To the average person, reading about human heads being compared to that of rotisserie chickens may be a bit uncomfortable. However, that is exactly what you would find attending a facial anatomy and face-lift refresher course. The human heads were put on display by a woman named Theresa. She was in charge of also choosing the color of the cloth sheets, lavender for this particular day, which would be placed over each cadaver head while the plastic surgeons waited to begin. Another woman, Yvonne was also helping out with this event. Her official title was the Lab Manager, which meant that it was her job to remove the heads from the cadaver bodies with the use of a saw. Through talking for a while with Theresa, we learn that by viewing these human heads as objects rather than the human heads they actually are, it is much easier to do the job. These surgical seminars are crucially helpful for surgeons looking for refreshing practice before they put the scalpel into their patients. Marilena, a reconstructive plastic surgeon, was attending the convention to learn how to better do the facelift procedure. She thought it would be a huge benefit to the patient that she brush up on her face lift techniques prior to the time of the actual surgical procedure. It is difficult however, for these conventions to even be able to take place. With priority for cadavers to be sent to anatomy labs, many surgical conventions, where cadavers are actually present, are fairly rare. Ronn Wade, the director of the Anatomical Services Division at the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine, is currently working to change this system and offer a better balance to suite both needs.
Throughout history, there have been numerous ways people, usually holding a high rank in the area of anatomy, would go about collecting bodies to study. Beginning in Egypt, not only were bodies cut open and dissected as a part of the mummification process, but the King during 300 B.C. deemed it acceptable to use executed criminals for the sole purpose of dissection. Those beliefs continued well into sixteenth century Britain. However, since the laws of that time included crimes such as stealing a pig and killing a man to be punishable by death, the government decided another severe punishment needed to be included in addition to just death. Toward the eighteenth century, it became law that for the severe crimes, like murder, the criminal would face death and his body would then be sent to an anatomy lab as a cadaver. These new practices didn’t solve the cadaver shortages anatomists were still facing though. With several anatomists not comfortable with “cutting up” their own deceased family members, many had to resort to stealing bodies. Some anatomy instructors would even encourage their students to go on late night grave-raids if they weren’t comfortable stealing the bodies themselves. This evolved into what seemed like a black market for dead bodies. People took it upon themselves, once they realized there was money to be made, to steal bodies for the purpose of using them as cadavers for the field of medicine. Realizing that the anatomy problem had “gotten quite out of hand”, the British Parliament questioned if to learn the study of anatomy, one really needed to practice on actual non-living human bodies. Clearly, coming to the conclusion that it is absolutely necessary for soon-to-be medical professionals to get a sneak peak on deceased individuals rather than seeing inside of a human for the first time on a living individual, Parliament decided something needed to be brought forth to have a larger community of available cadavers. In the 1960’s, the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act was passed. This act raised awareness of the need for organs for transplantation and of body donation as an option. Along with the passing of this new act and the increasing cost of funerals, more and more people have come around to the idea of anatomical gift giving.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Music Review Essay
Notes over Coffee
Have you ever wondered how jazz music made its way from the southern areas of America, like New Orleans and Tennessee, to become popular in nearly almost every other somewhat populous American city? Jazz music is an art form which originated in the early twentieth century. The music was primarily popular in African American communities in the Southern United States. The original forms of jazz were a confluence of African and European music traditions. Throughout the years, jazz has evolved into different subgenres depending on the musical tastes of the artist. Glad Panda, the featured artists at the Eau Claire Jazz Festival on March 11, 2009, is the result of the collaborations of several local Eau Claire jazz musicians. By each bringing their own unique talents to the venue, and some synthetic mustaches, they shared their music not only consisting of your typical idea of jazz music, but some compositions swinging more towards the alternative rock side of the genre spectrum.
Walking across the main street of downtown Eau Claire, I could already hear the vibrant clashing of the symbols and the thump that would soon make my heart vibrate in my chest due to the heavy bass of the drum. I had no idea what to expect out of Glad Panda as I continued my pace toward the loud sound, but was anxious to locate Eau Claire’s next big music craving. I opened the door of my destination where the sounds I had been hearing from the sidewalk across the street where amplified by numerous degrees. The espresso smelling restaurant, a well-known place in Eau Claire to meet for coffee or enjoy a hoagie, was packed to capacity with people. From students, to younger couples, to groups of retired-aged friends, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves in the dimly lit Acoustic Café with Glad Panda.
