HUM 225 Week 5

On the Monday of week 4 in Rome, we did a scavenger hunt around Piazza Navona. One of the questions on that scavenger hunt was about a fountain, that fountain is the Fontanella del Facchino. The Fontanella del Facchino was originally placed in the via del Corso, against the building Palazzo De Carolis, which is now Banco di Roma. In 1874, it was moved to its current location which is actually on the side of the building it was originally placed, but on via Lata.

For this blog, I will be discussing the iconology of this fountain, along with some history. It is said that the Fontanella del Facchino was created around 1580 for the Jacopo Del Conte for the Corporazione degli Acquaroli, and numerous sources say that after an assessment by Luigi Vanvitelli in 1751, he came to the conclusion that Michelangelo actually is the artist of the fountain. Fontanella del Facchino depicts a man wearing a cap and a sleeved shirt while carrying a barrel, also known as “acquarolo.”

The man in the statue represents a porter, whose job in that time period was to fill his barrel up at night with water, usually from the Fontana di trevi, or sometimes the Tiber River, and then sell the water to civilians during the day. The porter had to fill up his barrel at night in order to avoid paying fees for getting water from the Trevi, or any fountain, for that matter. A document in the 500’s stated that “any Acquaroli that takes water from the fountain of Trevi de without cease throughout the year, pay all julii five: item that all horses and mules that load water from the fountain, pay pennies five for every man beast.” The man in the statue was once thought to be a caricature of Martin Luther, but because of his damaged face and overall appearance, he most likely represents Abbondio Rizio, who was a heavy drinker.

HUM 325 Week 5

What, exactly, is the point of leisure? To relax? To get away from school, work, the world? Or is it to learn about the world, travel, find out who you really are? The definition of leisure is different for everyone; it is different in every culture.

In America, leisure is what people do to relax, and get away from work, or school. Leisure is what we consider time off from whatever responsibilities we have on a daily basis, or “recharging” our batteries. For some, that leisure would be sitting on the couch watching TV or movies; for others, it could be reading a book, or possibly going on a vacation.

Italians view of leisure is a bit different. To them, leisure is not only exploring the world, and what’s around them, but also exploring themselves. It’s “strolling grandmothers and daughters, fathers teaching sons to ride bikes, romping dogs, red-hot lovers, friends arm-in-arm,” as Edith Wharton explains.

To me, leisure time is a bit of both the Italian, and American view of the concept. My leisure time is time to get away from everything that is going on in my life, whether that be school or work. But it can also be time to travel and seeing the world, as well as taking the time to analyze myself and what exactly is going on in my life. I really enjoyed going to the Borghese Gardens for our “leisure day.” It was nice to get away from everything and just sit on a tree in the park and think and read a book.

SOC 490-2 Week 4

Barzini explains that when it comes to work, Italians are happy with what they are doing. They will not act as if something better is waiting for them, as many people in other countries do. He also goes on to explain that in Italy, “no one is rude to strangers.” As I have encountered many very generous, whole-hearted, welcoming Italians, I feel that that is not always the case.

From my experiences here, I have seen many kind and giving Italians in the workplace that do not mind having a foreigner in their shop or restaurant, not on the street many sometimes be a different story. While attempting to survey Italians on their view of healthcare, I often found that people did not even want to give me a chance, most likely because I speak little to no Italian.

While on my mission to get 20 surveys done, I noticed that it was the older generation that wanted nothing to do with me. They would look at the survey, say no and walk away, and sometimes would just say no and walk away without even knowing what my purpose was. It was often the teenagers, and young adults that would even attempt to give me a chance, and actually fill out the survey, whether it was with seriousness or not.

Barzini also tells us that Italians use gestures a lot, which I have often noticed. One of their gestures is that of slowly raising the chin, which means “I don’t know,” and more often than not, “Perhaps I know but I will not tell you.” Barzini goes on to explain that this is “the answer a harmless stranger gets from different Sicilian peasants when he asks the way to the nearest village.” Even though I was in Rome, not Sicily, during my attempts to survey Italians, I took my mind back to that day after reading Barzini, and recall some of the Italians that turned me down using this gesture of slowly raising the chin.

Even though I felt defeated and small when turned down by so many Italians, that experience forced me to recall how I have felt in the past about foreigners in America. Being a young adult, if some random foreigner in, lets say the mall, asked me to fill out a survey, I would probably do it depending on its context, but we be extremely annoyed by the fact that they even asked. I now am grateful for the responses that I actually received, and even though I wish that I got more chances to communicate with Italians that day about healthcare, I understand where they are coming from.

HUM 325 Week 4

Rome is full of history, churches, and beauty. But it is also full of life; life that the Romans live. Life that takes place on all corners of the city; life that takes place in the piazzas. Piazzas are a place for Romans to go and socialize; a place for them to mingle. Piazzas serve the purpose for people to grab un caffe, or a bit to eat. Maybe do a little shopping in a market. The serve the purpose for people to be surrounded by friends and family, and just seize the beautiful day that lays before them.

