December 21 2007

Merry Christmas!
First, I want to mention the photo of my previous entry. I took it at a shopping mall, the Big Step, in America-mura, Shinsaibashi. Actually, there used to be a school building at the site. It was my junior high school until decades ago. When I was a school girl, our school was divided into to buildings. The first year and the third year students went to the main building and the second year students went to the sub-building. The main building was at the Big Step site at that time. After a few years of my graduation, the two buildings were united and the main building site was sold. Whenever I visit the Big Step, I remember my colorful school days, not only bright things but also sad or hard things! Especially I love going there at Christmas time because the light tree is so beautiful!!



1) What is a nativity play?
The Nativity Play is the recreation of the scene of Jesus’ birth in the stable and the story of how Mary and Joseph were visited by the Shepherds and Wise Men. The parts of Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds and the Wise Men are played by the children.

2) What is a Christmas carol?

Christmas carols are the songs which are sung during the Christmas season and also about Jesus and the time when he was born. Originally, they were written for a special purpose, often to accompany performances of religious dramas dating from medieval times. Over the years, the word 'carol' changed its meaning, referring only to certain kinds of songs, the word carol became known as Christmas songs.

3) What is a pantomime?

A pantomime is a traditional British Christmas play. They are an important part of the Christmas festivities in Britain. They are performed in theaters, villages halls and community centers. A pantomime is contained of cross dressing and audience participation.

4) What are mince pies? Find a photo of one.

see here.

5) Find a photo of a Christmas pudding.

see here.

6) Find a photo of a Christmas cake.

how about this?

I found a yummy blog called "CakeJournal.com"!! Visit here.


7) What are Brussels sprouts? Find a photo of some.

The Brussels sprout is a cultivar group of Wild Cabbage cultivated for its small (typically 2.5 - 4cm, 1 - 1.5 inches diameter) leafy green heads, which resemble miniature cabbages.

In the UK, Brussels sprouts are a traditional winter vegetable, and are often eaten boiled with a roast dinner, particularly at Christmas. They can also be stir-fried, roasted, or made into soup.
(excerpts from the wikipedia)

See the photo of it here.


Find a Christmas photo and put it on your blog.
I put a photo of dancing snowmen. I took it at the USJ the other day.


I wish all of you a Happy New Year!!

World News B #9 December 14th, 2007

1. Visit your classmates’ blogs and read what they wrote for last week’s assignment (December 7th). Leave some comments.

I left my comment on Nancy’s blog!

2. Read Mr Sheffner’s answers to last week’s questions.

3. What is Amnesty International? What does it do?

Amnesty International is an international organization for human rights which work to improve people’s lives through campaigning for internationally recognized human rights to be respected and protected for everyone.

4. Here is a recent report from Amnesty International: Torture/health concern/possible prisoner of conscience UZBEKISTAN Ikhtior Khamroev (m), aged 22. Student Ikhtior Khamroev, who has been in jail since September 2006, was reportedly severely beaten on 29 November. Sources inside the prison have told his father that Ikhtior had also received stab wounds to the abdomen, but was locked in a punishment cell rather than taken to hospital. He is believed to have been detained because of the activities of his father, a prominent human rights defender, and may have been beaten to punish his father for his recent anti-government statements.
1. Find one or two news articles about Ikhtio Khamroev (in English or Japanese) and link to them. How many can you find?
I found three.
http://www.amnesty.or.jp/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=1604&sel_lang=english
http://blhrri.org/kokusai/sos/sos_3903.html (in Japanese)
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2007/12/ikhtiyor_hamroe.html

2. Where is Uzbekistan? Find a map and link to it.
Usbekistan on GoogleMap


3. Is the sad story of Ikhtior Khamroev “news” or not?
I think it’s newsworthy.

1. If you think it is news, why is not on TV and in the newspapers?

I have no idea. It is not on TV only in Japan or any other countries? If it’s not on the Japanese media only, maybe it’s far away from here? Or some giant powers prevent it from covering overseas? I don’t know. I want to look into it further.

2. If you think it is not news, why not?

4. How many Japanese versions of this British news story can you find? What are the key points of this story (in Japanese)?
I could only find one article. http://blhrri.org/kokusai/sos/sos_3903.html
イクティオル・カムロブさんに対する、正当な理由のない拘束と暴力行為。また、これが人権活動家である彼の父親に対する制裁行為である疑いがあること。

5. Read Masa’s blog and leave a message. (Do you know the blog of another Japanese person in the US? Tell us about it on your blog).

One of my blog friends, Hanna, has been studying in San Francisco, too! She is now working on her doctoral dissertation. Her blog is mostly written in Japanese. Her eyes are focused on ethnic issues, cultural differences between countries, and often Japanese education issues. She writes about things as a Japanese woman who lives in the US. I enjoy reading all of her entries very much! Please visit her blog “multicultural SF”

World News B #8 December 7th, 2007

Beowulf First Page

Uploaded by litmuse on 13 Dec 05, 12.14AM JST.

