Monday, April 30, 2007

Song of the Week: Song of the Week


This week's song is: "What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life" as sung by one of the most successful singers and actresses of the 20th century: Barbara Streisand.

To get into the mood of the song in the context of this week's theme, you will have to imagine that the singer of the song is not in fact a person but a major [i.e. a subject you do in college] and that this major is asking to think about spending the rest of your life, "every summer, every winter of your life" with it.

Watch, listen [or watch and listen] and enjoy....

What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life:
Michel Legrand


What are you doing the rest of your life?
North and South and East
And West of your life?
I have only one request of your life
That you spend it all with me...

All the seasons and the times of your days
A-all the nickels and the dimes of your days
Let the reasons and the rhymes of your days
All begin and end with me...

I want to see your face
In every kind of light
In fields of gold and
Forests of the night
And when you stand before
The candles on a cake
Oh let me be the one to hear
The silent wish you make

Those tomorrows waiting deep in your eyes
In the world of love you keep in your eyes
I'll awaken what's asleep in your eyes
It may take a kiss or two...

Throu-ough all of my life
Summer, Winter, Spring and Fall of my life
All I ever will recall of my life
Is all of my life
With you...ou-ou...,

A Little Something Extra: Always Look On The Bright Side of Life

While I am fiddling around trying to get things ready tomorrow, I thought I'd offer you something that hopefully will act as an antidote to the somewhat downbeat material we looked at last week.

What I have for you is a little song entitle "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life". The song was written by Eric Idle and was featured at the end of the 1979 film Monty Python's Life of Brian.

"The film", as is noted in its entry in Wikipedia notes, "was controversial due to its combination of comedy and religious themes. However, it has also been very popular with viewers: in 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted it the greatest comedy film of all time; in 2004, the same magazine named it the 5th greatest British film of all time; in 2006 it was voted the best comedy movie of all time on two separate polls conducted by the British TV channels Channel 4 and Five; and on the Internet Movie Database, the film is consistently ranked among the top 100 films of all time."

Its a film that is well worth seeking out if you are interested in satire and British comedy and the question of what and does not constitute blasphemy.

Enjoy..

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life:
Eric Idle / Monty Python



Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse.
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best...

And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life...

If life seems jolly rotten
There's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing.
When you're feeling in the dumps
Don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle - that's the thing.

And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life...

For life is quite absurd
And death's the final word
You must always face the curtain with a bow.
Forget about your sin - give the audience a grin
Enjoy it - it's your last chance anyhow.

So always look on the bright side of death
Just before you draw your terminal breath

Life's a piece of shit
When you look at it
Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true.
You'll see it's all a show
Keep 'em laughing as you go
Just remember that the last laugh is on you.

And always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the right side of life...
(Come on guys, cheer up!)
Always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the bright side of life...
(Worse things happen at sea, you know.)
Always look on the bright side of life...
(I mean - what have you got to lose?)
(You know, you come from nothing - you're going back to nothing.
What have you lost? Nothing!)
Always look on the right side of life...

Homework: Tuesday, 27 April 2007


Read the article “Psychological Sources of Stress” [starting on page 122 of the textbook] and the Sample Precis following it.

After you have read the article, with your language partner or imaginary friend:

(1) Compare the boldface phrases and sentences in the original excerpt with the completed precis and discuss whether you think all the main and secondary points are included.

(2) Decide which words you feel from the original excerpt were kept in the precis and the reasons why.

(3) Determine whether you think there is an ‘introduction’ and 'conclusion’ to the precis and the term you could use to identify first sentence of the precis.

(4) Decide what you would omit if the instructor / editor only wanted 100 words.

Powerpoint Presentation:Week 8: Class 2


Find below the Powerpoint Presentation for Class 2, Week 8.

