#8 Aladdin

In the movie Aladdin culture has a lot to do with the film.  Firstly, Aladdin feels like he can't even talk to Princess Jasmine since he lives on the street.  This has always been part of the Indian culture where traditionally, women marry someone of their social class.  If they don't it's considering "marrying down."  This is what causes Aladdin to tell the Genie to turn him into a prince.  Now that Aladdin is a prince he can now talk, and eventually marry Princess Jasmine.  Also in the film, Princess Jasmine's dad talks about how important is is for women to get married.  Aladdin is similar to Nectar in a Sieve in that Rukmani is considered to be marrying down when she marries Nathan.  Also, Rukmani is very concerned for her daughter Ira, because she didn't marry anyone.  All of these traits are important in the Indian culture.  

MLA: Aladdin.  Dir. Ron Clements and John Musker.  Perf. Scott Weinger and Robin Wilimas.   Walt Disney, 1992.

#7 The Lion King

In the the Disney movie The Lion King there is a lot of change. Firstly, Simba's dad Mufasa dies and which makes Simba the king, but Scar, Simba's uncle takes control and becomes king. This is a huge change because Scar has a different rulling style. Scar is protryaed as the "evil" character so the kingdom becomes bad. Hyenas start to help rule the kindgom which makes it even more evil. Later Simba comes back and reclaimes his control. He makes the kingdom "good" again. Now there has been chanange twice in the kingdom. The change of power is similar to the novel Nectar in a Sieve where Rukmani's dad who was the city's ruler is loosing power to the collector.
picture: http://www.impawards.com/1994/posters/lion_king_ver1.jpg
MLA: The Lion King. Dir. Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. VHS. Walt Disney, 1994.

#6 The Rookie

In the movie the, The Rookie, Jim Morris was a minor league pitcher but could never make it up to the majors. One day he is coaching his high school team and looses a bet which forces him to try out for the majors. His family isn't doing very well financially, so he is really hoping he'll make it. He makes the minors which brings hope to his family but can't make the majors. He is finally called up which gives hope to his family and all of his small town. Families who have hope to make money to provide for their family is also in the book we've been reeding, A Nectar in a Sieve. Nathan is a lower class farmer who always has hope he can provide for his family but usually can't provide enough. In The Rookie though, Jim ends up being able to provide enough for his family.
image:http://www.impawards.com/2002/rookie.html
MLA: The Rookie. Dir. John L. Hancock. Perf. Dennis Quaid. VHS. Walt Disney, 2002.

#5 Da Vinci Code

In the Da Vinci Code religion is one of the main points of the novel. Mary Magdalene supposedly slept with Jesus, which contradicts what the Catholic faith says. There is a sector of the church Opus Dei who are trying to find the Holy Grail which suposedly contains information about the Mary Magdalene scandle and destroy the information about it. A college professor, Robert Langdon, is faced with the choice of revealing that the information is true about Magdalene and that the church has been telling the world false information. He decides to write a book about it but doesn't say he has proof that the scandle is real. An intresting piont is brought up in the book in that many Catholics know Jesus slept with Magdalene but still believe in their faith. This is intresting because alot of Catholics have read this book yet still believe. Also, The Church has told many people not to read this novel because it is full of lies, and in the novle it talks about how the church has tried to cover up this secret.
Picture: http://www.sheilaomalley.com/archives/008086.html
MLA:

Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. New York: Anchor Books, 2003.

The Davinci Code

In the Da Vinci Code gender roles are explored numerous times throughout the novel. In the beginning Bezu Fache, the French investigator, thinks Sophie Neveu should be fired mainly due to the fact she is a women. He thinks that she isn't good as good at her job as male would be. This happens alot today in the work force, where women are paid less than men doing the same job. The books also talks about how women are the sighn of fertility. This means they are ment to be parents, stay at home, and raise their children. This happens alot in todays society where women are usually thought of taking care of their children at home.
Picture: http://www.sheilaomalley.com/archives/008086.html
MLA: Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. New York: Anchor Books, 2003.

Chinese New Year

San Francisco had their Chinese New Year parade on Saturday February 7th. Dragons streamed down many of the blocked off streets. This seems like the 4th of July parade. There are tons of spectators watching performers stream down the streets. Vendors are selling cheap toys and candy. This is the largest celebrated part of Chinese culture outside of Asia. The American Chinese New Year is probably like Cinco de Mayo, where it's celebrated diferently in America, yet Mexican and Chinese Americans acceppt the Americanized celebrations. The people holding the dragons are dancing the whole time. This seems similar to when Native Americans celebrate by dancing.
image: http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/index.php/chinese-new-year-par-1384/
MLA: Rubenstien. "S.F. Chinese New Year parade of dragons." San Francisco Cronicle. 7 Feburary 2009. 8 Feburary 2009 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/08/BA3V15PN9G.DTL

Natalie du Toit

Natalie du Toit swam for South Africa in the Beijing Oylmpics. She was in the 10k open water swim and finished a "disappointing 16th, though most considered this a miracle. Du Toit lost one of her legs from the knee down after a motercycle accident. This is a huge feat to overcome since your legs generate a lot of power. This just shows that if you train hard, you can accoplish many things. It also shows that being mentally strong helps alot in life. Du Toit could have given up swimming after her accident, yet she kept on training. It's also very insperational to see her compeating at the highest level, because I bet almos everyone thought her career was over. Du Toit should be a role modle to all because she show us that you need yto believe in yourself in order to accomplish anything.
image: http://www.myhero.com/myhero/heroprint.asp?hero=Amputee_Olympics_AP
MLA: "Du Toit doesn't win, but inspires in Olympic debut." Herald Tribune. 20 August 2008. 4 Febuary 2009 http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/20/sports/AS-OLY-SWM-Du-Toits-Olympics.php

Droughts in Nevada

This year Nevada has declared most of Nevada as a natural disaster area. There were bad droughts last year that caused farmers to lose lots of there harvests. This situation is similar to the book we're reading, Nectar in a Sieve were the farms depend on the monsoon season to allow there harvest to be successful. When it rains a lot in Nectar in a Sieve the farmers crops are ruined. This makes life really tough for the farmers. In Nevada, the droughts ruined the crops for the farmers, but their lives are not as tough because the government will be giving these farmers help. This doesn't happen in Nectar in a Sieve, but it would help the farmers a lot because three quarters of the population are farmers. When the monsoon season is bad it means a lot of the population will suffer. If the government helped out these farmers like Nevada does it would make life for the Indian farmers much more enjoyable.
"Nevada a natural disaster area due to drought." SFGate. 29 Jan 2009. 1 Feb 2009 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/01/29/financial/f154459S73.DTL