Final Grades

Hello again all.

So....first quarter of school is done. I enjoyed it overall, aside from the one class that drove me up a wall. Final grades are in and can now be reported!

Success Strategies - this class was a bit of a bore. I didn't really get anything from it, but it was a required course so - done and dusted.

Final Overall = 108.24%
Week 11 Discussion = 100%
Week 11 Written Assignment = 100%
Final Percentage/Grade = 100% A

English Composition - my favorite class this quarter. I really enjoyed it, I got a lot from it, the instructor was great, and I liked brushing off my writing skills and getting back into things. He also gave me some really nice feedback on my grades, so that was really encouraging and helpful.

Final Overall = 99.26%
Week 11 Discussion = 100%
Week 11 Final Exam = 100%
Week 11 Final Paper = 100%
Final Percentage/Grade = 99% A

Intro to Computer Graphics - this was a good class too. The instructor was awesome and really engaged with the class, which is saying something for an online course. She was helpful, available, it was a really awesome class and I feel I learned a lot.

Final Overall = 98.47%
Week 11 Discussion = 100%
Week 11 Revitalization Project = 92.73% (wish I'd had her Week 10 feedback before I turned in that final project - I could have improved it)
Final Percentage/Grade = 98% A

Typography - oh how I hated this class! I still maintain that in the hands of a better instructor, this class could have been awesome. It's no fun when you know the instructor is dialing it in. Also - this man is so in love with himself that it was nauseating! Constantly pimping his work, which if you've seen video game inspired fantasy art with half-naked females, you've seen it. Nothing original there, but don't tell him that. He believes he's the god of Graphic Design. What an asshat! I will not miss this class. I'm leaving it not knowing whether or not I've truly grasped the principles of typography. We spent the majority of the quarter trying to design things he'd like. Again, his taste is pretty basically male fantasy garbage. But, it's done now. Yay!

Final Overall = 92.44%
Week 11 Discussion = 100%
Week 11 Final Portfolio = 100% (yeah, you could've knocked me over with a feather when I saw that)
Final Percentage/Grade 92% A-

So I ended up with an A- in that last class instead of an A, that kind of sucks, but I don't think it will affect my 4.0 (it better not!).

Again, for a first quarter back in higher education, it was a good experience. The online classroom environment made the two design classes a bit difficult, as did not having the Adobe tutorial discs and books that my Intro to Computer Graphics instructor wanted us to have. I feel I could have gained a lot more from having more instruction in those programs. I also think the design classes could have been more dynamic in person. But, I made it through! I'm happy with the results and ready to head into my second quarter.

I'm looking forward to my books arriving for next quarter's classes. According to the UPS link, they should be delivered on Wednesday. My Drawing Design and Art Theory class has three books for it (!), so I'm a bit intimidated by that. I'm not a good drawer by any means, so I know this class is going to be very challenging. I'm excited to start into 3D animation this next quarter too. It will be interesting taking those two classes on campus in the regular classroom environment. I'll have to try to remember how to take notes! :) My two online classes will be E-Commerce and Intro to Business. I have a feeling those classes are going to have real final exams and tests. We shall see. All in all, next quarter looks pretty good. Once I see how it goes, I'll be able to determine if I want to add another extra class the following quarter to try to get me through sooner. I wanted to wait until I took a "real" full courseload quarter to see - - I still maintain Success Strategies didn't really count as a real class this quarter. :)

So....I might blog here again after I receive my books, but for the most part this blog will be a little quiet until classes start again, which is July 6th. My two online classes will be available then, my other two classes are on Tuesday and Friday nights. I plan to continue to blog about the return-to-school experience, so stay tuned! Cheers all and catch you later!

Two Down, Two to Go!

Well....this week is starting off interesting. First, I couldn't sleep for anything last night. Got up and busy early this morning, which was good. Turns out instead of everything being due Sunday as usual, it's all due by midnight on Friday. Good thing I got a head start. I am completely done with my Success Strategies class. English is completed and submitted too. Computer Graphics and Typography require waiting for some feedback, but I am making progress. The end is in sight. If things keep going this well, I should be done with my school week a bit earlier than planned and get a head start on relaxing (and worrying about my final grades). More new postings to come! Laters!

Taking a Chance...Cuz I Need Feedback

Hi all.

I'm taking a bit of a chance here that someone might decide to plagiarize my awesome paper, but I seriously need some feedback on it. I think I've managed to get things working well here, but it's one of those cases where I've looked at something so much, it's beginning to lose its coherency to me. As such, I'm posting here and hoping for some feedback. I'm hoping to submit it ASAP, but it's not technically due until next Saturday. Anyhoo....any feedback/constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!



By Women, For Women: the Need for More Women in Creative Control in Film

Not every girl is a beautifully perfect princess looking to be saved by the handsome prince. Not every woman is a chic shopaholic trying to drown her loneliness in credit card debt and manhattans until she meets Mr. Right. Yet if you go to the local multiplex and check out the available films to see, an overwhelming percentage feature women and girls portrayed as shoppers, talkers, and girly girls, most in a supporting role rather than as the main protagonist in a movie. As a woman, trying to find a relatable role model in the live action or animated film offerings is like trying to find the proverbial needle in a haystack. Where are the riot grrls? Where are the real career women who balance work and family without the bitterness or inevitable frumpiness applied? Where are the women who don’t live their lives by the number on the scale, or spend the majority of their time lamenting the lack of male companionship in their lives? Where are the little girls who don’t follow the boys around, but lead them; the rough-and-tumble girls with Band-Aids on their knees? With the overwhelming number of studio executives, story creators, directors, and producers in the film industry being male, perhaps therein lies the problem. It would make sense that in order to achieve a level of realism in regard to women in film, first there must be more women in positions of creative control in the film industry.

Each year, Martha M. Lauzen, Ph.D., takes a statistical look at the film industry with regard to the status of women, or lack thereof, in its ranks. The focus of these studies is the “celluloid ceiling”, a variation on the typical “glass ceiling” most women find themselves coming up against in the workplace. Her research found that in 2007, women comprised only 15% of all directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers, and editors working on the top 250 domestic grossing films (Lauzen, 2008).

Other studies illustrate the lack of strong female roles models and the disparaging portrayals of women and girls in animated and live action films. In her report Women @ the Box Office, Lauzen found that female characters comprised only 10% of clearly identifiable protagonists in the top 100 worldwide grossing films of 2007. In addition, only 31% of films featuring an ensemble cast had at least one prominent female character (Lauzen, 2007). A recent study conducted by the American Psychological Association on the sexualization of young girls found that from 1990-2004, of over 4,000 characters in the top-grossing motion pictures and G-rated movies, 75% overall were male, 83% of characters in crowds were male, and 72% of speaking characters were male. When women were found present in these films, they were more often portrayed in a sexual manner than their male counterparts, dressed in revealing clothing, and objectified rather than being portrayed as whole, unique, and admirable individuals. They also found an unrealistic standard of physical beauty emphasized and shown as an ideal for young girls to try to emulate (APA, 2007). Since the majority of studio executives, directors, creators, and writers are male, this would indicate that without female peer representation in creative positions in the film industry, there is a serious lack of positive female protagonists and role models for young girls and women to be found in current films.

In an article in USA Today, director Jane Campion, who won an Oscar for her film The Piano in 1993, and is one of only three female directors to ever be nominated for an Academy Award, poses the following hypothesis on the lack of female peers in the industry: “I just think this is the way the world is, that men control the money, and they decide who they’re going to give it to” (AP, 2007).

