blog 20 Quenns Logic

Elena Panagi

ENG 103

Prof. Luke Vasileiou

Queens Logic

A lot of movies have been filmed in New York City.  One of those movies calls Queens Logic.  To be precise the movie Queens Logic was film in Astoria Queens New York in 1991’s.  Queens Logic is a realist movie because it deals with people’s good situation and problems in their lives.  The movie mostly revolves around the lives of friends who live in Astoria and where they grow up.  The city life of New York is rarely depicted in the movie Queens Logic and the only time that you can see the City is from the bridge in Astoria Park. 

The 90s in New York City was a time of more economic stability. During 90s was a period for New York City had a better job market and money full of transmission. It was the right time to do your “American Dream.”  Homelessness became a very huge problem for New York City.  Even though there was stability and cash flow, the unemployment rate was high.    In the mid 90s the national economy and stock market had a boom.  The worldwide economy was good and that help New York.  Many ethnic groups moved into New York City and jobs were in plethora.  During the Dinkins administration unemployment started to decline.  Crime rates decreased in the 1990s because of major Dinkins new administration.  Between 1990 and 2000 the city admitted 1,224,524 immigrants. During the 1990’s, people came together to New York City because large of immigration and attraction of a booming economy. According to the 2000 census the population of the City increased by 686,000 people. 

Demographers and city officials have observed that immigration to New York City has been slowing down since 1997. This is mostly due to more and more immigrants choosing directly to locate to the city's suburbs and then commute to the city or work in many of its booming edge cities like Fort Lee, New Jersey City, Morristown, Stamford, CT, White Plains NY and others.  Despite the slowdown in immigration the city's overall immigrant population has continued to increase and in 2006 it numbered 3.038 million (37.0%) up from 2.871 million (35.9%) in 2000.  The population during 1990 was 7,322,564.  Also New York City had a high degree of income variation.  The city experienced major immigration from Europe in the 19th century and another major wave in the early 20th century.  1990-2000 New York City received 1,224,524 immigrants and 170 languages are spoken at that time.  During the early 90s the average rent was $400-$500 a month in Manhattan but if you wanted to be to an expensive neighborhood was around $900 and plus per month, and for these neighborhood increased by double.  I remember my uncle family used to live in Astoria Queens around 1990-1998 and they were paying a rent $500-$600 only for a 4 bedroom apartment.  According to HVS data severe crowding grew worse in New York City during the late 1990s, increasing from 2, 7% of all households in 1996 to 3, and 0% in 1999.  This is higher than the nationwide incidence of severe crowding observed according to the AHS data which decreased from 0, 5% in 1995 to 0, and 4% in 1999.  Although the number of doubled-up households in New York is only a small percentage of total households because doubling up is an indicator that a household may be on the verge of homelessness.

Based on the American Housing Survey median gross rent increase by 8, 7 % from 1995 to 1999 in New York City.  At the same time media rent increased 10, 9 % to reach $ 580 per month, but it was lower than the median monthly rent of $ 640 paid by New Yorkers.  Fortunately New York didn’t have the highest average rent compare to all the cities.  In the late 1990s there was affordability problems declined in New York City.  Although more than 600,000 New Yorkers pay a staggering proportion of their income in rent.  Recent dates suggest numbers of New Yorkers experience several housing problems, but these problems didn’t increase in the late 1990s.  At the half of the year 90s the city’s economy was boomed and its massive investment in housing bore fruit.  Same homeownership rates grew up and tax delinquency.  At that point of time we are seeing that gay people start to express themselves easier and being proud of being gay and lesbians. Also today is legal to get marrying gay people in California. 

The movie Queens Logic is taking place in Astoria Queens.  Directed by Steve Rash, produced by Russelll Smith, Written by Tony Spiridakis and Joseph W. Savino.  They are play Kevin Bacon, Linda Fiorentino, John Malkovich, Joe Mantegna, Tom Waits, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kelly Bishop and Terry Kinney.  The release date was February 1, 1991 in English.  The budget of this movie was $12 million and the gross revenue was $612,781. 

When childhood friends Al, Dennis and Eliot get together for Ray’s Wedding, which may or may not happen, they end-up on a roller-coaster ride through reality.  During one tumultuous, crazy weekend, they face adulthood and each other with new found maturity and discover what Queens Logic is all about.  This comedy takes a look at friendship loyalty and love.  Comparing the streets during 1990 until our days are exactly the same.  Comparing the economy life in the movie and now there are many differences.  First of all Al was rich, he has big house his wife was wearing expensive dress and also he bought ring for their anniversary for $4,000 and he gave as a gift a mets ticket.  In our days only rich people spend money ($4,000) for anniversary gift.  In the movie we saw that Queens itself, as embodied by the loud and hearty and toothpick-chewing Al and having his language.  Also Manhattan for Al and the others was the place to escape to indulge their dreams of meeting more interesting women and having a wilder time.  “Luckily, Queens Logic” has a big and eminently watchable cast brought together for ceaseless partying and clowning.”

