Monday, May 31, 2010
Hoping for more elite orienteers on Twitter
Twitter has some possibilities for those of us sitting at home following orienteering races like the European Orienteering Champs. There aren't many elite orienteers using Twitter yet (as best I can tell). I hope the number will grow.I was glad to see Eva Jurenikova "tweeting" from the European Champs. I thought this was a great summary of her race in the sprint final - lots of info, not a lot
Heineken? Fuck That Shit!
Dennis Hopper's Dead!
Pabst Blue Ribbon!!!
Dennis Hopper: May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010
Dreams Don't Die - But He Does
Dennis the Menace passed away this Memorial Weekend and the bartender at Baltimore's Sidebar paid homage to the Hollywood Bad Boy turned Nutter Character Actor and latterday Neo-Republican and Ameriprise Financial "Dreams Don't Die" TV pitchman with this sign referencing Hopper's Pabst Blue Ribbon-loving character "Frank Booth" from David Lynch's cult classic BLUE VELVET.
Early on in his career, Hopper was a James Dean wannabe, a rebel without a pause - except for the pretentious "Method Acting" that Dean and Brando whole-heartedly embraced - or a purpose or a direction, who purposely self-destructed his career and fucked over anything and anybody that got in his way. And, again like BLUE VELVET's Frank Booth, he also would "fuck anything that moves."
In Laid Bare: A Memoir of Wrecked Lives and the Hollywood Death Trip, author John Gilmore quotes 20th-Century Fox casting head Lee Wallace opining of Hopper: "Hopper is a boring and shallow person - not a pretty boy but a runt, though maybe if he drives himself crazy enough some spark will fly so at least he'll appear interesting, until he burns up. Not only is he a boring actor and a boring person, he is devoid of any screen personality. Without that, you have no commercial appeal - the only unforgivable sin in this town. When he's older he might make an interesting character actor, but right now he's what we call 'dead meat'..."
Boy did Wallace hit the nail on the head! Despite a starring role opposite Linda Lawson in (Kenneth Anger pal) Curtis Harrington's cult indie Night Tide (1961), his much ballyhooed directorial debut in the cartoonish anti-Hollywood calling card Easy Rider, and a few decent latter-day dramatic supporting roles in Hoosiers and Elegy, Hopper remains best known as a Kook Character Actor in independent films. And, of course, those "Dreams Never Die" ("Wrong!") Ameriprise TV commercials. I'm talking Hopper's crazed American photo-journalist in APOCALYPSE NOW, Feck in RIVER'S EDGE, "Lyle from Dallas" in RED ROCK WEST, and of course, Frank Booth in BLUE VELVET. That said, here are some of the finer moments from Hopper's character acting Nutter's Hall of Fame.
FOUR SCORE: MY FAVE OVER-THE-TOP HOPPER ROLES
FRANK BOOTH in BLUE VELVET
"Don't You Fucking Look at Me!"
FECK in RIVER'S EDGE
"Check's in the mail!"; "Did you love her?"
LYLE FROM DALLAS in RED ROCK WEST
Lyle says "Choose life!"
APOCALYPSE NOW
Manic Yank photojournalist who says of Kurtz: "The man's enlarged my mind!"
APOCALYPSE NOW may have provided the inspiration for Hopper's subsequent Ameriprise catchphrase ("What will they say of him [Kurtz] - that he was a kind man? That he was a good man? WRONG!!!"). Of course, Hopper's performance was even better when reimagined in the body of Piglet in Todd Graham's APOCALYPSE POOH. Who knew?
Pabst Blue Ribbon!!!
Dennis Hopper: May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010
Dreams Don't Die - But He Does
Dennis the Menace passed away this Memorial Weekend and the bartender at Baltimore's Sidebar paid homage to the Hollywood Bad Boy turned Nutter Character Actor and latterday Neo-Republican and Ameriprise Financial "Dreams Don't Die" TV pitchman with this sign referencing Hopper's Pabst Blue Ribbon-loving character "Frank Booth" from David Lynch's cult classic BLUE VELVET.
Early on in his career, Hopper was a James Dean wannabe, a rebel without a pause - except for the pretentious "Method Acting" that Dean and Brando whole-heartedly embraced - or a purpose or a direction, who purposely self-destructed his career and fucked over anything and anybody that got in his way. And, again like BLUE VELVET's Frank Booth, he also would "fuck anything that moves."
In Laid Bare: A Memoir of Wrecked Lives and the Hollywood Death Trip, author John Gilmore quotes 20th-Century Fox casting head Lee Wallace opining of Hopper: "Hopper is a boring and shallow person - not a pretty boy but a runt, though maybe if he drives himself crazy enough some spark will fly so at least he'll appear interesting, until he burns up. Not only is he a boring actor and a boring person, he is devoid of any screen personality. Without that, you have no commercial appeal - the only unforgivable sin in this town. When he's older he might make an interesting character actor, but right now he's what we call 'dead meat'..."
Boy did Wallace hit the nail on the head! Despite a starring role opposite Linda Lawson in (Kenneth Anger pal) Curtis Harrington's cult indie Night Tide (1961), his much ballyhooed directorial debut in the cartoonish anti-Hollywood calling card Easy Rider, and a few decent latter-day dramatic supporting roles in Hoosiers and Elegy, Hopper remains best known as a Kook Character Actor in independent films. And, of course, those "Dreams Never Die" ("Wrong!") Ameriprise TV commercials. I'm talking Hopper's crazed American photo-journalist in APOCALYPSE NOW, Feck in RIVER'S EDGE, "Lyle from Dallas" in RED ROCK WEST, and of course, Frank Booth in BLUE VELVET. That said, here are some of the finer moments from Hopper's character acting Nutter's Hall of Fame.FOUR SCORE: MY FAVE OVER-THE-TOP HOPPER ROLES
FRANK BOOTH in BLUE VELVET
"Don't You Fucking Look at Me!"
FECK in RIVER'S EDGE
"Check's in the mail!"; "Did you love her?"
LYLE FROM DALLAS in RED ROCK WEST
Lyle says "Choose life!"
APOCALYPSE NOW
Manic Yank photojournalist who says of Kurtz: "The man's enlarged my mind!"
APOCALYPSE NOW may have provided the inspiration for Hopper's subsequent Ameriprise catchphrase ("What will they say of him [Kurtz] - that he was a kind man? That he was a good man? WRONG!!!"). Of course, Hopper's performance was even better when reimagined in the body of Piglet in Todd Graham's APOCALYPSE POOH. Who knew?
Roanoke Times For Memorial Day See Page 12
-
Not a word about Memorial Day on Memorial Day until Page 12!
-
The Editors of the Roanoke Times once again demonstrate their clear and undeniable expression of their values and character.
-
In their defense, they are in complete harmony with Obama who instead of honoring our fallen at Arlington is on vacation in his Chicago hood.
-
Vacation? Aren’t we at war on four fronts?
Iraq
Afghanistan
Pakistan
Radical Muslim Extremists attacking our Homeland
-
Do we not have a major environmental problem in the Gulf?
-
Isn’t our economy and unemployment in crisis?
-
Isn’t the Obama government running up the Nation Debt by $4 BILLLION PER DAY placing our people and country in great peril?
-
Aren’t Iran and North Korea getting ready to launch long-range missiles with nuclear warheads?
