Edited Journal Post 3: Girls are NOT worthless Wk. 13

            Written by Cynthia Fuchs, “The Untouchables Push Back in ‘Pink Saris,’” (http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/151824-pink-saris-its-a-womans-problem/) the article includes the story of a strong woman by the name of Sampat Pal. A massive problem still in India today is domestic abuse of women, despite laws passed against it. The program Pink Saris focuses on the corrupt tradition of girls becoming married, raped, impregnated, and abused at an extremely young age. It is Sampat’s mission to stand up for these girls who cannot do it themselves. Her passion is to encourage all women to speak up. “If girls spoke up, the world would change. Be brave.” She tells girls who come to her doorstep for advice. Sampat is the founder of the Gulabi Gang, an all-female organization known for their signature pink saris and dedicated to educating and empowering women. She knows things won’t change overnight, but Sampat is passionate about helping women, offering her words of wisdom, and even opening her house to girls who come to her door as a last resort.

I was drawn in by this article immediately. I think what Sampat Pal is doing is extremely admirable. As a child bride herself, she understands how hard India traditions can be. Imagining what she and other girls endure is almost impossible for me. We, as Americans, forget how fortunate we are to be free from the sort of violence women experience in other countries. I was so taken aback by the stories told by Sampat about young girls being raped and beaten by their in-laws. I admire Sampat for her courage and the passion she has for these young women. If only there were more people in the world like her.

Edited Journal Post 2: Brief Screening Report Wk. 11

After being bombarded by trashy, poorly made anti-olive signs, Olive Penderghast, (Emma Stone) the main character of the film Easy A, is betrayed by her best friend and begins feeling the pressure of her incessant lying. Walking away angry and embarrassed, she bumps into her long time crush, Todd, telling him she’s feeling just awesome. Scene 21 on the DVD follows Olive as she, after telling lie after lie about sleeping around, looks into what seems to be her final option and last resort. Trying to find comfort, she heads to the library, asking where she can find the Bible. To her surprise, the Book is not in the religion section, but on the bestsellers shelf. Figuring it’s impossible to read the entire thing, she seeks out someone to simply talk to and listen. We see Olive briskly walk through the pews of a church and plop herself down in a confession booth. She seems relieved and reluctant to begin talking, but after a moment of trying to figure out the “right” catholic words to use, begins pouring her heart out.

As Olive continues to spill every gory detail of the past few weeks, she makes a comment that caught my attention. She says, “I’m not actually doing things people have been saying I’ve been doing. But I’m not denying the accusations. Is that wrong?” She continues, “It was all make believe, no one was getting hurt, but a lot of people hate me now, and I kind of hate me too.” While saying this, the light around Olive changes, almost giving her a certain glow. The shadow of the confessional wall creates a beautiful pattern across her face giving her a calm, ethereal appearance.  Almost in tears, Olive realizes what she has done to herself by lying. It is a pivotal moment for her because part of her knows she must change. 

Edited Journal Post 1: Sassy Chef Wk. 8

               In Lorrie Palmer’s article “B(ew)witchin’ the Kitchen: Funny, Feminine, Femminista,” she describes a sassy, spitfire chef and writer who is making her way to the top. Airing on the The Cooking Channel and her clever online series, Nadia G’s show Bitchin’ Kitchen is unique, to say the least. Personally, I enjoy watching the Food Network with the “typical women” who delicately explaining how to prepare a meal, but the more Palmer explained Nadia’s creative outlook on cooking, I become more open-minded. As the article explains, women like Paula Dee, Giada De Laurentiis’, and Ina Garten do a lovely job at creating a peaceful energy in their kitchens the Food Network studio. But when compared to Nadia G’s vivacious, boldly feminine and Italian character and set, these women seem almost boring. Don’t get me wrong, the stars on Everyday Italian and Barefoot Contessa are wonderful chefs, but with her drop dead gorgeous look, high fashion wardrobe, and witty mouth, Nadia isn’t afraid to get in the viewer’s face about cooking and other real aspects of life.