John Malkovich gives the film a welcome tartness as the shy, sarcastic Eliot, Al's co-worker at the fish plant and a self-described "homosexual who cannot relate to gay men." Mr. Malkovich is often droll, but Kevin Bacon, who arrives from California as the group's long-lost musician friend, is saddled with the screenplay's three most maudlin moments; still, Mr. Bacon brings the film a lot of energy. So does Jamie Lee Curtis, who appears briefly as a rich Manhattan so carefree that she parks an unlocked red convertible sports car on the street. The singer Tom Waits also turns up, fencing jewelry and looking scary.

The film's down-to-earth quality is best expressed through Hawaiian shirts, wisecracks about domestic violence and a scene in which Patricia expresses her annoyance at Ray by flushing a toilet while he is in the shower. Its contrived side shows up most clearly in the three awkward things Mr. Bacon has to do: tell Patricia he has always loved her, terribly admit that he isn't such a big success in Hollywood after all, and regale the others with "that 'Ordinary People' song" -- the Pachelbel Canon -- at dawn.

The prospective newlyweds are Ray (Mr. Olin, with a few days' perfect stubble and a heavy Queens accent) and Patricia (Ms. Webb, looking like a younger, slinkier Maureen Stapleton), an aspiring painter and a hairdresser who wants nothing more than to accommodate her future husband. "After five years of watching' him struggle, I still believe in him even when he doesn’t believe in himself," says Patricia, indicating that women's roles are not Mr. Spiridakis's strong suit. In a similar vein, the statuesque, deep-voiced Linda Fiorentino, as Al's angry wife, Carla, spends a long time having her hair dyed red and then presents this as a major personality change.

blog 19

Doing the archives essay wasn’t easy at all because I didn’t have any idea about the planned shrinkage.  I started looking for information in school but I was difficult to get the most important information.  After that I did research and I found also important information.  I sat down highlight all the most important information and I created my own archives project about the planned shrinkage.  Honestly the introduction by the archives project wasn’t that useful for me. 

Now compare the archives project essay was easier than the major research essay because the archives essay was a fact for New York and it is easy to find information and if you knew about that it was easiest.  But with the major research essay it is more difficult for me because you had to see the movie twice minimum and then find differences between that period of time and now.  My movie took place during 1990s so there are not many differences comparing with 2011.  I did more researches about the major essay than the archives project and still i did not find many differences. 

blog 15

According to the movie Minority Report they used electronic computer spiders that scan people’s eyes to find out if the person is innocent or not.  I think is a good method but if we think better there is a way to change eyes for some thousand dollars and avoid the electronic spiders or any other.  Also in that movie people get punishment before the crime and the government knows where you are all the time.

I think that security is very important for the society in our days because it protect us from crimes, but for example we learn from the media class that Google knows everything about us where we live and what we are doing at any time and im against this.  Google also saves everything we search.   I believe that society has to worry about their freedom and not doing something wrong, because doing something wrong and against the law its gonna affect your freedom, its better have your freedom instead of loosing it. 

blog 18

Star writing this research paper i found it difficult.  Its my first time that I'm writing a research paper, and is kind of difficult to find information about the movie and writing information down.  At the end I learn how to put in order the topic sentence, introduction and conclusion.  Especially it was really difficult to find this movie in a store, coz its old movie from 1991 and I finally found I t in and store that selling music and CDs and some DVDs.  Also I wanted to have access in a website that is only about this movie but I couldn’t find any.  I found only the summary of this movie and actors. 

This movie is really interested because I have a lot to discuss for example the economy at that time, who they are dressing.  Also I can compare the the 1990 and 2011.  I think I can find differences to write about and I can use all the information that I learn in this class based on grammar and structure.  Also the life at that time were difficult. 

Major Research Paper Eng 103

Queens logic

The movie is taking place in Astoria Queens.  The streets are the same especially there was a sweet place and is still there in

Astoria Blvd

with different name. 

• The economic life is very good at that point compare with our days.  We saw Al spending money at the club, supermarket, and $4,000 and a mets ticket for his wife coz they have anniversary. 
• They are driving expensive car, Al has an expensive big house and his wife wear expensive dress.  They are shopping everything they want.

Is realistic movie

When childhood friends Al, Dennis and Eliot get together for Ray's wedding, which may or may not happen, they end up on a roller-coaster ride through reality. During one tumultuous, crazy weekend, they face adulthood and each other with new found maturity and discover what Queens Logic is all about. This comedy takes a look at friendship, loyalty, and love.

