Topic: Valery's Ankle
Questions (I know I only needed two but I came up with four):
1. How does underground art become popular?
2. How has film essay evolved into a form of art?
3. What are the political implications of making an underground film?
4. What was the historical and political context of the film and the message behind the film?
4 resources:
1. Book:
Title: New American filmmakers : selections from the Whitney Museum of American Art Film Program
Published: New York, N.Y. : American Federation of Arts, c1976
2. Book:
Title: Film art : an introduction
Authors: David Bordwell, Kristin Thompson
3. Article:
Title: Translating the Essay into Film and Installation
Personal Author: Alter, Nora M.
Journal Name: Journal of Visual Culture
4. Article:
Title: Just call it Moscow in Motown
Journal Name: State, The (Columbia, SC)
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
The Power of Photography and Film
Before the invention of the photograph, people relied on stories and memories to translate the past. Although photographs have been useful tools in understanding the past, they have also allowed for the elimination of interpretation. Film and documentaries rose from photography and similar to it, the artist caters to a certain audience by placing emphasis and drawing attention to a particular theme or interpretation. Because Hollywood creates history through its clear manipulation of the public’s ideals, even documentaries must be viewed with skepticism and critical awareness. Film must be seen as a form of communication, rather than a chronology of history.
To Sontag, a photograph is a documentation of history. She believes that photographs are necessary to the understanding of an experience, “Such images are indeed able to usurp reality because first of all a photograph is not only an image (as a painting is an image), an interpretation of the real; it is also a trace, something directly stenciled off the real, like a footprint or a death mask” (Sontag, 350). Photographs are chronicles of the past. They tell a story, yet leave the viewer to his or her own interpretation. Critical Art Ensemble stresses the authority photography and film have over the viewer’s understanding of a piece, while Sontag believes that photographs are pure traces of history and powerless, in the sense that the interpretation is left to the viewer.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Lauren Glass
October 14, 2007
Superfund and Onondaga Lake
The Superfund program began in 1980, in order to clean up some of America’s most polluted areas. Although eight hundred and eighty-six sites have been cleaned since Superfund’s introduction, this year only forty high-priority waste sites have been cleared, leaving 1,203 dangerous areas on the “National Priorities List”. Fewer harmful regions are being decontaminated, as a direct result of lack of funding. This financial crisis is putting the one out of four Americans living within four miles of a hazardous waste site in danger (Knickerbocker).
Most often, the polluter of an area donates the money necessary for its cleanup. From 1980 until 1995, taxes on oil and chemical industries and an additional income tax on other corporations raised funds for the clearing of sites that were unclaimed. Presently, Superfund is nearly bankrupt, due in part, to the fact that Congress did not renew these fees when they expired in 1995. Senate Democrat Barbara Boxer and a small number of other democrats in the Senate, desire a revival of this tax, mainly affecting oil companies. The reinstatement of this tax is vital in order to provide the funding necessary to clean affected sites (Knickerbocker).
Superfund directly affects many inhabitants of Onondaga County, particularly members of the Onondaga Nation. Onondaga Lake is one of the most polluted lakes in the United States and was added to the Federal Superfund National Priorities List in 1994 (Onondaga Nation, Onondaga Lake 'Clean-Up' Plan). This 4.6 square mile lake has fallen victim to countless years of pollution abuse by sewage and chemical companies, who infect the water and produce “waste beds” (Landers). These “waste beds” reside along the lake’s shore, some of which span sixty-five feet or higher and occupy about one third of the lake (Landers). Onondaga Lake contains many chemicals that are poisonous to humans, such as mercury and many other carcinogenic substances (Landers). Piles of waste now lay where people were previously able to fish and swim. The once thriving ecosystem has been mutilated. Large amounts of phosphorus and ammonia deprive wildlife of oxygen; killing the wide variety of fish that once inhabited the lake (Onondaga Lake 'Clean-Up' Plan).
