Tuesday's Happy Funpage

1. HRC Undergrad Talk - "American Studies and the Future  of the Humanities" - Matthew Guterl - Thursday, Feb. 18
2. Rice Ranch Dance Social Dance Event Thursday
3. OIP International Film Night 2/20/2010
4. The Whursday shift at the Thresher needs YOU
5. Rice Cinema: Ang Lee Retrospective
6. Early Voting for March Primaries Has Begun
7. Mr. Rice Asia!

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1. HRC Undergrad Talk - "American Studies and the Future  of the Humanities" - Matthew Guterl - Thursday, Feb. 18

American Studies and the Future of the Humanities
Matthew Guterl, PhD
Visiting Faculty Fellow, Humanities Research Center, Rice University
 
February 18, 2010, 7:00 p.m.
Humanities Building 117

Why should we study American culture?  What would we learn?  And what would we see in our 21st century future?  Looking closely at one specific artifact – the heroic, bloodthirsty Rambo – this talk will address these questions.

This talk has been organized by the Humanities Research Center for undergraduate students at Rice. The HRC organizes this lecture series, “Big Questions and Future Directions in the Humanities,” on behalf of its Undergraduate Fellowshiprecipients.
http://hrc.rice.edu/undergraduate.aspx 

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2. Rice Ranch Dance Social Dance Event Thursday

Rice Ranch Dance this Thursday!  Dance lesson from 7-8pm and open dancing from 8-11pm $5 admission.
Put on your cowboy boots and join us for this social dance event!

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3. OIP International Film Night 2/20/2010

Can't seem to find a decent meal on a Saturday night, since all the serveries are closed? Are you stuck on campus and looking for something fun to do... and get an affordable, and tasty meal in the deal? Or are you just looking for some wholesome entertainment on campus?

Then, come join the Rice International Programs Study Abroad Peer Advisor's at their monthly International Film Series.

Learn about Rice Study Abroad Opportunities, make new friends, and expose yourself to new cultures through film and food!!!

“Infernal Affairs”
Come and see the original “The Departed”!  Chan Wing Yan (Tony Leung) is a hard-nosed veteran cop sent undercover to infiltrate the notorious Triad crime ring. An expert at bringing down violent syndicates, Chan thinks it’s going to be a routine mission. What he’s not prepared for is the discovery that the Triad’s boss (Eric Tsang) has planted a mole (Andy Lau) in the police department… and now Chan is being hunted down. - DVD slipcover
Won 23 awards and had 16 additional nominations. Best Film Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards in 2003.

Saturday,  Feb 20th
6 pm at Keck 100


Advance Reservations Required:
$5 for dinner! RSVP for dinner and a free movie ticket at jay.vinekar@rice.edu (Pick up tickets at the Ley Student Center, Suite 132). Featuring Asian Cuisine from the Rice Village (Pad Thai and other Asian goodies

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4. The Whursday shift at the Thresher needs YOU

The Thresher is looking for another overnight copy-editor (proofreader), and it could be you!

The hours are 11 p.m.-7 a.m., and you will be paid $7 per hour. There is quite a bit of downtime during that period, so you can nap or do homework when there is nothing to be read, and you will be paid for all of the time you are present in the office.

If you have any interest or questions (ie: potentially splitting the shift with the other copy-editor, how totally sweet the job is), contact Anna Wilde at Anna.Wilde@rice.edu

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5. Rice Cinema: Ang Lee Retrospective

Rice Cinema: Ang Lee Retrospective
Rice University - Rice Cinema
February 19-February 21, 2010
Rice University - Rice Cinema, Houston presents an Ang Lee Retrospective. Friday, February 19, 2010 - Sunday, February 21, 2010.The Ang Lee Film Retrospective opens with a reception on Friday, February 19, 2010 at 6:30 and will feature a Tai Chi demonstration (Yang style-as seen in the film) by Wu's Martial Arts Association of Houston - Master Chienli and Master Ernie Wu.

Ang Lee has made his mark on cinema with films like BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, but he began his career making small films about his home country of Taiwan. Here we present three early films by this Taiwanese filmmaker. Sponsored by the Taiwan Economic & Cultural Office, with special thanks to Mr. T.K. Lee. TUI SHO (Pushing Hands), February 19, 7:30 P.M. XU JAN (The Wedding Banquet), February 20, 7:00 P.M. YIN SHI NAN NU (Eat Drink Man Woman), February 21, 7:00 P.M.

