Blog Post 8

After watching the Oscars on Sunday night and seeing just how successful Slumdog Millionaire was I was curious about what it was about and why it was so successful. The article Orphan’s Lifeline Out of Hell Could Be a Game Show in Mumbai by MANOHLA DARGIS really gave me a good explanation of the movie and how the culture of it is so different from ours. The article itself discusses how in the slums of India there are so many people but especially children who are just in such poverty they are rummaging through mounds and mounds of trash to hopefully find a mango peel. Or just something so small and worthless to us is like gold to them. Also that in Mumbai a lot of people are addicted to drugs and begin to go crazy after a while because of the starvation pains and such. Because of this the actors had to be trained to do play these types of roles. This relates to my life because I am now hopefully going to see Slumdog Millionaire and now i have a better understanding of the culture and of the story itself.

Blog Post 7

This afternoon I read an article titled Minnesota Orchestra: Real Time by Graydon Royce and it was about how the Minnesota Orchestra is traveling all over Europe and are playing performances in quite prominent theatres.  The change part of this article is how they are communicating all the way back to the states using video footage taken of their practices, performances, and interviews after by using web cams and uploading video clips to the Internet so fans and supporters can watch and keep up with how they're doing.  Also they said how it allows them to communicate to the younger generation (middle and high schoolers) because they are so connected to the Internet that it is an easy and fun way for them to stay in touch.  This relates to my life because I love the Minnesota Orchestra and have seen them preform a couple times and every time I'm blown away.

Blog Post 6

For today's blog about hope my immediate reaction was a familiar song by Jack Johnson called Hope.  The song lyrics are all about how hope is something a lot of people lack and how if one has hope anything is possible.  Specifically with love, is what Jack Johnson is explaining, with the lines "Before it takes away all that you learned to love / It will defeat you and then teach you to get back up / Cause you don't / Always / Have to hold your head / Higher than your heart" These lines to me are very significant and very inspiring because they tell you that to never give up and to always have hope.  This relates to my life because I tend to loose hope very easy and this song always reminds that it's good to keep hoping and to be open to new possibilities.  

Blog Post 5

This weekend I read an article titled Evolution Weekend: Churches nationwide to talk about whether creation, evolution can co-exist and it was about how there are churches who are now thinking that evolution indeed may have played a role in human development.  Though this goes completely against what the Bible says that god created the earth in 7 days, they are now starting to believe that the science part is also correct.  This to me seems a little maddening because for the past 200 years there was no middle ground on this issue, it was either darwinism or creationism.  The article also describes that "Participation through sermons, Sunday school lessons and even evolution dances has expanded into 974 congregations across the country, more than doubling since the weekend began in 2006, said founder Michael Zimmerman..." seeing that this is more than doubling to me is actually quite the accomplishment on Zimmerman's part, but in my opinion I think the issue has been pretty much settled and should be left alone.  

Blog Post 4

Today I read an article called A Breadwinner Rethinks Gender Roles, by  M.P.DUNLEAVEY. This article was primarily about a women's thoughts on the concept of gender roles in marriage. In this brief editorial, a woman expresses her first feelings of happiness followed by feelings of uncertainty when she discovers tat she is pregnant and that her husband will have to quit his job and remain at home with the baby, while she is out earning the real money to support the family. The author of this article first states that her views on marriage are based solely on the idea on equality, although later she confesses that she felt uncomfortable being the prime monetary support in the family. She states that men in today's society are brought up with a sense of esteem and responsibility that women are not.  Although men are traditionally thought to be the breadwinners of the family, a recent survey shows that about a third of wives in today's society earn more money than their husbands, and about 43% of overall household income was earned by women.

Blog Post 3

I am reading  the book Nectar in a Sieve, by Kamala Markandaya as you know, and i just read chapters 18-21 and during these chapters Ira gets pregnant and has a baby.  Though this baby is assumed to be albino by the reader, Ira still loves it and thinks of her new baby Sacrabani as a normal beautiful baby.  The part aspect of this culture that is different than my own is that on the tenth day after the baby is born, they have  a naming ceremony for it.  Where all the family friends and neighbors come and give the baby gifts and good wishes.  It seems to me like a baby shower just after the baby is born.   I think this is a very good tradition/custom and is a very fun way for family, friends, and neighbors to meet the new baby.

Blog Post 2

I read an article tonight on MSNBC's website titled "Skydiver describes in-air death of instructor" by the Associated Press.  This article talks all about how a man named Daniel Pharr, 25 years old was strapped while skydiving to his dying instructor.   A few thousand feet above the ground he realized he was heading directly for a trees and trying not to panic steered himself away and landed safely.  As soon as he landed he immediately gave his dying instructor CPR, though he gave it his all the instructor still died.  I feel that Daniel gave it his all and did everything eh possibly could have to keep himself and his instructor safe, and then try to keep his instructor alive.  Though his instructor did end up dying i still feel it takes a lot of courage and a lot of guts to do what he did.  Daniel didn't overcome any THING so to speak, but he overcame his fear and self doubt.  Which in some ways is more prominent! 

Blog Post 1

I read an article titled "Emotional Effects of Natural Disasters" by Nadine Brozan.  It was about how natural disasters effect people more then just physically speaking but also mentally and emotionally.  I have never experienced something like this before but the article spells it out fairly clearly with the way people deal with natural disasters mentally.  Brozan says, "The initial shock - a stunning sense of astonishment and terror -is followed by euphoria at having survived...Then the elation dissolves rapidly in the face of reality and depression, ranging from mild to extreme, sets in. Finally recuperation begins."  I feel like she hit the nail right on the head with that explanation because when i shattered my knee cap one summer at first i was just shocked at the situation, then i freaked out and got scared because of the pain, then after i got it all wrapped up and stuff i was super upset because i thought my whole summer was done for and then finally i started healing.  Though this may seem like a lame example, because of it i can somewhat understand how people in big natural disasters deal with things such as loss of people and/or things.