Originally I was stumped on what to post for this blog. I wanted to talk about my Romanian heritage. Growing up in a strongly Romanian Orthodox family I was always around bread and the wine. Due to a family member recently passing away I wanted to talk about how we use food in our funeral ceremonies. During our funerals we will have rings of callah and bottles of wine. The callah is a type of bread and each ring will have 3 candles placed in it. One for the father, one for the son, and one for the holy spirit. My family will stand and the immediate family (husband, daughters, sons, and grand children) will be the ones that place their hands on the bread and the wine. We all then create what looks like a web where we have to touch the shoulder of the person in front of us so that way we are all connected to the callah. The callah in this sense represents the person body. The family members will hod the bread and move it up and down. It Romanian culture this symbolizes the persons spirit leaving the body, we will also do this with the wine to show that they will have a safe trip up into heaven. As we do this we sing memory eternal in Romanian ( memorie veșnică). This is how we honor those who have passed and how they are not with us but they are still here in our memories. We then will break the bread and drink the wine. We have to kiss the cross of the priest before we partake in eating the bread or the wine. We also repeat this ceremony at the 6 weeks of the family members passing, again at the 6 months and once more at the one year mark.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Food tradition
Blog post assignment: Write about a tradition / food / value within your religion / family.
Originally I was stumped on what to post for this blog. I wanted to talk about my Romanian heritage. Growing up in a strongly Romanian Orthodox family I was always around bread and the wine. Due to a family member recently passing away I wanted to talk about how we use food in our funeral ceremonies. During our funerals we will have rings of callah and bottles of wine. The callah is a type of bread and each ring will have 3 candles placed in it. One for the father, one for the son, and one for the holy spirit. My family will stand and the immediate family (husband, daughters, sons, and grand children) will be the ones that place their hands on the bread and the wine. We all then create what looks like a web where we have to touch the shoulder of the person in front of us so that way we are all connected to the callah. The callah in this sense represents the person body. The family members will hod the bread and move it up and down. It Romanian culture this symbolizes the persons spirit leaving the body, we will also do this with the wine to show that they will have a safe trip up into heaven. As we do this we sing memory eternal in Romanian ( memorie veșnică). This is how we honor those who have passed and how they are not with us but they are still here in our memories. We then will break the bread and drink the wine. We have to kiss the cross of the priest before we partake in eating the bread or the wine. We also repeat this ceremony at the 6 weeks of the family members passing, again at the 6 months and once more at the one year mark.
Originally I was stumped on what to post for this blog. I wanted to talk about my Romanian heritage. Growing up in a strongly Romanian Orthodox family I was always around bread and the wine. Due to a family member recently passing away I wanted to talk about how we use food in our funeral ceremonies. During our funerals we will have rings of callah and bottles of wine. The callah is a type of bread and each ring will have 3 candles placed in it. One for the father, one for the son, and one for the holy spirit. My family will stand and the immediate family (husband, daughters, sons, and grand children) will be the ones that place their hands on the bread and the wine. We all then create what looks like a web where we have to touch the shoulder of the person in front of us so that way we are all connected to the callah. The callah in this sense represents the person body. The family members will hod the bread and move it up and down. It Romanian culture this symbolizes the persons spirit leaving the body, we will also do this with the wine to show that they will have a safe trip up into heaven. As we do this we sing memory eternal in Romanian ( memorie veșnică). This is how we honor those who have passed and how they are not with us but they are still here in our memories. We then will break the bread and drink the wine. We have to kiss the cross of the priest before we partake in eating the bread or the wine. We also repeat this ceremony at the 6 weeks of the family members passing, again at the 6 months and once more at the one year mark.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Global Warming -- My opinion on the presentation
I was shocked at how much a 5 degree change would change the world around us. We know what it would be like with a change that is 5 degrees lower than what it is, with that we would be under a sheet of ice. But we don't know what would happen if the Earth warmed up 5 degrees. Also we all have heard the "buy fuel effective cars" but when the presenter put up on the screen how good these cars are and their MPG rates, it shows just how much better these cars are. I think that these are great but I do want to point out that other cars that are not eco-friendly, I have a non eco friendly car but I get 33 miles to the gallon.I think we need to do something about this but I do not think that there is an end in sight. Why? Because there are so many people that do not know what is going on. Or there are people that do not think that this problem exists. They do not want to admit that we are harming the earth. I think we need to educate people with the facts. It is the people who are older, they do not think that it exists. because they didn't have to deal with it when they were younger but now I do, and my children will have to as well.
