Many Issues.

One of the most underrated artists of the 20th century was Sister Lois Mailou Jones. She lived a long time on this Earth in 92 years from November 3, 1905 to June 9, 1998. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She was a great artist and a great teacher. She lived as an expatriate in Paris during the 1930’s and the 1940’s. The Caribbean and the Motherland of Africa inspired her art creations as well. She painted classic works and was influenced by the historic Harlem Renaissance. Traveling internationally, she worked hard to formulate designs, paintings, illustrations, and blessed academia with her exceptional talent. Her parents encouraged her to draw and paint watercolors. She met sculptor Meta Warrick Fuller, composer Harry T. Burleigh, and novelist Dorothy West who inspired her. She took classes from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts via an annual scholarship. She apprenticed in costume design with Grace Ripley. She researched African masks and created costume designs for Denisahawn. She took classes throughout her life. She took classes on different cultural masks at Columbia University. By 1945, she received a BA in art education from Howard University, graduating magna cum laude. She produced works to the time of her passing in 1998. She evolved in her style multiple times. She traveled into Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. She wanted to be known as an American painter with no labels. She loved her African roots and American heritage. In 1928 she was hired by Charlotte Hawkins Brown after some initial reservations, and subsequently founded the art department at Palmer Memorial Institute in North Carolina. As a prep school teacher, she coached a basketball team, taught folk dancing, and played the piano for church services. In 1930, she was recruited by James Vernon Herring to join the art department at Howard University in Washington, D.C.; Jones remained as professor of design and watercolor painting until her retirement in 1977. 

She prepared her students to the real world involving art and design. She was a great mentor and strong advocate for African-American art and artists. In her works Negro Youth and Ascent of Ethiopia, the influence of African masks are seen in the profiles of the faces. The chiseled structures and shading renderings mimic three-dimensional masks that Jones studied. She loved the art works from Harlem Renaissance artist Aaron Douglas. She made over 30 watercolors in Paris. She studied at the Academie Julian in Paris. The French loved her talent. She also taught watercolor painting classes in Howard University. She worked with Céline Marie Tabary in painting and traveled to the south France. They taught art together in the 1940’s at Howard University as well. In 1952, the book Loïs Mailou Jones: Peintures 1937–1951 was published, reproducing more than one hundred of her art pieces completed in France. At the Barnett-Aden Gallery, Jones exhibited with a group of prominent black artists, such as Jacob Lawrence and Alma Thomas. These artists and others were known as the "Little Paris Group.” She married the Haitian artist Louis Vergiaud Pierre-Noel. They were students at Columbia University. They married in 1953 at the south of France. They visited Haiti a lot which influenced her art works. She taught in Haiti too. She visited Africa and protested racism and the Vietnam War on May 22, 1970. She painted greatly in the 1990’s. Her work is found in museums worldwide. Howard University hosted the exhibition Remembering Lois and she was buried on Martha’s Vineyard in the Oak Bluffs Cemetery. She broke down many genders and was one of the greatest artists in history. We salute her spirit and contributions to art in general.




Yesterday was the one year anniversary of the tragedies in Charlottesville, Virginia. That was when white supremacists and Neo-Nazis marched filled with racism, bigotry, and hatred of fellow human beings. They caused violence and one alt right member murdered one innocent woman named Heather Meyer. The chaos of that day was very clear. Trump called them originally “fine people.” The events of Charlottesville shown the world that Trump is a total racist and he later defended Confederate statues too. One year later, we still have massive racism in America plus throughout the world. The GOP leadership not only has been in support of Trump like cowards, but they are heavily silent today about the real issue. The real issue is that white racism and racial injustice have no place anywhere in the world. Also, people have the subsequent right to resist injustice. Trump also disrespected NFL players who protested and that reflects the further bigotry of Donald Trump as the protesters have the free speech right to peacefully protest racial injustice and police brutality. We have an increase of hate crimes in America since 2016 and this is a serious problem in American society as America was born out of the blood of enslaved African peoples and the genocide of Native Americans.  When Laura Ingraham said that legal immigration is a problem via changing demographics and when Trump uses overtly bigoted words, then it shows how the conservative movement is filled with racist personalities. The cowardly Evangelicals who support Trump know better, but they refuse to wake up since they love Trump’s evil agenda. Incidents of police brutality and the separation of families at the border are huge evils that must be confronted. In this year alone, innocent black people now have been falsely called the police on by just selling lemonade, barbecuing, going to their home, and just living our lives. There only way to end the evils of racism and economic injustice is a combination of political and economic efforts. We have to vote, boycott racist institutions, advocate for economic justice, invest in our communities, and go out and speak up in favor of social justice. White nationalists are calling for the removal and murdering of non-white people and that is evil. FOX News is a propaganda arm of the Trump regime. This is no game. Charlottesville motivates all us to fight for truth and keep our eyes on the prize.

