"Walking the Dog"

In class, we heard Hans Theessink performing his virtuoso version of the song, starting at about 1 minute, 10 seconds:



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):



Many other great musicians have recorded this song, including the Rolling Stones:

The Rolling Stones — Walking The Dog на Яндекс.Музыке

Here's how the original audience heard Rufus sing it in 1963:

Rufus Thomas — Walking The Dog на Яндекс.Музыке

Here are the words to that original song:

Mary Mack dressed in black
Silver buttons all down her back
Hello tipsy toes
She broke the needle and she can't sew

Walking the dog
Just a walking the dog
If you don't know how to do it
I'll show you how to walk the dog
Come on now, come on, come on

I asked her mama for fifteen cents
To see the elephant jump over the fence
He jumped so high, he touched the sky
Never got back till the fourth of July

Walking the dog
Just a walking the dog
If you don't know how to do it
I'll show you how to walk the dog
Come on now, come on, come on

Mary, Mary, quite contrary
Tell me, how does your garden grow?
You got silver bells and you got cockleshells
Pretty maids all in a row

Walking the dog
Just a walking the dog
If you don't know how to do it
Show you how to walk the dog
Come on now, come on, come on
Oh oh, just a just just a walking
just a just a just a walking
just a just a just a walking
oh, yeah, if you don't know how to do it
I'll show you how to walk the dog ... oh ...

Eva Cassidy, "Time After Time"

Here is one of my favorite songs. As I said today in the Group 401 class, its performer became world-famous only after her death. (Read here about Eva Cassidy; here in Russian.) Here is an amateur video of her performing the song at Washington, DC's Blues Alley club, later broadcast on television in several countries (Norwegian television capture below). Below the video and the audio track are the words to the song.


Eva Cassidy - Time After Time silvere_vlc


Listen or download Eva Cassidy Time After Time for free on Pleer

“Time After Time” (Rob Hyman, Cyndi Lauper)
performed by Eva Cassidy, 1963-1996 (1995)

Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick,
And think of you
Turning in circles, confusion—Is nothing new
Flashback to warm nights—Almost left behind
Suitcases of memories,
Time after—

Sometimes you picture me—
I'm walking too far ahead
You're calling to me, I can't hear
What you've said—

Then you say—go slow—I fall behind—
The second hand unwinds

Chorus: If you're lost you can look—and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you—I'll be waiting
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you—I'll be waiting
Time after time
Time after time

After your picture fades and darkness has
turned to gray
Watching through windows—I'm wondering
if you're OK
And you say—go slow, I fall behind.
The drum beats out of time—
Chorus
Time after time
Time after time

Mumford & Sons, "Hold On to What You Believe"

This video of "Hold On to What You Believe" is not great quality--let me know if you have found a better one!



Audio only:
Listen or download Hold On To What You Believe for free on Prostopleer

Amazon.com purchase link.

Hold On To What You Believe, Mumford & Sons

I can’t promise you that I won’t let you down
And I
I can’t promise you that I will be the only one around
When your hope falls down
But we’re young
Open flowers in the windy fields of this war-torn world
And love
This city breathes the plague of loving things more than their creator

I ran away
I could not take the burden of both me and you
It was too fast
Casting love on me as if it were a spell I could not break
When it was a promise I could not make
But what if I was wrong? What if I was wrong?
Oh what if I was wrong?

But hold on to what you believe in the light
When the darkness has robbed you of all your sight
Oh hold on to what you believe in the light
When the darkness has robbed you of all your sight

And now this land
Means less and less to me without you breathing through its trees
At every turn
The water runs away from me and the halo disappears
I’m not whole when you’re not near
So what if I was wrong? What if I was wrong?
Oh what if I was wrong?

But hold on to what you believe in the light
When the darkness has robbed you of all your sight
And oh hold on to what you believed in the light
When the darkness has robbed you of all your sight....

"Take an Indian to Lunch"

Stan Freberg -- animation voice actor, satirist, and advertising creative director -- died earlier this year.

Here's a transcript of the track we heard in class (written by Stan Freberg):

Narrator: November, 1621 -- By now the white man has arrived in great numbers, not only at Miami, but at Jamestown, at Plymouth, and at Salem, Massachusetts. The Puritans have established a thriving colony, enjoying all the social and cultural refinements of a modern society.

