The ridiculous drama of the bored: “Sometimes simply surviving is work. It’s hard work. And it really does make a difference in the world. Even if the world for that moment is small and no one else seems to notice.” And now imagine the horror of being the child of this hysteric who sees her problem-free, infantilized existence as a struggle for survival. Imagine having no escape from this posing. Imagine being forced to be the only source of food for her.
The smoking age in New York might go up to 21. Probably because the drinking age limit works so well. Old enough to drive but not old enough to smoke. Makes total sense. The reasoning behind this piece of arrant idiocy is the old belief held by the especially stupid and ignorant that people who start smoking early are more likely to get addicted. It is fascinating how it never occurs to people that correlation does not need to equal causation.
“Let us hope that the current Yale faculty is a dying breed, to be eviscerated by the free-flowing ideas that pulse across the Internet and cannot so easily be shut down.” Oh yes. Let’s hope for that, indeed. It could have been a great university but for the sad current state of affairs where tenured faculty members (who only teach a tiny minority of courses) are so preoccupied with preserving their status of living geniuses that they never say anything other than the most boring trivialities ever in the classroom. On the subject of the linked post, why would anybody have anything against a course on the Western Civilization?
“Jim Geddes, a member of the University of Colorado Board of Regents, is calling on liberal arts departments at the flagship campus at Boulder to hire more professors who are conservatives.” So this prick is advocating ideological discrimination in the hiring process? Will he be creating a list of approved opinions the successful candidates must possess to get hired? And more importantly, are the faculty members of this stupid pretense at a university rising in outrage and calling for this Stalinist to be ejected from campus? Or are they sitting impotently by?
The worst way to start an academic essay in literature.
An interesting discussion on the completely ridiculous concept of “flipping lectures.” I’m beyond annoyed by people who know nothing about how a classroom is run but still create idiotic suggestions aimed at sneaking in MOOC strategies. Bleh.
And an intelligent albeit short response to the previous discussion.
And the post of the week: the relationship phrases that need to be thrown away.
Clarissa's Blog 
// The worst way to start an academic essay in literature.
Do you have a link, explaining how to write well? Not necessary long essays, even 2-3 page ones.
What is the good way to begin and end for an university course essay? I suppose you won’t write about it here because you already teach it all the time, but may be a link? It would have been extremely helpful.
– el
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I wrote about this before:
https://clarissasblog.com/2011/02/20/basic-rules-for-writing-an-essay-or-an-article/
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And general Middle East update (Note: Haaretz is a *profoundly* Left newspaper):
The Israel Air Force had carried out a strike against [targets in] Syria.
…
Western intelligence sources said that both strikes over the weekend targeted Fateh-100 missile shipments sent from Iran for Hezbollah in Lebanon.
…
Lebanese media quotes Seyed Hassan Firouzabadi, the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, as saying: “Resistance forces will respond to the Israeli aggression… Iran will not allow to Israel destabilize the region.”
…
Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al Mekdad told CNN that the attack on a Syrian military facility near Damascus is a ‘declaration of war’ by Israel. In an interview with CNN correspondent Frederik Pleitgen in Damascus, al Mekdad, an official considered close to President Assad, said the attack is evidence of an alliance between Islamic terrorists and Israel. He added that Syria would choose when and how to retaliate. (Haaretz)
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/live-blog-israel-launches-second-syria-strike-in-two-days-sources-say-1.519250
– el
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To all saying that Anti-Semitism is a thing of the past:
Hungarian far right decries ‘Israeli plot’ before World Jewish Congress meeting
Senior figures from the opposition Jobbik party accused Israelis of plotting to buy up the country and that the World Jewish Congress meeting is being held in Budapest to shame the Hungarian people.
“The Israeli conquerors, these investors, should look for another country in the world for themselves because Hungary is not for sale,” Jobbik chairman Gabor Vona told the rally, near the neo-Gothic parliament along the Danube River.