-
Apparently the Editors of the Roanoke Times and their liberal media associates think that Obama deserves a vacation; most American are looking forward to his permanent furlough!
-
Just more hope and change and hypocrisy we can believe in!
-
-
For a fitting tribute to our fallen soldiers click-on: (Sound ON)
-
http://www.roanokeslant.org/TAPS.wmv
-
-
Prior Items:
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2010/05/memorial-day.html
-
http://www.nragive.com/ringoffreedom/index.html
-
http://www.resistnet.com/forum/topics/gene-simmons-from-kissa
-
http://www.virtualwall.org/
-
Not a word about Memorial Day on Memorial Day until Page 12!
-
The Editors of the Roanoke Times once again demonstrate their clear and undeniable expression of their values and character.
-
In their defense, they are in complete harmony with Obama who instead of honoring our fallen at Arlington is on vacation in his Chicago hood.
-
Vacation? Aren’t we at war on four fronts?
Iraq
Afghanistan
Pakistan
Radical Muslim Extremists attacking our Homeland
-
Do we not have a major environmental problem in the Gulf?
-
Isn’t our economy and unemployment in crisis?
-
Isn’t the Obama government running up the Nation Debt by $4 BILLLION PER DAY placing our people and country in great peril?
-
Aren’t Iran and North Korea getting ready to launch long-range missiles with nuclear warheads?
-
Apparently the Editors of the Roanoke Times and their liberal media associates think that Obama deserves a vacation; most American are looking forward to his permanent furlough!
-
Just more hope and change and hypocrisy we can believe in!
-
-
For a fitting tribute to our fallen soldiers click-on: (Sound ON)
-
http://www.roanokeslant.org/TAPS.wmv
-
-
Prior Items:
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2010/05/memorial-day.html
-
http://www.nragive.com/ringoffreedom/index.html
-
http://www.resistnet.com/forum/topics/gene-simmons-from-kissa
-
http://www.virtualwall.org/
-
Going gaga, ooh-la-la!
Ooh, la la! I hear we are to host a girl from Paree! Must brush up on my French as well as the particulars of my lineage. Maybe even submit to a bath in her honor.
Let's see, was it my great-great-great-great-great-great, times 10-or-so, grand-pere to whom Lafayette belonged? And what was the name of that adorable little bistro on the Left Bank where he would feast on foie gras?
Mademoiselle Marie has visited before, but she and I have not met yet. I hear she owns a horse, so she must love dogs, too, n'est-ce pas? Hope she likes them a lot, because even though Mom already warned me, I have no intention of giving up my room.
Let's see, was it my great-great-great-great-great-great, times 10-or-so, grand-pere to whom Lafayette belonged? And what was the name of that adorable little bistro on the Left Bank where he would feast on foie gras?
Mademoiselle Marie has visited before, but she and I have not met yet. I hear she owns a horse, so she must love dogs, too, n'est-ce pas? Hope she likes them a lot, because even though Mom already warned me, I have no intention of giving up my room.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Petco unleashed: the horror
Two words: automatic doors.
Need I say more?
Although I realize I am given to blatheration, I must address my latest scare. Face my fears, yes?
No.
'Twas a hot day. Mom says she thought it would be a great idea while, as we sashayed around town during my sister's music lesson, to stop in the new Linden Street store. Two good reasons:
1. air conditioned
2. full of treats
Seemed full of possibilities to me. We passed through the first set of doors. No problem. But as I was about to venture over the invisible threshold of the second, I heard a strange popping noise. Having experienced fireworks just a few days before, I was skittish. And remained so, stuck in a kind of automatic door limbo, 'twixt and 'tween the two sets.
Despite the valiant, patient and kind efforts of the Petco staff, who even proffered an entire bag of treats, tried new leash configurations, backrubs, sweet talk, and the trail o'treats, I was not to be swayed. I knew better. Something scary was in there!
Consolation prize: three pig ears.
Need I say more?
Although I realize I am given to blatheration, I must address my latest scare. Face my fears, yes?
No.
'Twas a hot day. Mom says she thought it would be a great idea while, as we sashayed around town during my sister's music lesson, to stop in the new Linden Street store. Two good reasons:
1. air conditioned
2. full of treats
Seemed full of possibilities to me. We passed through the first set of doors. No problem. But as I was about to venture over the invisible threshold of the second, I heard a strange popping noise. Having experienced fireworks just a few days before, I was skittish. And remained so, stuck in a kind of automatic door limbo, 'twixt and 'tween the two sets.
Despite the valiant, patient and kind efforts of the Petco staff, who even proffered an entire bag of treats, tried new leash configurations, backrubs, sweet talk, and the trail o'treats, I was not to be swayed. I knew better. Something scary was in there!
Consolation prize: three pig ears.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Obama’s Gulf Oil Actions of Ill Repute, No visible means of support
Roanoke Times, 5-29-10, Pg 3: Obama at Louisiana beaches; and recent news conference.
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The Gulf Oil spill is NOT Obama’s Katrina. At least for Katrina, Bush tried!
-
You are not alone.
I am responsible.
Daddy, did you plug the hole yet?
These are the major media headlines and news stories about the Gulf Oil spill after one month (30 days) of Obama’s position: Not my problem!
One can only imagine the venom and hostility pouring out of the Editors of the Roanoke Times and their friends in the liberal media if Bush were still President.
-
Based on the anemic response and absence of the Navy, Coast Guard and contract ships with the largest and best skimmers and containment capabilities in the world one would conclude that the Federal Government doesn’t consider this to be a big deal.
-
Extract: Wall Street Article, May 27, 10; Comprehensive Opinion Article
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704717004575268752362770856.html
The federal response to Katrina was governed by the 1988 Stafford Act, which says
that in natural disasters on-shore states are in charge, not Washington.
The federal obligation is to "support . . . State and local assistance
efforts" by providing whatever resources a governor requests and then
writing big checks for the cleanup. Mr. Bush had to deal with a
Louisiana governor and a New Orleans mayor who were, by federal law, in
charge.
-
But BP's well was drilled in federal waters. Washington, not Louisiana,
is in charge. This is Mr. Obama's responsibility. He says his
administration has been prepared for the worst from the start. Mr.
Obama's failure to lead in cleaning up the spill could lead voters to
echo his (Obama's) complaint in Katrina's aftermath:
"I wish that the federal government had been up to the task."
-
Just more hope and change and hypocrisy we can believe in!
-
You know Obama has a big problem when pseudo-Creole James Carville is mad as hell and isn’t going to take it anymore – click:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtvoLrQBxis
-
Prior Item:
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2007/02/still-stuck-on-stupid.html
-
-
The Gulf Oil spill is NOT Obama’s Katrina. At least for Katrina, Bush tried!
-
You are not alone.
I am responsible.
Daddy, did you plug the hole yet?
These are the major media headlines and news stories about the Gulf Oil spill after one month (30 days) of Obama’s position: Not my problem!
One can only imagine the venom and hostility pouring out of the Editors of the Roanoke Times and their friends in the liberal media if Bush were still President.
-
Based on the anemic response and absence of the Navy, Coast Guard and contract ships with the largest and best skimmers and containment capabilities in the world one would conclude that the Federal Government doesn’t consider this to be a big deal.
