Christopher's blog

Fanatics act out basic needs and societal views

by Christopher Brinckerhoff

Chicago – The city is abuzz with the recent injury of Bears starting quarterback Kyle Orton. The veteran football player turned his ankle this week playing against the Detroit Lions.

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Rex Grossman, the quarterback who led our team to a Super Bowl two seasons ago, will likely play November 9 against the Tennessee Titans, according to reports.

This is a big deal to fans who watched their home team lose the Super Bowl, and falter last season with Grossman at the helm. Orton's selection over Grossman to start this season drew lots of attention.

For some fans, the quarterback selection of their team is something they can readily identify with because they follow sports every day.

Extensive media coverage of the Orton Grossman switch might've received even more prominent coverage if it weren't for the national and state election this week.

In fact, people more easily identify with sports teams than they do with politicians, according to experts.

Cultural anthropologist and professor at the Northern Illinois University’s Anthropology Department Kendall Thu said, “People really don’t know what politicians do, but they do know what sports teams do, and that seems to reflect what they aspire to in their own lives. So it’s easier to connect.”

Thu said one of the goals of cultural anthropologists is to determine whether or not there are learned traits present in all cultures around the world.

“There are actually very few, it turns out,” Thu said. “But oddly enough, sports, as broadly defined, is one of those universals. It doesn’t make any difference whether they’re hunters and gatherers or modern societies. All cultures have sports manifest in one way or the other.”

Harper College Sociology professor Patricia Hamlen said sports teams are a part of people’s identity because it’s a way to create solidarity without inflicting harm on each other.

“It’s a pretty safe way to create competition and solidarity within cities and between cities,” Hamlen said. “There can be competition without that competition being deadly.”

Social class and the way fans relate with their teams may correlate with each other, according to Hamlen. Working class towns may relate to their teams differently than other kinds of towns.

“I think Chicago is an excellent example of that,” Hamlen said. “We have many sports teams that don’t do well. But we show incredible loyalty to them. I’m wondering if part of that is because this is a working class town. And a working class town has an underdog mentality. That’s kind of projected in how we support our teams regardless of how well they do.”

“In my view, sports allow people to live out a life vicariously,” Thu said. “The sports arena is supposed to be an arena that reflects the ideal values in American culture."

"In sports, you’re supposed to abide by a certain set of rules, similar to the rules in American society as a whole, where, if you follow the rules and you work hard and you compete hard then you can be successful," Thu said.

"In sports the rules are set up at least ostensibly so that the winners express those that have the most talent, the hardest work, the best teamwork, the best individual effort," Thu said. "So in a sense, sports reflects American cultural values as a whole.”

Sports fan Raymundo Bazan has lived in the Chicago area since he was four months old. He works as a restaurant server. The 32 year old Berwynian said his favorite sports are baseball and basketball. The Cubs are his top team.

Bazan agreed that Chicagoans dote on their teams, in part, because they seek relief from their employment obligations.

“We are true fans,” Bazan said. “Everybody works hard and everybody waits for the beginning to get some stress out from work. When the Cubs play the stadium is full every time. No matter what, if they win or lose, we are still there.”

cubs

Thu said sports act as a representation of all the principles in a democratic society.

“If you play by the rules, if you work hard, if you learn the game, if you educate yourself, if you work together, work as a community, work as a team, if you commit yourself, all of those things that are in one way or the other manifest in American culture in general are acutely pronounced in the sports arena,” Thu said.

“It’s not as clear as life in general,” Thu said. “People are very cynical about people who succeed oftentimes because they think that American culture is corrupt, and they can succeed in backhanded ways. Well in sports, to a certain extent, there’s a clear picture of who is successful or not. Although, the picture gets clouded when you have the use of steroids, and NBA officials are gambling on the game.”

Copyright 2008

Apes rise above the rest

by Christopher Brinckerhoff

Chicago – Our city is famous for improvisational comedy theaters. Instead of being known for New York’s Broadway shows, or Los Angeles’ Hollywood movies, Chicago is known for being able to tell a good joke.