In her report Women @ the Box Office, Lauzen also finds what may be a link between her research and Campion’s thoughts on what might account for the lack of higher-ranking females in the industry. Lauzen found that when female and male filmmakers have similar budgets, the resulting box office grosses are also similar. In other words, the sex of filmmakers does not determine box office grosses, but film budget does (Lauzen, 2008). In that same report, Lauzen was able to debunk the theory that films with a female protagonist do not do as well as those with a male protagonist. She found that when the size of the budget is held constant, films with female protagonists or prominent females in an ensemble cast earn similar box office grosses and DVD sales as films with male protagonists. She found that films with larger budgets generate larger grosses, regardless of the sex of the protagonist (Lauzen, 2008). As such, one could draw the conclusion that women in higher ranking executive creative positions within the film industry, given the same budgetary considerations as their male counterparts, could produce films with more positive portrayals of women and young girls that achieve success at the box office, and thereby provide more balance and accuracy for females on film as a whole.

Within the animation industry, there are even more discrepancies in the portrayals of females. The Disney/Pixar version of the animated female basically falls into the categories of stock characters, mostly of the princess variety (Riley, 2009). Female characters are often portrayed as either stupid, outnumbered, blatantly subservient, or non-existent (Lahey, 1994). In most cases, the villainous females are portrayed as ugly and incapable of acquiring or keeping a man honestly, so they resort to subterfuge or mayhem, as illustrated by the Ursula character in The Little Mermaid. Most heroines are either successful or attractive, but never both; this determination applies not only to animated film, but to live action as well. Modern heroines may aspire to careers, but if they do not snag the handsome prince too, they are seen as unfulfilled or unsuccessful (Riley, 2009).

Taking all of this into consideration, one possible resolution to the problem of under-representation seems to be one that director Catherine Hardwicke chose when she went to make the film Thirteen. Co-written by herself and a young family friend, Hardwicke had trouble finding the financing and support to get the film made. As an alternative to the standard studio system approach, she went the route of self-financed independent film to get the movie finished and out on the film festival circuit (UC Regents, 2009). As a result of all of her hard work, the film won the Director’s Award at the Sundance Film Festival and an Oscar nomination for supporting actress Holly Hunter. It also paved the way for Hardwicke to be given the helm to the film adaptation of the movie Twilight based on the popular young adult novel by Stephenie Meyer. That film went on to be the highest grossing film for a female filmmaker to date.

While individually financing on one’s own is an expensive but possible alternative for female filmmakers, new funding initiatives for women in the filmmaking industry are emerging. The Women in Film Foundation was begun in 1973 to give female moviemakers more opportunities to succeed by offering help and funding for their work. The Women in Film Foundation makes it one of their primary goals to draw attention to the lack of women in positions of creative control and power in the film industry. The foundation’s Film Finishing Fund supports films by, for, and about women by providing cash grants and in-kind donations to independent moviemakers (Murphy, 2009).

In the animation industry, the National Film Board of Canada is making strides in employing more women involved in animated films or sequences. As a result of this increase in females in creative control, there are fewer problems with stereotyping of characters, female or otherwise. Marcy Page, an animation producer with the Board, explains, “Independent animation is one area where women have carved a niche for themselves; there’s not a lot of male hierarchy and institutions that get in the way, since animation can often be a solitary pursuit.” (Lahey, 1994, p. 24). As with live action film, independent animation with independent funding sources seems to be the best opportunity for more women to get their messages up on the screen. With independent storytelling and funding, women can work on their own to combat stereotyping about their gender and present reality and fantasy from their own perspective as artists instead of as objects.

To help set the stage for the next generation of female filmmakers, several national initiatives have been created to help young girls interested in filmmaking learn about the industry and the trades involved. With funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, local colleges and universities, and various studios and businesses, these programs work to establish a national girl’s film network and expand into a women’s film network. Girls in these programs learn valuable skills and information about the film industry including media literacy, digital photography, film/videomaking, and film editing. Many of the participants in these programs go on to study filmmaking and various aspects of the film industry in college (Sweeney, 2005). Armed with the education from female mentors working in the film industry, these program graduates can enter into the film industry with enough savvy to negotiate the independent film circuits and find alternative funding sources.

Clearly, the film industry is still lagging behind other industries in creating a more diverse gender representation both behind the scenes and on movie screens. Until the time at which the studio system begins to properly fund film projects by women in the same manner in which they fund projects for men, the only avenue open to female filmmakers is that of independent cinema. As such, it is up to the moviegoer to determine whether the films they pay money to see are going to be part of the problem within the studio system, or whether they might choose to patronize more independent cinema offerings with more accurate representations of females. Those consumers who have young children, especially daughters, would do well to pause before taking in the new Disney or Pixar feature at the Cineplex, and think about the role model images such films provide for their daughters. At the very least, while Disney and Pixar are continuing to grow in their representative offerings in regard to female characters, a family dialogue following one of these films could go far to open communication with young girls about self esteem, body image, career aspirations, and the realities of relationships between girls and boys, and men and women.

In her book Brave Dames and Wimpettes: What Women Are Really Doing on Page and Screen, author Susan Isaacs notes that “A damsel-in-distress, movie-of-the-week mentality has infected our film and fiction.” She also notes that “Despite the most recent revolution in women’s rights, we are still being portrayed as the gender of the quivering lower lip” (p. 4). Until the time comes when female filmmakers and films featuring accurate portrayals of women and girls in protagonist roles are funded with the same budgetary amounts and considerations as those for and about males, the best way to support the needed change in the film industry is to support realistic, women-centric offerings at theaters. By picking movies made by women, using women’s voices and realistic portrayals of female lives, we not only validate those voices, but show the Hollywood system that there is money to be made in supporting and financing movies by women, for women, and about women. Perhaps once the Hollywood studio system sees the influence and box office returns of positive offerings from, by, for, and about real women, they will begin to share some of that power with women, shatter the “celluloid ceiling” once and for all, and allow more women to join their ranks.
 

References

American Psychological Association, Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls. (2007). Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. Retrieved May 12, 2009 from www.apa.org/pi/wpo/sexualization.html

AP. (2007, May 20). Jane Campion Laments Lack of Female Directors. USA Today. Retrieved May 6, 2009, from http://www/usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2007-05-20-jane-campion_N.htm

Isaacs, S. (1999). Brave Dames and Wimpettes: What Women Are Really Doing on Page and Screen. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.

Lahey, A. (1994, Winter94). Beyond Betty Boop: Animation and Women. Herizons, 7(4), 24. Retrieved April 27, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.

Lauzen, M. (2009). The Celluloid Ceiling: Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women on the Top 250 Films of 2008. Retrieved April 29, 2009, from San Diego State University Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film web site: http://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/files/2008_celluloid_ceiling.pdf

Lauzen, M. (2008). Women @ the Box Office: A Study of the Top 100 Worldwide Grossing Films. Retrieved April 29, 2009 from San Diego State University Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film web site: http://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/files/Women%20@%20Box%20Office.pdf

Murphy, N. (2009). Women in Film Foundation Empowers Female Moviemakers. MovieMaker Magazine. Retrieved April 29, 2009, from http://www.moviemaker.com/producing/article/women_in_film_foundation_finishing_fund_20090323/

Riley, S. (2009). Too Few Animated Women Break the Disney Mold. Media Awareness Network. Retrieved April 30, 2009, from http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/articles/gender_portrayal/break_mold.cfm

Sweeney, K. (2005, November). Grrls Make Movies: The Emergence of Women-Led Filmmaking Initiatives for Teenage Girls. Afterimage, 33(3), 37-42. Retrieved April 27, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.

