THE PROTOFESTIVAL BY GUTOWSKI

SUMMARY
So the first thing this article starts to talk about is big foot, only the second page didn't load for me so from there I read right on to the giant turtle of Churubusco, IN. The turtle is apparently huge, sits at the bottom of a lake and is the main cause of the 'Turtle Days' celebration which revolves around...you guessed it...turtles. Now I love turtles, so I would totally go to this! The article details about how one man in particular dedicated his time to debunk the whole thing, even attempting to drain the lake which makes me wonder, really dude? you had nothing better to do then attempt to kill of this town's claim to fame? get a hobby. The local businesses even get into the giant turtle fun by having turtle related slogans/jokes. the article then compares this urban legend to the likes of the loch ness monster.

THOUGHTS
A huge turtle purchased from the zoo for $50? Crap, that's cheap! I found the whole thing rather funny and silly. Who cares if there really is a turtle? Let's believe in something a little unusual from time to time - it keeps the wonder in life!

Q&A
has anyone else tried to explore the lake recently? with radar?
why have i never heard of a turtle festival?! I would have gone!

-=-=-=-=-=
INDIANA INSTRUMENT BUILDERS: DAVID STRAUBINGER, FLUTE MAKER

SUMMARY
The video focuses on David and how he developed a new type of pad for flutes. It starts out on how he began his musical career and began the repair business and eventually his own flute business. He was taught the trade and  how he grew into making the parts and completely creating the flute himself. He is very much self taught through observation and trial and error. He notes how it constantly evolves, even the sound and that everyone who contributes adds to that evolution.

THOUGHTS
I always wanted to play flute but I don't have the mouth for it. I play clarinet instead, which I eventually fell in love with. Not so awesome with the repairs though. It's funny how musicians eventually move from one part of the art to another and switching back and forth and it all seems self taught.

Q&A
how'd he come to indiana?
why indiana for the flute business?
why the flute?

Poblanos

Poblanos is a recently opened Mexican restaurant in the Castleton area, across from the mall. Restaurants in the passed have failed in this location - it's hard to get to and the location is has a lot of competition in the surrounding area. I hope that this one stays open - the staff is very nice, they take good care of their customers and their food is on par with bigger chains such as On the Boarder.

So Friday evening me and my co-workers decided to order to go from the place. Below are the pictures of what I ordered. My only complaint in the metal tins. I hate these things! Makes the food go cold quicker and you can't heat it back up in a microwave - which is a problem since my work doesn't exactly provide Tupperware!

Seafood Enchilada (shrimp and imitation crab meat. Very spicy!) and mexican rice which was wonderful! Queso sauce to top it off and some spicy red sauce. 

Toppings for enchilada, guac was very fresh

Before I cut into it

rice had carrots, peppers, onions and was all the way cooked!

queso. very creamy but nothing special

tortilla chips for soup

chicken tortilla soup. this stuff was more of a gumbo and so good! Avocado on top, real strips of chicken meant, rice, pico de gio, and other goodies! It was amazing!!

So the soup was my favorite part of the meal! It was delicious!!! Anyway, I had so much food it ended up lasting me three days, give or take. Overall, the full meal (plus chips and salsa not pictured) cost $20. The salsa was also amazing and home made - the tomatoes are actually chunky instead of a puree of tomato guts. 

Poblanos also supports SpotOn, an app that scans a barcode on your smart phone to give you points. When you get enough points, you can redeem them for free stuff!

4/5 stars

Defiantly will be going back to satisfy my tex-mex cravings.

BELIEF AND THE AMERICAN FOLK BY P.B. MULLEN

SUMMARY:

This article focuses on the impact of scientific rationalization on folk belief and superstition,  while at the same time trying to maintain it's own way of being scientific itself. This article tries to mix science with belief, and goes over a few other authors' attempts to do the same in their own writing, as well as the development/progress of the technique. It details the interactions  some of the authors had when confronted with a 'crude' approach versus a more 'scientific' approach and how that effects the community they're studying. The article goes into detail over terms such as 'superstition', 'folk belief', and 'religion' and details how superstition should be substituted for folk belief.

REACTION

I think this article was longer then it needed to be. The author could of summed it up in a much shorter article instead of drawing it out as long as he did. I will applaud him for pulling so much from other authors' works - I'm sure that took a long time. I didn't find the article that interesting, and I was actually pretty confused with how he was using the term 'belief' in the beginning.  I would of liked a short explanation explaining the use of the word in the beginning.

Q&A

1. How centeral is belief to a community?
2. Why not use the term superstision?
3. What is belief to you?

Folklore 3.18.13

FOLK BELIEFS AND PRACTICES BY H. HALPERT & P. BREWSTER;

SUMMARY
 The article is a collection of sayings found in Southern Indiana. They focus on topics such as weather, planting, good/bad luck, fighting, superstitious signs, death, love, money, work, borderline wiccan practices for wishes/divinations, cause and effect, and miscellaneous superstitions.

