Tuesday, April 29, 2014

blog 9

This blog is going to be about the movie Grizzly Man and the aesthetics of is it right to invade a animals natural habitat. In my opinion i think its sad that Timothy got mauled and killed by a bear but he had it coming for a while now. If someone invaded my space and was all up in my business for a while then i would have retaliated as well maybe not kill the person but would have probably got the police involved because its stalking. Especially for grizzly bears they are animals that are killers and you never know what will happen when you are around a bear. I know he made friends with bears and loved them dearly but the bear that killed him was old and was pretty much hungry and fending for himself so he killed Timothy. Any bear would have done the same I know that how i am when i am hungry i feel like i could eat anything.

Monday, April 28, 2014

Final thoughts on Foltz

The conclusion Foltz comes to at the end of his book are prescriptive in a way that is only appropriate for a religious audience.  Though it was insightful into the Eastern Orthodox traditions, Foltz was too dismissive of science to relate to a more general audience.  Being religious myself, I can sympathize with his reasoning for a spiritual aesthetic appreciation of nature.  However, to ask a secular culture to embrace that kind of thinking is unrealistic even more-so than Carlson's conclusion that science is the only path to appropriate appreciation of nature.
That being said, Foltz does give us points that should be considered when making aesthetic judgments of nature.  Seeing nature as an icon makes nature worth preservation and respect.  A significant part of Christian teaching is the respect of others in the world because they are made in the image of God.  If we see nature in the same way and extend this to all things (not just people) then the respect would be necessary for nature.  Similarly, Foltz's claim extends to all nature.  God created the mountains, forests, and swamp equally.  They all maintain the same right to be aesthetically respected a valuable for appreciation.  This makes his claim more universal than a landscape or object model.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Blog #9

After watching Grizzly Man, it really makes me question the extent at which I am engaging myself in the environment and natural world. Timothy Treadwell was a very brave and curious man to take his life and spend it with such dangerous creatures, such as bears. I would never have the courage or guts to put my life on the line to express my feelings about nature and animals. I understand that he was trying to dig deeper and explore these animals at a different level than any other person has explored, but maybe he was slightly naive in his journeys. He was trespassing on their natural environment, to an extent at which he was killed. Maybe if he would have taken a few steps back, he would have been able to enjoy the bears beauty even more. Timothy makes you question the extent at how far you should engage yourself in nature, to aesthetically appreciate it to its fullest potential.

Blog #9 Grizzly Man

I found this movie to be very interesting and strange at the same time.  For a man to go that far into his views and so deep into his beliefs to be able to do that is unbelievable.  This movie made you see a view from a different perspective of nature and one that was very strong.  For a man to basically turn his life into a bear and act as a bear is weird but also awesome at the same time.  This movie was interesting to see how the bears interacted with him and how they didn't kill him earlier than what had happened is actually very surprising.  I found this movie to be a good way to learn and see nature from a different perspective.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Blog #8

I really enjoyed the Grizzly Man movie. Usually when you hear movies or documentaries similar to this it’s videos of the animal from very far distances or even just pictures with a ton of facts on the animal and why we should protect it. However, this was different. Treadwell put all of his heart and emotion into promoting the protection of these bears. He was willing to die for any of the bears. All of his emotion and his relationships with the bears is what, I think, made his “campaign” so successful. When you see someone get so close to a Grizzly bear it is really incredible. For that moment you’re quiet watching and waiting to see how the bear would respond but each time Treadwell would stay so calm 

Blog #7

Lately, I have begun to appreciate my surroundings more so than usual. When it was colder, I didn’t look at the positives of the weather and nature. With the warmer weather starting to become more frequent I have become more apt to stopping and taking a second to look at my surroundings and appreciate it. The winter weather doesn't really make you want to go out and view nature and appreciate it because of the fact it’s so cold. One would rather stay inside and view it from their window or even online. This gives a different appreciation than actually going outside like when it’s warmer.

Blog #6

One place that I can definitely aesthetically appreciate is John James Audubon State Park. This park was named after the John James Audubon, a famous American artist and naturalist. He was also very famous for his love of birds. Today, that park is not only a good place to appreciate nature but also the wildlife. When I was younger, my grandparents would take me there to the lake to fish or use one of the paddle boats. I enjoyed it because it was different from other parks. Instead of being out in the open around other things it was more secluded. I remember going down a windy road with huge, tall trees all around us. There weren't a bunch of playgrounds either. A few swings and slides but mostly it was trails and the lake. Instead of giving your attention to the material objects one usually finds in a park I gave my attention to the natural things around me. It helped me appreciate it more and it is still one of my favorite places to this day. 

