Friday, January 29, 2010

Art Trivia Question 4

How tall is Michelangelo's statue of David?

a. 12 feet
b. 25 feet
c. 8 feet
d. 17 feet

The answer is D, 17 feet!

David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture sculpted by Michelangelo from 1501 to 1504. Interestingly enough, the height of the statue was originally recorded incorrectly, so many art history books state that David is at least 3 ft shorter than his true height. The 5.17 meter (17 ft) marble statue portrays the Biblical King David in the nude. Unlike previous depictions of David which portray the hero after his victory over Goliath, Michelangelo chose to represent David before the fight contemplating the battle yet to come. It came to symbolize the defense of civil liberties embodied in the Florentine Republic. If you have the chance to go to Italy, you must visit David at the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence. If you can't wait for a trip to Florence, Ringling Museum in Sarasota, FL has one of many replicas of David, this one cast in bronze.

Stay curious,
Team ARC

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Anti-Procrastination Tip

Know thy weaknesses.

Is Facebook a big time waster for you? How about the TV and those 10 hour marathons of whatever trashy show you hate to admit you’re addicted to? Whatever it is, don’t lie to yourself and say “oh I’m sure I can avoid it for a couple of hours.” REMOVE the temptation! For instance, if Facebook is your addiction, don’t study at your computer, or even near it, or even in the same room as it. If you are writing a paper and you have to use your laptop, turn off the internet connection. Yes, you very easily could just turn it back on, but at that point you are making a conscious decision to do so. If it’s something other than Facebook or the TV, the simple answer is to put as many obstacles between you and your time wasting entity as possible. Make it difficult for you to access that particular thing. Don’t trust your will power! We are all weak in the face of our seemingly harmless addictions! Wii anyone?

Stay curious,
Team ARC

Art Trivia Question 3

In what was was the Mona Lisa painting NOT vandalized?

a. Sprayed with red paint
b. Kicked with a foot
c. Hit with a tea cup
d. Doused with acid

The asnwer is B, kicked with a foot!

Mona Lisa (also known as La Gioconda or La Joconde) is a 16th century portrait painted in oil on a poplar panel in Florence by Leonardo da Vinci during the Italian Renaissance. In 1956, the lower part of the painting was severely damaged when a vandal doused the painting with acid. On December 30 of that same year, a young Bolivian named Ugo Ungaza Villegas damaged the painting by throwing a rock at it. This resulted in the loss of a speck of pigment near the left elbow, which was later painted over. The use of bulletproof glass has shielded the Mona Lisa from more recent attacks. In April 1974, a handicapped woman, upset by the museum's policy for the disabled, sprayed red paint at the painting while it was on display at the Tokyo National Museum. On August 2, 2009, a Russian woman, distraught over being denied French citizenship, threw a terra cotta mug or teacup, purchased at the museum, at the painting in the Louvre, cracking the glass enclosure. In both cases, the painting was undamaged.
Stay curious,
Team ARC

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Art Trivia Question 2

Egypt is fuming at the British Museum for not agreeing to hand over what artifact?

a. King Tut's Sarcophagus
b. The Hope Diamond
c. The Rosetta Stone
d. A statue of Ramses II

The answer is C, The Rosetta Stone!

The Rosetta Stone is an Ancient Egyptian artifact which was instrumental in advancing modern understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphic writing. It was created in 196 BC by Ptolemy V, discovered by the French in 1799 at Rosetta and contributed greatly to the deciphering of the principles of hieroglyph writing in 1822 by the British scientist Thomas Young and the French scholar Jean-François Champollion.
The Rosetta Stone has been exhibited almost continuously in the British Museum since 1802. In October 1972, The Stone left the British Museum to be exhibited for one month at the Louvre Museum on the 150th anniversary of the decipherment of hieroglyphic writings with the famous Lettre a M Dacier of Jean-François Champollion.
In July 2003, Egypt requested the return of the Rosetta Stone. Dr. Zahi Hawass, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Cairo, told the press: "If the British want to be remembered, if they want to restore their reputation, they should volunteer to return the Rosetta Stone because it is the icon of our Egyptian identity." In 2005, Hawass was negotiating for a three-month loan, with the eventual goal of a permanent return. In November 2005, the British Museum sent him a replica of the stone. In December 2009 Hawass said that he would drop his claim for the return of the Rosetta Stone if the British Museum loaned the stone to Egypt for three months.

