tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77648412927447511102024-03-13T04:37:22.515+03:0032 Radio Street<img align="right" src="http://maurers.org/media/NGI-January2012crop2-1.JPG">An unofficial English-language<br>blog dedicated to Johan's<br>students at the <b>School for Foreign</b><br><b>Languages</b> and the<br><b>New Humanities Institute</b>.Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.comBlogger320125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-54117107629222627832019-06-22T23:37:00.002+03:002020-07-01T19:09:02.136+03:00Back in the USSRI've spent most of the past week immersed in historical television dramas on Soviet themes. Despite their grim subjects, I can't deny the deep nostalgia for Russia that these shows evoked. They reminded me of our universal human capacities for kindness and cruelty, humor and cynicism, acceptance and resistance ... and the specific ways I experienced these capacities in Russia and other places in the former Soviet Union, ever since my first visit in the fall of 1975.<br />
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The first program I devoured over these last few days was HBO/Sky's miniseries <i><a href="https://www.hbo.com/chernobyl" target="_blank">Chernobyl</a></i>. I thought that for an American to create a program on the USSR's most serious nuclear accident was nervy -- just imagine all the political and cultural distortions that could result. But I remembered the U.S. television coverage at the time (sample: <a href="https://youtu.be/hMiKxXEprVk" target="_blank">CBS Evening News</a>) ... surely a carefully constructed drama would be better than those speculative TV news summaries that filled the information vacuum of the time?<br />
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I was aware that the HBO/Sky series was getting good marks from a lot of critics, even Russian critics. In <i>Novaya Gazeta</i>, <a href="https://www.novayagazeta.ru/articles/2019/05/23/80622-chernobyl-dannyy-im-v-oschuschenie" target="_blank">one columnist</a> essentially said "This is the film <i>we</i> should have made." As I weighed the many specific criticisms made by both western and Russian commentators, I appreciated the accompanying five-part <a href="https://medium.com/hbo-cinemax-pr/the-chernobyl-podcast-8a0d6eb29bc8" target="_blank">podcast</a> in which host Peter Sagal talks with series creator Craig Mazin about his creative choices, and the deviations from the historical record that critics often refer to.<br />
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The "voice" of the Sagal/Mazin podcast is typically American -- mostly upbeat, offhand, slangy, sometimes verging on glib. But one thing comes through this conversation constantly: in the series itself, Mazin and his co-workers were determined to show respect to the men and women who risked (and sometimes gave) their lives to save their fellow citizens and potentially a whole continent. They demonstrated that respect by choosing to focus on individuals and stories that exemplified human decency and generosity and the finest aspects of patriotism -- all of which combined to contain the worst possible outcomes of the disaster. Even self-serving bureaucrats occasionally displayed flashes of humanity; the series avoided presenting us with total villains. However, the overwhelming desire of the ruling system to protect itself at all costs, deny problems, and avoid humiliation, was presented with brutal realism -- and (despite some oversimplifications and dramatic exaggerations) rightly so.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvrMpmSs80kqPOeeCuy39pyHudzW4gR4_sETi2kMZRhoTRCrd8ORwGHWO0ZbcDofz9VOVvSQpIj7Eh5wTHE5hXEhSI01yI7RY_jNpGNkWLcEKuBP6cpey2pwL0NzqfjTORhOpF6hniLRP/s1600/our-goal-is-the-happiness-of-all-mankind-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="1359" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvrMpmSs80kqPOeeCuy39pyHudzW4gR4_sETi2kMZRhoTRCrd8ORwGHWO0ZbcDofz9VOVvSQpIj7Eh5wTHE5hXEhSI01yI7RY_jNpGNkWLcEKuBP6cpey2pwL0NzqfjTORhOpF6hniLRP/s400/our-goal-is-the-happiness-of-all-mankind-2.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Our goal is the happiness of all humanity."</td></tr>
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There were imperfections in the series and podcast accompaniment that aren't explained by the choices imposed by compression and dramatic continuity. For example, in episode four, one of the squads sent out to catch and eliminate abandoned pets is eating and chatting outside a cultural center. A squad member points out a banner attached to the building: "Our goal is the happiness of all humanity." The irony isn't lost on the squad, but even so I wasn't happy that Sagal and Mazin mocked the sentiment. Maybe it's my own exaggerated idealism, but those slogans (however compromised by official corruption and everyday coping mechanisms) reflected real pride among Soviet people. Today those old banners and slogans evoke nostalgia among many Russians who look about in vain for similar ideals in our own time.<br />
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Other critics have pointed out historical inaccuracies -- the reactors' deficiencies were not that secret; the authorities were generally no longer threatening executions; the courtroom scenes were practically fictional; the apartment buildings had modern windows, and so on. You can find these complaints for yourself. They don't diminish the main point for me: the enormous wave of heroism among ordinary human beings in the face of a catastrophe that they cannot even understand.<br />
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Finally: apart from the riveting plot, a very rewarding aspect of the TV series for me was the attention to visual detail, to the texture of daily life in the mid-1980's USSR. The hospitals I've seen in Russia still look like those in <i>Chernobyl</i>. Same with the older apartment buildings, and with such details as clocks, telephones, stoves, radios, wallpaper, stairwells, and so on. <i>Chernobyl</i> isn't a one-stop substitute for deeper research and reading, but it is a very worthwhile attempt to dramatize history with care and respect for its human dimensions.<br />
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The second program was one I'm returning to after almost a dozen years since I first saw it. Here's how I described <i>Shtrafbat</i> after my first binge-watching exposure to the series: (<a href="https://blog.canyoubelieve.me/2007/11/thanksgiving-shorts.html" target="_blank">Thanksgiving 2007</a>) ...<br />
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I just gave eleven hours of my free time to a fascinating Russian television miniseries, <span style="font-style: italic;">Shtrafbat</span> ("Penal Battalion") on DVD. In WWII Russia, penal battalions were the most expendable of soldiers, made up of criminals and "enemies of the people" who were offered this service as a way to get out of the GULags and redeem themselves by blood from the crimes they'd allegedly committed. The series has some battle scenes, but it's far more devoted to the human relationships among the characters--between regular Red Army and the shtrafniki, between the criminals and the politicals, between the Red Army's military officers and the political officers, between atheists and believers, between wounded soldiers and nurses, and occasionally between Russians and Germans.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVm_pXWbmp81ImsLq1P7zPcwNE12OMJQMr0Yj1E_ExWmZPcZISuAkseCCG5UVXYHcGeY7_7MvtzkQUlNQYRAB2e8jJmjOCyZpvLrE1r6O4I-IucTNjkR8bMGJJeyJYciY976D34Ol3dq0a/s1600/Shtrafbat-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="626" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVm_pXWbmp81ImsLq1P7zPcwNE12OMJQMr0Yj1E_ExWmZPcZISuAkseCCG5UVXYHcGeY7_7MvtzkQUlNQYRAB2e8jJmjOCyZpvLrE1r6O4I-IucTNjkR8bMGJJeyJYciY976D34Ol3dq0a/s320/Shtrafbat-cover.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><i>Source: IMDB </i></td></tr>
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In these eleven episodes, there were so many memorable characters and moments of drama. And complete frankness about the NKVD (predecessor to the KGB) and its horrible methods. The battalion commander Tverdokhlebov mentions to his assistant that, when they go into action, the NKVD will station troops behind them to shoot anyone who turns back, even if they're wounded. (It happened.) And the assistant, Glymov, smiles and says, "Ah, how our Soviet leaders so lovingly look after their citizens." Later, after their beloved commander has been arrested by the NKVD on trumped-up charges, the soldiers are standing in formation and the NKVD colonel introduces them to the new commander. One of the soldiers asks, "And what about Tverdokhlebov?" In the confrontation that ensues, the colonel says, "You are enemies of the people. Nothing! Useless!" Glymov waves at the ragged penal battalion troops behind him and says, "These boys still have a bit of usefulness left in them. As for you, your loss wouldn't make a bit of difference."<br />
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This could have been a concept ready-made for exploitative violence and sensational gore, or for mindless patriotism and militarism. Instead, the series believably brings to life an almost-forgotten dimension of Russia's wartime experience. At one point, Glymov says that the secret of his survival to that point was not courage, but rather sheer cunning. Nevertheless, we see genuine kindness in his character. I can't help wondering whether, in similar circumstances, I would have been able to preserve as much humanity.</blockquote>
