Thursday, January 31, 2013

English IV 1/31: Kenning Fun!

For today's blog I want you to invent 10 original kennings (I know you remember what that means, right?). I will give you the words to turn into kennings for the first five and for the second five you must come up with the word and the kenning on your own.

1. Tree
2. Blood
3. Eyes
4. Volcano
5. The Internet


WORDS OF THE DAY
9. interpolation n. Verbal interference. 
10. privy adj. - Participating with another or others in the knowledge of a secret transaction. 
11. remunerate v. - To pay or pay for. 
12. wantonness n. - Recklessness.

Professional COMM 1/31: Current Events



OK... today we have a free current events blog. Using an online news source (google news is awesome) find a story that interests you and tell me:

1) why does it interest you?
2) summarize the story.
3) what is your personal opinion of this story/event?

**be sure to provide me with a link to the story in your own blog! And don't copy and paste... it wastes your time and mine.

English III 1/31: "Sympathetique" by Pink Martini


Today we are going to be listening to a French song that has the buzz and scent of the Paris nightlife all draped over it and intertwined with it. It is a short song that seems to linger in a room- not as a sound, but as a weight... faint and hazy like a late night memory. If the song were a walk around the block, it would be a slow and slouchy one... but one filled with a dizzy vertiginous confidence. ENJOY! (lyrics from http://microporetape.blogspot.com/)

_______________________________

In French:

Ma chambre a la forme d'une cage
Le soleil passe son bras par la fenêtre
Les chasseurs à ma porte
Comme les petits soldats
Qui veulent me prendre

Je ne veux pas travailler
Je ne veux pas déjeuner
Je veux seulement oublier
Et puis je fume

Déjà j'ai connu le parfum de l'amour
Un million de roses n'embaumerait pas autant
Maintenant une seule fleur dans mes entourages
Me rend malade

Je ne veux pas travailler
Je ne veux pas déjeuner
Je veux seulement oublier
Et puis je fume

Je ne suis pas fière de ça
Vie qui veut me tuer
C'est magnifique être sympathique
Mais je ne le connais jamais

Je ne veux pas travailler
Non
Je ne veux pas déjeuner
Je veux seulement oublier
Et puis je fume

Je ne suis pas fière de ça
Vie qui veut me tuer
C'est magnifique être sympathique
Mais je ne le connais jamais

Je ne veux pas travailler
Non
Je ne veux pas déjeuner
Je veux seulement oublier
Et puis je fume
____________________
English Translation:

My room has a shape of a cage
The sun passes its arm by the window
Hunters at my door
Like little soldiers
Who want to take me

I don't want to work
I don't want to lunch
I want only to forget
And then I smoke

Already I knew the perfume of love
A million roses don't embalm as much
Now only one flower in my entourages
Make me sick

I don't want to work
I don't want to lunch
I want only to forget
And then I smoke

I am not proud of that
Life which wants to kill me
It is splendid to be cool
But I never knew it

I don't want to work
No
I don't want to lunch
I want only to forget
And then I smoke

I am not proud of that
Life which wants to kill me
It is splendid to be cool
But I never knew it

I don't want to work
No
I don't want to lunch
I want only to forget
And then I smoke

WORDS OF THE DAY
9. EDIFICE-A building
10. COGITATE-To think over carefully
11. fastidious – careful with details
12. eclectic – selecting from various sources

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

English IV 1/29: Sympathy for the Devil(?)

There is a long history of sympathizing with tragic-turned-evil characters in literature. Many times the author will build in these emotions to force us to see how no being is wholly good or evil and that we, as humans, are great enough to love and pity even those that we fear. We will be reading portions of "Paradise Lost" soon, which is a tale of Satan's fall from heaven and you will discover that he is just such a character. The general consensus among Old English scholars is that Grendel is one of these characters as well. Although the selections we read in the textbook don't focus on this element, I would like you to come up with a few reasons why people might say that they feel sorry for (or even identify with) Grendel. Think in terms of 'outsiders', suffering, lonliness, rejection, etc.

WORDS OF THE DAY
5. quandary n. A puzzling predicament. 
6. opportunist n. One who takes advantage of circumstances to gain his ends. 
7. admonition n. Gentle reproof. 
8. geniality n. Warmth and kindliness of disposition.

Professional COMM 1/29: Picasso on Artists


"All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once (s)he grows up." 
- Pablo Picasso, Artist (1881-1973)


A great quote that I just happened upon this morning. I think there is some real truth to what Picasso is saying here. In the final analysis though, I disagree in part with what he is saying. I think it is definately true that we are born with certain sensibilties toward the artistic, intuitive and emotional side of life. I also agree that society, in an effort to make one more 'productive' and 'well-adjusted', detracts from and minimalizes the value of those sensibilities. In a wiser society than ours, we would cherish the intuitive nature of childhood creativity and learn how to grow it, spread it, and use it to fix the problems that face us and to discover new and more important sets of problems to work with.