“Our country has become subjugated to Zionism. It has become a target of colonization, while we, the indigenous people, can play only the role of extras,” Marton Gyongyosi, a Jobbik member of parliament, told the crowd.The rally ended after almost two hours and the protesters dispersed without incident.
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/hungarian-far-right-decries-israeli-plot-before-world-jewish-congress-meeting-1.519206
See: Far-right protesters wave signs bearing swastikas and chant anti-Semitic slogans
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=9073
From an Israeli paper: members of this political party also demanded from the Jews to apologize for crimes against Hungary under the Communist regime. And said that money paid as compensation to Holocaust survivors by Hungary could be used for better purposes. Of course, Israel was also accused of committing Holocaust of Palestinians.
Jobbik leaders occasionally issue provocative statements about Jews, such as a call by Gyongyosi last November to list all Jews in the government and parliament as potential national security risks. He later apologized but did not resign.
– el
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When I see Marxist-Leninists and Maoists accusing somebody of imperialistic views, racism et cetera, I am… what’s the word ? Flabbergasted ?
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Of course the very best way to begin an essay is with a defintion.
In case you’re missing awful work from students, I decided to give you a little present:
The dictionary defines “magic” as:
1. the art of producing illusions as entertainment by the use of sleight of hand, deceptive devices, etc.
2. the art of producing a desired effect or result through the use of incantation or various other techniques that presumably assure human control of supernatural agencies or the forces of nature.
3. the use of this art.
4. the effects produced by this art.
5. power or influence exerted through this art.
Furthermore, the dictionary defines “realism” with reference to literature as:
a. a manner of treating subject matter that presents a careful description of everyday life, usually of the lower and middle classes.
b. a theory of writing in which the ordinary, familiar, or mundane aspects of life are represented in a straightforward or matter-of-fact manner that is presumed to reflect life as it actually is.
Therefore to label the book of Gabriel Marquez “No one writes to the colonel” as “magic realism” is a misnomer since there are no magicians entertaining people by the use of sleight of hand. There are also no instances of particular individuals using incantations or other techniques to control the forces of nature through supernatural agencies, like a magic FBI.
In this essay I have conclusively demonstrated that the term “Magic Realism” is not valid for describing the work of Gabriele Marquez and hope you appreciate all the hard work I put into this essay….. or else.
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Dear Doctor Clarissa, lo siento por la presentación de mi ponencia en Inglés, que tengo ahora cuidadosamente traducido al español (y no lo hizo traductor Google).
El diccionario define la “magia” como:
1. el arte de producir ilusiones de entretenimiento por el uso de un juego de manos, dispositivos engañosos, etc.
2. el arte de producir un efecto deseado o el resultado a través de la utilización de encantamiento o varios otros presumiblemente Técnicas Muebles Asegurar el control humano de agentes sobrenaturales o las fuerzas de la naturaleza.
3. el uso de este arte.
4. los efectos producidos por este arte.
5. La influencia o el poder ejercido a través de este arte.
Por otra parte, el diccionario define “realismo” con referencia a la literatura como:
un. una manera de tratar a sujetos Muebles cuestión presenta una cuidadosa descripción de la vida cotidiana, por lo general de las clases bajas y medias.
b. una teoría de la escritura de los aspectos comunes y conocidos, o mundanos Chua de la vida están representados en muebles sencillos o materia-de-hecho de manera se supone para reflejar la vida como realmente es.
Por lo tanto, para etiquetar el libro de Gabriel Marquez “Nadie escribe al coronel” como “realismo mágico” es un nombre inapropiado ya que no hay magos entretener a la gente por el uso de los juegos de manos. No hay casos de DJO cá También estoy usando conjuros u otras técnicas para controlar las fuerzas de la naturaleza a través de agencias sobrenaturales, como una magia FBI.
