix solution to all these issues. Moving all people together outside of the more popular cities, then rebuilding the properties that are now vacant and constructing privatized housing, in the effort to get back the middle class that had moved to suburban areas like Long Island and Westchester. In order for this strategy of “planned shrinkage” to take effect, services would be gradually reduced in these areas categorized as slums. These services includes police and fire departments, sanitation, health care, social services, public transportation and schools.
The people didn’t take this news in stride including city council members and mayor at the time Mayor Abraham D. Beame. Protesters invaded press conferences where Roger Starr was set to deliver a statement to the public. Councilman Frederick Samuel and others demanded the resignation of Starr saying that his planned shrinkage idea was genocidal, racist, inhuman, arrogant and irresponsible.
During the time when Roger Starr wanted to introduced the idea of planned shrinkage an article written by Frank Lombardi in the Daily News showed that New York City had cut 3,432 city jobs in a month. During that month 2,082 full-time Board of Education employees were dropped. The bigger picture showed that in past 14 months 25,000 workers had been fired. The most significant agency affected included Police 4,879, Fire Dept. 1,926, Sanitation 2.612 and Social Services 3,815.
Robert Fitch interviewed Roger Starr on 9-2-93 where he explains his philosophy about planned shrinkage. The interview explains his influence about the idea. Starr remembers a conversation he had with Robert Moses on Randall’s Island. During the conversation Starr even questions him and says, “You don’t really think that you can treat people nowadays as though they were parcels in the package room…” Starrs doubt about Moses “slum clearance” approached helped build the foundation for the idea of planned shrinkage.
When hired as executive director of “Citizens Housing and Planning Council” Starr was very outspoken about “rent control” because it was destroying New York City’s private housing stock. He goes on the say “the problem with government programs is that you find yourself having to take in tenants who are extremely destructive and whom you can’t get rid of. Starr being very vocal on these housing subject lead him to being hired by Mayor Beame as “housing and development administrator.
The idea of Planned Shrinkage to save a city seems quite idiotic when you look at the overall destruction it could of caused to the structure of such a diverse area but the idea alone did some good. It seem to have woken up the people of the city to take a stand and force change. Councilmen where opposed to Starr’s idea and defended the city by demanding him to resign. The city never moved, the people rebuild and created a better city.
Friday, May 6, 2011
blog 9 media paper
Who would of thought that something as innocent as watching cartoons every Saturday morning as a 4 year old would affect someone’s life so much. The countless hours wasted sitting in front of a grainy 13 inch television with bad antennae signal. Adjusting the antennae is a game of its own angling it precisely just to get a good enough picture. Sitting on the floor with your favorite bowl of cereal with the box right next to you ready to reload during the commercial breaks. Studies have found that watching television at a young age even family friendly programming could be the key factor that triggers the thought of committing crime into the brain of a young child that makes the child a violent adult.
As a child watching television doesn’t trigger questions like how will this affect me as I grow up? Nor do the parents when they turn on the TV for their irate child to keep them quiet. The television plays the role of the parent when they need time for themselves or just need a breather to get their mind straightened out. Little did they know is that they could potentially be creating a monster. Sort of like a butterfly effect. The idea of a butterfly flapping it’s wings in California could cause a Tsunami in Japan.(Too Soon.) In this case the butterfly is a child and Japan is the ex-girlfriend murdered when the child is an adult.
Television seems to babysit young children at times. If you put on programming that the child likes you could keep them entertained, distracted, or engaged for hours. This is when the child is most vulnerable because the child has lost focus on things around them. While this child eyes are glued to the tube they are missing out on physical activities like playing outside or participating in team sports, family interaction or bonding, playing with friends, getting fresh air, doing homework, reading books or doing chores. For example playing on a team sports team could build self esteem, teach a children how to play with others avoiding social issues and keep them physically active which could prevent health issues later on.