My eyes immediately were drawn to the drummer, Karl Markgraf, wearing a plain T-shirt to go along with his synthetic mustache and long, shaggy hair. He had an essence about him that drew attention to him out of the one other band member sharing the stage. The unpronounced band member, Patrick Kuehn, whom sat on a tall, wooden stool, had curly, tangled blonde hair, almost resembling that of a mop. Following their first song, parts of which reminded me of a familiar main-stream band, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, they jokingly told the audience that their black, bushy mustaches were indeed synthetic. Their first impression on me led me to believe that they were down to Earth, not to mention that when a portion of their drum set fell off of the stage towards the end of their first song, they kept playing their song, just like that particular instrument had no right to continue its presence on that stage. Once their first song came to an end, the musicians just up and left the stage to go sit at the long-rectangular table of friends, and once they felt like playing again, they jumped back up onto the stage only to ask their friends and the rest of the audience what they should play next.
For the following song, two new faces came onto the stage, bringing with them two new instruments. A saxophone player, someone whom you would originally think of when the thought of traditional jazz music came to mind and the other new jazz musician to the stage brought with him a bass, the largest stringed instrument of the violin family. This next song was a more “jazzy” type of composition. The artists gathered around a music stand this time, leading me to believe that this second song was a more traditional jazz song, one of which wasn’t made up in a garage during a teenaged band practice. The song, although traditional, was relaxing, yet upbeat. A song you could casually sip your hot coffee to on the cold Thursday Eau Claire night.
For the next song at this particular jazz festival, a clean-cut, college-aged singer was added. He had strawberry blonde hair and housed black, thick rimmed glasses around his eyes. He had a voice which reminded me of being on a cruise ship, listening to Frank Sinatra sing over the speakers in the formal dining room. This song, unsure if the comfort level was reached or the song just held a specific meaning, but the musicians’ body language seemed to begin to match their relaxing song. The drummer had his eyes shut while still hitting the drums, the bassist plucked the strings while swaying his shoulders side to side, the guitarist had his head hung over his lap while tapping his foot to the beat of the drum across the stage, and the saxophonist swayed back and forth while his fingers glided over the keys precisely at the right moment.
As a college freshman in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, I don’t consider myself to have had much introduction to music other than the songs I’ve heard on the radio throughout my life. By attending this specific night of the Eau Claire Jazz Festival, I feel I was able to broaden my horizons in the area of music genres and share the passion the artists have for it. By experiencing new forms of music, one is able to connect with people and really “get into” the music as well as the musician’s frame of mind, which offers you an insight into their life as an artist.
Have you ever wondered how jazz music made its way from the southern areas of America, like New Orleans and Tennessee, to become popular in nearly almost every other somewhat populous American city? Jazz music is an art form which originated in the early twentieth century. The music was primarily popular in African American communities in the Southern United States. The original forms of jazz were a confluence of African and European music traditions. Throughout the years, jazz has evolved into different subgenres depending on the musical tastes of the artist. Glad Panda, the featured artists at the Eau Claire Jazz Festival on March 11, 2009, is the result of the collaborations of several local Eau Claire jazz musicians. By each bringing their own unique talents to the venue, and some synthetic mustaches, they shared their music not only consisting of your typical idea of jazz music, but some compositions swinging more towards the alternative rock side of the genre spectrum.
Walking across the main street of downtown Eau Claire, I could already hear the vibrant clashing of the symbols and the thump that would soon make my heart vibrate in my chest due to the heavy bass of the drum. I had no idea what to expect out of Glad Panda as I continued my pace toward the loud sound, but was anxious to locate Eau Claire’s next big music craving. I opened the door of my destination where the sounds I had been hearing from the sidewalk across the street where amplified by numerous degrees. The espresso smelling restaurant, a well-known place in Eau Claire to meet for coffee or enjoy a hoagie, was packed to capacity with people. From students, to younger couples, to groups of retired-aged friends, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves in the dimly lit Acoustic Café with Glad Panda.
