On Moving to Canda

     I'm obsessed with Canada. It's no secret. I'm in love with the hockey, the friendly people, the landscape, and the aspects of their socialist system are just an added benefit for me.
     Ever since visiting Vancouver my freshman year, I fell in love with the city and started to think about moving to Canada after graduation. While I did visit Niagara Falls (on the Ontario side) when I was about four years old, I mostly remember being amazed by the falls and crying in a tall building because I was terrified of falling.

Mountain view from downtown Vancouver (Elizabeth Doll)

     A lot has changed since then; during a Torch conference in Seattle, two friends and I made the drive to Vancouver to go to a concert that was 21+ in the U.S., but only 19+ in British Columbia. I was still a few weeks shy of turning 19, so I took to the streets of Vancouver and walked around for hours while Martin and Kate were in the venue. While this might've seemed very gutsy for someone that was walking alone at night in a city they've never been to before, I felt very safe and there were a lot of other people out as well. I got to see Rogers Arena, home of the Canucks, as well as the Vancouver Art Gallery and many shops downtown.  The city was incredible and even though I just saw a few parts of it, I fell in love. That night, we couch surfed at a home outside of the city. Even though we got in late and left fairly early in the morning, the owner of the house pointed us in the direction of a great breakfast diner. She apologetically told us that she had work that morning, otherwise she would have given us a tour of the city. As is, I felt like she was a great host and gave me a really positive view of the city. Later on, we walked around the Gastown District downtown. 

     Now, I'm halfway through my last real semester at Wittenberg and next semester I'll be teaching Spanish to high schoolers at Shawnee High School. Before student teaching, the Education Department has various meetings to talk about licensure and testing and basically getting ready for life after graduation. At one of these meetings, I found out that my Ohio licensure is reciprocal with British Columbia! So now I'm working out the details and looking up jobs and legal forms, but if all goes well, this time next year, I'll be in Canada, living out the dream.

Vancouver at night (Elizabeth Doll)

Why I'm Obsessed with Emma Watson and Her United Nations Speech on Feminism

     Emma Watson, the actress most famous for playing Hermione in the Harry Potter series, recently spoke to the United Nations about feminism and her fight for equality. I have always been a fan of Watson's acting and knew that she was very involved with human rights, but while listening to her speech, I realized that she summed up exactly how I feel about gender inequality around the world.

(Wikimedia Commons)

     "I decided I was a feminist and that seemed uncomplicated to me, but my recent research has shown me that feminism has become an unpopular word," Watson said. "Women are choosing not to identify as feminists."
     All I could think of was an experience sophomore year when a girl in my choir said that she would never be a feminist because she loved her boyfriend. I tried to explain that loving your boyfriend and believing in equality of the sexes weren't mutually exclusive; she could be in her relationship and still fight for equal rights, but she too viewed feminism as a men-hating religion and she wanted no part in that.
     "For the record, feminism, by definition, is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities," Watson said. "It is the theory of political, economic, and social equality of the sexes."
     I am a firm believer in feminism and I too want to change its connotation. I think any woman could and should be a feminist. Some people have told me "I could never be a feminist. I want to be a stay at home mom and take care of my kids," but as a feminist I believe that women should be able to do what they want with their lives and not be held to a lesser standard because of it. I hope that with more visibility and education, more people will realize the benefits of feminism and that the equalities of the future that Watson talked about can come true much sooner. For now, I challenge everyone, especially men, to educate themselves about feminism and gender inequalities throughout the world. Like Watson says, "gender equality is your issue too."

Columbus' Craft Boutiques Are Hurting My Wallet

     I'm a crafty person. I'll never try and hide it; in fact, I will probably try to pawn off my crafted goods onto you if we're friends long enough.

A wooden keychain, pins,
and two charms bought
from a boutique (Elizabeth Doll).