Now a day’s television played such a large role in children lives that there is programming aimed at infants. Some researchers recommend to avoid letting children before the age of two watch TV at all. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics “These early years are crucial in a child's development. … Pediatricians strongly oppose targeted programming, especially when it's used to market toys, games, dolls, unhealthy food and other products to toddlers.” (qtd. U-M Health) Advertisement on television even at a young age could play a part for children because what they see in commercials gives them the idea that they have to have it. Imagine wanting an expensive toy car that you see on TV as a kid and you beg your parents for it and never get it maybe in your mind it triggered something in your brain that says I must to have it. May not look much now and maybe as a kid you never act on it but many years later it pops up back in your head as an adult and you end up stealing a real car because this toy you never received as a child pops up in your head.
According to research done by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner in the book Superfreakonomics TV became available in the US in the mid 1940’s. Due to a interruption by the FCC some cities didn’t receive TV signal up to a decade later. Prior to TV the cities that got TV early and the cities that got TV later had similar violent crime rates but by the 1970’s, violent crime became two times higher in the cities that received TV earlier than the cities that received it later. Levitt and Dubner proved by comparing statistics from the years in between that the exposure of television had an effect in those cities separated from TV between the years of 1948 to 1952.
One of the more popular shows in early TV history was “The Andy Griffith Show”. The Main character was a sheriff that didn’t carry a gun and clumsy deputy. According to Levitt and Dubner maybe a criminal in the making watching this show believed that the police were weak and dumb and weren’t someone to be afraid of or respected. Looking at TV now police are portrayed in many different ways on a show like Law and Order or CSI they make cops look bad ass that they run the city and don’t take no for an answer but a show that’s been running for a long time like COPS shows police in real life situations out in the field doing what police are known for stopping crime. Maybe a person who has been on the other side of that television and been arrested for possession of drugs sees that, Snaps and decides to commit a crime. You never know maybe these shows are aired on television re-runs to tempt a criminal to go out and commit violent crimes to fill up these cluttered prisons. This whole thing could be a conspiracy.
Television has such a large a effect on lives of people that a murder was blamed on people. Kitty Genovese a 28 year old woman in 1964 was murdered in Kew Gardens, Queens, NY as 38 neighbors watched. Kitty was walking to her apartment late night from work when she was stabbed by a man. Neighbors heard screams from their windows but know one reacted to her thinking it was maybe a couple fighting neighbors ignored it and didn’t call the police the first time the criminal attacked. The criminal returned again to the victim than sexually assaulted her and robbed her for her money. The whole attack took over 30 minutes and no one called the police because they figured one of the other neighbors probably called already. One tenant from the article I read said “"We thought it was a lover's quarrel!" The neighbors were so brain washed by a situation they probably seen on often in a soap opera that they didn’t react like it was a crime.
It’s no secret that children are more likely to commit violent crimes because of watching a lot TV when they are young the sad part is that if the numbers were high TV were in its early stages, imagine now with the advancement in technology and the access to any type of media remotely from your computer to your mobile phones. At this rate the numbers will be too large to handle. The prisons are already too full as it is. Is crime going to be over looked in the future. Most cities have has large budget cuts to their law enforcement. These statistics are not looking good for anyone.
As a child watching television doesn’t trigger questions like how will this affect me as I grow up? Nor do the parents when they turn on the TV for their irate child to keep them quiet. The television plays the role of the parent when they need time for themselves or just need a breather to get their mind straightened out. Little did they know is that they could potentially be creating a monster. Sort of like a butterfly effect. The idea of a butterfly flapping it’s wings in California could cause a Tsunami in Japan.(Too Soon.) In this case the butterfly is a child and Japan is the ex-girlfriend murdered when the child is an adult.
Television seems to babysit young children at times. If you put on programming that the child likes you could keep them entertained, distracted, or engaged for hours. This is when the child is most vulnerable because the child has lost focus on things around them. While this child eyes are glued to the tube they are missing out on physical activities like playing outside or participating in team sports, family interaction or bonding, playing with friends, getting fresh air, doing homework, reading books or doing chores. For example playing on a team sports team could build self esteem, teach a children how to play with others avoiding social issues and keep them physically active which could prevent health issues later on.
