Noe Article

We have to address an ANCIENT article about the similarities and differences in Rap and Country music.

 

Noe’s thesis is that Rap music and Country are similar in several aspects. Those aspects being women, law breaking and the American Dream. They both tell stories to convey these messages.

 

Noe comes to the conclusion that while both of these genres share many themes, it is in the way that they convey them that makes them different. The performers that convey them, more specifically the race of the performers, makes these songs come across differently to the mainstream public. While country can be seen as “red-neck” but mostly nonthreatening, rap can be in your face, and tell-it-like-it-is, even when what it is, is not what we want to hear.  

 

          One of Noe’s claims that I agree with is that crime does not pay. In “Mama Tried” by Merle Haggard, he sings about how his mother tried to keep him out of trouble, but he didn’t listen. In Ice-T’s “Drama” he raps about realizing that education was the way to a better life, not whatever landed him in jail, only to come to this realization too late. That has been a theme in many a song, across many genres. The opposite can be true as well.  

 

          Noe makes the claim that in Country music, hard work is all for not in the end. I disagree with this. I will use current music to make my point. There is a song by Eric Church, it is about a young man that rejects his life “on the farm” for city. He wears his pants sagged and his hat backwards. Not to read too much into this song, but it sounds to me like he has given up his country music for rap. His brother, the singer pleads for him to come “home boy”. He offers hard work, which will keep him “out of jail”. He also makes the case that one day he will regret not sitting on the tailgate of his truck with his “high school flame on one side, ice cold beer on the other”. He pleads for his brother to come “home boy” and make right with his parents, before they are called home, boy. The title is a play on words, as I am sure you can tell. This song, however, disproves many of the arguments that Noe makes. This song does not promote casual sex, rather, that this young man should come home to his high school flame, I read it to mean so that he can make a life with her. It offers this young man hard work versus jail and promotes family repair in this case.

 

          I know that this song is current, and Noe’s arguments are old (1995), but I would argue, that Noe’s choice of country music that she analyzed was old at the time. Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried” is from 1968!

Imaginary Hamburgers

 

Imaginary Hamburgers

Fast food restaurants today have to be more cunning in the way that they advertise their goods to the public. In recent years these establishments have not gotten a good wrap. People want healthier choices. The two ads that I have chosen to analyze both represent the back bone of these establishments, the hamburger. The trick is that there is not an actual hamburger in either ad. The consumer is left to use their imagination to invasion what they will get when ordering at these establishments.

In the first ad, for McDonalds, there is a stack of books. All that you can see is the spines of the books. There is not much to look at, but so much to see. The bottom book is labeled The Very Best of Bread. There are many different kinds of bread in the picture on this spine. All are golden in color, and look appetizing and healthy. The second book in the stack is called Meat * New Edition. The meat on the spine of this book looks less like a hamburger and more like a steak with a nice big juicy piece cut out so that you can see the inside of this cut of meat. The third book is The Special Book of Cheese. This spine does not have much going on at first glance, but upon further investigation, at the top of the book you can see what looks like pieces of the cheese cut away haphazardly. This seems almost as if someone has been tearing pieces off to snack on because the cheese is so irresistible. The next book is just calledTomato. It has, as you would imagine, red, ripe tomatoes on the spine. They have the stem still on them, leading us to wonder if they were just freshly picked out of McDonald's organic backyard farm. The next book is titled The Encyclopedia of Salad. The spine has snippets of beautiful green heads of lettuce. The top book of the pile is calledBreads & Co. It has more breads on it like the bottom book, but they are different, though equally appealing in appearance.

This ad suggests to me that McDonald's is offering to us the idea that they have re-written the book on hamburgers. The book was obviously already written. Most of us have had a hamburger before, but this ad suggest that they have improved upon the process. Not only that, but they have gone about it in an almost academic, "foodie" manner. The bottom book with the breads on it gives us the idea that the bun, at least the bottom bun, is made from the "very best". The second is supposed to suggest that the meat used in the burgers not is not the "same old same old" that has been used by McDonald's, or even that which is used by the competitors. The third book in the book burger is the "special" book of presumably "special" cheese because, well, the cheese that McDonald's uses is no ordinary cheese. The next two books, the tomato and the lettuce look very fresh, as if they were just picked by someone's southern Grandmother from her very own garden, and then delivered right to McDonald's to put on my burger. The top book, again is the bread. Fresh, golden, healthy, unique, not at all the stale plain buns that we are used too.

This ad, while having no actual hamburger leaves the burger to the imagination. It lets us build up the anticipation about the hamburger that McDonald's would serve us should we walk into their facility right now. Or, if we drove up to their window, because some of us are already in our pajamas and just want a burger to enjoy in the privacy of our own home while we watch Doctor Who re-runs. I think that this ad is meant to build up this burger in our heads before we get the real thing, and possibly the letdown that comes with the real thing.

