Author Archives: Sky Captaina - Alex S

Fort Greene Dreams

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Fort Greene Dreams is a small window into the life story of Nelson George, who moved to that area in 1985 from Queens. The text is in an essay format written by himself. through We learn that he did not envision himself living in an apartment ever again due to the quality of housing he had endured in other apartments such as the projects. His new apartment was a wide open field with twenty-foot-high ceilings, wood floors and a backyard.For him after living in a government built and run apartment complex this was a whole other plain of existence.  Also, it is not only the house that he valued but the surrounding area as well. in his description “The streets were lined with tall, thick trees fronting magnificent brownstones. There was a picturesque park with rolling hills and tennis courts.” Also the location was ideal for him due to its proximity to Manhattan and the people that he knew and meet there. For seven years it was his home and writing-center from winch he wrote  five books, screenplays and produced several movies. Nelson stated that his ambition grew in this apartment like they wanted to fill out all available space. he acknowledged that “vitality of black culture”  of that period overstimulated him in its inspiration.  After release of the  movie “She’s gotta have it”, which Mr. Nelson produced, Fort Green attracted other “artsy black folk” and newspapers “The New York Times”  also advertised that area,  making Fort Green a synonym for Brooklyn boheme. soon he became something of a producer or PR manager. He became a mentor and a teacher for young talented youth and he helped them with advises and emotional support and also provided them with useful contacts that helped them to move up. He valued living a full active life  and to  be productive. What he wanted have for himself and for others is to “achieve a sustain excellence”.

Project 1: Introducing Yourself/Myself

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My name is Alex S. and I was born in Ukraine. However, I only lived there for a very brief amount of time, in comparison to the rest of my life in the USA. Therefore, I can speak two languages, but only read and write with one. Nevertheless, I wish to learn how to do so with the second. When I first stared school,  I had a very difficult time with English, mainly because no one told me what it is. I knew that in the morning I had to write something in the first two lines of my notebook, but I had no idea what. So I would write random letters and numbers that I saw around the room on the walls. I did so with the hope that one would be right, or just to show that I was trying. I have actually forgotten how I first started to write or speak other than one day I was able to do so. However, I am still plagued by spelling mistakes. From there I moved on to junior high, those were a long three years, followed by 4 fast years at  High School. Now I am on the road of a Mechanical Engineering Technology major.

The Avatar I chose is the Iron Man mark II armor. Many people do not think of this as Iron Man when asked  what he looks like. Most people say that it is a suit of armor that is gold and hot rod red. This, of course, is true, however the red gold would not be here without the silver and titanium alloy. Also, the Mark II has more character than the Mark III by not being as flashy (even thought it has a high gloss silver finish that reflects more light than gold) and by its rougher industrial look with many bolts, visible sections of separate plates. It is also the armor that was used to test the flight capabilities of the series of armors, revealing the major icing problem at high altitudes. Which was used later when the design was copied and used against the Mark III (Gold and red). So the Mark II  was the start of the Iron Man line and was the reason for it’s improvement. I like improving something to the point of perfection and even further that, start something else based on the success that came before. Continuing is often as hard as starting. The reasons for both are the same, what do you do now? Where to head to or stay away from? How to not repeat yourself? What new thing is out there? Will this even work? The Mark II was the answer for Tony Stark and now for me.

It is a wonderful feat of engineering in many fields and the most wonderful was the expanded flight capability of the armor. It reminds me of Daedalus who crated wings to escape the tower back in ancient Greece. Flight without a bulky, needy, limited aircraft is simply wonderful. It is the difference between looking at the sky from the ground through a window and being in the sky high above with nothing to separate you from the experience of it all. It was a dream of mine to join the Air Force, to fly in plains that can achieve great heights and speeds. However, in gaining one freedom I would surrender many others. Iron Man dose not have that double edge, it is complete freedom.

The Iron Man Armor. Is it a weapon? or a Shield? or a Shell? In the pursuit of peace and justice do we turn to war machines and violence? This question come up when people discuss the Armor. An armor that does not exist. The imaginary worlds created by skilled filmmakers and writers create vivid worlds that we can see. They often have meaning outside their own in ours. So by choosing the Armor as my Avatar am I hiding behind it to avoid exposure or am I showing aggression by showing such a menacing figure that has very little human features and looks like it wants to hunt you down. These are the reacts I foresee with my choice of avatar.