No Laughing Matter

Urban history, as a tool, has drastically changed our understanding of cities over the centuries. ‘Urban histories possessed an explanatory power far above the intricate workings of one city; providing larger narratives centered on industrialization or other macro-economic developments’.

In my early years, I hadn't given much thought to the depth of this city, only knowing bits and pieces of the puzzle that I was trying to put together in my head. However, as the years went by, I grew accustomed to the city, its people, and its ways. This city influenced and shaped my persona into the individual I am today. This city taught me a great deal of what

CLOWN: The more fool, Madonna, to mourn for your brother's soul, being in heaven. Take away the fool, gentlemen (act #, scene #, line 3).

several terms were adopted to describe the various parts of the city, including: central city,

usage within these city-states and briefly looked at, in conclusion, regarding their similarity to today’s

In the summer of 2017, I had visited Wilkes-Barre, Arcadia University, Temple University. Wilkes-Barre and Temple had the urban atmosphere that I craved for college. Living in York, where there is farm down the street from my house, I needed to experience fast pace, never sleeping aspect of the city. With this in mind, it disappointed me how much neither Temple nor Wilkes awed me. I could see myself going there, but I could also see myself not. Another impediment was that it is only one hour away from my parents.

G. Wells was writing The Time Machine, England was in the fin de siècle. This time was described as ‘an epoch of endings and beginnings’ (Ledger and Luckhurst pg xiii). The Victorian era ended and the Modern era began creating ‘a time fraught with anxiety and with an exhilarating sense of possibility’ (Ledger and Luckhurst pg xiii). The fin de siècle sparked debate regarding civilization’s future questioning if humanity would advance or ultimately decline. Cultural degeneration grew to become a fear in the people of Victorian England. It is evident that Wells used this fear in his description of the Eloi, the degenerative upper class. This species of human was a product of years of luxury; beautiful yet useless. The Time Traveller told his guests, ‘Man had been content to live in ease and delight upon the labours of his fellow man, had taken Necessity as his watchword and excuse, and in the fullness of time Necessity had come home to him’ (Wells 62). Here, Wells is presenting the fact that this futurological world was exactly what society received. Being one of the first practitioners of the science fiction genre, Wells wrote a novella that was a political commentary on a dystopia. With the statement ‘Even now, does not an East-end worker live in such artificial conditions as practically to be cut off from the natural surface of the earth’ (Wells 48) he connected the present to a pessimistic view of the future. The purpose of this novella is not to give the reader a

In the film and novel, Water for Elephants, the author, Sarah Gruen, emphasizes humanity’s imperfect relationships with animals. In the proceeding quote, Sarah expresses her intention of writing the novel: “When I wrote the book, I hoped people would think about the way we treat those who are dependent on us—animals, the elderly, the debilitated, as well as the power of love in all its forms, and it’s going to be amazing to see this message delivered in such an exciting medium” (Gruen). She introduces Jacob Jankowski, a college student in Cornell University, studying Veterinary Science. His education was unexpectedly stopped short after the sudden death of his parents in a car accident in 1931. After this devastation, he ventured off to find

When the circus comes to town, children’s eyes boggle with amazement as excitement fills the air. Under the big top, the stunts of humans and animals alike mesmerize and capture the audience's attention. Spectators become astonished at the miraculous accomplishments of the animals, and they are willing to pay massive amounts of money to see exotic creatures outside of their natural habits. However, circuses are not what they seem. “It's a classic image: elephants lumbering trunk to tail.

Fraught with excitement and anticipation, this evening people are going to be treated to the most amazing circus that ever took place! People are going crazy, like a swarm of bees that got irritated. People are spreading the news everywhere around Smyrna. Lots of people’s excitement is growing for the upcoming event in just a few short hours. In the meantime, Dan and Christopher couldn’t stop talking about the upcoming circus because of their joy for this evening.

Based on Brandon Katz, “Thanks to Pennywise The Dancing Clown, children’s birthday parties have been ruined forever. While clowns have long been eyed with suspicion, King helped the circus figures create their own sub-genre of fear (one I Hate Clowns Facebook page has nearly 400,000 likes). From John Wayne Gacy and The Joker to the Poltergeist doll and the “killer clown” craze from 2016, the imagery has been synonymous with terror for decades in both pop culture and life”. Basically, Clowns are supposed to be a positive impact on children and for the society who makes people happy and joyful by taking the vicariousness in the party to another level. Comparing today, people expect clowns as horrifying personalities and more likely as “killers”, which is mainly because of the media who glamorize them and making them mysterious by explaining their special type of clothing, their creative ways to x-out their victims, their ways to not get caught gives potential and pride to the murderers or even brainwashes a normal individual attracting them towards this filthy

Even after reading Mark Binelli 's book Detroit City is the Place to Be, it is difficult to believe that the city he is writing about exists here in the United States. This is after all, an economically prosperous, first world country. What Binelli so vividly describes is a place that could very well exist in some third world country. A third world slum-like city that boasts of not only one, but two professional sports teams. It is intriguing to ponder the whys and how’s of Detroit 's condition and failure to thrive. Despite the best intentions by those tasked with reviving and restoring this city to an at least functional state (the best that could seemingly be hoped for), Detroit seems to continuously decline. Binelli takes the reader through the sequences of events and causes that moved Detroit from a nineteenth century economically prosperous city, to a present day ghost of what once was.

To help you get the flavor of the Las Vegas performance scene, it may be helpful to know some of the past offerings. Musical acts run the gamut from Andrea Bocelli, world renowned Italian tenor; Motley Crue, iconic metal/rock band; to country legends Reba McEntire and Brooks and Dunn. In the realm of more theatrical shows, Cirque Du Soleil’s “O” and the female comedy act “Lipschtick-The Perfect Shade of Standup” both made Travel

In 1896, the Olympic Games were officially reborn into the modern era thanks to a Frenchman named Baron Pierre de Coubertin (Lewis, 1992). In 1904, the Games of the III Olympiad arrived in the United States, marking itself as the first Olympics to be held in said country as well as the first hosted outside of Europe. Often forgotten, this specific Olympics also signifies the beginning of the horrible luck Chicago, Illinois, has had regarding the hosting rights. With four losses under its belt and a history of bad news, Chicago is frequently told—to no one’s surprise—that it should simply give up on its dream and focus on improving itself. However, who’s to say that the Jewel of the Midwest can’t do both? By incorporating a well-thought-out narrative of what the city has gone through into their appeal process, Chicago could very well win the bid next time around—whenever that might be. The city boasts an efficiently compact setting; a history and love of sports that entices amiable relations between residents; and an enthralling tale to tell. Overall, Chicago can use its need for a strong community to reach the top of the podium in the rigorous battle for host city status. A point often overlooked, the city technically won the hosting rights once.

History has witnessed the rise and fall of many powerful cities, starting with Ur and Babylon and continuing into present day with cities such as New York City. Two of these cities, ancient Athens and ancient Rome, stand out from other cities of their time due to their culture, politics, and influence, both on the world around them and on future civilizations. These strengths qualify them as world cities, and despite their eventual losses of power, their legacies live on.