1. Write about these two movies:
1. Beowulf
2. The Golden Compass

2. Write in MS Word, spell check, then upload to your blog. On your blog, add links to people or places. You can also add photos, but ALWAYS give credit (say where you got the photo from, who took the photo, and add a link back to the original).

3. Answer all these questions:
1. What or who is Beowulf?

The mightiest warrior in the age of heroes.

2. What is this movie based on?

It is based on the Old English epic poem of the Beowulf.

3. When and where was Old English spoken? (from when until when?)

Old English was spoken in parts of what are now England and southern Scotland between the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century.

4. What does Old English look like? Find a photo on the Internet.

See here: http://english3.fsu.edu/~wulfstan/110v.jpg

5. What does Old English sound like? Find a sound file on the Internet

I found the sound clips of “Readings from Beowulf”. See the link below:
http://faculty.virginia.edu/OldEnglish/Beowulf.Readings/Beowulf.Readings.html
(From the University of Virginia website: http://faculty.virginia.edu/OldEnglish/index.html)

See also: http://www.beowulftranslations.net/benslade.shtml

6. What is the story of Beowulf? (Who are the main characters? Where and when does it take place? What are the key events?)

In the age of heroes comes the mightiest warrior of them all, Beowulf. After destroying the overpowering demon Grendel, he incurs the undying wrath of the beast's ruthlessly seductive mother, who will use any means possible to ensure revenge. The ensuing epic battle resonates throughout the ages, immortalizing the name of Beowulf. (from Wikipedia)

Main characters:
Beowulf (a hero) portrayed by Ray Winstone
King Hrothgar (the king of Heorot) by Anthony Hopkins
Grendel (monster) by Crispin Glover
Queen Wealthew (Hrothgar’s wife) (the mother of Grendel) by Angelina Jolie
Unferth by John Malkovich

7. What happens to Beowulf at the end of the poem (not the movie)?

The battle sequence between Grendel's mother and Beowulf which leads to end with her death.

8. Who is the director? What other movie has (s)he directed? Have you seen any of them? If so, which one? Did you like it?
The director is Robert Zemeckis.

He has directed the following movies:
I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978), Used Cars (1980), Romancing the Stone (1984), Back to the Future (1985), Amazing Stories (1986), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future Part III(1990), Tales from the Crypt (1991), Death Becomes Her (1992), Forrest Gump (1994), Contact (1997), Cast Away (2000), What Lies Beneath (2000), The Polar Express (2004) and Beowulf(2007).

I've seen the Back to the Future and the Contact. I liked the Back to the Future because it's full of thrills!

9. Who are the main actors in this movie?

Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, Alison Lohman, John Malkovich, Crispin Glover, Brendan Gleeson, and Angelina Jolie.

1. Choose one of the actors or actresses. What other movies has this person been in? Did you see any of those movies? If so, which one? Did you like it?

I chose Anthony Hopkins who appeared in the movies shown here: Anthony Hopkins
I liked him being in the movie, "Remains of the Day". He was kind of very quiet throughout this movie but showed his strong presence.

10. What is “The Golden Compass” based on?
“The Golden Compass” is based on a book titled “Northern Lights”.

11 Who wrote the original story? When?
Philip Pullman wrote the original story in 1995.

12 What is the story? (Who are the main characters? Where and when does it take place? What are the key events?)
The story is about a orphan girl, Lyra, who lives in a fantastical world where the dictator, Magisterium, threatens to dominate it. One day, Lyra’s friend kidnapped, so she starts her journey to save her friend.

13 Where is Oxford (UK)? Find a map.

multimap

world atlas

大きな地図で見る

14. How many colleges are there?
There are two universities in Oxford; University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University.

15 Who is the director? What other movie has (s)he directed? Have you seen any of them? If so, which one? Did you like it?
The director is Chris Weitz. He’s directed American Pie, Down to Earth and About a Boy. Unfortunately, I have never seen any of his movies. I’ve heard a good reputation of “About a Boy” from my friends. I think I should see it!

16 Who are the main actors in this movie?
The main actors are Daniel Craig, Ian McKellen, Ian McShane and Sam Elliott.

1 Choose one of the actors or actresses. What other movies has this person been in? Did you see any of those movies? If so, which one? Did you like it?
I liked Nicole Kidman in “The Hours”. I loved it so I bought the DVD and even the bilingual script book after seeing it!

17 There is some controversy about this movie? What is it?

There is some controversy about religious aspects in this movie. In the Original book, the dictator Magisterium is depicted as a symbol of the Catholic Church. But in this movie, Magisterium represents all dogmatic giant organizations.