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Call for Blogging Requests

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Clarissa

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I’m very grateful to my readers for putting up with my teaching-related whining (that, this year, has gone well into the summer) and also for answering my questions. In return, I want to give you an opportunity to make blogging requests. If there is something you want me to blog about, please mention it in the comment thread. If there is an article or a piece of news you’d like me to comment on, please leave the link.

I haven’t been following the news as closely as usual because while I’m teaching my online course, I’m signed into gmail with my teaching email, which makes it too complicated to go to my regular Google Reader. This means that I’m probably not aware of the most recent news right now. So feel free to inform me what is happening in the world. Especially if you want to see a post on those happenings.

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27 responses to “Call for Blogging Requests”

  1. Evelina Anville Avatar
    Evelina Anville

    I want to know how it goes when N. negotiates the price of the buffet. 🙂 Honestly, I am curious to know if the salespeople seem surprised or if they take it in stride! I also want to know if it works! 🙂

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    1. bloggerclarissa Avatar
      bloggerclarissa

      It didn’t work in this particular store. N. said we needed to leave and then go back there for greater effect but that’s more than I can bear, so we didn’t go back. 🙂

      The buffet wasn’t perfect anyways, so we’ll keep looking.

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  2. el Avatar
    el

    I’ll give a list of ideas and, if you feel like having something to say & want to say it, then…

    – You promised American Senator review and also about Don Quixote by Cervantes (for Dummies version – can one without any knowledge about Spain & its’ history understand it, at least on some level?)

    – How do *you* feel RE Obama’s kill list and steps against Iran he supposedly takes? I read Israeli press and feel quite sure the cyber war of Israel & US against Iran is real.

    In general, anything RE Iran, Israel, Middle East would’ve been very interesting.

    More ideas later, when I remember them.

    And you can compensate for “teaching-related whining”, if you discover from students & enlighten us who won the Cold War: SSSR or Hitler? 🙂

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  3. Sarah Brodsky (@sarahbrodsky) Avatar
    Sarah Brodsky (@sarahbrodsky)

    More book reviews, please! Also anything about language learning.

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    1. bloggerclarissa Avatar
      bloggerclarissa

      Really? I thought nobody liked my reviews. Now watch out. 🙂 🙂

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  4. Djiril Avatar
    Djiril

    I’ve been thinking back to your “Impossible Standard of Beauty” post lately and wondering: Where do you draw the line between “culture” and “trash?” What attributes does a movie or book have to have in order to fit your definition of culture?

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  5. Fie Upon This Quiet Life Avatar
    Fie Upon This Quiet Life

    I’m interested in your perspective about ending relationships. I had a falling out with a good friend who is German, and I want to talk to the person to get closure and then go our separate ways. (By closure, I mean that I still want to part ways but do so in a way that doesn’t make everyone feel worse. I’d like to say “okay we can’t be friends anymore, but I still care about you and wish you well and hope you don’t hate me.”) Is closure an American phenomenon? Do other cultures just say “piss off” and go on their merry ways? Perhaps this is my own maturity issue. I just don’t want to part ways badly, but maybe that’s just the way it is.

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  6. Lindsay Avatar
    Lindsay

    On your “Myths my students believe” post (which is HILARIOUS), you list “voting is useless because all politicians lie anyway”. I’d be interested to see a post explaining why this is a misconception, as it is a thing I hear a lot, too.

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  7. Leah Jane Avatar
    Leah Jane

    Today, I read about a book called Truth, Reality, and the Psychoanalyst: Latin American Contributions to Psychoanalysis. If you could find a copy of it, I would love to hear a review from you, since that seems like it was tailor-made to be reviewed by you. 🙂

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    1. bloggerclarissa Avatar
      bloggerclarissa

      I wonder why I never heard about it because, you are right, it does sound like it was written with me in mind. 🙂

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  8. gudenuf Avatar
    gudenuf

    What to you think about 50 Shades of Grey. Doesn’t matter if you’ve read the book. What are your thoughts on all the fuss about it?

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    1. bloggerclarissa Avatar
      bloggerclarissa

      I have no idea what it is and what the fuss is. I’m very out of things right now. But I will research.

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      1. Leah Jane Avatar
        Leah Jane

        Aaaai, No, Clarissa, save your brain cells! It’s awful! To give you an idea of how awful it is, it’s based off of fanfiction of the Twilight series, and it makes the sexual/romantic relationships in Twilight look healthy and functional.