My eyes immediately were drawn to the drummer, Karl Markgraf, wearing a plain T-shirt to go along with his synthetic mustache and long, shaggy hair. He had an essence about him that drew attention to him out of the one other band member sharing the stage. The unpronounced band member, Patrick Kuehn, whom sat on a tall, wooden stool, had curly, tangled blonde hair, almost resembling that of a mop. Following their first song, parts of which reminded me of a familiar main-stream band, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, they jokingly told the audience that their black, bushy mustaches were indeed synthetic. Their first impression on me led me to believe that they were down to Earth, not to mention that when a portion of their drum set fell off of the stage towards the end of their first song, they kept playing their song, just like that particular instrument had no right to continue its presence on that stage. Once their first song came to an end, the musicians just up and left the stage to go sit at the long-rectangular table of friends, and once they felt like playing again, they jumped back up onto the stage only to ask their friends and the rest of the audience what they should play next.
For the following song, two new faces came onto the stage, bringing with them two new instruments. A saxophone player, someone whom you would originally think of when the thought of traditional jazz music came to mind and the other new jazz musician to the stage brought with him a bass, the largest stringed instrument of the violin family. This next song was a more “jazzy” type of composition. The artists gathered around a music stand this time, leading me to believe that this second song was a more traditional jazz song, one of which wasn’t made up in a garage during a teenaged band practice. The song, although traditional, was relaxing, yet upbeat. A song you could casually sip your hot coffee to on the cold Thursday Eau Claire night.
For the next song at this particular jazz festival, a clean-cut, college-aged singer was added. He had strawberry blonde hair and housed black, thick rimmed glasses around his eyes. He had a voice which reminded me of being on a cruise ship, listening to Frank Sinatra sing over the speakers in the formal dining room. This song, unsure if the comfort level was reached or the song just held a specific meaning, but the musicians’ body language seemed to begin to match their relaxing song. The drummer had his eyes shut while still hitting the drums, the bassist plucked the strings while swaying his shoulders side to side, the guitarist had his head hung over his lap while tapping his foot to the beat of the drum across the stage, and the saxophonist swayed back and forth while his fingers glided over the keys precisely at the right moment.
As a college freshman in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, I don’t consider myself to have had much introduction to music other than the songs I’ve heard on the radio throughout my life. By attending this specific night of the Eau Claire Jazz Festival, I feel I was able to broaden my horizons in the area of music genres and share the passion the artists have for it. By experiencing new forms of music, one is able to connect with people and really “get into” the music as well as the musician’s frame of mind, which offers you an insight into their life as an artist.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
My Playlist
The Soundtrack of Excitement:
1.) "Live Your Life" by Rihanna and T.I.2.) "Hustler's Music" by Lil Wayne
3.) "Landslide" by Stevie Nicks
4.) "Johnny and June" by Heidi Newfield
5.) "Snow" by The Red Hot Chili Peppers
6.) " Circus" by Britney Spears
7.) "Settlin" by Sugarland
8.) "Halo" by Beyonce
9.) "I Love College" by Asher Roth
10.) "Wasted" by Carrie Underwood (Theme Song)
I think that my classmate did a pretty good job at making inferences about my playlist. At first, I was really worried about what kind of responses I would see when I got my playlist handed back to me. But, I was relieved that the person didn’t think I some kind of huge weirdo after seeing what kind of music I liked. I listen to a very wide variety of music. By looking at my iPod, I think it would be very hard for someone to make any interpretations of my personality. So I knew it would not only be difficult for me to come up with only ten songs to describe me as a person, but also for someone to make inferences of me based solely off of those ten songs.
The songs that I picked for my personal playlist almost all have some kind of meaning to me and my life. Some of the songs represent more of a fun side. Being in college, it is fun to go out on the weekends and hang out with friends and have a good time. But some of my other songs represent where I want to go in life. I don’t want to have regrets or ever have to say “coulda, shoulda, woulda”. I want to live my life the way I want to live it and dream big and accomplish everything that I set my mind to. Just make the most of the life I have. I get introduced to almost all the music I listen to through the radio. I never just go searching online or on iTunes for new types of music. To me, when you listen to music via the radio, you are able to put that particular song into a time period. Then, if you listen to older songs that you haven’t listened to in a while, you are able to recollect on memories that you had that that song reminds you of from that specific time in your life.