UC Regents. (2009). Women Filmmakers Break Down Barriers. UCLA Today. Retrieved April 29, 2009, from http://www.today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/040224closeup_women.aspx

Week 10 - The End, It Is Near

Hey all.

So....pretty crazy week this week. Lots going on personally and then a lot of things going on school-wise.

My classes have been okay this week, just requiring a lot of design work. Intro to Computer Graphics was redesigning the front and back cover of our annual reports. Since we're doing this on real companies and all, I don't think I should post anything just to cover my ass as far as copyright and what-not, ya know? ;) I'm happy with my submissions though - we'll see what my instructor thinks.

Success Strategies was the usual stupid stuff.

English Composition had to do with identifying logical fallacies. That stuff sincerely messed me up, gotta tell you. But I think I did okay. The discussion was posting our final paper rough drafts for peer review. I managed to slog my way through two of them that were written with at least a semblance of knowledge of the English language. Honestly, I don't know how some of the people in that class are going to pass it, just saying.

Typography....ah yes, the bane of my educational existence this quarter. I only got 72% on my brochure from last week. I redesigned it and was going to resubmit it hoping for a better grade, but then he posted something in his usual jerkoff style on the main announcements page and I decided to just wait and resubmit all the redesigned stuff with my final project. I am so sick of this asshole, I can't even tell you.

So....this week's typography assignment is the newsletter that goes with the rest of our portfolio for our mock company. Just as a reminder, mine is a feminist film studio. So....here are the two pages I mocked up for my newsletter:

Page 1



Page 2



So....that's that. We'll see what he says.

It turns out I have a final essay exam in English, a final research paper in Success Strategies, plus the completion of my final annual report project in Intro to Computer Graphics, and the final redesigning and submission of all of my portfolio contents in Typography, plus discussions in all of these classes as well. So....this week is going to be insanely busy. But it is the last week. I shall keep y'all apprised as things move forward. So far, I am maintaining my 4.0, but the A in Typography is just by the skin of my teeth. We shall see.

As always, constructive feedback is appreciated. Cheers all!

Week 8 Grade Results

Hi all.

Things have been a little weird for me this week. I think part of it is just that I've hit a bit of a weird moody time, and part of it was enjoying having the house all to myself. Either way, I've had some motivational problems in getting my schoolwork done this week. Another possible contribution could be that the quarter is winding down and I'm ready to be done. :) Two more weeks and then this quarter is over.

I finally sent off two assignments yesterday (English Comp & Intro to Computer Graphics), and I'm still trying to finish Typography.

English Comp was the rough draft of my final paper. I'm not going to post it here, but I'm happy with it and will look forward to seeing the feedback I receive for it. For Week 10, we're doing peer reviews of our rough drafts so....that should be interesting (or whatever).

Intro to Computer Graphics was designing the logos for our final annual report redesign projects. We had to submit 10 different variations of our brainstorming activities, then our final logo design. Here are my brainstorming ideas:



For my final logo design, I decided to go with a simple typographic design so....here it is:



Typography's assignment that I am still working on is the brochure that goes with our final project. I will be back to post it once it's completed.

And finally, here is the grade breakdown for Week 8:

Success Strategies - Overall Class Percentage: 110.81%
Week 8 Discussion 100%
Week 8 Quiz 93.33% (no indication of what question was missed)

English Composition - Overall Class Percentage: 98.82%
Week 8 Discussion 100%
Week 8 Written Assignment 96.67% (he was supposed to attach
something detailing what was wrong with my assignment
that he deducted, but I still haven't seen it.)

Intro to Computer Graphics - Overall Class Percentage: 99.21%
Week 8 Application Assignment 100%
Week 8 Discussion 100%
Week 8 Revitalization Project 100%

Typography - Overall Class Percentage: 93.02%
Week 8 Discussion 100%
Week 8 Flyer 92% (23 of 25 points)

So....that's the latest from here. I will be back to post my Typography final brochure once I get it completed, which better be tonight! As always, thoughts? - Leave 'em!

Summer Schedule Is Out!

Hey all!

Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day weekend and thanked a vet! :)

Classes this week are pretty quiet. I guess the instructors decided to give themselves a quieter week with the holiday, so assignments are pretty light. Success Strategies had a dorky quiz and discussion. Intro to Computer Graphics is all about color this week and making up color palettes. Nothing worth posting. For English Composition this week, we have to go online and find two reviews for the same movie and evaluate them. Again, not really worth posting. Typography this week is the flyer that goes along with our Final Project. I will be completing that today or tomorrow and posting it. :) So....pretty quiet week school-wise.

New schedules for Summer Quarter came out today. I've already confirmed mine and new classes start July 6th. We have about three weeks off between quarters. That will give me time to play with these Adobe programs some more, and also to play around on a bunch of different design and tutorial sites that I've found through Twitter. There are some awesome design peeps on Twitter posting some great info!

So....my schedule for Summer Quarter includes my first campus classes. I decided not to take an extra class, but to stick with the standard full-time four-class schedule to evaluate how I do with it before adding anymore. Success Strategies wasn't really much of a class this quarter so....I want to make sure I can handle the real, full course load before adding anything to the mix. That said, my four classes for Summer are:

Drawing Design and Art Theory (campus class - 6:00 p.m. on Tuesdays)
E-Commerce (online class)
Introduction to 3D Arts and Animation (campus class - 6:00 p.m. on Fridays)
Introduction to Business (online class)

I think the Intro to Business class will be a bit of a snoozer, as may E-Commerce. I do hope to get some extra ideas from both for help with my Etsy and Artfire businesses though. Drawing Design and Art Theory should be very challenging for me. I'm not a good freehand drawer so....we'll see how that one goes. :) Intro to 3D Arts and Animation is an integral course for my major so I'm very, very excited about that class!

So....Summer Quarter schedule looks good to me. I should be receiving my books for those classes shortly and will be spending my time between quarters studying them, working on learning my software better, and browsing all those good design sites.

I feel I made the right choice in choosing Digital Design and Animation for my major. It's interesting, challenging, and keeps me on my toes. I certainly haven't lost interest in my classes or become bored (Success Strategies notwithstanding). I have been frustrated and challenged, yes - but this is a good thing. School has always been easy for me, so having challenge involved has been excellent. I'm looking forward to moving on with my studies!

That's the latest from here. Back later to post my Typography Flyer. Cheers!

SHAZAM!!!!!

I'm just....wow....jaw on the floor here. I received my grade back in Typography on my proposal from last week and....I got 100%! 100%! On the discussion and my proposal both! My overall percentage in that class is now over 93%! I'm just....wow. Didn't see that coming! I'm excited! Elated! And also - a little weirded out - but that's okay. :)

For my English Comp paper from last week? - 100%! He basically said it was awesome (which it was) so...yay me! 100% on the discussion in that class too. No grade back yet on the quiz.

Success Strategies for last week - 100% on my written assignment, no grade back for the discussion yet.

Intro to Comp Graphics turned up 100% for discussion so far, still waiting for grades on my application assignment and my final project assignment.

So....awesome grades for last week! Yay me! :)

This week, for English Comp we had to write a persuasive letter to a city council lobbying either for or against a book ban. Well, I'm totally against banning books so.....here's my letter:



Dear Council Members:

The American politician and writer Clare Boothe Luce once said, “Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but unlike charity, it should end there.” Truer words were never spoken.

Certain amongst our city’s citizens have voiced concern that their children should not be exposed to the content of certain books in our city’s public library. As parents, I agree that they are single-handedly responsible for raising their children to their own ethical and moral standards, and I applaud their determination. However, not everyone holds the same beliefs in our society, and America’s foundation as a nation is one of freedom of thought, expression, and word.