     I love most vintage things and I love thinking of ways to repurpose old items and charms. Some of the decorations in my room are a print of a vintage Chicago map, a linen towel with a map of Canada on it, terrariums, among many other things. The only thing I don't like about crafting or buying vintage? Everything seems to come with a very high price tag.
     Over the weekend a small boutique in Columbus, that was always closed when I tried to go, was finally open. I loved looking through everything, but by the time I left with a few charms, a tote bag, and four very tiny buttons, my total added up to almost $40!
     I love supporting small businesses and I love the things I buy, but I can't help but wish things were a little cheaper. I guess I've just gotta understand that that's how the system goes, but until then, I'll try to contain myself when I walk into craft stores and vintage boutiques.

Two vintage charms that I
plan to make into earrings (Elizabeth Doll).

Race Relations on Campus and Why I'm Not Satisfied

     Race relations on campus aren't ideal, but last Monday's Town Hall discussion did have me feeling more assured about the issue. Students and audience members chimed in when a guest speaker said something problematic (Such as Prosecutor Andy Wilson's comment about fatherless black children); moderator Julius Bailey also did a great job of educating white audience members about perspectives and experiences from his own point of view as a black man. One quote really stuck out to me: "Can't you understand that it's not as easy to take, especially young black men, to have them ride along in police cars, as if this is a safe and protective space. It's not that easy." As a white, middle-class woman, I can say I have never experienced what Bailey talked about and I most likely never will, which is why I too need to be educated.

                   (Photo courtesy of Darrin Pope)

     What troubles me though is that many people that need to hear about these issues and need to understand the state of law enforcement and how it is prejudiced against people of color were not present in the audience. Although Bailey Auditorium was nearly full, with guests sitting along the flanks, I would have loved for this event to have taken place in the HPER Center with a mandatory attendance policy for students. I learned and grew so much from this event and I wish others could also have been enlightened about racial issues in our country.
     During my time at Wittenberg, I have heard many stories of prejudice on campus and I have seen it with my own eyes. A friend of mine is an international student from Africa and she told me she has heard students making comments about both her skin and athletic abilities due to her race and her nationality, with her close enough to hear them.
     One early afternoon, I got a frantic text from Kate Causbie, my then-photo editor for The Torch; she asked me if I could take a photo of the fountain now. Someone had written the n-word on the fountain and we were covering it for the paper. I grabbed my camera and ran to the fountain. As I was there, taking photos of the word, written in haunting black ink, a student walked quickly by me and once he saw what I was doing, began to interrogate me.
     "What are you doing? How did you get here so fast?" He asked. "We're printing this in The Torch. We have sources." Even though I was a bit scared, I stood my ground. I had every right to be there. "Who told you?" He hissed. "We have sources," I repeated. He began to walk away, going even faster now, and I knew this was important. Members of the paper decided we had to print this; students needed to know and someone needed to be held accountable.
     Even with efforts from students and groups on campus to raise awareness, I wish they were more widely received. I'm glad that there has been improvement with awareness on campus, but I guess I'm just not okay with settling for fewer racial remarks, or less comments about how many black students are only at Witt because of Affirmative Action. I don't want to hear those comments at all and if educational discussions like this can change that, then I think our entire campus should be on board.

Country Living in Columbus

     Middle-age white moms are toting bags filled to the brim with their treasured finds, you can hear the twang of bluegrass music in the background, and the air smells like sweet buttered popcorn; the Country Living Fair has returned to Columbus, Ohio.
     While most of the shops have a similar array of glitter-encrusted pumpkins and overpriced "vintage" finds, if you search through the madness, you can really find something magical. Furniture pieces always go quickly and decorations can disappear equally fast if they're in high demand. Although there are many stores, there's always something special for each shopper. A small porcelain doll might be just as meaningful for one person as a handmade baby outfit might be for another.