A place at the table
Sorry
I have had a lot going on... I am finally getting around to posting
this.
There are now more than 40,000 such programs in America, and roughly two-thirds of them are food pantries, where parents and their children, the elderly, and working people obtain free groceries. But these programs do not have nearly enough supplies to get food out to all the hungry people in the country. The film was quick to point out what is currently being done in the favor of stopping hunger in a country where there's more than enough healthy food to go around. Food banks, charities, and pantries, which have increased from two-hundred nationwide to a whooping 40,000 in thirty years, have been turning up to temporarily combat the problem, but a functional, long term solution is still in the works.
The documentary also talks about something that we have in class "food deserts," which are areas where places that carry healthy food packing nutrition, vitamins, and necessary fulfillment don't exist for miles on end, leaving the only resources to be from local stop-and-shops that stock up on food filled with unhealthy fats and empty calories. This movie was very interesting to watch while at the Alamo because it is a movie theater where we can get food brought to us in our seats. I watch people watch this movie about hungry Americans and they would be eating food through the whole movie like it was nothing. It made me realize how much we don't really even know. Others did this without even thinking about it, the fact that they were watching a documentary about food and they were eating the whole time.
Overall it was a very eye opening film.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Global Warming
Effects of climate change on agriculture
Agriculture is outside his area, he has looked at a lot of agriculture.
Average global temperatures: 30 second video put out by NASA. Year will change, colors indicate if they were warmer or cooler during the reference period (1950-1980).... Most places were cooler in 1984 than in 1980. This is what the thermometers tell us. Goes through 2012. We all know that the earth is warming.
First period of warming: 1900-1940
Starting in 1970 - current period of warming, much more rapid.
This winter in Michigan has been unusual.
Natural Variation cannot explain current warming.
The cause of the warming is not the same both times.
When people say it is due to natural variation they say that the earth is receiving more energy from the sun.
Recently, while Earth had been warming fastest solar change has decreased.
This warming period is different than any in the last 800,000 years.
1. Its at least 10-20 times faster (Than in the last 8 cycles)
2. It's happening while solar input is decreasing.
>95% of current warming is due to human activities
1. Fossil Fuels use (85%)
2. Cutting down Forests -- Takes away carbon sponge (15-20%)
If we remain on our current course future climate change will be severe
Will a 5 degree temperature rise matter?
YES.
We don't know what will happen when it was 5 degrees warmer
If it is 5 degrees cooler we know what happens because it makes a huge difference for life on earth.
About 40% of the Earths surface is used for cropland and pasture
-- About 25% of land surface is too dry for agriculture use.
UN food and agriculture organization estimates 1.02 billion hungry people worldwide
How might climate change affect agriculture?
1. Increase yields due to
-CO2 ferilization effect (corn is not effected, but it does effect soybeans, rice, and wheat)
-Longer growing seasons
2. Decrease yields due to
-Increased temperatures
-Increased droughts
-Increased flooding
-Decreased nutritional quality
-Pest problems
-Decreased irrigation
Much of the US has been experiencing a severe drought
Severe rainstorms have already become more common.
Flooding is also likely to reduce future yields.
Crop pests are likely to increase with warming
To some extent adaptation measures can mitigate the adverse effects of climate change: Irrigation, planting dates,
Next time buy a fuel efficient car.
Wind power in Michigan could supply 12 times current statewide electricity demand
A small portion of the Sahara desert could supply all of the world's electricity.
The true costs of wind and solar are already lower than coal-generated electricity.
Agriculture is outside his area, he has looked at a lot of agriculture.
Average global temperatures: 30 second video put out by NASA. Year will change, colors indicate if they were warmer or cooler during the reference period (1950-1980).... Most places were cooler in 1984 than in 1980. This is what the thermometers tell us. Goes through 2012. We all know that the earth is warming.
First period of warming: 1900-1940
Starting in 1970 - current period of warming, much more rapid.
This winter in Michigan has been unusual.
Natural Variation cannot explain current warming.
The cause of the warming is not the same both times.
When people say it is due to natural variation they say that the earth is receiving more energy from the sun.
Recently, while Earth had been warming fastest solar change has decreased.
This warming period is different than any in the last 800,000 years.
1. Its at least 10-20 times faster (Than in the last 8 cycles)
2. It's happening while solar input is decreasing.
>95% of current warming is due to human activities
1. Fossil Fuels use (85%)
2. Cutting down Forests -- Takes away carbon sponge (15-20%)
If we remain on our current course future climate change will be severe
Will a 5 degree temperature rise matter?