At the time I first saw this series, I wasn't aware of some of the controversy it raised. Some of the controversy I'm inclined to minimize -- for example, I totally disagree with the charge that the series exaggerates the role of penal battalions in the USSR's victory over Germany, or demeans the victory itself. There are no such implications, although in the context of today's victory cult, <i>Shtrafbat</i>'s distinctly anti-Stalinist tone might be out of fashion. In fact, (spoiler alert), the last penal-battalion attack on the Germans is merely intended as a diversionary nuisance, although these soldiers don't know it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nVkoeyAo_UFsZCsQ1DflUvCbg-QO42FkiaKj91-m6t4SF64llPKb_5AJL59WNfg78kEh_bduuJP4LOIYN0nBnjcWOJOcjM5J1DDjvbugK-PK1JoGmE1SPNQn5ZfHQEaAf-TNr6kS0ENc/s1600/Glymov-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nVkoeyAo_UFsZCsQ1DflUvCbg-QO42FkiaKj91-m6t4SF64llPKb_5AJL59WNfg78kEh_bduuJP4LOIYN0nBnjcWOJOcjM5J1DDjvbugK-PK1JoGmE1SPNQn5ZfHQEaAf-TNr6kS0ENc/s320/Glymov-2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yuri Stepanov in role of Glymov the thief, about to volunteer.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDnFHb1px0unEVrdyOUC0OiC77wwLmu0fhTtTbG20BBRGPewMOL-pTPeR8gdz_OYarpDJ_2KHPOHzIkJcjlj73ChAZfRC2fOJS0krQRhKYC7s1x4Pa_Q2WxZy7UykRY_dH1Q4fQdR0v-t/s1600/Shtab.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDnFHb1px0unEVrdyOUC0OiC77wwLmu0fhTtTbG20BBRGPewMOL-pTPeR8gdz_OYarpDJ_2KHPOHzIkJcjlj73ChAZfRC2fOJS0krQRhKYC7s1x4Pa_Q2WxZy7UykRY_dH1Q4fQdR0v-t/s320/Shtab.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Headquarters.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlcuUwRR93uPSgmCVOO1ERMqO5JoliSXGWNBbjgkn9gAAQkHrMNr-3UfZXJBj1pBMKxoJxgHdQAHx7nBpA-cJmdARwi5sdOXA7PlV43phN9WDSVN2LXGLL0r_chZcterdm1FFr4onjR7v/s1600/Tverdokhlebov-Glymov.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlcuUwRR93uPSgmCVOO1ERMqO5JoliSXGWNBbjgkn9gAAQkHrMNr-3UfZXJBj1pBMKxoJxgHdQAHx7nBpA-cJmdARwi5sdOXA7PlV43phN9WDSVN2LXGLL0r_chZcterdm1FFr4onjR7v/s320/Tverdokhlebov-Glymov.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexei Serebryakov (comm-batt Tverdokhlebov), Stepanov.<br />
Screenshots made from episodes at <a href="https://vk.com/videos-165903?section=album_54186673" target="_blank">Советское кино</a>. </td></tr>
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More serious criticisms involve the actual composition of the USSR's penal forces, most of which apparently consisted of active soldiers condemned to this form of service as punishment for military infractions, as with Tverdokhlebov in this series, who escaped from German capture. They rarely consisted of GULAG conscripts, either criminal or political, and their officers were likewise drawn from officer ranks rather than from the soldiers being so punished.<br />
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One critic pointed out the unlikelihood of a priest serving in a penal company (although another source vouched for one such actual case).<br />
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Whether or not these criticisms were 100% justified, we know from both combat literature and GULAG literature that the characters who come to life in <i>Shtrafbat</i> are realistic, both in their range of opinions and their mixed motives for service. Many of the supporting characters are of necessity two-dimensional; even the main characters sometimes slip into well-worn stereotypes, but the ensemble acting is truly inspired. Furthermore, the debates between the politicals and the criminals -- debates that reflect tensions going back to the Civil War and collectivization -- have an immediacy that reminds us of the constant interplay between authoritarian government and a long-suffering but wily population determined to survive.<br />
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Father Mikhail, the priest (played by Dmitri Nazarov) who first appears in episode seven presented a bit of a challenge. When Germans unexpectedly attack the battalions in a small village that our heroes have been ordered to clear, he is in the church's bell tower, ringing the bell to warn of the approaching Germans. As German snipers force him off the tower, he seizes a gun and joins the defense, and subsequently throws his lot in with the soldiers. Eleven years ago I thought this character threatened to bring an element of mixed absurdity and sentimentality into a drama built on painstaking realism. The priest seems to be custom-built to fulfill a stereotypical role as a bigger-than-life warrior-confessor, source of pithy observations and sonorous blessings. In the climactic battle, spraying the enemy with machine-gun bullets, he roars "Find your graves, you damn thieves! ... Forgive me, Lord."<br />
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This time through, I put more weight on the fascinating dialogues between the priest and various soldiers (many utterly skeptical). Right away they challenge him on the propriety of a priest killing. He agrees that it's problematic: "Even sins committed by necessity must be cleansed. I won't be able to take communion for three years.... I'd miss ten years if it's the Lord's will." The priest's presence in the ranks also becomes a political problem, and contributes to the arrest and torture of battalion commander Tverdokhlebov.<br />
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I'm not in a position to argue that such figures and incidents never arose in real life. And the drama, after all, still ground on to its bloody conclusion.<br />
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The reason I began watching this series all over again was that I stumbled across the fact that the whole series is <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B075LT4TB4/ref=cm_sw_em_r_pv_wb_6PMWUF1D5ASNU" target="_blank">available through Amazon</a>, with decent subtitles (although the English-language descriptions of the series and its episodes on the Amazon site are hopelessly bad). I had no subtitles to help me back in 2007, so a lot of the rapid-fire slang in soldiers' dialogues went right past me. Now, once again I can enjoy the friendship between battalion commander Tverdokhlebov (played by Alexei Serebryakov) and his company commander Glymov (Yuri Stepanov) as they figure out how to fulfill the impossible demands on their pitiful band of <i>shtrafniki</i> by the general, Lykov (Alexei Zharkov). We see both the respect and the exasperation within the relationship between Lykov and Tverdokhlebov, complicated by the close watch on them both on the part of the NKVD officer, Kharchenko (played by Roman Madyanov), assigned to Lykov's headquarters to ensure strict political compliance. Excellent actors, every one of them.<br />
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If you have some Russian <i>[this blog post was originally written for an English-speaking audience]</i> and would like to try watching the series without subtitles and without Amazon, <a href="https://vk.com/videos-165903?section=album_54186673" target="_blank">all eleven episodes are here</a>. Whichever source you choose, be prepared to meet some unforgettable characters.<br />
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This article is cross-posted from my personal blog <a href="https://blog.canyoubelieve.me/2019/06/back-in-ussr.html" target="_blank">Can You Believe?</a><br />
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The latest from Playing for Change: "Walking Blues."<br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_oL_pCjPgUg" width="640"></iframe>Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-48449445257660043892019-01-27T05:55:00.000+03:002019-01-27T06:02:25.061+03:00Status of this blog<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqbXGNu1vH_5CoqsqIfmGnYk2S7s0UqoE4vk4cHLIl9VsgD1F7eWzCN7GGmpjVE0O2vD4UCOcaGco3pCA9OKf7KsWotYMOJzEgkz68nL8HrDcv05Td2UFlbu8PQtlTVufKQzQLSC55jI/s1600/Johan_sketch_by_Larisa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="678" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqbXGNu1vH_5CoqsqIfmGnYk2S7s0UqoE4vk4cHLIl9VsgD1F7eWzCN7GGmpjVE0O2vD4UCOcaGco3pCA9OKf7KsWotYMOJzEgkz68nL8HrDcv05Td2UFlbu8PQtlTVufKQzQLSC55jI/s320/Johan_sketch_by_Larisa.JPG" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Larisa Mishkina</td></tr>
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Since Judy and I are back in the USA and not planning to return to Elektrostal on a full-time basis, I won't be updating this blog regularly. I will keep it here as an archive (and a reminder to myself of all the joy of working with our dear students and colleagues).<br />
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I'll also stay active on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/johan.maurer" target="_blank">facebook</a> and <a href="https://vk.com/johanpdx" target="_blank">vk.com</a>. Questions about English usage are always welcome. Also be sure to let me know if you're planning to visit the USA!<br />
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Many of the images embedded on these pages were hosted by <a href="http://www.photobucket.com/" target="_blank">photobucket</a>. I am in the process of transferring these images to another server. If you see a page with broken image or media links, and you'd like me to fix that page, just let me know. (<a href="mailto:johan@canyoubelieve.me">johan@canyoubelieve.me</a>). </div>
