North and South music

You know I love Elizabeth Gaskell's "North and South" - both the book and its BBC adaptation - so I went on youtube a moment ago in search of some soundtrack clip,but found a different N&S soundtrack instead. Those of you who are of my generation ;) might remember the American TV miniseries of the same title, starring Patrick Swayze, and set during the Civil War. Anyway, there's this clip with the main titles music and it's fantastic. I forgot how good it was and how much I loved watching it. I think it aired here in late 1980s/early 1990s. So, without further ado, here's the clip for your listening pleasure.

Back to College Life

I need to catch up on our college stuff - would you mind filling me in? I know we've got two more vocabulary pages for PNJA - I understand that's pp. 24 and 25? Anything more? And Writing - did you do any more Alexander summaries last time? If so, which numbers?

Thanks in advance!

So, guys?

How did the reading go? And the presentation? I hope all was fine! Let me know.

On Chick Lit Again

It will be post about chick lit - well, sort of. Chick lit, that is literature for chicks, i.e. women, and written by women. 'Chick lit' is usually considered a derogattory term and very often used as such, not only by patronizing literary critics, but also by some people who think it is beneath their dignity to read such novels. Others, who do, often describe it as their "guilty pleasure". Well, I admit to liking it very much, with my head held high. :D Because you know, it is like with any other literary genre - there are great books, good books, mediocre books and those really, really badly written, so it's only a matter of careful choice.

I cannot say I have read a lot of chick lit, but definitely some, and my number one author is Marian Keyes. Her novels are chick lit in that they are written by a female writer for female readers, they are true page-turners, they are funny and populated with likeable characters readers can relate to - but there is more to them than that. Namely, Keyes does not avoid darker and very real problems, like depression, grief, drug addiction, alcoholism and recovering from it, and she does know what she is writing about, because all those things are part of her personal experience. She was very open about it in the past - she suffered (or even still does) from severe depression and she is a recovering alcoholic who has been sober for many years. What is more, she is more that capable of combining dark life reality with humour in her books, and I suppose that is one of the reasons she has been so successful as a writer.

That being said, her novels get all sorts of reviews - from glowing to scathing; her writing obviously does not resonate with everyone. Well, it resonates with me, for a number of reasons - and one of them is that she is not English, but Irish. And I think Irish is much closer to Polish than English is - because of similarities in our history, the shared religion (even though Keyes seems to be a lapsed Catholic - or at least most of her characters are ;)) and probably also a tradition of and predilection for excessive drinking. ;) Okay, just kidding. A bit.;)

As it is, I have a new recommendation for you. It is "Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married" - Keyes' second novel which I finished reading two days ago and I think it may be my very favourite so far. It is about an Irish girl, in her mid-twenties, living in London, who is in quest of true love and forced to face some home truths about herself and her family in the process. I am not going to talk about it much, because I do not want to spoil the plot for you, but as always, I am happy to share should anyone want to give it a go.

Phonetics

I like Phonetics, I really do. I think it's very interesting, extremely useful and I've learned so much since October. Right now, though, I can't take it anymore. Enough's enough. :/

Our B-sides have been very quiet lately. I assume everyone's been struggling with transcription. Sigh. I hope we'll do well today.

Beach Read

I'd been given some birthday money by my family and as for me it always means books/DVDs, I bought some on Monday. I briefly (but not very seriously) considered something intellectual, but finally got myself another Kinsella. :P It's her 2003 book "Can You Keep a Secret?" - a good read; nothing deep, but very entertaining. I'm almost done with it, so if any of you would like to borrow, just let me know. I'll be happy to share. :)

It's classic chick lit, so probably not recommended for you, guys (sorry!) - but I hope some of the girls may want to have a look.

Précis 8

Keep Your Thumbs Still When I’m Talking to You by David Carr

The article

There is one interesting change in etiquette, brought about by the digital revolution – it has become fashionable to be rude. It is a new kind of rudeness – the one when you are next to other people, but not really with them, because you are far too busy with your smartphone or laptop, trying not to miss a single bit of your online life.

The thing is, though, that being connected to cyberspace all the time usually means serious neglect of other people and respect we owe one another. Often half-consciously, people become absent from what is going on around them and getting disconnected for a while seems like an immense effort. We compete for attention with mobile devices.

The new mobile connectedness may look like progress, but is it really so? People want to stay connected for many different reasons. Because they are fond of gadgets; they want to be able to pick and choose the most interesting interaction at any time; finally, nothing feeds vanity better than a carefully chosen online image. Of course, there are also perfectly valid reasons for being on call – the job, children, some life situations when you need to be accessible all the time. But there is a thin red line dividing normal from unhealthy.