Salem man: Hiya, Harve, who’re you taking to the witch-burning Saturday night?
Harve: Prudence Adams. Who are you taking to the Rotary Club luncheon?
Salem man: I haven’t got a date yet, but I hear it’s gonna be quite a spread.
Political Advisor: Well, Mayor Pennypacker, how’s it look for re-election?
Mayor: Great, great, great; never looked better.
Political Advisor: Yeah, what about the Indian vote?
Mayor: Waddya mean by that?
Political Advisor: Well, you’re not too popular with the Indians. They could lose you the election.
Mayor: That’s possible?
Political Advisor: Well, they outnumber us.
Mayor: That’s the trouble-you give ’em an inch, and they take over.
Political Advisor: But Mayor, they were here before we were -- we moved in on them.
Mayor: So we did. Well, there’s just something about ’em. They wear funny shoes, don’t even have buckles on ’em.
Political Advisor: Be that as it may, election is Friday. You better make some gesture this week.
Mayor: Like what?
Political Advisor: Well, what if you make a concession and pick an Indian as a running mate? You’d be sure to carry the Indian bloc.
Mayor: What? If anything happened to me, you’d have a mayor that wasn’t a Puritan. Probably take orders directly from Chief Powhatan.
Political Advisor: Yeah.
Mayor: Say, I got it. The luncheon tomorrow, the one under the trees?
Political Advisor: What about it?
Mayor: We’ll ask an Indian! That’ll impress the rest of ’em.
Political Advisor: We could even announce you’re gonna put one in your cabinet.
Mayor: No need to go that far, just have one to lunch.
Political Advisor: It’ll be great press!
Mayor: “Mayor Pennypacker Comes Out for Equality... Justice... Votes!” What a slogan:

[Song “Take an Indian to Lunch”]

Take an Indian to lunch (this week)
Show him we’re a regular bunch (this week)
Show him we’re as liberal as can be!
Let him know he’s almost as good as we
Make a feathered friend feel fed (this week)
Overlook the fact he’s red (this week)
Let him share our Quaker Oats
’Cause he’s useful when he votes
Take an Indian to lunch!
Two Four Six Eight
Who do we tolerate?
Indians, Indians, rah, rah, rah!

Take an Indian to lunch (this week)
Let him sit right down and munch (this week)
Let’s give in and all do the brotherhood bit--
Just make sure we don't make a habit of it!

Take an Indian to dine (this week)
Show him we don’t draw the line (this week)
We know everyone can’t be
As “American” as we--
(After all, we came over on the Mayflower!)
Take an Indian,
Not a wooden Indian*,
But a real, live Indian
To lunch!

* Wooden Indian


"Cigarindian1" by WyrdLight.com. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Commons.

Buddy Guy, "Skin Deep"

"Skin Deep": In class, I showed the video from the Waterfront Blues Festival I attended in 2011 in Portland, Oregon. That's where I took those pictures (above).

That video is no longer available on YouTube, so I substituted Buddy Guy's television performance of this same song (below). On the television program, Buddy doesn't tell the story of his mother and the broken mirror, but at least you have the song. He's using the same electric Jerry Jones Sitar that he used in the video I showed you.

First, here is the audio version I used in some of our classes. It features Buddy Guy and Derek Trucks, two of the best guitarists on the planet. Then, the TV video and lyrics are below.



Questions for listening comprehension: (for those who saw the video I showed in class)

1. Did Buddy Guy’s mother live long enough to hear him play as a famous musician?
2. Where did he grow up? In what kind of neighborhood?
3. How old was he when he first experienced “running water”? (What is “running water”?)
4. Did his family have electricity?
5. One day, while his mother was combing her hair in a broken mirror, what did Buddy Guy say to her?
6. Without “cracking a smile” (changing her expression), how did she respond to him?
7. Does Buddy Guy agree with what she said? How do we know?

Lyrics: (Buddy Guy) (according to the audio version)

I've been around a while
I know wrong from right
I learned a long time ago
Things ain't always black and white
Just like you can't judge a book by the cover
We all gotta be careful
How we treat one another
Skin Deep
Skin Deep
Underneath we're all the same
Skin Deep
Skin Deep
Underneath we're all the same
We all, all are the same

A man in Louisiana,
He never called me by my name
He said "boy do this and boy do that"
But I never once complained
I knew he had a good heart
But he just didn't understand
That I needed to be treated
Just like any other man
Skin Deep
Skin Deep
Underneath we're all the same
Skin Deep
Skin Deep
Underneath we're all the same
We all are the same

I sat my child down
when he was old enough to know
I said out there in this big wide world
You're gonna meet all kinds of folks
I said son it all comes down to just one simple rule
That you treat everybody just the way
You want them to treat you
Yeah
Skin Deep
Skin Deep
Underneath we're all the same
Skin Deep
Skin Deep
Underneath we're all the same
We all are the same
Skin Deep
Underneath we're all the same
Skin Deep
Skin Deep
Underneath we're all the same
We all are the same
Yeah

"Down By the Riverside"

Down By the Riverside from Playing For Change on Vimeo.

Here is some history for this song -- and some of the variations in the words. The "Playing for Change" version we showed in class chooses three verses from the traditional list of first lines in the Wikipedia article.

Mahalia Jackson, a gospel singer I remember from my own teenage years in Chicago, recorded this version, which is still popular:



Here are the lyrics of the version by Grandpa Elliott and the "Playing for Change" organization:

1) I'm gonna lay down my burden
Down by the riverside,
Down by that river,
Down by the riverside.
Gonna lay down my burden
Down by that riverside,
Study war no more.

[chorus] I ain't gonna study war no more, study war no more, study war no more
I ain't gonna study war no more, study war no more, study war no more.

2) [I'm gonna] Lay down my sword and shield ...

3) I'm gonna put on my long white robe ...