Though I admire the zeal of the parents supporting the book ban, I cannot agree with them or endorse their request. I am a regular patron and supporter of our public library, and am also a fan of the books on this proposed ban list. I am not a child that needs policing, and I take offense to anyone trying to determine what a person in our free society thinks, reads, or learns.

The concerns of these parents can be handled in a very simple way, one that does not require a vote on curtailing the rights of others. If they do not wish their children to be exposed to these books, then they need to establish that regulation at home, not try to force it on the rest of this city’s citizens.

As an educated individual with a passionate love for our country and the freedoms for which it stands, I cannot fathom how anyone could vote to turn back time and deny freedom to others in this society. Censorship at its most basic level is as un-American an action as it is possible to take. We are not in some third-world, clerically patrolled nation that needs some parental authority to tell us what to think, where to go, or what to do. We are free, intelligent Americans who can determine best for ourselves and our families as individuals what is best for us. We do not need a collective to determine what is fit for us to learn and read and what is not.

I sincerely hope that you vote not to ban access to great literature that educates, informs and entertains on the basis of archaic concerns from a radical few looking to curtail the freedoms our forefathers fought for us to enjoy. I hope you choose the right path and vote to keep our public library free and accessible to all who wish to learn and absorb knowledge in all its varied and wonderful forms.

Thank you and have a nice day.


Sincerely,



I think that's a pretty good submission for that assignment. :) For Success Strategies we are doing a stupid topic cubing thing that is annoying the hell out of me. For Intro to Computer Graphics, we have to redesign a movie poster using the 7 essential elements of design. Problem is, I'm having trouble finding a crappy poster to redesign. Seriously, they should be good and representative before anyone lets them be released as promos for their movie, right? So....that's still a work in progress. For Typography, my business card and letterhead for my final project are due this week.

So....that's what's on tap for this week and grades so far. Marvel with me at that Typography one, won't you? ;) Cheers and back later with new posts!

Second Expository Essay

Hi all.

Well, after a whopping three hours of sleep, I was back up and at it this morning. :) I'm a little loopy, but I'm getting things accomplished - yay me! :) I finally completed my second expository essay assignment for English Comp and submitted it. The problem I had with this assignment was that it was on the diversity subject we are using for our final project, except expository. All fact, no persuasion. The problem with that was that all of my research and thought processes on my topic were all from a feminist, persuasive point of view, so it was tough to tone the personal opinion out and focus on the facts. In the end, I'm happy with the result. Let me know what you think.



Hollywood Still Predominantly a Boy’s Town


Each year, Martha M. Lauzen, Ph.D., takes a statistical look at the film industry with regard to the status of women, or lack thereof, in its ranks. The focus of these studies is the “celluloid ceiling”, a variation on the typical “glass ceiling” most women find themselves coming up against in the workplace. Her research finds that while some women directors are starting to make names for themselves, Hollywood is still very much a “boy’s town”.

In 2007, women comprised only 15% of all directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers, and editors working on the top 250 domestic grossing films (Lauzen, 2008). In an article in USA Today, director Jane Campion, who won an Oscar for her film The Piano in 1993, and is one of only three women to ever be nominated for an Academy Award, poses the following hypothesis on the lack of female peers in the industry: “I just think this is the way the world is, that men control the money, and they decide who they’re going to give it to” (AP, 2007).

In her report Women @ the Box Office, Lauzen finds what may be a link between her research and Campion’s thoughts on what might account for the lack of higher-ranking females in the industry. Lauzen found that when women and men filmmakers have similar budgets, the resulting box office grosses are also similar. In other words, the sex of filmmakers does not determine box office grosses, but film budget does (Lauzen, 2008).

Taking all of Lauzen’s research into consideration, one possible resolution to the problem of under-representation seems to be one that director Catherine Hardwicke chose when she went to make the film Thirteen. Co-written by herself and a young family friend, Hardwicke had trouble finding the financing and support to get the film made. As an alternative to the standard studio system approach, she went the route of self-financed independent film, refinanced her home, badgered financiers and recruited friends to work without pay to get the film made (UC Regents, 2009). As a result of all of her hard work, the film won the Director’s Award at the Sundance Film Festival and an Oscar nomination for supporting actress Holly Hunter. It also paved the way for Hardwicke to be given the helm to the film adaptation of the movie Twilight based on the popular young adult novel by Stephenie Meyer. That film went on to be the highest grossing film for a woman filmmaker to date.

In addition to going it on their own, women filmmakers also have an opening for assistance with getting their films made from the Women in Film Foundation. The foundation’s Film Finishing Fund supports films by, for and about women by providing cash grants and in-kind donations to independent moviemakers (Murphy, 2009).

As Lauzen’s research numbers indicate, the celluloid ceiling in the film industry continues to be a significant hurdle for women filmmakers trying to get their voices heard. While there are some avenues for female filmmakers to get their messages out in the form of grants and independent films and festivals, for the time being at least, the Hollywood studio system still appears to be a “boy’s town”.
 

References

AP. (2007, May 20). Jane Campion Laments Lack of Female Directors. USA Today. Retrieved May 6, 2009, from http://www/usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2007-05-20-jane-campion_N.htm

Lauzen, M. (2009). The Celluloid Ceiling: Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women on the Top 250 Films of 2008. Retrieved April 29, 2009, from San Diego State University Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film web site: http://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/files/2008_celluloid_ceiling.pdf

Lauzen, M. (2008). Women @ the Box Office: A Study of the Top 100 Worldwide Grossing Films. Retrieved April 29, 2009 from San Diego State University Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film web site: http://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/files/Women%20@%20Box%20Office.pdf

Murphy, N. (2009). Women in Film Foundation Empowers Female Moviemakers. MovieMaker Magazine. Retrieved April 29, 2009, from http://www.moviemaker.com/producing/article/women_in_film_foundation_finishing_fund_20090323/

UC Regents. (2009). Women Filmmakers Break Down Barriers. UCLA Today. Retrieved April 29, 2009, from http://www.today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/040224closeup_women.aspx



I managed to keep the assignment to the required two page limit this time. We were supposed to use three sources, I used five. Not too over the top. :) Plenty of in-text citations. I think I did okay. We shall see.

So....stayed up all night and did my in-class note taking and lectures and what-not and got my assignments for this coming week. Stupid Success Strategies is actually going to have us do a project as well (dammit!) so I'm going to actually have to do some real work in that stupid class. Shit. Ah well. Lots going on in all of my classes so there will be plenty of new fun to post later. Have great weekends everyone and as always, your thoughts and constructive criticism are welcome. Cheers!

End of Week 6 and Mid-Term

Hi all.

Sorry I'm a bit late in getting on here and updating. Things have been kind of crazy and my brain has not been cooperating with me on functioning and deadlines and that sort of thing. Mother's Day weekend kinda threw off my study mojo too. But I do have lots to report.

So this was the end of Week 6 of classes. Week 6 was Mid-Term. I didn't have any mid-term tests or anything, just a quiz in English Comp. It's also, I think, a good time to take a look at where my grades stand and give a little review of what I think of my classes so far. So....without further ado:

Success Strategies
Overall grade so far: 115%
Week 5 discussion grade: 120%
Week 5 written assignment grade: 100%

The reason my percentages are so high is because you get extra points if you have everything turned in by Friday. Since this is my "bird" course, I tend to do all of that work first, and then I just have my follow-up posting which I do off and on throughout the week. Kinda dull. The course is boring and kind of a waste of money in my opinion. But I can see how it might help people coming to college with no higher educational background. That said, the instructor is okay, but he auto-replies to all posts with the same reply and that is kind of obviously phoning it in. That kind of stuff kinda bugs me, but - whatever. At least it's one class that I can do on autopilot this quarter.