-
Extract: Wall Street Article, May 27, 10; Comprehensive Opinion Article
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704717004575268752362770856.html
The federal response to Katrina was governed by the 1988 Stafford Act, which says
that in natural disasters on-shore states are in charge, not Washington.
The federal obligation is to "support . . . State and local assistance
efforts" by providing whatever resources a governor requests and then
writing big checks for the cleanup. Mr. Bush had to deal with a
Louisiana governor and a New Orleans mayor who were, by federal law, in
charge.
-
But BP's well was drilled in federal waters. Washington, not Louisiana,
is in charge. This is Mr. Obama's responsibility. He says his
administration has been prepared for the worst from the start. Mr.
Obama's failure to lead in cleaning up the spill could lead voters to
echo his (Obama's) complaint in Katrina's aftermath:
"I wish that the federal government had been up to the task."
-
Just more hope and change and hypocrisy we can believe in!
-
You know Obama has a big problem when pseudo-Creole James Carville is mad as hell and isn’t going to take it anymore – click:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtvoLrQBxis
-
Prior Item:
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2007/02/still-stuck-on-stupid.html
-
Some peer nations' relay history
I looked at the WorldofO.com WOC historic results for the peer nations to see how the nations had done in relays when the WOCs were in Norway (1978 and 1997). I also looked at 2004 - the most recent time the WOC took place in Scandinavian terrain.I'm not going to bother typing the table into this post, but I thought I'd write my observations based on looking at the results:The results are fairly
Thursday, May 27, 2010
level 5. Unit 2 Worldlink
Welcome to Unit 2 for your level 5.
These are the contents of this unit:
Topic: Food
Vocabulary: Adjectives describing foods; restaurants experiences
Grammar: The comparative and superlative form of adjectives.
Functions: Offering and Suggesting
Unit 2 Bk 2-Presentation
A. Topic: Food
Talking about food and the food we like
Describing Food: Write a food description:
Example:
Answer these questions:
What type of food is it?, How does it taste?, Is is a hot/cold food?, What is in it?, How do you eat it?, When do you eat it?
Now, it's your turn to describe your favorite dish..
More Exercises:
Adjectives for Describing Food
Food taste, international food English vocabulary, printable worksheets
B. A conversation: Offering and Suggesting
Read the following conversation about offering and suggesting food
Maria: Where do you wat to go for dinner?
Jose: I don't know. Why don't we go yo the pizza place on the corner?
Maria: Pizza again? I don't like their pizza. It's too spicy.
Jose: You are right. It's spicier than the pizza at Pizza House.
Maria: Well, I still want to go out tonight. How about the new Japanese restaurant downtown?
Jose: OK! Let's go!
Jose: I don't know. Why don't we go yo the pizza place on the corner?
Maria: Pizza again? I don't like their pizza. It's too spicy.
Jose: You are right. It's spicier than the pizza at Pizza House.
Maria: Well, I still want to go out tonight. How about the new Japanese restaurant downtown?
Jose: OK! Let's go!
Now, it's your turn .. write and practice a conversation like tis with your classmate.
C. Grammar: Why don’t we - How about
Formula Verb Form
Why don't we go to a restaurant? Use the base form of the verb in a question
We could go to a restaurant. Use the base form of the verb in a statement
Let's go to a restaurant. Use the base form of the verb with 'let's'
What about going to a restaurant? Use the '-ing' form of the verb in a question
How about going to a restaurant? Use the '-ing' form of the verb in a question
I suggest we go to a restaurant. Use suggest object verb in the base form in a statement.
Why don't we go to a restaurant? Use the base form of the verb in a question
We could go to a restaurant. Use the base form of the verb in a statement
Let's go to a restaurant. Use the base form of the verb with 'let's'
What about going to a restaurant? Use the '-ing' form of the verb in a question
How about going to a restaurant? Use the '-ing' form of the verb in a question
I suggest we go to a restaurant. Use suggest object verb in the base form in a statement.
D: Grammar Comparative form of Adjectives
* two-syllable adjectives ending in -y or -er (easy, happy, pretty, dirty, clever)
- Adjectives have inflections. That is, adjectives change in spelling according to how they are used in a sentence.
- Adjectives have three forms: positive, comparative, and superlative.
- The simplest form of the adjective is its positive form. When two objects or persons are being compared, the comparative form of the adjective is used. When three or more things are being compared, we use the adjective’s superlative form.
- A few adjectives, like good and bad form their comparatives with different words: That is a good book. This is a better book. Which of the three is the best book? He made a bad choice. She made a worse choice. They made the worst choice of all.
- The comparative forms of most adjectives, however, are formed by adding the suffixes: -er and -est, or by placing the words more and most in front of the positive form.
Superlative
 |
| adjectives of three or more syllables (and two-syllable adjectives not ending in -y/-er) |
Exercise on Comparison of Adjectives (5 random adjectives)
Exercise on Comparison of Adjectives (comparative, superlative)
Here we have another video to practice listening to songs..
Homework.
2. Writing: Restaurant review
Choose two restaurants and compare then. Use comparatives and superlatives. Describe the food. talk about prices, location, and service.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
FIFA World Cup 2010 K'naan & David Bisbal - Waving Flag + Lyrics On Screen
Well, we are almost there... The World Cup is about to start... According to Wikipedia...
This is the English/Spanish version of the official song for the cup... Enjoy it.. I think is brilliant...and the message is wonderful.. I specially like the first stanza:
Give me freedom
Give me fire
Give me reason
Take me higher
See the champions
Take the field now
You’ll be fighters
Make us feel proud
I will be rooting for my favorite team... Brazil!!!!! what about you? who will you be rooting for?
Let's us know...and Keep o shining Love and Peace!
The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the 19th FIFA World Cup, the premier international football tournament. It is scheduled to take place between 11 June and 11 July 2010 in South Africa. The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the culmination of a qualification process that began in August 2007 and involved 204 of the 208 FIFA national teams. As such, it matches the 2008 Summer Olympics as the sports event with the most competing nations.
This will be the first time that the tournament has been hosted by an African nation, after South Africa beat Morocco and Egypt in an all-African bidding process. This decision left the Oceania Football Confederation as the only confederation yet to host the FIFA World Cup. Italy are the defending champions. The draw for the finals took place on 4 December 2009 in Cape Town.
This is the English/Spanish version of the official song for the cup... Enjoy it.. I think is brilliant...and the message is wonderful.. I specially like the first stanza:
Give me freedom
Give me fire
Give me reason
Take me higher
See the champions
Take the field now
You’ll be fighters
Make us feel proud
I will be rooting for my favorite team... Brazil!!!!! what about you? who will you be rooting for?
Let's us know...and Keep o shining Love and Peace!
John Astin Goes Psychotronic!
The John Astin Interview
Psychotronic Video #11
Issue #11 of Michael Weldon's Psychtronic Video was one of the best ever, not only for this profile of Baltimore's own great John Astin, but for its other great pieces on Drew Friedman (including his Mark Newgarden collaboration Toxic High School!), Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo (Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla!), and Ken Smith (Mental Hygiene!). Those are some heavy hitters - and Psychotronic Video is one of the reasons I can NEVER throw anything away!