                                                           

Vinny is come from Manhattan and everything is different for him coz he has feelings for Patricia and he is not used to live in queens. 

Actors: Kevin Bacon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Linda Fiorentino, John Malkovich, Joe Mantegna, Ken Olin, Tony Spiridakis, Tom Waits and Chloe Webb.  Written by: Tony Spiridakis and Joseph W. Savino.  Release day February 1, 1991

blog 17

I think “free will” is an illusion but not to everyone.  According to the article “Free Will and Determinism in the World of Minority” having “free will” is based on self control and alternate possibilities.  In the movie “Minority Report” John supposed to kill Leo Crow, but he knew that he was going to kill him and he had two choices of free will to kill him or not.  “Free will” helps you to keep you away from crime and keep your freedom but also put you in the situation being a killer and put your freedom in danger.  Also we have “free will” when Danny Witwer catches the ball, also he had choice to catch it or not. 

Now in the play “Oedipus the King” we had Delphic Oracle told Oedipus that one day he will kill him and marry his mother.  His father for avoiding this situation he sends his son for abortion thinking is the better way to avoid the problem.  He also had the “free will” to send him or not.  There is no way to control “free will,” our thoughts and our emotions.

Everybody has “free will” but we have the choice to do it or not.  We have the right to think about it before we act and think the sequences based on free will.  Also “free will” is based on our freedom and but our freedom in danger.  Now is your choice to use your free will or not. 

blog 16

the movie is based on friendship and dennis and eliot get together for Ray's weeding which probably works or not.  continue later



When childhood friends Al, Dennis and Eliot get together for Ray's wedding, which may or may not happen, they end up on a roller-coaster ride through reality. During one tumultuous, crazy weekend, they face adulthood and each other with new found maturity and discover what Queens Logic is all about. This comedy takes a look at friendship, loyalty, and love...characters have some in common. the life is the same we still goin out we hang out in astoria like them especially greeks....i like the movie is reallistic...the movie is not about fantastic things

archives project

During the 1970’s, in New York City, Roger Starr made a proposal called “planned shrinkage.”  This proposal was a public policy.  Roger Starr was a housing administrator in the Bronx and Brownsville, in which many neighborhoods were suffering from urban decay and poverty.  At that time there were many problems and the main problem was the “planned shrinkage”, and many people lost their jobs from this decision.  Starr proposed “planned shrinkage” to decrease the population and better preserve the tax base.  He proposed this idea because a lot of fires were occurring in neighborhoods caused by arson.  Also he thought that the “planned shrinkage” would have been a way to move people out of slums to an empty area and build communities. 

His propose was to rebuild urban societies in many areas of New York City.  South Bronx, Brooklyn and Harlem were suffering from urban decay, crime and poverty.  In an interview with Roger Fitch on September 09, 1993 Roger Starr talks about the reason around the “planned shrinkage” and he makes statement “The problem is to fill the housing with tenants who are not destructive and who will pay their rent, and who we want to keep there forever because they are good tenants” with this statement we understand that he had problems with all the crimes and the poverty in the neighborhoods of New York and the people who lived there.  From all the neighborhoods were removed all the police patrols, garbage removal, streets repairs and fire services.  In an interview with Roger Starr conducted by Roger Fitch and Starr started talk about his worry about the city.  He started discuss about public housing and he thought that the house rent was the problem.   In early 1970s RAND concluded that police services and fire protection were withdrawn and the population of the area would decrease.  By the mid-1970s, Bronx had 120,000 fires per year, 40 percent of the housing in that area was destroyed. The population could not keep up with all these fires at that time. The population in South Bronx and Harlem plummeted.  The moving caused many problems to people finding new jobs and begins new life.  In the 1970s, when “planned shrinkage” was reality, a lot of areas affected by cutbacks to public services began to see a decline.  According to an article from the Daily News March 1, 1976 “Starr under fire for plan to shrink slum services” was a percentage of the areas were most affected by it.  The city was losing almost about 1% of the population every year and 400,000 people lost since the 1970s.  Most of the empty building became expensive empty land witch held higher development value in the South Bronx.  Also Roger Starr thought Roger star thought that he could have the city’s responsibilities shrink by having private people from the outside do it.  According to the article 6 councilmen asked Starr quit HAD post, the writer said “The goal of such a plan would be a spur population movement out of such deteriorating areas and conserve public services during the budget crises.”  This wasn’t the focus but just to decrease the services in the slums and left the people to provide by them selves.  Also the healthcare affected by the “planned shrinkage.”  Many African American and Hispanic communities increased in the AIDS epidemic.