                I wasn’t quite convinced by Nadia G. at first. The title of her show, Bitchin’ Kitchen, almost turned me off. Then I actually watched a few of her online series and was intrigued. Nadia not only talks passionately about cooking, she infuses her dry humor into her dialog and really pulls the viewer in with subjects like “The Dish on Dating,” and “The Break-Up Meal.” Nadia dares to defy the typical woman stereotype in the kitchen.  I think she really understands pop culture and gives people a cooking show that is truly unique.

girls are NOT worthless

The article “The Untouchables Push Back in ‘Pink Saris,’” written by Cynthia Fuchs,  is the story of a strong woman by the name of Sampat Pal. Domestic abuse of women is still a massive problem in India today although laws have been passed against it. The program Pink Saris focuses on the corrupt tradition of girls becoming married, raped, impregnated, and abused at an extremely young age. It is Sampat’s mission to stand up for these girls who cannot do it themselves, and encourage them to speak up. “If girls spoke up, the world would change. Be brave.” She tells girls coming to her doorstep for advice. Sampat is the founder of the Gulabi Gang, an all-female organization known for their signature pink saris and dedicated to educating and empowering women. She knows that things won’t change overnight, but Sampat is passionate about helping women, offering her words of wisdom and even her house to girls who come to her door.

What Sampat Pal is doing is extremely admirable. As a child bride herself, she understands how hard the India traditions can be, and I cannot even begin to comprehend that hardship. I was drawn in by this article immediately. We, as Americans, forget how fortunate we are to be free from the sort of violence women experience in other countries. I was so taken aback by the stories told by Sampat about young girls being raped and beaten by their in-laws. I admire Sampat for her courage and the passion she has for these young women. If only there were more people in the world like her.

article:(http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/151824-pink-saris-its-a-womans-problem/) 

photo: http://www.popmatters.com/images/news_art/f/film-pinksaris-poster.jpg

What's Your Family Tradition?

Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, the article “Fun for the Whole Family” (http://www.avclub.com/articles/fun-for-the-whole-family,65326/) seemed very appropriate. The A.V. Club Staff asked other staff and readers of AVQ&A what they and their families do on Thanksgiving. “We can’t all watch football all day,” the article states. So what in the world are we all supposed to do I’d like to know? People with every type of family, big and small, simply wrote what they do with their families after the meal is eaten and dishes are put away. Some responses surprised me, some of them sounded creative enough that I’d like to join in on the tradition. Someone explained their family loved simply playing cards and board games, which I can relate to most. Another man, Marcus Gilmer, raved about his family’s football watching traditions, which I can also definitely relate to! Sam Adams simply wrote, “The Aquarium is awesome” and describes his newfound love for going to the aquarium with his daughter. That might seem a little silly, but I think it is a great, creative way to spend the holiday, especially if you have young kids.

 

Others continue to explain their traditions including playing Apples to Apples and watching Pixar movies. One man points out that the new Muppets film is coming out this Thanksgiving and is thinking about taking his kids to go see it. “Fun for the Whole Family” is a clever article giving people the chance to express themselves and give other people just like them the opportunity to become a little more creative with family get-togethers.

 photo: http://www.gordtep.com/files/2009/11/board_games.jpg

Brief Screening Report

After being bombarded by trashy, poorly made anti-olive signs, the main character of the film Easy A, Olive, played by Emma Stone, is betrayed by her best friend and begins feeling the pressure of her lies. After bumping into her long time crush, Todd, and telling him she’s feeling just awesome, Olive slowly walks away, crushed.  Scene 21 on the DVD follows Olive as she, after telling lie after lie about sleeping around, looks into what seems to be her last resort. Trying to find comfort, she heads to the library to ask for the Bible. To her surprise, the Book is not in the religion section, but on the bestsellers shelf. Figuring it’s impossible to read the entire thing, she seeks out someone to simply listen to her. We see Olive briskly walking through the pews of a church and plopping herself down in a confession booth. She seems relieved and reluctant to begin talking, but after a moment of trying to figure out the “right” catholic words to use, begins pouring her heart out. 