The Onondaga Nation is strongly affected by the pollution of Onondaga Lake. On June 17, 2005, the Nation sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Environmental Conservation, demanding change and threatening legal action (Statement of the Onondaga Nation Concerning the Onondaga Lake Superfund Site: The Nation’s Sacred, Spiritual, Historic, Archeological and Environmental Interests in Onondaga Lake.). On March 11, 2005, the Nation filed an action in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York requesting, “declaratory judgment that certain lands and waters in New York State, including all of the lands and waters constituting the Onondaga Lake Superfund Site, are owned by the Nation” (Statement of the Onondaga Nation Concerning the Onondaga Lake Superfund Site: The Nation’s Sacred, Spiritual, Historic, Archeological and Environmental Interests in Onondaga Lake). The Department of Environmental Conservation responded by ignoring the desires of the Nation and scripting their own plan. They did confer with members of the Onondaga Nation. The Nation was merely presented the inadequate plan, and was not given formal speaking time to object to its conditions and try to appease the situation. Many members of the Nation feel betrayed by the agency, “Their visit to the Longhouse was perfunctory, almost an afterthought. In all likelihood, the plan was already in print” (Hill). Sidney Hill, the chief of the Onondaga Nation Council of Chiefs, concluded that the Nation’s sacred connection with the lake was not taken into consideration and because Superfund is so financially unstable, the program seems more interested in a “quick fix” to quiet the public, rather than actually remedying the situation.
The Onondaga Nation believes that the remedies outlined to clean the lake are insufficient. The plan would only clean up a portion of Onondaga Lake and place sand caps over Mercury, rather than removing the deadly chemical from the lake. The Onondaga Council of Chiefs pled for the removal of all harmful toxins that damage and destroy life in and around the lake. The Nation is further upset by the clear disregard of their spiritual and historical ties with Onondaga Lake and how its pollution has affected and continues to affect aspects of The Nation’s lives. Although the four hundred and fifty-one million dollar plan is said to take care of much of the cleanup necessary to revive Onondaga Lake, the plan appears to be only a temporary solution to the lake’s contamination problem. A permanent and more effective solution would cost around 2.16 billion dollars (Onondaga Lake 'Clean-Up' Plan). The proposed plans, which includes dredging up much of the lake’s soil, capping areas of the lake’s floor and treating the water (Statement of the Onondaga Nation Concerning the Onondaga Lake Superfund Site: The Nation’s Sacred, Spiritual, Historic, Archeological and Environmental Interests in Onondaga Lake), unless remedied, not only hinder the public from experiencing the beauty of the lake, but also deprive future generations of The Onondaga Nation of experiencing the sacred importance of Onondaga Lake.
Although the pollution of Onondaga Lake goes widely unnoticed by a majority of the nation, inhabitants of Onondaga County must live in close proximity to the toxic lake, endangering their lives and the lives of their future offspring. In the past, the lake was a place of leisure, providing visitors with an area to swim, fish and simply enjoy the beauty of the natural environment. Presently, the lake is considered by many to be the most polluted lake in the nation, despite poorly designed clean-up efforts. The Onondaga Nation has been the source of much controversy concerning the pollution in Onondaga Lake thus, educating and informing people of the poisons in the lake. They have produced a following of people who concur that the steps being taken to clean the lake are frivolous. Although, the Nation has ruthlessly fought to return the lake to its purest form and has helped spark some change, their efforts have largely been ignored. They will continue to fight until they are content with the cleanliness of their sacred lake. More money must be spent in order to successfully clean the lake. The government should provide a higher budget for Superfund and new fundraising techniques must be discussed. Because, at times, it is difficult to determine which corporation polluted where, all industrial companies must be taxed, in order to prevent the deterioration of the natural world. If a company is proven to be the sole polluter of an area, that company must be given certain financial flexibility due to the taxes collected. Superfund should provide an amount of money based on how large and how contaminated the region is. If the cost exceeds the ability of Superfund, the company must be held fully responsible for the complete clean up of the infected area. If pollution is ignored, members of Onondaga County and other areas on the “National Priorities List” will continue to suffer from the short term and long term affects of living near an area of toxic waste. Our lakes will continue to be polluted, wildlife in and around the lakes will cease to exist and disease will spread to those living near the affected areas.
