Senior Art Shows @ Manhattanville College

On Wednesday April 29, I attended the opening reception of the senior art show, Apperception. Apperception, which is the process whereby perceived qualities of an object are related to past experience, is a collection of drawings, painting, and etches done by no other than Ashley Tarpley. Tarpley, who has always been interested in art and the human body, has chosen to do a series of eyes as her senior art show because according to her “Eyes are the most genuine part of the body.”

Tarpley states “Eyes will never lie to you. In fact, many times you can catch a person in a lie with just their eyes… You can tell when someone loves or is simply just seducing you. And you can definitely tell when someone hates you. Eyes are essentially the most important part of the face.” Apperception is currently up in the Brownson Art Gallery. Her work will be on display until Friday May 1st, but can also be viewed on her facebook page.

Another senior art show I am looking forward to attending is that of my good friend Courtney Soucy. Soucy and I were roommates our freshmen year and continued our friendship the remaining three years at Manhattanville. Her show titled Beautful Wickedness will be on display from May 4th- 8th. For those of you who are Wizard of Oz fans, this is exhibit is for you. For more information on Beautful Wickedness, you can also check out Soucy's facebook page.

Movie Review: Seven Pounds

This past week I decided to rent a movie. The movie of choice was Seven Pounds written by Grant Nieporte. Although I had seen the trailer when the movie was first in theaters, had no idea what is was really about. The movie starts out with various scenes that are chronologically misleading. In the opening scene Ben Thomas, played by actor Will Smilth, calls 911 to report his own suicide. Naturally, I was confused because it is unlikely to call the police reporting your own suicide. The movie then jumps to a scene in which Ben calls a call-center and harasses a blind employee, played by Woody Harrelson. We later find out that it is Ben’s goal to meet seven random strangers and drastically change their lives.

One of the strangers Ben meets is Emily Posa, played by Rosario Dawson. Emily is faced with congestive heart failure and is awaiting a donor for a new heart. As Emily’s chances decrease daily, Ben and Emily become very close. While Ben does all he can to help Emily during her last couple of days, he makes sure to stay focus on his plan to change the lives of the remaining six people. As the plot continues, you finally understand why Ben feels he needs to help seven people with the problems they are facing and change their life forever. Although the movie has a wonderful plot that touches your heart, it is hands down one of the saddest movies I have ever seen. So, if you’re in the mood for a great movie and a good cry, than Seven Pounds is the movie for you.

Overall, I give it 4 1/2 out of five stairs.

The Dangers of the “Blind Spot”

On Friday April 10th, 2009, I got a call from my mother; “Ali’s been in a accident” she said. “It doesn’t look good.” At approximately 3:30am that morning, my cousin Ali was in a car accident. She was driving down the West Side Highway when a car entered her “blind spot” causing her car to flip over three times. The driver side door was ripped off and her body was thrown from the car. Although she is alive, she is in critically condition. Unfortunately, this accident could have been avoided.

In the context of driving, blind spots are the areas of of the road that cannot be seen while looking forward or through either the rear-view or side mirrors. Although I do not drive, I am in the processes of getting my license and I have learned some important tips all drivers should follow. For instance, when driving, you should keep your eyes constantly moving, scanning the road ahead and to the side. Also, you should check your mirrors every five seconds or so to make sure you are not to close to any cars around you.

However, I did not know much about blind spots. Therefore, after hearing about my cousin’s accident, I instantly called my friend and ask her about blind spots and how they can be avoided. She told me that she checks her blind spot by quickly looking over her shoulder in the direction of the lane she is about to change to. This way she knows it is safe to change lanes.

Blind spots can be avoided and any one who drives should learn how. For more information on how to eliminate the dreaded blind spot, click on the follow links:

How to Avoid Blind Spots

The Dreaded "Blind Spot"

Be Safe Driving!!!

AIDS Walk New York, 2009

As the countdown to graduation continues, I am also counting down the days till the 23rd annual AIDS Walk. This year, the walk will take place on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 11:00am. The AIDS Walk begins and ends in Central Park, and is 10 kilometers -- 6.2 miles long. It takes roughly 2-3 hours to complete.

The purpose of the event is to honor those who are currently living with HIV/AIDS, to remember and honor those who lost their lives from AIDS, and to imagine a life without AIDS. As part of the race, those who walk are encouraged to raise money. The money raised by AIDS Walk New York supports the services provided by Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) and other AIDS Service Organizations in the Tri-State area. Last year, there were over 45,000 participants who came together to raise a record-breaking sum of over $7 million dollars.

With 28 days left to the walk, I continue to fund raise in order to help raise more than ever before. During this year’s walk, I am on a team of over 20 people and I am currently taking donations.
If you would like to donate to a great cause, you can do so by sponsoring me. You can do so by going to:

www.aidswalk.net/newyork
Click Sponsor a Walker
Participant's name: Joan Serpico
Team name: Faith-2645


Lastly, I would like to leave you with some information about HIV/AIDS. Click here for more information.

* An estimated one million people are currently living with HIV in the United States, with approximately 40,000 new infections occurring each year.
* 70 percent of these new infections occur in men and 30 percent occur in women.
* By race, 54 percent of the new infections in the United States occur among African Americans, and 64 percent of the new infections in women occur in African American women.
* 75 percent of the new infections in women are heterosexually transmitted.
* Half of all new infections in the United States occur in people 25 years of age or younger.