tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91794488139224212072024-02-06T20:15:01.587-08:00Currently in the momentAronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602348947658040054noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179448813922421207.post-77522038939740981612016-06-21T16:51:00.003-07:002016-06-21T16:51:38.680-07:00Philippines Volcano walk (Original)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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While I was living in Singapore I decided to travel to the Philippines for a week. I set up base camp in the Philippine's capital city Manila. Manila is a beautiful city, but you also see that it is in of help from the many cabs and street vendors trying to scam you or worse. That being said, Manila is like any other dangerous city, if you know where your going, keep an eye out for trouble and don't where anything flashy you should be fine. I stayed for about 3 days before I made my journey to Volcano Taal.<br />
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Volcano Taal was a great experience. The scenery was unlike anything I had seen. The ground was so hot that smoke rose up through the ashy sand every time I took a step. The most interesting thing about the Volcano is it's history. I'll try to explain this as best I can. It was a large Volcano that erupted an collapsed into itself creating a large crater lake, then it formed another Volcano island within the middle of that lake, which erupted creating another crater on the island which created another lake and now it has another small island in that lake. I know that is a lot to explain so here are some pictures.</div>
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Across the sea, nearly ten thousand miles I traveled to Singapore to live and learn about one of the most interesting countries on the planet. Singapore is an Island nation, approximately 227.6 miles long, with a population of roughly 6 million. What's most fascinating is that the country itself is a large city. First thing people have asked me is, what language do they speak in Singapore? Being a former British colony, English is the most used language. But there are three more languages in Singapore. The majority of Singapore population is Chinese, after that there are Malaysians, Indians and Bangladesh. There are other ethnicities in Singapore but Chinese, Malaysian and Indian are the most dominate. That being said, English is used across the board.<br />
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In Singapore 'Gum' is really illegal. Singapore doesn't sell gum or allow it to be imported. That was one of those rumors that you'd think was just that, a rumor. But most Singaporeans don't follow most of the what some would call super strict laws. I was historical when one of my friends offered me a piece of what looked like winter fresh in the middle of a class.<br />
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Aronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602348947658040054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179448813922421207.post-87947056423985106712015-05-10T09:22:00.001-07:002015-05-10T09:26:25.261-07:00Around Toronto! (Original) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh Canada! I recently got a chance too travel to Toronto an explore the wonders of THE MEGACITY. Upon first entering Canada I immediately realized the difference in hospitality compared to America. When asking for information at train and bus stations I wasn't met with the usual heart warming tough look quick explanation to my surprise. Needles to say, people are very friendly. That didn't change when I got to Toronto either. One of the things I enjoyed most about Toronto was the embrace of internationals. Visiting Korea, China and other cultural city town districts you get a strong sense of a welcome community. <br />
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I traveled all around the city to cool places like CN Tower and Casa loma. If your not a heights person the CN Tower is still a great place to visit, located conveniently next to the aquarium. Casa loma is very nostalgic if you've ever seen the live action X-men movie. A few scenes were filmed on location back in 2003.<br />
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In my opinion Toronto is one of the best cities in the world. The crime is low and the people are open minded. If your looking for a great place to take in sights an a slice of humble pie, Toronto should definitely be on your top 5 list cities to travel to.<br />
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Aronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602348947658040054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179448813922421207.post-87194146616578082332014-11-23T10:42:00.000-08:002014-11-23T10:42:56.612-08:00Youmacon 2014 (Original) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This was my first trip to Detroit's annually held cosplay convention known as <i>Youmacon</i>, it was something out of this world!</div>
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This is the one time of the year (besides Halloween) you can dress up as your favorite character from a video game, movie, anime or even television show and not be weird! Well a bunch of adults in costumes..ehh well we need to let loose every once in a while, tricks don't always have to be for kids! So Youmacon is like Halloween, minus the candy, plus cooler costumes and two extra days! Thousands gather to show off their costumes, go to panels with celebrity speakers, watch anime, play video games, shop, eat drink and be marry! There's tons of cool things you can get into, depending on your preference.<br />