Works Consulted:
Atlantic States Legal Foundation. "Onondaga Lake Superfund Update." Atlantic States
Legal Foundation, Inc. 6 October 2007.
Hill, Sydney. “Our Debt to Nature”. Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation Working in Solidarity with the Onondaga Nation. 2004. 12 October 2007..
Knickerbocker, Brad. “Superfund Program: A Smaller Cleanup Rag.” Christian Science
Monitors. 2003. 2 October 2007.
Landers, Jay. (2006) New life for Onondaga Lake. Civil engineering, 76(5), 64. Wilson Applied Science Full Text. H.W. Wilson. Syracuse University Library, Syracuse,New York. 3 October 2007.
Onondaga Nation. "Onondaga Lake 'Clean-Up' Plan." Onondaga Nation. 2005. 4
October 2007..
Onondaga Nation. “Statement of the Onondaga Nation
Concerning the Onondaga Lake Superfund Site: The Nation’s Sacred, Spiritual, Historic, Archeological and Environmental
Interests in Onondaga Lake.” Onondaga Nation. 2005. 6 October 2007
October 14, 2007
Superfund and Onondaga Lake
The Superfund program began in 1980, in order to clean up some of America’s most polluted areas. Although eight hundred and eighty-six sites have been cleaned since Superfund’s introduction, this year only forty high-priority waste sites have been cleared, leaving 1,203 dangerous areas on the “National Priorities List”. Fewer harmful regions are being decontaminated, as a direct result of lack of funding. This financial crisis is putting the one out of four Americans living within four miles of a hazardous waste site in danger (Knickerbocker).
Most often, the polluter of an area donates the money necessary for its cleanup. From 1980 until 1995, taxes on oil and chemical industries and an additional income tax on other corporations raised funds for the clearing of sites that were unclaimed. Presently, Superfund is nearly bankrupt, due in part, to the fact that Congress did not renew these fees when they expired in 1995. Senate Democrat Barbara Boxer and a small number of other democrats in the Senate, desire a revival of this tax, mainly affecting oil companies. The reinstatement of this tax is vital in order to provide the funding necessary to clean affected sites (Knickerbocker).
Superfund directly affects many inhabitants of Onondaga County, particularly members of the Onondaga Nation. Onondaga Lake is one of the most polluted lakes in the United States and was added to the Federal Superfund National Priorities List in 1994 (Onondaga Nation, Onondaga Lake 'Clean-Up' Plan). This 4.6 square mile lake has fallen victim to countless years of pollution abuse by sewage and chemical companies, who infect the water and produce “waste beds” (Landers). These “waste beds” reside along the lake’s shore, some of which span sixty-five feet or higher and occupy about one third of the lake (Landers). Onondaga Lake contains many chemicals that are poisonous to humans, such as mercury and many other carcinogenic substances (Landers). Piles of waste now lay where people were previously able to fish and swim. The once thriving ecosystem has been mutilated. Large amounts of phosphorus and ammonia deprive wildlife of oxygen; killing the wide variety of fish that once inhabited the lake (Onondaga Lake 'Clean-Up' Plan).