Vintage campers at the Country Living Fair (Elizabeth Doll)

     There is also an area set up to showcase both vintage and new campers; Go RVing sponsors the area and even has raffles and giveaways throughout the fair. Some of the prized items? A new iPad, Go RVing materials, and more. Although some people still use their vintage trailers to go camping, others have taken to converting them into mobile shops that can travel from fair to fair. While this Country Living fair did not have many of those, at other fairs, such as the Hobnob Market in Danville, Illinois, they are very common.
     After searching for fun clothes, crafts, and housewares, a fair goer can relax and listen to some music while snacking on an apple fritter or some kettle corn, washed down with fresh squeezed lemonade. The lines are long, but they move quickly. This year a new vendor, Sweet Carrot Casual Cuisine, had guests lined up at two locations in the fairgrounds. From pulled pork to their signature "Grown-Up Mac & Cheese," Sweet Carrot drew in huge crowds.

Edited to add photo 2:14 p.m. September 14th

Hockey Season is Coming, but Not Soon Enough for Some Fans

     Even though the National Hockey League (NHL) starts October 8th, a group of friends and I have decided to get into the spirit early; for our second year in a row, we've started up our Fantasy Hockey League with our draft last Thursday.

Brandon Saad (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

     There are four of us in the league: myself, Linda, Katie, and Mary Kate. Although we don't play for money, the league is still a fun way for all of us to keep up with current NHL games, as well as talk to one another about a sport that we're all passionate about. Last year, I came in last place, but it was fun to watch games, then see the immediate results of how it would (or wouldn't) change my position in the league.
     The first round of this year's draft saw big names like Patrick Kane, 2007's 1st overall draft pick, and Tyler Seguin, 2010's 2nd overall pick,   but a few less familiar names as well. Brandon Saad, drafted in the second round of the 2011 draft, has played for the Chicago Blackhawks for three seasons not, but has not necessarily lived up to the hype that came with him right after the draft. Similarly, Jonathan Drouin, drafted third overall in the 2013 still has not debuted in the NHL; instead he is continuing to play with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where Drouin has remained for three seasons.
     Other quickly-drafted players in our league are Sidney Crosby, Drew Doughty, Carey Price, Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie Benn, and Jonathan Quick. Noticeably absent from our draft was Jonathan Toews, captain of the Chicago Blackhawks and two-time winner of the Stanley Cup and Olympic Gold with Team Canada.
     "So nobody drafted Toes... brb laughing forever," joked Mary Kate in our Facebook group message for the league.
     Even though Fantasy Football and Baseball continue to dominate the fantasy leagues in the U.S., there is definitely a small, but dedicated group of hockey fans that want to get in on the fun. Even though the season doesn't start for another month, I'm already looking forward to being able to stream a game online, then check out how my team is doing afterwards. I probably won't come in first at the end of the season, but the fun comes in the journey along the way.




Photo retrieved from: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Brandon_Saad_Hogs.jpg

Inclusivity at the Stratford Theatre Fest

            The 2014 Stratford Theatre Festival brought a lot of underrepresented groups to the center stage, quite literally. Two plays in particular, “Mother Courage” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” feature sign language and deaf characters throughout.

            In Bertol Brecht’s “Mother Courage,” the title character’s daughter, Katrin, is mute and communicates through hand motions and shouting. She became my favorite character throughout the festival because of her ability to act and create emotions and dialogue without actual words. Towards the ending of the play, she resolutely beat a drum to warn the village of an attack, but was sadly killed for it. Even though Mother Courage’s other two children also died in the play, I didn’t feel the same sense of sadness.

Katrin truly shined in the play and showed me how many feelings and emotions can be communicated without words. Although Katrin did use hand motions at times, in other scenes she was silent and relied just on facial expressions and body language to speak for her.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” also used sign language throughout the play, except that was a special feature to this interpretation. During a question and answer talk back, Bethany Jilliard, who plays Hermia, mentioned that the cast included two hard of hearing members. Adding sign language to the play not only helped include all cast members, it also made the play feel more modern.