"My Body Is a Cage"

Audio, Sara Lov:

Amazon.com purchase link Arcade Fire

Amazon.com purchase link Sarah Lov

Amazon.com purchase link Peter Gabriel

My Body Is a Cage, Arcade Fire (Jeremy Gara / Richard Parry / Régine Chassagne / Tim Kingsbury / William Butler / Win Butler ) (Other singers' versions differ slightly.)

Chorus: My body is a cage

That keeps me from dancing with the one I love

But my mind holds the key [x2]

I’m standing on the stage

Of fear and self-doubt

It’s a hollow play

But they’ll clap anyway

Chorus

You’re standing next to me

My mind holds the key

I’m living in an age

That calls darkness light

Though my language is dead

Still the shapes fill my head

I’m living in an age

Whose name I don’t know

Though the fear keeps me moving

Still my heart beats so slow

Chorus

You’re standing next to me

My mind holds the key

My body is a...

My body is a cage

We take what we’re given

Just because you’ve forgotten,

That don’t mean you’re forgiven

I’m living in an age

That screams my name at night

But when I get to the doorway

There’s no one in sight

I’m living in an age

They laugh and I’m dancing

With the one I love

But my mind holds the key

You’re still next to me

My mind holds the key

Set my spirit free [x2]

Set my body free [x2] ...

Fountains of Wayne, "Action Hero"

Source.  

Purchase song: Action Hero

Purchase album: Sky Full of Holes (Amazon MP3 Exclusive Bonus Version)

(written by Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger)

Sometime after sunset
He is on his hands and knees
He is searching for his keys
At a small Vietnamese place
On East 11th Street
His daughters both at once say
Can we just get going please?
As his wife begins to sneeze
And his son is throwing peas
And eating with his feet

He's an action hero
And he should be fighting crime
Leaping between the buildings
And racing against time
He's an action hero, he's an action hero
In his mind

He drops by Mount Sinai*
Where they're running through some tests
And they've taped things to his chest
And they're all doing their best
To make him feel at ease
The doctor says it's really just
An educated guess
I suggest you get some rest
Try to cut back on the stress
Cause I don't like what I see

But the action hero
Swears he feels just fine
He's got to finish saving
The world for all mankind
He's an action hero, he's an action hero
And he's racing against time
He's racing against time
There goes the action hero
He's racing against time

__________________________
* Mount Sinai Medical Center

"Stand By Me"

This classic song by Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber, and Mark Stoller, became the anthem of the Playing for Change group. So here's the version that they created, with the help of musicians from nine countries (including Russia). See below for other versions and the words. It has been seen over 110 million times on the Playing for Change Web site, YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and Myspace.


Stand By Me | Playing For Change | Song Around The World from Concord Music on Vimeo.

Ben E. King's original song (on YouTube).

Otis Redding's cover:


The words: (Ben E. King's version)

When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No I won't be afraid, oh I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
So darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh stand by me
Oh, stand, stand by me, stand by me
If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
Or the mountain should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry, no, I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh stand by me
Oh, stand, now stand by me, stand by me, stand by me

[instrumental]

Darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh stand by me
Oh stand now, stand by me, stand by me,
Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me,
Oh stand by me,
Oh stand now, oh, stand, stand by me
... [to fade]

Eva Cassidy takes our breath away

This is the third or fourth Eva Cassidy song I've used in our classes. I couldn't find a live performance video for this song, so the graphic here is the cover of the album from which I took the track that the Newspaper class (401V) heard in class yesterday evening:

Audio (Pleer):

Listen or download You Take My Breath Away on Pleer

Audio (Yandex)


Amazon.com purchase link

You Take My Breath Away, Claire Hamill

Sometimes it amazes me
How strong the power of love can be
Sometimes you just take my breath away
You watch my love grow like a child
Sometimes gentle and sometimes wild
Sometimes you just take my breath away

And it's too good to slip by
Too good to lose
Too good to be there just to use
I'm gonna stand up on a mountain top
And tell the news
That you take my breath away

Sometimes it amazes me
How strong the power of love can be
Sometimes you just take my breath away
Your beauty is there in all I see
And when I feel your eyes on me
Oh don't you know you just take my breath away

And it's too good to slip by
Too good to lose
Too good to be there just to use
I'm gonna stand up on a mountain top
And tell the news
That you take my breath away

And it's too good to slip by
Too good to lose
Too good to be there just to use
I'm gonna stand up on a mountain top
And tell the news
That you take my breath away

Oh yes you take my breath away

Hans Theessink's song "Shelter from the Storm," with Terry Evans

Here are the two singers we heard in class, performing Hans Theessink's song "Shelter from the Storm" live in concert. Terry Evans, on the left, is from Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA; Hans Theessink is from the Netherlands, and now lives in Austria.

The version of the song we heard in class is here on the right. On this 2012 album the famous guitarist Ry Cooder also performed on the track, as Hans Theessink explains in introducing the song on the video above.

Amazon.com purchase link

"Shelter from the Storm" (transcription) by Hans Theessink.