Young people usually say they are perfectly capable of switching from cyberspace to real life and back again in no time. It does not seem true, though, because it is not how our mind works. What some see as freedom, may easily be felt as imprisonment. The tether becomes a leash.

Vocabulary:

1. assent (n, uncountable, formal) – agreement, approval: A contract requires the assent of both parties.; The leaders gave their assent to the peace proposal.
2. juncture (n, countable) - an important point in a process or activity: Negotiations between the countries reached a critical juncture.; At this juncture it looks like they are going to get a divorce.
3. campfire (n, countable) - a fire that is built outdoors at a camp or picnic area: We gathered around a campfire and shared stories.
4. to brim with sth (v) - to be completely filled with something: a boy brimming (over) with energy; Her heart was brimming with happiness.; The show brims with excitement.; Her eyes brimmed with tears.
5. adjacent (adj) - close or near, sharing a border, wall, or point: Their property and our property are adjacent.; The dialect is spoken in New York City and adjacent areas. — often + to: We're meeting in the room adjacent to this one.
6. ostensible (adj, always used before a noun) - seeming or said to be true or real but very possibly not true or real: The ostensible reason for his visit was to see an old friend.; The ostensible purpose of the article is to encourage young adults to vote.
7. hemisphere (n, countable) - a half of the Earth, half of a sphere, half of a round object:
   the Northern/Southern Hemisphere; He noticed a glass hemisphere on the upper shelf.
8. grid (n, countable) - a pattern of lines that cross each other to form squares on a piece of paper, a map, etc.: The students plotted points on a grid.; The city streets form a grid.
9. slouch (n, countable, informal, chiefly AmE) - a lazy or worthless person: They're just a bunch of lazy slouches. — usually used in the phrase 'no slouch' to say that someone is very good at a particular job, activity, etc.: She's no slouch when it comes to cooking.; He's no slouch as a director.
10. to emulate (v) - to try to be like (someone or something you admire): She grew up emulating her sports heroes.; artists emulating the style of their teachers

Tired

Okay, I give up. I did want to write and post all the summaries today, but it's too much work. Going to bed now; I've got to get up in six hours, and at my age, it's not enough. ;) I'll be working on Phonetics tomorrow, on Thursday and Friday. I wanted to do some more homework for Writing, but I may not have time. 

Gosh, I'm so tired with this school/academic year. I. Can't. Wait. For the summer holidays to begin.

Nite all. 

Précis 7

The Real Royals Say ‘I Do’ by Roger Cohen

 

The article 

 

It is all about contradictions. There's Queen Elizabeth who, unlike newspaper columnists, never expresses a public opinion on anything. At the time when even the royals are busy on social networks, she is silent and mysterious. And it makes her popular.

Then, there is the royal wedding and a republican journalist trying very hard not to write about it, yet finally yielding, for no obvious reason. There is the British society, living at the time of economic crisis yet absolutely thrilled to watch the grand and costly affair wedding of a millionaire's daughter and the future king. Bread and circuses? Circuses mostly, for class-conscious Britain and, surprisingly enough, also for classless America.

Is it a Cindrella story about a commoner marrying a prince? In fact, this remarkably classy and already iconic girl is nothing of this kind. They are peers. Both educated, rich and seeming very much down-to-earth, which is far more than can be said for some scandal-prone members of the royal family. And which is probably why the Brits are so enchanted with them and want William to succeed the Queen directly.

It is not going to happen, though. The Queen is still here, the monarch who has known 12 Prime Ministers from Churchill on. Unlike newspaper columnist, really aware of what is going on. Ever-present, like Westminster Abbey which witnesses big royal affairs from the 12^th century onwards. Continuity – the genius of Britain. It can make even a republican write about monarchy.



Vocabulary:

1. strand (n, countable)- one of the parts of something that is very complicated: All the strands of the story's plot are woven together in the final chapter.; The police are slowly putting the strands of evidence together.
2. to amble (v) - to walk slowly in a free and relaxed way: We ambled along as we talked.; We spent the day ambling through the park. Noun: ambler
3. bunting (n, unconutable) - flags or decorations that are made of thin cloth or paper: The city decorated its streets and buildings with bunting.
4. to buckle (v) - to bend or collapse from pressure, heat, etc.: The pavement buckled in the heat.; I suddenly felt dizzy and my knees/legs buckled. [=my knees bent and I began to fall down] — often used figuratively: He finally buckled under the pressure/strain of his job.
5. whimsy (n, uncountable): a playful or amusing quality - a sense of humor or playfulness: The designer's new line showed a touch of whimsy.; a bit of decorative whimsy
6. sprawling (adj) - spreading or developed in an uneven or uncontrolled way: a sprawling city; It was hard to follow the sprawling plot of the novel.
7. sediment (n) - material that sinks to the bottom of a liquid: There was a layer of sediment in the bottom of the tank.
8. straitened (adj, formal, always used before a noun) - not having enough money, having less money than before: They live in straitened circumstances.
9. toff (n, countable, BrE, informal + disapproving): a person who belongs to a high social class: He was an Eton-educated toff.
10. vociferous (adj) - expressing feelings or opinions in a very loud or forceful way, expressed in a very loud or forceful way: He is her most vociferous critic/opponent.; He was vociferous in his support of the proposal.; The decision was made over their vociferous objections.
11. dyspeptic (adj, formal + old-fashioned) - having a bad temper: a dyspeptic old man