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Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0Portland, OR, USA45.5122308 -122.6587185000000245.1563568 -123.30416550000002 45.8681048 -122.01327150000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-17257902952044569792018-11-23T01:07:00.000+03:002018-11-23T01:07:46.717+03:00Kazantsev School expandsMay it flourish! Best wishes from your former ЕГЭ instructor.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZURrxewMQzfxFkog0UvdTAxdnlx9WniE6jmYBBnuPtk1ZiOoQnhKZQCmAoCwf1aVJwua6VOMZ5119xW3ac-Qs51Z8wdbsFiMrhU456rtID0pXvohFIYPWww1lhyGJQ_pnm2XXCZ-Z00/s1600/Kazantsev-School-nabor-fall-2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="911" data-original-width="1280" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZURrxewMQzfxFkog0UvdTAxdnlx9WniE6jmYBBnuPtk1ZiOoQnhKZQCmAoCwf1aVJwua6VOMZ5119xW3ac-Qs51Z8wdbsFiMrhU456rtID0pXvohFIYPWww1lhyGJQ_pnm2XXCZ-Z00/s640/Kazantsev-School-nabor-fall-2018.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-63173630410843787312017-09-09T00:19:00.003+03:002018-11-09T07:48:34.829+03:00Tea and Conversation on Tuesday and Friday<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzV_Pr9m0qSTnQdqGRtspzFQS3jEsgqRUCsKyXb68TVV-o3XokEkS4Wr6SeG6UqUCVqMNtYCqu6ymTl2wk6Kn7338fUL62Z775j5zGtj4Ihxl9VhHGzaNXkhA4EIncD_KxEwAz9-UrLg/s1600/2017-08-15-dock-and-chair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzV_Pr9m0qSTnQdqGRtspzFQS3jEsgqRUCsKyXb68TVV-o3XokEkS4Wr6SeG6UqUCVqMNtYCqu6ymTl2wk6Kn7338fUL62Z775j5zGtj4Ihxl9VhHGzaNXkhA4EIncD_KxEwAz9-UrLg/s640/2017-08-15-dock-and-chair.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panther Pond, Raymond, Maine, USA</td></tr>
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Solitude is nice for a while, but sometimes you just want some<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">TEA & CONVERSATION!</span></h2>
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So ... let's meet on Tuesday after the fourth pair! We'll be in Room 2, hoping to catch up with you to share summer experiences and hopes for the new school year.<br />
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We will try meeting weekly through October 10. On September 26, we hope to include our three guests from the USA -- Jesse, Tracy, and Esther Mae.<br />
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Bring your own ideas for themes and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangman_(game)" target="_blank">Hangperson</a> words; we'll bring some ideas, too. See you soon!<br />
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PS: Evening students! We'll be meeting at the Quest Cafe "4 Rooms" as well. Friday, September 16, and Friday, October 6, 7 p.m.Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-32201901972469813212017-05-17T17:01:00.001+03:002017-05-17T17:05:20.188+03:00Group 401V Second Semester Test<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdoOeO_R3Kemkxgnanr8k4P8E9BpfhD50sbog18Zf7N_70l9E46xlISvKQ3zP2nrOi5gE82eWHLp-iO03Ck3pSQZQaKhUbE_nXmIZjG-bvBWJgWKK0KrH8F2-mpZ0QsATsR9KN9dXEjQU/s1600/LAX-rich_are_pampered-header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdoOeO_R3Kemkxgnanr8k4P8E9BpfhD50sbog18Zf7N_70l9E46xlISvKQ3zP2nrOi5gE82eWHLp-iO03Ck3pSQZQaKhUbE_nXmIZjG-bvBWJgWKK0KrH8F2-mpZ0QsATsR9KN9dXEjQU/s640/LAX-rich_are_pampered-header.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<hr />
Full text: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/12/lax-private-terminal-rich-people-celebrities" target="_blank">LINK to article</a> on the newspaper's site. <a href="http://maurers.org/LAX-rich-are-pampered-The_Guardian.pdf" target="_blank">LINK to article</a> in PDF format.<br />
<br />
When you have finished reading the article, <b><a href="http://maurers.org/test-401v.htm" target="_blank">go here for the test</a></b>. Please finish the test by Monday, May 22. Judy and I must give your results to Larisa Viktorovna by May 23.<br />
<br />Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-64911203216591085152017-05-10T16:15:00.002+03:002017-05-10T16:15:47.022+03:00Billionaires speaking to graduates<u>Газета</u><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThmE1Up_7qVPtsP48R5apAb9JrNL50sE2GUnGUHrpT6lrGLWp3btRPUgp-2egRsqe9kaqriojTcytygpTUXy9JfBoQnRovSdAU8esthKMhrfaB3hfY60-9PC6bGh4PWVDIB0z1WBvAv8/s1600/Billionaires_To_Graduates-Forbes-header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThmE1Up_7qVPtsP48R5apAb9JrNL50sE2GUnGUHrpT6lrGLWp3btRPUgp-2egRsqe9kaqriojTcytygpTUXy9JfBoQnRovSdAU8esthKMhrfaB3hfY60-9PC6bGh4PWVDIB0z1WBvAv8/s640/Billionaires_To_Graduates-Forbes-header.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerenblankfeld/2016/05/18/billionaires-to-graduates-all-time-best-advice-from-their-commencement-speeches/#61d668893cf4" target="_blank">Source</a>.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
(<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerenblankfeld/2016/05/18/billionaires-to-graduates-all-time-best-advice-from-their-commencement-speeches/#61d668893cf4" target="_blank">Link to original article</a> and gallery on <i>Forbes</i> site. Download PDF files here: <a href="http://maurers.org/Billionaires_To_Graduates-Forbes.pdf" target="_blank">Pages 1-3</a>. <a href="http://maurers.org/Billionaires_To_Graduates-page_4.pdf" target="_blank">Page 4</a> with questions and vocabulary.)<br />
<br />
Items for discussion:<br />
<ol>
<li>Summarize the contents of this article in one or two sentences.</li>
<li>How is the content organized?</li>
<li>What are the roles or purposes of the links and gallery within the article? Are they helpful?</li>
<li>Of all the points made in the article, which will you remember the longest?</li>
<li>Do all of the commencement speakers agree with each other? Is any of the advice actually wrong?</li>
<li>Here in Russia, on similar occasions, would the speakers make similar points? Would they make different points than those made by the speakers in this Forbes article? Which pieces of advice in the article seem most typically American to you? Which seem universally valid to you?</li>
<li>The writer includes her e-mail address and Twitter handle in her biography. If you were to write to her, what would you say about this article? (What did she do well, and what could she have done to make her article better?)</li>
</ol>
Words and expressions:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>words of wisdom</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>host, a host of</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>heart-wrenching</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>core, to one’s very core</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>loss, to overcome a loss</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to be defined by</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>standout </b>(noun)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>a whole lot</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to impart</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to revolve around</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to oust, to be ousted</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>helm</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>the odds, to overcome the odds</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>time and time again</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>albeit</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>oftentimes</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>hand in hand, to go hand in hand</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to drop out</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to pursue</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>trial and error</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to echo </b>(transitive and intransitive)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to head up</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to drop </b>(intransitive)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>thread</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to give back</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>breathing space</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to hazard (a prediction, a guess)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>arguably</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>revelatory</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to get crazy</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>drive </b>(noun)</span>Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-40744158049584231172017-05-04T11:28:00.001+03:002017-05-04T11:28:24.211+03:00Group 501V Second Semester Test<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuB3rDzNeR2Uw6WGVqFsZ5xFoVRSJ7t44M5gdWJgwVZIXqTmiMP3KndvRh06v6cxl1Tvae-VsRwMngL8keAt6qciGVUJOpin_M61fPB3ORrNdqbaP-0vNWZh5h71EoTNUxhpjZc-l13Og/s1600/Mother-of-pearl-clouds-The_Telegraph-header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuB3rDzNeR2Uw6WGVqFsZ5xFoVRSJ7t44M5gdWJgwVZIXqTmiMP3KndvRh06v6cxl1Tvae-VsRwMngL8keAt6qciGVUJOpin_M61fPB3ORrNdqbaP-0vNWZh5h71EoTNUxhpjZc-l13Og/s640/Mother-of-pearl-clouds-The_Telegraph-header.png" width="640" /></a></div>
Full text: <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/24/mother-of-pearl-clouds-may-have-inspired-edvard-munchs-scream/" target="_blank">LINK to article</a> on Telegraph site. <a href="http://maurers.org/clouds.pdf" target="_blank">LINK to PDF file</a>.<br />
<br />
When you have finished reading the article, <b><a href="http://maurers.org/test-501v.htm" target="_blank">go here for the test</a></b>.<br />
<br />
Please finish the test by May 11, 2017.Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-91912065829752125052017-05-03T16:47:00.001+03:002017-05-03T16:47:35.472+03:00Why the movie business is in trouble<u>Газета</u><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiUXCI5hg3EmvWhkRcXUboAQDgnYiIyaaF-yxqtAVaCKJ8xk7WAeQZfbhr2OXKROXR5w4bjUP25c6CvWDClbLsSK-98TJkEkFB5FShCUrK8Ocyl4gF7bYV6-T98Vvqv65wPhs-RoeXsw/s1600/Variety-The_Reckoning-header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiUXCI5hg3EmvWhkRcXUboAQDgnYiIyaaF-yxqtAVaCKJ8xk7WAeQZfbhr2OXKROXR5w4bjUP25c6CvWDClbLsSK-98TJkEkFB5FShCUrK8Ocyl4gF7bYV6-T98Vvqv65wPhs-RoeXsw/s640/Variety-The_Reckoning-header.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