Here's the John Astin interview/retrospective:
I like that the article not only references Astin's film and TV work (besides playing Gomez on The Addams Family, Astin also appeared in two Batman episodes as The Riddler!), but the film he wrote, produced, and directed: Prelude (1968). Astin's Oscar-nominated short Prelude commented on consumerism and "noise pollution" and has been described as "8 1/2 with shopping carts and veggies." It starred former Miss Scotland Quinn O'Hara as Astin's wife and was lensed by Vilmos Zsigmond, who would rise to prominence in the 1970s lensing films like Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye and Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I was lucky to have caught a rare screening of this short at Astin's alma mater, Johns Hopkins University (where Astin still teaches), during the 2006 Johns Hopkins Film Festival.
Related John Astin Links:
Gomez-en-Scene (Accelerated Decrepitude)
Gomez Gala (Accelerated Decrepitude)
Psychotronic Video #11
Issue #11 of Michael Weldon's Psychtronic Video was one of the best ever, not only for this profile of Baltimore's own great John Astin, but for its other great pieces on Drew Friedman (including his Mark Newgarden collaboration Toxic High School!), Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo (Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla!), and Ken Smith (Mental Hygiene!). Those are some heavy hitters - and Psychotronic Video is one of the reasons I can NEVER throw anything away!
Here's the John Astin interview/retrospective:
I like that the article not only references Astin's film and TV work (besides playing Gomez on The Addams Family, Astin also appeared in two Batman episodes as The Riddler!), but the film he wrote, produced, and directed: Prelude (1968). Astin's Oscar-nominated short Prelude commented on consumerism and "noise pollution" and has been described as "8 1/2 with shopping carts and veggies." It starred former Miss Scotland Quinn O'Hara as Astin's wife and was lensed by Vilmos Zsigmond, who would rise to prominence in the 1970s lensing films like Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye and Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I was lucky to have caught a rare screening of this short at Astin's alma mater, Johns Hopkins University (where Astin still teaches), during the 2006 Johns Hopkins Film Festival.
Related John Astin Links:
Gomez-en-Scene (Accelerated Decrepitude)
Gomez Gala (Accelerated Decrepitude)
Obama’s National Guard to Border Two Per Mile
Obama sending 1200 National Guard troops to Mexican border.
That’s 400 troops per shift (3 shifts per day).
There’s 700 miles of US-Mexican border
That’s two (count them if you can) 2 troopers per mile
Wow! Be scared illegal immigrants and smugglers!
Obama’s going to get you!
-
What a pathetic response to a major, serious and chronic problem.
And now Obama is challenging Arizona’s new law that mirrors US laws that Obama is not enforcing. Didn’t he take an oath to uphold the laws? Apparently not!
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2010/05/obama-and-arizonas-immigration-law.html
-
The last time the National Guard was sent to the border they were chased away from their post without firing a shot by Mexican drug and smuggling dealers with guns.
The Guard’s rules of engagement were:
If you see any Mexicans’ with guns – RUN!
How pathetic! Have we become the French army or what?
http://www.realpolice.net/forums/border-immigration-issues-119/63052-gunmen-attack-national-guard-border-patrol-site-arizona.html
-
Here’s a thought: Just finish the fence, Stupid!
-
Just more hope and change and hypocrisy we can believe in!
-
Prior Items:
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2009/03/more-clinton-hypocrisy.html
-
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2008/06/democrats-for-homeland-insecurity.html
-
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2006/04/immigration-dilemma.html
-
That’s 400 troops per shift (3 shifts per day).
There’s 700 miles of US-Mexican border
That’s two (count them if you can) 2 troopers per mile
Wow! Be scared illegal immigrants and smugglers!
Obama’s going to get you!
-
What a pathetic response to a major, serious and chronic problem.
And now Obama is challenging Arizona’s new law that mirrors US laws that Obama is not enforcing. Didn’t he take an oath to uphold the laws? Apparently not!
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2010/05/obama-and-arizonas-immigration-law.html
-
The last time the National Guard was sent to the border they were chased away from their post without firing a shot by Mexican drug and smuggling dealers with guns.
The Guard’s rules of engagement were:
If you see any Mexicans’ with guns – RUN!
How pathetic! Have we become the French army or what?
http://www.realpolice.net/forums/border-immigration-issues-119/63052-gunmen-attack-national-guard-border-patrol-site-arizona.html
-
Here’s a thought: Just finish the fence, Stupid!
-
Just more hope and change and hypocrisy we can believe in!
-
Prior Items:
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2009/03/more-clinton-hypocrisy.html
-
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2008/06/democrats-for-homeland-insecurity.html
-
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2006/04/immigration-dilemma.html
-
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Obama and The Roanoke Times and Unlimited Detention
Where are the Roanoke Times Editors, ACLU, and all the other liberal hounds that bayed for years about Bush’s detention of enemy combatants?
-
Now Obama has obtained court permission to hold these and additional detainees at US base Bagram in Afghanistan indefinitely with no access to lawyers or any form of legal standing or review (something about enemy combatant legal history).
And from the left and liberals we now have “the sound of silence”!
Apparently indefinite detention is OK if Obama is doing it!
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/22/world/asia/22detain.html
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Where are the trials and resolution of the awful Bush GITMO detainees?
Wasn’t that a top number one priority a year and a half ago?
Isn't it ironic that Obama wanted to bring terrorists to Manhattan and the terrorists accommodated him by driving a bomb into Times Square?
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2010/05/roanoke-times-declares-end-of-war.html
-
And what’s with this hunt down and “shoot to kill” American-born Anwar Awlaki?
When Bush issued that order for Osama bin Laden (not an American citizen) the liberal media mocked him as “a cowboy”. Apparently when Obama issues the same order its OK because he’s just one of the boys from the Chicago hood.
-
Just more hope and change and hypocrisy we can believe in!
-
Prior Items:
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2009/06/inconvenient-terrorist-attack.html
-
-
Now Obama has obtained court permission to hold these and additional detainees at US base Bagram in Afghanistan indefinitely with no access to lawyers or any form of legal standing or review (something about enemy combatant legal history).
And from the left and liberals we now have “the sound of silence”!
Apparently indefinite detention is OK if Obama is doing it!
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/22/world/asia/22detain.html
-
Where are the trials and resolution of the awful Bush GITMO detainees?
Wasn’t that a top number one priority a year and a half ago?
Isn't it ironic that Obama wanted to bring terrorists to Manhattan and the terrorists accommodated him by driving a bomb into Times Square?
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2010/05/roanoke-times-declares-end-of-war.html
-
And what’s with this hunt down and “shoot to kill” American-born Anwar Awlaki?
When Bush issued that order for Osama bin Laden (not an American citizen) the liberal media mocked him as “a cowboy”. Apparently when Obama issues the same order its OK because he’s just one of the boys from the Chicago hood.
-
Just more hope and change and hypocrisy we can believe in!
-
Prior Items:
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2009/06/inconvenient-terrorist-attack.html
-
Monday, May 24, 2010
Level 4. Unit 7
Making changes in your life
A: I want to get in shape
B: You should join a gym to lose weight.
Borrowing things: making and responding to requests
B: sure, here you go.
I’m sorry but…….