On the other hand... I do think that Picasso oversimplifies here. It may be true that we need to hold on to that childhood artist, but that is only part of it. To imply that all one needs to do to be an artist is to refuse to grow up or something- that's just silly. It is necessary, if one wishes to be an artist, to be at once a child and an adult. One must study existence and drink in life deeply- one must constantly be destroying in order to create... and that destruction is usually done upon the self and requires discipline and a certain amount of selfishness (delusions of grandeur). Being a child at heart is a start... but some great force inside must also be able to startle that child into the margins of genius if he/she is to be considered an original artist.

English III 1/29: "Dos Gardenias" by Buena Vista Social Club


Buena Vista Social Club is a very famous Cuban group, known for tropical songs that feel old and contemporary at once. Their songs, like their country of origin, are diverse and beautiful blends of different musical ideas and thriving cultures. Most of you probably won't understand the lyrics... but I want you instead to consider the mood of the song and what kind of images it calls to mind. Where can you imagine yourself hearing this? Can you hear the jungle in the song?


WORDS OF THE DAY

5. CALLOW-Immature; lacking sophistication
6. BELEAGUER-To harass; to plague
7. CACOPHONOUS-Unpleasantly noisy; jarring
8. EBULLIENT-Full of enthusiasm or high spirits

Monday, January 28, 2013

English IV 1/28: Buddha and suffering


"Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little." 


WORDS OF THE DAY
1. aberration - n. Deviation from a right, customary, or prescribed course. 
2. impious - adj. Characterized by irreverence or irreligion. 
3. rudimentary - adj. Being in an initial, early, or incomplete stage of development. 
4. redolent adj. Smelling sweet and agreeable.

English III 1/28: "Redemption Song" by Bob Marley

What does redemption mean to you?

Old pirates, yes, they rob i;
Sold I to the merchant ships,
Minutes after they took i
From the bottomless pit.
But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the almighty.
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly.
Wont you help to sing
These songs of freedom? -
cause all I ever have:
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs.

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
None but ourselves can free our minds.
Have no fear for atomic energy,
cause none of them can stop the time.
How long shall they kill our prophets,
While we stand aside and look? ooh!
Some say its just a part of it:
Weve got to fulfill de book.

Wont you help to sing
These songs of freedom? -
cause all I ever have:
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs.


WORDS OF THE DAY
1. AUDACIOUS- Bold or Daring
2. HEINOUS-Shocking and out of the ordinary; weird
3. FLAMBOYANT-Strikingly bold or brilliant; showy
4. HACKNEYED-Made commonplace or trite; stale; banal

Professional Comm 1/28: Edwin R. Murrow on Technology's limits


"The newest computer can merely compound, at speed, the oldest problem in the relations between human beings, and in the end the communicator will be confronted with the old problem, of what to say and how to say it." - Edward R. Murrow


I think what he is getting at here is the idea that, even with unlimited resources, we must consider our internal resources first and foremost. Is this something that you agree with? Even if you could have a machine decide what to say for you, would you want that? If not, then you must take care that you constantly consider your inner wealth the most important asset you have.

Friday, January 25, 2013

English IV 1/25: Bob Dylan "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands"


With your mercury mouth in the missionary times
And your eyes like smoke and your prayers like rhymes
And your silver cross, and your voice like chimes
Oh, who among them do they think could bury you?
With your pockets well protected at last
And your streetcar visions which you place on the grass
And your flesh like silk, and your face like glass
Who among them do they think could carry you?
Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands
Where the sad-eyed prophet says that no man comes
My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums
Should I leave them by your gate
Or, sad-eyed lady, should I wait?

With your sheets like metal and your belt like lace
And your deck of cards missing the jack and the ace
And your basement clothes and your hollow face
Who among them can think he could outguess you?
With your silhouette when the sunlight dims
Into your eyes where the moonlight swims
And your matchbook songs and your gypsy hymns
Who among them would try to impress you?
Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands
Where the sad-eyed prophet says that no man comes
My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums
Should I leave them by your gate
Or, sad-eyed lady, should I wait?

The kings of Tyrus with their convict list
Are waiting in line for their geranium kiss
And you wouldn’t know it would happen like this
But who among them really wants just to kiss you?
With your childhood flames on your midnight rug
And your Spanish manners and your mother’s drugs
And your cowboy mouth and your curfew plugs
Who among them do you think could resist you?
Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands
Where the sad-eyed prophet says that no man comes
My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums
Should I leave them by your gate
Or, sad-eyed lady, should I wait?