Ethnography
1.) Shanna: prefers to study in her dorm room where it’s relaxing. She usually reads over her notes and occasionally makes flashcards/ note cards.
Aubrey: prefers to study in the library (on the 5th floor where it’s very quiet). She studies by making diagrams, flashcards, concept maps, anything to write things repetitively.
Mel: prefers to study in either the library (on the 4th floor) or in her dorm room. She studies by re-writing her notes and making charts and flashcards.
Josh: prefers to study in his dorm room. He reads over his notes to study.
Katie: prefers to study in her dorm room or in the study lounge next door to her dorm room. She studies by reading the textbook chapters and looking over her notes.
2.) I talked to Paulina, who is attending UW-Eau Claire from Spain. She said college life in the United States is way different than the typical college life in Spain. First of all, many students attending colleges in Spain don’t live in dorms. Instead, they continue to live with their parents after high school is over until you are able to afford to buy your own home. She said that the degree programs were also very different. In Spain, you end up going to school a couple years longer to get a bachelor’s degree than you have to go to school here in the United States.
3.) An “XF” is an X-Factor. By definition, an x-factor is a hard-to-describe influence or quality; an important element with unknown consequences. An X-Factor can affect anyone, but is hard to describe since it is not something concrete. Many people often assume an X-Factor to being negative. However, in some situations, it can be assumed that the X-Factor is something positive. Basically, when anything goes wrong or if something unexpectedly goes right, people often feel that there was some kind of uncontrollable force that had an influence in the outcome.
4.) I talked with two professors here at UW-Eau Claire about their history as college educators. My math professor from last semester, mentioned a lot about the level of technology available compared to twenty years ago when he starting teaching. Not only the technology in the classroom, but also the technology that students have available to them. I also quickly talked with my anatomy/physiology lab professor. She has been teaching at the college level for four years. She said that she hasn’t really noticed much of a change from her first year students to her students she has today. Since, she usually is working with freshman, sophomores, and juniors, they typically act similar when comparing them in only about a four year span.
5.) The popular bronze sculpture located on lower campus, known as “Sprites”, was built by Paul Granlund in 1979. It was originally kept in the Haas Fine Arts Center, but was later moved to the campus mall, where it remains today. To me, this sculpture represents a meaning of unity. Three people from different backgrounds and different walks of life, attending UW-Eau Claire to reside and learn as one.
6.) The UW-Eau Claire mascot has had many misinterpretations. The term “blugold” can simply refer to the school colors. But when trying to come up with an actual mascot, there is really no animal or familiar figure to represent the term “blugold”. One student has even gone to great lengths to get a blugold mascot costume made. His interpretation resembles a bird but everyone is entitled to their own idea of what a blugold is to them.
7.) On Wednesday, March 11, 2009, at Eau Claire’s Acoustic Café, there will be an Eau Claire Jazz Festival. This particular jazz festival is known as Glad Panda. Glad Panda is a collaboration of several local Eau Claire Jazz musicians. They will be playing some of their own original compositions as well as some of the more familiar jazz ensembles, all taking place in the calming, Acoustic Café.
Aubrey: prefers to study in the library (on the 5th floor where it’s very quiet). She studies by making diagrams, flashcards, concept maps, anything to write things repetitively.
Mel: prefers to study in either the library (on the 4th floor) or in her dorm room. She studies by re-writing her notes and making charts and flashcards.
Josh: prefers to study in his dorm room. He reads over his notes to study.
Katie: prefers to study in her dorm room or in the study lounge next door to her dorm room. She studies by reading the textbook chapters and looking over her notes.
2.) I talked to Paulina, who is attending UW-Eau Claire from Spain. She said college life in the United States is way different than the typical college life in Spain. First of all, many students attending colleges in Spain don’t live in dorms. Instead, they continue to live with their parents after high school is over until you are able to afford to buy your own home. She said that the degree programs were also very different. In Spain, you end up going to school a couple years longer to get a bachelor’s degree than you have to go to school here in the United States.