Bad habits
I bite my nailsI spend too much money
I eat a lot of junk food
Bad qualities
I’m messyI’m lazy
I’m late all the time
Plans and Dreams
Graduation Plans
I want to move to NY city
My goal is to get a good job
I want to take a break an travel
Like to Vs. Would like to
Like to = Present
I like to visit Los Andes. (it means I enjoy visiting Los Andes)
Would like to = future hope or desire
I’d like to visit Los Andes (It means I want to visit Los Andes)
The future with be going to = plans
B: I’m going to get a job.
A: Are you going to work in Maracaibo?
B: no, I’m going to work in another country.
Life Time dreams
My dream is to be great lawyerMy dream is to make films
Homework!
1. Write about four things you want to change in your live. Write some suggestions to make your changes happen. Use Should...(use the model on pag. 70 in your textbook)
2. Write sentences about yourself. Use I like to or I'd like to. (exercise C on page 73 in your book)
3. Write about your bad habits and bad qualities and how to change them. (pag. 79)
4. Talk about your plans and dreams after you graduate. Write about what you are going to do (Use the example on pag.79 in your textbook)
Leve 3. Unit 2
In this unit, we practice how to talk about How We Feel...Expressing Yourself.. Body Language and Gestures.
Feelings
Gestures
Japanese Gestures
Do you know what these gestures mean?
Do you use these gestures in the country you're in/from?
Hand Gestures
B. Asking how someone is
A. How is it going?
B. Great
fine
ok/ all right
so - so
not so good
Don't ask!
A: How are you doing?
B: I'm fine.
OK
so-so
I'm stressed
I'm tired
I'm worried
C. Object pronouns
Homework
The task for this unit, it's to make a collage of people dpoing things and expressing themself... Write a paragraph describing the collage and say how people feels and what they are doing.... Post it in your blog and you can use images, audio or videos to explain
Level 3. Unit 1
In this unit we learn about describing people..
A. On line friends... exchanging personal information
A: What's your name?
B: My name's Silvia
A: Where are you from?
B: I am from from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
A: Do you speak English?
B: yes, I do. And I also speak Portuguese.
A: How old are you?
B: I'm 18 years old.
A: What do you do?
B: I'm a student.
A: What's your email address?
B: It's silviaC@startlink.net.br.
A: What do you do for fun?
B: I like listening to music, going to the movies and travelling.
B. Introducing yourself.. and asking about occupation.
A: My name's Mariana.
B: I's nice to meet you.
A: Nice to meet you, too
A: What do you do?
B: I'm an engineering student.
C. Review of he simple present
C. What does he look like? Describing people.
Vocabulary building: appearance
Describing people's appearance (practice)
Homework.
Now, this is a challenge ...Make a video of yourself describing what people look like. You must have pictures of at least 4 different people. Describe what each person looks like.
This is an example...
Have fun.. upload your video to you tube... smiles.
Keep on shining love and peace!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Level 2. Unit 8
On this unit we learn about Holidays and Celebrations
A. What's the date today?.. the calendar
A: What's the date today?
B: It's January 1. It's New Year. Happy New Year!!!
B. We also talk about birthdays...and Holiday traditions
A: When is Marty's birthday?
B: I don't know. I think it's on the fourth of July.
A: When is your birthday?
B: My birthday is on November 14th.
A: When were you born?
B: I was born on November 14, 1964
C. Prepositions of time: in and on
A: when were you born?
B: I was born in January.
in 1986
in the winter.
on January first.
Now, watch the following video... It's an excellent practice...
D. We also study .. the use of How long with prepositions of time.
When is the meeting?
It's at 7:00
It's from 7:00 to 9:00
How long is the meeting?
It's from 7:00 to 9:00
It last for two hours.
How long does the meeting last?
It lasts for two hours.
It's two hours long.
Homework.
A. For this unit.. write a composition about your birthday. Use this (click on the image to se a larger picture):
B: Describe a local and an international celebration. Use this (click on the image to se a larger picture):
* Post your work in your blog. Include images, audio, videos.. and have fun.
Level 2. Unit 7. Time and Schedules
Unit 7. Time and Schedules
A. In this unit we learn to tell the time. Look at the following example:
What time is it?
1. A. Excuse me. Can you tell me the time, please?
B. Yes, of course. It's seven o'clock.
A. Thank you.
B. No problem.
2. A. What time is it?
B. It's half past three.
A. Thanks.
B. You're welcome.
Now.. watch the following video:
B. Also we talk about making suggestions... Using Let's
A: Let's see the new Star Wars movie..
B: Hmm.. I don't really want to see that.
A: Then let's see The Lord of the Rings III
B: OK. That sounds good!
C. We learn the Prepositions of Time: in / on / at .. and the days of the week
Prepositions are short words (on, in, to) that usually stand in front of nouns (sometimes also in front of gerund verbs).
Look at the following short conversation:
A: When is your class?
B: It's on Monday.
on Monday Morning.
at 8 o'clock.
in the morning.
Here you can find more information on Prepositions of time ad exercises:
# Exercise on Prepositions – Time 1
# Exercise on Prepositions – Time 2
D. We also talked about .....Weekend Activities ...
A: What do you do on the weekend?
B: I like to go to the movies and work out at the gym.
A: Now, what about you..my dear reader?
Expand your vocabulary: weekend routines
E. Finally we practice a little making questions in the simple present with Wh-questions:What, Where, Who, When
A: Where do you live?
B: I live in London.
A: What do you do on the weekend?
B: I go out with friends.
A: Who do you live with?
B: I live with my parents.
A: When do you go to school?
B: I go to school everyday from Monday to Friday.
This is a little song to help you remember the WH- Questions!!!
Homework for this unit.
To practide dictation: http://elt.heinle.com/cgi-telt/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20H&product_isbn_issn=0838406610&discipline_number=301&from_series_id=1000000381&subject_code=AYA01
A. Looks at the following model about Carlos' week.
"I have a busy week. On Monday morning, I have maths class at 7:00 am. In the afternoon I go to the gym at 3:00 pm. On tuesday, I have study group with my friends Miguel and Jose at noon. Wednesday afternoon, I have a doctor's apointment at 2:45 pm. In the evening, I watch Doctor House at 7:00 pm. It's my favorite TV program. ......"
Now it's your turn.....
Draw a chart with the schedule of your weekdays activities and your weekend activities.
Include the time and the days of the week you do different things in the morning, afternoon and evening. Next explain your schedule in a paragraph.
Post it in your blog. You can include images, links or a video.
Well, Have fun practicing your English! Keep on shning love and peace!
Doris3m
A. In this unit we learn to tell the time. Look at the following example:
What time is it?
1. A. Excuse me. Can you tell me the time, please?
B. Yes, of course. It's seven o'clock.
A. Thank you.
B. No problem.
2. A. What time is it?
B. It's half past three.
A. Thanks.
B. You're welcome.
Now.. watch the following video:
B. Also we talk about making suggestions... Using Let's
A: Let's see the new Star Wars movie..
B: Hmm.. I don't really want to see that.
A: Then let's see The Lord of the Rings III
B: OK. That sounds good!
C. We learn the Prepositions of Time: in / on / at .. and the days of the week
Prepositions are short words (on, in, to) that usually stand in front of nouns (sometimes also in front of gerund verbs).
Look at the following short conversation:
A: When is your class?
B: It's on Monday.
on Monday Morning.
at 8 o'clock.
in the morning.
