Pulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction movie poster

I have heard a lot about the movie Pulp Fiction, but have never watched it. For this blog, I figured that would be the obvious option, as I have wanted to see it for a long time.
Going into it knowing absolutely nothing about the movie, it proved to be extremely interesting. I guess maybe I'm more accustomed to the action genres, and that is why I found it a bit odd. In terms of a summary of this movie, I can honestly say that I am not quite sure where to begin an explanation. Bear with me here, folks.

The movie opens with a couple talking in a diner. Eventually, they just decide to rob the diner and terrorize everyone there eating, what I am sure, was a delicious breakfast. It then cuts to two hitmen, Jules and Vincent, talking in a car on their way to retrieve a br

iefcase from someone named Brett, at the request of their boss Marsellus Wallace. Jules and Vincent arrive at Brett's home and confront him and two other men about the briefcase. After a lot of dialogue about hamburgers between the five men, Jules goes into a long-winded speech about the Bible. He even goes as far to quote a popular verse from Ezekiel, before finally shooting Brett and escaping with Vincent with the briefcase in hand.

Vincent and Jules, doing what they do best. 

The scene cuts to a boxer, named Butch, and Marsellus discussing Butch's upcoming boxing match. Marsellus offers Butch a great deal of money to throw the match, and Butch accepts. Vincent and Jules show up and deliver the briefcase to their boss. After the exchange, Marsellus asks Vincent to distract his wife and take her out during the night of the boxing match, so Vincent, ever loyal to his boss, goes and does just that. But not before purchasing some heroin and shooting it up.
Once I saw the following scene, I realized this is the scene. The scene where Uma Thurman (who plays Marsellus' wife, Mia) and John Travolta (Vincent) have a dance off in a neat 50's diner. That's basically all that's notable in this scene. I mean, there's literally a song called "Uma Thurman" with the lyrics "she wants to dance like Uma Thurman...". Oh, and after Vincent and Mia eat and dance at the diner, Mia finds Vincent's heroin, mistakes it for cocaine, and snorts it. And almost dies. THEN Vincent revives her by stabbing her in the heart with a shot of adrenaline.
WOW. I can say with ease that I wasn't expecting that one.

The scene

After these intense few scenes, the audience has the opportunity to take a breath. Next up, we see a man approaching a young Butch and talking to him about a gold watch that has been in his family for generations. The man gives Butch the watch to keep. We then cut to the boxing arena, where Butch is fleeing from the fight. He goes back to a motel where he and his girlfriend are staying to hide out, they spend some time together, and all is well. Until Butch realizes that his girlfriend forgot the watch. He becomes enraged, throws the motel TV across the room, and then apologizes profusely for his actions. Good man. He goes to his apartment to retrieve the watch, and realizes that there's someone in his apartment. It's Vincent. Naturally, he shoots him. Because that's just how this movie is.
Butch is leaving his apartment and is stopped at a light, where he sees Marsellus. Marsellus recognizes him and follows Butch, shooting at him all the while, until Butch reaches a sketchy Pawn Shop where he seeks refuge. Marsellus follows him there, and the Pawn Shop owner and a security guard take them hostage and a lot of disgusting actions take place. Butch ends up getting free, saves Marsellus, and they both leave, agreeing to never speak of what just occurred at the shop. Butch picks up his girlfriend and they flee town.
Confusingly, it cuts to Vincent and Jules after they kill Brett. Another man pops out of the bathroom and shoots at both of them, missing every time. On the way back, Vincent 'accidentally' shoots one of Brett's associates in the face (how do you accidentally shoot someone?), and they call in some extra help to cover the murder.
Vincent and Jules then go to a coffee shop for breakfast, seemingly the same one at the very beginning of the movie, and discuss the events that just took place. Jules takes this opportunity to tell Vincent that he wants to retire. Vincent is upset by this and goes off to the bathroom. Our two friends from the beginning of the movie who decide to shoot everyone in the diner appear, making the sequence of events in this movie even more confusing. The male confronts Jules, takes his wallet, and questions him about the briefcase he has with him, showing obvious interest in it. Jules, his gun pointed to the robber, shows him the inside of the briefcase, and orders him to sit down while Jules rambles for ten minutes. Vincent comes back at some point to help back up Jules. Jules decides to give the man $1,500 and walks away with Vincent with the briefcase in hand.