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        1. bloggerclarissa Avatar
          bloggerclarissa

          Oh no, no more Twilight. Brrr…..

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      2. Brittany-Ann Avatar
        Brittany-Ann

        Oh my god, is it really? Uuuuugh. Ugh.

        I had one person recommend it to me, and another tell me not to bother. Evidently it plays like it’s pro-bdsm, and then the ending proves it’s really not? I’m not sure if I’m remembering correctly. I was leaning towards not reading it, and now I’m definitely not going to bother. That does explain why I’m hearing so much about it, though. I wondered.

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  9. Matt Avatar
    Matt

    From the short time here you appear to perhaps be socially more liberal and fiscally more conservative my normal American descriptions.

    This article I read really goes to the core of one area that I think conservatives need to push the hell out of … deregulating stupid laws (not all laws/licenses are stupid.. but a good majority are) and letting Americans know they HAVE RESPONSIBILITY to be informed consumers.. that is what makes a capitalist system work. Right now conservatives talk about deregulation, but rarely include the part about personal responsibility.

    Anyway, here is the article and I would be curious to hear your thoughts on it and on the larger regulation/personal responsibility theme.

    http://jezebel.com/5917673/licensed-professionals-have-no-patience-for-your-creative-pursuits?tag=hair

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  10. n8chz Avatar
    n8chz

    I’d love to see you riff on this.

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  11. zinemin Avatar
    zinemin

    First of all, I find the teaching-related complaining really entertaining!

    But if I could wish for a blog post I would really like to read more about the Ukraine, especially regarding the current political situation, Timoschenko etc.
    There is currently a bit more in the news about Ukraine here in Europe because of the soccer cup, but I don’t feel well informed and I would be very curious to hear your view on this…

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  12. E (The Third Glance) Avatar
    E (The Third Glance)

    So maybe you’ve addressed it before, but as I haven’t read your archive (sorry!) I’m curious as to how you learned about Asperger’s and how you learned you are autistic… it’s a fact of life, of course, I just am fascinated about how other people find out.

    Also, I haven’t heard your opinion about Name of the Wind yet!! I don’t care if you hated it (ok, I would be sad if you didn’t like it), but I do hope you read it… 🙂

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    1. Avatar
      Anonymous

      In the archive, you have advice for parents of autistic children. What advice do you have for next-degree relatives (aunts and uncles, grandparents, cousins, etc.)? What would you advise these relatives if the parents are going bankrupt trying to cure the child’s autism?

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  13. ed Avatar
    ed

    I’d like to know more about what made you want to study and teach Spanish.

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  14. Tim Avatar
    Tim

    I would like to hear your opinion on this:
    http://sexualintelligence.wordpress.com/2012/06/11/sexual-harassment-or-unwanted-sexual-attention/

    I don’t know if it is worth a whole blog post, but a comment would be appreciated 🙂

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    1. bloggerclarissa Avatar
      bloggerclarissa

      All I can say is that it’s like that post was written by me. I agree with every word.

      I remember I blogged about a woman who feels victimized when strange men say “Hello” to her in the street.

      And then people tell me this is not a hugely puritanical country. Bit at least there are reasonable folks around like the author of that post.

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  15. H.A.S. Avatar
    H.A.S.

    I would love to hear what your opinion is on this article

    http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/06/1-wives-are-helping-kill-feminism-and-make-the-war-on-women-possible/258431/#.T9-hYIuCdHQ.facebook

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    1. bloggerclarissa Avatar
      bloggerclarissa

      The post will appear tomorrow morning. Thank you for the link.

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  16. Zeppo Manx Avatar
    Zeppo Manx

    I moved to Texas in the 1980’s and was surprised, and puzzled, to find people still vigorously arguing about the US Civil War (Or “War of Northern Aggression” as some call it here). I find some parts of US history fascinating, and wondered if you have any opinions about US history? Either the facts themselves or how you see us thinking about our own history.

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    1. bloggerclarissa Avatar
      bloggerclarissa

      “I moved to Texas in the 1980′s and was surprised, and puzzled, to find people still vigorously arguing about the US Civil War (”

      – We do, too, in the Midwest. 🙂 It’ still a huge issue whether the war started over slavery or something else. Thanks fo the great blogging suggestion.

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A conservative literary critic and college professor

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