(<a href="http://variety.com/2017/film/features/movie-business-changing-consumer-demand-studios-exhibitors-1202016699/" target="_blank">Link to the article on Variety's site</a>, with all charts and graphics. <a href="http://maurers.org/%20The_Reckoning-Why_the_Movie_Business.pdf" target="_blank">Link to PDF version</a> of article.)<br />
<br />
This is a long text, and we suggest that you concentrate mostly on the first half of the article, before the author gets into details about the negotiations with specific companies and studios. The last couple of paragraphs are also important.<br />
<br />
Here are some questions for discussion:<br />
<ol>
<li>Overall, what does this article seek to provide the reader?</li>
<li>How does the author organize his analysis? What are the major elements, and how does he arrange them?</li>
<li>What are the two major challenges facing the film industry?</li>
<li>Who are the two “sides” mentioned on page two, second column (“At the very least the two sides are talking.”) Why are their interests supposedly in conflict?</li>
<li>Do you have personal experiences or observations concerning this analysis?</li>
<li>What argument or insight will you remember from this article after you have forgotten the details?</li>
<li>Who is the author’s intended audience?</li>
</ol>
Which of these words and expressions are new to you?<br />
<blockquote>
<table align="left" style="width: 440px;"><tbody>
<tr><td width="50%"><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>scared stiff</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to usher in</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to dazzle</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>cavernous</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to scramble </b>(intrans.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>existential dread</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>exhibitor</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to release</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>debut</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to come to pass</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>shakeup</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>windfall</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to pull it off</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>antiquated</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to choreograph</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>“cover my ass”</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Zeitgeist</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>underpinnings</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>smart money</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to be put off</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to dry up</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>slate financing</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>player</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>virtual reality</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>box office</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>mogul</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>sprawling</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>tax credit</b></span></td><td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to greenlight</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>bottom line</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>grand bargain</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to fade</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to prop up</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to condition</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>impulse buy</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to tinker (with)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to kibosh</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to wade (into)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>on demand, on-demand</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>exhibition chain</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>stiff spine</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to interface (with)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>screen count</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to hit</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to cannibalize</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>thorny</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>myriad</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to grandfather</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to invite to the table</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to differentiate</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>gargantuan</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to reboot</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>dicey</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>diminishing returns</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>tentpole</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to snap up</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-40799578124356684452017-04-26T23:27:00.000+03:002017-04-26T23:27:25.328+03:00Sarah Robb O'Hagan: "I Learned to Win By Failing" (with test link)<u>Газета 401: Зачёт; 401V, 501V</u><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuOLTivx8Fu5ozQET2FLMFZ23-y2RnX8Wcg16Xcl3we1GBExDnLB7U8v8imTgxijJOyow5NsOD6rs-7VgmZvtPkObo4SgfEB27QoGh_dSnNPxphK39qpjxFQBfKvu0p40D16ptztk204/s1600/I+learned+to+win+by+failing+NBC+News+header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuOLTivx8Fu5ozQET2FLMFZ23-y2RnX8Wcg16Xcl3we1GBExDnLB7U8v8imTgxijJOyow5NsOD6rs-7VgmZvtPkObo4SgfEB27QoGh_dSnNPxphK39qpjxFQBfKvu0p40D16ptztk204/s640/I+learned+to+win+by+failing+NBC+News+header.png" width="640" /></a></div>
(<a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/better/careers/sarah-robb-o-hagan-n745286" target="_blank">Link to full article and accompanying video</a>. <a href="http://maurers.org/Sarah_Robb_OHagan_I_Learned_to_Win_By_Failing-NBC_News.pdf" target="_blank">Link to PDF document</a>.)<br />
<br />
Group 401: This is the text for <a href="http://maurers.org/may-2017-test.htm" target="_blank">our online test</a>.<br />
<br />
Some of these words and phrases may be on the test....<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>extreme</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to breathe new life into</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to bring to light</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to be vulnerable</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>edge, at the edge</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to suck</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>the lead part</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to push, to keep pushing</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>grit </b>(noun)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>yeah, so</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to get going</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>pear-shaped, to go pear-shaped</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>over one's skis</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to do one's own thing</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>learning </b>(noun)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to crush it</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to be (stay) in front of</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>on me (it's on me)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>grind </b>(noun)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to trigger</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to screw up </b>(trans. and intrans.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>wrong turn</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to hone</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to be well rounded</b></span>Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-61144997640210622002017-04-25T19:30:00.000+03:002017-04-25T19:30:01.042+03:00Good Grief for educators, part twoWarmest thanks to our colleagues for your great stories and dialogues, excellent questions, and helpful comments on the survey form. Here's a slide show based on the vocabulary presentation we gave at our last session:<br />
<br />
<iframe src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DGIdXzmc_LvDN-DEDlR6kJG4YKoqGqDmp7rv2c-O2jI/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=10000" frameborder="0" width="640" height="389" allowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe>Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-36190074034630631842017-04-24T14:14:00.000+03:002017-04-24T14:14:42.547+03:00Workshop on contemporary English: Evaluation form<iframe frameborder="0" height="1000" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSehrF3NfE7kcp4jn31WrA7jgojv4uTroF582-TRIMHJOvr1Cw/viewform?embedded=true" width="640">Loading...</iframe>Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-87167573284620294032017-04-19T23:30:00.000+03:002017-04-19T23:30:08.881+03:00Roll Over Beethoven<u>Газета</u><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPRzPGrMYkrbDofCigE5z59HzvopnkoXUaF6JLmsV_0A_jbwKjtEiUlBreuAEQk-YwyfrfNpuKdF8JuTxM0zmya50GA7vhZLsschaRlQu0sDE-DD8PLQRSBeY2GWzOaRs5zDC2YWvRNuQ/s1600/Roll_Over_Beethoven-Slate-header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPRzPGrMYkrbDofCigE5z59HzvopnkoXUaF6JLmsV_0A_jbwKjtEiUlBreuAEQk-YwyfrfNpuKdF8JuTxM0zmya50GA7vhZLsschaRlQu0sDE-DD8PLQRSBeY2GWzOaRs5zDC2YWvRNuQ/s640/Roll_Over_Beethoven-Slate-header.png" width="640" /></a></div>
