Geppi's Entertainment Museum

This past weekend I visited Geppi's Entertainment Museum and to my surprise I found the exhibit very interesting. Before entering the museum I did not know what to expect and came out with an amazing appreciation for old forms of art. Overall, I really liked the setup and how it gradually went from the past, to everything he had collected, to the future and how different forms of art have developed. I think the museum contains several pieces of history and things from the past that we do not recognize everyday.

The comic book collection had caught my attention immediately, because I never took the time to notice how many comic series there were, and the different superheroes and villains that exist besides, Superman and Batman. Many of my childhood television shows sprung up from comic book collections. The very first DC Comic entered the public eye around 1930, only costing ten cent. Although the comics date back so late, there are still great deals of them on the market today. Furthermore, as I was leaving the comic book exhibit and I was able to view one of the latest edition comics through a computerized show. It amazes me how one of the first editions were hand drawn, and today we can view them with 3-D glasses and filled front to back with color, it goes to show you how much things have changed over the years.

As I continued to walk through the museum I took great interest in the 3-D pictures that hung in the corner by Superman. I found this very intriguing because my cousin use to design 3-D portraits like the ones framed in the museum. On the other hand, if I had to say that there was one thing that I did not find very eye catching would be the room filled with dolls, boats, trains, marbles, and other toys that were designed specifically to educate the youth. In my opinion, I was a little creped out by the way the dolls were set up, and how bland the actual arrangement was displayed. As I was exiting the room something caught my eye, it was Yellow Kid. I started to read about Yellow kid and how he emerged as the lead character in Hogan’s Alley which became one of the first Sunday comic strips in American newspapers.

Throughout my childhood I always remembered the Looney Toons and several other play figures, along with Barbie, and the McDonalds nugget collection that you could re-dress and play with. I was very excited to see how certain collections evolved over years and what they are today. I was expecting to view more about different time periods and the shifts that had occurred from one item to another, but by the time I left the museum I did not feel that there was anything controversial within the exhibit, only artifacts from the past that I grew up on and enjoyed as a child.

Finally, in the beginning of the tour we were given a card that you could scan and test your knowledge of what you had seen. I had answered 7 questions correctly and skipped only one. I had to ask the staff members, “what can I buy a duck with?” In the end I walked away with a free comic book from the DC characters. All in all, I was very excited to step out of the norms and visit Geppi’s Entertainment Museum because it opened my eyes to a lot of new and exciting things that I had no clue were even out there.

Declared Topic for the Semester

The topic that I have declared to use throughout the semester will be the television show Csi:Miami. Csi:Miami in my point of view is a lot better then the other typical "Csi" shows that have almost the same plot,but in a different state or city. The television series consists of murder victims who have been left on the streets of Miami and families questions left to be answered. Horatio Caine, the lead detective works with several other specialists to investigate the crime scene and collect any evidence that could possibly lead them to their suspect. Working within the group of investigators under Caines supervision is; Calleigh Dusquene who is a specialists in ballistics, not to mention the teams bilingual communicator. There is also Eric Delko, he is usually the one who recovers underwater evidence and has a great eye for tire markings and fiber comparement. After the body is brought into the lab forsenic expert, Alexx Woods examines the body and gives the full report of what the victim had died from. Then there is Natalia Boa Vista along with Ryan Wolfe, who study within the lab looking over genetics and comparing body dna. Finally, Det. Frank Tripp is one of the oldest memebers of Horatios team and he works specifically with youth and gang violence. In conclusion, I look forward to working on my topic throughout the semester.

AMST 325 Spring '08 blog #1

My name is Amanda Fefel. I am 19 years young and reside in Arbutus, Md with my wonderful parents and younger sister Ashley. We live right off the UMBC campus which is where I attend college and play Division 1 softball for the retrievers. I attended Catonsville High School where I excelled in Softball, Soccer, and academics which led me to my endeavors at UMBC.
In high school I was a two time Baltimore County Player of the Year by the Baltimore Sun, a four-time All-Metro honoree by The Sun, Named MVP of my high school team all four years and posted a 17-4 record and a 0.80 ERA with 211 strikeouts in 124 innings. As a senior I compiled a career record of 58-9 with 769 strikeouts in four years and batted cleanup for my travel ball team the Comets hitting .466 with four home runs, 21 RBI’s and 22 runs scored. I pitched a perfect game in the regional championship, striking out 19 batters which led the Comets to the county title in 2003 and 2005 and to the regional title and state championship game in 2003 and 2006. I was also a member of the National Honor Society and Best Buddies.
I am currently attending UMBC and more specifically taking American Studies 325 because it is part of my minor curriculum in which I have to complete before graduation. This course also flows with my Marketing major and allows me to see the different sides of culture in today’s society and specific trends that are occurring.
In today’s society, trends dictate how we grow up, learn, and think. I would like to learn about past trends and events that have shaped the world we live in and have forced or society to act. I understand that popular culture does not just express what shoes are in or what music is hip, but politics and social events as well. The insight I hope to gain from this class is how gender roles have changed over the decades and how society’s influence forces the sexes and races to act in the general public.
In my opinion America is such a large consumer as a whole that I am merely a small time consumer. However if I am compared to a third world citizen my consumption is rather large. The question “how much do I consume” is far to vague to be answered in a simple numerical sense.
As an American consumer my favorite products are shoes, Television (especially CSI Miami), make up cosmetics, and jewelry. In my life presently popular culture to me is visiting the hippest night clubs so I look forward to expanding my horizons while learning what popular culture is really about.

http://http://umbc.facebook.com/profile.php?id=15212949&ref=ts

3 Topics

-Rascal Flatts

-CSI Miami

-Facebook