The i.O. Theater, The Playground Theater, Comedysportz Theater and Lakeshore Theater are all located in Lakeview. The neighborhood is home to a concentration of alternative and fringe theaters.

Now running at the Lakeshore Theater, the third season of Impress These Apes will wrap up November 10.

Eight contestants compete for eight weeks in weekly performance challenges to see who can score the most points from three futuristic ape judges. Impress These Apes was an open audition, and some of the contestants live in Lakeview. 

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According to the show’s storyline, the contestants are charged with producing enough talent power to right earth’s future, which was disrupted in the previous seasons of Impress These Apes performed at The Playground Theater and the i.O. Theater.

Contestant Becky Eldridge has lived on the north side for 14 years. She works in advertising, and she has co-written two musicals. Eldridge said Impress These Apes is an inherently perfect fit for Lakeview because of the diversity in the area.

“In a broader, global perspective the contestants in the show range from your average Joe off the street to the goofy party animal who might wear a lampshade on his head, to your crazy Aunt Rose who always has on crazy hats,” Eldridge said.

“The neighborhood is like this convergence of all the gays up in Boys Town, and those Lincoln Parkers who are just looking for some chuckles and some good times,” Eldridge said.

Lakeshore Theater’s technical director William Hasty said compared to other Lakeview theaters they frequently host standup comedy acts. However, Hasty said they don’t like to pigeon hole themselves with the types of acts they show.

Eldridge said, “You’ve got your suburban Belmont Goth kids down the street, the jocks from the lake who come there to play softball, and you’ve got your crazy homeless men. Impress These Apes definitely connects with the neighborhood because the show itself represents every one of those points of view. The contestants represent every stripe that I described that exists in Lakeview.”

The apes’ current home, Lakeshore Theater, was converted from a movie theater into a live performance theater in 2002.

Hasty said the Lakeshore Theater hosts “acts that might have a little trouble finding a home in another theater. They might be a little controversial. They might rub people the wrong way a little bit. And we welcome them with open arms.” 

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“I think Impress These Apes fits in [the Lakeview theater scene] because, in essence, it’s a wacky variety show,” Blewt founder and ape actor Steve Gadlin said. “That’s actually a pretty popular genre right now in Lakeview. There are especially a lot of burlesque shows going on now and other types of variety shows. It fits in, in that it’s irreverent in that area.”

Impress These Apes also stands out among other Lakeview shows because of Blewt’s roots in the area and their attention to detail, according to Gadlin.

“I think our sense of humor, our general aesthetic will set us apart from other shows,” Gadlin said. “We’re kind of unafraid to be incredibly corny and cheesy. So we keep it intelligent by kind of underpinning it with this theme of despair and hopelessness. You know, for the kids.”

When asked if Impress These Apes has been a little too cutting edge for some people, Hasty said they haven’t had anyone leave, but some of the contestants’ performances of the historical reenactment challenge made a couple people feel a little uncomfortable.

“Last week really pushed the envelope with some of the acts,” Hasty said. “It was some of the oddest things I’ve seen on stage here as long as I’ve been here.”

“Their assignment for the week was to recreate what they felt was a turning point in history,” Hasty said. “One of the contestants recreated his birth by crawling into a garbage bag, removing all of his clothes, and covering himself in grape jelly. Then he stood up on stage completely nude, covered in jelly, reenacting his birth for five minutes.”

The evening’s fun didn’t end there.

“Then the act that followed him actually came out in a tutu and set up two World Trade Centers,” Hasty said. “One tower was stationary cardboard and one was a dancer dressed up as the other tower.”

“The contestant was in a tutu with an airplane costume and recreated 9/11, complete with miniature red plastic firemen confetti,” Hasty said. “He did a ballet piece to Flight of the Valkyries, a dramatic reinterpretation of September 11^th right after we had the live birth on stage. A couple people were shifting around in their seats. I don’t think we actually sent anyone out of the theater though. It was a pretty controversial night a week ago.”