A quote from the song "Uma Thurman" by Fall Out Boy

This movie was crazy. It was extremely difficult to follow the chain of events, but I got the hang of it around halfway through that it was not in chronological order. This movie is different from any other I have ever seen and I enjoyed the change of sequence of events. It made the movie have a fresh feel and had you paying attention to everything that was going on. If the plot unfolded any other way, it would have had a very different effect. It may have actually been a bit boring. Personally, on a scale I would give this movie about a B+. I really liked the way the story unfolded, but it made it just a bit confusing at times to understand precisely what was going on.
Overall, though, I'm glad I chose Pulp Fiction to watch. It was interesting and, while a bit odd at times, an entertaining movie to watch. I will definitely be viewing it again to really appreciate the full story.

Death From Laughter?

There's an old saying, "Laughter is the best medicine", which I completely agree with. Laughing actually has many health benefits: it decreases stress hormones, triggers the release of endorphins, and increases the immune cells, along with a myriad of other positive attributes. It helps us to forget our troubles for those few seconds, or sometimes minutes, of laughing carelessly.

Popular meme of a man laughinng

But death from laughter? Seriously? That's a new one.
After scanning the Unusual articles page on Wikipedia, I randomly chose one to write about for this blog post, and came across the death by laughter page. This is quite an unusual article, even for Wikipedia. (again, I mean that it is taken seriously) Of course, the phrase "I could die laughing" or, as we laugh, "I'm dying OMG", are common for me and my friends to say on a daily basis, so I have heard of  and used the term more than a few times. Reading this article, though, I found that dying from laughter has been recorded during the times of Ancient Greece and a few other times in history. For example, Zeuxis, a 5th century BC Greek painter, apparently died from laughter after painting the Greek goddess Aphrodite.
So how does one die from laughter, then? In the first paragraph of the article, it states that dying from laughter can happen by going into cardiac arrest or asphyxiation, (a condition where the body does not have enough oxygen due to abnormal breathing. I love learning new words!) so this is something that, while very rare, has happened before. Because really, when was the last time you saw a news headline saying "Man Dies From Laughter"?
The rest of the article discusses historical and fictional references to people who have died while laughing, and that's about it. In terms of fictional references, Wikipedia references the show 1000 Ways to Die, where a man dies of continuous laughter for over 36 hours. The article does not say what the joke was, and I would like to know. What joke is that hilarious that it's worth dying over? It's funny (see what I did there?), because I use the phrase "I'm dying right now" all the time when I laugh very hard, but I never pause to consider that it could happen. No, I won't spend every second I laugh now thinking that I could die, but it still is an interesting concept. This information is useful, because I know a lot of people who laugh for minutes at a time, sometimes even causing themselves to go into an asthma attack. It's scary that an action that causes us so much joy can end up killing us. Very morbid.

My best friend and I, always laughing of course. 

Death by laughter, I think, does earn a Wikipedia page. It's useful information to know, and it's funny at the same time. It is also helpful to see those who have died from laughter, both in real life and in fiction. As I said above, normally "dying laughing" is used jokingly, so the fact that Wikipedia made a legitimate article about it, backed with historical references, is useful and comical. Performing a quick Google search, I was able to find other websites with articles about people who really have died laughing, containing the same facts as Wikipedia, if not probably a bit more accurate, because we all know that Wikipedia isn't always the most trustworthy website to gain information from.
On a lighter note, laughing truly is wonderful. There are some people who go days, or even weeks, without laughing properly, and I honestly cannot imagine going that long without doing so. Along with the quick facts I provided at the beginning of this post, laughing also relaxes muscles, protects the heart, improves our mood, and strengthens relationships. So don't worry everyone, death from laughter is extremely rare. So my advice for you after reading this article is live life to the fullest, love with everything you have, and laugh until your stomach hurts, because it's totally worth it.