(<a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/music_box/2017/03/chuck_berry_didn_t_just_invent_rock_and_roll_he_perfected_it.html" target="_blank">Click here</a> for original article with links to music. <a href="http://maurers.org/Roll_Over_Beethoven.pdf" target="_blank">Download PDF version</a>.)<br />
<br />
For discussion:<br />
<ol>
<li>Summarize this article—how does it go beyond a simple obituary?</li>
<li>How did the author organize his material? How does he develop his theme(s)?</li>
<li>For what audience is he writing?</li>
<li>What will you remember about this article after you have forgotten the details?</li>
<li>What should the author have included or left out?</li>
</ol>
Words and phrases:<br />
<blockquote>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">opener</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">daunting </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lede</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">iconic, iconically</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">scorched earth</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to lay out the stakes</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">on deadline</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to break through</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to harness</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">unruly</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">mission statement</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">auteur</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ennui</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to double as</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to reverberate</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>radio play </b>(noun)</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to fill in the blanks</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">folksy</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to nag</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">precious few</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">tectonic shift</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">side</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">shuffle</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">currency</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">sensibility</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to dispense with</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to cover</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">riff</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lucrative</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ubiquitous</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to relegate, be </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">relegated</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">oldies</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">star was receding</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>dash </b>(noun)</span></blockquote>
Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-41106452966424936922017-04-18T11:37:00.001+03:002017-04-18T11:37:54.063+03:00Tiny family-run newspaper wins American journalism's most important award<u>Газета</u><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLXedUHCqkuplEt4k4PoRTGF9i6LmpO36st5KZW_Ke-M9sylWIb-QDKKi9rnuPXNsnButQjNbj1af19gUXTLjynrrQX9leNibpO0ABjn8eMGmaqW27IkDx1JrTcC88Z6ZVBZQL6t3Fd8/s1600/Iowa_Newspaper_Wins_Pulitzer-Guardian_header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLXedUHCqkuplEt4k4PoRTGF9i6LmpO36st5KZW_Ke-M9sylWIb-QDKKi9rnuPXNsnButQjNbj1af19gUXTLjynrrQX9leNibpO0ABjn8eMGmaqW27IkDx1JrTcC88Z6ZVBZQL6t3Fd8/s640/Iowa_Newspaper_Wins_Pulitzer-Guardian_header.png" width="640" /></a></div>
(<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/11/tiny-family-run-iowa-newspaper-wins-pulitzer-for-taking-on-agriculture-companies" target="_blank">Link to full article</a> on Guardian site. <a href="http://maurers.org/Iowa_newspaper_wins_Pulitzer.pdf" target="_blank">Link to PDF file</a>.)<br />
<br />
Discussion:<br />
<ol>
<li>Summarize this article in one or two sentences.</li>
<li>How is the article organized? (What elements of “story” do you see in this article?)</li>
<li>What will you remember from this article after you have forgotten the details?</li>
<li>What do you wish the writer had included or left out?</li>
<li>Who is the intended audience?</li>
<li>What is the role of journalism prizes such as the Pulitzer Prize?</li>
</ol>
Useful words and phrases:<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to take on</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to challenge assumptions</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to hang out</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>fueled by</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>hard-hitting</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>crash </b>(noun)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to pander</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>dogged (dogged coverage)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to covet, coveted</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to draw</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to disclose, undisclosed</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>gut (in his gut)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to vindicate, to feel vindicated</b></span></blockquote>
Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-57764125263586262842017-04-17T22:44:00.004+03:002024-01-29T10:46:13.629+03:00Good Grief for educators, part one(Link to the excerpts in PDF format: <a href="http://maurers.org/Good_Grief_p_184-186_getting_ready_for_first_date-workshop_version.pdf" target="_blank">part one</a>, <a href="https://maurers.org/Good_Grief_p_190-192_ER_scene_w_Drew-workshop_version.pdf" target="_blank">part two</a>.)<br />
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Words and phrases drawn from today's workshop:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="389" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/14KVRNaCoiBankPZmABOQmHoQZUuMdse3-Attt7K44ZE/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=10000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<hr />
<br />
Judy compiled some of the errors from last week's homework and summarized them using this slideshow:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="389" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1glZmtXyOWCltk_1kiqLFHiBMT4jZJ3-FKT0NYXxaieE/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=10000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<hr />
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Finally, we watched this brief BBC Trending feature: <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/headlines/39495482" target="_blank">Learn Jane Austen, 'thug' style</a>.<br />
<br />Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-52228370204275545072017-04-12T01:54:00.000+03:002017-04-12T01:54:28.201+03:00Newspapers: The Utter Uselessness of Job Interviews<u>Газета</u><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9S1VF7vqoJZNUAP7WPmyNQzePksrTl0RZFCcw2xILn5qV8INcVhXQyFosFx9QtXI1KbGCiSUKQdXaRogNFBEMRJtGKD1Hsr6MrWUKbqkJ7WM34RehFgQXlOIyVf69o-Qcv7po_VSICI/s1600/Utter_Uselessness-header-NYT.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9S1VF7vqoJZNUAP7WPmyNQzePksrTl0RZFCcw2xILn5qV8INcVhXQyFosFx9QtXI1KbGCiSUKQdXaRogNFBEMRJtGKD1Hsr6MrWUKbqkJ7WM34RehFgQXlOIyVf69o-Qcv7po_VSICI/s640/Utter_Uselessness-header-NYT.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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(<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/08/opinion/sunday/the-utter-uselessness-of-job-interviews.html" target="_blank">Link to full article</a>.)<br />
(Download <a href="http://maurers.org/The_Utter_Uselessness_of_Job_Interviews-NYT.pdf" target="_blank">PDF version</a>. Download <a href="http://maurers.org/The_Utter_Uselessness_p4-questions-vocabulary.pdf" target="_blank">questions and vocabulary list</a>.)<br />
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Discussion topics:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWd8-7TwnAFGd_A8X8jjJBDBCpwJgwM6Vs8xM4ya2Uda4naXLhfRO9MUae-haohqmaMOElX6K7dmnf2_OcCxinn4wJ_Q_O8f9bzAWEkA3JkcnRErBWoTv6gY_AXodNJbTqsUXK4IlOyPs/s1600/Utter_Uselessness-questions-and-vocab.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="588" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWd8-7TwnAFGd_A8X8jjJBDBCpwJgwM6Vs8xM4ya2Uda4naXLhfRO9MUae-haohqmaMOElX6K7dmnf2_OcCxinn4wJ_Q_O8f9bzAWEkA3JkcnRErBWoTv6gY_AXodNJbTqsUXK4IlOyPs/s640/Utter_Uselessness-questions-and-vocab.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-45974953304639229902017-04-10T23:58:00.001+03:002017-04-10T23:58:36.404+03:00Teaching respectful terms for othersThis workshop was based on <a href="http://ulitsaradio.blogspot.se/2013/05/political-correctness-in-english.html" target="_blank">my article</a> for the Institute's conference in 2013.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="389" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1X5Za8KxOPAdKWF364RgGp3OOo3Kzt8inrFlDjCY5Teg/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=10000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