Some piazzas also obtain the use of religion, seeing as many are surrounded by gorgeous churches that one cannot not wander into. Muriel Spark tells us that on summer evenings in the Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, “ the golden frieze of the twelfth-century church gleamed in its floodlight.” Churches in piazzas, actually in Rome in general, serve the people the magnificence of what early Romans have to offer us. The serve us with the extended knowledge of what greatness came before us, and the knowledge that God is on our side.

Muriel Spark also explains that another piazza, Piazza Farnese, has a “colorful flower and fruit market.” Many other piazzas have several types of markets as well, that provide people with quite a few options of food, nuts, liquors, wines, shoes, and so on. People often come to piazzas for the markets that supply them authentic Italian traditions that are frequently less expensive than going into shops.

I would say that one of my favorite parts of going into any piazza though is the Italians that are there. Watching children play soccer, teenagers gossiping about things that I cannot understand seeing as they are talking in Italian, parents chatting away as they are somewhat watching their children, and the elderly couples strolling along as the hold hands in silence and just watch everything that is going on.

SOC 490-2 Week 3

The question of how much influence the government should have on healthcare is a tough one to answer. Too much government influence is not good, but neither is too little. In my opinion, there should be a median, a way to control healthcare expenses with some government authority just to keep things under control.

For people who have good jobs, or money to afford health insurance, our healthcare system is fine now. However, for individuals with jobs that do not provide health insurance, or for individuals that cannot afford it, our healthcare system now basically sucks. People individuals now will not go to the doctor even if they really need to due to not being able to afford the costs. And then when they need to be rushed to the hospital, the emergency room cannot turn them down, and people are paying for their bills though taxes, which many are not happy about.

Some people are trying now to get the government completely out of the healthcare issue. If this were to happen, a “consumer-driven” healthcare system, people would have savings accounts for their healthcare expenses as well as a lot of control over their diagnoses. Lagoe, Aspling, and Westert tell us that in a consumer-driven healthcare system “ positive healthcare behaviors and decision making are rewarded by fewer out of the system expenses.” But then Shearer brings up the point of “an employee with a existing heath conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes will face very limited choices in the individual marketplace if his employer decides to “cash out” its health insurance plan,” as well as an employee with a chronically ill child because they will face extremely high out of the pocket fees.

The healthcare system now, and the one we are looking into, as too extremes. No matter how much government influence we have on our healthcare, not everyone will be happy, but we must find some type of median. I feel that seeing as it is the “people’s choice,” why don’t we make it just that. The people’s choice. Would it be bad if people could choose whether to have a HSA or keep the health insurance they have now? It may or may not be difficult to do (I really do not know), but at least everyone would have the choice. Individuals would have the choice of how much government influence in healthcare is best for them. So the way I personally see it is, is that everyone is different, and everyone has different needs, so if America really is such a free country, people should get to make their own decision on the government’s influence of healthcare.

HUM 225 Week 3

Michelangelo’s masterpiece David is 5.17 meters or 17 feet tall. It is located in Florence, Italy, but the eyes of David are turned to Rome with a “warning glare.” The statue, which was created between 1501 and 1504, is made out of marble.

The statue portrays David, a biblical hero, at a moment of contemplation, right before his battle with Goliath. David was sculpted in the Renaissance period and Michelangelo wanted to use the greatest form of art to represent David, and one that would also represent divine creation. With this being said, Michelangelo felt that a David was “already in the block of stone he was working on.” He felt that David was already in the stone just as the human soul is already in the physical body. That statue goes along with many in the Renaissance period as his proportions are not true to human form, he is a symbol of strength and youthful beauty, as well as his uncircumcised form.

HUM 325 Week 3

In America, there are Starbucks on every other corner; in Rome, there are Churches. Rome and religion cannot be separated solely based on the fact that so much of Rome’s history has to do with religion. Some people feel that coming to Rome expands their faith and confidence in God, while others feel that everything that they are seeing has happened too long ago to have an affect of their faith.

In the Smiles of Rome, Margaret Visser tells us that the “Church lives still our of the spiritual conviction, the courage, and the generosity of its members – out of the choice, continually to be made by Christians just as it had to be made by Agnes and Emerentiana, of love over hatred, greed, selfishness, and violence.” Now, I may not be correct when I say this, but to me, that means that part of continuing our faith and religion is a choice. People come to Rome knowing that a major part of the city is it’s religion, and how Romans strive to be close with God. Therefore the expansion of one’s faith by being in Rome and seeing all of the Churches and sacred things it has to offer is a strong possibility.

On the other hand, others probably feel like everything that they are seeing took place way too long ago to have any impact of their faith, which is completely acceptable. The Churches were built long ago; the protection symbols on buildings came to existence centuries ago. So it is understandable if these have no impact on one’s life.