The Return

Out of all of our blog posts for this class, this is the one I was most anticipating. I love sitcoms, and have watched every episode of both The Office and Parks and Recreation. For this assignment, I chose to watch an episode of The Office in season 3, episode 13 titled, "The Return". I have seen this episode a few times, so I know the content very well and can even recite a few pieces of dialogue. However, I have never noticed just how prominent product placement is in the show, even though I have watched every season at least 3 times (and there are 9 seasons!). 

The stars of The Office

I chose this episode on purpose, because in it, one of the main characters leaves his job at the office to work at Staples. This is very significant, because that is huge product placement for Staples. There are multiple scenes filmed there, showing the outside of the building as well as the inside and the products they sell there. Staples is mentioned by name in the episode, and it is openly discussed between the characters. This is, by far, the most notable piece of product placement in the entire episode. 

Andy punches a wall out of anger in this episode. 

The rest of the product placement in this episode is far more subtle, and not quite as 'in your face' as Staples is. The only products mentioned by name is a Sebring car, a Lexus, and Swanson brand chimichangas. The rest of the episode goes by without anyone mentioning specific brands, so all other product placement is seen and not heard. For example, in the office, the characters are all using HP computers to do their work, with the logo clearly shown. Also, a Cingular cell phone (boy, that's a throwback! Is Cingular even a thing anymore?) is held by a character, with the logo shown on the front.  

Other small product placements include; Cisco systems (shown on the office landline phones), Aquafina water bottle, Clif bars, Herr's chips, Poland Spring giant water cooler, Morton's salt, Panasonic TV, a Battlestar Gallactica sweatshirt, and, in Staples, the brands Kodak, Epson, Canon, and HP are clearly visible. Keep in mind, I had to search a little for some of these products to get an accurate representation as to just how much placement is contained in this episode, but they are all easily visible.

Apple's product placement in Modern Family

After researching the content of this episode, I have a firm belief that the rest of the episodes of The Office have just as much product placement, if not more so. Even just watching other sitcoms, like Parks and Recreation and Modern Family (another one of my favorites!), I have seen product placement without even really paying much attention to the episode. It amazes me how company's can sneak their products into a 20 minute show.

After this assignment, I will definitely try to take more notice of product placement not only in TV shows, but in all different types of media as well.

The Daily Show With Trevor Noah

For this assignment, we were told to watch an episode of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart/Trevor Noah. I found it easiest to access the most recent episodes aired on Hulu. The episode I watched aired on March 17, 2016, and the special guest for this episode was actor Theo James, from the Divergent movie series.
To start this off, I would like to be completely honest in saying two things that I feel are important to add for this specific post. First, I have never watched the Daily Show in my life. This is a personal choice, as I just have never been interested in watching it. Second, I do not find myself entertained by politics/current news. I know I should stay up to date on current news and politics, and I do to a fair extent, but I also don't go out of my way to watch Fox News or CNN every single day. I know what's going on in the world, but not enough to fully appreciate the Daily Show and the content that was discussed in this episode.

New Supreme Court Nominee Merrick Garland.