The Michele Berdy article mentioned in the presentation is posted <a href="http://www.borissov.net/files/berdy-bias.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Some of the interesting words, phrases, and metaphors used in today's presentation:<br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to lose faith</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bling (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">or</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> bling-bling)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to make allowances (for)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to hunt down</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to give offense</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to make allowances</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to stop to wonder</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">marginal, to marginalize</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">teachable moment</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">antidote</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">progressive</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">out of date</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">it’s up to us</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">faintly odd</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to prescribe</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">patch (noun)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to rewrite around</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ever-popular</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">laughable</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">fastidious, fastidiousness</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">facility</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">not to mention</span>Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-20211683360446292332017-04-06T21:03:00.000+03:002017-04-06T21:03:20.972+03:00Newspapers: More on the shifting fortunes of publishing<u>Газета</u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oD_AFHRf6OtiUm-BDBUyOxtr-8JHQr3qMOmSH3UNkQn-cu2DIwKEpaF27tVmQzM63bDNGZp91tV9wOTXgg0XSJnADmhIb8sZTdk5cXTlSGKx46Fik5J-d4-B-mdgHw2t3HsKC1h9i_Y/s1600/on-the-media-why-publishing-isnt-in-peril-header.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oD_AFHRf6OtiUm-BDBUyOxtr-8JHQr3qMOmSH3UNkQn-cu2DIwKEpaF27tVmQzM63bDNGZp91tV9wOTXgg0XSJnADmhIb8sZTdk5cXTlSGKx46Fik5J-d4-B-mdgHw2t3HsKC1h9i_Y/s640/on-the-media-why-publishing-isnt-in-peril-header.png" width="640" /></a></div>
(<a href="http://www.wnyc.org/story/why-publishing-industry-isnt-peril-2" target="_blank">Link to full text and podcast version of original program.</a>)<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>What type of article is this? How was it “published”? How does this affect the voice and register of the text?</li>
<li>What is the main theme or argument of this text?</li>
<li>What is the point made in the first paragraph by Brooke Gladstone and the following two paragraphs?</li>
<li>What factor often determines a successful publishing season, according to Carolyn Kellogg?</li>
<li>What contributes to the success of audio books? What does Kellogg mean by “crossover point”?</li>
<li>Why should we ask Margaret Atwood where her books belong? (What point is Kellogg making here?)</li>
</ol>
<br />
<u>Words and phrases</u>:<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">imperiled</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">something of a …</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">marked (as in “marked growth”)</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to drive (sales, etc.)</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to do in</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to wheeze</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ergo</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">dog-eared</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">not so fast</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to air</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to overturn</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to level off</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>boost </b>(noun)</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">demographics</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to come out of nowhere</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">tier</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to tout</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Zen</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to ding</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">tween</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">vinyl record</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to hit a groove</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">installment</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">profuse, profusely</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">crossover</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to ramp up </b>(transitive and intransitive)</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">imprint</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">make a (big) push for</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to come on strong</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to get (something) noticed</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">margin(s)</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">slipstream</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">finalist</span></b><br />
<br />Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-90058833656830156522017-04-04T13:13:00.003+03:002017-04-04T13:13:31.115+03:00Newspapers: Remembering Yevtushenko<u>Газета 401, 401В, 501В</u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEQVcUT3AGrOS-k4NFk7w9yAb24-4SU9n9QAiS78NUW9olyeWetDRXvgWm4UURoon-lqcFCLj4t8-xenxlEQ9I_aGRDIqCqoHesTeKnhrlxAkCFe3ceAc0dvKlDthGFRtQdnJej2xEDA/s1600/Acclaimed+Russian+poet+Yevgeny+Yevtushenko+dies+in+Oklahoma.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEQVcUT3AGrOS-k4NFk7w9yAb24-4SU9n9QAiS78NUW9olyeWetDRXvgWm4UURoon-lqcFCLj4t8-xenxlEQ9I_aGRDIqCqoHesTeKnhrlxAkCFe3ceAc0dvKlDthGFRtQdnJej2xEDA/s640/Acclaimed+Russian+poet+Yevgeny+Yevtushenko+dies+in+Oklahoma.png" width="640" /></a></div>
(<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/acclaimed-russian-poet-yevgeny-yevtushenko-dies-oklahoma-46514260" target="_blank">Link to full article</a>.)<br />
<br />
For questions relating to the obituary of a famous person, take a look back <a href="http://ulitsaradio.blogspot.ru/2017/03/obituary-james-cotton-blues-harmonica.html" target="_blank">at this article</a>.<br />
<br />
We will also look at this article: "<a href="http://rbth.com/arts/literature/2017/04/03/5-reasons-why-yevtushenko-deserved-a-nobel-prize_733256" target="_blank">Five reasons why Yevtushenko deserved a Nobel prize.</a>"<br />
<br />
Words and phrases from the Associated Press article:<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to acclaim, acclaimed</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to denounce</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to pass away</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to undergo</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to snowball</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to gain notoriety</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">unflinching</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to pack, packed (audiences)</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">rangy</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">chiseled</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">declaratory/declamatory</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">compelling</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">bespectacled</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to rise to prominence</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>showpiece </b>(noun and adjective)</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">perennial, perennially</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to feature</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>pronounced </b>(adjective)</span><br />
<br />
Other obituaries include:<br />
<br />
<i>The New York Times</i>:<br />
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/01/world/europe/yevgeny-yevtushenko-dead-dissident-soviet-poet.html" target="_blank">www.nytimes.com/2017/04/01/world/europe/yevgeny-yevtushenko-dead-dissident-soviet-poet.html</a><br />
<br />
<i>The Guardian</i>:<br />
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/apr/02/yevgeny-yevtushenko-obituary" target="_blank">www.theguardian.com/books/2017/apr/02/yevgeny-yevtushenko-obituary</a><br />
<br />Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-76575412634924766242017-04-03T22:29:00.000+03:002017-04-03T22:29:17.140+03:00Let's get down to work (don't worry, it will work out)We began today's class with this presentation:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="389" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1fuFrCnBOIkIeGsKhldrmgOWT7OSBJATiI7VQ-X0_Okk/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=15000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="640"></iframe><br />
<u><br /></u>
<u>More work with phrasal verbs, and reviewing the words and phrases from previous classes</u>:<br />
<br />
1. For each blank, choose a word from the list below. Some of the words are completions of phrasal verbs based on the verb work. Some words in the list might be used more than once; some might need to be changed to the correct tense:<br />
<br />