English Composition
Overall grade so far: 98.53%
Week 5 discussion grade: not in yet!!!
Week 5 outline grade: 100%

I am enjoying this class. I love to write and I find that it is recharging my creative writing battery. Some of the assignments feel kind of lame, but they are still good for getting the creative juices flowing. The instructor doesn't engage much, but he puts up great notes every week and gives good feedback. Most of my elective options are writing classes and I hope to have him as an instructor again.

Intro to Computer Graphics
Overall grade so far: 100%
Week 5 application assignment grade: 100%
Week 5 discussion grade: 100%
Week 5 revitalization project grade: 100%

This class has been on one hand good and on the other endlessly annoying. The good: I like my instructor very much. She engages with the class, gives really great feedback, posts awesome lecture notes and you can tell she really likes teaching and wants to help us the most she can. The bad: I wish they had not changed this course and removed the software tutorials and tutorial books from the class. Most everyone is coming into these classes with no training in this software and it's been really hard to get the hang of things. But, overall, I'm enjoying the class and this is another instructor I would love to have further classes with.

Typography
Overall grade so far: 92%
Week 5 discussion grade: 100%
Week 5 written assignment grade: 90%

Typography - yeah. I think y'all are pretty clear on how I feel about this class. I am about five seconds away from having a serious discussion with the Academic Dean about this instructor. His attitude is extremely unprofessional, he pimps himself all the time, he has a really bad ego and I am not paying $430 a credit hour to kiss this guy's ass. Yes, in the work world you have to deal with douchebags. If I'm paying for a class, however, I expect my instructor to teach well, to actually do more than just decide whether or not he likes something and grade on that scale and not the lessons completed, and I expect more instruction and less egotistical asshattery. If I find myself having to deal with this instructor again EVER, I am going to have to have a serious talk with the school. Having worked in higher education and supported part-time and adjunct instructors, I know this guy's type. Most of them get fired for pulling the kind of crap he's pulling. Someone needs to be censured is all I'm saying. And also, he needs to stop posting and pimping his pedestrian naked woman art work that he thinks is so cutting edge and fly. Dude - that's the same shit everyone else is posting - you are not unique. Sorry. Ass.

So...that's the latest from there. Assignments this week were kind of standard. Standard stupid written assignment in Success Strategies. English Comp is our second expository essay that I have drafted, but need to go over again and polish up - I'll post it later. Computer Graphics was all about fonts this week and typography (irony!). Nothing really worth posting, just playing with fonts and then typing up a report on how we plan to redesign our final project annual report. Typography was doing a formal proposal for our final project. I decided to do what I want to do and what will be fun for me, and also play with an idea for a company I hope to have some day so - - I chose my fictional company to be a feminist film studio. Asshat instructor should love that. :) I made up a little letterhead and wrote a business letter proposal. I'd post it but it has personal info on it so....no. :) Love ya Internets, but not that much.

So....that's the latest for this week. New assignments should post here in about 15 minutes and I may just stay up and start classes tonight as I'm wide awake. We shall see. I may post this, take my shower, and feel like passing out. :) Like I said, once I have my essay fully polished, I'll post it here, which should be some time tomorrow. Hope y'all are having good weeks. Take care and be back later! Cheers!

Final Week 4 Results

Hello again all!

My final grade for Week 4 just came in from my Intro to Computer Graphics class. And - it's 100%! Woot! You know, the more I participate in these classes, the more I can see that there really do need to be more women actively involved in the design fields. I am totally and completely on the same wavelength with my Intro to Computer Graphics instructor, a woman. I am on completely opposite wavelength with my Typography instructor, a man. This has all really opened my eyes up to the facts of how differently women and men see things and how it really is imperative for there to be more women in the industry creating content that specifically speaks to women. That's my goal anyway. :)

So....our assignments for Intro to Computer Graphics this week were a discussion, which is done, and choosing the inner pages of our annual report that we are revising. I chose the CEO pages and some pages of data that I want to redesign into graphs - I love doing graphs. :)

Our last assignment for this week had to do with using grids in design. Personally, this was completely new and interesting to me. I got/had to learn a new program for these assignments - InDesign - and I kind of enjoyed it. It was a little bit frustrating, but the practical applications are numerous for publishing. Very cool. (See how quickly once I get the jist of things something I loathe can become something I love?) :)

Anyhoo....our assignment was to do two different grid layouts using text of our choice and sparkling it up with graphics if we wanted. I used my expository essay on how Hawaii became a state for my text and picked up some graphics on Photobucket for the pictures. The first layout I did was graphical and kind of looks like something you'd see as a feature in a magazine. I did it in two-column style and it's one-and-a-half pages. The second layout I did was not graphical and is just your standard magazine article "filler"-type piece. I did it as a three-column piece with no graphical elements. So....without further ado - here they are! (I think they came out kinda cool.). :)











So, there ends Week 4's grades and Week 5's assignments. I have already moved on to Week 6's reading and we are getting our projects for Typography introduced when new lessons post tomorrow - that should be fun (not). Also - our first drafts of our final paper for English are due in two weeks so I'm getting ahead on my reading to get prepared to write that. We are also going to have another expository essay to write this week. No required reading for Success Strategies, just dorky stuff on academic honesty. We're actually studying a typography lesson in Intro to Computer Graphics this week and working on choosing the typefaces we're going to use for our redesign final projects.

That's the latest. Hope you're enjoying the fun along with me. It will be interesting to see how the grades shake out for this week's assignments, especially Typography. :) Thoughts? Leave 'em!

All the Latest News

How-dee all!!!! :)

Okay....lots to share here.

So, to recap a bit - I have completed all of my Success Strategies work for this week, and received a 100% on last week's work - AWESOME! Like I told y'all before, this is kind of a "bird" course, if you will. It's a dumb little requirement course that you can do on extreme auto-pilot. However, this week's discussion is proving very interesting. The scenario we are working from is dealing with an irate customer who calls up, is verbally abusive toward you, then hangs up before you get a word in edgewise - what do you do? It's all under the context of business communication and specifically e-mail communication. What's surprising is that so many people are either a) totally in victim mentality and saying this hypothetical customer is right to call and go apeshit over an 'h' in the wrong place in his name in the second paragraph of a document, or b) falling all over themselves to suck up to this asshat not to lose his business. Seriously people? Seriously? He's okay to call you names on the phone and hang up on you? You're going to crawl on your lips through busted glass just to pucker up and kiss his ass so as not to lose his business? Seriously? Wow! The Day Self-Respect Died! I've lived to see it!

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for preserving the financial income, but I'm not about to sell my soul for the almighty dollar. Sorry, ain't gonna happen. And I'm certainly not going to crawl around sucking up to someone who acts like a petulant two-year-old because someone put an 'h' in his name in the second paragraph of a document that didn't go out to anyone but him for review. But I am shocked at how many other people will just fall all over themselves to reinforce this hypothetical customer's inappropriate behavior. Don't people realize that how you deal with this kind of situation sets the tone for your entire business relationship with them? If he's this much crazy before you get his account, imagine how much crazier actually working with him every day would be - worth it? I don't think so. Not unless he removed his head from his ass and did a little apologizing of his own. But that's just me. I'm all for great customer service and "kill 'em with kindness", but I'm not going to go flagellate myself just to make this jerk feel like a king. Weird how many folks can't wait to though. *shivers* Scary.

