The High Demand For Christmas Trees

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, why are you becoming more and more expensive? In today's world, this is a common phrase that many consumers are repeating. For many people buying a Christmas tree is a way to brighten up their homes with the festive Christmas Spirit. However, in recent years the demand for fairly inexpensive and reasonable priced trees has become nearly nonexistent. A report from last year showed that 24.5 million trees were bought, compared to 30.8 million trees in 2011. The average cost a consumer spent last year on a tree was $40.30. As a way to compete with the incredibly high demands, department stores are increasing the prices of trees to staggering costs. For a 7-8 foot Frasier fur located at Sears, Target, and Home Depot the average cost is a whopping $135. To make the prices seem a little less Scrooge-like, Target and Sears are knocking 25% off the original tree costs.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101269778

A Cheap Art Thief

A Columbia County Board Representative, Susan Raimer, announced earlier this past week that three art pieces were stolen from the walls of the courthouse in Columbia, Wisconsin. The specific area inside the courthouse where the incident took place was in a Branch 2 jury room. This is typically an area used for private conferences between attorneys and their clients, deliberating jurors, and for employees to finish up paperwork or eating their lunch. Three 3-D photos were added to this area to "brighten up the space", making it look more friendly and colorful. The pictures showed very realistic imagery and the images changed, based on where you viewed them in the room. The price value of each of the three pieces was supposedly only $5. The pictures have thus been replaced by similar-looking and more motivational pictures. 

http://blogs.artinfo.com/artintheair/2013/12/09/art-thief-strikes-courthouse-jury-room/

Art Repays Wealth

Jorge Perez, a billionaire real estate developer, was recently given the honor of having a Miami art museum named after him. The worth value of the museum's structure is about $220 million. In 2011, Perez donated $40 million to the same art museum. Half of the trove was some of his own personal art collections and the other half was roughly $20 million. In showing their appreciation, the art museum agreed to have Jorge Perez be named after the facility. The museum will open to the public this month during the Art Basel Miami Beach Festival. Seeing the portraits that were once held on his home walls, but now encountering them in the newly refurbished art museum will be a surreal experience for Perez.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/morganbrennan/2013/11/26/inside-the-new-220-million-art-museum-named-after-billionaire-jorge-perez/

For the Love of Art

The infamous German art collector who had kept priceless art treasures hidden in his household for nearly half a century, recently spoke up as to why he committed the crime. The collector told the public that he had a strong liking towards these artifacts and that he "loved" them. He possessed these artifacts from his late father, who was an art collector hired by the Nazis. The collector had told a source that the loss of his forbidden artworks, were more painful than the passing of his parents and sister. Authorities have so far been able to find and obtain 1,406 pieces of the lost artwork.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/11/18/german-collector-says-hid-art-trove-out-love-wants-collection-back/

Lady Gaga's ARTPOP Store

A store in downtown New York City is getting attention for selling Lady Gaga merchandise and accessories to the public. This is all due to the releasing of Gaga's newest album ARTPOP. Some artifacts that will be on sale are clothing of her famous meat dress, albums for $15, and t-shirts for $30. The public will also have the opportunity, and are encouraged to make their own art on a blank wall inside the building. The purpose of the album and store is simply to engage people, so that they will become more enthused and creative about art in the future. The pop-up store will only be open till Wednesday of this week and then close permanently.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2013/11/11/lady-gagas-artpop-pop-up-store-art-or-commerce/

Art Treasures Kept A Mystery

Earlier this week, new details started to spread about the Nazis' stolen art treasures that were last reported in 2011. A Berlin native named Max Beckmann, recently found out that the piece of work he was sold to two years ago was one of hundreds of priceless artifacts that were confiscated under the Nazis during World War II. Some of those paintings were reported to be works of Picasso and Matisse. Investigators say that the art was sold for very cheap prices by owners who were anxiously wanting to flee the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler. German authorities believe that about 1,500 works of art were stolen, which in total is estimated to be worth around $1.4 billion. Collective efforts are being done around Berlin and Germany, hoping that investigators will find the lost works and transport them to galleries and other art buildings where they belong.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/05/arts/design/trove-of-apparently-nazi-looted-art-found-in-munich-apartment.html?pagewanted=1

China's Art Market

China's art world has been showing promising signs of being a profitable area of growth for the future. Melanie Ouyang Lum, a Chinese art consultant states, "A majority of Chinese people do not trust the Chinese Stock Market. And that, "A lot of people are looking to art for investment." Currently, there are more than 350 Chinese auction houses that deal fine art and the two largest ones are billion dollar enterprises.These art masterpieces range from thousands to millions of dollars--which are most commonly sold to traders that work for wealthy businessmen. However, because of these expensive demands, cases of fraud and forgery have appeared regularly. Chinese authorities claim that these occurrences will continue to be a problem for interested buyers, but both sides are hoping that these incidences dwindle down soon. 