3.) An “XF” is an X-Factor. By definition, an x-factor is a hard-to-describe influence or quality; an important element with unknown consequences. An X-Factor can affect anyone, but is hard to describe since it is not something concrete. Many people often assume an X-Factor to being negative. However, in some situations, it can be assumed that the X-Factor is something positive. Basically, when anything goes wrong or if something unexpectedly goes right, people often feel that there was some kind of uncontrollable force that had an influence in the outcome.
4.) I talked with two professors here at UW-Eau Claire about their history as college educators. My math professor from last semester, mentioned a lot about the level of technology available compared to twenty years ago when he starting teaching. Not only the technology in the classroom, but also the technology that students have available to them. I also quickly talked with my anatomy/physiology lab professor. She has been teaching at the college level for four years. She said that she hasn’t really noticed much of a change from her first year students to her students she has today. Since, she usually is working with freshman, sophomores, and juniors, they typically act similar when comparing them in only about a four year span.
5.) The popular bronze sculpture located on lower campus, known as “Sprites”, was built by Paul Granlund in 1979. It was originally kept in the Haas Fine Arts Center, but was later moved to the campus mall, where it remains today. To me, this sculpture represents a meaning of unity. Three people from different backgrounds and different walks of life, attending UW-Eau Claire to reside and learn as one.
6.) The UW-Eau Claire mascot has had many misinterpretations. The term “blugold” can simply refer to the school colors. But when trying to come up with an actual mascot, there is really no animal or familiar figure to represent the term “blugold”. One student has even gone to great lengths to get a blugold mascot costume made. His interpretation resembles a bird but everyone is entitled to their own idea of what a blugold is to them.
7.) On Wednesday, March 11, 2009, at Eau Claire’s Acoustic Café, there will be an Eau Claire Jazz Festival. This particular jazz festival is known as Glad Panda. Glad Panda is a collaboration of several local Eau Claire Jazz musicians. They will be playing some of their own original compositions as well as some of the more familiar jazz ensembles, all taking place in the calming, Acoustic Café.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Food Review Essay
Indulging In Simplicity
Walking up to Mancino’s, the end-cap of a band of businesses, all connected by the cement foundation erected from the pavement, it was beyond evening dining hours. The familiarity of what I was seeing immediately brought back memories of my first weekend in Eau Claire; the day after move-in for freshman college students, the memory of when my friend and I ventured off campus, in search of something as close to a ‘real meal’ as we could find without departing for back home. At about 7:00, a couple hours after sunset, I was about to embark on my Sunday dining experience. I walked into the cement-colored building, through a corner shaved entranceway, to smell an aroma of Italian sauces, mozzarella cheese, and the fresh grains baked deep inside the bread. Eager to begin my meal, I strolled over to the wall to the right of me, where the menu cropped the wall with numerous appetizing options. Once realizing which meal would satisfy my Italian craving, I stepped toward the man in a blue employee t-shirt and a white Mancino’s team-member visor, to relay what I was craving for dinner. He looked at me genuinely then replayed what I said onto a yellow padded paper. He raised his head up to make eye contact once again, wondering if I was going to be eating in the restaurant or taking my dinner elsewhere. I confirmed that I would be dining in and with that he tore the written on piece of paper away from the rest of the pad and handed it to his fellow Mancino’s teammate, whom had the duty to construct the food order. The original employee, who took my order, wandered back to the cash register where he proceeded to punch a few keys, eventually coming up with a monetary total for my request. An undersized $4.13 deemed appropriate for the small pizza grinder, a Mancino’s specialty, in which I ordered.
I seated myself, walking past an oversized mirror, weaving among the wide variety of booths and tables, and found a long table to accompany the group I was with. We sat among the picture covered white walls in black metal chairs on top of a vivid red, rubber cushion. Cleverly, the two colors psychologically associated most with hunger. Looking at the different pictures hung snug to the walls in an evenly, organized pattern, reminded me of presently residing in the Midwestern portion of the country. Numerous species of native ducks and birds, in vivid color, rested on the walls, halfway up the wall, superior to the maple-wooded chair rail. The unmatched décor looked as though it should belong in a red meat, beer filled sports bar rather than an Italian inspired “mom n’ pop” business. We sat amid the quiet under-filled restaurant, with a popular local radio station humming softly among the background of our conversations. After enjoying the company of each other for two handfuls of minutes, until the familiar face of the order-taking team member, wallowed over to our table of six with an oversized tray resting on his hand, parallel to his head. He gracefully set the tray of dinners to rest on the table nearest to ours, where he began to unload them in pairs. I looked in front of me, downward at the dark green plastic meal holder at a halt on the table. The screen-printed wax paper was colorless except for the Mancino’s logo and slogan. “For the best hot sandwich in town…grab a grinder!” I read with expression in my voice, anxiously awaiting that first bite.