 

The culture of Beijing is old and diverse. There is a Beijing dialect for those human beings who live in Beijing. That dialect is part of the Mandarin subdivision of spoken Chinese. This speech is the basis for Putonghua. That is the standard spoken language used in mainland China and Taiwan (and one of the four official languages of Singapore). Rural areas of Beijing Municipality have their own dialect like those in the Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing Municipality. Beijing has opera and other forms of theater. Beijing opera is performed through a combination of song, spoken dialogue, and codified action sequences. These sequences use gestures, movement, and fighting plus acrobatics. Much of Beijing opera is carried out in an archaic stage dialect quite different from Modern Standard Chinese and from the modern Beijing dialect. Beijing cuisine is the local style of cooking.  Peking Roast Duck is perhaps the best known dish. Fuling Jiabing, a traditional Beijing snack food, is a pancake (bing) resembling a flat disk with a filling made from fu ling, a fungus used in traditional Chinese medicine. Teahouses are common in Beijing.

The cloisonné (or Jingtailan, literally "Blue of Jingtai") metalworking technique and tradition is a Beijing art specialty, and is one of the most revered traditional crafts in China. Cloisonné making requires elaborate and complicated processes which include base-hammering, copper-strip inlay, soldering, enamel-filling, enamel-firing, surface polishing and gilding. Many nightlife locations in Beijing include Houhai, Sanlitun, and Wudaokou. The Forbidden City is one large place representing the cultural center of Beijing. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, it has existed. The Forbidden City has the Palace Museum, which has imperial collections of Chinese art. Surrounding the Forbidden City are several former imperial gardens, parks and scenic areas, notably Beihai, Shichahai, Zhongnanhai, Jingshan and Zhongshan.  Gardening art is found in many of these places. In the modern era, Zhongnanhai has also been the political heart of various Chinese governments and regimes and is now the headquarters of the Communist Party of China and the State Council. From Tiananmen Square, right across from the Forbidden City, there are several notable sites, such as the Tiananmen, Qianmen, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum of China, the Monument to the People's Heroes, and the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong. The Summer Palace and the Old Summer Palace both lie at the western part of the city; the former, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, contains a comprehensive collection of imperial gardens and palaces that served as the summer retreats for the Qing imperial family. The Temple of Heaven is found in southeastern Beijing. Many ancient emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties gave annual ceremonies of prayers to Heaven for a good harvest. Most people in Beijing embrace Chinese folk religion and atheism. There are many Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians in Beijing as well. A high speed rail system is very commonplace in Beijing and in the rest of China.