Being Catholic, and knowing very little about the Catholic religion, I feel that being in Rome has contributed to my faith somewhat. Before coming here, it was very seldom that I felt the need to pray, or even had a connection with God, but being here, is changing that. When I walk into a church now, I feel that I should pray, and talk to God, and even just last week I did not feel that need. I feel that I should learn the Hail Mary so I can go up the Scala Santa, and learn the prayer we say before we eat. I do not know about others, but for me, Rome has helped my faith, and I hope it continues to do so.

SOC 490-2 Week 2

People from all over the world come to the Cleveland Clinic for care, and it is rated the best hospital in the United States. With that said, not everyone in Cuyahoga County is healthy. Why you ask, I do not know the correct answer, but I do have some insight of the subject matter.

“Americans with below-average incomes were much more likely than their counterparts in other countries to report not visiting a physician when sick, not getting a recommended test, treatment or follow-up care, not filling a prescription, or not seeing a dentist when needed because of costs,” explains Davis. Furthermore, Peron tells us “today people want the best care that money can buy,” and “all this premium health care does make health care in total more expensive in the US than elsewhere.”

People in the United States, not just Cuyahoga County, are not getting the healthcare they need at times because it is so expensive. We need, and want, the best machines, and the newest technology to help us when we are ill, but as Peron said, that technology makes the cost of our healthcare outrageous! But, if we stop coming up with new inventions that can expand our lifetime even longer to lower the price of healthcare, people would be extremely upset with not getting the best healthcare available.

So why is Cuyahoga County so unhealthy even though it is the best hospital in the US, and people from around the world come to Cleveland solely for the hospital? Well that is because of the cost. Not everyone in Cuyahoga County can afford the health insurance that covers our “premium” healthcare.

HUM 225 Week 2

The Capitoline Venus is a statue made of Parian marble. It was found in the 17^th century hidden in a house by San Vitale, and then in 1752, Benedict XIV bought the statue. The statue purchased by Benedict XIV was a Roman replica of a Hellenistic original. The original is believed to be sculpted for a temple on Cnidos by the great sculptor Prazitleles in 350 BC.

Rather than the history of this statue, I will discuss the formal aspects of it. As mentioned earlier, the median of the statue is Parian marble. I think that line is used in her arms and legs, the way the are placed, to portray her discomfort. Even though her arms and legs do show discomfort, the spacing of them demonstrates that maybe she was not uneasy. It is said that the goddess was taken by surprise when getting ready for a bath and is trying to cover her nudity. While she is, I think that the spacing shows that she might not have been trying that hard to cover herself, or else she probably would have seemed more crunched together and uneasy.

HUM 325 Week 2

Rome is the most amazing place I have ever been. Yes, I have not been many places, but Rome, it just makes me feel warm inside. Maybe it is because I have been longing to be in this breathtaking, magnificent country since I was a young child, or maybe it is because that is what Rome does to people. Not only does Rome have incredible food, superb art, astonishing history, and brilliant culture, but as Barzini explains, it also has a “fatal charm” that people just cannot resist.

Everything I do here, from looking out the window in my room, to looking out the window on the train, from stepping outside our building, to stepping off the train at Termini, all I want to do is smile. Because I’m in Roma! It’s completely exhilarating! No matter how sick, tired, annoying, or moody I am, all I think about it how warm I feel inside and how all I want to do is smile. I just cannot help it. Everything about Rome, Castel Gandolfo, Italy, just blows my mind.

“Our feelings for cities, like our feelings for people, are always rather confused, with all sorts of things mixed in,” Ginznurg states in Such is Rome. The city is a “jungle of automobiles” with dangerous, crazed drivers, and it’s filled with foreigners to the point that sometimes natives cannot sit at mass without visitors taking pictures of the church. The metro is so crowded due to a shortage of more being built because ruins are constantly being found. There are gypsies everywhere. It is so difficult to get around because all the streets curve and the maps sometimes just do not make sense. But to me, all of the flaws of Rome give it more character.

Yes, the city can be overwhelming. The constant rush, the never ending history and ruins, the fear of being robbed, the foreigners, the transportation system, and so on and so on. But saying you do not like a city for it’s flaws is just like saying you would not date a guy because you do not like his accent, or his parents, or anything else. Everything and everyone has it’s flaws, but it has it’s upsides as well. You date the guy because of his smile, the way he looks at you, the way he makes you laugh. Just like you love the city because of the way it makes you smile, the fresh air, the fresh food, the school kids playing cards on the train, the old Signora sitting on the bus, the child smiling at you as you walk down the street. The little things. It’s the little things that add up that make you love that someone, or that city, Rome. As Ginzburg says, “This is the Rome today, which I no longer like, which no one seems to like, and yet we all love it, for the truth is that cities, like people, are loved for no reason at all or for a tangle of reasons, different for everyone.”