Blog #5

A unique, beautiful thing in my town is the flood wall. Specifically, the murals painted on them. There are four to five murals and each one is extremely detailed and has to do with history. For example, one is of Maysville a long time ago when it was still growing while another was one of Native Americans hunting herds of buffalo. Each one tells a story and for a moment you can imagine yourself there just from the great details. Even though I don’t know all the scientific or historic knowledge behind these murals doesn't mean I can’t appreciate them anymore than if I did.

Friday, April 11, 2014

Blog 8 grizzly man

I found the movie enjoyable and funny. It was a completely different perspective and view point from any other that I have seen or heard. It was also very unusual because he took his views and beliefs and took them to the extreme by going out and living with the bears. I'm not sure I would be able to do that, at least not alone or for that long of a time period.  I liked how he felt free to express all his emotions and his true opinions of how he felt about the bears.  He took that and went around teaching and showing others something amazing, even if it was extreme and odd.

Blog 7 rain

Lately we have been getting a lot of rain. I know that a lot of people do not like the rain. They think that it is depressing and dreary. However, I love the rain and I think it is beautiful and relaxing. I love to just sit and look out my window watching it pour down. My favorite are really big thunderstorms. I love the thunder and lightning clashing together with the rain. It relaxes me and i find that sometimes I can drift off into my own world and daydream. There is  a sense of quietness that comes with it that  just puts me in a good mood. All you can do is sit and listen to the rain and the softness  and relaxation that comes with it. It can lull you to sleep sometimes  when the thunder isn't too loud.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Blog #8

Seeing the movie Grizzly Man was definitely an eye opener for me. I was thinking a lot of things when I was watching the movie. One thing I could not help but feel was laughter because of all the different interactions and scenes Treadmill has with the animals. Its impossible not to laugh at some of the scenes because it was Tim being Tim and he was funny in the scenes he did. Another feeling I felt while watching was how Tim wanted to save the bears from poachers and etc. He was doing a noble thing in his mind even if it was crazy and bizarre. And I have respect for him for trying to help animals out in the while because not a lot of people could say they did that to save animals. Another feeling I felt while watching was how foolish Treadmill was with living in some of the most dangerous spots with very deadly bears. While I had respect for him with wanting to save the bears, I find his actions in some of the movie foolish and a bit egoistic. The parts I found very foolish and not smart was Treadmill going to dangerous places with dangerous bears. Especially when he brought that poor girl with him which obviously turned out tragic. There should have been some point where he needed to stop and think that going to this dangerous place with deadly bears with a woman. But overall, I liked the movie for the most part and it was a great point of view to see from the movie.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Blog 8

The movie Grizzly Man, is interesting to say the least.  I have seen the movie before and I can say that after watching it a second time, I can start to understand what Timothy Treadwell was feeling when he spoke about the bears.  The way he speaks about the bears, is the way I speak about my children.  It is an indescribable feeling you get and the need to protect that thing.  I think that towards the end of his life, he had started to except that there was not much he could actually do for the bears that he wanted to and he was losing hope in all things.  I still think that he was beyond CRAZY but we all have that one thing that we are completely passionate about whether we know what that thing is yet or not.  With that being said, that video and photographs that he was able to capture is AMAZING.  It is so raw and unwarrented and mind-blowing.  I love how he was willing and did put the safety of himself and his life in danger to get the images and the information about the bears that he did.  Our society would not have this amazing work because I highly doubt that many other people would be willing to do what he did.  I like this movie overall.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Blog 7

Although I already mentioned the Hawaiian islands of Kauai and Maui, I am only going to focus this blog on the island of Kauai. Kauai is also known as the Garden Island because of its vast vegetation. It is a very beautiful island. There is the Napoli Coast which is extremely beautiful. They give boat tours so that you can see the Napoli Coast. The vast mountains along with the sunset make for a great tour. The island of Kauai has magnificent mountain ranges, on the coast and within the island. It also has the Grand Canyon of Hawaii, which is called the Waimea Canyon. Wherever you look,as far as the eye can see, all you see is this canyon which is extremely beautiful. Kauai also has a lot of forests that you can enjoy their beauty through hiking or even zip-lining. Everybody on the island is extremely nice and helpful whenever you have questions about the history of the island or if you are just lost. When you see all the beauty, it is amazing to think that all of this is on one small island. It is easy to appreciate the island of Kauai because it is not something that you see everyday. Everybody there appreciates nature, both the residents and tourists. It is impossible to not appreciate nature in Kauai because of its breath taking beauty. Kauai is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, and one of the most beautiful places I will ever go.