Schedule of Films:
TUI SHO (Pushing Hands)
February 19, 7:30 P.M.
Released in 1992, Taiwanese film Pushing Hands (Tui shou) was Ang Lee's directorial debut. The plot follows a Chinese man's struggle to acclimatize himself to American life and culture.
Plot Synopsis:   An elderly Chinese tai chi chuan teacher emigrates from Beijing to live with his son, American daughter-in-law, and grandson in a New York City suburb. A “fish out of water” in Western culture, the grandfather’s traditional Chinese ideas of Confucian relationships within the family clash with the more informal Western emphasis on the individual he finds in his son’s home.
The friction in the family caused by these differing expectations leads the grandfather to move out. In the process, he learns some comical and poignant lessons about how he must adapt to his new surroundings in order to come to terms with his new life. The title of the film refers to the “pushing hands” training that is part of the grandfather’s tai chi routine. “Pushing hands” is a two-person exercise which teaches tai chi students to yield in the face of brute force. The title of the film, therefore, alludes to the process of adaptation to culture shock felt by the grandfather after moving to the United States.

XU JAN (The Wedding Banquet) (pictured)
February 20, 7:00 P.M.
This sharply observed madcap comedy, about a marriage of convenience between a gay Taiwanese American and a Chinese woman, examines the primacy of the individual within a culture that worships authority and rewards conformity.
Synopsis: Wai-tung Gao and Simon are a happy gay couple living in Manhattan. However, Wai-tung’s Taiwanese parents – who do not know he is gay – are eager to see him get married and have a child. So, at Simon’s insistence, Wai-tung decides to get married to another tenant in the building, Wei-wei, a penniless artist from mainland China in need of a green card. Besides helping Wei-wei, Simon and Wai-tung hope this ruse will placate Wai-tung’s parents.
A panel discussion will be held after the screening.

YIN SHI NAN NU (Eat Drink Man Woman)
February 21, 7:00 P.M.
A remarkably assured comedy-drama of domestic life in Taiwan.
Synopsis: Every Sunday, venerable chef Chu (Sihung Lung) prepares an elaborate dinner for his three lovely daughters. Despite Chu's exotic dishes, the family barely nibbles at the food. The listless mealtime ritual mirrors the foursome's general lack of appetite for life: Chu has lost his sense of taste, and his daughters just want to go on with their separate, lonely lives. But something new is cooking that is about to spice up everyone's existence, and three marriages and a funeral later, the Chu family will learn to embrace life's unpredictabilty. The third and final film in director Ang Lee's Father Knows Best trilogy, EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN is laugh-out-loud funny in its depiction of the foibles of the contemporary Taiwanese family. Whenever one of the characters utters "I have an announcement," be prepared for ensuing hilarity. The film also movingly captures the complexities of modern life, the inevitability of change, and the necessity for Zen-like balance. Lee himself seems to have absorbed the film's central message.
After this film, he began to take on a variety of projects, boldly covering vastly different subjects such as 18th-century England, the New Age 1970s, and the Civil War.
The Ang Lee Retrospective is free and open to the public thanks to our sponsor, The Taiwan Economic & Cultural Office in Houston, with special thanks to Mr. T.K. Lee.

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6. Early Voting for March Primaries Has Begun

The Rice Vote Coalition reminds students, staff and faculty that  Tuesday March 2 is the date for Democratic and Republican primary  elections in Texas, and that early voting begins today and runs  through Feb. 26.

To find early voting locations in Harris county, view sample ballots and more, please visit vote.rice.edu.

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7. Mr. Rice Asia!

MR. RICE ASIA - Saturday, February 20th at 6 PM in Brown Commons 

Come join us for a night of fun and food! :)

Rice Microfinance, SAS, and VSA are hosting the Mr. Rice Asia pageant to raise money for microfinance in Haiti, Vietnam, India, and Pakistan. 

For a $7 admission fee, you get
A. BOBA tea for first 100! (Be there early!!) 
B. Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwiches, spring rolls, samosas, and drinks
C. Laughter and entertainment :) 

*All proceeds go to microfinance institutions. 

Come and support your fellow Hanszenites, Apoorv Bhargava, as he competes for the title of Mr. Rice Asia, and co-MC Chethan Ramprasad!! 

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8. A guy calls the hospital.

He says, "You gotta send help! My wife's going into labor!"
The nurse says, "Calm down. Is this her first child?"
He says, "No! This is her husband!"

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Your secs (who love you lots),
Chethlyn