The beauty of New York

Some months ago I read this book and I found a powerful definition of the beauty of New York (As our teachers freed my poetical vein some lessons ago, you now pay the consequences!!!).
I don't know yet if I agree but I think are very beautiful words so I share with you and you can tell me what you think.

The Beauty of New York (from "The Unberable lightness of Being" by Kundera)

“Franz and Sabina would walk the streets of New York for hours at a time. The view changed with each step, as if they were following a winding mountain path surrounded by breathtaking scenery: a young man kneeling in the middle of the sidewalk praying; a few steps away, a beautiful black woman leaning against a tree; a black man in a suit directing an invisible orchestra while crossing the street; a fountain spurting water and a group of construction workers sitting on the rim eating lunch; strange iron ladders running up and down buildings with ugly red facades, so ugly that they were beautiful; and next door, a huge glass skyscraper backed by another, itself topped by a small Arabian pleasure-dome with turrets, galleries and gilded columns.
She was reminded of her paintings. There, too, incongruous things came together: a steelwork construction site superimposed on a kerosene lamp; an old-fashioned lamp with painted-glass shade shattered into tiny splinters and rising up over a desolate landscape of marshland.
Franz said, “Beauty in the European sense has always had a premeditated quality to it. We’ve always had an aesthetic intention and a long-range plan. That’s what enabled Western man to spend decades building a Gothic cathedral or a Renaissance piazza. The beauty of New York rest on a completely different base. It’s unintentional. It arose independent form human design, like a stalagmitic cavern. Forms which are in themselves quite ugly turn up fortuitously, without design, in such incredible surroundings that they sparkle with a sudden wondrous poetry.”

Democracy according to punk rock

believing the lies defines american
they don't realize their ignorance and sin
democracy ain't real it's a fairytale
anarchy now then spend the night in jail
i won't pretend that it ain't wrong
i won't just go along
humanity is deseased
and the sickness has increased
for the people by the people
who's considered people anyway?
the rich get richer
and the poor get poorer
so much for equal opportunity!
/MXPX - 'Democracy'/

Punk-rockers have always been extremely direct as far as politics is concerned. They have never hidden their disappointment with the government and the way it acts. Punk-rock songs may seem simple but honest; they let people/musicians express themselves, and present some different points of view.
The above song by MXPX shows how much the idea of democracy can be misleading even in countries as developed as the US. Apparently, people are free and have their rights. Democracy is supposed to make everybody equal; unfortunately, this is not true...What can we do to change it?!

Questioning freedom of speech : the Black List

For decades, singers and songwriters have been finding in governments and democracy issues some material to write. From Bob Dylan to Neil Young, Rage Against The Machine to U2, punk rock bands to Dixie Chicks, they’ve been denouncing all that’s not going round in this world.

In the past years, the “illegal” election of Georges W. Bush in 2000 has been very inspiring. Pearl Jam’s “Riot Act” is a reaction to that, particularly the song “Bushleaguer”, the first real implication of the band with political issues, that gives them today the label of “engaged artists” (though in the past they fought against Ticketmaster to keep concert tickets prices low). They are now trying to raise awareness and push people – especially the young – to vote, and lead singer Eddie Vedder doesn’t hide his political choices anymore.

War(s) in Iraq (or Vietnam) have been proven to be good fuel too (without any word game). Even the Black Eyed Peas and their single “Where is the love ?” tried to make MTV-friendly protestation. You find at least one song on every rock album today that is dedicated to Bush and his little business in the Middle East, and all the lives that are lost there.

Well, all the fuss these artists have created was not of everyone’s taste, especially not Clear Channel, a big corporation that owns over a thousand radio stations in the USA (60% of rock-format stations). After the attacks of 9/11, they put a list together of more than 150 “questionable songs”, emailed it to the stations, with the not-so-subtle hint that these were songs to be steered of. The list, referred to as “black list”, seemed to include songs that contained words that were taboo at the time (included “Walk like an Egyptian” by the Bangles, or Tom Petty “Learning to fly”…) as well as pro-peace messages, like Bruce Springsteen’s “War” and John Lennon’s “Imagine”, as if being in favor of peace was a political point of view that was “questionable”. That included also ALL Rage Against The Machine songs (famous for their radical political beliefs). Their website used to have a message board, hosted by a company called Infopop, for fans to post their feelings or thoughts on any topic. On the day of the terrorist attacks, Infopop claimed that the Secret Services called them because of threats on the message board. In order to avoid further trouble from the government, Infopop stopped hosting the Rage message board, and the cyber meeting place came to a halt…

