Archive for January, 2010

Movies – What Women Want

I was recently read in The Guardian that Sandra Bullock’s new film, Blind Side, broke a box office record – it was the first sole-female led movie that broke $200k at the box office, beating out Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon.

I haven’t seen Blind Side yet, and I can’t particularly say that the story immediately appeals to me. But, this does represent a turning point. Whenever I talk about sexist stereotypes in movies, people respond that the reason it is like that is because young white men are the overwhelming majority of movie viewers. With the success of Sex in the City and the Twilight series, finally the men in charge of the movie industry are seeing that there is a large, female audience out there.

Because, while there has been a female revolution going on for the past 40 years, movies have not changed that much. The majority of movies targeted towards women are romantic comedies etc., which are usually centered around getting a man.

I would love to one day see a female-led epic, or even an action movie where the lead is a woman and the side-kick is a man. But, the key is not to simply put a woman in a man’s role. The key is to look at today’s audience as they are, and create characters that appeal to them.

2010
01/10
POSTED BY
Stefanie
CATEGORY
Uncategorized
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Showing Up Differently – Rafe Esquith

You hear about some people in their jobs – they just show up differently. One of these people Is Rafe Esquith. We recently came across the book Teach Like Your Hair’s On Fire which discusses the teaching methods of the teacher.

Here is a summary of the book courtesy of The New York Times (via Chapters/Indigo)

Perhaps the most famous fifth-grade teacher in America, Rafe Esquith has won numerous awards and even honorary citizenship in the British Empire for his outstandingly successful methods. In his Los Angeles public school classroom, he helps impoverished immigrant children understand Shakespeare, play Vivaldi, and become happy, self-confident people. This bestseller gives any teacher or parent all the techniques, exercises, and innovations that have made its author an educational icon, from personal codes of behavior to tips on tackling literature and algebra. The result is a powerful book for anyone concerned about the future of our children.

Basically, this guy works tirelessly to help these kids learn and open their eyes to what is possible in this world. From teaching them guitar, to having a classic film club, to having a problem-solving Math club to using gym’s baseball practice to help them understand Math even better, he takes creativity and originality to the next level.

He puts everything into his work, working about 12 hours a day, and at one point taking 1-2 extra jobs in order to afford the extras such as class trips. How can someone have so much mission? So much heart? Is it because he is a teacher and he sees how much these kids need help? I did have a few very good teachers when I was growing up, but certainly no one was like this. Is it simply a kind of workaholism?

No matter what, it is pretty cool what can happen when you are passionate about what you do. You simply show up differently.

2010
01/04
POSTED BY
Stefanie
CATEGORY
Books
Education
Inspirational
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A Long Way Gone – Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah

♥♥♥♥♥

Originally Posted on  Chapters/Indigo

This was not an easy book to read, but it was an important story to hear. As others have stated, there is some controversy over the veracity of Beah’s account from newspaper, “The Australian”. From doing a bit of research, it seems that there is no “smoking gun” saying that his accounts were a lie (everything is hearsay). You can see the Wiki here, and the author’s response to the accounts here. The story is so awful, I think a lot of us WANT to believe that it could never of happened on this earth.

So, assuming that everything was true, I found the book heart-wrenching. Being a teenager is so difficult – and to layer drugs and violence on top of it, seems unbearable. Since we are about the same age, his music references (such as Heavy D and the Boyz) made me remember what I was doing at the time, and how much simpler my life was. Family (relatively) in tact. A stable political situation. Nothing to worry about other than school and friends. This book reminds us all that these are gifts.

The book was set well – I felt like I was living in a world of chiefs, villages and wild animals. He was honest about his relationship with drugs and violence, and did not get overly moralistic about it.

One thing I wish the book had more of was some insight into the “why”. I would have liked to understand how he went from a boy soldier to a reformed one. It seemed like the switch at the UNICEF centre was completely binary, and from what I understand of the human heart, things don’t play out like that. It is also a bit of a Cinderella story at the end, and I wish he discussed if there were any aftershock effects of living the life he did for so many years – such as if the drugs had long-term effects. Or, if he was numb to violence or super-sensitive based on how he lived. Or if he missed his homeland or despised it.

Overall, I would recommend this book. I think in the Western world we like to place war in the past or somewhere far away. A book like this reminds us of all of the awful things that war brings… to people that don’t deserve to be forgotten.

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2010
01/02
POSTED BY
Stefanie
CATEGORY
Books
Reviews
World
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Caffeine Sensitivity

caffeineI am not sure if I have written about this before, but I am a total caffeine wimp. Although I was completely hooked on coffee and lattes for my 20s, I found out that it lead to a lot of anxiety and stress. I had it all – racing heart, hurried speech, super-fast thoughts. And, some of those feelings, I kinda liked (ha). But, the other stuff especially the ruminating and anxiety I could do without.

People that drink cups of coffee every day without effect laugh at me (in fact, about 50% of people can quit caffeine cold turkey with no problems) . They can’t believe that I can be so sensitive. That if I miss one day of black tea that I get headaches and dizzy spells. But hey – that is just how it is. Trust me, I sure didn’t choose it that way!

Now, I stick to green tea, since even black tea is too much. I sincerely think that there are several people out there who have this caffeine sensitivity, and I wanted to post a site that helped me learn more about it. It is here, at Coffee FAQ. Basically, it was a coffee site that posted an article about the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal. There are then 100s of posts by people who suffered from it, and from people that talk about having caffeine sensitivity. I read this a few years ago, and a lot clicked for me. Although some of it is extreme (as is any anonymous board) but others are quite sincere. Here is a typical post:

Kicking caffeine has been quite a journey!! This is day 50 for me. I still have some withdrawal symptoms(lightheadedness, some digestive problems, some fatigue, etc.) but overall I feel great. This site has been such a great help for me. The first month was horrible!! There were points in this process where I thought I was going crazy and at one point I thought I was dying. But reading everyone else’s experiences made me feel like I wasn’t alone. Patience is definitely needed to get through. Hang in there guys it gets better.

Anyway – I hope this helped you out, and have a great New Year!

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2010
01/01
POSTED BY
Stefanie
CATEGORY
Health
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I’m On the Run from the Killer B’s

B for Belief. B for Belonging. The B's that lead to most of the killing in the world. If you don't Belong among us, then you're our inferior, our enemy, or both. And you can't Belong among us if you don't Believe what we Believe. Maybe not even then, but it certainly helps. Our religion, our party, our tribe, our town, our school, our race. Believe. Belong. Behave. Or Be Damned.

Tom Robbins

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