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101148462

Grambling State Forfeit

The players on the Grambling State Football Team recently decided to end their week- long boycott and return to the football field. It came after the university decided to forfeit one of its road games against Jackson State, due to players who refused to travel. Before the incident this past Saturday, Grambling State had an 0-7 record with an even longer winless streak going back to last year. The players all agreed that returning back to the program would be the best decision for the school, the NCAA, and most importantly for themselves. Investigators and the NCAA are looking into further details, that could decide whether or not the school and its football program would receive sanctions or fines.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9858903/grambling-state-tigers-players-end-boycott-practicing

New Avatar Art World Coming to Disney

Walt Disney World recently shared possible plans of adding a Pandora theme park to their Animal Kingdom. These ideas were inspired by filmmaker James Cameron, Walt Disney Parks and Resort Chairman Tom Staggs, and Walt Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde. According to Staggs visitors will experience "inspiring floating mountains" and "bio luminescent plants alive with light and sound."  The guests will also discover what it feels like to fly on the large birds that Cameron used in his film. The upcoming Avatar expansion is on track to open by 2017. It is set to be the largest Animal Kingdom expansion in Disney history.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/disney-reveals-avatar-world-concept-art-animal-kingdom-article-1.1484440

Art Gallery Wins Building of the Year

New Zealand's Auckland Art Gallery was recently awarded the magnificent title, "Building of the Year." The building is architecturally built as a very tall and hollow space, similar to the design of a tree. The only material they used to construct it were from trees that had already fallen in the forests. The director from the World Architecture Festival in Singapore stated that the masterpiece "explored the relationship between new and old" and "it engages the difference between man-made and natural, it deals with art and science, and it is certainly about culture." The art gallery competed with more than 300 projects from 50 countries across the world for the prestigious award.

http://www.businessinsider.com/auckland-art-gallery-building-of-the-year-2013-10

Sudden Illnesses Cause Art Exhibition to Close

A room-sized art exhibit located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has been recently closed, after three people experienced seizure-like symptoms. Before entering the quaint building all patrons were required to sign a waiver that read "intense stroboscopic light in combination with thick artificial fog, resulting in loss of spatial orientation." It also stated that people who have had a history of epilepsy, claustrophobia, or breathing or heart problems were warned not to go inside. A district EMS chief from the Pittsburgh area said that there could be possible changes made to the exhibit, before it re-opens. The three victim's conditions have not yet been specified, as to how serious they were affected.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/30/pensylvania-art-exhibition-closed-after-3-patrons-sickened/

JFK Remembered

This fall, the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination will take place. To remember and commemorate this once drastic day in our country's history, over 30,000 pieces of art will be displayed throughout the downtown Dallas area. All works will show a meaning of love to prove to critics that Dallas is "a place where love thrives." These works of art have been made by a variety of people. Artists include school kids, people that work in business offices, and senior citizens living in nursing homes. These residents of Dallas are excited for this opportunity and are ready to show the rest of America why their city is full of love and compassion. 

http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/wireStory/jfk-art-project-spreads-love-dallas-20343177

Paula Deen Making a Comeback

Earlier this year, Paula Deen was taken off the public stage after admitting she used a racial slur. Before her severe downfall, Deen was one of the most acclaimed Food Network stars in the country. After facing months of guilt and humility, it now seems that she is trying to redeem herself and rejuvenate her hospitable image. Deen recently made a public appearance at a Texas cooking show, where she was joined by her sons. After reflecting on the hardships she endured this summer, she received a standing ovation from 1,400 people at the event. Deen has a number of book signings set up for the future, hoping that she gains more public attention. Slowly, but surely, Paula Deen is attempting to rebuild her image in today's society.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/paula-deen-makes-public-appearance-texas-cooking-show/story?id=20262601

The Extinction of Cursive Writing?

In the modern world we live in today, many people rely on using their smartphones, iPhones, iPads, and laptops to communicate with people. With all of these high-tech devices now in place and set for the future, few people take the time to construct a simple letter or postcard by handwriting. Certain individuals believe that the method of cursive writing is coming to an end soon as well. According to the Common Core State Standards, only 11 of the 50 states require the practice of cursive handwriting in their curriculum. Some people are not enthralled by this idea though. They claim that cursive is an art and skill that should still be practiced because it's "more efficient" than print. Whether cursive will still be around in the next 10 years or not, the 21st century is here, and the technology age will continue to evolve.

http://dailynightly.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/08/20388506-technology-may-script-an-end-to-the-art-of-cursive-writing?lite

Ariel Castro Hangs Himself in Prison

Ariel Castro, the man who last month, was sentenced a lifetime in prison for sexually assaulting and kidnapping three young women in his Cleveland home, was found dead yesterday. Castro, 53, committed suicide by hanging himself in his prison cell at the Correction Reception Center in Orient, Ohio. Once the prison medical staff noticed the body, they immediately attempted lifesaving procedures on Castro, before transporting his body to a medical center. The attempts to try to save his life came to soon though and he was later pronounced dead at 10:52 P.M. ET. Castro had not been on suicide watch, but was supposedly being watched by prison guards every 30 minutes. The former Cleveland neighborhood bus driver, was sentenced to prison the rest of his life for kidnapping Amanda Berry, Gina Dejesus, and Michelle Knight in a time span which lasted over ten years, in which they were chained up and assaulted in his home. Castro will be remembered by the media, public, his family, and especially the victims, for the infamous crime he prolonged over all these years.


http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/04/ariel-castro-hung-prison/2761177/