My actual response to this scenario was this:


Firstly, I have to admit that people like Mr. Jonson in this scenario really get my back up. I've dealt with them throughout all of my working life and in my experiences, it's never a one-time thing, but the way they normally conduct business. It's an attitude I find completely unprofessional and exceptionally irritating to deal with.

That being said, the standard operating procedure I have always used (and that has always worked well for me) consists of the following:

Step 1: Immediately contact supervisor. Explain in verbatim detail the conversation and the customer's complaints. This allows my supervisor to 1) contact the customer directly to smooth things over, 2) have a detailed knowledge of the customer's complaint(s), and 3) have an idea of how the customer is handling their business relations with our company.

Step 2: Examine the proposal and rectify any issues that there are within it. Send an updated proposal to the customer ASAP with a sincere written apology attached.

Step 3: Follow up with supervisor in writing detailing that the corrections were made, an updated copy of the proposal sent, and also attach a copy of the apology sent with the proposal. This is standard C-Y-A procedure.

Excellent customer service is always the number one priority. Also, in settings where a lack of professionalism and courtesy is shown to you, the best response is to double-up on your courtesy and professionalism - the old "kill 'em with kindness" approach. It's always worked for me to diffuse situations like this.


So....now you have the jist of what's going on in that class. You're glad I haven't posted more about it now, aren't you? ;)

Next up, English Composition. Again, I received 100% for my project and discussion last week. This week's assignment was an outline for our research essay project. This was easier for me than I thought it would be. I'm not an outline writer - I sit down and let the words flow and that's how I work. However, I used the example he posted for us as a guide and I think it came out okay. Here's what I came up with:


Diversity in the Film Industry

Thesis Statement: A more diverse film industry that includes more women in higher level positions will help ensure that the portrayals of women and girls, and their life experiences, are more accurately depicted in films.

I. Introductory Paragraph
A. Current trends in filmmaking
B. Women and girls on film

II. Women in the Film Industry
A. Current statistics
B. Motion picture industry
C. Animation industry

III. Portrayals of Women and Girls
A. Current portrayals in motion pictures
B. Current portrayals in animation
C. Inconsistencies and distortions

IV. Benefits of Diversity
A. Women as peers
B. Accuracy of depictions in motion pictures
C. Accuracy of depictions in animated films

V. Future Trends
A. Women helping women
B. The Twilight effect
C. The next generation

I think this turned out pretty good myself. I may actually even be able to work off of it. :) We shall see.

I have more information to impart, but I will cut this entry here and post a bit more later.

Monday Again? Already??!

Happy Monday y'all!

So...hope everyone had good weekends and that your Mondays are going well. So far mine is pretty damn awesome! :) Got my results from Success Strategies and English Comp for last week - 100% on both - yay me! 100% on my discussion for Typography too. Dunno about my assignment yet. No word on anything for Intro to Computer Graphics. We shall see.

As is every woman's prerogative, I changed my mind and have decided not to post any Success Strategies stuff. It's an interesting discussion and everything this week (for once), but nothing any of y'all hanging around here would give a shit about so...just trust me - cool discussion, nothing major. MOVING ON! :)

So for English Comp this week, we have to submit an outline for our Research Essay Project. Our discussion is a peer review of our thesis statements. Considering the previous peer review adventure, this is going to suck like a Hoover. But, I posted mine anyway. My thesis statement is: 'A more diverse film industry that includes more women in higher level positions will help ensure that the portrayals of women and girls, and their life experiences, are more accurately depicted in films'. You know I'm right! ;)

The problem I am facing now is with the outline. See, I'm not one of those writers who can write from an outline, I just can't do it. So to get the damn outline, I'm going to have to write the whole freaking paper, then pull the outline from there. Ugh! Not to mention, I have three assignments this week in Intro to Computer Graphics, plus my normal torture session in Typography so....it's going to be an interesting week. :)

Anyhow....that's the latest from here. Still trying to keep up that GPA and all. I'll update with more info and assignments as I have 'em. Stay cool y'all! Thoughts? Post 'em! :)

Final Portions of Week 4

Hey there y'all!

Whew! So I just now finished and sent off my Typography assignment. I spent a very, very, very, very, very long time on this one. I redid it about five times. I played with different elements. I made one I thought was "safer" and then I said, "Fuck it! - I'm sending the one I like!" I did this entirely in the Adobe software programs - aren't you proud of me? I'm loving Deviant by the way, I'm finding some great fonts and brushes there. Anyway, this is my Week 4 assignment for Typography:





So....that's done. Whew! :)

As for my English Comp assignment - I sent it off last night. It was the annotated bibliography for my Research Essay Project (see a few entries below for the details on that). We were required to have five sources, three of which were "scholarly". Well....y'all gotta know me a little by now - I went all Hermione on it again. I have twelve sources and about half are "scholarly". The damn thing is eight pages long - hence why it's not being loaded here. Suffice it to say that it rocks and will completely and totally help me rock my essay project. Woot! :)

So....Week 4 is finally complete. Week 5 was posted yesterday so....time for me to get to it. I've only looked at Success Strategies so far, and I may actually go back on my word and post my assignments for this week's class after all - they look like they might turn out kinda cool. We shall see.

Anyway....look at the previous entries for the latest on grades and what-not. As always, more to come later kittens! Thanks for the feedback and love! Laters!

Stuff Like This Makes My Week!

So I finally got back my English Comp grade on my expository essay on Hawaii. I got 100% in the class last week for my discussion, my quiz AND my essay! Yay me! My instructor left me awesome feedback: "Actually, I found it so well written I turned a blind eye to the relatively minor transgressions. Great job!" Heeee! :) :) :) :) See? - told you I rocked that paper! :)

Stayed up all night last night working on my bibliography and that damn Typography assignment. Still working on both. Got to get them done and turned in soon. My body finally crapped out on me about 8:30 a.m. this morning and I slept until 1:00 this afternoon. I am up, fed, Dr. Peppered and ready to face those last two assignments and Week 5 (which looks hella, hella busy!). Cheers all! Stay tuned!

Well....Shit!

Hi again all.

Well, I got my Typography grade back finally. Suffice it to say, I do not think that class is going to be one of my better ones. Basically, the main problem (aside from software angst) is the fact that he has one style and I have another and neither of us cares for the others' style. So....where does that leave me? He thinks my flyer from last week was "stuffy" and boring. He doesn't like my boxes around my pictures and wants me to do something more interesting and "edgy". Well....for flyers like that I consider what I have done in my working life. I've done a ton of desktop publishing for jobs and never had complaints. Quite the contrary - I've been praised up the ass. So....WTF? I mean, seriously - WTH??? This dude had us all sign up for Deviant accounts where we could friend him and see examples there. He's posted some of his own and some other students have done. Only problem is - - again, I don't care for his style or style choices. So what do you do as an artist? Especially with this asshat who "is the voice of the design industry" and thinks he's God's gift to graphic design? Do I continue to do the work that I feel best represents the assignment and my tastes, or do I try to find out what he's looking for? Even more importantly, do I speak up when I submit my next project? Do I say that while I respect his opinions, they are his and mine differ? Normally, especially in a work situation, I would respectfully state something along those lines. I dunno what to do here. I'm up trying to work on this stupid next assignment, but I'm just coming up with blanks. I know how *I* would *want* to do it, but I am also trying to keep my GPA in mind. Ugh - round and round in circles I go! Geesh! What a pain in the ass! Oh - the grade was 27/30 points. With the 100% for my discussion, it's about 97%. Not too bad I guess, just sucks when I'm pulling down 100% everywhere else.