En este ensayo he demostrado de manera concluyente là término “realismo mágico” no es válido para describir la obra de Gabriele Márquez y espero que usted aprecia todo el trabajo duro que he puesto en este ensayo ….. o de lo contrario.
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I’m laughing and beating my head against the table. 🙂 🙂
I can laugh because all my grading has been done and the grades have been entered into the system.
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I shared a recipe for tilapia and cucumber salsa. 🙂
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That’s exactly what I thought! I immediately wondered whether, if enough states, countries etc. raised their legal smoking ages, we’d suddenly start seeing that most lifelong smokers had started in their 20s as opposed to their teens, and if nothing would change except the age at which most people started smoking.
Also, “arrant” is a most satisfying adjective.
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I like “arrant”, too. It has a very comforting sound. 🙂 Is this an autistic thing? 🙂
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That kind of flipping could be accomplished in the classroom, no?
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I don’t know anybody who even gives these hour-long lectures any more. I think this is all a strawman.
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Found something interesting:
What the World Eats, Part I
What’s on family dinner tables around the globe? Photographs by Peter Menzel from the book “Hungry Planet”
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519,00.html#ixzz2SdXEN4kU
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Thank you! This really rocks. The Californian family is tragic, with its boxes full of crap. And the British family looks even worse. How much better does the Cairo family’s food look.
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Is it me or does the photographer put the fresh fruits and veggies in the American and Western European photos in the back of the room, whereas in other pictures they’re in full view. The angles are weird too – makes it hard to figure out what’s in the picture at times.
I must say the German family drinks a stupendous amount of juice though. I’m not sure I drink that much *water* in a week.
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Of course, the photos are posed and edited. However, an American supermarket with its insane quantity of boxes and cans is unlike any supermarket in any other country I have ever visited. It took me forever to learn to navigate it and I’m still shocked at how many boxes people haul away from it in one trip.
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Report: Hawking pulls out of Jerusalem conference in protest
The Guardian reports world-renowned physicist decided to pull out of Jerusalem conference hosted by President Peres to ‘respect the boycott, based upon his knowledge of Palestine’
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4377536,00.html
Usually I don’t care about boycotting, but this is different to an extent. I have always admired great scientists, and isn’t he one of today’s greatest brains?
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Elizabeth Smart, kidnapped at knifepoint from her bedroom at age 14 and subject to horrible abuses for the next nine months, says she didn’t run from her captors because her abstinence-only education had taught her to feel like a worthless, chewed-up piece of gum.
http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2013/05/06/elizabeth-smart-didnt-run-because-she-felt-dirty-and-worthless/
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I remember writing once about abusers abusing animals first and then switching to life partners. If I am not mistaken, you didn’t believe it’s the usual thing, so here an example:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/05/08/what-do-you-do-when-you-see-domestic-violence-call-the-police/
In comments to the original article:
As someone who lost both a dog and a cat to an abuser and then spent 10 more years with my life in danger – do whatever it takes to get her not to marry this violent abuser. My ex killed both my dog and my cat, and I stayed – then married him, and I have to spend every day of my life knowing the damage he did to me before I got enough sense in my head to get out. Broken bones, TBIs, and a tortured soul.
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This will have value only if contrasted to how many people adore animals yet brutalize people.
By the way, not a single one of the 4 men who beat their wives in our family ever touched any animal. And the woman who brutalized her tiny children adores fluffy kittens and puppies.
“My ex killed both my dog and my cat, and I stayed – then married him”
– I think it’s self-evident that this was an attempt to hurt her and not any specific dislike of her animals. In the same way, an abuser can tear photos, throw away sentimental objects, etc.
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“This will have value only if contrasted to how many people adore animals yet brutalize people. ”
Adoring animals is not posing with animals.
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Yes, if we look at the issue in a deeper way, we will see that people who keep animals in apartments really hate them. Especially people who castrate and mutilate them. But everybody celebrates these people and suspects that those of us who oppose this are some kind of serial killer.
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We reach an agreement on this.
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