I really enjoyed our class session on the news. I had a pretty good idea that Americans aren't exposed to a lot of international news because my husband and I used to have satellite television so that we could watch Brazilian programming. We saw a lot of news on the Brazilian channel that we did not catch on U. S. channels.
But I never knew the reason why we don't get a lot of international news. I always just assumed that it was a Big Brother plot to keep us ignorant and unquestioning (I'm a bit of a conspiracy theorist -- about everything!). It turns out that the real reason is much less sinister. The real reason is that it's too expensive for networks to have correspondants in foreign countries. Phew!
Anyhow, I'm glad Dr. De Abreu mentioned BBC, because now I'm following that when I can. I learned so many new things about what's going on in the world, and in our own country, the first time I visited.
So now I get my news from BBC!
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Won't Back Down
There is so much that I can discuss about the film Won't Back Down. So I feel like I won't be able to give any one point too much justice. So this is just a little list of the feelings I had about this film.
1. Parent Trigger Laws -- While in the context of the film Trigger Laws seem great, I think they are frightning. I have seen otherwise amazing teachers brought down by one or a few parents who didn't like them for one reason or another -- usually not for any legitimate, educational reason. It all has to do with politics. What if I walked into a hospital where I was recently treated and said, "Okay, people, I have this petition, and I'm firing all the doctors and nurses here and replacing them with new ones!" It would never happen in a hospital, so why should it in a school?
2. Heart-Wrenching Mommy Guilt -- Thoughout most of the film we see Nona struggling to help her obviously struggling son with his homework. It is not until later in the film that we learn that Nona drove drunk to bring her colicky infant son to the doctor without properly buckling him in his seat, and most likely caused some kind of brain damage when she subsequently crashes the car. Though I have not and would not put myself or my family in such a situation, as a mother of a once-colicky baby, I can 100% understand the desire to somehow dull one's emotions and senses with something like alcohol. It was difficult not to burst into tears in front of all of my classmates when Nona's son says that despite the accident, his brain is okay.
3. Depictions of the Poor -- If being poor is the way that Maggie Gyllenhaal makes it appear, then I don't think it's half bad! While I, personally, would not be caught dead in a belly-shirt, Maggie's character's wardrobe was far more expansive than my own. She had a new outfit on in every scene, and most looked pretty up to date. The newest item of clothing I own is a pair of materinty jeans that I bought out of necessity in October 2011. Most of my clothes are washed and worn weekly. I think the wardrobe department working on this film failed to make the character look authentic because of this.
4. Is this real life? -- Well, it was inspired by a true story, but I could not find evidence of a parent trigger petition ever being enacted upon. Especially under the circumstances we find in the film. Of course, it's all drama, but we are led to believe that the red tape would be cut and the petition and application would be brought to a vote on the same day it was rejected for having errors in it. And lo and behold the parents are successful!!! And they all lived happily ever after! Hurrah!
1. Parent Trigger Laws -- While in the context of the film Trigger Laws seem great, I think they are frightning. I have seen otherwise amazing teachers brought down by one or a few parents who didn't like them for one reason or another -- usually not for any legitimate, educational reason. It all has to do with politics. What if I walked into a hospital where I was recently treated and said, "Okay, people, I have this petition, and I'm firing all the doctors and nurses here and replacing them with new ones!" It would never happen in a hospital, so why should it in a school?
2. Heart-Wrenching Mommy Guilt -- Thoughout most of the film we see Nona struggling to help her obviously struggling son with his homework. It is not until later in the film that we learn that Nona drove drunk to bring her colicky infant son to the doctor without properly buckling him in his seat, and most likely caused some kind of brain damage when she subsequently crashes the car. Though I have not and would not put myself or my family in such a situation, as a mother of a once-colicky baby, I can 100% understand the desire to somehow dull one's emotions and senses with something like alcohol. It was difficult not to burst into tears in front of all of my classmates when Nona's son says that despite the accident, his brain is okay.
3. Depictions of the Poor -- If being poor is the way that Maggie Gyllenhaal makes it appear, then I don't think it's half bad! While I, personally, would not be caught dead in a belly-shirt, Maggie's character's wardrobe was far more expansive than my own. She had a new outfit on in every scene, and most looked pretty up to date. The newest item of clothing I own is a pair of materinty jeans that I bought out of necessity in October 2011. Most of my clothes are washed and worn weekly. I think the wardrobe department working on this film failed to make the character look authentic because of this.
4. Is this real life? -- Well, it was inspired by a true story, but I could not find evidence of a parent trigger petition ever being enacted upon. Especially under the circumstances we find in the film. Of course, it's all drama, but we are led to believe that the red tape would be cut and the petition and application would be brought to a vote on the same day it was rejected for having errors in it. And lo and behold the parents are successful!!! And they all lived happily ever after! Hurrah!
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Media and the Presidential Debates
The first presidential debate of the current election season has already gone down in history -- from President Obama's apparent "absence," to Governor Romney putting Big Bird on notice, to Jim Leher's inability to keep the candidates in check.
I was struck by the president's lack of focus from the first moment he began speaking. Each candidate was given only two minutes to speak on each issue, yet Mr. Obama ate up 25 seconds -- nearly a quarter of his time! -- to say "Happy anniversary!" to his wife. There's nothing wrong with a little shout out to your leading lady, but keep it short and sweet... the rest of us want to know what you have to say about politics.
I was surprised by how much attention Gov. Romeny's Big Bird comment received. I guess I should have seen it coming, the next day there were a slew of Big Bird memes traveling around the internet, from an illustration of Big Bird forlornly sitting on a wooden box at the city limits of Sesame Street to a video clip from the show that was redubbed with Big Bird obcenely responding to the governor's comment.
One of the most noticable things that happened during the debate was that both candidates continued to talk over Jim Leher's two-minute warnings. Is it Mr. Leher's responsibility to be more forceful, or the candidate's responsibility to respect his authority and stop when they are told time is up? At one point Leher stopped the president at 1:55, to which Mr. Obama said, "I had five more seconds before you interupted me." I thought the statement was particularly harsh, and though I was at home, I still felt uncomfortable! I hope the next moderator is able to keep these men in check!
I was struck by the president's lack of focus from the first moment he began speaking. Each candidate was given only two minutes to speak on each issue, yet Mr. Obama ate up 25 seconds -- nearly a quarter of his time! -- to say "Happy anniversary!" to his wife. There's nothing wrong with a little shout out to your leading lady, but keep it short and sweet... the rest of us want to know what you have to say about politics.
I was surprised by how much attention Gov. Romeny's Big Bird comment received. I guess I should have seen it coming, the next day there were a slew of Big Bird memes traveling around the internet, from an illustration of Big Bird forlornly sitting on a wooden box at the city limits of Sesame Street to a video clip from the show that was redubbed with Big Bird obcenely responding to the governor's comment.
One of the most noticable things that happened during the debate was that both candidates continued to talk over Jim Leher's two-minute warnings. Is it Mr. Leher's responsibility to be more forceful, or the candidate's responsibility to respect his authority and stop when they are told time is up? At one point Leher stopped the president at 1:55, to which Mr. Obama said, "I had five more seconds before you interupted me." I thought the statement was particularly harsh, and though I was at home, I still felt uncomfortable! I hope the next moderator is able to keep these men in check!
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