Speaking of everywhere else - - still waiting for the grade on my expository essay in English Comp. Got 100% on my discussion and 100% on a quiz we had. Just waiting to see how the essay comes out. Still finishing up my annotated bibliography for that class too. New assignments are up today and it's already looking like a hella busy week. Lots to do and lots to share. Stay tuned! Thoughts? Leave 'em! :)

Update!!

Howdy again y'all!

So...you know what's hella fun? (not) Having two different instructors waxing poetic about their software program of choice and telling you that theirs is THE ONE TRUE WAY AND ALL OTHERS SUCK IT! Yeah, that's just such a blast. What. Ever.

Anyhoo....busy day today. I spent a lot of time online and chatting with my school's librarian on the research front for my annotated bibliography for my big English Comp research paper assignment. I found some really AWESOME stuff! I still have to wade through it and get it all typed up but....look for coolness to come a bit later! ;)

I'm still waiting on my grades from last week for both English Comp and Typography. I have another assignment due in Typography (another flyer thingie redesign), but I'm hesitant to do too much work on it until I get my grade from last week and see if I'm on the right track he wants. We shall see. I have until Saturday night so....hopefully he'll post my grade between now and tomorrow. :)

For last week's Success Strategies - A! (Did you doubt it? You shouldn't.) For last week's Intro to Computer Graphics - A! Hee! I love A's. They rock - and prove that I rock as well. :)

So....that's the latest update kittens. More will follow. To all y'all checking this blog out - thanks. Please feel free to leave constructive criticism in the comments - I will reply to all. I'm finding keeping this blog really helpful for this return-to-school process, not the least reason of which is that it gives me a place to let it all out, ya know. ;)

Laters!

Week 3 Work

Howdee y'all!! :P

Well...Week 3 of classes is almost complete. I must still finish my Typography assignment, but the rest is done. I just finished sending in my English Comp paper today.

So....here's the run-down on my last posted work - Intro to Computer Graphics - A. English Comp - A. Invisible Success Strategies (which you will never see here) - A. Typography - BASTARD!!! I got a 25/30, which isn't bad per se (it's like 83.3% or something), but if this mutherfucker messes up my GPA, I'm finding the bastard, I'm telling you now! Geez he's in love with himself!!! Ugh!!! So....that was the only blight on my Week 2. No, now that you mention it, I'm not a perfectionist - - why do you ask???

Okay, Week 3 work. Success Strategies was crap about well....something I don't even remember about coming back to college after a long time away so...moving on!

Intro to Computer Graphics was picking an Annual Report to redesign. I chose Barnes & Noble Booksellers, cuz theirs kinda suck. Nice blank canvas to play with - yay! That was it aside from the discussion - pretty quiet week on that topic.

English Composition - - ah, English Comp - yeah....English Comp started out annoying the fuck out of me, but by the end of the week was actually very educational. Our assignment was an expository essay on one of the following topics (and I hate when other people choose my freaking topics - especially when they're this stupid):

1. Explain how the Cold War ended. (Who. cares.)
2. Explain how Hawaii became a state.
3. Explain the pros and cons of nationalism. (Again.who.cares.)
4. Explain the origins of the concept of "free will". (What.Ever. That's free will!)
5. Explain the 1919 "Black Sox" scandal. (Bunch of whiny spoiled ball players threw the series for cash and then whinged when they got caught - explanation enough for you?)

Can you guess which I chose? I'll give you a minute....



Minute's up!! I chose how Hawaii became a state. It's actually very interesting. And very "whitey came and stole our land" which is true so, ya know, it's legit. I didn't know there was still a whole big to-do going on about restoring Hawaii to its own republic - did you know that? No? Well, now ya do! You learned something new today! CONGRATULATIONS!!! :)

So....here's the sitch - the way he wanted this done was kind of expository-essay-writing-for-retards or something, and I don't roll that way, so I did it my way. It was supposed to be 2 pages, but I went all Hermione on it and did almost three; only two sources needed, I cited six - that kind of thing. If he dings me, he dings me, my paper is good. Think I'm being a blowhard? Read for yourself and judge (oh - as always - this is my freaking work except where cited so DON'T STEAL MY SHIT! - I HATE that!):



The Controversial Statehood of Hawaii


When one thinks of a conquering nation, rarely does America come to mind. Founded as it was under the principles of freedom and democracy, it becomes hard to believe that the addition of one of the fifty United States is seen as an act of war. But that is precisely the controversy surrounding the annexation and addition of Hawaii as the 50th state.

Prior to 1840, the Hawaiian Islands were considered the Hawaiian kingdom, presided over by a monarchy, and rich with a culture and vibrancy of its own. In 1778, however, English Captain James Cook came upon the islands, and following his “discovery” of the islands, American whaling fleets, other explorers and adventurers, traders, and eventually New England missionaries found their ways to the islands. With the arrival of the missionaries, the culture and scenery of Hawaii began to change with the addition of the written English language, Protestant and Catholic religions, and American trades and ways of life including horse-drawn vehicles, frame houses, schools, churches, taverns, and mercantiles.

Another arrival that coincided with that of the New England missionaries was the arrival of a group of white businessmen looking to tap into the Islands’ sugar cane market to supplement the loss of America’s sugar cane plantations when the South seceded from the Union during the Civil War. These white planters began to assert greater influence over the Hawaiian King to open up the Islands to private ownership, which finally was accomplished in 1848 with the Great Mahele.

During this time, the white planter minority was also exercising its financial influence to try to reduce tariffs on their sugar cane shipments to the United States. In 1875, the Reciprocity Treaty was signed between the United States and Hawaii to give a duty-free market for Hawaiian sugar, and economic privileges for the United States in Hawaii. In 1887, the Reciprocity Treaty was renewed with the addition of granting the United States the freedom to establish a naval base at Pearl Harbor.

King Kamehameha III began to lose the support of the white planter class when he decided to start trying to reestablish the native Hawaiian culture on the islands. In 1887, a company of white troops forced the Bayonet Constitution on the King, limiting his powers and granting the white planters voting rights. When King Kamehameha III’s successor, Queen Liliuokalani, again tried to revive the Hawaiian culture and monarchy on the Islands, a group of American and European businessmen overthrew her with the help of a group of U.S. Marines from the USS Boston that had been stationed in Pearl Harbor.

United States President Benjamin Harrison had been in favor of the deposing of the Queen in Hawaii, and sent a bill to Congress requesting the annexation of Hawaii to the United States. However, his presidency ended before the bill was passed, and his successor, President Grover Cleveland, withdrew the bill from Congressional consideration. He determined that Hawaii had been unjustly robbed of its freedom “by an act of war, committed with the participation of a diplomatic representative of the United States and without authority of Congress” (“The Controversy over Hawaii”, 1893), and he attempted to help reinstate Queen Liliuokalani and the Hawaiian monarchy.

Unable to complete reinstatement of the Queen before the end of his term, President Cleveland was forced to leave the determination of Hawaii’s fate to his successor, President William McKinley. Prior to his assassination, McKinley agreed to the annexation of Hawaii, and Congress passed the measure in 1898. Hawaii was officially made a territory of the United States of America in 1900, but a vote for statehood was postponed in Congress due to racial attitudes and party politics of the time.

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought both Hawaii and the United States into the Second World War. Owing to the strategic military necessity of Hawaii at that time, following the end of the war in 1945, Hawaii was kept on its path to statehood, eventually being brought into the Union along with Alaska in 1959.
In 1993, however, President Bill Clinton signed United States Public Law 103-150, apologizing to the Native Hawaiian people for the role the United States played in overthrowing the monarchy and occupying the state. As a consequence, a movement continues in the island nation for a restoration of the independence of Hawaii as its own republic, and a restoration of the monarchy.
 