Précis 6

Being on set of final Harry Potter movie was surreal experience, admits Hollywood star Ciaran Hinds by Paul English

The article

A Hollywood star and a friend to Hollywood stars, Ciarán Hinds is by no means a novice to the acting job and yet, standing on the set on the last Harry Potter film, he did feel like one. This time around, it was the young actorshartrt: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint (who have practically grown up doing the Harry Potter franchise) helping him and teaching him the tricks of the Potter trade. Hinds found it a surreal but also refreshing experience and commented on his young colleagues' admirable skills and maturity. His role, though small, provides the necessary, lacking information about Albus Dumbledore's childhood.

Hinds has recently worked with Radcliffe on the thriller “The Woman in Black”. He praised the young actor for his professional approach and commitment to his work and predicted a successful acting career for him. Hinds' newest roles include parts in “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” and “Carter of Mars”.

Apart from his theatre obligations, he is also back to TV work, which he does occassionally when he finds the story interesting. He is playing DCS James Langton in Lynda La Plante's cop drama “Above Suspicions”. Both the he actor and the director describe the characters as rich and complex and their relationships as dynamic and intense. La Plante also comments on the controversial nature of Langton and his co-worker and love interest Travis' relationship. She suspects this is a very important factor in the drama's popularity.

Vocabulary:

1. perdition (n, unconuntable) – complete destruction or failure: sinners condemned to eternal perdition (usually used figuratively); It's this kind of selfishness that leads down the road/path to perdition. [=that is very dangerous or harmful]
2. novice (noun, countable) - a person who has just started learning or doing something: He's a novice in cooking.; a book for the novice chess player
3. forthcoming (adj) - always used before a noun: appearing, happening, or arriving soon: the forthcoming holidays; He read an excerpt from his forthcoming autobiography.
4. nerve-wracking (adj) - causing a person to feel very nervous: The job interview was a nerve-racking experience.; She endured a nerve-racking wait for her test scores.
5. to vouch for sb or sth (phrasal v) - to say that (someone or something) is honest, true, or good: I can vouch for the authenticity of the document.; We'll vouch for him. He's a good guy.
6. bustling (adj) – very busy, full of busy and noisy activity: The flower market was bustling with shoppers.
7. murky (adj) - very dark or foggy, not clear: murky skies; She peered into one of the church's murky chapels.; the lake's murky water
8. flick (noun, countable, informal) - movie: the new action flick; (Brit) go to the flicks
9. compelling (adjective) - very interesting, able to capture and hold your attention, strong and forceful: The novel was so compelling that I couldn't put it down.; She had a compelling need to share what she had heard.

Catching up

I'm catching up with the College stuff slowly, but surely. I'm done with grammar, half-way through the vocabulary homework, almost there with posting and commenting... and still three précis behind. :/ But at least I've found the right articles, so that's something.

I've been thinking about our grammar exam covering the whole year. I'm not happy about it but on the other hand, I know it's the only thing that'll make me revise the entire material. Can't you tell I'm desperately trying to look on the bright side of life? :P

In other news, I'm an audiobook addict. It's official now. ;) Which is sorta weird, because I hate having things read aloud to me in Polish. No such problems with English, though. Right now, I'm going through Austen's "Sense and Sensibility", read by the wonderful Juliet Stevenson. She's absolutely brilliant.

Bin Laden Dead

I'm just watching the CNN coverage. This is really big news. I wonder if it's a real breakthrough in the war against terrorism. I hope it'll make Al Qaeda much weaker.

Now, it's slightly off topic, but I watched President Obama's statement about Bin Laden's death and then heard the statements of the two former presidents - G.W Bush and B. Clinton. They both hailed it as a great success for America. And I've been wondering - would any of our politicians have class enough to congratulate their chief opponents on anything, any achievement, like Bush did for Obama? I doubt it. They are all about petty fights, local interests, self-image and self-importance. :(