“Detective Jose Chang here,” I heard myself say. It was my first day at work. I didn’t even have a contract yet. The sergeant had only said that “we’d work ____ the details later.” Like whether I’d be paid overtime or not… But it was a job, and I was happy to have it. I needed the ____, such as health insurance. <br />
<br />
The interview had been tough. They had really worked me ____, especially on why I had been out of a job for six months. I had worked ____ a list of reasons for it, but at the end, I just tried to ____ it all over by mentioning that I needed time with my family. Except I hadn’t spoken to my family in five years. In our family, we all have a lot to work ____.<br />
<br />
I hadn’t mentioned that I had been trying to work ____ my anxieties with booze. And then stopped. So, yes, I had tried to ____ the issue. It worked. <br />
<br />
I do hope this job will work ____. What will I do if it doesn’t? I had ____ it badly in the homicide division in Chicago. It wasn’t just my own case I had destroyed; my mistake had nearly thrown a wrench ____ the works. I had really messed up. Even Mrs. Babsen, my sweet elderly neighbor with six cats, had told me I had ____ it all on myself. <br />
<br />
I hoped moving home to Tucson would ____ my career, which it needed, badly. At least in Tucson they wouldn’t ask me about my name. Everyone would assume my father’s family came to work on the railroads, and my mother’s when the river still had water in it all year and the country was named New Spain. <br />
<br />
You just knew I would work ____ that last bit, about how the U.S. stole a third of Mexico’s territory in the Mexican-American War, didn’t you? I can get really worked ____, thinking about it still. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>over bring gloss up benefits out blow into in through evade jump-start</b></span><br />
<br />
2. Homework:<br />
<br />
Please create a dialogue using 10 of the words/phrases in the list below or the phrasal verbs in the exercise above.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>larger trends at work</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>eye-rolling</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>punch line</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>over the top</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>To pull any/your punches</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to overstate the case</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>bent [entrepreneurial bent]</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to channel</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to streamline</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>paywall</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>job security</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>word of mouth</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>the more the merrier</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to jump-start</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to make [the, a] case for </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>what they wanted out of life</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to be struck by</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to pull clear (of)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to settle (an argument, a question)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>setting themselves up (for)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to face the risks</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>special interest groups</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to plug in</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>dead-end job</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>to end up</b></span><br />
<br />
(You can download a PDF version of these exercises from <a href="http://www.maurers.org/Words_and_phrases_for_next_masterclass_v2Johan.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.)Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-14456497502450398592017-03-31T00:30:00.000+03:002017-03-31T12:38:43.861+03:00"Walking the Dog"In class, we heard Hans Theessink performing his virtuoso version of the song, starting at about 1 minute, 10 seconds:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/DVBnZNMnksE" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
This classic was originally written and recorded by Rufus Thomas. In this great video from 1988, we see him performing with legendary musicians Steve Cropper (guitar), Matt "Guitar" Murphy, and Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass guitar):<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/hKqLWbRNSXo" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
Many other great musicians have recorded this song, including the Rolling Stones:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D9mSPFw7BXo" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
<object height="48" width="350"><param name="muz" value="http://music.yandex.ru/embed/51345/track.swf"/><param value="noscale" name="scale"/><param value="bg-color=%23F2F2F2&text-color=%23777777&hover-text-color=%23000000" name="flashvars"/><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="350" height="48" scale="noscale" flashvars="bg-color=%23F2F2F2&text-color=%23777777&hover-text-color=%23000000" src="http://music.yandex.ru/embed/51345/track.swf"/></object>
<br />
<div style="font-size: 11px; margin-top: 3px;">
<a href="http://music.yandex.ru/artist/6601">The Rolling Stones</a> — <a href="http://music.yandex.ru/track/51345/album/213601">Walking The Dog</a> на <a href="http://music.yandex.ru/">Яндекс.Музыке</a></div>
<br />
Here's how the original audience heard Rufus sing it in 1963: <object height="48" width="350"><param name="muz" value="http://music.yandex.ru/embed/96340/track.swf"/><param value="noscale" name="scale"/><param value="bg-color=%23F2F2F2&text-color=%23777777&hover-text-color=%23000000" name="flashvars"/><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="350" height="48" scale="noscale" flashvars="bg-color=%23F2F2F2&text-color=%23777777&hover-text-color=%23000000" src="http://music.yandex.ru/embed/96340/track.swf"/></object>
<br />
<div style="font-size: 11px; margin-top: 3px;">
<a href="http://music.yandex.ru/artist/6815">Rufus Thomas</a> — <a href="http://music.yandex.ru/track/96340/album/18767">Walking The Dog</a> на <a href="http://music.yandex.ru/">Яндекс.Музыке</a></div>
<br />
Here are the words to that original song:<br />
<br />
Mary Mack dressed in black<br />
Silver buttons all down her back<br />
Hello tipsy toes<br />
She broke the needle and she can't sew<br />
<br />
Walking the dog<br />
Just a walking the dog<br />
If you don't know how to do it<br />
I'll show you how to walk the dog<br />
Come on now, come on, come on<br />
<br />
I asked her mama for fifteen cents<br />
To see the elephant jump over the fence<br />
He jumped so high, he touched the sky<br />
Never got back till the fourth of July<br />
<br />
Walking the dog<br />
Just a walking the dog<br />
If you don't know how to do it<br />
I'll show you how to walk the dog<br />
Come on now, come on, come on<br />
<br />
Mary, Mary, quite contrary<br />
Tell me, how does your garden grow?<br />
You got silver bells and you got cockleshells<br />
Pretty maids all in a row<br />
<br />
Walking the dog<br />
Just a walking the dog<br />
If you don't know how to do it<br />
Show you how to walk the dog<br />
Come on now, come on, come on<br />
Oh oh, just a just just a walking<br />
just a just a just a walking<br />
just a just a just a walking<br />
oh, yeah, if you don't know how to do it<br />
I'll show you how to walk the dog ... oh ...Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-9030678216849435782017-03-29T12:03:00.000+03:002017-03-29T12:03:14.539+03:00Newspapers: Платье, которое проехало больше стран, чем вы<u>Газета</u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3U2Wx2oT0FbxRIiVry3qSuk0_oGCwUC_azl0yoNTnB_H8aMAAi3y1lWUqRLY8fI1X8-4TEt1rRnv6XFLtPkTNPEQWUO04ymb6fez9upYw8fSoS-MAjeTTY9xThD6NQATAF6JeHQ7LXk/s1600/dress-more-countries-russian-version-bbc-header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3U2Wx2oT0FbxRIiVry3qSuk0_oGCwUC_azl0yoNTnB_H8aMAAi3y1lWUqRLY8fI1X8-4TEt1rRnv6XFLtPkTNPEQWUO04ymb6fez9upYw8fSoS-MAjeTTY9xThD6NQATAF6JeHQ7LXk/s640/dress-more-countries-russian-version-bbc-header.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWt0jMc2hNk9BOtublxY5RmASAmdBSeLP3SkOTwIwk2OEfFin5xMCLj5TLWgIwe-M2JH-rTIbtH8CeJofIVW_EslZNLzBqeY5pitT4QlSVXZORq60IK9VhI1YDUk8BgUzwtgyUnep1w4/s1600/_95304154_dress_new.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWt0jMc2hNk9BOtublxY5RmASAmdBSeLP3SkOTwIwk2OEfFin5xMCLj5TLWgIwe-M2JH-rTIbtH8CeJofIVW_EslZNLzBqeY5pitT4QlSVXZORq60IK9VhI1YDUk8BgUzwtgyUnep1w4/s640/_95304154_dress_new.png" width="640" /></a></div>
(<a href="http://www.bbc.com/russian/features-39353347" target="_blank">link to full article online</a>)<br />
<br />
Discussion:<br />
<ol>
<li>Summarize the theme and contents of this article in one or two sentences.</li>
<li>Describe how this article is organized or structured.</li>
<li>What is the voice and register of this article?</li>
<li>What will you remember about (or from) this article in a week? A year?</li>
<li>What additional information or context should the writer have provided?</li>
<li>What changes does Prof. Rivoli hope to see in garment manufacture and trade?</li>
</ol>
<br />Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-50825694784592398182017-03-28T00:30:00.000+03:002017-03-28T00:30:24.504+03:00Germany and Turkey exchange criticisms<u>Газета 401, 401В, 501В</u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4DElqcsMiPN0ngWQJaCCkcikzi-Be6Wf2iuJdoQxqJmmv-5sW9bVyOSaWAnxYPCe5cXRwQE8HShETLKf1P6XIqMw0COFNTgfm03wOpycFlvRx4y1NejeG3KUnpk0GQeERwuFDEJ4gf0/s1600/bbc-merkel-erdogan-header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4DElqcsMiPN0ngWQJaCCkcikzi-Be6Wf2iuJdoQxqJmmv-5sW9bVyOSaWAnxYPCe5cXRwQE8HShETLKf1P6XIqMw0COFNTgfm03wOpycFlvRx4y1NejeG3KUnpk0GQeERwuFDEJ4gf0/s640/bbc-merkel-erdogan-header.png" width="640" /></a></div>