One of the most important Presidencies in history was the Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He won the 1932 election and promised a “new deal for the American people.” His administration and his monumental domestic achievements represented the New Deal. The American people heavily blamed the Republicans for the Great Depression, especially for a lack of response to it. Roosevelt entered office with no single ideology or plan in dealing with the depression. The New Deal was heavily experimental, pragmatic, and unique. Roosevelt in his own words wanted to save capitalism. Competing ideas and programs were part of the New Deal era. The New Deal was a large project in an effort to end the Great Depression and reform the American economy. Some of his plan failed, but much of his plans' successes to be one of the most important events of the modern American history. The New Deal outlined a democratic society overcoming the challenge of a severe economic downturn. People were desperate for economic solutions. There were many Democratic victories in the 1932 Congressional elections. Frank Delano Roosevelt wanted an increased federal government role in in promoting and recovery and relief for Americans. Also, FDR put together a historic, strong cabinet in order for him to enact the policies that he desired. He nominated two Republicans who were Henry Wallace and Harold Ickes as his Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Interior respectively. He nominated the first woman Cabinet members in U.S. history, who was Frances Perkins in his Secretary of Labor. She was as social worker too. Eleanor Roosevelt helped FDR as his wife and she was a progressive woman. She talked and sang with veterans during the 1933 second Bonus Army march. This caused Roosevelt huge influence in Congress with his “First Hundred Days” plan of his administration. He wanted to use his power to win rapid passage of a series of measures to create welfare programs and regulate the banking system, stock market, industry, and agriculture. The first hundred days provided instant action during his first 100 days in office.

Roosevelt proposed and Congress passed 14 bills. These bills were part of the First New Deal. It wanted relief, recovery, and reform. By late 1932, banks failed in large numbers. As banking panic was in America, many people wanted to withdraw their savings. One day after his inauguration, Roosevelt called Congress into a special session. He convinced them to pass laws to build up the nation’s banking system. The Emergency Banking law gave the President broad power to have a four day bank holiday. Banks nationwide were about to close. These closings gave banks time to get their accounts better before reopening for business. Eight days after being President, FDR gave his fireside chats to inspire confidence in the American people. He wanted people to keep their moneys in the banks in a reassuring role. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the FDIC was passed that insured bank deposits up to $5,000. Next year was the passage of the Securities and Exchange Commission or the SEC to regulate the stock market and make it safe for investments. The economy had more confidence. These financial reforms gave many Americans confidence. The stock markets stabilized as regulated trading practices have investors more confidence. Farmers were helped when their crops' yields exceeded demand. The Congress passed the Agricultural Adjustment Act of the AAA to end the overpopulation of crops and raise crop prices.

They gave financial aid to farmers including subsidies to not plant part of their land. Farm prices rose in 1934. Conditions improved for the great majority of commercial farmers by 1936. The income of the farm sector almost doubled from $4.5 billion in 1932 to $8.9 billion in 1941 just before the war. Meanwhile, food prices rose 22% in nine years from an index of 31.5 in 1932, to 38.4 in 1941. Rural Southerners experienced the TVA or the Tennessee Valley Authority to give electricity, running water, and proper sewage system in the Tennessee River Valley. Many forests were replanted, and jobs grew. The TVA helped many people to survive. The Civilian Conservation Corps or the CCC gave jobs to young people. Many of them replanted forests, built trails, fought fires, and dug irrigation. The CWA or the Civil Works Administration worked on public works projects. The HOLC or the Home Owners Loan Corporation loaned money at low interest rates to business owners who couldn’t meet mortgage payments. The FHA or the Federal Housing Administration insured banks loans used for building and repairing homes. The NRA or the National Recovery Administration handled codes for minimum wages and dealing with fair completion. The PWA or the Public Works Administration built bridges, dams, power plants, and government buildings. The PWA work on building projects to this very day. Conservatives like Herbert Hoover said that the New Deal was too much involvement by the federal governmeent. The liberals viewed FDR didn’t go far enough to end the depression like Norman Thomas of the Socialist Party. Norman said that the New Deal was only about giving profits for big business. Frances Townsend wanted to help older Americans by giving $200 a month to all Americans over the age of 60. Charles Coughlin was an anti-Semitic bigot and he was so anti-Semitic that the Catholic Church had no choice but try to end his radio broadcasts. Huey Long was considered a populist and talked about high taxes on the wealthy and large corporations. He wanted redistribution of the super wealthy income to poor Americans. He was from Louisiana and he was assassinated by a political enemy in 1935.


By Timothy