Powerpoint Presentation 8:2

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Song of the Week: I Don't Like Monday's



This weeks 'song of the week' is I Don't Like Monday's. Written by Bob Geldof and performed by his group, the Boomtown Rats, the song was number 1 on the UK pop charts for four weeks in July 1979. The song was inspired by a report Geldof read about the shooting spree of 16-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer. Spencer shot at children playing in a school playground across the street from her house and ended up killing two adults and injured eight children and one police officer. As the report on the song on Wikipedia notes [see the link above], Spencer showed no remorse for her crime, and her only explanation for her actions when captured was "I don't like Mondays."

I Don't Like Mondays:
Boomtown Rats


The silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload.
And nobody's gonna go to school today,
She's going to make them stay at home.
And daddy doesn't understand it,
He always said she was as good as gold.
And he can see no reason
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be shown?

Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
I want to shoot
The whole day down.

The telex machine is kept so clean
As it types to a waiting world.
And mother feels so shocked,
Father's world is rocked,
And their thoughts turn to
Their own little girl.
Sweet 16 ain't so peachy keen,
No, it ain't so neat to admit defeat.
They can see no reasons
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be shown?

Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
I want to shoot
The whole day down.

All the playing's stopped in the playground now
She wants to play with her toys a while.
And school's out early and soon we'll be learning
And the lesson today is how to die.
And then the bullhorn crackles,
And the captain crackles,
With the problems and the how's and why's.
And he can see no reasons
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to die?

Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays.
I want to shoot
The whole day down.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Homework: Tuesday, 25 April 2007


Two lots of Homework this week.

1. Read the article “Managing Stress” starting on page 119 of the textbook and discuss the following questions with your language partner or imaginary friend:

(i) What were the three areas of life the author felt could be controlled so as to relive stress?

(ii) What did the author feel cold be done in each of these areas to relive stress?

(iii) What was the College Readjustment Rating Scale was developed according to the author?

(iv) What were the two theories about the origin of stress noted by the author?

(v) was the one aspect of stressful situations the author thought we could always control?


2. By yourself, spend 5 to 10 minutes writing about one thing (other than your Advanced Writing class) that is causing stress in your life now. In the piece say something about:

(i) what it is;

(ii) how it makes you feel;

(iii) what you think you can do about it.


Remember:

(i) I’ll choose various people to volunteer to share their musings [so watch the language!!!!];

(ii) worry too much about grammar or spelling.

Powerpoint Presentation:Week 8: Class 1


Find below a link to the Powerpoint Presentation for Week 8: Class 1.

Enjoy!!

Powerpoint Presentation 8:1

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Homework: Thursday, 12 April 2007

Read the article “Apartheid in South Africa” starting on page 110 of the textbook. After you have read the article, discuss the following questions on page 111 with your language partner or imaginary friend:

(i) which information did the author use that probably came from another source;

(ii) words do you think are key ones in the essay?

(iii) what do you think is the authors thesis statement? Do you think it is well supported in the rest of the essay? Are there any places that need more support or somewhere something should be deleted?

(iv) What direct causes of poverty does the author mention? What indirect ones?

(v) What is the essay brought to a close? If you couldn’t see the white space at the end of the essay, would you have known it was ending?

Powerpoint Presentation:Week 7: Class 2


Please find below a link to the Powerpoint Presentation for Class 2, Week 7

Powerpoint Presentation Lesson 2, Week 7

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Homework: Tuesday, 10 April 2007


Read the article “Just Skin and Bones” about poverty in North Korea.

After you have read the article, discuss the following questions with your language partner or imaginary friend:

(i) What are some of the direct causes of North Korea’s famine?

(ii) What are some of the indirect causes?

(iii) What are some of the possible effects of the famine?

Powerpoint Presentation:Week 7: Class 1



Find below a link to the Powerpoint Presentation for Lesson 1, Week 7.

Powerpoint Presentation 7|1

Monday, April 9, 2007

Song of the Week: We Are The World


This week's Song of the Week is one of my all-time most unfavourite songs: "We Are The World"

Written by Michael Jackson, its actually not that bad a song, its just that if you were like me and listening to the radio or watching TV in 1985 when it was released, you could not escape it.