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All of the events are fun. There's literally something for everyone. However, it's not the events or the celebrity guests, or the fancy lights that make Youmacon. It's the people. The costumes are the most exciting part! I think even old Clint himself would agree, It's all about the good, bad and the ugly. How much work some participants put into the cosplay is mind blowing! Traveling across the vast wonderland known as Youma I came across many interesting people.<br />
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This summer I studied abroad in Japan through a program called JCMU. This was my first trip out side of the U.S. and also my first time riding on a plane. I can honestly say, it was one of the best experiences I've ever had. It wasn't with out it's challenges though. It took a lot to find the confidence to say I'm going to this and then actually follow suit. I had lived with the thought of going for most of my life, but I could never get past the distance. Being from a close knit family, it was hard to imagine journeying so far away from home. They thought so as well. Then there was the fear of heights, I couldn't even stomach a roller coaster. After getting into college, I spent two years thinking about and listening to everything people had to say concerning travel, riding planes, money and culture differences etc. The only thing was that most of the people telling me had never attempted what I was about to do. So I made a decision, I would find out for myself.<br />
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After I made up my mind all of the fears and doubts I had turned into determination, I had to know for myself. With this new vote of confidence, I began to search for a means to travel to Japan. After a while of searching through study abroad programs at my University, I came a crossed JCMU. It was a summer long program of studying language in Japan. It was perfect for my finances and my time schedule. All that was left for me to do was to apply and head out. I hit a few snags finding a good price on plane tickets and a few other obstacles which almost prevented me from going, but my strong desire to experience Japan for myself help me to persevere. <br />
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With that, I took to the sky and began my journey to Japan. It turns out flying wasn't as bad as everyone had told me, I loved it!<br />
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Before I could get to Japan I had to change planes in South Korea. It was easier to get around the air port than I thought it would be. Everybody I ran into spoke a little bit of English, which was helpful.<br />
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It was a little strange, though I had traveled through South Korea and arrived in Japan I didn't experience the anxiety known as culture shock. It wasn't until my return to America, that I felt the effects of the culture differences. After arriving in Japan I wasn't met with a welcome wagon, I was on my own. I spoke only five sentences in Japanese, along with a few phrases I picked up from my favorite anime. I was in trouble, not really. If you understand your basic direction questions and answers you can find your way around pretty well, people in Japan are very helpful. I got directions to the city where my program was located and caught a bullet train heading that way. <br />
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By the time I got my program I was exhausted. I had been up the whole 14 hours of the flight and the small time I spent in South Korea. I was experiencing jet lag. It took some time for me to adjusted to the change in time zones. The culture part wasn't to hard you just have to do everything opposite of American culture; take your shoes of before you enter the house, separate your garbage and be polite. <br />
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The town I stayed in was a cozy little place called Hikone.<br />
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The people I met at JCMU were all amazing. Everybody had their own reasons for coming to Japan. Some were there for business, others for research, but most of us were there for language. The summer program was very intense. We studied day in and day out with out fail. It was overwhelming to say the least, from my experience. I was pushed to my limits and beyond academically. I had many sleepless nights of cramming for tests, memorizing different grammar patters and vocabulary everyday. I was met with a challenge every step of the way. I didn't overcome all of them, but I learned every time. Whether it was a short coming or a success. <br />
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These are my classmates and our language professors.<br />
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Through all of the hustle and bustle of school and the busy life in Japan, I still manged to have fun. I met a lot of new friends and we traveled to a lot of fun places.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Monkey Mountain</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> Kyoto</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Nara</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Hikone Castle </b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Friends and other places</span></b><br />
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Japan was everything I thought it would be and more. There were times when I had to pinch myself to see if it was real. The things that I learned and the people I met have inspired me to see more of the world. I wont ever forget what I experienced in Japan. No words can really describe what it's like to get to live out one of
your dreams. But I'll give it a try anyway, it was a blessing.<br />
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<br />Aronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602348947658040054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179448813922421207.post-83182150663044366722014-07-21T14:33:00.000-07:002014-08-18T19:49:24.883-07:00Days in Japan:1 (Original)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm currently in Japan! Here's a few photos I took when I traveled to a town called Kobe.<br />