To start off the episode, Trevor Noah talks about St. Patrick's Day (since St. Patrick's Day is the 17th) and makes a few jokes about everyone who drinks, which I found to be quite funny. For the big story of the night, he discusses President Obama's choice of a new Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland. Trevor Noah makes a few jokes about the announcements. He also discuss "The Biden Rule" and makes fun of that, which I personally have never heard of. The issue that I have with watching news channels and politically-infused TV shows is that I normally do not follow what the host is talking about, and that's why I feel that this post is doing the Daily Show an injustice, because I do think it's very funny, but I can't comment on the content of it.
Noah then has a segment about March Madness, but for his show he is doing a game called Third Month Mania, which is similar to March Madness but has to do with what type of thing is the most annoying. For example, one of them is Trump vs. Trump supporters. I found this segment very funny and enjoyable as well. I actually considered going on his website and filling out a Third Month Mania bracket.
Trevor Noah brought in Theo James for his special guest, and they discussed his upcoming movie, Allegiant. Bringing on a popular guest star helps to counter-balance all of the political talk in the earlier part of the episode, which I found to be a good idea. It's a sneaky way to get more of an audience, because some people will watch an episode just to watch the segment with the guest star. Putting news/politics in the very beginning is a smart idea to keep more people informed about what's going on in the news before bringing in the guest.
I believe that this type of format to deliver the news is comedic as well as informative, because it does get people to become involved in what's happening in the world in a way that is not just straight talk and facts. Admittedly, I do not stay tuned to these kinds of shows, but I appreciate the comedic standpoint that the Daily Show takes on delivering news and discussing politics.

Trevor Noah, current host of the Daily Show. 

The Differences Between AM and FM Radio

Whenever I'm driving, I almost always have the radio on to the top hits station. I don't learn much from these radio stations besides the weather for the upcoming week, traffic conditions, and the latest gossip on the Kardashians. For this assignment, we were to listen to 20 minutes of an FM radio station, and then 20 minutes of an AM station and compare the two in terms of content and the length of commercials.

FM Station - 95.5 WPLJ.  Commercial percentage: 4%

The FM radio station I chose was a top hits station. During the time I listened to it, I learned about the weather for Seaside Heights in New Jersey, a polar plunge for charity that was going to take place, and the traffic conditions around that area as well. I personally enjoy FM radio, because I like to listen to the top hits and I love music. There is normally not too many commercials, and if there is they are spread out evenly after a few songs. In this case, I only listened to just above two minutes of commercials over a 20 minute time period, which isn't bad at all.



AM Station - AM 790. Commercial percentage: 10%

The San Bernardino shooters; Tashfeen Malik and Syad Rizwan Farook

I listened to an AM radio night show, and I learned about an issue involving the FBI's recent concern with locked iPhones. A few months ago, a couple in San Bernardino, California, shot 14 people and injured 22 people. Since the incident, the government has obtained both of their cell phones to check for information in reference to the shooters that could help solve the case. Unfortunately, there is no way to gain access to the iPhones, as there is an encryption on each individual iPhone that even Apple cannot break. During the talk show, the hosts and a guest discussed the San Bernardino shooting and Apple's response to the FBI's concerns on encrypted iPhone's. The discussion then turned into the fact that if there were no encryptions, then anybody would have the ability to break into a phone.

There was a total of five minutes and 43 seconds of commercial time during the 20 minutes I listened to the station. This is not substantially more than the FM station, but it did surprise me that there was more commercial time on an AM station than an FM. The AM station was definitely more informative than the FM station, as I learned about the news and what's going on in the U.S. today. While the AM station was enlightening, I enjoyed the FM station much more and found it more entertaining, as I love listening to music.

The Calming Affect Nature Has On Our Brains

Williams, F. (January 2016). This Is Your Brain On Nature. National Geographic, 229(1), p. 54-67.

Before this assignment, I had never read so much as one full article in National Geographic. However, for this assignment I figured I would choose a magazine that is well-known and interesting. Luckily for me, this year's first addition of Time was centered around celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. I love nature and have gone on a few hikes the past summer, and had a really good time just being in the forest and enjoying the beautiful scenery, so this volume was right up my alley.

A picture I got from hiking this summer with my boyfriend. 

The pages in this volume were full of bright and colorful pictures of some of the most beautiful nature shots I have ever seen, and the article I read was just as intriguing and captivating as the pictures.