Here you can find more information on Prepositions of time ad exercises:
# Exercise on Prepositions – Time 1
# Exercise on Prepositions – Time 2
D. We also talked about .....Weekend Activities ...
A: What do you do on the weekend?
B: I like to go to the movies and work out at the gym.
A: Now, what about you..my dear reader?
Expand your vocabulary: weekend routines
E. Finally we practice a little making questions in the simple present with Wh-questions:What, Where, Who, When
A: Where do you live?
B: I live in London.
A: What do you do on the weekend?
B: I go out with friends.
A: Who do you live with?
B: I live with my parents.
A: When do you go to school?
B: I go to school everyday from Monday to Friday.
This is a little song to help you remember the WH- Questions!!!
Homework for this unit.
To practide dictation: http://elt.heinle.com/cgi-telt/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20H&product_isbn_issn=0838406610&discipline_number=301&from_series_id=1000000381&subject_code=AYA01
A. Looks at the following model about Carlos' week.
 |
| Carlos's Schedule |
"I have a busy week. On Monday morning, I have maths class at 7:00 am. In the afternoon I go to the gym at 3:00 pm. On tuesday, I have study group with my friends Miguel and Jose at noon. Wednesday afternoon, I have a doctor's apointment at 2:45 pm. In the evening, I watch Doctor House at 7:00 pm. It's my favorite TV program. ......"
Now it's your turn.....
Draw a chart with the schedule of your weekdays activities and your weekend activities.
Include the time and the days of the week you do different things in the morning, afternoon and evening. Next explain your schedule in a paragraph.
Post it in your blog. You can include images, links or a video.
Well, Have fun practicing your English! Keep on shning love and peace!
Doris3m
Nice (old) Norwegian map
Peter posted this map a few days ago. It is from the 1978 WOC relay. The area is near Kongsberg. Nice terrain. You can compare to a newer map that overlaps some of the same terrain.Peter also linked the mens' relay results. Here are the places for the "peer nations":Canada 8thUSA 13thJapan 14thBelgium 16thIreland 17thNew Zealand 19thPortugal - one of the peer nations - didn't have a team.
Memorial Day May 31st
It is the VETERAN,
not the preacher,
who has given us freedom of religion.
-
It is the VETERAN,
not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.
-
It is the VETERAN,
not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.
-
It is the VETERAN,
not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.
-
It is the VETERAN,
not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.
-
It is the VETERAN,
not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.
-
Author unknown
-
Prior Appropriate items:
-
Christmas at Arlington
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2007/12/christmas-at-arlington.html
-
Army Cpl. Jared William Kubasak of Franklin County Virginia
http://www.lars1.com/Kubasak/
-
Two days that live in infamy
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2009/12/pearl-harbor-day.html
-
Some gave all, All gave some
http://www.roanokeslant.org/SomeGaveAll/Some.html
-
John 15:13
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2006/10/john-1513.html
-
A Marine's Final Rest
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2006/10/marines-final-rest.html
-
not the preacher,
who has given us freedom of religion.
-
It is the VETERAN,
not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.
-
It is the VETERAN,
not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.
-
It is the VETERAN,
not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.
-
It is the VETERAN,
not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.
-
It is the VETERAN,
not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.
-
Author unknown
-
Prior Appropriate items:
-
Christmas at Arlington
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2007/12/christmas-at-arlington.html
-
Army Cpl. Jared William Kubasak of Franklin County Virginia
http://www.lars1.com/Kubasak/
-
Two days that live in infamy
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2009/12/pearl-harbor-day.html
-
Some gave all, All gave some
http://www.roanokeslant.org/SomeGaveAll/Some.html
-
John 15:13
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2006/10/john-1513.html
-
A Marine's Final Rest
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2006/10/marines-final-rest.html
-
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Level 1. Unit 2 Worldlink
World Link Intro, Unit 2
Learning Objectives: In this unit we learned about nationalities, countries, cities and languages.
Make questions with where and who.
A: Who are you?
B: I’m Miguel
A: Where are you from?
B: I’m from Barcelona
Use adjectives to describe cities
Beautiful/ ugly
Big/ small
Quiet / noisy
Write sentences with be + adjective.
Maracaibo is expensive and crowded but it’s beautiful and there are many places to visit
Introduce yourself and say where you are from
Hi, my name’s Maria. I’m from Spain.
Name countries, cities and nationalities
I’m from Spain.
I’m from Madrid.
I’m Spanish
Ask and answer questions about where people are from
A: Where are you from?
B: I’m from Venezuela
A: Where are you from in Venezuela?
B: I’m from Maracaibo
Countries and Capitals:
Tell us about where you are from and what's your favorite city?
" New York city is the best by far! Amazing place!"
" Hi, I'm Ia Italian woman, 43 years old. I think....Washington at the beginning of the autumn is beautiful, the mild climate and the color of the nature are really delightful."
" My favorite city is Bangkok. There are so many people everywhere and Buddhists always smile. As for me, it's the most cosmopolitan city in the world.There are many things to do and many interesting places to visit.That's why it's my favorite one!"
"New York is a very busy city! There are many art galleries and famous shops. It's expensive but it's interesting."
Homework for this unit:
Interview four people from different countries. Ask the following questions:1. What's your name?
2. What's your last name?
3. Where are you from?
4. Where are you from, originally? (city)
5. What's your nationality?
6. What language do you speak?
7. What's your favorite city in the world?
8: What's your city like?
Now, about you.. answer those questions and tell us about you... :)
* remember to post your interview in your blog..if you interview a classmate post a link to his or her blog. You can make a video or just post your audio.. write the transcript of your conversation. I f you have any question... just ask... ;)
Level 1 Unit 1.. Worldlink
In this lesson we are going to practice:
Basic Introductions:
Hi, Hello!
My name's Mary.
Good morning, Good afternoon, Good evening.
Saying your name:
A: What's your name?
B: My name's John
Saying your first name and last name:
A: Hi, my first name is Carlos Gonzalez. What's your name?
B: Hi, Carlos. I'm Lucy Morales.
Saying your e-mail
A: What's your e-mail address?
B: It's lucymorales@gmail.com
The Alphabet: spelling your name
Meeting people and spelling names
A: This is my friend Carlos Perez
B: Hi, Carlos. Nice to meet you. My name's Jose.
C: Hello. Jose. Nice to meet you, too
B: How do you spell your name?
C: C-A-R-L-O-S
The numbers 0-10
one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine ad ten
Favorites
Who's your favorite.... actor, actress, athlete, singer, teacher...?
My favorite teacher is...
My favorite teachers are ....
Names
My name is...
My family calls me ...
My friends calls me...
My classmates call me...
Grammar: Verb To Be
Practice your verb to be with these exercises:
The verb be (am, are, is)
Verb to be: Match the verbs with the subjects
VERBO TO BE -Presente Afirmativo
Verbo TO BE - Presente Simple Afirmativo
TO BE -Presente Simple
BE - Simple Present Tense
verb be [+], pronouns
Homework for this unit:
A. Interview a friend, ask the following questions:1. What's your first name?
2. What's your last name?
3. What's your nickname? How do people call you?
4. What's your phone number?
5. What's your e-mail address?
6. Who's your favorite actor?
7. Who's your favorite actress?
8. Who's your favorite singer?
9. Who's your favorite athlete?
* Record your interview (you can make a video and upload it directly to your blog or to youtube, then copy the code to your blog). Remember to write your questions and answers in your blog.
