English III 11/1: "Ufunani Esitedamu" by Malozana

This is a pop song from West Africa from 1986 from a mixtape called Afrosynth VI: Working for the Weekend. You probably won't understand the words but I want you to write about the feelings, images, memories or ideas that the music brings to mind. Picture yourself as a part of the culture that created this... what would that be like? What does this culture feel like to you? Enjoy.

If you like this, you can check out more stuff like this at http://afrosynth.blogspot.com/

WORDS OF THE DAY

9. Lampoon- ridicule; spoof

10. Oblivious- totally unaware

11. Podium- raised platform

12. Resonant- echoing

English III 10/30: Blowing Trees "The Line is A Far Away Place" // "Wolf Waltz"

Don't roll your eyes

Don't step over this line

Change radio blares

Chase stereo air

Type lines I can't read

Forces lines I don't need

Erase your old guns

Chain the music stuns

Coming through your vacant gaze

Wrapped around your favorite place

Circles of blood fall away

You're just fine now

Now are you?

Now are you?

Now are you?

Now are you?

Now are you?

----

Don't you touch that wire sticking out the wall

It will shock you to the next to the next

Never trust an electrical current

They were made to run made to run

I was there I saw it happen

She was there oh she fell

You should have seen how it worked so well

They were so entertained

You took your united neglect

A nation divided

Parallel angles like a Kubrick

In your eyes like an idol

There is only one, won't you come?

Can't you hear the sirens?

Oh patience,

I learn to cherish the stare you hold

Eat words like last meals

You get what you want but it's not enough

Oh have you seen the door that you left behind?

No eyes could hold 'cause it's all in your mind.

Can't you waltz?

Can't you waltz?

Can't you waltz?

Wolf waltz

Can't you waltz?

Can't you waltz?

WORDS OF THE DAY

5. Plummet- fall suddenly and steeply

6. Resolution- determination

7. Tentative- not certain

8. Lamentation- expression of regret or sorrow 

Professional COMM 10/24: Extra Credit

Changing the world is not about putting the right kind of people in power. It is about awakening the right kind of power in people. —@MettaCenter

http://notrehta.wordpress.com/2011/08/18/awakening-the-right-kind-of-power-in-people/

Professional COMM 10/23: Obama's Muslim Outreach

On June 4, 2009 our President delivered a historic speech in Cairo, Egypt. His goal? To reach out, on behalf of the United States, to the Muslim world. His message is very clear on this subject: we need unity, understanding and- above all- intelligent dialogue. Obama doesn't necessarily bash America on this subject, though he certainly could, but instead remarks that there are divides between us that have been held in place by misunderstanding, ignorance (fanaticism) and hate.

Despite Obama's good intentions, many believed (and no doubt still do) that his actions represent weakness and 'siding with the enemy'. What is your opinion on this matter? How important is it that we try to correct centuries of hate and misunderstanding? Can people of different religions/ideals coexist peacefully in a way that is mutually beneficial?

Transcendentalism

POWER POINT

English III 10/18: "The Transfiguration" by Sufjan Stevens

This is an amazing song. Not too many people are writing really moving religious songs these days, but there is a definite need for spirituality in our society right now. The Transfiguration, for those who don't know, is the coming of God into human form. What kinds of emotions does this song arouse in you? Peaceful? Conflicted?
________________________________________________
"When he took the three disciples
to the mountainside to pray,
his countenance was modified, his clothing was aflame.
Two men appeared: Moses and Elijah came;
they were at his side.
The prophecy, the legislation spoke of whenever he would die.

Then there came a word
of what he should accomplish on the day.
Then Peter spoke, to make of them a tabernacle place.
A cloud appeared in glory as an accolade.
They fell on the ground.
A voice arrived, the voice of God,
the face of God, covered in a cloud.

What he said to them,
the voice of God: the most beloved son.
Consider what he says to you, consider what's to come.
The prophecy was put to death,
was put to death, and so will the Son.
And keep your word, disguise the vision till the time has come.

Lost in the cloud, a voice: Have no fear! We draw near!
Lost in the cloud, a sign: Son of man! Turn your ear!
Lost in the cloud, a voice: Lamb of God! We draw near!
Lost in the cloud, a sign: Son of man! Son of God!" - Sufjan Stevens

English III 10/15: Bright Eyes "At the Bottom of Everything"

We must talk in every telephone

Get eaten off the web

We must rip out all the epilogues in the books that we have read

And in the face of every criminal

Strapped firmly to a chair

We must stare, we must stare, we must stare

We must take all of the medicines too expensive now to sell

Set fire to the preacher who is promising us hell

And in the ear of every anarchist that sleeps but doesn't dream

We must sing, we must sing, we must sing

It'll go like this:

