Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Mandy

From Dreamedia - 'Creative Event Production'; http://www.dreamediant.com.au/event-management.htm
Interesting sample company! 

Wikipedia - Event Management (pretty dry, but with info on potential school courses)

EventManagement.com - how-to's for lots of different types of events


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Being a new mom - adjustments!

'How Becoming a Mom Changes You (For the Better)'

'Being a Mother Brings New Blessings'


Miranda Kerr on motherhood:



This doesn't necessarily speak much to Mandy's actual situation in the play, but may be helpful for mindset (as far as the things the mothers are 'reflecting' on). It's nice.

Funny. Series of very short videos.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Movies

Psycho - a 1960 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock that describes the encounter between an embezzling secretary (Janet Leigh) and the owner/manager of the Bates Motel (Anthony Perkins).


IMDB page

Wikipedia page - includes summary





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Brazil - a 1985 British sci-fi fantasy directed by Terry Gilliam, described as a 'dystopian satire' that has achieved cult status. The movie is named after the recurring theme song, 'Aquarela do Brasil'.



IMDB page

Wikipedia page - with summary




Clip 1 of 10 - follow to YouTube for more clips



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Invasion of the Body Snatchers - a 1956 sci-fi directed by Don Siegel. In a small California town alien invaders replace humans with perfect (albeit emotionless) replicas, and a local doctor discovers the plot.


IMDB page

Wikipedia page - with summary

Trailer:




A.O. Scott talks about the film:

Monday, December 17, 2012

Mosul Market

Mosul is a city in northern Iraq, about 250 miles northwest of Baghdad, standing on the banks of the Tigris river. With its dry summers and cool, rainy winters, the city receives more moisture than most of the rest of Iraq. The third largest in Iraq, the city has been continuously occupied for over 2000 years.

Mosul city map
Houses in old Mosul

The Wikipedia page describes military movement and uprisings in the city for the last 10 years, section 2.5. Check it out.

Below are images of markets (the souk) in Mosul, Baghdad, and other Iraqi cities.

1932 photograph, Mosul
Most 'market' images contain soldiers patrolling.



The market in Baghdad is faced with a blast wall.




PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a potentially debilitating anxiety disorder triggered by exposure to a traumatic experience such as an interpersonal event like physical or sexual assault, exposure to disaster or accidents, combat or witnessing a traumatic event.                                           - found here



This is a good basic overview of PTSD from the U.S. National Library of Medicine and PubMed Health 

WebMD provides a somewhat more expansive overview

The Wikipedia page has quite a bit of good information, but it also has a LOT of detailed clinical information (such as neurological activity and medical applications) that may not be as useful.

It is evident that early diagnosis and treatment can frequently keep the disorder from developing into a trauma. 


From a 2010 PBS documentary entitled 'This Emotional Life'


Another clip: Bob talks about the effects of PTSD on his life:


Lisa French was on the bus bombed in London in July 2009:



News interview with PTSD veteran:



Here a soldier talks about PTSD and describes some of his own symptoms - his explanatory information comes from the same sources I've listed above.





Friday, December 14, 2012

Astrid

Per Isaac's request to find the story of the 'Astrid' who was in love with John Lennon, here's what I found:

A self-portrait

Astrid Kirchherr was a German fashion design student in Hamburg when she discovered a talent for black-and-white photography. In 1960 she a pair of friends heard rock-n-roll for the first time when they listened to a new group called 'The Beatles' play in a club in a shady part of town. Astrid became fixated with the band, and after they eventually met she asked if she could do a photo shoot with them at a fairground in Hamburg. These pictures of the Beatles have become iconic, showing the band in their early rough, 'greaser' stages. By 1960 Astrid and Stuart Sutcliffe (the band's drummer at the time) were together, becoming engaged. She was evidently close friends with John Lennon as well, and he wrote about her to his girlfriend frequently, but the relationship does not seem to have gone any further.

Kirchherr is often credited with creating the Beatles' famous 'mop-top' haircut, though she always said she only cut Stuart's hair into a style lots of German boys were already wearing. An artist at heart, Stuart left the Beatles to return to painting classes (apparently with Astrid's encouragement and without much animosity from the band), and died suddenly of a brain hemorrhage in 1962. Astrid became a freelance photographer in 1964 and was given specific permission to take behind-the-scenes photos of the Beatles filming 'A Hard Day's Night'. She gave up photography in 1967 as people were uninterested in any of her pictures that did not feature the boys from Liverpool. Astrid evidently lost touch with John Lennon in the '70's, but did stay in contact with the other members of the band.

John Lennon by Astrid Kirchherr
She doesn't seem to have been as abrasive or assertive as Richard's Astrid, but is credited with a very strong presence and personality.


Wikipedia page
NPR interview with Astrid Kirchherr
Astrid's photos of the Beatles
John and Yoko, Astrid and Stu

Monday, December 10, 2012

Locations - Africa


Sudan
An Arab state in North Africa just below Egypt; includes the Darfur region in the west of Sudan, site of the 3-year conflict. The country is made up mostly of flat plains, broken up by mountain ranges, and incorporating the Nubian Desert to the North down to swamps, rainforest, and a six-month rainy season in the South. Southern Sudan voted for independence and split the country in 2011.



Northern Sudan
Southern Sudanese soldier
Refugees and displaced citizens

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Sierra Leone
A relatively small, tropical country on the coast of West Africa. A major producer of gold, titanium, and diamonds. (Blood diamonds)


Looking for gold and diamonds

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Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo is the second-largest country in Africa, and the most populous officially Francophone nation. The DRC and the Republic of Congo straddle the Congo River in Central Africa, and the area is primarily tropical/rainforest.

‘The Second Congo War, beginning in 1998, devastated the country and is sometimes referred to as the “African world war” because it involved nine African nations and some twenty armed groups.’ Fighting still continues in the east. Rape and sexual violence are overwhelmingly prevalent in the area, and over 5.4 million people have died since 1998 – mostly due to malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia and malnutrition.

Refugees fleeing an attack in the Northern Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13283212


Dec.2, 2012 - NYTimes on the Congo

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Somalia
A country created in 1960 by merging two territories, a former British protectorate and an Italian colony, and encompassing the ‘Horn of Africa’. A secure government has never successfully been established, and constant unrest and lack of authority enabled Somali pirates to become a major threat to international shipping in the area. Severe drought in recent years has led to tens of thousands leaving for Ethiopia and Kenya in search of food.






 Mogadishu – the largest city in Somalia and the nation’s capital




Locations - US


Williamsburg, Brooklyn


South Williamsburg - warehouses, conversions, lofts
Williamsburg Bridge to NYC
Corner Neighborhood and Chinese take-out
Williamsburg City Park
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williamsburg,_Brooklyn

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Westchester, NY
A primarily suburban county just north of NYC. Established the country's first amusement park.




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Palm Springs
A desert resort city in the Coachella Valley in Riverside County, California. A protected micro-climate, the area was originally popularized by those seeking relief from health issues in the dry desert air, and is now known for the hot springs and golf courses. Tourism is a major industry, and the town is popular with celebrities and retirees.



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Stanford (University)
One of the most prestigious universities in the world, Stanford is a private research school located in Standford, California.





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Bear Stearns – a global investment bank and securities trading firm based in New York (former stock exchange ticker symbol BSC), founded in 1923 and sold upon collapse to JP Morgan Chase in 2008. JPMorgan stopped using the Bear Stearns name in 2010.