Recognizing the Forgetfulness of Facts and Acceptence Absurdities

I have been browsing the web as of late (as I do all of the time when I'm procrastinating) but something has peaked my interest.

Lately I've been finding scores of online articles, book references, and comic references to the Nazi Party and Hitler. Now I understand that it is a very sensitive subject for most, but how many references do we see in our day to day lives?

Just think about it.

No. Really think about it.

Once you become aware of this trend, you start hearing and seeing references everywhere. They may simply be offhand remarks like "Oh that professor is such a Nazi about grading" or it may be one of the many documentaries on the History Channel. It's unbelievable to see how such a travesty in European history has become a joke.

However a lot of the articles I have found are scholarly articles. Thank Goodness. But there has been a controversy in Germany about a new film that was released depicting the dictator as a Bed-wetting, illiterate, erectile-dysfunction suffering, man whose every problem is blamed on his parents.

Now being a German scholar, I've read a lot and studied a lot about Germany, the Third Reich, just about anything you can think of. World War II is a very interesting subject once you delve beneath just the war and the Holocaust.

I also, like many other German scholars I've talked to, get almost offended when people make very uneducated remarks about the Nazi Party and Germany. We're not necessarily defending them, but we would rather have you get your facts straight instead of looking like an idiot. Granted, the point of the film is to poke fun at Hitler, which is an almost brand new concept in Germany, at least in cinema.

But my main problem is, well, I look awfully Aryan.

With blond hair, blue(ish) eyes and a knowledge of the German language, I get instantly labelled as a Nazi if I try and correct these uneducated people.

It gets tiring.

With all of the resources on the web now, why don't people take more time to learn about the war? Why not learn about the Regime and realize that there's more to it than what they teach you in your high school's World Cultures class.

I was astounded today when I read Slate.com's reporter Clive James' article, "Adolf Hitler: How the intellectual climate in Germany shaped the future Fuhrer".

In the introduction, James said, "Statistics suggest, however, that a large proportion of young people now emerging from the educational systems of the Western democracies either don't know who he was or have only a shaky idea of what he did. One of the drawbacks of liberal democracy is thus revealed: Included among its freedoms is the freedom to forget what once threatened its existence."

Which brings me to another point.

In my German 415: Advanced Grammar class (I know, exciting right?) we've been discussing the idea of German guilt (Schuld) and remembrance (Erinnerung) of the atrocities that have happened.

At least in American pop-culture, it's near impossible to forget completely what has happened with so many references that happen every day. But what has been forgotten are the facts.

Facts.

Who knew a five letter word could be changed or forgotten so easily.

But then again, what about Nazis?

Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno)

*Warning* This may give too much away about the film. Not the ending, but lots of vital plot information. *Warning*

A big film coming out of Spain this year is Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno)". And it's no wonder why it's been such a huge hit with international audiences.

From the huge dual-story lines, to the animation, to the acting, the film is an overall impressive feat.

Towards the end of World War II, many guerrillas are fighting the fascist regime in Spain. In the mountains is a base camp of Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez), a sadistic fascist aide. He was put there to protect the townspeople of the mountains and fight the guerrillas who are hiding in the neighboring forests. Captain Vidal's new pregnant wife, Carmen (Ariadna Gil)and her daughter Ofelia move to the base at his wishes. He wants his son borne where teh father is. Once at the base, Carmen gets sick and Ofelia finds a fairy who takes her to the nearby rock labyrinth. There, she meets Pan, a faun who sends the girl on three tasks to return to her rightful place as Princess Moanna, daughter of the moon. Ofelia's mission is repeatedly thwarted by her sick mother, the Captain's evil doings and the guerrilla's attacks.

Ofelia was played by Ivana Baquero whose wide-eyed wonder is reminiscent of anyone's childhood where your head is filled with monsters and kings; royal quests and happily ever afters. The character grows through the film and learns the true price of sacrifice.

Most impressive was the digital animation. The fairies fluttered like hummingbirds; Pan, the faun, appeared almost lifelike. His creaking wooden body blended in among the background and shadows in much of the film, making his emergences unexpected and startling time and again.

The monsters were other-worldly. The giant toad oozed with grotesque oil and puss. You could almost smell and feel the sticky mess he left after he licked Ofelia's face. In the dining hall scene, the eyeless monster was disturbing to say the least. When he placed his eyes in his palms, filling the conveniently eyelid shaped holes, he became relentless and ferocious. The blood-red eyes flashed with such blood lust, you could almost feel him breathing down your neck.