When cold raging winds
bring you pain and misery
you're caught in a tempest baby
like a ship that's lost at sea
when the light from the lighthouse
no longer leads you on
let me be your harbor baby
give you shelter from the storm

[chorus:] shelter from the storm
shelter from the storm
let me be your harbor baby
give you shelter from the storm

let me be a shoulder for you to lean on
give you comfort when things go wrong
when your sail is tattered and torn
you're out there all alone
let me be your harbor baby
give you shelter from the storm

when cold raging winds
bring you pain and misery
you're caught in a tempest baby
like a ship out on the sea
when the light from the lighthouse
no longer leads you on
let me be your harbor baby
give you shelter from the storm

[chorus] [chorus]

"Why Are People Like That?"

Amazon purchase link.

Lyrics by Bobby Charles

they take your love and your money
they take your sugar and your honey
they’ll take you skinny or fat
why are people like that?

they take your house and your home
they take the flesh from your bones
they take the shirt off your back
why are people like that?

[Junior’s harp]

they take your phone and your clock
take everything that you got
they laugh behind your back
why are people like that?

[guitar solos]

they take your love and your money
they take your sugar and your honey
they’ll take you skinny or fat
why are people like that?
they take your phone or your clock
they take everything that you got
they take the shirt off your back

why are people like that?

They’ll take your dog and your car,
They’ll promise you’ll be a star.
They’ll break your heart and leave you flat,
Why are people like that?
I don’t know why they act like that,
Why are people like that?

...Don’t be like that...

Group 401 Online Exam

This year, we are using an online exam to save classroom time.

There are advantages in taking the test in the classroom -- for example, if students do not understand something, we teachers are able to answer questions within reason. Here you will not have the same help. On the other hand, you have fewer limits on time, and perhaps less stress. I hope the different circumstances compensate for each other. In any case, please be honorable and take the test as if you were being watched by me and the other students!)) Time limit: 90 minutes.

First, here are the four audio clips for the four sections of the test. After the audio clips you will find the test itself. (Please contact me right away if you have trouble with any of the audio clips; I can send you the clips as e-mail attachments or messaging files, or give you access to the audio some other way.)

Listen to each clip TWICE. Of course you should feel free to take notes while listening.

Part one: Richard Branson, "Life at 30,000 Feet"
TED's Chris Anderson interviews businessman Richard Branson (founder of the Virgin Group of companies). In this part of the interview, Anderson asks about education and bringing up children.




Part two: "Ain't Scared of Your Jails"
Two Freedom Riders, John Lewis and Frederick Leonard, describe the arrival of their bus in Montgomery, Alabama, on May 20, 1961. Leonard then describes what happened at the bus station and the office below. Finally, Federal representative John Siegenthaler describes the violence in front of the station, and tells what happened to him.




Part three: Ray
This recording is from the end of the film. We are in the rehabilitation clinic where Ray Charles is undergoing court-ordered treatment for his drug addiction. Dr. Hacker and Ray Charles are playing chess, and Hacker is talking to Ray. After the doctor leaves, Ray gets angry, throws over the chess table, and accidentally falls on the floor. Suddenly he is dreaming – the scene is the front yard of his childhood home, and we hear the sound of Ray splashing in water. We hear three voices – his own, his mother Aretha’s voice, and his brother George’s voice. (I have amplified George’s voice a bit so that you can hear it more clearly.)




Part four: Einstein and Eddington
The first part of this recording is the lecture that Arthur Eddington gives at Sir Oliver Lodge’s request, summarizing Albert Einstein’s 1905 monograph on Special Relativity. In the film, this scene is followed by the anti-German riot, in which Eddington is slightly injured. In the second part of today’s recording, his sister Winnifred is helping him with his injuries from the riot. As she cleans his wounds, he tells her about his lecture on Einstein.




Please finish this test by Tuesday evening, May 10.

1. Remember to listen to the audio files twice before answering the questions.
2. You may make notes while you listen.
3. When answering the questions, you may answer with simple phrases or complete sentences. Some answers may only require a few words.
4. Be honest. Do your own work, don't consult with others. However, you may use a dictionary.
5. Please end after 90 minutes.
6. Be sure to push the "next" button after each section and push the "submit" button when you have finished the fourth section (Einstein and Eddington).
7. UPDATE! If you need to stop before you have finished, simply go to the end of the exam and push "submit." That will send me your partly-finished exam. Then, when you are ready to continue, go back to this blog page and take the same exam again, skipping past the parts you have already finished and only finishing the parts you were not able to do the first time. (But you must enter your name again so we will be able to connect the two exams.)

Thank you!

Here is the test form.

The Time Lords: Einstein and Eddington

We've seen the first third of this film. We plan to show the rest of the film next week. In the meantime, here are synopsis, discussion questions, and the full film itself. Feel free to make comments.

Doctor Who fans will recognize David Tennant, the Tenth Time Lord, who plays the role of Arthur Eddington.