Friday, April 4, 2014

Blog 8

One of the most known parks on the westside of Cincinnati to get a great view is Mount Echo it has probably one of if not the best views of the city. When you get to the top of the park not only do you feel like you are on top of the world you also get this magnificent view of the city. It is just majestic and makes me appreciate my city even more by looking from this view because it makes me proud to be a Cincinnatian and that i live in such a beautiful city.

Blog 7



In Noel Carroll’s book he talks about being aroused by nature and being moved by it, and a place that comes to mind that I really like going to and seeing the nature is a park that I grew up nearby called Embshoff Park. The reason that I like going there is that is has trails that you can go on and it takes you back into the woods and you get to see all sorts of stuff that is beautiful. Just the smell of being in the woods is great because it is just straight fresh air hitting your lungs and you also get to see all the different things that we take for granted sometimes and it just makes you take a second to think hoe something can be so beautiful. Also I like going their because whenever you take the trail you always notice something different that you didn’t see before and it sometimes stops you in your tracks and then you just stare and look at it.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Blog #8

A place that I find to be esthetically beautiful is a baseball field.  No matter where it is or what kind of field it is they are always beautiful to me.  From the smell of the fresh cut grass to the freshly dragged dirt and the grass cut outs they are always esthetically beautiful.  There is a lot of landscape that is involved in a baseball field especially to make it flat and to keep the landscape up.  No matter what field it is it is always beautiful and puts me into a great mood.

Blog #7

Carroll talks a lot about nature and a place that I find to be esthetically beautiful is being out on a beach.  It doesn't matter what beach you are at I feel you are always in a good mood and it brings out the best in people.  Going from the sand on your feet to the hot sun and the beautiful view of an ocean its always beautiful.  When you're on the beach and just look out at the view and all you see is the ocean that looks never ending I find that to be very aesthetically beautiful.

Blog #8

After reading Noel Carroll's views on being aroused and being moved by nature, it makes me think of one place that truly moves me. The one place that stands out to me is the beach and the ocean. Upon the arrival, you take in the smell of the ocean air, the sand between your toes, and the rush of the water from the vast and intense ocean. The ocean and it's grandness has the ability to amaze me, as I stand back in pure awe. The ocean evokes many happy and joyous memories in my life, from vacations year to year. The only thing I need to enjoy it, is being emotionally aroused by it.

Blog #7

On a rainy and stormy day like today, it is hard to appreciate nature. I'd rather sit inside and isolate myself from the outdoors as opposed to emerging myself and getting soaked by it. In regards to today, I rather use Allen Carlson's landscape model, to view the outdoors as a picture or scene as opposed to reality. In order to appreciate such a stormy day, I may need to take into consideration the scientific knowledge behind the rainy season and the growth the rain is promoting.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Blog

This time of year is difficult to appreciate the weather.  On one hand it's lovely that the cold weather is finally letting up, but on the other hand the rain and not being able to go outside due to it is disappointing.  Due to the fact that it is now softball season, I may have a different view of this weather because on the field is where I love to be.  It is where I find the most aesthetic appreciation for the environment surrounding me.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Blog 7

A place that I find to be aesthetically beautiful is out on a lake. I love being out on the water, especially during summer. I find being out on the water to be a beautiful experience. I enjoy fishing, boating or just relaxing on the back of a boat. A lake is a place where a family and friends can go out and have a good time together out in the middle of nature. Lakes are naturally beautiful places and the scenery that surrounds them only adds to the beauty. My experiences out on the water have all been pleasant and leave in my memory a beautiful experience enjoying nature.

Blog 6

A place that I feel to be aesthetically beautiful is on a golf course. I love the sport of golf and going out with friends and going golfing. I find golf courses in general to be beautiful landscapes. The way that they are put together and thought out to look beautiful puts an extra aspect to them. I find playing a round of golf on a beautiful day is one of the most relaxing places I can be. It is a place where I can go and think also I can go out and have a good time with friends and family. I enjoy sports but also golf courses to me are more than just a place to play a sport at. It is a place where I feel that I can go and take in all the beauty in nature around me.

Blog 5

A place that I find to be aesthetically beautiful is the weight room. To me lifting is a way to get my mind off everything that is going on. I find that working out is a way that I can clear my mind and think about anything that I want too. I feel that finding a place that gets my mind off everything else is somewhere that is beautiful to me even if it is a place that typically does not smell the best or where everyone likes to be.