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Oral History Project: The Interview

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I interviewed Dawn Callaway and her husband Scott Repass. They are the owners of a couple local cafes and bars in Houston. They had many interesting stories from how they got a Kool-Aid man to why they opened their first bar, Poison Girl. These stories were interesitng because they were evidence that proved how each one of their buisnesses has a little part of them. They chose the decor to something they really like or because it reminded them of a fond memory at some place. They chose to open their buisnesses to have them merge and become one with the community they are in.  I thought that the interview itself went well because even though we didn't use the full time we planned, we got many interesting stories and facts that none of us, or at least I, didnt know before. We had one small hiccup, but I feel that if we did a better inspection of the equipment maybe it would not have happend. Luckily, it did not stop us or have any large or any affect on the interview. Since ...

Houston History Magazine Artcle: Houston's New 8th Wonder

It has been a recent topic in Houston on what the fate of the "8th Wonder of the World," otherwise known as the Astrodome, will be. But while the Astrodome's fate is blurred, a new "wonder of the world" will take its name. A craft brewery, called 8th Wonder Brewery, uses the Astrodome's nickname for its small scale brews. The brewery is in Old Chinatown east of downtown Houston in today’s EaDo (East Downtown) district and is referencing Houston's achievement and is part of the recent growth in the number of craft breweries in Houston. These craft breweries differentiates themselves from macrobreweries, like Miller and Coors, by brewing on a smaller scale. While the microbreweries produce a large amount of one brew, a craft brewery produces less of multiple brews. This allows them to experiment with new techniques and ingredients.   I thought this was interesting because the Astrodome has been in the news a lot recently and this article caught my e...

StoryCorps: Traffic Stop

Traffic Stop Video   Alex Landau is an African American man and was adopted by white parents. He was grown up in a household were the color of one's skin didn't matter. His viewpoint didn't change until one day, when he was with a friend, he was pulled over by a white officer. He was asked to step out of the car and he thought nothing of this since there was two other officers watching nearby. When he stepped out, the officer searched him and then searched his friend, who was white. his friend had some weed and then the officer handcuffed him and continued to search the car and people. Alex asked if they had a warrant and the officers punched him in the face and beat him up. When he was yelling he wasn't going for a gun after an officer accused him of it, another officer held a gun to his head and Alex passed out. He was brought in and had to have medical attention to heal his wounds, This event changed his and his parents viewpoints on skin color and the world. So...

Persepolis Final Thoughts

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Persepolis gave me a new perspective on Iranians and the war there. The story was entertaining and informative, making me interested as well as feeling glad that I read this book. Being a graphic novel the comics made it seem a little more cartoonish and made the images formulated in my mind less brutal. The book covers a large period of time and in this time period there is political turmoil, war, discrimination, rebellion, and much more. The many topics it includes makes it feel more like real life because in life we do not have one theme throughout our life we have many things that happen. This book also gave me a little insight on what it was like to be an insider during this time in Iran. I liked this because without it I am just, and still am, an outsider looking in. My judgments and assumptions are based on research that I have gathered and this book helps keep my mind open to an insiders point of view.

Character Sketch-God

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God is portrayed to appear in Marjane's dreams. God has the shape of a man and mostly consists of white solid color, with minimal details that make out his outline, beard, and face. He comes to Marjane to speak to her when she wants to be a prophet and helps her in times of need. God appears and has a discussion with Marjane every night, until she cuts God out of her life. Gods looks are compared to Marx, with Marx's beard a bit more wavy than God. God is vital to the story, for God is part of Marjane's early dreams and later helps her out again when she is lost. God acted as a messenger between her and her family. Marjane believes that when her mom prayed for her to God, God would make it happen. God is important to the overall story because while Marjane talked with God and God helped her, the entire revolution that changed her life was for a god. 

Why do you think Marjane chose to leave Iran again to go and live in France? Would you have made the same decision? Why or why not?

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When Marjane left Iran, the first time, she left thinking that this was just a temporary move (pg. 152). She was not prepared to leave her home and family when she did and when she hit rock bottom, the sentimentality and homesickness came back and she went home to Iran (pg. 145). When she came back to Iran it was a transition to a familiar yet a new strange way of life. It wasn't the exact same Iran she had left, but one with enough familiarity. With her family, and memories, Marjane felt at home. As time went by the restrictions that did not affect Marjane as a child came into affect. For example when she and Reza were trying to be together in the first part of their relationship (pg.  290), she realized how restrictive the law and the strong religious presence in Iran was. She learned that in order to be free she had to leave Iran with the intent of leaving permanently, to create a home of her own, only coming back to visit not to stay. The price for this, as Marjane sai...

Why does Marjane's Relationship with her Uncle so Important to her?

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During the time Marjane's Uncle Anoosh was released, the people in the prisons who did something against the shah were considered hero's and to to the children everyone wanted a family member to be one. Anoosh was in prison for working with his uncle, Fereydoon, and was released after nine years. Marjane was happy to hear the stories of her uncle, and have a hero she could talk about to her friends. Anoosh like Marjane because he thought it was important that she does not forget her family's memory and she listened to him with interest. His fondness for her can be seen by him giving  Marjane a bread swan, an uncle and a nephew, and when he asks for Marjane to be his only visitor. Marjane is the last person to see Anoosh before his execution and probably learns or confirms her belief that the newspaper lies when they labeled Anoosh as a Russian spy. Their relationship was important for the both of them and Anoosh's memory is carried on by Marjane.