How far can it go ? There is not much distance from making a list of banned songs and banned artists to drawing up lists of banned books or banned journalists… and that is not a democratic country, but something that has more to do with dictatorship, and if I remember well, that’s exactly what America’s government is claiming to fight against, and one of them was hanged not long ago…

So, is speech really free in the USA ? Land of the free, home of the brave ? What we think is a model of democracy, progress, personal achievement ? If we take a closer look, we can see clearly that there is a line of “politically correct” not to cross. If you take a stand against Establishment, expect the storm your seeds created. Nobody likes to be criticized, and denouncing the mistakes that your country makes is something even less appreciated, something you are not supposed to stand against, and consequently, as an artist, you’re basically bound to sing about love and little birds, and the blue sky… without bombs…

Democracy in Korea

There were heroic sacrifices for establishing democracy in Korea.

Imaging Democracy

I think this picture by Jackson Pollock represent democracy the way I ideally think about it. Different ideas, different people, different colours giving their own unique contribution to our society...

Democracy is Dead or Still Alive?

What do you think about this poster?
What does he see in the binoculars???

I think it is critical, but people think about a certain feeling now in this country(in America).
Democracy has been one ideology of all governments since the civilization started(European).
Some people use this concept to justify their ideas and to create political groups.

Am I a little radical ?
I will write about Japanese democracy next time.

Democracy in Argentina

In Argentina, democracy was restored in 1983. Since 1976 to 1983 the military forces took the power. Those were difficult times for argentine people who could not express themselves. The military government repressed opposition and terrorist leftist groups using harsh illegal measures.

But, as I said before, in 1983 the democracy has been restored. Although people can express themselves, and that every 4 years people elect their president it seems that democracy is not everything that is expected to be... The Executive branch has certain powers that allow the president to decide over certain issues without the consensus of the people. Notwithstanding the above, democracy is a "new concept" in Argentina and we are still working on it and how to root it in our mind, in our soul, and in our lives.

Democracy!

People deciding and being responsible for their world!!

Pics from Poland:)

My week at home is almost over:'( Honestly, I don't feel like flying to the US on Sunday. Why can't I stay one more week?! Anyway, I'm posting two pics so you can see how my country and dogs look like. Hope you like them:$

"L'infinito" di Giacomo Leopardi

I found the translation of one of the most beautiful italian poems from Leopardi, a 19th century italian poet!! hope you enjoy it!!

The Infinite
(trans. Alan Marshfield)

Dear always to me this deserted hill
And this hedgerow, which from so large a part
Of the extreme horizon bars the view.
Seated and gazing, interminable spaces
Beyond that place, and silences which are
Deeper than human, and quiet most profound
In thought I fashion me, where for a while
The heart is not alarmed. And as the wind
I hear commingle with these leaves, I that
Infinite silence to this voice go on
Comparing: thus reclaim I the eternal,
And seasons which are dead, and that one which
Is here and living, and the sound she makes.
In this immensity my thoughts are drowned:
And sweet to me is shipwreck in this sea.

Pictures from Seattle !

Silly me, forgot to put a title to my post...

Hey Hey Hey
I couldn't wait to share some pictures with you !! Okay, lets' begin and see if I can work this thing...
That's the public market, it takes place everyday downtown on the waterfront, my hostel was just next to it. It's very lively and old fashioned, beautiful.


This is Mount Rainier, I was lucky to see it on a clear day (surprising to have some sunshine out there) !









That's the Space Needle in the background (605 feet high, I can tell you from this high and by this weather it was amazing) and the Monorail, that take you from the Seattle Center to Downtown in 2 minutes !





View of the city from an observatory











Me on the grave of Jimi Hendrix ! I didn't have any trouble finding it, even though it was outside of town... Now, the grave of Bruce Lee, that is in a cemetary on the city, that's another story... That could have turned into "Night with the living dead", literally... that'll teach me to in cemetaries when it's about to close...