The main plot: Arthur Eddington, newly-appointed chief astronomer at Cambridge University, is expected to defend Isaac Newton's theories, which are believed to be a complete explanation for the mechanics of the universe. An anomaly in Mercury's orbit leads Eddington to look to physicist Albert Einstein for an alternative explanation, based on their mutual interest in gravity. Their correspondence leads to Eddington's idea for an expedition to West Africa, where observations during a solar eclipse in 1919 might result in Newton's vindication--or his dethronement in favor of Einstein's radical new ideas. Subplots: Most of the film takes place during World War I. Eddington is under pressure to submit to wartime hyper-patriotism, which included prejudices against Germans (even German scientists) and against conscientious objectors (отказники по убеждениям; he is a Quaker). Likewise, Einstein is under equivalent pressures in Germany, and is shocked to see his scientific colleagues participating in weapons development and testing.  Eddington's dearest friend William Marston dies in battle; this death and the massive battle deaths generally cause a crisis of faith for Eddington, much to the concern of his sister and housekeeper Winnifred. When German physicist Max Planck invites Einstein to leave his professorship in Zurich and return to Germany, Einstein's marriage to Mileva Marić is already under strain. In Berlin, Einstein falls in love with his cousin Elsa Löwenthal; they get married in 1919, a few months after Einstein's and Marić's divorce.

Discussion questions:

1. What are the men hauling up the mountain in West Africa, and why?
2. What did Arthur Eddington’s and William Marston’s opponents advise Eddington to do at the end of the tennis match? What does Winnifred advise him to tell Marston?
3. According to Sir Oliver Lodge, what is Eddington’s new job? Why was the committee a bit concerned about Eddington’s suitability? Why was Eddington the best man for the job, in Lodge’s mind?
4. Why is Mileva Einstein upset with her husband just before Max Planck comes to visit? What is Planck’s offer to Einstein, and what might Einstein have to sacrifice?
5. According to Isaac Newton, what is the force that orders everything in the universe? How did Newton reconcile himself to the invisibility of this force?
6. In his conversation with the “fat industrialist,” Max Planck explains what Einstein offers Germany. What is it?
7. Eddington presents a summary of Einstein’s thought up to 1905. What, according to the seminar participants, are some of the weaknesses in Einstein’s theory of time? What did Eddington not tell the seminar participants?
8. After the meeting in which Eddington assures the Mullers that they are welcome, we see an angry crowd outside. Why are they angry?
9. What document does Einstein refuse to sign?
10. Oliver Lodge warns Eddington that “consorting with the enemy”—even with the scientists of “barbaric” Germany—is a treasonable offense. Does the film show the relationships between British scientists and the war effort?
11. Why is Mercury a problem for Newton’s theory? Why does Eddington decide to write to Einstein? What is Einstein’s reaction to Eddington’s letter?
12. When Einstein bursts into the Common Room, why is he so angry? At the same time, Eddington is also devastated—why?
13. What does Einstein want, according to Eddington at the meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society? How does Lodge counter Eddington’s question about Mercury?
14. Why was Einstein not allowed to enter the gates at the University?
15. What advantage does a solar eclipse give in providing an opportunity to test Einstein’s theory?
16. As the war ends, Eddington is aghast at the loss of life. As Winnifred leaves on a Quaker relief team to Germany, she’s worried about her brother. Why?
17. How long did Eddington and Dyson have to take their photos of the Sun and the stars made visible by the eclipse?
18. What might Winnifred be thinking from her balcony vantage point during Eddington’s presentation of the photographic results?
19. Why have reporters gathered outside Einstein’s home?

Oh leave the Wise our measures to collate
One thing at least is certain, light has weight
One thing is certain and the rest debate
Light rays, when near the Sun, do not go straight.
--Arthur Eddington

Here's the film itself:

"Ain't Scared of Your Jails"

We are basing three classes this month on this program from the Eyes on the Prize documentary series. The film includes two case studies of nonviolent social change in the southern United States in the early 1960's, led by students of your age. The first case involves students challenging the businesses of downtown Nashville, Tennessee -- businesses who would sell goods to black customers but would not serve them at cafes and lunch counters.

The second case tells the story of the Freedom Riders, whose campaign was directed at the treatment of black passengers on interstate buses. The Supreme Court had already ruled that all interstate passengers had to be treated equally, but in violation of this ruling, some southern states still required black passengers and white passengers to use separate facilities. The Freedom Riders were both black and white students, who traveled as teams; the white students would insist on using the facilities reserved for blacks, and the black students insisted on using the white facilities. The campaign encountered a wave of hysterical violence, some of which is captured in this film.

Our Listening Comprehension class is not a history class, but I don't know of a better way of introducing you to such a wide variety of American English dialects than showing you this film. In comparing pronunciation and speech patterns, pay special attention to these speakers:

• Ben West (mayor)
• Diane Nash (student, movement leader)
• Rev. C.T. Vivian (local minister in Nashville)
• John Lewis (student, Freedom Rider--today a member of the U.S. Congress)
• James Farmer (organizer of the Freedom Ride campaign, co-founder of Congress of Racial Equality)
• John Patterson (governor of Alabama)
• John Siegenthaler (a Southerner who served as special assistant to Bobby Kennedy)
• Bobby Kennedy (U.S. Attorney General and brother of President John F. Kennedy)
• Frederick Leonard (student, Freedom Rider; his story of the prison in Mississippi is to my mind the climax of the film)

The film is not subtitled, but you can find the transcript here. (If that link doesn't open, try here.) Discussion questions are below the video.