Oh, the farmers and the businessmen, they all did decide
To show you the dead angels that they used to hide
But why did they pick you to sympathize with their side?
Oh, how could they ever mistake you?
They wished you’d accepted the blame for the farm
But with the sea at your feet and the phony false alarm
And with the child of a hoodlum wrapped up in your arms
How could they ever, ever persuade you?
Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands
Where the sad-eyed prophet says that no man comes
My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums
Should I leave them by your gate
Or, sad-eyed lady, should I wait?

With your sheet-metal memory of Cannery Row
And your magazine-husband who one day just had to go
And your gentleness now, which you just can’t help but show
Who among them do you think would employ you?
Now you stand with your thief, you’re on his parole
With your holy medallion which your fingertips fold
And your saintlike face and your ghostlike soul
Oh, who among them do you think could destroy you?
Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands
Where the sad-eyed prophet says that no man comes
My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums
Should I leave them by your gate
Or, sad-eyed lady, should I wait?

Professional COMM 1/25: Current Events


OK... today we have a free current events blog. Using an online news source (google news is awesome) find a story that interests you and tell me:

1) why does it interest you?
2) summarize the story.
3) what is your personal opinion of this story/event?

**be sure to provide me with a link to the story in your own blog! And don't copy and paste... it wastes your time and mine.

English III 1/25: "The World at Large" by Modest Mouse

Ice-age heat wave, can't complain.
If the world's at large, why should I remain?
Walked away to another plan.
Gonna find another place, maybe one I can stand.
I move on to another day,
to a whole new town with a whole new way.
Went to the porch to have a thought.
Got to the door and again, I couldn't stop.
You don't know where and you don't know when.
But you still got your words and you got your friends.
Walk along to another day.
Work a little harder, work another way.

Well uh-uh baby I ain't got no plan.
We'll float on maybe would you understand?
Gonna float on maybe would you understand?
Well float on maybe would you understand?

The days get shorter and the nights get cold.
I like the autumn but this place is getting old.
I pack up my belongings and I head for the coast.
It might not be a lot but I feel like I'm making the most.
The days get longer and the nights smell green.
I guess it's not surprising but it's spring and I should leave.

I like songs about drifters - books about the same.
They both seem to make me feel a little less insane.
Walked on off to another spot.
I still haven't gotten anywhere that I want.
Did I want love? Did I need to know?
Why does it always feel like I'm caught in an undertow?

The moths beat themselves to death against the lights.
Adding their breeze to the summer nights.
Outside, water like air was great.
I didn't know what I had that day.
Walk a little farther to another plan.
You said that you did, but you didn't understand.

I know that starting over is not what life's about.
But my thoughts were so loud I couldn't hear my mouth.
My thoughts were so loud I couldn't hear my mouth.
My thoughts were so loud.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

English IV 1/24: Max Ernst "Elephant of the Celebes", 1921

#17

Professional COMM 1/24: Emerson on Success


To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

English III 1/24: "The Suburbs" by Arcade Fire


This song is one that I think we can all relate to, at least in part. We are living in a world now that is increasingly divided and increasingly hard to predict. The lyrics to this song reflect a certain paranoia and longing for an older, simpler world. What do you think is meant by the line "move your feet from hot pavement and into the grass"? If I told you that line were a metaphor for how we can fix our biggest problems... how would you explain that? What does that line suggest to us?

-----------------------------------------------------
In the suburbs I-
I learned to drive
And you told me we'd never survive...
Grab your mother's keys we're leavin'

You always seemed so sure
That one day we'd be fighting
A suburban war
your part of town against mine
I saw you standing on the opposite shore

But by the time the first bombs fell
We were already bored
We were already, already bored

Sometimes I can't believe it
I'm movin' past the feeling
Sometimes I can't believe it
I'm movin' past the feeling again

Kids wanna be so hard
But in my dreams we're still screamin' and runnin' through the yard
And all of the walls that they built in the seventies finally fall
And all of the houses they built in the seventies finally fall
Meant nothin' at all
Meant nothin' at all
It meant nothin

Sometimes I can't believe it
I'm movin' past the feeling
Sometimes I can't believe it
I'm movin' past the feeling and into the night

So can you understand?
Why I want a daughter while I'm still young
I wanna hold her hand
And show her some beauty
Before this damage is done

But if it's too much to ask, it's too much to ask
Then send me a son

Under the overpass
In the parking lot we're still waiting
It's already passed
So move your feet from hot pavement and into the grass
Cause it's already passed
It's already, already passed!

Sometimes I can't believe it
I'm movin' past the feeling
Sometimes I can't believe it
I'm movin' past the feeling again

I'm movin' past the feeling
I'm movin' past the feeling

In my dreams we're still screamin'
We're still screamin'
We're still screamin'

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

English IV 1/22: CREATIVE PROMPTS



CLICK HERE AND MAKE A CHOICE OF PROMPT WITHIN 3 MINUTES. THEN... RESPOND AS THAT PROMPT INSTRUCTS YOU, IN YOUR BLOG. REMEMBER TO BE THOROUGH AND FINISH THE PROMPT THROUGH!