Friday, May 21, 2010
I Want My Empty Vee!
My All-Time Fave Music Videos
An eclectic countdown...
OK, my GF Amy looked at my list and blew it off with a perfunctory raspberry, saying, "Pffft! You just like videos with girls shaking their butts around." I do not deny it. But I also like a lot of other videos that don't appeal to my inner Beavis or Butthead...videos that may be basic but also primal or seminal in that they were the first visual cues I had for a favorite group like Devo, Buzzcocks, or Pizzicato Five. Iconic images that stick with you through the vestiges of time in an age of constant over-stimulation (admittedly those shaking butts don't help!) Videos like...
Pizzicato Five - "Sweet Soul Revue"
This was my first glimpse of my fave J-Pop band Pizzicato Five and the images of Miss Maki Nomiya shaking those maracas and evoking the style and charm of Audrey Hepburn in the roof concert scene while P5 mastermind-maestro Yasuharu Konishi boogies away on his Hofner bass and original guitarist Keitaro Takanami strums his Fender guitar have become iconic for me...This was my first transmission from a band that never made a bad or uninteresting video and it always stuck with me. I read that this song was a big hit in the Philppines and that it was used on Japan's Ranma 1/2 syndicated TV show. A real treat!
***
OK, here are the the requisite "girls on film" viddies to get out of the way straight away!
Make The Girl Dance "Baby Baby Baby" ( official video )
Visually arresting (in fact, I'm amazed no one was!) and educational to boot (it's a great way to learn "street" French!).
Cheeky Girls - "Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)"
When the Cheeky Girls sing "This is life: Touch my bum" it's an ontological refutation of philosopher George Berkeley (Bishop of Cloyne)'s "immaterialism" theory, which held that individuals can only know life through ideas and not physical matter. Samuel Johnson famously refuted this theory by kicking a stone; Cheeky Girls refute it by clenching the taut junk in their trunks. These babies have back, and it matters.
And speaking of back...
Sir Mix-a-Lot - "Baby Got Back"
Sir Mix-a-Lot offers an urban refutation of Bishop Berkeley's ontological theory of "immaterialism." A literal exercise in Form over Substance.
***
Food For Worms - "It Needs a Haircut" (1983)
Food For Worms were the cleverest/funniest band of My Generation...This was the video they made in 1983 and submitted to MTV, only to have it rejected for being too morbid. Shame, because in the early "desperate" days of MTV, just about anything got on air (remember the local Slickee Boys and Bootcamp videos on there?). My GF Amy Davis is in there somewhere as a veiled mourner, as well as her friend Liz.
I actually helped inspire this song when I told FFW songwriting-keyboardist Mark O'Connor about my barber Charles, who used to groom corpses for funeral viewings; this was back when they had that barber shop in Cross Keys and I recall Charles regaling me with stories about how he worked with morticians to restore the faces of the deceased who had met with violent ends from traffic fatalities and homicides (he even gave me a coffin crank-lever that I still have). It was actually a conflation of influences, because Mark then recalled having a long-haired biker friend who died in a motorcycle accident and, upon his passing, was promptly "cleaned up" by his parents to look like a choir boy. It seemed like a sure-fire idea for a summertime hit, kinda like going to the beach...
And speaking of going to the beach (and the Slickee Boys)...
Slickee Boys - "When I Go To the Beach" (1983)
I love(d) DC's Slickee Boys and was delighted to see a local band appear on MTV! Now, of course, MTV doesn't play music videos anymore and this stab-from-the-analog-past has been relegated to YouTube. But the song itself was featured in the 1987 retro-surf movie Back To The Beach, which starred Frankie, Annette and an O.J. Simpson cameo!
Thomas Dolby - "She Blinded Me with Science"
(Director: Thomas Dolby, 1982)
My heavens Miss Sakamoto, you are beautiful! And, truly, poetry in motion. I wonder who she was and where she is today (finding outremains remains one of my life's great quests).
The old man shouting "Science!" is real-life British scientist and TV presenter Magnus Pyke.
Amy likes this viddy because the guitar solo was courtesy of XTC's Andy Partridge.
OK Go - "Here It Goes Again"
Brilliant. What else can I say? Other than I wish OK Go's treadmill routine would become part of the gymnastics program at the next Summer Olympics.
OK Go - "This Too Shall Pass"
Wow, they did it again! This is the famous Rube Goldberg video. Never has educational instruction in physics been so entertaining!
Devo - "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
(Director: Chuck Statler, 1978)
All the Chuck Statler "videos" (actually shot on film) are great, but General Boy chaperoning, Booji Boy sticking a fork in a toaster, the punk rock kid somersaulting himself, the herky-jerky robotic band footage...these are enduring images I'll never get out of my head.
Buzzcocks - "What Do I Get?"
This is a "bare-bones, no frills" standard band-lip-synching-to-recorded-track video that is no great shakes on a technical level, but it was my introduction to the Buzzcocks when I saw it on a (late 70s/early 80s?) TV music video show called Rock World. As such, it is indelibly stamped on my cerebellum (right next to its expiration date)
Bob Dylan - "Subterranean Homesick Blues" (1965)
Another simple video that remains iconic and revolutionary at the same time. One of the most parodied/reference music videos of all time. (Check out "Weird Al" Yankovic's parody "Bob"!) Most people first saw it as the opening segment of D. A. Pennebaker's film Dont Look Back, which documented Dylan's 1965 England tour. The cue cards were written by Donovan, Allen Ginsberg (who can be seen standing in the background), Dylan crony Bob Neuwirth and Dylan himself. I love the cue card spelling of "Suckcess." Conceptually, it spawned everything from VH1's "Pop-up Music Video" to Make the Girl Dance's "Baby Baby Baby."
David Lee Roth - "California Girls"
David Lee Roth actually won a technical award for this video - and it wasn't for the girls' silicone injections! (It was for color effects - in his bio, Diamond Dave claims he was zonked out on chemicals and just mucked around with the saturation until he achieved...genius). I don't know why I find DLR so amusing, but I do, especially when he leers at healthy young women and croons "Hot diggity dog!"
Robert Palmer - "Addicted To Love"
Greatest. Backing. Band. Ever. OK, I'm not a deep thinker, but this one really grabs me - for all the wrong reasons!
Chemical Brothers - "Let Forever Be"
(Director: Michel Gondry, 1999)
Ah, the great Michel Gondry. We showed this on Atomic TV back when we used to get all the Astralwerks promo videos...like Daft Punk's "Around the World"...
Daft Punk - "Around the World"
(Director: Michel Gondry, 1997)
Cibo Mato - "Sugar Water"
(Director: Michel Gondry, 1996)
The Memento of music videos, with everything filmed backwards to forwards, and yet another Michel Gondry film (and yet another video aired on Atomic TV!).
Prodigy - "Smack My Bitch Up"
Greatest. Music. Video. Ever. I'm proud to say Atomic TV aired the uncensored version on Baltimore City cable years ago, as this is what many of my friends would call "a perfect night out on the town." Sex, drugs, rock & roll - and Asian carryout! How can you not love that?