Now a day’s television played such a large role in children lives that there is programming aimed at infants. Some researchers recommend to avoid letting children before the age of two watch TV at all. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics “These early years are crucial in a child's development. … Pediatricians strongly oppose targeted programming, especially when it's used to market toys, games, dolls, unhealthy food and other products to toddlers.” (qtd. U-M Health) Advertisement on television even at a young age could play a part for children because what they see in commercials gives them the idea that they have to have it. Imagine wanting an expensive toy car that you see on TV as a kid and you beg your parents for it and never get it maybe in your mind it triggered something in your brain that says I must to have it. May not look much now and maybe as a kid you never act on it but many years later it pops up back in your head as an adult and you end up stealing a real car because this toy you never received as a child pops up in your head.
According to research done by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner in the book Superfreakonomics TV became available in the US in the mid 1940’s. Due to a interruption by the FCC some cities didn’t receive TV signal up to a decade later. Prior to TV the cities that got TV early and the cities that got TV later had similar violent crime rates but by the 1970’s, violent crime became two times higher in the cities that received TV earlier than the cities that received it later. Levitt and Dubner proved by comparing statistics from the years in between that the exposure of television had an effect in those cities separated from TV between the years of 1948 to 1952.
One of the more popular shows in early TV history was “The Andy Griffith Show”. The Main character was a sheriff that didn’t carry a gun and clumsy deputy. According to Levitt and Dubner maybe a criminal in the making watching this show believed that the police were weak and dumb and weren’t someone to be afraid of or respected. Looking at TV now police are portrayed in many different ways on a show like Law and Order or CSI they make cops look bad ass that they run the city and don’t take no for an answer but a show that’s been running for a long time like COPS shows police in real life situations out in the field doing what police are known for stopping crime. Maybe a person who has been on the other side of that television and been arrested for possession of drugs sees that, Snaps and decides to commit a crime. You never know maybe these shows are aired on television re-runs to tempt a criminal to go out and commit violent crimes to fill up these cluttered prisons. This whole thing could be a conspiracy.
Television has such a large a effect on lives of people that a murder was blamed on people. Kitty Genovese a 28 year old woman in 1964 was murdered in Kew Gardens, Queens, NY as 38 neighbors watched. Kitty was walking to her apartment late night from work when she was stabbed by a man. Neighbors heard screams from their windows but know one reacted to her thinking it was maybe a couple fighting neighbors ignored it and didn’t call the police the first time the criminal attacked. The criminal returned again to the victim than sexually assaulted her and robbed her for her money. The whole attack took over 30 minutes and no one called the police because they figured one of the other neighbors probably called already. One tenant from the article I read said “"We thought it was a lover's quarrel!" The neighbors were so brain washed by a situation they probably seen on often in a soap opera that they didn’t react like it was a crime.
It’s no secret that children are more likely to commit violent crimes because of watching a lot TV when they are young the sad part is that if the numbers were high TV were in its early stages, imagine now with the advancement in technology and the access to any type of media remotely from your computer to your mobile phones. At this rate the numbers will be too large to handle. The prisons are already too full as it is. Is crime going to be over looked in the future. Most cities have has large budget cuts to their law enforcement. These statistics are not looking good for anyone.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Special Activity: MOMI
Titanic sounds - Foley Sounds
ADR – Automated dialogue replacement (babe, coming to America)
Behind the scene of the baseball game (mets vs padres)
Actual film props – (nightmare on elm street, black swan, exorcist)
Video Camera timeline
--------------
During our tour of the Museum of Moving Image we explored different aspects of the film making process. We went over pre and postproduction of filmmaking. To get a feel for the postproduction we reenacted a couple scenes from popular films like Babe and Coming to America using a process call Automated Dialogue replacement. ADR is used when a film is being edited and maybe the mic didn’t catch the actor’s voice they could rerecord the audio without having to reshoot the scene.