Discussion questions:

Eyes on the Prize, part 3 “Ain’t Scared of Your Jails” (first half)

1. Why was the sit-in in Greensboro, North Carolina, a “direct challenge to southern tradition”?
2. Ben West was the mayor of what city?
3. When Leo Lillard tasted the water in both drinking fountains and asked his mother about the two fountains, why didn’t she answer him directly?
4. Why did Diane Nash “so keenly” resent segregation?
5. Rev. C.T. Vivian describes the workshops in nonviolence led by Jim Lawson. He says that the workshops taught people to “begin to take the blows” and respond with—what?
6. John Lewis, now a member of Congress, described the first sit-ins of the campaign that followed the workshops. Why did the students dress “like they were on the way to church”?
7. Diane Nash says that the waitresses were so nervous that “they must have dropped $2,000 worth of dishes that day.” Why were the waitresses nervous?
8. Narrator: “The sit-ins continued without incident for almost two weeks.” Then what happened?
9. Narrator: “Nashville’s mayor, Ben West, was faced with more than maintaining public order.” What was the challenge he faced?
10. Matthew’s mother will never forget her son’s call from the jail. What did he tell her? Why do you think she reacted the way she did?
11. What power did the parents of the jailed children use to resist?
12. What happened on April 19 at 5:30 in the morning?
13. What question did Diane Nash ask Mayor West? How did he respond?
14. What did Mayor West mean when he said this? “I would answer it in the same way again because it was a moral question and it was one that a man has to answer and not a politician.”

Eyes on the Prize, part 3 “Ain’t Scared of Your Jails” (second half).

1. Why did Ella Baker recommend that the students form an independent organization?
2. Why did neither major political party take public action at this point in the civil rights movement?
3. What phone call did Robert Kennedy make and how did it benefit his brother John Kennedy’s presidential campaign?
4. Who was the original target of the Freedom Rides, and why?
5. Why were the Freedom Riders angry with the Federal Bureau of Investigation?
6. After John Seigenthaler’s visit to Alabama, what did state officials promise? 
7. What then actually happened as the Freedom Riders’ bus approached Montgomery, Alabama, and arrived at the station? (Frederick Leonard said "Whssssh, magic!" What was he referring to?)
8. What was U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy’s response to the events in Montgomery?
9. What was the situation when Martin Luther King addressed the people in the Baptist Church in Montgomery?
10. What was the Freedom Riders’ next destination? How many riders were there?Why was there (quoting Frederick Leonard) “no violence in Mississippi”?
11. The Freedom Riders were sentenced to a term of how many days at Parchman Farm (the maximum security prison in Mississippi)?
12. What was the one book the prisoners were allowed to have? What seemed strange to the staff about the prisoners’ behavior? How did the staff respond to the prisoners?
13. What decision did Leonard make, and whom did he tell about this decision?
14. What did he mean when he said “Hurt Peewee more than it hurt me”?

Fractured Fairy Tales: Goldilocks, the home economist (or: why doesn't Mr. Bear help clean the house?!)

There are actually two Fractured versions of Goldilocks. But this is the version we used in class....

We worked on these words and phrases (and, of course, on the stereotypes ... the world looked a bit different in 1959).

... upon reaching his 21st birthday ...

"You go out in your bare feet and you'll catch cold." [note: “You go out … and you’ll...” – instead of standard “If you go out, you’ll...]

But he paid his mother no heed and took a three hour constitutional in what amounted to a torrential downpour. Oddly enough he didn't catch cold, but he did contract a severe case of up and down fever which ran up and down the coast at that time of year.

The fever-racked bruin had a nasty time and for a while it was doubtful whether he would ever pull through.

And then, suddenly, instead of taking a turn for the worse, he took a turn for the nurse.

Mr. and Mrs. Bear reside in this cozy cottage. They have a ten-year-old bear son, well, that is he doesn't run around bare, he's a bear -- little bear -- I mean, well, you know what I mean.

"There's so much junk lying around here I can't even find the front door."

Oh, it's true, the house was a mess, and it was all because Mrs. Bear sat around all day watching television and munching chocolates.

"I'm over in the corner, watching the radio."

"The narrator said you were watching television."

"The television's busted; I'm watching radio."

She cleaned up, all right. She started by mopping up the floor with Mr. Bear.

This deplorable situation existed for one year and then, one day, Mr. Bear put his foot down.

It took one full week but, by tracing the wire, he finally located the instrument.

"Hello, home economy bureau? Say, ah, send over a home economist, will ya??"

"Why are you doing that?"

"Because somebody's going to come over and see how we're living, that's what. You'll send one over? Keen-o, lady. She's on her way."

"So is dinner. Porridge is on the table."

"Whereabouts IS the table?"

"It's in the dining room somewhere, we'll find it."

Thanks to the steam emanating from the porridge bowls, they found the table and prepared to dine.

"Yeah, you're right, it is a trifle warm."

"No, no, I mean, suppose she gets here and finds nobody home?"

Well, as if you hadn't guessed by now, the home economist was named Goldilocks.

I don't know how she did it but the next thing she saw was the porridge on the table.