Kurt Cobain's house before his death... The benches you see here in the park next to the house are covered with graffitis left by fans, and non-fans (I admit it, I left a little something), one of which saying " I know you did it Courteney"...
Oh my, I could put all of my pictures here, but I've taken about 550... I'll put some more on my blog and maybe give you the link if you want to check it out !

Democracy Kit Assignment

Please watch these clips and post a comment on how they make you feel about Democracy.

Where is everyone?

We had a really wonderful time today in class learning to upload and post video on the blog, but we were missing so many students! Where is everyone??? Hopefully I'll be able to see you all next week...have a nice weekend!

class video blog

I don't know it is good video, but I finish!!

Introduction of Pilar

Do not miss this video!! I am introducing myself...well, I think so. Our teachers always come to class with new and challenging things to do, as this one!!! Enjoy it!

SEATTLE (still) ROCKS !

Hey everybody, sorry I didn't post earlier, I was so busy !! Jeez this city is amazing, I'm having so much fun !!! walking miles and miles and miles for hours, there is so many great places to see, I think I've pretty much been everywhere and beyond (just back from Vancouver actually) ! I could be such a good tour guide, I know exactly where to go and how to get there ! I'm very proud of myself I must say ! but every good thing has an end... I'm back in NY tomorrow ! I'll try to post a pic or two this week.
See you on Monday ! have a great week end !

Your favorite poet/ poem!

Hi, Girls;

We talked about poem yesterday in the class.
Who/what was your favorite writer or poet in your childhood or now?
When I was twelve I liked a Japanese Writer, Kotaro Takamura.
One of his poems," Lemon" was my favorite one. (Sorry, I don't know how translate this poem in English now)
Then when I grew up at late teen, I liked a French writer, Baudelaire whose book is well-known " Les Fleurs Du Mals". I admired his inspiration in his work.

Yesterday When we looked at the poem, every poem was so different structure and expression.
I chose Allen Ginsberg's "A California Supermarket" as my favorite. It is so dadaist and surrealistic that I like the most.
When I checked about Ginsberg in Wikipedia, he was a student of Columbia Univ. and a Jewish.

I'm waiting for your response...
(Singer Song writers are good too)

Honey, I'm home:)

Hey dudes! How was your weekend? I'm already home!!! Oh my, you can't imagine how happy I am right now:D It's so good to be with my family again! Everything seems so different after 5 months, but I'm enjoying every single second. I'll post some pics soon. Have a great day!

One Billion Bucks, !!!

Hi, girls,


In spite of attending the class yesterday, I didn't give the question for you.

So Here is My next question for you.......

What would you like to do if you get/have a billion backs?

It could be happening to you, girls!!!

Stay warm & have a nice weekends.

Time flies...

Hey guys! Where were you yesterday? We miss you so much. You seem a little bit absent as far as our blog is concerned, so we thought we should make up some other questions to make you write, write, write!!! Here's my question: What do you want to do in 10 years?

I can't wait for your answers!

Love,

M.

Early Valentines ?

Hey Dudettes
What did you do on Valentine's Day ?? Is that why you stayed home yesterday ??

Colossus USA

My question may seem silly, but I'm curious about your answers. So, here we go: How has living in NYC changed your life?

R.S.V.P.

Which is, in your personal opinion, the best film you've ever seen?

My question is...

Girls, what is your favorite home-made dish? Something that you can actually cook. Why don't you share a simple recipe or just some essential secret ingredients?

Question??

My question is easy for everybody.
What do you like best while You're in NYC?
What is the least favorite thing in NYC? And Why??

So, classmates...

... where have you traveled since you arrived in the States ? have you been in another city? another state ? where are you willing to go while you're here ?

My question!!!

hey girls, here is my question for you: What do you miss the most from home??!!
I guess I already know the answer from Magda!! her car maybe??!!!
well...let me know!!!
hugs

new video

Heps;)

Magda's crazy doggie:P

Enjoy!

Magda and Yoko

Venus

Last night I watched at a Movie, " Venus" on DVD.
It is a little sad story, but It is a good movie, I think.
The next sunday ( Feb 25th ) will be Oscar day in US.
Who or which movie will be win??
I still have to watch " The Queen " and " Letters from IWOJIMA".
See you in the class.

Valentines Day Podcast

Happy Valentines Day!

Volunteering

Last Thursday, I had a pretty busy day. After CEP class in the morning, I rushed to the United Nations Headquaters. I had an interview scheduled for a volunteer job that I applied before.