English III 1/22: "La Tortuga" by Jaramar Soto


Jaramar Soto is a mexican folk singer born in Mexico City and raised in Guadalajara. She sings folk songs from all over the world, but this particular one is a Native American classic. Normally I will give you lyrics, but these lyrics are not available and are not in english.

Listen to this song. I would like you to avoid writing until it is over, so that you can capture in your mind the fullness of it before you begin trying to express yourself about it. What kind of things does the music bring to mind? The vocals? How does this song fit with your past experience/learning regarding indigenous peoples and cultures?

I get feelings of a deep repetitive sadness, like one might get from a constant and dedicated toil in the fields or hunting grounds. While many Native Americans derived great satisfaction and meaning from their labor, there is still a certain resignation that must accompany lives like they led/lead. To me this feeling of devotion comes through in this song and the idea that even in a slow and hard life one can conquer the desire for a leaping joy with a steady peace.


Professional COMM 1/22: George Bernard Shaw


"The problem with communication... is the illusion that it has been accomplished." -George Bernard Shaw

Above is a powerful quote, from English poet and essayist George Bernard Shaw, about communication. I would like you to analyse this quote; tell me what it means, tell me if you think it is correct and tell me why or why not.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Professional COMM 1/10: Mary Pickford

“If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down.” 
-Mary Pickford

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

English III 1/8: Velvet Underground "Sweet Jane"


Standing on the corner,
Suitcase in my hand
Jack is in his corset, and Jane is her vest,
And me I'm in a rock'n'roll band Hah!
Ridin' in a Stutz Bear Cat, Jim
You know, those were different times!
Oh, all the poets they studied rules of verse
And those ladies, they rolled their eyes

Sweet Jane! Whoa! Sweet Jane, oh-oh-a! Sweet Jane!

I'll tell you something
Jack, he is a banker
And Jane, she is a clerk
Both of them save their monies, ha
And when, when they come home from work
Oh, Sittin' down by the fire, oh! 
The radio does play
The classical music there, Jim
"The March of the Wooden Soldiers"
All you protest kids
You can hear Jack say, get ready, ah

Sweet Jane! Come on baby! Sweet Jane! Oh-oh-a! Sweet Jane!

Some people, they like to go out dancing 
And other peoples, they have to work, Just watch me now! 
And there's even some evil mothers
Well they're gonna tell you that everything is just dirt
Y'know that, women, never really faint
And that villains always blink their eyes, woo! 
And that, y'know, children are the only ones who blush!
And that, life is just to die! 
And, everyone who ever had a heart
They wouldn't turn around and break it 
And anyone who ever played a part 
Oh wouldn't turn around and hate it!

Sweet Jane! Whoa-oh-oh! Sweet Jane! Sweet Jane!

Heavenly wine and roses
Seems to whisper to her when he smiles
Heavenly wine and roses
Seems to whisper to her when she smiles
La lala lala la, la lala lala la
Sweet Jane
Sweet Jane
Sweet Jane

WORDS OF THE DAY
7. Evoke - Bring or recall to the conscious mind.
8. Plight - A dangerous, difficult, or otherwise unfortunate situation

Professional COMM 1/8: Robert Louis Stevenson


To be idle requires a strong sense of personal identity. 
 -Robert Louis Stevenson

Monday, January 7, 2013

English III 1/7: The Beatles "I Me Mine"


All through the day I me mine, I me mine, I me mine,
All through the night I me mine, I me mine, I me mine,
Now they're frightened of leaving it,
Everyone's weaving it,
Going on strong all the time,
All through the day I me mine.

I me me mine,
I me me mine,
I me me mine,
I me me mine.

All I can hear I me mine, I me mine, I me mine,
Even those tears I me mine, I me mine, I me mine,
No-one's frightened of playing it,
Everyone's saying it,
Flowing more freely than wine,
All through the day I me mine.

I me me mine,
I me me mine,
I me me mine,
I me me mine.

All I can hear I me mine, I me mine, I me mine,
Even those tears I me mine, I me mine, I me mine,
No-one's frightened of playing it,
Everyone's saying it,
Flowing more freely than wine,
All through your life I me mine.

WORDS OF THE DAY

1. Aesthetic - Concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty. Also, a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist or artistic movement.
2. annotate - To make explanatory or critical notes on or upon.
3. generalization - A general statement or concept obtained by inference from specific cases.
4. formulaic - Constituting or containing a verbal formula or set form of words.
5. Proverbial - having become an object of common mention or reference. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a proverb. 
6. Rhetorical - used for, belonging to, or concerned with mere style or effect.

Professional COMM 1/7: Confucius on Life

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. 
-Confucius