Jane Austen at the Movies

For most people in the United States, Jane Austen is as well known as most movie stars and music artists. Author of six popular novels, she is possibly the most famous English writer after Shakespeare. 

What makes this woman so amazing is that over time, her popularity has only seemed to grow, and now a sort of Jane Austen mania is sweeping the nation. From games and book sequels, to websites and Blogs dedicated to all things Austen, there is almost no type of media that does not have some small portion of space dedicated to something Austen-themed, and one of the places her infulence is the most strong in the Movies.

Some of her more popular books that you may have recognized as movies are:

Pride and Prejudice Starring Keira Knightley & Matthew Macfadyen

Sense and Sensibility Starring Emma Thompson & Kate Winslet.

Many have fallen in love with the writing of Jane Austen, and many a fan page has been devoted to her most famous hero Mr Darcy ,  but I that much of the credit for keeping her books popular for such a long time has to go to the media. With Blogs, websites, games, Facebook pages, and movies, there is no shortage of the different ways people can enjoy all things Jane. Since the beginning of TV, screenplay writers, directors and actors have tried to capture the spirit and essence of each Jane Austen work.

It can easily be argued that some of these visions were more successful than others, but the point is that we keep coming back for more. With only six books to chose from, we would assume that only a few movies would have been made, but thanks to the cleverness of movie people everywhere, from screenwriters to directors, there is no shortage of material for that avid fan to pick from. From 1938 to present day, film makers all over the world have given us their interpretation of Jane Austen’s books, both modern and classic, each film gives us a taste of Austen, like a sequel to a beloved book. What is so amazing about Jane is that although just over 200 years have gone by since the printing of her first book, her popularity still grows, and I think that TV and movies have a great deal to do with that.

Until the 1990’s only one movie every few years, and never more than three, was made in an attempt to bring the spirit of Jane’s books to life. Suddenly, in 1995, four movies were made:

Sense and Sensibility

Clueless (based on the novel "Emma")

Pride and Prejudice

     

Persuasion

And with these movies, many in America realized that Jane Austen was not as old-fashioned as they had once believed, but a contemporary, whose plots and characters could fit into any time or place. Since then, Jane Austen has maintained her fame, with at least one movie being made every year. The media has not stopped loving Jane, she is just as amazing now as ever before, her movies are both classic and new, since everyone can put a new twist on one of her plots, or even steal her characters to make an entirely new movie like “Lost in Austen” or “Bridget Jones Diary”. Long live Jane, thanks in great part to modern technology.

Some of the more popular film adaptations of Jane Austen’s work have been made in the past 10 years, among them, the ones I most highly recommend checking out are:

2010

Aisha

Film adaptation of "Emma"

2008

Lost in Austen

TV mini-series based on the novel Pride and Prejudice

Sense & Sensibility

TV mini-series based on the novel

2007

Persuasion

TV movie based on the novel

Mansfield Park

TV movie based on the novel

2005

Pride & Prejudice

Film based on the novel

Media Studies on Caffeine

Caffeine is a staple the average Americans diet, found in Energy Drinks, Tea and Coffee, caffeine has had a disputed reputation for decades. Over the years, many studies have been done trying to prove the benefits or health risks associated with caffeinated drinks, specifically coffee. Every few weeks the media jumps on the latest study about the effects of caffeine on people, with most people targeting coffee as the key offender. The latest study claims that green tea has more caffeine than coke, and most energy drinks have less caffeine than a cup of coffee. As with all studies, there is room for error, so aside from the amount of caffeine found in your daily cup of Joe, it is unlikely that you will find most studies about coffee or soda agreeing with each other.

 According to Energy Fiend, a site that tracks caffeine content in food and drinks, some of the most popular drinks out there have far more or far less caffeine than you might think. What I find so amazing about the media is that they can release any study, not matter how detailed or specific, via magazine or internet, and we choose to believe them, regardless of what we believed about previous studies. You can look up articles online like 7 myths about caffeine , or  Caffeine in pregnancy won't harm offspring, study says, but the point still is, these are just studies, tests that were done to prove or disprove a hypothesis.

 I for one am always ready to believe what the media says about the positive effects of coffee. I am a long time coffee drinker, I look forward to my morning cup every day, so I am willing to believe those studies that say that a cup of coffee a day helps lower my chances of getting cancer or suffering from stress. I am not saying that all studies about health related issues are wrong, just that we need to think carefully about believing every story that pops up about the benefits of our favorite beverage. There are certain facts about caffeine content that have been tested and studied that most if not all researchers agree on, such as the amount of caffeine found in certain types of coffee and energy drinks.

All energy drinks need to be tested to show how much caffeine is in there and for the general public to have access to these drinks, that information needs to be correct.  Monster M3 Energy Drink has a whopping 150 mg of caffeine per 5-ounce can (that's 32 mg per fluid ounce), and Red Bull has about the same amount of caffeine as a Starbucks latte.