The comment Impress These Apes makes about other more negative television reality shows is, “Positivity is cool.”

“Sure, it’s fun to just skewer people on television,” Gadlin said. “But celebrating the talent of people is a lot more rewarding than parading people’s insecurities in front of other people to poke fun at. The genesis of Apes came was we were putting together the kind of show we ourselves wished we could be in. So it really is about making it as fun for the contestants as it can be.” 

impress these apes

Gadlin said Impress These Apes could be seen as a comment on reality television shows.

“As snarky as the ape judges get overall it’s a very positive show,” Gadlin said. “It’s more about really celebrating the talent of these eight unique performers. In a sense, we kind of slap reality television and give it a positive spin, and really get a live audience behind these eight contestants. Yeah, I’d definitely say we’re commenting on reality TV as well as kind of embracing the format of it for our own crazy purposes.”

Copyright 2008

Study: cell phone usage correlated with weak sperm

by Christopher Brinckerhoff

cell phone sperm

Chicagoans swarm Madison Avenue every weekday morning and evening walking to and from their jobs. A number of them are speaking, but they’re not talking to each other.

The commuters are talking on their cell phones, and some are using headsets and wireless earpieces. Their phones are conveniently tucked away in their purses and pockets. Some research published this year suggested this may not be healthy for human reproduction.

The study, published by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine,  said cell phone usage by men might affect sperm quality. The research was completed by the Cleveland Clinic and was called “Effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic waves (RF-EMW) from cellular phones on human ejaculated semen: an in vitro pilot study.”

The study looked at the effects of electromagnetic waves on human semen by putting it into two small receptacles and exposing one of them to a common model cell phone two centimeters away.

In  the 36 samples they tested the results showed a decrease in the movement and viability of the sperm.

Though the study concedes it was limited in scope, in part, due to a small sample size and having to test in test tubes instead of on live people, another study they also conducted had results consistent with the theory that cell phones impair sperm viability.

In the other study the researchers looked at more than 300 men, and reported a correlation between daily cell phone usage and sperm quality. The research showed that men who used their cell phones more than four hours a day on average also had the least vital sperm on average.

The scientists' “Effects of radiofrequency…” report said the most significant finding was the increase in  what are called Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). ROS is normally created in semen, and antioxidants bond with ROS, thus neutralizing them. This is good because then there aren't as many free radicals. Free radicals can be bad because they have been associated with cancer formation.

What they found out was that the ROS increased in a statistically significant amount, according to one doctor.

Dr. Paul B. Odland at Columbia College's Student Health Center said the research seems to pick up on a statistically significant ROS increase.

"The P value is a statistical measurement in which a P value of .05 means that the finding is less due to chance," Odland said. "This is less than .05 (.022). So that means that it's unlikely this is a chance measure. It's suggestive that it's an actual difference. So that would mean statistically significant. Actually what significance this has for sperm measure and fertility, I don't know that."

With the explosion of cell phone usage over the last 20 years and the subsequent growth of cell phone manufactures and carriers, a lot of money has been spent by consumers on these products. One cell phone carrier we contacted has yet to weigh in on the health issue these studies raise.

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Verizon Wireless store supervisor Dwayne Garner at the 1105 S. State Street store said he was not permitted to comment on the issue. Garner said any comments made must go through their legal department. Messages left for Verizon's Midwest media relations manager were not returned.

Some college students are not concerned with this possible cell phone hazard.

Columbia freshman and illustration major Mathew Hamilton was working out at the Student Wellness Center at the 731 S. Plymouth building. Hamilton said he's not worried about the implications of the research.

"Maybe I will be more concerned if it turns out to be true," Hamilton said.