The Onondaga Nation is strongly affected by the pollution of Onondaga Lake. On June 17, 2005, the Nation sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Environmental Conservation, demanding change and threatening legal action (Statement of the Onondaga Nation Concerning the Onondaga Lake Superfund Site: The Nation’s Sacred, Spiritual, Historic, Archeological and Environmental Interests in Onondaga Lake.). On March 11, 2005, the Nation filed an action in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York requesting, “declaratory judgment that certain lands and waters in New York State, including all of the lands and waters constituting the Onondaga Lake Superfund Site, are owned by the Nation” (Statement of the Onondaga Nation Concerning the Onondaga Lake Superfund Site: The Nation’s Sacred, Spiritual, Historic, Archeological and Environmental Interests in Onondaga Lake). The Department of Environmental Conservation responded by ignoring the desires of the Nation and scripting their own plan. They did confer with members of the Onondaga Nation. The Nation was merely presented the inadequate plan, and was not given formal speaking time to object to its conditions and try to appease the situation. Many members of the Nation feel betrayed by the agency, “Their visit to the Longhouse was perfunctory, almost an afterthought. In all likelihood, the plan was already in print” (Hill). Sidney Hill, the chief of the Onondaga Nation Council of Chiefs, concluded that the Nation’s sacred connection with the lake was not taken into consideration and because Superfund is so financially unstable, the program seems more interested in a “quick fix” to quiet the public, rather than actually remedying the situation.
The Onondaga Nation believes that the remedies outlined to clean the lake are insufficient. The plan would only clean up a portion of Onondaga Lake and place sand caps over Mercury, rather than removing the deadly chemical from the lake. The Onondaga Council of Chiefs pled for the removal of all harmful toxins that damage and destroy life in and around the lake. The Nation is further upset by the clear disregard of their spiritual and historical ties with Onondaga Lake and how its pollution has affected and continues to affect aspects of The Nation’s lives. Although the four hundred and fifty-one million dollar plan is said to take care of much of the cleanup necessary to revive Onondaga Lake, the plan appears to be only a temporary solution to the lake’s contamination problem. A permanent and more effective solution would cost around 2.16 billion dollars (Onondaga Lake 'Clean-Up' Plan). The proposed plans, which includes dredging up much of the lake’s soil, capping areas of the lake’s floor and treating the water (Statement of the Onondaga Nation Concerning the Onondaga Lake Superfund Site: The Nation’s Sacred, Spiritual, Historic, Archeological and Environmental Interests in Onondaga Lake), unless remedied, not only hinder the public from experiencing the beauty of the lake, but also deprive future generations of The Onondaga Nation of experiencing the sacred importance of Onondaga Lake.
Although the pollution of Onondaga Lake goes widely unnoticed by a majority of the nation, inhabitants of Onondaga County must live in close proximity to the toxic lake, endangering their lives and the lives of their future offspring. In the past, the lake was a place of leisure, providing visitors with an area to swim, fish and simply enjoy the beauty of the natural environment. Presently, the lake is considered by many to be the most polluted lake in the nation, despite poorly designed clean-up efforts. The Onondaga Nation has been the source of much controversy concerning the pollution in Onondaga Lake thus, educating and informing people of the poisons in the lake. They have produced a following of people who concur that the steps being taken to clean the lake are frivolous. Although, the Nation has ruthlessly fought to return the lake to its purest form and has helped spark some change, their efforts have largely been ignored. They will continue to fight until they are content with the cleanliness of their sacred lake. More money must be spent in order to successfully clean the lake. The government should provide a higher budget for Superfund and new fundraising techniques must be discussed. Because, at times, it is difficult to determine which corporation polluted where, all industrial companies must be taxed, in order to prevent the deterioration of the natural world. If a company is proven to be the sole polluter of an area, that company must be given certain financial flexibility due to the taxes collected. Superfund should provide an amount of money based on how large and how contaminated the region is. If the cost exceeds the ability of Superfund, the company must be held fully responsible for the complete clean up of the infected area. If pollution is ignored, members of Onondaga County and other areas on the “National Priorities List” will continue to suffer from the short term and long term affects of living near an area of toxic waste. Our lakes will continue to be polluted, wildlife in and around the lakes will cease to exist and disease will spread to those living near the affected areas.
Works Consulted:
Atlantic States Legal Foundation. "Onondaga Lake Superfund Update." Atlantic States
Legal Foundation, Inc. 6 October 2007
Hill, Sydney. “Our Debt to Nature”. Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation Working in Solidarity with the Onondaga Nation. 2004. 12 October 2007.