THOUGHTS

I've heard a few of these, like the first few weeks of the beginning of the year predicts how the weather will go for the rest of the year. For the most part though, I've never heard a lot of these.  I found some to be funny - a large crop of cumbers will be grown if  a man straddles the hill when the seeds are planted - made me think of inappropriate penis jokes. Some were weird, like the one about lighting 3 cigarettes with 1 match, and some had gave me a WTF moment (knocking heads together = sleeping together? urine will help dye hold better?) but they all were quiet interesting. A few of the practices/saying were borderline wiccan which I found to be really interesting since S. Indy is very close to the bible belt.

Q&A
 This was documented in December, 1943. It's a wonder I don't recognize any of these. Does anyone else in that area for that matter?

They all had common themes, are these themes found to be common in other areas?

If a modern collection was drawn, what would some of those sayings say?
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
TRADITIONS OF DISBELIEF AND BELIEF BY D. HUFFORD;

SUMMARY
This article was very hard to read. The font is faded out pretty badly in some spots - page 49 is a great example. Because of this, I only got bits and pieces of the actual article. Basically the author first breaks down and categories elements of the belief, which are supernatural in nature. From there he continually breaks down the elements and common themes found in these beliefs. He speculates that these beliefs give rise to traditions, such as throwing salt over your shoulder. He mentions something about hallucinations and them being cross-culturally consistent and then the font looses me. By the time I can read it again, we're talking about how early ghost reports are and how there are still many (~200) that are still unexplained today, which is being quoted from some other author's work that he proceeds to tear apart because the previous author didn't take into account how mundane events could be used to explain the unexplainable. The author closes on how they believe the folklore study should be shifted from religious in nature to scientific instead of arguing between the two.

THOUGHTS
Oh god another old article and I can't even read this one. I'm pretty superstitious myself, and I believe in the supernatural. That being said, this article was a pretty big let down. Where's the ghost stories? The modern nod to EMT scanners and infrared cameras? The mention of TV shows the hunt ghosts and inspected the supposedly haunted? There isn't any because all of that didn't exist in 1982. Pity.

Q&A

Could we not have done better? Not to be insulting, but really? 1982 ghost hunting?

The author states that there is no real cause-effect relationship between a supernatural strategy and the following change. Can the author prove this without a doubt to back up such a bold statement?

If faith and belief in the supernatural is based on falsehoods, why it is so effective? And contagious?

In psychology we learn that having a religion or something to believe in is very healthy for a person, why was this perspective not included?

Really though teach? We got to work on this 'oldest article I can find' trend. =Þ

Indy Folklore Day 9

THE MEANING OF FLOW: YOUTUBE, R. HARTNELL:

SUMMARY
This was a contest entry for flowtoys narriated by Mr/ Hartnell on his definition of what the meaning of the term 'flow' is, as used by flow performers. To him, flow is a zen-like state induced by intense consentration when performing. he stated that he could almost see the lines of the universe during these times, and discribed it as being the peek on Maslow's hyeriarchy of needs. He then theorized that Maslow had the pyramid wrong, and that the top of the pyramid wasn't just the 'icing on the cake' as boredom could be just as painful as hunger.

REACTIONS
I am a psych major. Talking about Maslow was a mistake for this guy. Maslow's hyeriarchy of needs pyramid, while it does have some common sense validity, has long since been torn apart by more advanced and modern psychologist. It is no longer seen as a pyramid one has to climb up, but more of points that can occur at any time in any order. Maslow's theory was also seen as majorly flawed because he selected what he believed to be people who had already reached self-actualization and then built the pyramid backwards. you cannot do this in psychology any more then you can do it in math. Oh, I have a 4 therefore the only way to reach 4 is 2+2, which isn't true. While the video itself was intersting, as Hartnell akinned his folk group's perfomances to meditation, the Maslow part pissed me off. If he talked about Freud it would of been worse. [insert pointed stare] But we've all had that moment of zoning out so there was parts where I could relate.

Q&A
At what point does a performer begin to experience a feeling of 'flow'?
Is it akin to a drug addiction in that so performers become obsessed?
Why 'flow'? Why not 'zone' or something?
-=-=-=-=-=-=-

RUNNING THE YARD BY T. MOULD

SUMMARY
This article deltailed the tradition of stepping (dance) on campuses by farternities. It focused mainly on black males, though one section did go into detail on the differences between female steppers and their more feminine style and male steppers with their more masculine, power emphasiszing stepping. Steppers identitfy with the farternity and their stepping group with a large amount of pride and family-like comradery. the point of stepping is competetion, advertisement (of self and organization) and to prove who 'own the yard' or who is the best. the article goes into detail on the history of stepping, the actual fraternities, location (one in Indy) and how each fraternity has thier own unique style and identity. The article details some of the chants - some are sexual and to 'court' female aduience members, others are to 'crack' or make fun of other groups or to entertain. It was also pointed out that the art of stepping may empasize black stereotypes, but I don't think the steppers really care.

REACTION
So the whole time I'm reading this I keep remembering every dance movie ever, including stomp the yard. I enjoy the rythms and sounds created by stepping - the stomping and clapping sounds are pretty hypnotic. I was disappointed that more about the females weren't detailed, but I could see why. The military aspect wasn't surprsing - that shit is hard! I was surprised to learn we had a team in Indiana - I never heard about them and now i want to see them perform.

Q&A
Wonder if our Indiana steppers have a youtube....
Do you choose the fraternity based on its personality, or its prestidge?
Wonder which one I would be in....