YES.
We don't know what will happen when it was 5 degrees warmer
If it is 5 degrees cooler we know what happens because it makes a huge difference for life on earth.
About 40% of the Earths surface is used for cropland and pasture
-- About 25% of land surface is too dry for agriculture use.
UN food and agriculture organization estimates 1.02 billion hungry people worldwide
How might climate change affect agriculture?
1. Increase yields due to
-CO2 ferilization effect (corn is not effected, but it does effect soybeans, rice, and wheat)
-Longer growing seasons
2. Decrease yields due to
-Increased temperatures
-Increased droughts
-Increased flooding
-Decreased nutritional quality
-Pest problems
-Decreased irrigation
Much of the US has been experiencing a severe drought
Severe rainstorms have already become more common.
Flooding is also likely to reduce future yields.
Crop pests are likely to increase with warming
To some extent adaptation measures can mitigate the adverse effects of climate change: Irrigation, planting dates,
Next time buy a fuel efficient car.
Wind power in Michigan could supply 12 times current statewide electricity demand
A small portion of the Sahara desert could supply all of the world's electricity.
The true costs of wind and solar are already lower than coal-generated electricity.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Los Amigos
I love mexican food! It is my guilty pleasure, I could eat it all day every day. When I saw that Los Amigos was on the list of places I could go for this assignment I was excited. I have only been here one other time. I went here because this is the only place that I could find on the list that my friends would go to. We got there and the environment is warm and inviting, it was easy to have conversations with the people I went with. You can sense the difference in culture, this is because at more American type food places there is a much more fast pace feel. Where they have you come in, they bring you drinks quickly, then they take your orders, you are in and out within an hour. At Los Amigos they give you a lot of time to get drinks, then they don't make it feel rushed. We noticed it about halfway through when we were just chatting and had a relaxed environment.
I have been to Spain, this is not authentic food here at Los Amigos. It is Americanized mexican food. Loaded with cheese and a lot of fat but it was delicious. I know that the food was also made in American proportions, the burrito was the size of two of my faces. This is not the actual proportion of food for mexicans, they eat smaller meals and we give them the ideas of all the types of foods. My roommates boyfriend is Mexican and he came with us and was correcting all the food and was saying how it wasn't authentic and he could make better mexican food.Overall I loved my trip to Los Amigos! My roommates did too, it was a great place for a great night out
to dinner where you don't want to feel rushed. The proportions are large but as a college kid on a budget you have left overs! Also the prices are not that bad, it was 9.99 for a burrito that was huge. It seems pretty cost efficient.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Video Game Discussion
I wanted to look at the deeper meaning of the commercials in GTA 4. I know that these things are making fun of real life things that we actually have in America. The sad part to think of with this game is even though they are making fun of these real like things, but this in a way is product placement. Although it isn't advertising for the actual food options it is still planting them in your head and making them think about what these commercials are really talking about. We notice product placement in movies and TV shows but we don't think twice and now it is happening with video games. I know that these product placements don't seem like a big deal, but you could really think that maybe Taco Bell, KFC, and Burger King endorsed or payed GTA to place their products. I think even if they are making fun of the face that these things are happening, the reality is these things ARE happening.
If we didn't listen to the commercials in the game we would not have noticed what they really were about. It shows that children pay just as much attention to the sounds as they do to the action that is going on in the game. We talked in class about how Stick of Truth makes fun of people who are obese, but how is GTA any better? It isn't they might be poking fun at how bad it is for you but they are still putting the thought of taco bell and these foods we see gamers eat into their heads. I think that this is important to look at. In the game there is an attractiveness level that puts a shame on eating these foods but in the game you still eat the food. It shows that even though you eat it once it wont affect you. To many gamers they can look at it as well my character is attractive and I can eat whatever I want. This is something to look at too! People get so involved in these games that the characters become their whole lives. I think that this is a hue problem because gamers can sometimes live their life through the game and not be able to see that this is not a healthy thing to do. I think that it is important to realize this too. We could have one thing playing on the screen bashing it but it still puts the idea of this food in their head without realizing that this can still be just as detrimental.