As Olive continues to spill every gory detail, she makes a comment that caught my attention. She says, “I’m not actually doing things people have been saying I’ve been doing. But I’m not denying the accusations. Is that wrong?” She continues, “It was all make believe, No one was getting hurt, but a lot of people hate me now, and I kind of hate me too.” While saying this, the light around Olive changes, almost giving her a certain glow. The shadow of the confessional wall creates a beautiful pattern across her face giving her a calm, ethereal appearance.  Almost in tears, I think Olive steps back for a moment and realizes what she has done to herself by lying. It is almost is a pivotal moment for her because part of her knows she must change. 

photo: http://www.areyouscreening.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/easy-a-2-682x1024.jpg

Roles Women Play

I thought I was a “chick flick” pro before reading Mindy Kaling’s article Flick Chicks (http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2011/10/03/111003sh_shouts_kaling?currentPage=1) I love watching adventure and action movies just as much as the next person, but chick flicks will always have a special place in my heart. Without a doubt, they are the highlight of girls nights and almost vital after a long, terrible day.  Romantic comedies grab the heart and soul of a woman and usually, but not always, leave her believing she too can have her prince charming and be the woman she dreams of being.

Sounds like a good happily ever after, right? The perfect woman finds a perfect man, there are a few bumps in the road, together they find a way to fix it, and they live in perfection with one another for the rest of their lives. I admit to being a hopeless romantic, but that’s just sick. In her article, Kaling breaks down what makes up the typical onscreen woman. Every woman from The Ethereal Weirdo to The Woman who works in an Art Gallery has their own sparkling personality and flaws we have all seen before. I can even relate to the Sassy Best Friend and the Klutz, which allowed me to connect to the article much more.

 I’ve never noticed before, but movie try too hard to display to types of women we want to see onscreen. They are good at it, yes, but I’ve never taken the time to analyze each character.  I never considered how the outside world really looks at women and the roles they play.  This article definitely gave me a new perspective on chick flicks and romantic comedies.

photo: http://www.newyorker.com/images/2011/10/03/p233/111003_r21359_p233.jpg

Journal 2: Reading a Film

The video “Looking at Movies: Film Analysis” http://wwnorton.com/common/flvplayer/?flvid=/college/movies3/film_analysis_lam3.m4v&flvimg=/college/movies3/film_analysis_lam3.jpg&flvw=600&flvh=400&flvauto=false&flvskin=dark, explores how people break down and understand a movie. It compares form analysis and cultural analysis and looks at content versus form. There is so much more to watching a movie than simply looking at a screen and understanding the story line.

(“Looking at Movies: Film Analysis”)

One aspect that I found interesting was the difference between form analysis and cultural analysis. Form analysis basically focuses on what the movie looks like. It reveals everything from camera angle to what the background of the scene looks like, including length of a screen shot, the intensity of sounds, and the lighting of the picture. If done well, the form of the film should be able to pull the viewer into the movie and make it feel like they are there. On the other hand, cultural analysis focuses on the underlying story of the movie itself instead of what it looks like. As “Looking at Movies” points out, films can display our culture’s views on family, women, men, and social order, down to the controversial issue of abortion and how the world looks at pregnancy and child birth. It breaks apart everything from how the characters talk to how they dress and present themselves according to the world’s culture.

Watching this film analysis was extremely eye opening. I’ve never watched a movie and thought of the content and form of it before.  After watching this I feel like I am able to analyze pieces and scenes of a movie and be able to pick out emotions the viewer is meant to feel and what causes them. I don’t know if the film analysis left anything out because it already taught me so much. It is also a good tool to look back on while doing an actual film analysis in the future. 

How to Tie Dye

Tie-Dye has been a part of cultures everywhere since before history books. It really took off in the 1960’s in America to express individualism. This is because of many reasons, but mainly because it brightened up people’s lives.  The process of tie dying is fun, easy and inexpensive.