Pardon the commercials at the beginning, but it's hard to find an uncensored version. Why did rock music have to get so clean and Disneyfied? Hip is what is centrally located between the toe and the tip, as they say. That is hip.
An eclectic countdown...
OK, my GF Amy looked at my list and blew it off with a perfunctory raspberry, saying, "Pffft! You just like videos with girls shaking their butts around." I do not deny it. But I also like a lot of other videos that don't appeal to my inner Beavis or Butthead...videos that may be basic but also primal or seminal in that they were the first visual cues I had for a favorite group like Devo, Buzzcocks, or Pizzicato Five. Iconic images that stick with you through the vestiges of time in an age of constant over-stimulation (admittedly those shaking butts don't help!) Videos like...
Pizzicato Five - "Sweet Soul Revue"
This was my first glimpse of my fave J-Pop band Pizzicato Five and the images of Miss Maki Nomiya shaking those maracas and evoking the style and charm of Audrey Hepburn in the roof concert scene while P5 mastermind-maestro Yasuharu Konishi boogies away on his Hofner bass and original guitarist Keitaro Takanami strums his Fender guitar have become iconic for me...This was my first transmission from a band that never made a bad or uninteresting video and it always stuck with me. I read that this song was a big hit in the Philppines and that it was used on Japan's Ranma 1/2 syndicated TV show. A real treat!
***
OK, here are the the requisite "girls on film" viddies to get out of the way straight away!
Make The Girl Dance "Baby Baby Baby" ( official video )
Visually arresting (in fact, I'm amazed no one was!) and educational to boot (it's a great way to learn "street" French!).
Cheeky Girls - "Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)"
When the Cheeky Girls sing "This is life: Touch my bum" it's an ontological refutation of philosopher George Berkeley (Bishop of Cloyne)'s "immaterialism" theory, which held that individuals can only know life through ideas and not physical matter. Samuel Johnson famously refuted this theory by kicking a stone; Cheeky Girls refute it by clenching the taut junk in their trunks. These babies have back, and it matters.
And speaking of back...
Sir Mix-a-Lot - "Baby Got Back"
Sir Mix-a-Lot offers an urban refutation of Bishop Berkeley's ontological theory of "immaterialism." A literal exercise in Form over Substance.
***
Food For Worms - "It Needs a Haircut" (1983)
Food For Worms were the cleverest/funniest band of My Generation...This was the video they made in 1983 and submitted to MTV, only to have it rejected for being too morbid. Shame, because in the early "desperate" days of MTV, just about anything got on air (remember the local Slickee Boys and Bootcamp videos on there?). My GF Amy Davis is in there somewhere as a veiled mourner, as well as her friend Liz.
I actually helped inspire this song when I told FFW songwriting-keyboardist Mark O'Connor about my barber Charles, who used to groom corpses for funeral viewings; this was back when they had that barber shop in Cross Keys and I recall Charles regaling me with stories about how he worked with morticians to restore the faces of the deceased who had met with violent ends from traffic fatalities and homicides (he even gave me a coffin crank-lever that I still have). It was actually a conflation of influences, because Mark then recalled having a long-haired biker friend who died in a motorcycle accident and, upon his passing, was promptly "cleaned up" by his parents to look like a choir boy. It seemed like a sure-fire idea for a summertime hit, kinda like going to the beach...
And speaking of going to the beach (and the Slickee Boys)...
Slickee Boys - "When I Go To the Beach" (1983)
I love(d) DC's Slickee Boys and was delighted to see a local band appear on MTV! Now, of course, MTV doesn't play music videos anymore and this stab-from-the-analog-past has been relegated to YouTube. But the song itself was featured in the 1987 retro-surf movie Back To The Beach, which starred Frankie, Annette and an O.J. Simpson cameo!
Thomas Dolby - "She Blinded Me with Science"
(Director: Thomas Dolby, 1982)
My heavens Miss Sakamoto, you are beautiful! And, truly, poetry in motion. I wonder who she was and where she is today (finding outremains remains one of my life's great quests).
The old man shouting "Science!" is real-life British scientist and TV presenter Magnus Pyke.
Amy likes this viddy because the guitar solo was courtesy of XTC's Andy Partridge.
OK Go - "Here It Goes Again"
Brilliant. What else can I say? Other than I wish OK Go's treadmill routine would become part of the gymnastics program at the next Summer Olympics.
OK Go - "This Too Shall Pass"
Wow, they did it again! This is the famous Rube Goldberg video. Never has educational instruction in physics been so entertaining!
Devo - "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
(Director: Chuck Statler, 1978)
All the Chuck Statler "videos" (actually shot on film) are great, but General Boy chaperoning, Booji Boy sticking a fork in a toaster, the punk rock kid somersaulting himself, the herky-jerky robotic band footage...these are enduring images I'll never get out of my head.
Buzzcocks - "What Do I Get?"
This is a "bare-bones, no frills" standard band-lip-synching-to-recorded-track video that is no great shakes on a technical level, but it was my introduction to the Buzzcocks when I saw it on a (late 70s/early 80s?) TV music video show called Rock World. As such, it is indelibly stamped on my cerebellum (right next to its expiration date)
Bob Dylan - "Subterranean Homesick Blues" (1965)
Another simple video that remains iconic and revolutionary at the same time. One of the most parodied/reference music videos of all time. (Check out "Weird Al" Yankovic's parody "Bob"!) Most people first saw it as the opening segment of D. A. Pennebaker's film Dont Look Back, which documented Dylan's 1965 England tour. The cue cards were written by Donovan, Allen Ginsberg (who can be seen standing in the background), Dylan crony Bob Neuwirth and Dylan himself. I love the cue card spelling of "Suckcess." Conceptually, it spawned everything from VH1's "Pop-up Music Video" to Make the Girl Dance's "Baby Baby Baby."
David Lee Roth - "California Girls"
David Lee Roth actually won a technical award for this video - and it wasn't for the girls' silicone injections! (It was for color effects - in his bio, Diamond Dave claims he was zonked out on chemicals and just mucked around with the saturation until he achieved...genius). I don't know why I find DLR so amusing, but I do, especially when he leers at healthy young women and croons "Hot diggity dog!"
Robert Palmer - "Addicted To Love"
Greatest. Backing. Band. Ever. OK, I'm not a deep thinker, but this one really grabs me - for all the wrong reasons!
Chemical Brothers - "Let Forever Be"
(Director: Michel Gondry, 1999)
Ah, the great Michel Gondry. We showed this on Atomic TV back when we used to get all the Astralwerks promo videos...like Daft Punk's "Around the World"...
Daft Punk - "Around the World"
(Director: Michel Gondry, 1997)
Cibo Mato - "Sugar Water"
(Director: Michel Gondry, 1996)
The Memento of music videos, with everything filmed backwards to forwards, and yet another Michel Gondry film (and yet another video aired on Atomic TV!).
Prodigy - "Smack My Bitch Up"
Greatest. Music. Video. Ever. I'm proud to say Atomic TV aired the uncensored version on Baltimore City cable years ago, as this is what many of my friends would call "a perfect night out on the town." Sex, drugs, rock & roll - and Asian carryout! How can you not love that?
Pardon the commercials at the beginning, but it's hard to find an uncensored version. Why did rock music have to get so clean and Disneyfied? Hip is what is centrally located between the toe and the tip, as they say. That is hip.
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