If we didn't listen to the commercials in the game we would not have noticed what they really were about. It shows that children pay just as much attention to the sounds as they do to the action that is going on in the game. We talked in class about how Stick of Truth makes fun of people who are obese, but how is GTA any better? It isn't they might be poking fun at how bad it is for you but they are still putting the thought of taco bell and these foods we see gamers eat into their heads. I think that this is important to look at. In the game there is an attractiveness level that puts a shame on eating these foods but in the game you still eat the food. It shows that even though you eat it once it wont affect you. To many gamers they can look at it as well my character is attractive and I can eat whatever I want. This is something to look at too! People get so involved in these games that the characters become their whole lives. I think that this is a hue problem because gamers can sometimes live their life through the game and not be able to see that this is not a healthy thing to do. I think that it is important to realize this too. We could have one thing playing on the screen bashing it but it still puts the idea of this food in their head without realizing that this can still be just as detrimental.
Do you think that even though these commercials are mocking these industries, that they still plant the idea of this fast food in the gamers heads?
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Video Games
Border Patrol Game: made in 2002
What interpretations can come across from this game?
The Jewish star is a sign of anti-semitism. It could show that Jews run the US, or show symbolism from the genocide in WW2. It might be symbolic of what we are doing to the Mexicans coming across the border.
How does this depict migrant workers?
That they are not good enough. People can make jokes of this game, they think that this is a great way to let off stress. That they are not worthy enough to be in our country.
What if the setting and people changed?
I think that the reactions would be the same same, most people feel like they are sensitive to the way the characters looked. If it were African American people there would be much more of an uproar. So many people brush immigration under the rug and find it a problem so they decide that its not a big deal. The people this game do not have that much of a voice but if it were a different group of people they would have a lot bigger of a voice. It could be related to demographic area, such as people in Texas will like this game more than people in Michigan. There is a game made by a neo-nazi clan called ethnic cleansing, made in 2002. This is a PC game that people would buy. This is not okay. All you do is shoot other races. This game was known as the most racist game in history. This game did not get popular! This game portrays that ethnic people are not wanted, students can see these while in school.
Bioshock: 2007
They try to make it okay to kill the children. They say that the little sisters if you save them your weakness is your heart. This is a sexualized child, they make the little girls okay to kill. So many people saw them as an unlimited resource. You can either lead people to a better life or you can kill them and ruin the world. Similar to the jungle because you can fire everyone who makes the money for the family. Little sisters and big daddy... gender stereotypes, sounds like a pimp with big daddy, like a pimp and their hookers. The good ending, all the little girls they end up killing the main boss. You find the submarine, you take the little sisters and you get married and they are your children. You see all the little sisters at your funeral and are happy. Negative ending: the little sisters help you, you kill all of them. It is a little kid and yet it graphically shows us killing them. You rip out the part of her that holds the atom. They go on a rampage and kill everyone in the bad ending. Was the number 1 game in 2007.
South park game: Stick of truth 2014 -- March
Makes fun of child obesity. You are the new kid on the block, all of your power ups are junk food. The only healthy thing in the game in water. It shows that this is what the children use to fuel themselves. You can buy all of these things at vending machines if you need to. The whole game is full of it so you do not need to use it right away. Shows how fatty food can be pushed onto our children. They make taco bell the root of all evil and they put a taco bell to cover up the alien. They are portraying that hey its a fast food place but safe to eat even off the ground. You can see all the sexual things, and there is nothing that is private. This is a game that you buy for 60 dollars. The game is rated M. Yet parents are the ones that buy video games. You can see everything on youtube. So many people can watch the whole game on there. These videos have had over 1 million views a day. The game was censored in Europe, middle east, africa, russia. The windows version has not been censored. The German game hides anything of the Nazi party. On one side south park is a satire. On the other hand how far can this mocking go?
Grand Theft Auto: First release October 1997
Majority of the class has played or heard of it. Not much popularity until Grand Theft auto 3 series. very loosely follows the godfather, set in vice city florida. 3 different games. This game is based loosely off of real places. There was not a "white" character until grand theft auto 4. Focused mainly on xenophobia, and food in grand theft auto four. Very detailed game worlds. They parody american culture. Cluckin' Bell. Mainly based on Taco Bell and KFC. They talk about enhanced meats.... they talk about how it was taken to court about how bad the meat was. They play advertisements for this in the games. The games are meant to make average people feel empowered. They say screw you to all the people who would protest these places. What is the quality of the food that we get from places where we can get food for a dollar? This is questioning what we do and how we all actually eat. This can relate to the show that is man VS. food. They have you eat huge burgers and people can die from eating all this food. It can address the fact that we DO NOT have portion control in America. We love gluttony. We don't know how to control how much we eat. In the game it shows how much the food at these places cost. In the game the healthy option is the most expensive food ideal. There is an attractiveness rating in them, they say the slim ones are the ones that are attractive in the game. Borders a distopian society. They have something called the statue of happiness. It is surprising because there is so much of this stuff on our TV now, and we don't even pay attention to them. There is awareness of the failure of our culture but no one chooses to do anything. What is the idea of the American dream? Niko came from a european country to have lots of money and women and this is not what happens.