Columbia student and film major Kyle Norwood said he's not concerned about the possible danger either. Norwood said perhaps his future self will be mad at his current self for not being more cautious, but he's so addicted to the technology it doesn't bother him now.

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Copyright 2008

logcabinonlog

Logcabinonlog

arnold

Are you a Frank Caliendo fan?

Here's a clip with Frank doing Arnold.

Enjoy!

Arnoldm4a

fun stuff for blog readers

Hey there,

In part to follow up with this class' tenets, and in part to entertain, here is an assemblage made to spark interest and delight.

To follow up with the most recent post, here's a perspective on the two recently released hostages by the Columbian terrorist group FARC (Columbian Revolutionary Armed Forces).

FARC released two politically-related hostages, but as many as 1000 hostages remain unaccounted for,

Also, I interviewed a kind blogger from Jordan, Roba Al-Assi, and here's a link for you mac users out there for the free trial version program I used to record the international skype call (see the black box blog entry below to hear the conversation in full - we coordinated our time zone difference by the start of the Sunday American football games).

Here's a log cabin model built on top of a log. Sorry, they're sold out.

latin american blogs

Bloggers in Mexico reported news about the recent violence between Mexican police and drug cartels. Global Voices posted an article about it and included a link to videos showing some of the violence, but when you click on the link it says the page cannot be found. It’s possible authorities shut the blogger down, and this kind of thing demonstrates how old censorship is adapting to new technology.

Another Mexican blogger, Daniel Hernandez, was able to get some information posted about the violence. And his blog has not yet been blocked, but there aren’t any videos on it. Videos seem to attract the most attention for online news.

On a lighter side for all you sports fans out there, here’s a blog for Latin American Football (Soccer). It tells you all about the games and players and makes predictions.

Here’s a blog about traveling in Latin America. It gives up-to-date tips on making the most of trips to Latin American countries.

On this blog you can view a collection of Latin American news. The blogger is Justin Delacour, and he’s in Albuquerque, New Mexico. One recent article posted January 24, 2008, reported a public protest to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s visit to Columbia. A photograph with the article shows a poster with Rice’s picture that reads, “Wanted for war crimes. Yankees get out of Columbia, Iraq and the whole world.”

youth blogging - the sequel

National Public Radio (NPR) aired a piece on blogging in China on March 7, 2006, called "In China, Blogs Are Revolutionary Tool of Opinion," by Louisa Lim.

A Chinese blogger spoke about how she’s mostly interested in writing blogs about herself. She doesn’t think blogs will change politics in her country. But she does appreciate blogging as part of her generation’s expression.

Another Chinese blogger spoke about how media is controlled and public forum is controlled and so the only thing they have for expression is a blog.

A third Chinese blogger pointed out his blog was on a Microsoft program. He said Microsoft took his blog off and reasoned they were complying with Chinese law. The blogger said he expected more “free space” from an American company.

The Online Journalism Review for the University of Southern California summarized the experience of one jailed Chinese blogger in an article by Kim Pearson called "Chinese blogger’s release no guarantee of press freedom."

A Chinese blogger and filmmaker was imprisoned and released in 2006, and he didn’t make public statements about the experience. This blogger, Hao Wu , was very lucky. Wu is a Chinese citizen with permanent U.S. residence. His sister organized a worldwide effort to put pressure on the Chinese government to release Wu. Global Voices started a blog to support his release.

Most other imprisoned bloggers in China are not as fortunate.

The Chinese government didn't give details for why Wu was arrested or released, but some people believe the government was interested in Wu's materials for a film he was planning about China's underground Christian churches. That film still has not been released, and, it seems, may never be.

In Afganistan a blogger was recently sentenced to death for downloading information on   the role of women in Islamic societies. Authorities claim the information is anti-Islam and sentenced the 23-year-old man to death.

  The BBC said the ruling was welcomed by conservative Islamic clerics and criticized by human rights organizations. International media watchdog Reporters Without Borders also condemned the sentence.

part 3

G4

part 2

G3