"Better sample this and make out a consumer's report. Brand X is far superior to Brand Y and Z. And it tastes just like the higher-priced mush."

Next in line was the durability test on the furniture. "They're all Danish Modern." Making a note of it, she then went upstairs to examine the bedroom....

"Three beds. Leaping lizards!"

Anyway, our little home economist tested all three beds and eventually fell asleep on the smallest of the three.

"Whoever ate mine even ate part of the bowl!" "Mush burglars!" "Don't be silly, it was probably the home economist." "We've been invaded!" "Calm down! I tell you, it's probably the home economist."

It was then that Goldilocks' snoring fell upon their ears.

"I hope it isn't those boys from UCLA looking for another mascot!"

It was a mighty concerned threesome that ascended the stairs.

"You in the little bear's bed! Give your name, rank, and serial number!"

"See, I told you. Say, what do you think of our living conditions, Annie?"

"I think you're living in squalor."

"Isn't that near, uh, Beverly Hills?"

"By 'squalor' I mean that your living conditions are deplorable, awful, real bad. … I shall see to it that you live in a nice, clean, modern apartment specifically designed for bears."

Fractured Fairy Tales: Alden Farquahar and his wrong choices (?)

The story may be a bit strange and the stereotypes are awful but there are many useful English phrases. Maybe you can use your better English to explain (or just ask) why the stereotypes are awful.

Some of the most interesting or useful phrases are underlined.

A young man should have three things: money, good looks, and a sense of humor -- in that order.

"Gosh, I'm handsome."

But when it came to money, he was woefully lacking.

Ah, but money isn't everything. Alden was constantly besieged by a bevy of beautiful maidens. And he laughed easily at anything and everything.

It was while he was strolling through the kingdom one day that his life took the wrong turn on the freeway. For up ahead, a dark figure was bent over, pulling weeds. [пропалывать]

Alden couldn't resist. … "Mother of pearl, I kicked a witch."

"I cast a spell on them. … From this day on, you'll be as ugly as all get-out. And you will remain ugly until the day that a fair maiden kisses you."

Well, you couldn't get much more ugly than what Alden became. He was beastly-looking.

Ah, but that third commodity, the one he had always lacked, suddenly came his way.

"What are you talking about? I just had lunch."

"If you don't eat me, ogre, I will remunerate you." "What does that mean?" "I'll give you money." … By sundown, 43 passers-by had passed by Alden and donated to the cause.

"I'm rich. Now I can live in the manner to which I'm unaccustomed." [usually "the manner to which smb is accustomed."]

The first thing on his list was an abode to dwell in.

"I'll tell you what, buddy. If you don't eat me, I'll let you have it for cheap."

The price was right, so Alden moved in. Then he settled down to a life of luxury. And every hour, on the hour, he counted his money.

Whenever he wanted to bolster or replenish his monetary supply, he simply walked through the streets of a nearby village, shouting "Yoo hoo, it's me, Alden! I've come to eat you!"

Inside of a year, Alden was a millionaire ten times over.

It was just about that time that the old witch, whom Alden had kicked, received a group of visitors. 

… That name rang a bell. And, sure enough, there on page 462 of her income tax report was the story of how she had changed Alden into a beast, which was deductible. [вычитаемый на налоговом отчете]

"Then the beast that lives in the castle is really our beloved Alden?"

"Yes, and all you have to do is kiss him. That breaks the spell, and I'll no longer be able to claim him as a dependant."

"I have come to kiss you, Alden, and return you to your former handsome self."

Then Alded realized that he would lose his livelihood if he were no longer a beast.

"Let me take you away from all this."

But the damsel was dedicated. He sought refuge in the castle basement. "Kiss me, my fool."

Finally, on the castle roof, "They've got me outnumbered, but they'll never find me up here."

"Halt and desist! Pursue me one step more and I shall fling myself over the parapet."

"Well, we can't let you throw your life away." "Well, I'm glad you've come to your senses."

"Aren't you going to kiss us goodbye?" "Well, I suppose it's the least I can do."

But the money ran out and he also became penniless again.

"I don't want to be handsome! I want to be ugly and rich! I want to be a beast again!"

And so, dear friends, whenever you are bending over and pulling weeds and someone gives you a good solid kick, don't be too harsh on them. It may be Alden Farquahar. 

Fractured Fairy Tales: 13 Helmets, or Count the Puns!

To review the wonderful array of set phrases and cliches in this video from Rocky and Bullwinkle, and to help you count the puns, here are some of the video's best lines:

There was no such thing as monotony in Merry Olde England

Whenever things got dull ...

Eventually, one solitary knight emerged victorious to receive the plaudits of his king.

On this particular occasion, it was a gallant but rotund fellow named Sir Cumference.

It was discovered to everyone's horror that that last chap was not a chap at all ...

I've a good mind to de-knight you. Instead I shall send you to Chickenshire.

Chickenshire, the most cowardly town in the nation, was well-named.

Run for your lives! There's a lion in the streets.

Sir Cumference and his wife set up housekeeping in a large but run-down castle on the edge of town.