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Aronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602348947658040054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179448813922421207.post-47474738729266603852014-05-23T18:23:00.002-07:002014-08-18T19:49:36.776-07:00In The Moment: Larry Joe Campbell interview (Original)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I got a chance to sit down with actor Larry Joe Campbell around the time he visited Central Michigan University this past January. We talked about college, movies, work ethic and a little about directing. Larry had strong words of advice for young aspiring actors seeking to pursue a career in show business. <br />
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"Don't do it for fame, do it for the love of it because you'll never be happy," said Larry Joe Campbell. "You'll always be disappointed if you chase the carrot, you got to do what feeds you."<br />
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Hear the full interview bellow:<br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/150990814&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>Aronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602348947658040054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179448813922421207.post-17031331307270370022014-01-20T17:19:00.002-08:002014-01-20T17:27:52.961-08:00In The Moment: Martin Luther King Day (Original)On this day we remember and celebrate the legacy of a man who forever changed the face of the United States of America. His impactful words still resonate in our hearts to this day. His protest, peaceful. His message, an equal coexistence.<br />
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Nearly half a century ago the United States was a much different place than the U.S. we know and love today. African Americans were treated horribly, schools, buses, restaurants, and even bathrooms were segregated, white and black. The nation was filled with a hate who's origins have yet to be revealed. But there were those who would challenged that hate. One of the most iconic of those warriors of love was Dr. Martin Luther King. With a powerful message from on high, he followed by those who also believed in a dream marched. Their journey was riddled with ridicule, thrown rocks, assault and battery from police, water hosing from firemen and the unleashing of attack dogs. But in the end, they made it to their destination. Because of their sacrifice we are now able to enjoy freedom from segregation and oppression.<br />
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Today people still believe in that same dream. So in remembrance and in unification, we all march together, black, white, brown, yellow, green, purple in this nation of red, white, and blue.<br />
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<br />Aronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602348947658040054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179448813922421207.post-15827639898913764582014-01-19T11:23:00.000-08:002014-01-20T17:27:43.926-08:00Movie Review Time: The Bates Haunting (Original) Horror laced with a heavy dose of gore and the paranoia of knowing nobody can be trusted. The Bates Haunting is one to look out for. The story takes place on a farm (the Bates farm) that annually hosts a Halloween attraction. The plot begins with a young woman (<span class="underline">Lily Hansen) meeting her untimely demise from the fiery breath of a mechanical dragon. After her mysterious death, rumors spark about the farm being haunted. Friend of Lily, </span><span class="underline">Agnes Rickover, plagued with nightmares of her friends death and unable to except it was a freak accident, decides to investigate. She accompanied by her close friend </span><span class="underline">Clyde Abelson, venture out to the farm in search of the truth behind the strange happenings. Agnes gets hired to work the Bates farm Halloween attraction, where she crosses paths with Junior Bates, a strange young man with a strong sense of dedication to the farm. Soon after she begins working, things start to take a turn for the worst. People begin to die in seemingly similar freak accidents as Lily. Agnes finds her suspects as victims and those she didn't suspect as the masterminds. The Bates Haunting was well put together. The characters played their roles excellently, the acting didn't seemed forced. The plot was interesting, the most obvious suspect was Junior, but his character was so harmless you couldn't help but give him the benefit of the doubt. Agnes was no where near the scared female role one would expect. The most clever part of the movie was the theme of a haunted farm. All the murders were seen as just apart of the show! I give director Byron Turk two thumbs up for a job well done.</span><br />
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<span class="underline">I had a chance to briefly discuss the movie along with future plans with director and producer Byron Turk during 2013's Thriller Chiller event in Grand Rapids. </span><br />
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<span class="underline">For more information on The Bates Haunting visit http://www.thebateshaunting.com/ also follow the film on twitter @BatesMotelMovie. Also follow Byron @ByronFever and visit his website http://byronfever.com/main.html for information on upcoming projects.</span><br />
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<span class="underline">For more video of Byron visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAM15C1pSFQ via Weird Review.</span>
<span class="underline"><br /></span>Aronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602348947658040054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179448813922421207.post-71160884087585196812013-11-14T12:05:00.001-08:002013-11-28T10:22:52.337-08:00In Attendance: Gabriel Iglesias 's Stand-Up Revolution (Original) I got a chance to attend Gabriel Iglesias's 'Stand-Up Revolution' comedy tour this past weekend.<br />