References

Annexation of Hawaii, 1898. (n.d.) Retrieved April 22, 2009, from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/gp/17661.htm

The Controversy over Hawaii (2009). In Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from Encyclopaedia Britannica Online: http://search.eb/eb/article-9398256

Hawaii. (2009). In Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from Encyclopedia Britannica Online: http://search.eb.com/eb/article-79295

Hawaii Becomes Our 50th State. (n.d.) Retrieved April 22, 2009, from http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cg/jb/modern/hawaii_1

Is Hawaii Really a State of the Union? (n.d.) Retrieved April 22, 2009, from http://www.hawaii-nation.org/statehood.html

Reciprocity Treaty of 1875. (2009). In Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from Encyclopaedia Britannica Online: http://search.eb.com/eb/articlr-9470906


Now, tell me that wasn't an awesome paper - I dare ya! (At this point, I've honestly been over this damn thing so many times I don't care anymore)

So that's it for schoolwork for Week 3 aside from my Typography, which I still have to complete and turn in before Saturday night and ZOMG! I getter get busy. Back laters with that for your fun and enjoyment. Cheers!

Update to the Drama

Hey there hi there ho there y'all!

There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it may not be the headlamp of an oncoming train! I have a tutoring session scheduled with someone in my major that is supposedly an expert on all this software. Bright and early Monday - yippee. :) I am continuing on with my independent study, but learn so much better if I have someone to ask questions of. Also - I was informed there is an on-campus class I can sit in on if I like. Good news all around! I have to give it to my school, they are willing to do whatever they can to help you succeed. Woot! :) Great way to start the weekend.

Also - new classwork for Week 3 posted today. Success Strategies was easy and it's already done. As previously mentioned, hearing about that would make y'all fall asleep so - we're skipping posting that stuff. English Comp is seriously busy this week. Lots of fun for y'all later. Intro to Computer Graphics and Typography is more of the same as last week so....there will be lots of fun and exciting posts to follow. Stay tuned! Cheers!

Intro to Computer Graphics, Week 2

Hi all.

Bet you thought I forgot about you, eh? Nope! I've been spending most of this week slogging through tutorials trying to make heads or tails of Adobe applications. Can I just say for the record right now that at this moment I hate Adobe with a fiery passion? I may change my tune, once I figure out what the fuck I'm doing, but right now - hatred - white-hot and blinding. For an introductory class, you'd think we'd get some instruction on the required software, especially since the majority of us have never used it. Did we? Nope. We're all using trials of the software right now and the course requirements changed and we aren't receiving the instructional books like before. Fun. And I'm paying out the ass for this why again? :( I'm hoping I'll get some kind of insight here soon and will be contacting the school tomorrow for some assistance cause I have two classes using all this stuff and I gotta figure it out. Also, for the record, I love Publisher. So....right now, I'm cheating a bit. I'm doing most of my work in Publisher and copying it into Photoshop. Sue me. What.ever.

Anyhoo....enough of my bitching. My Intro to Computer Graphics assignment for this week was on the Many Faces of Design. We were to take two images and a company and design an ad. So....I chose my Etsy shop. That way everything is mine and I don't have to worry about citations and shit. So....I did one in Photoshop (don't ask me how, I can't remember - but I did it) and then the other in Publisher. Oh - we were supposed to do the ad in two different programs. I did do it in Illustrator somehow, but the file was too big so - submitted my Publisher instead. Anyhoo....here ya go:

Photoshop:




Publisher:




We shall see how badly my grades are on these. I dunno. Maybe they suck. At least I have something turned in.

Also - just a note on my previous post - I'm beginning to think I'm in an ESL English class or something because those folks are deeply stupid. No one is paying any attention to the assignments. No one is posting polished narratives. It's usually two to three grammatically incorrect sentences with no purpose. And no one is peer reviewing properly except for (you guessed it) me. I'd say I'm being haughty and a bitch (which I am) but damn y'all - you should see some of this shit. Third graders write better narratives about What They Did Last Summer. I reviewed two and then gave up - it's too pathetic to continue. Oy!

Okay...back in a bit with my Typography assignment. Laters!

English Composition - Week 2

Hi all.

Okay - it's that time again! :) For my English Composition class, we are working on Storytelling this week. So - discussion assignment was a short narrative to be posted for peer review, written assignment was to write a fable in the style of Aesop with a moral. We had five to choose from. Again ALL WRITING IS MINE, HAS MY COPYRIGHT, SO DO NOT STEAL IT! LINK IF YOU CAN, CITE IF YOU MUST - DON'T STEAL MY SHIT!! So....first, here is my discussion narrative:


On a cold, dark, and drizzly Friday evening in January of 2004, I was the victim in a pedestrian vs. SUV accident while living in Seattle. My car had been stolen in September of 2003, and I was left with no option but to take the bus to get anywhere. I had gotten off of the bus on my way home from work to run into the 7-11 closest to my home to pick up some soda and milk for the weekend. While crossing the street back over to my bus stop after making my purchases, I was struck by a Dodge Durango that was pulling out of a park entrance at the cross-street near the 7-11. The driver had not been paying attention at all and hit me head-on. I had braced myself for the impact at the last second, and as such did not immediately fall when he hit me. Rather, I popped back and landed on my own feet again. Unfortunately, once he hit his brakes after hitting me, his tires locked and the SUV slid forward into me again. That is when I hit the ground and slid about 8 feet before coming to a stop. Unable to move due to the shock of the impact, I found myself lying on a cold, wet street surrounded by strangers. I had moved all the way across the country from all of my family, so I had no one to call to pick me up from the emergency room or for help during rehabilitation. Finally, unable to continue living in Seattle while trying to recuperate, I moved back to Florida and family for my rehab. While I still miss Seattle terribly and hope someday to return, this experience has given me a new appreciation for living closer to the support of family and friends.


And here is my fable:


On a crisp autumn morning, one of the last before winter’s chill set in, two squirrels met each other on the top of a fence.

“Sister Squirrel!” said the first, “surely you are not ready for the coming winter already!”

“But I am, Brother Squirrel,” said the second. “I have everything I need stored safely away.”

“Tosh!” exclaimed Brother Squirrel. “See you my tree – it is full to overflowing with nuts for the winter!”

And indeed his tree was full. Nuts had been stuffed into every available knot of the tree, spilling over in some places.

“Aye, Brother,” said Sister Squirrel, “I indeed do see the fruits of your labors, but do you not worry that some of your nuts’ shells are broken, and that they are packed too tightly in places, exposed to other animals and the elements?”

“Nonsense!” said Brother Squirrel. “If some are not good or are stolen, I have plenty of others! You are the one who will be sorry you have not stocked more away.”

“We shall see,” said Sister Squirrel.

And, indeed, as the cold, harsh winter endured, Sister Squirrel enjoyed the finest and freshest of nuts, as she had stored only the best nuts she could find, and kept them safe from the elements and theft.

Brother Squirrel, meanwhile, lost most of his best nuts to other animals and the freezing ice and snow. He was left with only the spoiled nuts he could salvage from the broken shells in the bottom of his tree.

The moral being that quality is better than quantity.


Yeah, and in case you're wondering, I agree - apparently my squirrels are Scottish or something. :)

I'm not going to post anything from my Success Strategies course - 'cuz it's all about returning to school, balancing school and life, blah, blah, blah. I do have some assignments for Intro to Computer Graphics this week and Typography - and those will follow later.

Anyhoo...enjoy my English Comp assignments. Thoughts? Leave 'em!