Sound editing was a key part of the tour. We viewed a clip of the film Titanic and dissected the clip by eliminating the sound effects. I found the part about Foley sounds very interesting because there are professional voice actors paid to reproduce sounds like screaming, crying and yelling. Some of the sound effects used to represent someone falling on a wood surface or the tower tipping over was very cool because they used sounds you wouldn’t think like gunfire and animal sounds.
The actual film props were interesting because the tour guide explained how some of the scenes from films like Black Swan and Nightmare on Elm Street were created. The black swan scene used the prop of Natalie Portman’s head attach to a tool used to stretch the neck of the prop for a scene were she was choking herself out.
ADR – Automated dialogue replacement (babe, coming to America)
Behind the scene of the baseball game (mets vs padres)
Actual film props – (nightmare on elm street, black swan, exorcist)
Video Camera timeline
--------------
During our tour of the Museum of Moving Image we explored different aspects of the film making process. We went over pre and postproduction of filmmaking. To get a feel for the postproduction we reenacted a couple scenes from popular films like Babe and Coming to America using a process call Automated Dialogue replacement. ADR is used when a film is being edited and maybe the mic didn’t catch the actor’s voice they could rerecord the audio without having to reshoot the scene.
Sound editing was a key part of the tour. We viewed a clip of the film Titanic and dissected the clip by eliminating the sound effects. I found the part about Foley sounds very interesting because there are professional voice actors paid to reproduce sounds like screaming, crying and yelling. Some of the sound effects used to represent someone falling on a wood surface or the tower tipping over was very cool because they used sounds you wouldn’t think like gunfire and animal sounds.
The actual film props were interesting because the tour guide explained how some of the scenes from films like Black Swan and Nightmare on Elm Street were created. The black swan scene used the prop of Natalie Portman’s head attach to a tool used to stretch the neck of the prop for a scene were she was choking herself out.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
blog 13 - planned shrinkage draft
In the mid-70s Roger Starr was New York City’s Administrator of Housing and Development. Starr introduced a proposal that New York City follow a strategy called “planned shrinkage.” The concept of planned shrinkage was to relocate a group of people from poor, crime infested, deteriorated areas like the South Bronx and Brownsville to more concentrated areas like Far Rockaway. In the process the old buildings will be destroyed and new housing will be built. This was Roger Starr’s idea for saving money in New York City which at the time were suffering from declining population, lost jobs and high taxes.
During the time when Starr proposed planned shrinkage the South Bronx was seeing large amounts of arson, crime and housing abandonment and Brownsville was seeing urban renewal, crime and abandonment as well. Starr saw this as a quick fix solution to all these issues. Move all people together and neglect them in one place. Kind of like a crabs in a bucket concept. Then take the properties that are now empty and build expensive housing and businesses.
The people didn’t take this news in stride including city council members and mayor at the time Mayor Abraham D. Beame. Protesters invaded press conferences where Roger Starr was set to deliver a statement to the public. Councilman Frederick Samuel and others demanded the resignation of Starr saying that his planned shrinkage idea was genocidal, racist, inhuman, arrogant and irresponsible.
During the time when Starr proposed planned shrinkage the South Bronx was seeing large amounts of arson, crime and housing abandonment and Brownsville was seeing urban renewal, crime and abandonment as well. Starr saw this as a quick fix solution to all these issues. Move all people together and neglect them in one place. Kind of like a crabs in a bucket concept. Then take the properties that are now empty and build expensive housing and businesses.
The people didn’t take this news in stride including city council members and mayor at the time Mayor Abraham D. Beame. Protesters invaded press conferences where Roger Starr was set to deliver a statement to the public. Councilman Frederick Samuel and others demanded the resignation of Starr saying that his planned shrinkage idea was genocidal, racist, inhuman, arrogant and irresponsible.
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