While my mother waters plants

My father loads his guns

He says death will give us back to God

Just like this setting sun is returned to this lonesome ocean

And then they splashed into the deep blue sea

It was a wonderful splash

We must blend into the choir

Sing as static with the whole

We must memorize nine numbers and deny we have a soul

And in this endless race for property and privilege to be won

We must run, we must run, we must run

We must hang up in the belfry

Where the bats and moonlight laugh

We must stare into a crystal ball and only see the past

And in the caverns of tomorrow

With just our flashlights and our love

We must plunge, we must plunge, we must plunge

And then we'll get down there, way down to the very bottom of everything

And then we'll see it, oh we'll see it, we'll see it, we'll see it

Oh my morning's coming back

The whole world's waking up

All the city buses swimming past

I'm happy just because

I found out I am really no one

WORDS OF THE DAY

17. Alma mater – foster mother, applied to educational institution

18. De novo – anew, once more

19. De profundis – out of the depths

20. In perpetuum- forever

Prefessional Comm 10/12 - Current Events Special: Malala Yousufzai

A few days ago, one of the most special young ladies in the world was gunned down by Taliban forces outside of her school. Why? For agrguing loudly for freedom and the right of girls to an education. It is clear to me that Malala represents what is good about this world and the forces that conspired to attack her represent what is rotten. Discuss her story in your blogs AFTER following and reading the links below.

About her and her blog: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19899540

Links about what happened and its significance:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/11/opinion/malala-yousafzais-courage.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/a-profile-courage-article-1.1181476?localLinksEnabled=false

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57530331/malala-yousafzais-brain-damaged-in-taliban-attack-in-pakistan-surgeon-says/

English III 10/11: "I Can" by Nas

[Kids] I know I can

Be what I wanna be (be what I wanna be)

If I work hard at it (If I work hard it)

I'll be where I wanna be (I'll be where I wanna be)

[Nas]

Be, B-Boys and girls, listen up

You can be anything in the world, in God we trust

An architect, doctor, maybe an actress

But nothing comes easy it takes much practice

Like, I met a woman who's becoming a star

She was very beautiful, leaving people in awe

Singing songs, Lina Horn, but the younger version

Hung with the wrong person

Gotta astrung when I heard when

Cocaine, sniffing up drugs, all in her nose

Coulda died, so young, no looks ugly and old

No fun cause when she reaches for hugs people hold they breath

Cause she smells of corrosion and death

Watch the company you keep and the crowd you bring

Cause they came to do drugs and you came to sing

So if you gonna be the best, I'ma tell you how

[Chorus - 2x (Nas and Kids)]

I know I can (I know I can)

Be what I wanna be (be what I wanna be)

If I work hard at it (If I work hard it)

I'll be where I wanna be (I'll be where I wanna be)

[Nas]

Be, B-Boys and girls, listen again

This is for grown looking girls who's only ten

The ones who watch videos and do what they see

As cute as can be, up in the club with fake ID

Careful, 'fore you meet a man with HIV

You can host the TV like Oprah Winfrey

Whatever you decide, be careful, some men be

Rapists, so act your age, don't pretend to be

Older than you are, give yourself time to grow

You thinking he can give you wealth, but so

Young boys, you can use a lot of help, you know

You thinkin life's all about smokin weed and ice

You don't wanna be my age and can't read and right

Begging different women for a place to sleep at night

Smart boys turn to men and do whatever they wish

If you believe you can achieve, then say it like this

[Chorus]

Save the music y'all, save the music y'all

Save the music y'all, save the music y'all

Save the music

[Nas]

Be, be, 'fore we came to this country

We were kings and queens, never porch monkeys

It was empires in Africa called Kush

Timbuktu, where every race came to get books

To learn from black teachers who taught Greeks and Romans

Asian Arabs and gave them gold when

Gold was converted to money it all changed

Money then became empowerment for Europeans

The Persian military invaded

They learned about the gold, the teachings and everything sacred

Africa was almost robbed naked

Slavery was money, so they began making slave ships

Egypt was the place that Alexander the Great went

He was so shocked at the mountains with black faces

Shot up they nose to impose what basically

Still goes on today, you see?

If the truth is told, the youth can grow

They learn to survive until they gain control

Nobody says you have to be gangstas, hoes

Read more learn more, change the globe

Ghetto children, do your thing

Hold your head up, little man, you're a king

Young Prince thats when you get your wedding ring

Your man is saying "She's my queen"

WORDS OF THE DAY

9. Haughtiness- arrogance; pride 

10. Lachrymose- tearful; sad 

11. Plethora- an excess 

12. Repudiate- shun; eschew

English III 10/10: "A day in the Life" by The Beatles

Despite being a HUGE Beatles fan, I really hadn't paid much attention to this particular Beatles song until I heard a local band called Cartographers play live it a few years back. Something about the way it shifts tempo, almost into a new song, half way through it... I cannot explain but it makes it really feel like 'a day in the life' of a person; because we all know how many different things can happen and how many different attitudes we take on in the course of a single day. There is something particularly haunting about the line "the english army had just won the war"... I don't know why, but I get chills now when I hear that line... perhaps because I wonder if it is possible to 'WIN' a war at all. Anyway, this is a good song for the range of moods it traces and for still remaining, all in all, a feel good track.