A gorgeous photo of the Grand Canyon in National Geographic

The article I read was about how being immersed in nature can actually calm our brains down and help us to have better focus, be less stressed, and be more aware of our surroundings. Starting off the article, the author, Florence Williams, explains how he joins a cognitive psychologist, David Strayer, and his class at the University of Utah on a camping trip. Strayer believes in a concept called the "three-day effect", which is a sort of cleanse on the mind after spending a period of time in nature. Williams explains that after the third day, he is more calm and at peace, and couldn't even remember for a few seconds that he had a cell phone and computer.
Living in a world where technology has all but taken over the minds of humans, connecting to nature is therapeutic and important for our brains. This article contains information and multiple studies about how relaxing it is for humans to be in nature, even if just for a short amount of time.
I'm very pleased that I picked this article to read out of all of the ones within the magazine, because I thoroughly enjoyed it and I now plan to read the rest of the magazine as a whole. It made me realize just how obssessed people are with technology and the impacts that it has on our brains and bodies as a whole. The information I learned in reading this article made me far more interested in nature and it makes me want to spend much more time outside than I ever have before.
Gaining access to National Geographic was not as bothersome as I had imagined it would be: all I had to do was go to the school library and check it out. I was only planning on borrowing it for a day instead of the full week, but after reading the article, I'll take advantage of the time I have with it and read the whole magazine while I still have time to.

Yellowstone National Park. 

Based on the theme of this edition, I was curious to see what kind and how many ads would be in the magazine. Since I have never read through National Geographic before, I was not sure what to expect. After skimming through all 144 pages of this volume, I found only 12 advertisements. As a percentage, only 8.3 pages had advertisements. Compared to many other popular magazines, such as Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, People, and Rolling Stone, National Geographic has hardly any advertisements. In additional, almost all of the ads were in the first 20 or so pages. There were none to be found in between articles, which was refreshing and made me want to read it even more. All of the ads I found were either focused on selling National Geographic, such as ads for their TV channel and for the magazine itself, or for multivitamins.

Overall, the article was a wonderful read. It was informative, interesting, and captivating. I felt compelled to read on and find out more information as I went from paragraph to paragraph, and I never got bored from reading. It compelled me to spend more time enjoying the outdoors, instead of walking around glued to my phone and listening to music.

Reaction to Opinion Piece in the Keystone Newspaper

The opinion piece I am going to respond to can be found in the January 28th Issue of the Keystone Newspaper from Kutztown University on page 5.
The particular article I wanted to respond to is titled "Ban on hoverboards rooted in financial and legal concerns." The article goes over the recent hoverboard craze that has taken over the nation, and how Kutztown has banned the use of such transportation on campus. The writer suggests that the reason for the ban of the boards on campus is more about financial and legal issues than anything else. She explains her reasoning for it, but her argument is weak and she barely skims over her reasons for why she thinks that is the case.
In addition, she takes the stance that students are enraged by the fact that hoverboards have been banned, but provides no quotations from anybody saying that they are upset by the ban. Her argument may be valid, but my question is, does any student truly care if hoverboards are banned?

The writer states, "Noting that skateboards are still allowed on campus, students would believe that if skateboards are allowed, then so should hoverboards." The difference between skateboards and hoverboards is huge though; skateboards are able to be controlled by the person riding them, while hoverboards literally have a mind of their own. So why would the student assume that hoverboards would be allowed solely on the basis that skateboards are too? They are two completely different modes of transportation.
To fix the problem, the writer suggested that hoverboard users sign a waiver stating that the college is not responsible for any damages to the user, which I think is a very good idea, but again, the underlying issue is: who are these students that are going to sign the waiver, who are the hoverboard users that are upset by this ban?
I agree that some sort of paperwork should be signed to ensure that the university is not sued, and I also agree that this is more of a legal/financial issue, but who is the audience of this article? As far as I know, students have not lined up to picket this ban and demand they use their hoverboards.
In any case, for now students at Kutztown will just have to stick with regular skateboards and longbaords to get quickly around campus.