(<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39331336" target="_blank">Link to full article</a>.)<br />
<ol>
<li>Please summarize this article in one or two sentences.</li>
<li>What do you know or believe about the countries involved in this situation that you did not know or believe before you read the article?</li>
<li>What additional information should the writer have included?</li>
<li>What audience does the writer have in mind?</li>
<li>Is the article objective? Is there any apparent bias or favoritism on the part of the reporter or the publisher (BBC News)?</li>
<li>How do the photos, captions, and subtitles (in the online version of the article) contribute to the effectiveness of the article?</li>
</ol>
Useful words and phrases:<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">taunt</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>no ifs, ands, or buts </b>(and variations)</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to woo</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to reserve the right</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to break a taboo</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">war of words</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">meddling in [another country's] internal affairs</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">acrimonious</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to cross a line</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to back</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">crackdown</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to seek asylum</span></b><br />
<br />Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-79296587780590071052017-03-27T21:57:00.000+03:002017-03-27T21:57:30.723+03:00The U.S. Civil War and its lingering effectsHere's the presentation we made today as background for discussing the effects of the Civil War on American English and the ways we teach it.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="389" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1OQx-LcYDovnPC3rzl7Kjpb9iX0XIN67YqhzDTFVE6E4/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=15000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="640"></iframe><br />
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In 1864, Abraham Lincoln was re-elected president. On March 4, 1865, at the swearing-in ceremony marking the start of his second term as president, he gave the speech popularly known as the Second Inaugural Address, which included these famous lines:<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago, all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. All dreaded it--all sought to avert it.... Both parties deprecated war; but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive; and the other would accept war rather than let it perish. And the war came.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the Southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was, somehow, the cause of the war. To strengthen perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union, even by war; while the government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">... Both [sides] read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes his aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces; but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered--that of neither has been answered fully.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Almighty has his own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses! for it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh." If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through his appointed time, he now wills to remove, and that he gives to both North and South this terrible war, as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to him? Fondly do we hope--fervently do we pray--that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn by the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said, "The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan--to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations.</span></b><br />
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(<a href="http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres32.html" target="_blank">Full text</a>.)<br />
<br />Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-2222489065946494812017-03-21T16:15:00.000+03:002017-03-24T00:53:24.487+03:00Obituary: James Cotton, Blues Harmonica Legend, Dies at 81<u>Газета 401</u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_MB9CSLheYay76mjNGFxea_mitCCdG-EtgaWS4k-8Puu7i2frJVSzim2MY8_XVmET0qJ1mxZsuItWXvZuOfAnWQfQjb0iEUvQ5QHR1xEPhdYmXxoB8TZrT0fpIGUTKd6tLV7I2LYYTMQ/s1600/James_Cotton_Obit-NYT-header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_MB9CSLheYay76mjNGFxea_mitCCdG-EtgaWS4k-8Puu7i2frJVSzim2MY8_XVmET0qJ1mxZsuItWXvZuOfAnWQfQjb0iEUvQ5QHR1xEPhdYmXxoB8TZrT0fpIGUTKd6tLV7I2LYYTMQ/s640/James_Cotton_Obit-NYT-header.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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(<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/16/arts/music/james-cotton-dead-blues-harmonica-great.html?_r=0" target="_blank">Link to full story on newspaper's Web site.</a>)<br />
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In preparation for our class discussion, consider these questions:<br />
<ul>
<li>What are the traditional elements of a newspaper obituary? Are those elements all included in this particular article?</li>
<li>What will you remember from this article?</li>
<li>What parts of the article were the most informative or interesting for you? What were the least interesting?</li>
<li>Were there any aspects of the story that you feel were insufficiently covered? What questions might you have for the reporter?</li>
</ul>
<u>Useful words and phrases</u>:<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>an integral part</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>tenure</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>call and response</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>curiously, curiously enough</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to embark on/upon</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>bills, billing, sharing bills</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>act </b>(noun)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>raucous</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>stint</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>under his/her/their own name</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>sharecropper</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to take up</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>small change</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>in the employ of</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to span, spanning</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>prowess</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>harp</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>common parlance</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>label</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>accolades</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>to induct, to be inducted</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>survived by</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>array</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>luminary</b></span><br />
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Here is James Cotton playing with the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards a few years ago, during a rehearsal for a benefit concert for fellow blues musician Hubert Sumlin:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9FQT8zrsLzE" width="640"></iframe><br />
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... And finally, a photo I took of Hubert Sumlin and James Cotton about ten years ago:<br />
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<br />Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7764841292744751110.post-86887740554184307072017-03-20T20:58:00.000+03:002017-03-20T20:58:43.880+03:00Our visitor this week: Shawn McConaughey<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHwRDzR9knrPukY-LvF-vy02chxIjCW-9Xv8YfW4bcjaM78CirEA24_vkCYJ_yDQnqY8Gdk0yqQGnm6smYQWgrl4ZbMcscqCCjGUpRQZDY0mS9ucEc2vA4U6BmS0iw3tkek8sW0hVZVk/s1600/Tea_Helen_Shawn_7709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHwRDzR9knrPukY-LvF-vy02chxIjCW-9Xv8YfW4bcjaM78CirEA24_vkCYJ_yDQnqY8Gdk0yqQGnm6smYQWgrl4ZbMcscqCCjGUpRQZDY0mS9ucEc2vA4U6BmS0iw3tkek8sW0hVZVk/s640/Tea_Helen_Shawn_7709.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shawn McConaughey during his last visit to our Institute.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We are happy to welcome our friend and colleague Shawn McConaughey (head of the Teaching Abroad program among other things) to our Institute this week. Most of our students will have a chance to talk with him in our Wednesday classes, and all students are invited to meet him on Friday at our (rescheduled) tea after the fourth pair.<br />
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Shawn first visited our Institute in the year 2000. He and his wife Katrina both have experience in international education and work with refugees.Johan Maurerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13771067774042071617noreply@blogger.com0