At first I didn’t understand this element of the play; I wasn’t really familiar with the plot and thought that Jilliard was signing the entire play. While that would have been incredible on its own, it turns out that the signing was more woven into the play by featuring Egeus, Hermia’s father, as a deaf character.            

Not only did including deaf and hard of hearing characters create an interesting and unique take on the play, it also made the play much more inclusive and representative. In fact, Jilliard mentioned that they cast was working at a version of the play with all dialogue signed to make Shakespeare accessible to an audience that has not really been able to enjoy Shakespeare before.

Response to Brian Raymond's "Nudie Magazine Day ft. Katniss Everdeen"

     Although Brian Raymond's article on Jennifer Lawrence's stolen nude photographs brings up some interesting points on rape culture and how America treats and shames female sexuality, it also includes some extremely problematic language and ideas.
     The first paragraph completely contradicts the more progressive ideas in the later part of the entry. Although Raymond refers to the original poster of the photos as one of the "sick minded people" in our society, he also says that privacy breaches like this "made many young guys dreams come true" and says the release of "a gorgeous nude photo of one of [a young man's] favorite celebrities" is "better than winning the lottery."
     He later goes on to write that Lawrence is a victim of a system that permits sexualization and commodification of women and their bodies. While this is a very valid point, it is very problematic to say that Jennifer is a victim, yet still promote the photos with language used in the first paragraph.  
     Something that some people may not realize is that even if they did not personally steal and post the photos, they still allowed and promoted that action by looking at them. By searching and looking up photos that stem from a sex crime like this, people can support the action without having stolen anything in the first place; they benefitted from the system that gave them the opportunity to see the photos and for that, they are not completely innocent either.
     While it is very positive to say that "It is time America looks itself in the face and says this can't happen," it might be more beneficial to look closer to home. What words and ideas are you promoting, consciously or unconsciously, that contribute to a misogynistic culture that continues to abuse and belittle women? Calling the visual results of an unwarranted sex crime against someone "better than winning the lottery" might be a good starting point.

Stolen Photos and Victim Blaming: Misogyny at Its Worst

     If you've been on social media recently, you probably heard about the "leaking" of nude photos of many female celebrities. Although multiple women were targeted, Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Katniss Everdeen in "The Hunger Games," has taken the brunt of the criticism. A quick Twitter search of her name brings up some disgusting comments like @howe007's "On one hand I feel bad that Jennifer Lawrence's nude photos were leaked. On the other hand, well.. that hand was busy." and @kennytarmac1's "THEY FOUND THE BODY OF THE HACKER WHO STOLE JENNIFER LAWRENCE'S PHOTOS. HE'S THE FIRST MAN EVER TO BE 'HIGH FIVED' TO DEATH!"  

Jennifer Lawrence (Courtesy of WikimediaCommons)

                     
     Comments like these perpetuate the blaming of victims of sexual assault and sexual crimes. In this case, it is very important to realize that Lawrence's photos were not, in fact, leaked; they were stolen from her personal iCloud account. Someone hacked into her account, stole the photo files, and posted them on a 4chan.org, a site with many online messaging boards. From there, the photos were posted to many other sites. Although Lawrence took these photos in private, her intimate photos are now on the internet for anyone to see. She is currently working with the FBI, Apple, and Twitter to remedy the crime.
     While the concept of victim blaming is not new, a strong response against it is. Emma Watson tweeted "Even worse than seeing women's privacy violated on social media is reading the accompanying comments that show such a lack of empathy." Anne Hathaway told Matt Lauer "I'm sorry that we live in a culture that commodifies sexuality of unwilling participants" after a tabloid photographer took and released a photo of her exiting a car without wearing underwear.
     Although the illegal release of Lawrence's and many other celebrities' photos is disgusting and tragic, the conversation and outrage that followed shows that many people are fed up with society and the media's treatment of women. To constantly abuse and blame women for acts that are committed against them, against their will, is ridiculous. Hopefully with more outspoken celebrities and more backlash against acts and "leaks" like this, there won't be any more destruction of privacy.

(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)