Roger Starr philosophy about human nature, particular population and housing we could say was bad and negative one.  Roger said that not all the people were good and decent.  Also he believed that had to worry about the quality, the politeness and about the character; people were cable to be part of the American wholesome family but he knew that wasn’t the case.  Roger believed that I “all people are alike and that all people are about fundamentally good decent and that you don’t have to worry about character or qualities of a person”, and I agree with his belief about everybody is different, but with his move that he did I think he acted wrong.  Fitch wanted to decrease services and as a result would be recycled as privatization.  Roger said back that he didn’t relocated nobody but people were leaving their houses.  Roger Starr made two arguments by saying he didn’t understand clearly there wasn’t about immigration and he also said about job shrinkage.  In 1977 there were a lot of job opportunities comparing today.  The only thing that has superior was the economy after 5 years. Although his voice was heard over a span of issues and years, Mr. Starr is most vividly remembered for his 1976 proposal for ''planned shrinkage.'' Citing New York's declining population, lost jobs, social
problems, high taxes and stressed services, he urged the city to abandon depressed areas like the South Bronx for future redevelopment.  Mayor Abraham D. Beame was serving as Housing and Development administrator, disavowed the idea.  City Council members called it “inhuman, racist and genocidal.”  Protesters disrupted his public appearances.  Also Roger said ''Although my phrase ''planned shrinkage'' will run a poor second to ''benign neglect'' in the unappreciated phrases derby,'' he wrote, ''it will remain the most prominent label in the file of my government service.''

In conclusion I think his proposal about “planned shrinkage” was in good    purpose.  He wanted the economy to increase.  Roger Starr believed that his “planned Shrinkage” would keep happening.  People would keep losing their jobs.  In one of his interview Robert Fitch said “stocks don’t just go up.”  In an article they wrote “Instead of stopping or shrinking, the city bounced back with unplanned growth, revitalizing even the South Bronx. But its revival stemmed at least in part to progress on Mr. Starr's issues: reduced crime and welfare and the imported work ethic of new immigrants.”

Special Activity: MOMI

Yesterday I got the chance to go as a group at MOMI museum.  Even thought I don’t like museum I found this museum interesting.  As long as we were walking in the atmosphere was very friendly.  I really liked the one that we did in frond of the tv, it was really cool.  Also I like it when the tutor explained to us about video from the beginning until now.  Another thing that I liked was when we got in to record was really awesome when Irine, Magaly and David were recording.  When I saw when directors are editing with 9_10 tvs.  I didn’t have any idea about that and she explained to us everything why there are so many tvs and how are working all these tvs (for example mets game.)  Also I found interesting the section with video games and there are some old video games.  I got impressed with the section with the make-up and everything and I got more exciting when I saw sex and the city staff.   Also I liked the section with old clothes that actors wear in movies.  

I will write about the concept of “planned shrinkage” as introduced by Rodger Starr. I will also discuss the social and economic context in which the “planned shrinkage” idea was introduced and the reactions to the idea as seen in newspapers of the time.  I will add the philosophy of Roger Starr about human nature, particular population, and housing and how is connected to his idea of “planned shrinkage.”

The New York was a city of housing “planned shrinkage.”  In Harlem and Bronx there were homw at that time there was a lot of crimes nd poverty rate.   They were spending money at places without being needed. 

1970- problem planned shrinkage, economical crisis that bit.  Vietnam war unemployment increasing rate.   Roger Starr decrease in housing amongst minorities also in the streets there were drugs crimes and sex. Crimes increase for example 1970 the movie taxi driver.

1970- the NYC lost 1% of the population and 400,000 of people lost.  Roger said “we must confine our services"

blog 12

In the movie Gattaca, we saw Vincent who was abnormal, an underclass human by cleaning bathrooms.  As he was growing up his brother believed that his brother was smarter, Vincent wanted to travel to the stars, but his brother Antwon had different idea that he can not ever do it.  At the end he became Jerome Morrow who was able to travel to the stars but he could not walk.  Vincent tried to use his DNA successfully, but one more time his brother tried to destroy his dream.  But at the end they realized that he was better than his brother by swimming too far.

According to the essay “The Man on the Moon” by George J.Annas, wrote how people think they are superior and people not like them are inferior.  Superior people feel they have all the rights like Nazi.  Anna wrote, and the other people are inferior.  Nazi killed everybody except German people because they think that if you are not Nazi you can not fit with them that why they tried to kill everybody who is not German. 

In our society I can say that there is still “the other.”  We can judge people from their nationality or sexuality or ethnicity or color or level of education.  The role of “the other” will always be part of our life.  I don’t think that it is gonna change.  Everybody thinks that one is better than other but I don’t think so.  Everybody we are the same and if someone became a doctor or Professor this is based how much he studied during school and how high the person wants go.  If you believe in yourself you can do everything and for there is not exist “the other.”