The second ad that I am analyzing does the same thing. It leaves the actual burger to our imagination. It is the Burger King ad with no burger. The ad has a bright yellow background, and the only thing, besides the Burger King logo, which is peeling up a bit at the edge, is a set of "hands". The only portion of the hands that are visible are a set of thumbs, and an oddly proportioned set of forefingers. The forefingers in the ad have an extra set of joints in them.

I think that the reason that the fingers in this ad are freakishly disproportionate is to lead you to believe that the burger they will serve you is so large, normal hands "need not apply". The coloring of the ad, the solid yellow background, is a color that is said to evoke hunger. It is a good thing that this color is supposed to make you hungry, the burger that Burger King is offering, seems to be so big that you will need to be famished in order to finish it!

                                         

These ads are tied together through the imagination. Both franchises let you know what is being offered without the exact details of what that is. Since most ads have pictures of fake "dressed" food, they have bypassed this step, and left it up to you, the consumer to envision the meal that you will get.

 

Restaurant Review

Nob Hill Bar and Grill

Nob Hill Bar and Grill is a favorite in the area; however that does not necessarily mean that it is worth your time. It is busy most week nights, and downright packed on weekend nights. There is no doubt that there is a strong, loyal customer base.  The service and food are not the best I have ever had, but they are by no means the worst. I do acknowledge that your reasons for dining anywhere would greatly affect your overall view of the experience. If you are going out for dinner out with friends just for the sake of dinning out, then this could be a good choice. Having a dinner with a significant other? This place would work, as long as the occasion was not something form. Going out for a casual work dinner, sure thing.

I expected from more menu choices from this restaurant. Though the menu is not as varied as I would have liked, it was very specialized. There were items that I found to be too specific and detailed; the devil is indeed in the details in all of these meals. I was happy to see fish and chips on the menu. The meals chosen by the rest of the members of my dinner party seemed to be equally appreciated. While not a wide variety, everyone found something to enjoy for dinner

I really wanted to enjoy this dining experience as much as I have enjoyed others with my co-workers. Nob Hill Bar and Grill was enjoyable, and perhaps I need to stop comparing it to the other places that we have dined and just enjoy the experience and meal on their own merits. Overall the meal was good, although the menu did not offer me personally many choices. The cornflake covered mozzarella sticks were very unusual, and I think that is what made them so good. The patronage was rather low the evening we dined there, but I attribute this to the fact that we dined there on one of the only days it ‘snowed’ so far this winter.

            The service was not bad, but I have had better. Our waitress was only serving our party of four and two other tables, yet she was infrequently around to wait on any of us. When she was waiting on us, she was totally engaged; again, it was just difficult to get her to wait on us. She was very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu; she was very helpful when it came to specific dietary needs and restrictions and what dishes they had to offer to that end. I think that overall she was a good waitress, if not always present.

The meal that I ordered was good, if not exactly what I expected. The fish and chips were actually fish and waffle fries. While this was not exactly what I had pictured, it was enjoyable. The fish was battered and deep fried and the waffle fries were moist inside and crispy outside. I must admit that while I enjoyed the fish, I was expecting more work on the part of the kitchen for this dish for the price; perhaps the fish could have been less greasy. I could have gotten nearly the same meal at Long John Silver’s and for half the price. Overall the meal was enjoyable.

The Nob Hill Bar and Grill is a “hip” restaurant in a “hip” area of town, and you have to realize that this is the biggest part of the draw.  There is a giant fish tank near the ceiling, a definite conversation starter. I have heard from many diners that they have enjoyed their meals and over all experiences here. This is one of my bosses’ favorites, which is why we were there for dinner. I can see the draw of this restaurant; it is kitschy and it fits well in this area of town.

 

Nob Hill Bar & Grill Review

Misty 

 

Jennifer

 

English 1101 126

 

1 February 2014

Nob Hill Bar and Grill

Nob Hill Bar and Grill is a Nob Hill favorite in the area; however that does not necessarily mean that it is worth your time. It is busy most week nights, and downright packed on weekend nights. There is no doubt that there is a strong, loyal customer base.  The service and food are not the best I have ever had, but they are by no means the worst. I do acknowledge that your reasons for dining anywhere would greatly affect your overall view of the experience. If you are going out for dinner out with friends just for the sake of dinning out, then yes. Having a dinner with a significant other? Sure, as long as the occasion was not something formal, a casual work dinner, sure thing.