Walking up to Mancino’s, the end-cap of a band of businesses, all connected by the cement foundation erected from the pavement, it was beyond evening dining hours. The familiarity of what I was seeing immediately brought back memories of my first weekend in Eau Claire; the day after move-in for freshman college students, the memory of when my friend and I ventured off campus, in search of something as close to a ‘real meal’ as we could find without departing for back home. At about 7:00, a couple hours after sunset, I was about to embark on my Sunday dining experience. I walked into the cement-colored building, through a corner shaved entranceway, to smell an aroma of Italian sauces, mozzarella cheese, and the fresh grains baked deep inside the bread. Eager to begin my meal, I strolled over to the wall to the right of me, where the menu cropped the wall with numerous appetizing options. Once realizing which meal would satisfy my Italian craving, I stepped toward the man in a blue employee t-shirt and a white Mancino’s team-member visor, to relay what I was craving for dinner. He looked at me genuinely then replayed what I said onto a yellow padded paper. He raised his head up to make eye contact once again, wondering if I was going to be eating in the restaurant or taking my dinner elsewhere. I confirmed that I would be dining in and with that he tore the written on piece of paper away from the rest of the pad and handed it to his fellow Mancino’s teammate, whom had the duty to construct the food order. The original employee, who took my order, wandered back to the cash register where he proceeded to punch a few keys, eventually coming up with a monetary total for my request. An undersized $4.13 deemed appropriate for the small pizza grinder, a Mancino’s specialty, in which I ordered.
I seated myself, walking past an oversized mirror, weaving among the wide variety of booths and tables, and found a long table to accompany the group I was with. We sat among the picture covered white walls in black metal chairs on top of a vivid red, rubber cushion. Cleverly, the two colors psychologically associated most with hunger. Looking at the different pictures hung snug to the walls in an evenly, organized pattern, reminded me of presently residing in the Midwestern portion of the country. Numerous species of native ducks and birds, in vivid color, rested on the walls, halfway up the wall, superior to the maple-wooded chair rail. The unmatched décor looked as though it should belong in a red meat, beer filled sports bar rather than an Italian inspired “mom n’ pop” business. We sat amid the quiet under-filled restaurant, with a popular local radio station humming softly among the background of our conversations. After enjoying the company of each other for two handfuls of minutes, until the familiar face of the order-taking team member, wallowed over to our table of six with an oversized tray resting on his hand, parallel to his head. He gracefully set the tray of dinners to rest on the table nearest to ours, where he began to unload them in pairs. I looked in front of me, downward at the dark green plastic meal holder at a halt on the table. The screen-printed wax paper was colorless except for the Mancino’s logo and slogan. “For the best hot sandwich in town…grab a grinder!” I read with expression in my voice, anxiously awaiting that first bite.
The pizza grinder lay perfectly in the middle, the aroma of Italian cuisine arising from it; the scents ranging from the whole grains of the freshly baked bread, to the garlic seasoning in each pepperoni on the very inside of the sandwich. The spiciness mixed with the tanginess upon the subtle essence of the bread was a match made in Italian heaven. On the far left side of the small plastic basket laid a stemmed pickle spear, contradicting the Italian flavor of the restaurant. I picked up the famous grinder, droplets of grease spilling out from the inferior end of the specialty sandwich and splattering onto the wax paper beneath it. The first bite tasted as true to life as the business owners hoped their slogan to be. I processed the food back and forth in my mouth, moving it across the sensory receptors on my tongue, and taking in every last tasteful moment. The taste delivered just what the smell had promised. I set the flavorsome grinder back to its original position within the basket. With everyone seeming to be having a commonly pleasant experience with their food orders, our conversations were able to mimic the strings of clear lights bordering the trim of the windows, and freely flow. It became easy to see why Mancino’s is one of the best kept secrets, unique to the Eau Claire community.
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