Four comedians preformed on Sunday night of Nov. 10 at the DeVos Performance Hall. The notorious Martin Moreno, Alfred Robles, Rick Gutierrez, and the very funny and<i> </i>fluffy Gabriel Iglesias. <br />
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Unfortunately Fluffy was under the weather, so the fans did not get a chance to meet with him. However, Martin, Alfred and Rick were healthy and up for taking pictures and a little small talk.<br />
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The hall was packed out, with people coming from all around Michigan and a few out of state visitors from near by neighbors such as Chicago, IL and Gary, IN. Come to the fans surprise Fluffy had lost a considerable amount of weight (100 pounds) after being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Fluffy had fans on the floor with stories of his travels to India, but also in emotion from a story about meeting his father at one of his shows after 30 years.<br />
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For information on tour dates go to: <a href="http://fluffyguy.com/tour-dates">http://fluffyguy.com/tour-dates</a><br />
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Aronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602348947658040054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179448813922421207.post-14186421859209370922013-10-29T13:57:00.003-07:002013-10-29T13:58:37.162-07:00An event in Grand Rapids: Thriller! Chiller! 2013 Groovy Awards! (Original) Thriller! Chiller! awards certain movies shown during the festival. While speaking with Anthony Griffin I asked him to break down the process of selecting the winners, here's what he had to say:<br />
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"About 15% of the movies that are in Thriller Chillier are formally submitted to a jury process and this year we had five different jury members and they watched the movies in five different categories for Features, Short, Best Thrill, the award for the movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat, Best Chill, the award for the movie that makes you want to recoil and tear and then Best FX, which honors the use of speacial effects to help tell a story, as far as the main awards. We also have The Radical Award, for the best post apocalyptic and or zombie movie, and then we have the fabulous, famous if you will now, Boomstick Award for best Michigan movie."<br />
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<span style="color: #f6b26b;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><i> </i></b><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Groovy awards</i></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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The 2013 Groovy award winners!<br />
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Best Feature- For No Eyes Only<br />
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Best Short- Killer<br />
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Best Thrill - On Air<br />
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Best Chill - Cold Turkey<br />
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Best FX - NOVR<br />
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The Radical Award - Dust of War<br />
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The Boomstick Award - Break Glass in Case Of..<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="color: #783f04;"> Awards ceremony </span></span><br />
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<br />Aronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602348947658040054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179448813922421207.post-52370425512200515442013-10-28T17:08:00.001-07:002013-10-28T17:20:20.309-07:00An event in Grand Rapids: Thriller! Chiller! Film Festival (Original)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Scary, thrilling and out of this world. A few words that describe the films showcased during the Thriller! Chiller! film festival. Thriller Chiller is an international film festival held yearly in Grand Rapids Michigan inside of the Wealthy Theatre. Running for 8 years, it has become one of Grand Rapids largest events. The festival invites independent film makers on a global scale to submit their short or feature films to be screened to an audience sitting readily on the edge of their seats. It's called Thriller! Chiller! for a reason. Thriller Chiller showcases action, suspense, syfy and horror films with a touch of drama and comedy here and there. Though the festival focuses on these particular genres it does not exclude others.<br />
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One of the great things about Thriller Chiller is the level of engagement. The directors, producers and actors that attend the festival talk, take pictures and even joke around with movie goers, giving the event a very welcoming and down to earth atmosphere. Every one that attends is sure to have a good time. However, parents be mindful as there is alcohol served and some movies may contain content not suitable for children.<br />
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I sat down with Anthony Griffin, one of Thriller Chiller's founders, to talk more in depth about the original idea
behind the festival and to discuss it's defining moment along with the best compliment it has received.<br />