Even though I was a bit nervous, the inverview went pretty well fortunately. And then, I got a great news from them. They said YES! After almost 2-hour interview, I felt totally exhausted, but at the moment I heard the news, I even felt like I could fly. I can hardly explain how much I got excited. I have long wished that I would be a part of work that the UN and its related organizations do.

I am going to work for an NGO within the United Nations system. It's starting from Monday, and it's a part-time volunteer so that it won't conflict with CEP class hour. Wish me luck!

Home sweet home...But I'll be back!

Hey guys! How are you doing this Sunday? Despite tha fact that I'm not feeling good today, I'm so happy and excited because I'm going home for a week next Friday:) Hooray! I don't care that I'll be flying to Poland for almost 9 hours and I'll be dog tired. The most important thing is that I'll see my family, crazy doggies, friends...I'll be sleeping in MY bed, driving MY car and enjoying Polish food for a whole week:D Yay! My brother is angry with me becasue he wants me to stay longer. I wish I could do that. Yeah, life is hard...See you tomorrow!

The Hamptons

Hey everybody, I'm writing from the beautiful Hamptons (at the very end of Long Island) where my family has a second house (for holidays and week ends). It's a beautiful place, 2h30mn by train away from the city, you should definitely come check it out ! If you fancy a day at the beach in the summer, it's the place to go !You're surrounded by the bay and the ocean, beautiful... it is said to be the Beverly Hills of the East Coast...don't believe me if you want, but I spend all week ends here with the family, and yes, it is WORK !! And also, that nevermind the place you are, it's the people you are with who's important... believe me I'd rather spend my holidays with my friends in the middle of nowhere !! See you all on Monday !

You're All Invited to the Edit Jam!

Check out this video I made about the last Edit Jam...You're all invited! It'll happen on March 2nd, 5-8pm, on the fifth floor of the library. Hope to see you there!

Hot Cocoa Anyone?

I hope everyone is having a warm week! I have been having a craving for some hot cocoa to warm up after that long walk from the subway to my apartment (1/2 a block!) Anyhow, if you want a new recipe, check out this video:

Mom always makes my heart warm

I got a letter - literally, not an email - from my mom a week ago. Even before I started to read, I felt like crying. She's always been a good writer. Whatever she writes, it seems that every word she writes down suddenly has something very meaningful for me. She just said how things were going around her and wondered how I was doing far away from home. However, the letter was full of warmth word by word, line by line.
I know it is only because my mom wrote it. For anyone, a mother can be the place where their hearts rest.

Oh where, oh where can warmth be?

Honestly, I can't stand this winter; the cold is killing me. The only thing I can think of when I'm outside is where I might hide to stay warm. Yeah OK, I shouldn't complain since I come from Poland where winter is usually severe: lots of snow (as deep as people's knees) and extremely low temperatures (up to -22'F!!!). It sounds terrible, doesn't it? Anyhow, I'm not able to get used to the weather in NYC. It was warm for such a long time and now...Brrrrrrrr...But I'm doing my best to survive. Hoods are good, dudes! :D

Hugs!

You asked for it....turn up the heat!

This is Tara's Rockstar brother.

Warmth

What ? a post about warmth in the middle of the coldest month of the year ?? What are you, nuts ? Well, dear friends who would loooove to be soaking up the sun lazily on a Carribean beach, where the sand is white, where the translucid blue sea meets the cloudless azur sky, and the palm trees dance along with the breeze... let me tell you that you can find warmth everywhere in this world : sunbeams on a window pane, a cup of hot chocolate when it's freezing outside, a voice, a smile, a hug from a friend ...

Still thinking...

We could not decide about a certain title for the blog, but we like the following ones:
The Conquering Chiks in NYC
CEP Revolution
Speak English or die!

Let's talk about more....

Miran Wakako Pilar

Speak English or Die!!!

Emmanuelle's suggestion sounds great to us. So we picked this one.
We think it's a very strong title, and all of us should survive in this English-speaking country.

Magda, Yoko, Sue

Titles ???