Each day, one or more Chickenshireans would run up to the drawbridge, grab the trumpet that hung from the tree, and let go with a deafening blast.

It was occurences like that that turned a once-proud knight into a lazy loafer.

The years went by, and the only fighting Sir Cumference did was with his wife.

Dragon U. [University] ... where dragons of all shapes and sizes studied in the art of combat.

We're just in time for graduation exercises.

It is with the utmost pride that I hand out these diplomas.

Dragon after dragon took his scroll, received a heartfelt pawshake, and left the stand. All but one, named Milo.

I'm afraid you've flunked again, Milo.

I've been a senior for forty years and I still haven't granulated. [graduated]

Calculus, Milo. You're weak in calculus.

There must be some way I can become a full-fledged dragon.

A dragon could slay 13 knights and thus attain dragonhood.

It was either that or another semester....

I wouldn't know a knight if I saw one.

His meanderings eventually took him to a tiny hamlet where he spotted something of great interest.

There, nestled snugly beneath the tree stood a helmet shop.

And the helmet I should like you to get belongs to a knight named Sir Cumference.

It's not one of the villagers, lovey, it's a dragon.

All my days are draggin' ... but I'll take a look.

I said, bring down your battle-axe!

Under cover of darkness he stole into the castle and made off with Sir Cumference's wife.

Jumping into his armor, he rushed out of the castle and engaged the dragon in mortal combat.

Look, Milo, why are you after my scalp?

And Sir Cumference was filled in on his opponent's plight.

I'm proud of you, my boy.

It was nothing, Dean.

There is one small formality.

And after eating them, he wasn't much good for anything. You might say, he had one too many ... knightcaps. (nightcap = стаканчик спиртного на ночь)

Sir Richard Branson -- school, business, family, philanthropy

Today we had a video visit with Richard Branson, interviewed by Chris Anderson. In case you can't wait until next year to see the second half, here's the full video:

We'll talk about these questions and themes:

1. Richard Branson is known for starting several companies. Name two of them.
2. Why did people think buying a secondhand plane and starting a new airline was crazy?
3. To help his fledgling airline financially survive combat with British Airways, what was Branson forced to do?
4. Total employees in Branson's group of companies: choose... (a) 10-25,000; (b) 25,001 to 50,000; (c) 50,001 to 75,000; (d) 75,001 to 100,000.
5. Philippe Starcke designed several aspects of Branson's space program, but why would he not have been the ideal person to design the engine? What was the basis of his design of the launching and landing facility?
6. When Anderson asks, «What was the closest you got to--when did you think this is it, I might be on my way out?»--what kind of situation is he referring to?
7. According to the interviewer, Branson's companies benefited from his balloon adventures in what way?
8. What were some of Branson's characteristics as a pupil in school?
9. What image or metaphor finally helped Branson understand the difference between gross and net?
10. Anderson raises the question of whether the current generation of children is being coddled (spoiled). Does Branson agree that children are in danger of being spoiled? What is his recommendation? Do you agree?
11. Anderson says that Branson has been accused of being a ruthless businessman. How does Branson respond?
12. What is the problem with capitalism that «capitalist philanthropy» is intended to address?
13. What are two major problems that Branson's capitalist philanthropy is trying to help solve?
14. What Russian-born software engineer did Branson mention as a personal friend?

Group 401: Linguistics and "The Mind's Big Bang"

For this week's class, we hope to use two segments from the U.S. Public Broadcasting documentary program Nova and its series Evolution. From episode 6, "The Mind's Big Bang," we'll look at the birth of a new language among deaf children in Nicaragua. Then we'll look at how memes operate in intellectual evolution in ways that are similar to (and competing with??) genes operating in biological evolution.

If we don't finish everything this week, we'll return to this program after our midyear exam next week.

The whole program:



Our first segment, "Birth of a Language," begins at 35 minutes 43 seconds. The second part, "The Evolutionary Role of Memes," begins at 44 minutes.

Our discussion questions:

1. Who are Maria Noname and Judy Kegel?
2. What information about herself was Maria unable to give?
3. The “window” for acquiring language stays open until about what age?
4. Why did the Nicaraguan deaf children in this documentary never encounter the window for language?
5. Instead of learning the standard sign language, what did the Nicaraguan children do?
6. What does every language depend upon? A set of strict ... what?
7. Richard Dawkins believes that language provided an advantage in what grand process?
8. What does Robin Dunbar do when he is out in the field--for example in a restaurant or on a train?
9. Dunbar and his colleagues thought that the exchange of technical information made up the major part of communication. To their surprise, 2/3 of normal human communication is actually made up of what?
10. What will monkeys and apes never know?
11. What does Stephen Pinker suggest might be the advantage of being the first to get a nice bit of gossip?
12. The narrator says, "Language: the force that created modern human culture, and that today tells us...." What three things does language tell us? “Who …, how …, and where ....”
13. Memes include, among other things, such intellectual and behavioral patterns as: (name as many as possible)
14. As an example of “memes fighting against genes,” Blackmore mentions that, in general, the more education you have, the fewer children you have.” What might the implications be?

The Public Broadcasting Service Web site maintains a subsite dedicated to the Evolution series.