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<br />Aronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602348947658040054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179448813922421207.post-27599436338631110512013-10-05T12:57:00.001-07:002013-10-09T21:46:03.033-07:00An event in Grand Rapids: ART PRIZE 2013 Top 10 (Original) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Before the winning places were announced and prize money was given away there was a top 10. They all worked hard on their pieces for ArtPrize to make it to the final stage. The biggest award was the 1st place prize of $200,000. However, the other nine place holders received hefty sums as well. The 2nd place prize was a cash reward of $75,000. 3rd place was awarded $50,000. While those in 4th - 10th place each received $5,000. I got a chance to speak with the top 10 finalist two days before the winners were announced and asked them about their inspirations, time duration of their projects and their plans if they were to win first place.</div>
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"Sleeping Bear Dune Lakeshore"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4vtItybe-b_erHwNZ4Pmj_SbL4NUU1e6s6tflNUukRoDhOE2nZl1vzxlncL8JR_beQE2_Cn27B07aFLlFk0jmrtxKsKg8Ej3mt5HTCj3h3PzBJwMs7dcZyRtHuD5iC3JY3hCBnCjK4qu/s1600/w2_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4vtItybe-b_erHwNZ4Pmj_SbL4NUU1e6s6tflNUukRoDhOE2nZl1vzxlncL8JR_beQE2_Cn27B07aFLlFk0jmrtxKsKg8Ej3mt5HTCj3h3PzBJwMs7dcZyRtHuD5iC3JY3hCBnCjK4qu/s400/w2_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Artist: Ann Loveless</div>
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" Polar Expressed"</div>
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Artist:Anni Crouter</div>
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"UPlifting"</div>
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Artist:Andy Sacksteder</div>
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" Dancing Wiith Mother Nature"</div>
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Artist:Paul Baliker</div>
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" Botanical Exotica a Monumental Collection of the Rare beautiful"</div>
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Artist:Jason Gamrath</div>
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" Earth Giant" </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiix7faQ82MvjQyJ0cRVxQ_jKlZJhFFIEvnPSC8T4xnZVvo5twQcbsDQJxNk_OfVSpGrgt9uTckRgrGR2nZruFN5kZOda-Cl9aC84ao0Rotx7QKgdDKUQwWFPx7VCaIYn9bkoX-TMydkvgl/s1600/w7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiix7faQ82MvjQyJ0cRVxQ_jKlZJhFFIEvnPSC8T4xnZVvo5twQcbsDQJxNk_OfVSpGrgt9uTckRgrGR2nZruFN5kZOda-Cl9aC84ao0Rotx7QKgdDKUQwWFPx7VCaIYn9bkoX-TMydkvgl/s400/w7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Artist:Benjamin Gazsi</div>
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" Myth-or-Logic"</div>
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Artist:Robin Protz</div>
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" Finding Beauty in Bad Things: Porcelain Vine"</div>
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Artist:Fraser Smith</div>
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" Taking Flight"</div>
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Artist:Michael Gard</div>
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" Tired Pandas"</div>
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Artist:Nick Jakubiak</div>
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The winners of ArtPrize 2013 from 1st to 10th place:<br />
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<li>1st place: Ann Loveless "Sleeping Bear Dune Lakeshore"</li>
<li>2nd place: Anni Crouter "Polar Expressed"</li>
<li>3rd place: Andy Sacksteder "UPlifting"</li>
<li>4rth place: Paul Baliker "Dancing Wiith Mother Nature"</li>
<li>5th place: Jason Gamrath "Botanical Exotica a Monumental Collection of the Rare beautiful"</li>
<li>6th place: Benjamin Gazsi "Earth Giant"</li>
<li>7th place: Robin Protz "Myth-or-Logic"</li>
<li>8th place: Fraser Smith "Finding Beauty in Bad Things: Porcelain Vine"</li>
<li>9th place: Michael Gard "Taking Flight"</li>
<li>10th place: Nick Jakubiak "Tired Pandas"</li>
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Congratulations to all the winners. <br />
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<br />Aronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602348947658040054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9179448813922421207.post-66177723115247159522013-10-04T17:10:00.001-07:002013-10-05T12:59:26.587-07:00An event in Grand Rapids: ART PRIZE 2013 (Original)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What started off as a "radical idea" has now become a huge success. In 2009, Rick DeVos, entrepreneur, debuted a new idea for an art competition. An idea in which winners are selected solely by the vote of the people and artist worldwide are welcomed to participate. All competing for a chance to win a $200,000 prize. During this competition Grand Rapids Michigan is transformed into a giant display for works of art. From parking lots, bridges, to building interiors, no space is left unfilled. Welcome to ArtPrize, now on it's fifth year, one of the biggest art competitions in the United States.<br />
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For the past five years people from all over have come to visit Michigan's 2nd largest city every fall to experience the 19 day long gala known as ArtPrize. In it's first year it drew over 80,000 visitors, a number which has since grown to a whopping 300,000 or more. ArtPrize draws more than just your average painter of course. Some artist work in 3 dimensions, video, photography or sculpting, a little bit of everything to say the least. The local communities support is also impressive. Many shop and property owners open up spaces to allow artist to set up venues.
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While walking through ArtPrize it's hard not to notice the singers and musicians throwing in their bit to gain a little exposure. Not a bad idea considering how many people turn out for this once a year event.<br />
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Aronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602348947658040054noreply@blogger.com0