What if we all had to rewrite the lyric to "A day in the Life" to fit our own lives? How would it go? How would your verse go?

__________________________________________________

I read the news today oh boy

About a lucky man who made the grave

And though the news was rather sad

Well I just had to laugh

I saw the photograph

He blew his mind out in a car

He didn't notice that the lights had changed

A crowd of people stood and stared

They'd seen his face before

Nobody was really sure

If he was from the House of Lords.

I saw a film today oh boy

The English Army had just won the war

A crowd of people turned away

but I just had to look

Having read the book

I'd love to turn you on

Woke up, fell out of bed,

Dragged a comb across my head

Found my way downstairs and drank a cup,

And looking up I noticed I was late.

Found my coat and grabbed my hat

Made the bus in seconds flat

Found my way upstairs and had a smoke,

and Somebody spoke and I went into a dream

I read the news today oh boy

Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire

And though the holes were rather small

They had to count them all

Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall.

I'd love to turn you on

WORDS OF THE DAY

5. Cower- recoil in fear or servility; shrink away from 

6. Absolution- forgiveness; pardon; release 

7. Blatant- obvious 

8. Reprehensible- shameful; very bad

Professional COMM 10/9: Terence McKenna on Closure

"I don’t feel a need for closure. I don’t see why things should make sense, they never have. They are always in process of formation." - Terence McKenna

Just imagine how much stress you could avoid if you never expected anything in particular. McKenna and other thinkers like him are clear about their disdain for reality as it as been accepted through the ages. The universe, I believe he is trying to say, is a chaotic and endlessly creative organic machine... so why in the world would we expect it to behave in a predictable way or to have a'point', a'purpose', or a 'meaning'? The universe and everything in it is never stuck and never completed. There is no being- only becoming.

Professional COMM 10/5: Nietzsche on love and madness

“There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
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To me this statement is right on… it always feels insane when you really notice yourself in love, but there is something present in your mind that tells you not only that you should do it- but that you MUST. Once you have taken the ‘leap of love’, all of the little moments that fill it up are constant exchanges between irrational feeling and rational planning. I have always thought that if you can figure out how to stretch your irrational joy by planning its use out carefully… then you will have a lasting love. As far as the idea that there is reason in madness… I feel that Nietzsche is trying to hint at the idea that there is nothing in the human psyche that is completely isolated. There is some reason in madness because there is a process that leads to it, a trigger that sets it off, a tiny whisper of perfect logic releasing cascades of denial and incomprehension.

Professional COMM 10/3: Abraham Lincoln on non-permenance

"It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: "And this, too, shall pass away."'

English III 10/2: Grizzly Bear "Two Weeks"

TWO WEEKS

"Save up all the days

A routine malaise

Just like yesterday

I told you I would stay

Would you always

Maybe sometimes

Make it easy

Take your time

Think of all the ways

Momentary phase

Just like yesterday

I told you I would stay

Every time you try

Quarter half the mile

Just like yesterday

I told you I would stay

Would you always

Maybe sometimes

Make it easy

Take your time" - Grizzly Bear

This band, Grizzly Bear, is one of the best bands out there nowadays. They have a unique ability to blend creepy atmoshpherics with folk sounds and beautiful harmonies. This song, off their album Veckatimest, is a really good example of why one prominent music critic has said that this band is 'changing music'. What do you think of this song?

WORDS OF THE DAY

13. desecrate – to profane a holy place 

14. Placid- calm; peaceful 

15. Abhor -hate 

16. Hamper -hinder; obstruct

Professional COMM 10/2: William James on Wisdom

The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook. ~ William James

William James is perhaps THE most influential American philosopher of his day (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910). His quote here is about the age old human goal of wisdom, which is defined by Dictionary.com as "the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight". Knowing that, how do you interpret James' quote? What does he mean when he says "knowing what to overlook"? We tend to think of life in terms of what's important, but James is seemingly telling us that a life of wisdom requires knowing what's not important. Do you agree? What types of things do you think he refers to, which should be overlooked?

English III 10/1: Your Own Blog Day

Hey kiddos! For today I would like you to write about your favorite song. Finally, you can tell me all those wonderful things about music that make you move. (and you can stop complaining about my music, because this is about yours) I would like you specifically to write about the lyrics (keep it clean) and how the song makes you feel and why you think it is your favorite song.

Professional COMM 10/1: Justice

“Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting a bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian” - Dennis Wholey

This is an interesting quote I found. Justice is one of those strange subjects that people so often disagree about. What does justice mean to you? What do you think Wholey is trying to say here with his unique blend of humor and philosophy?

Dictionary.com defines justice as:
1. the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness: to uphold the justice of a cause.
2. rightfulness or lawfulness, as of a claim or title; justness of ground or reason: to complain with justice.
3. the moral principle determining just conduct.