What I expected from this eatery was more menu choices. Though the menu is not a varied as I would have liked, it was very specialized. There were items that I found to be too specific and detailed; the devil is indeed in the details in all of these meals. I was happy to see fish and chips on the menu. The meals chosen by the rest of the members of my dinner party seemed to be equally appreciated. While not a wide variety, everyone found something to enjoy for dinner

I really wanted to enjoy this dining experience as much as I have enjoyed others with my bosses. Nob Hill Bar and Grill was enjoyable, and perhaps I need to stop comparing it to the other places that we have dined and just enjoy the experience and meal on their own merits. Overall the meal was good, although the menu did not offer me personally many choices. The cornflake covered mozzarella sticks were very unusual, and I think that is what made them so good. The waitress was seldom around but made up for it when she was. The patronage was rather low, but I attribute this to the fact that we dined there during the winter, and one of the only days that it snowed all winter.

            The service was not bad, but I have had better. Our waitress was only serving our party of four and two other tables, yet she was infrequently around to serve any of us. When she was waiting on us, she was totally engaged; again, it was just difficult to get her to wait on us though. She was very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu; she was very helpful when it came to specific dietary needs and restrictions and what dishes they had to offer to that end. I think that overall she was a good waitress, if not always present.

The meal that I ordered was good, if not exactly what I expected. The fish and chips were actually fish and waffle fries. While this was not exactly what I had pictured, it was enjoyable. The fish was battered and deep fried and the waffle fries were moist inside and crispy outside. I must admit that while I enjoyed the fish, I was expecting more work on the part of the kitchen for this dish for the price; perhaps the fish could have been less greasy. I could have gotten nearly the same meal at Long John Silver's and for half the price. Overall the meal was enjoyable.

The Nob Hill Bar and Grill is a "hip" restaurant in a "hip" area of town, and you have to realize that this is the biggest part of the draw.  There is a giant fish tank near the ceiling. There all lend themself to casual, possibly intimate dinning. I have heard from many diners that they have enjoyed their meals and over all experiences here. This is one of my bosses' favorites, which is why we were there for dinner. I can see the draw of this restaurant; it is kitschy and it fits well in this area of town.

 

Tuesday February 18th, 2014

Had to give up the allergy meds until I find one that won't make me loopy. Really not happy about that at this moment. Getting ready to go to bed, so that is a good thing... 

Had an accidental adventure today. That is OK. I learned from it.

Tomorrow I stay late at work, good and bad.. Good because I wont have to stay as late on Friday, and I can study for my midterm in Sociology with out interruptions. Bad because I have to stay late... Oh well, always looking for the silver lining, right?

Blessed Be!

)O(

Misty

 

Review Review

·         Compare the two film reviews you read this week (the ones on Juno and The Help) and discuss at least 3 criteria (from each review) that each author uses to evaluate their respective films.

In the Juno review the dialogue is discussed more than once, that it is unreal and too good to do be true. This may be true, but that is the writer’s prerogative. It is, after all, for entertainment. Ali includes other people’s perspective, whereas Dana does not.

In the review of The Help, racial inequality is discussed over and over. It is almost as if Dana Stevens wants make us all feel as if we were there in the 60’s causing this injustice, the opposite of what she claims the movie does. I also feel as if Dana Stevens does not go into enough details about what the movie is actually about. Perhaps that is because Ali Heinekamp goes into so much detail.

In the Juno review it is less clear from the beginning how the reviewer felt about the movie. She did eventually bring it together, into what I saw as a recommendation FOR the movie. Not everyone saw it this way, so for that aspect her review was somewhat muddied. Dana Stevens however, held nothing back in her dislike of this movie.

·         Discuss which two of the six criteria you selected hold the most and least weight for YOU personally when you watch a film.

I feel that Ali Heinekamp was also more open about the movie. While she did ultimately, in my opinion, recommend the movie, she did tell us about its faults. I enjoyed Juno, I realize that the dialogue was not true to life, but it was still enjoyable. She had more of a discussion about the movie, than a laundry list of why or why not to see it. I appreciated this.

It seemed to me that Dana Stevens only expounded the negative about The Help. I understand that she was giving the movie a bad review, but I think that she missed the point, and the point is that this is ultimately a movie. It is entertainment, it is supposed to make you feel good. I enjoyed the movie for what it was.

·         Based off the criteria, which review do you believe is the most fair and balanced? And why?

I think that Ali Heinekamp’s review of Juno was the fairer of the two. She was not once sided about it. In her review she told us the good and the bad. She told us so much about the movie; we might not need to see the movie! Dana Stevens made me not want to believe her review because she was too serious about something that was not. A movie is for entertainment. I think that her review would have been better suited to a documentary, where the facts of the events and how we are supposed to feel in relation to them would make more sense. I have seen both movies. I enjoyed both movies. This may have something to do with my dislike or Dana Stevens review of The Help.   

Written for Week 5 Blog Discussion in English 1101-126

Addicted to Rubber Cement

Yet, I still ordered it from Staples yesterday... Self sabotage much?