Interestingly enough, the amount of caffeine found in coffee differs from brand to brand, roast to roast.
Your old-fashioned coffee can have anywhere from 51.3 mg of caffeine per ounce (in espresso form) to 0.3 mg per ounce for instant decaf (yes, decaf). A lot also depends on how the coffee is prepared and what coffee shops you frequent:

Ø  Drip coffee- 18.1 mg per ounce

Ø  Brewed coffee - 13.4 mg per ounce

Ø  Instant coffee - 7.1 mg per ounce                                                                                             

Ø  Dunkin' Donuts' coffee- 13.2 mg of caffeine per ounce

Ø  Caribou Coffee- 15 mg per ounce

Ø  McDonalds- 9.1 mg per ounce

Ø  Starbucks regular brew- 20.6 mg per ounce

In the end, I believe in my own common sense, anything in moderation is fine. And while I still read those studies about the effects of coffee with interest, until scientists and studies agree, I see little need to take these statements at face value.

It only takes a second!

Every day in the media we hear about the latest movie star happenings, financial ups and downs, and natural disasters. One thing the media is now focusing on is something that not enough people are paying attention to, security. It seems like there are more websites and news related articles devoted to identity theft and how to prevent it today then there were five years ago, and I think media has a point. In today’s society, an identity theft is something we all hear about, but until it happens to us, it does not sound all that serious. The problem is that all it takes these days is a little information for someone to open an account, get a credit card, or buy several costly items. Your name and social security number are the easiest targets, since once someone has your social security number; they can do almost anything, from destroying your credit score, to buying a house. Another problem is stolen ID, since with an ID identity thieves can commit tax return fraud and open new bank accounts among countless other crimes.

There are many resources out there for thieves to steal our identity, but fortunately for us, there are also many resources for us to defend ourselves with. One of the strongest weapons we can use against identity thieves is knowing what they are looking for; this can help you remember the importance of not letting certain information fall into the wrong hands. Taking simple steps like committing your social security number to memory rather than carrying it around with you can save countless time and money, not to mention worry, if you lose or misplace your wallet.

Other things you can do include:

Not carrying around passwords- one password gives thieves access to any number of personal records, since most people will use the same password for everything, from email, to social networking sites and bank accounts.

Blank checks- often we see women with big purses, it only takes one lost check for a thief to cause damage. A solution for this is only carrying around only the number of checks you are going to need that day, plus maybe one extra.

Multiple Credit cards- some people have as many as five or six credit cards in one wallet or purse. Try carrying around only one or two, maybe use one only for food, and the other only for gas, and next week rotate, this enables you to keep track of what was spent where, and carrying around more cards just means having to cancel more cards if your wallet or purse does get stolen.

Receipts- who does not carry around at least one receipt? But thieves can be clever, using the info like the last few digits of your credit card number to find out more info, and possibly learn those other digits. A good solution is to empty out your purse or wallet at the end of every day, make a copy of the receipts you need to keep, and destroy those you don’t want or need.

According to Emily Inverso, in “8 Things not to keep in your wallet” receipts can be just as useful for a thief as your passwords or mother’s maiden name. Emily writes that a good method for keeping your receipt info out of the hands of thieves is “Clear those receipts out each night, shredding the ones you don’t need. But for receipts you save, keep them safe by going digital. Apps such as Lemon and Shoeboxed create and categorize digital copies of your receipts and business cards.

Remember that we live in an age of technology; nothing out there is unavailable for someone who has the right resources or access to the right information, being a little more careful with what we do with our personal information can ultimately save us more than just money, it can save us our peace of mind.

Farewell To Andy Griffith

Born June 1, 1926, died July 3,2012, Andy Griffith was a man who most came to know and love as the star of the 1960–1968 situation comedy The Andy Griffith Show. Although some of his earlier work may not be as well known as his famed role as the calm cool headed sheriff of Mayberry, I think it would be well worth it for fans of his to check out some of his earliest works as a  monologist.

My favorite of these long stories is What it Was, Was Football, a hysterical monolog where a rural country boy tries to explain football. To hear for yourself his brilliant delivery technique, you can check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNxLxTZHKM8

Perhaps his best known work was his Television show “The Andy Griffith Show” with the amazing talent of his co-star Don Knotts, in the role of Deputy Barney Fife, Taylor's best friend and partner. He was also Taylor's cousin in the show.

Other costars included Ron Howard (then known as Ronny Howard), who played Taylor's only child, Opie Taylor, and Jim Nabors, who played Gomer Pyle.

It might surprise some people to know that in spite of his long career in radio, television, and even movies, Andy never won an Emmy, although he did go on to win many other awards such as:

  A Grammy Award for Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album for I Love to Tell the Story — 25 Timeless Hymns in 1997.

       In October 2002, an 11-mile (18 km) stretch of US Highway 52 that passes through Mount Airy was dedicated as the Andy Griffith Parkway.

        He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bush on November 9, 2005. (This is the highest award a civilian can win in America)

      In 2007, he was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

According to an article on Yahoo. TV at: http://tv.yahoo.com/photos/andy-griffith-1926-2012-five-surprising-facts-slideshow/

“He was a Southern boy through and through, Griffith didn’t just play a good old country boy on TV; he proudly celebrated his North Carolina heritage throughout his life. Born in Mount Airy, NC in 1926, Griffith graduated from the University of North Carolina and set his “Andy Griffith Show” in his home state, in the fictional town of Mayberry (said to be based on Mount Airy). And he was a tar heel right up until the end; he passed away on July 3 in the town of Manteo, NC.”

Goodbye Andy, we will miss your timeless sense of humor, honor, and small town loyalty.