That said, it was incredibly significant in bringing to the attention of people in Europe and North America - for a short time at least - the plight of the poor in Africa in general and Ethiopia in particular and has just about everyone who was anyone in the US music industry in the mid-1980's singing along.

We Are The World:
U.S.A. for Africa


There comes a time
When we head a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
And it's time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all

We can't go on
Pretneding day by day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change
We are all a part of
God's great big family
And the truth, you know love is all we need

[Chorus]
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me

Send them your heart
So they'll know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stone to bread
So we all must lend a helping hand

[Chorus]

When you're down and out
There seems no hope at all
But if you just believe
There's no way we can fall
Well, well, well, well, let us realize
That a change will only come
When we stand together as one

[Chorus]

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Powerpoint Presentation:Week 6: Class 2


Find below a link to the Powerpoint Presentation for Lesson 2, Week 6.

Powerpoint Presentation: Week 6, Lesson 2

Homework: Thursday, 5 April 2007


Read the student essay, starting on page 91, “H.H. A Homeless Man” in which she describes the plight of a homeless person she refers to as H.M.

After you have read the essay, discuss the following questions with your language partner or imaginary friend:

(i) is there anything in this essay you believe should have been explained more fully? Is there any point you didn’t quite “get”.

(ii) Do you believe Oanh is describing someone she actually saw, at least in part of her essay? What makes you think so?

(iii) Did you learn something by reading this essay?

(iv) What suggestions can you give to Oanh for improving her essay?

(v) What tips can you get from reading this essay to help you in your essay?

Monday, April 2, 2007

Powerpoint Presentation:Week 6: Class 1


Please find below copies of the Powerpoint presentation for Class 1, Week 2

Powerpoint Presentation 6|1

Homework: Tuesday, 3 April 2007


With your language partner, read the article “Squeegeeing in Toronto” starting on page 85 of the textbook and discuss the following questions:

(i) What kind of background does Jen come from;

(ii) How does Jen feel about her situation;

(iii) How do you imagine her homelessness has affected her emotionally? How has it affected her future?

Sunday, April 1, 2007

Song of the Week: Brother Can You Spare A Dime


This week's song of the week is Brother Can you Spare a Dime. Written at the height of the depression in 1932 by E. Y. Harburg and Jay Gorney, Brother Can You Spare A Dime is sung from the point of view of a man who has built railroads, sky-scrappers and tilled the fields and fought in world wars but finds himself on the 'bread line'.

The version I am giving you is by Peter Yarrow, famous amongst other things for having been one third of one of the most popular American fold groups of all time, Peter, Paul and Mary. Recorded in 1975, I think its one of the better of the more recent versions of the song and certainly better than the horrible and somewhat bizarre version by the multi-millionare George Michael a couple of years ago.

Buddy Can You Spare A Dime:
Peter Yarrow


They used to tell me I was building a dream
And so I followed the mob.
When there was earth to plow or guns to bear,
I was always there, right on the job.
They used to tell me I was building a dream
With peace and glory ahead --
Why should I be standing in line, just waiting for bread?
Once I built a railroad, I made it run,
Made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad, now it's done --
Brother, can you spare a dime?

Once I built a tower, up to the sun,
brick and rivet and lime.
Once I built a tower, now it's done --
Brother, can you spare a dime?

Once in khaki suits, gee, we looked swell
Full of that Yankee Doodle-de-dum.
Half a million boots went slogging through hell,
And I was the kid with the drum.

Say, don't you remember they called me Al,
It was Al all the time.
Why don't you remember, I'm your pal --
Say, buddy, can you spare a dime?

Once in khaki suits, ah, gee, we looked swell
Full of that Yankee Doodle-de-dum.
Half a million boots went slogging through hell,
And I was the kid with the drum.

Say, don't you remember they called me Al,
It was Al all the time.
Why don't you remember, I'm your pal --
Buddy, can you spare a dime?