Knickerbocker, Brad. “Superfund Program: A Smaller Cleanup Rag.” Christian Science
Monitors. 2003. 2 October 2007
Landers, Jay. (2006) New life for Onondaga Lake. Civil engineering, 76(5), 64. Wilson Applied Science Full Text. H.W. Wilson. Syracuse University Library, Syracuse,New York. 3 October 2007
Onondaga Nation. "Onondaga Lake 'Clean-Up' Plan." Onondaga Nation. 2005. 4
October 2007.
Onondaga Nation. “Statement of the Onondaga Nation
Concerning the Onondaga Lake Superfund Site: The Nation’s Sacred, Spiritual, Historic, Archeological and Environmental
Interests in Onondaga Lake.” Onondaga Nation. 2005. 6 October 2007
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Superfund and Onodaga Lake
Lexis Nexis
onlakepartners.org
epa.gov
The Superfund program began in 1980 and called for individual taxpayers to pay eighteen percent of its total cost. Since then, the costs to individuals have risen to fifty-three percent. Although 886 sites have been cleaned since Superfund’s introduction, this year only 40 high-priority waste sites have been cleaned, leaving 1,203 dangerous areas on the “National Priorities List”. Fewer harmful regions are being cleaned, as a direct result of lack of funding. This financial crisis is putting the 1 out of 4 Americans living within four miles of a hazardous waste site in danger.
Most often the polluter of the area donates the money necessary for its cleanup, but there are many dirty areas that have yet to be claimed. From 1980 until 1995, taxes on oil and chemical industries and an additional income tax on other corporations raised funds for the clearing of these sites. Presently, Superfund is nearly bankrupt, due in partial to the fact that Congress did not renew these fees when they expired in 1995. People are divided as how to appease the situation. Senate Democrat Barbara Boxer, and a small number of other democrats in the senate, desires a revival of this tax, mainly affecting oil companies. Others deem this tax unfair, as the pollution is no longer solely the fault of the companies. Some believe that there should be particular industry taxes forcing the polluter to pay, while others believe that Superfund causes too much trouble and should eliminated. Because Superfund holds even those parties whose pollution contribution is extremely miniscule responsible, those apposed to Superfund, consider that people looking to invest may shy away from previously industrialized areas so that they are not eligible for culpability. Although Superfund will not be eliminated, new strategies for raising money for Superfund are being debated throughout the United States.
onlakepartners.org
epa.gov
The Superfund program began in 1980 and called for individual taxpayers to pay eighteen percent of its total cost. Since then, the costs to individuals have risen to fifty-three percent. Although 886 sites have been cleaned since Superfund’s introduction, this year only 40 high-priority waste sites have been cleaned, leaving 1,203 dangerous areas on the “National Priorities List”. Fewer harmful regions are being cleaned, as a direct result of lack of funding. This financial crisis is putting the 1 out of 4 Americans living within four miles of a hazardous waste site in danger.
Most often the polluter of the area donates the money necessary for its cleanup, but there are many dirty areas that have yet to be claimed. From 1980 until 1995, taxes on oil and chemical industries and an additional income tax on other corporations raised funds for the clearing of these sites. Presently, Superfund is nearly bankrupt, due in partial to the fact that Congress did not renew these fees when they expired in 1995. People are divided as how to appease the situation. Senate Democrat Barbara Boxer, and a small number of other democrats in the senate, desires a revival of this tax, mainly affecting oil companies. Others deem this tax unfair, as the pollution is no longer solely the fault of the companies. Some believe that there should be particular industry taxes forcing the polluter to pay, while others believe that Superfund causes too much trouble and should eliminated. Because Superfund holds even those parties whose pollution contribution is extremely miniscule responsible, those apposed to Superfund, consider that people looking to invest may shy away from previously industrialized areas so that they are not eligible for culpability. Although Superfund will not be eliminated, new strategies for raising money for Superfund are being debated throughout the United States.
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