Matilda: eating sweets and sinful nature, pleasure from powers. TV dinner and the culture of that.
Cheaper by the Dozen: Breakfast scene where they do the assembly line
Blog post options:
What interpretations can come across from this game?
The Jewish star is a sign of anti-semitism. It could show that Jews run the US, or show symbolism from the genocide in WW2. It might be symbolic of what we are doing to the Mexicans coming across the border.
How does this depict migrant workers?
That they are not good enough. People can make jokes of this game, they think that this is a great way to let off stress. That they are not worthy enough to be in our country.
What if the setting and people changed?
I think that the reactions would be the same same, most people feel like they are sensitive to the way the characters looked. If it were African American people there would be much more of an uproar. So many people brush immigration under the rug and find it a problem so they decide that its not a big deal. The people this game do not have that much of a voice but if it were a different group of people they would have a lot bigger of a voice. It could be related to demographic area, such as people in Texas will like this game more than people in Michigan. There is a game made by a neo-nazi clan called ethnic cleansing, made in 2002. This is a PC game that people would buy. This is not okay. All you do is shoot other races. This game was known as the most racist game in history. This game did not get popular! This game portrays that ethnic people are not wanted, students can see these while in school.
Bioshock: 2007
South park game: Stick of truth 2014 -- March
Makes fun of child obesity. You are the new kid on the block, all of your power ups are junk food. The only healthy thing in the game in water. It shows that this is what the children use to fuel themselves. You can buy all of these things at vending machines if you need to. The whole game is full of it so you do not need to use it right away. Shows how fatty food can be pushed onto our children. They make taco bell the root of all evil and they put a taco bell to cover up the alien. They are portraying that hey its a fast food place but safe to eat even off the ground. You can see all the sexual things, and there is nothing that is private. This is a game that you buy for 60 dollars. The game is rated M. Yet parents are the ones that buy video games. You can see everything on youtube. So many people can watch the whole game on there. These videos have had over 1 million views a day. The game was censored in Europe, middle east, africa, russia. The windows version has not been censored. The German game hides anything of the Nazi party. On one side south park is a satire. On the other hand how far can this mocking go?Grand Theft Auto: First release October 1997
Majority of the class has played or heard of it. Not much popularity until Grand Theft auto 3 series. very loosely follows the godfather, set in vice city florida. 3 different games. This game is based loosely off of real places. There was not a "white" character until grand theft auto 4. Focused mainly on xenophobia, and food in grand theft auto four. Very detailed game worlds. They parody american culture. Cluckin' Bell. Mainly based on Taco Bell and KFC. They talk about enhanced meats.... they talk about how it was taken to court about how bad the meat was. They play advertisements for this in the games. The games are meant to make average people feel empowered. They say screw you to all the people who would protest these places. What is the quality of the food that we get from places where we can get food for a dollar? This is questioning what we do and how we all actually eat. This can relate to the show that is man VS. food. They have you eat huge burgers and people can die from eating all this food. It can address the fact that we DO NOT have portion control in America. We love gluttony. We don't know how to control how much we eat. In the game it shows how much the food at these places cost. In the game the healthy option is the most expensive food ideal. There is an attractiveness rating in them, they say the slim ones are the ones that are attractive in the game. Borders a distopian society. They have something called the statue of happiness. It is surprising because there is so much of this stuff on our TV now, and we don't even pay attention to them. There is awareness of the failure of our culture but no one chooses to do anything. What is the idea of the American dream? Niko came from a european country to have lots of money and women and this is not what happens.Matilda: eating sweets and sinful nature, pleasure from powers. TV dinner and the culture of that.
Cheaper by the Dozen: Breakfast scene where they do the assembly line
Blog post options:
- Look at Burger shot commercial and clucking bell commercial and analyze them. Go deeper than it's making fun of America. Find the "Why" it is taking this approach. Propose one question.
- Find a satirical approach to food/food problems (something not presented in class) and analyze it. Find the "why" not just the "what"
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