Tie Dying Supplies

Supplies: There are many supplies that are needed for this process. The items to dye are the most essential item in this process. This could be anything from t-shirts to socks to pants and everything in between.  As long as it is white, anything will do. Rubber bands are an essential part of the process. These will help the item you dye stay in the pattern you put it in.  It will also make it so there is no, or hardly any, dye there. Another thing needed is the dye. One of the more popular dyes is Rit. This is what we used when performing the process. It costs anywhere from $1.95 to $2.95, depending on if it is dry or wet dye. Another is what is provided in a tie dye kit, but as we didn’t use it in our process, we will not be talking about it as much. Water is needed to dilute the dye. This will help determine, along with if you use soda ash, how deep the color is. As we did not use soda ash, this will be the only supply in the process to tell how deep a color will get. One way to put on the dye is through squirt bottles. These you can get ready-made in the store or you can use water bottles with little holes in the top. Either way, make sure to have a small hole in the top. Another item needed are buckets. They don’t have to be necessarily big buckets, just ones to hold the items being dunked. They can also be to hold the soda ash solution, but we won’t be talking about that. The last item is plastic bags. These will hold the items after they’re dyed. It doesn’t matter how many you have, just as long as you have enough for one per item. 

Journal 1: Sassy Chef

    Nadia G's Bitchin' Kitchen:

 Cookin' for Trouble

(Ballantine; US: Oct 2011)

In the article B(ew)witchin’ the Kitchen: Funny, Feminine, Femminista, Lorrie Palmer describes a sassy, spitfire chef and writer making her way to the top through The Cooking Channel and her clever online series. Nadia G’s show Bitchin’ Kitchen is unique, to say the least. Personally, I enjoy watching the Food Network with the typical women chef delicately explaining how to prepare a meal, but the more Palmer explained Nadia’s creative outlook on cooking, I become more open-minded. As the article explains, women like Paula Dee, Giada De Laurentiis’, and Ina Garten do a lovely job and creating a peaceful energy in their kitchens on the Food Network, but when compared to Nadia G’s vivacious, boldly feminine and Italian character, they seem almost boring. Don’t get me wrong, the stars on Everyday Italian and Barefoot Contessa are wonderful chefs, but with her drop dead gorgeous look, high fashion wardrobe and clever, witty mouth, Nadia isn’t afraid to get in the viewer’s face about cooking and other real aspects of life.

Like I mentioned, I wasn’t quite convinced at first. The title of her show almost turned me off. Then I actually watched a few of her shows and was intrigued. Nadia not only talks passionately about cooking, she infuses her dry humor into her dialog and really pulls the viewer in with subjects like “The Dish on Dating,” and “The Break-Up Meal.” Nadia dares to defy the typical woman stereotype and I think she really understands pop culture and gives people a show that is truly unique. 

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/146244-bewitchin-the-kitchen-funny-feminine-femminista/

Video Sample Post

"Bible in a Minute" Barats and Bereta

Lady Antebellum "We Own the Night"

Pictures

Big brother Kyle at my High School Graduation 2011

My friend Emily and I having adventures with balloons!

My boyfriend Drake and I at the Milwaukee Zoo

p.s. Elephants are my favorite animal!

"How To" Paragraph

I got my first guitar when I was twelve years old and have taught myself how to play over the past few years. Beginning is always a challenge because before anyone can even learn the basics, they have to develop calluses and strengthen their finger muscles in order to be used to the feeling of your fingers on the strings. This is the step where most people just give up, but with my brother’s help, I didn’t. One must first learn the note of each string. Starting at the top in the E and down from there is the A, D, G, B, and finally the little E. There are small bars about an inch apart on the neck of the guitar which are called frets. Each string between each fret makes a specific not. And by combining different notes, one can learn chords. Learning each note and chord can take some time, but there are many tools such as guitar teachers, books, and the Internet that can show you step by step this process. And once it’s completed, being able to put an entire song together is definitely rewarding.