Tension pervaded the atmosphere in both worlds - the human world and the underground world of Pan. Captain Vidal anticipated betrayal at every turn; Carmen's health ebbed and wained; Pan's demands became more dangerous and Ofelia's desire to leave the human world grew with each scene.

To see some dazzling special effects and a suspenseful, "not quite" children's' story, check out Pan's Labyrinth. But make sure the "kids" are 17 and up; it is rated R for violence.

The Bachelors of Fine Arts

Here's the latest article I got published in the Broadside.

Bachelors of Fine Arts: Raunchy College Humor at its Best

Broadside Staff Writer Alison Brown

Pittsburgh, Pa. is known for its culture, traditions and scholars. The Southside Bar Crawl is renowned as near impossible; the Steelers have become legends within the city and the universities such as the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon and Duquesne bring in the brightest students.

At the University of Pittsburgh, five college students released a sketch comedy DVD that is causing a stir around the city and on the Internet. But on the same note, Pittsburgh is not called “The Dirty Burgh” for nothing. These scholars are not quite what you would expect.

The Bachelors of Fine Arts are the self-proclaimed premiere film-sketch comedy group in Pittsburgh. On Friday, Feb. 2, the BFA’s released “The Bachelors of Fine Arts' DVD, Volume I,” which is packed with innuendos, sex and some questionable content.

“This DVD mainly comprises itself of the sketches we could never do in high school. It just happens to be very sexually charged,” said Brenden Gallagher, 20, a member of the BFA’s.
The Stewartstown, Pa. native and dual film studies and English major at U-Pitt said the release was well received by those who attended.

“We may not have gotten huge numbers of sales, but the people who came either enjoyed themselves or were completely offended,” Gallagher said. “We’re getting our names out there, and that’s what’s important right now.”

The BFA’s YouTube account has generated thousands of hits inside and outside of the Pittsburgh area, which Gallagher and fellow member Erik Hinton agree “proves the idea of self-promotion”.

Several of the skits released on YouTube are featured on the DVD including “Room for Boners,” a spoof of Calvin Klein’s underwear ads from the 1980s and early 1990s, “Insane Clown Party,” a depiction of the Insane Clown Posse fan base in Pittsburgh and “Douchenheimer and Deebs,” an ice cream ad that promotes a “delicious disguise for detestable deeds.”

The DVD features exclusive sketches like “The Founding Fathers,” which depicts a drunken George Washington drafting the Declaration with his buddies John Adams, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Ben Franklin has a cameo and the resulting debauchery is comedic gold. Another sketch, “Great Moments in Porn History,” documents the rise and fall of the fictional German pornography director Fritz Schlang.

Despite its questionable subject matter, the DVD is an impressive feat. The quintet, comprised of Kevin Riley, 20, Alex Burkat, 21, and Ben Hickling, 21, in addition to Gallagher and Hinton, wrote, directed, filmed and edited all of the sketches. They also created some of the songs featured on the DVD.

Seamlessly shot and edited, the sketches look better than many low-budget produced independent films. The writing is quick and often shadowed in what society deems as serious and politically incorrect.

“A lot of what we’ve done is because we want it to make it okay to laugh at this stuff again. It’s all right to make fun of sex; it’s okay to joke about being different. We’ve become a society where we’re all too serious and afraid to offend,” Gallagher said.

“Life should be fun,” Hinton said. “We don’t set out to offend people. It just happens that way because it’s not what people expect to hear or see on screen.”

“It’s amazing our parents haven’t disowned us yet,” continued Hinton, laughing. “At their requests, our next DVD won’t be so sexually charged. The next release will probably still offend, but the subject matter will be different.”

New material for the second release is still under progress. For previews of the sketches or to purchase the BFA’s DVD, visit www.thebfas.com.

Frank Hornig: German Born, America Loving Reporter

Well, Happy Valentine's Day everybody! I figured since we had off at Mason today due to incliment weather, I could post my Comm 352 article about a foreign correspondent.

Frank Hornig: German Born, America Loving Reporter

The German press is progressive, very critical and often pessimistic said Der Spiegel foreign correspondent Frank Hornig.

That’s why he loves working in the United States.

“I like the optimistic attitude here. It’s really great,” Hornig said.

After Katrina, Hornig visited the Gulf Coast and saw thousand who lost everything. What shocked him most was their can-do attitude.

“Many of them would just say, ‘Let’s move to Georgia and start over.’ But in Germany if something happens, they would say the government needs to help,” he said.

“The openness of the people is great too. Der Spiegel is a German weekly magazine; you would think companies would rather talk to the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times than some German magazine,” Hornig said. “But people are quite open and they’re nice to talk to.”