Stay curious,
Team ARC

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Art Trivia Question 1

Where is Van Gogh's Starry Night piece displayed?


a. Museum of Modern Art in NYC
b. Smithsonian in D.C.
c. The Lourve in Paris
d. The National Gallery in London



The answer is A, right here in the U.S. of A. at the Museum of Modern Art. Van Gogh was actually not pleased with this painting. He once said: In this batch [painting] I think nothing at all good, save the field of wheat, the mountain, the orchard, the olives with the blue hills...the rest says nothing to me, because it lacks individual intention and feeling in the lines. This is a prime example of how we are our own worse critics! I mean, I think it's hauntingly beautiful (yes I said, hauntingly, nothing wrong with trying on different hats...today it's the ART CRITIC hat). What do you guys think?

Stay curious,
Team ARC

Monday, January 25, 2010

New Semester Tip


Make a sign for your door to alert everyone to the fact that you are furiously pounding out the last tasty morsels of your paper, or stuffing every last bit of statistics equations into your very stuffed brain, or something along those lines (maybe without the food analogies) but more compact: such as DO NOT DISTURB! This can hopefully cut down on the people asking you to do something when you absolutely cannot afford to even lose one minute of time to tell them no sorry you can’t. It works in hotels, why not here?



Stay curious,
Team ARC

Political Science Trivia Question 4

In what TV show is this phrase spoken in the beginning of every episode:

"In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate the crime, and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories." ?

The answer is Law & Order!

Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and is currently in its twentieth season, which began airing on September 25, 2009. Law & Order is currently the longest running crime drama on American prime time television and is tied for longest running drama with Gunsmoke. It was renewed for a 21st season and will become the longest running American prime time television scripted drama. Together, the original series, its various spin-offs (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Trial by Jury), the TV movie and crossover episodes from other shows constitute almost 900 hours of programming. So far 881 episodes of the Law & Order Franchise have aired. Wow.

Stay curious,
Team ARC

Friday, January 22, 2010

Political Science Trivia Question 3

How many vice presidents throughout U.S. history have gone on to become president?

a. 9
b. 11
c. 14
d. 16

The answer is C, 14! Of the fourteen, four were elected president while serving as vice president: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Van Buren, George H.W. Bush; nine became president by succession: John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester A. Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry S Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald R. Ford; and only Richard M. Nixon served as vice president and returned later to be elected president.

Stay curious,
Team ARC

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Political Science Trivia Question 2

Who said this quote about U.S. foreign policy?:
"Speak softly and carry a big stick"

a. Richard Nixon
b. Franklin D. Roosevelt
c. George H. W. Bush
d. Theodore Roosevelt

The answer is D, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt!

Teddy borrowed the phrase from
an African proverb, "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." Roosevelt first used it when he asked Congress for money to increase U.S. naval preparedness to support his diplomatic objectives. The press used the phrase to describe Roosevelt's Latin America policy and his domestic policy of regulating monopolies.

Stay curious,
Team ARC

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Political Science Trivia Question 1

What three branches make up the federal government of the United States?

The answer is the executive (The President), legislative (Congress) and judicial (Federal Courts) branches!

Through this system of separation of powers and the system of "checks and balances," each of these branches has some authority to act on its own, some authority to regulate the other two branches, and, in turn, is regulated by the other branches. In addition, the powers of the federal government as a whole are limited by the Constitution, which, per the Tenth Amendment, states that all powers not expressly assigned to the federal government are reserved to the states or to the people.

Stay curious,
Team ARC

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

New Semester Tip


Some people hate to say no. For instance, someone may ask, “Do you want to go out tonight?" You think to yourself "Well I DO need to do that reading for tomorrow," then you say “UH HUH!” Someone else asks “Do you want to go get a coffee Carmel machiotowhatnot even though you’re in the middle of a lab report?” You say, “Sounds great!” While the sentiment might be true, sometimes we simply say yes because we don’t want to hurt someone else’s feelings. We encourage you to believe in your friends and the fact that they want you to do well. If you are working on something important and you need that time, your friends will understand. And if they don’t, well these are your grades that you are dealing with, not theirs! So practice with me now, everyone together, say NO, but nicely :).
Stay curious,
Team ARC

Psychology Trivia Question 5

What defense mechanism is it when one assumes particular distasteful qualities in another that are actually qualities of oneself? e.g. a person is very judgmental, yet thinks himself very open-minded and others judgmental.

a. Reaction formation
b. Denial
c. Projection
d. Regression

The answer is C, Projection!