Hey, we (Emmanuelle, Sandra and Ling) came out with several possible titles ;
- Clueless revolutionnaries
- CEP 2007 revolutionnaries
- New York CEP Times
- What's up CEP ?
- CEP Planet

Super Cold, Stay Warm

Hey guys,

It's still freezing. They said it would be low 10's. When I came here first, one of the most difficult things to understand was to figure out how different the measurements like Farenheight degrees, pounds, feet, or miles were from those in my country. I could not even answer when the officer at DMV asked my height and weight. Still, it takes me several minutes to count, but I am able to guess 10's as very very cold weather. So, take care and stay warm.

Miran

Hello,

I am glad to take part in this type of new community.
Although blogs are very popular in Japan, I have
never taken advantage of it. So, I am surprised by
the fact that our teachers try to introduce such an
interesting way in our class. I really enjoy communicating
with our teachers as well as other members by using this blog.
I hope that we will improve our language skills as well. See you!

Regards,
Suzuko

Hello from a tardy student

Hi, everyone! What a vibrant blog! Thanks to our passionate teachers.
Well, my name is Suyeon, who was an invisible student in the first class. What happened was I found myself oversleep until 11 am. It's going to be a huge struggle for me to get up early and to get ready for the class.
Anyway, it is excellent to have both Tara and Joachim this time. Can't wait to see you all.
I hope I didn't miss much in the first class. See you guys on Wednesday.

First post!!

Hey all, I am also very happy to be in this group, I had a lot of fun and I think it is great if we can improve our technological skills together with the language ones!! I can't think about a title for the blog but I love the idea to put something about "revolution" in it, as this course is going to be kind of new and revolutionary!! I will come on Wendsday with some ideas...
Besides that, I would like to recommend you a great movie I saw yesterday night, Volver, from the spanish director Almodovar and with Penelope Cruz acting...if you have the chance, check it out!!

see you tomorrow!

Sa

The Conquering Chicks in NYC

Yup, it's really hard to think of a good title but we can't give up. OK, here's my suggestion: The Conquering Chicks in NYC hahahaha...Doesn't it suit us? I bet you're wondering where it comes from. Well, there was a punk-rock band, The Gits, in the 1990's, and one of their albums was entitled 'Enter: The Conquering Chicken' (check this out if you have a chance). The album is awesome:P So does our class! I changed the title a little bit and...surprise! Let me know if you like it. Stay warm! Hugs!

Steps on how to create a blog entry

Here's a quick guide to posting on the blog. I will be sending out an email to everyone with these instructions soon...Good luck, and I look forward to reading your entries!

1. Be invited by Joachim or Skye through your email
2. Click on " contribute to this blog"
link in your email















3. Join Gmail (if you don't have an account)









4. Sign up for blogger (terms of service, screen name etc)














5. On the "Dashboard" page click "New Post"
6. Create your title, compose, then click "Publish"

Picture of your teachers!

This picture was taken over the weekend at the NYS Applied Linguistics Conference.

Possible Title II

"Clueless" that is my suggestion! If you are wondering why, it is because, We are all clueless about how to use this blog, and also, clueless about which title are we going to pick up for it!!! And, there is a movie with this title and it is about some students, that is what we are, so... Did I make my point? No matter what is going to happen with the title, I feel free of homework until new assignments!!!
See you then,
I enjoyed the video very much!

CEP Intro in Several Languages!

Here's the video "introduction" of the class from today. I tried to bump up the volume a bit, however I think the mic on the computer wasn't strong enough to catch everyone. It's a little easier to hear if you wear headphones...Hope you enjoy!

Possible Title

Alright, I've been thinking about a title for this blog... and I can't find any ! Bad bad bad imagination... I think it should be about how "revolutionnary" this class is (I'm French, I know about revolution). And funny, of course. Or something that has to do with the fact we're going to turn it into a "journal", that could include the word Times, or Post, or Globe, or Herald, or Planet, see what I mean ?
It was very nice to meet you all this morning, finally a class I'm looking forward to !
See you all on Wednesday

CEP First Day

Today was the first day of the Advanced Level CEP class. It was really great to meet all of you this morning, even though it was really cold! I am very excited to get going with this class! In particular, I am interested in what experiences you have had living and studying in NYC. I remember when I first moved here it was a very big change (from a little island off the coast of Senegal called Santiago.) Now I can't imagine living anywhere else (except for the Caribbean maybe!) I look forward to getting to know you this semester!

Joachim Castellano's Intro Part 2 (this one works)

Skye MacLeod's Introduction

Tara E. Tarpey's Introduction