Hornig is one of the four foreign correspondents employed in the States by Der Spiegel. There is one in Washington, D.C., two in New York City (where he is based), and one in Boston.

“I’m basically the business and economy guy,” he said. “Since there’s only four guys here, sometimes you get to work on global warming or Hollywood. It’s a very broad spectrum.”

Being a member of such a small staff, Hornig gets many opportunities to travel. His magazine prides itself on focusing on the human element, so face-to-face investigation and interviews have helped his stories. Hornig said he loves traveling out of New York because there are so many stories across America.

Hornig said he could have reported on the discussion in Washington, D.C. about abortion, but he decided to go where it all started. He traveled to South Dakota, a hot bed for abortion debates. Hornig visited during the state government’s attempts to introduce strict legislation on abortion.
“In Germany you can pick out super conservative people from really far away, and you don’t really like them. But here, everybody’s nice, even if you disagree with their opinion,” Hornig said.

German audiences are interested in and critical of the happenings in the United States. Hornig said President Bush is in every German publication every day. There is a huge opposition in Europe, especially in Germany and France against the Bush administration. Whatever is written about the administration and its policies is interesting for a German audience, Hornig said.

In last week’s edition, the reporters covered German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s opposition to the U.S. war against terror, the U.S. occupation in Afghanistan and its plans for Iran.

“Basically the Chancellor opposes it,” he said. “She does it in a very diplomatic, and very quiet way to underline the German position.”

Hornig continued: “And since I’m the business-economy guy, I talk about the world economy and the role the U.S. is playing. You can be sure there’s a huge interest in Germany in about import, export, and trends in the US.”

The U.S. news gathering and reporting is much faster than in Germany, Hornig said. He worked in Der Spiegel’s home office in Hamburg and then in Berlin for eight years before moving to the New York office.

“It’s very quick here and you find trends very soon in the press. The Germans are a little bit slower,” he said. “You can pick up trends that start here, like MySpace or Web 2.0. They get to Germany a little bit later, but they always reach Germany.”

One trend Hornig researched was the upsurge in hiring Chinese nannies in New York City, as opposed to French or Spanish. Hornig said the wealthy hired Chinese nannies to prepare their children for globalization by learning Mandarin at a young age.

The power struggle between China and the United States, including trade, imports and problems for American companies, was a cover story he wrote. He worked on several global warming pieces, focusing and what Washington is doing or what it is not.

“We’re following, of course, the upcoming presidential election and the candidates,” Hornig said. “Whether Hillary, Obama or Guliani is going for it.”

Der Spiegel and many other European publications have something about the United States in them every week. However Hornig said the American press has its focus elsewhere.

“My feeling in general is that the American press is obsessed with Iran, Iraq and the things going on there. They don’t care so much about Europe as they used to do,” he
said. “I feel like we need a shift of attention. You don’t read much about Germany, France or the UK.”

“It’s always, I don’t know, about the World Cup,” Hornig said, laughing.

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Picture courtesy of Paul J. Richards and AFP, and Spacewar.

Der Spiegel

For Comm 352 we got assigned to interview foreign correspondents of our choice to analyze how different the presses of different countries are to the United States.

My partner, Nicole, and I decided to start with a German publication. We got in touch with some people at Der Spiegel , based out of Hamburg. Unfortunately we could not get ahold of any correspondents in DC, so they patched us through to Frank Hornig in the NYC office. Hornig was quite sociable and pleasant to work with. Once I get hte story written up and edited by Prof. Kubiske, I'll be sure and post it on my webpage and on here.

Who knows, maybe I could start working for Der Spiegel sometime. Maybe their webpage now, since I have a bit more experience working with the online medium thanks to Comm 361.

Website Take 2

So I've been working dilligently on my webpage for Comm class.

Surprisingly it's not too hard and I'm getting things to work out nicely. The only problem, however, is I can't get the SSH downloaded on my computer. So no matter what I get completed here at home, I have to go to the school computers and load it up. Otherwise, it tells viewers that they are forbidden from viewing certain pages. I have to work on that.

Also, I can't get my pictures to load, which is odd. I'll have to talk to some people about getting them to work.

Til then.

Website

We have to make a website for Comm 361 and let's just say it's a slow and painstaking process.

I've been working on it all day now and I still cannot get it to upload onto the Server. I guess I'll have to stop into the Star Lab tomorrow and see what's wrong.

It's exciting to see how these things do come together. Once my site is up and running, you'll be the first to hear about it!