This defense mechanism works to alleviate anxiety by allowing the individual to shift, or project, his/her undesirable or unacceptable thoughts, feelings, and/or beliefs onto someone else, thus shifting blame/judgment to that other person and leaving the individual free from anxiety. This particular defense may be normal in adolescence, but is considered an immature defense mechanism.

Stay curious,
Team ARC

Friday, January 15, 2010

Psychology Trivia Question 4

What diagnosis was given to Chris Sizemore, a guest lecturer for the Betty Batson Bell Brain & Learning Lecture series? Hint: The Three Faces of Eve is based on her life

a. Schizophrenia
b. Dissociative Identity Disorder
c. Bi-Polar Disorder
d. Borderline Personality Disorder

The answer is B, Dissociative Identity Disorder!

Previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder, there is actually some debate among professionals whether this condition actually exists. For Mrs. Sizemore the disorder was very real, as she presented approximated twenty personality over the course of many years, with personalities arising in groups of three. Several of her personalities were artists or poets, and she presented some of their art during one of her visits to Stetson. After many years of therapy Mrs. Sizemore's personalities have been integrated, and she remains a fascinating individual. She has visited Stetson several times, so if she comes again, be sure to attend the lecture!

Stay curious,
Team ARC

Thursday, January 14, 2010

New Semester Tip


Shake on it.

Make a plan with your roommate/housemate/spouse/children/dogs/cats/parakeets/robots…whatever on study times for this semester. You can even write down the specific times and days and put it somewhere for everyone to see so that not only is it more concrete, but you yourself might be more willing to follow it. This will hopefully cut down on some possible tension during the semester, but could also be a source of accountability for you and the people you live with. It might also guarantee that your studying is not so erratic and devil-may-care and a little more planned out. Who knows!


Stay curious,
Team ARC

Psychology Trivia Question 3

What does the diagnosis PTSD stand for?

The answer is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. According to the National Institute of Mental Health PTSD is "an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened."


Stay curious,
Team ARC

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Psychology Trivia Question 2

In the Spopranos, what type of therapist did Tony go see?

a. Psychoanalyst
b. Client-Centered Therapist
c. Cognitive Behavioral Therapist
d. Feminist Therapist

The answer is A, Psychoanalyst!

Psychoanalysis isn't just for Freud anymore. Since Freud first put forth his theory in the 1890s several other notable psychoanalytic theorists and practitioners have followed in his footsteps, expanding on his theory and developing several schools of thought within psychoanalysis. Today there are approximately 35 training institutes for psychoanalysis in the United States accredited by the American Psychoanalytic Association which is a component organization of the International Psychoanalytical Association, and there are over 3,000 graduated psychoanalysts practicing in the United States.

Stay curious,
Team ARC

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Psychology Trivia 1


What psychologist posited the idea of the collective unconscious?

a. Sigmund Freud
b. Alfred Adler
c. Carl Jung
d. Carl Rogers







The answer is C: Carl Jung! (Welcome back to school everyone!) Jung sought to understand the psyche through dream exploration. Jung also appears on the cover of The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonley Hearts Club Band on the top row, between W.C. Fields and Edgar Allen Poe. Can you find him?

Stay curious,
Team ARC

Friday, January 8, 2010

Spring Semester Tip

Know where you’re going!

Whether or not you know your major, or even more than that, your intended career, it is important to have some idea of where you WANT to be headed. Without that kind of direction it is so scarily easy to lose motivation as you have no idea why you are doing what you are doing: why am I in this math class? Why do I have to do this paper? Why is this homework important? Take a minute and write some goals for this semester. What grades do you want in your classes? What do you want to accomplish in your organization? Take another minute and write down some goals for your time at Stetson. What do you want to have accomplished by graduation day? Take one more minute and write some goals for five years after Stetson. Are you working with people? Are you working outside? What have you accomplished? Who are you? These are important questions. You don’t have to know all of the answers, but know this: graduation day will be here before you can blink. Today is the day to start working on these goals. We know this all sounds very motivational speakerish, but it’s too important for us to care! Don’t…waste…your…time.


Stay curious,
Team ARC