And Justice for All

People involved in a trial:

judge

prosecutor

witness

defence

defendant

jury

witness

victim

Here you have an amazing courtroom scene from the 1979 film And Justice for All, starring Al Pacino, in which an ethical Baltimore defense lawyer disgusted with rampant legal corruption is asked to defend a judge he despises in a rape trial. But if he doesn’t do it, the judge will have him disbarred. We watched the beginning in class. Now you can see how it ends.

Avanzado 1 26.01.11

This is what we watched in class today:

And these are the scripts for the Blackadder Scene (handout24) and the (Monty Python Sketch (handout26)

HW:

Handouts: Reading “Fim Critic” and Use of English “Famous Explorer”

TB pg. 49 ex. a & b

A2 25.01.11

This is the song we listened to in class:

Somewhere Only We Know– Keane

I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete

Oh simple thing where have you gone
I’m getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you’re gonna let me in
I’m getting tired and I need somewhere to begin 

I came across a fallen tree
I felt the branches of it looking at me
Is this the place we used to love?
Is this the place that I’ve been dreaming of?

And if you have a minute why don’t we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don’t we go
Somewhere only we know?

 

B1 25.01.11

We’re back (in the saddle again)

Enjoy the song:

I’m back in the saddle again
Out where a friend is a friend
Where the longhorn cattle feed
On the lowly gypsum weed
Back in the saddle again 

Ridin’ the range once more
Totin’ my old .44
Where you sleep out every night
And the only law is right
Back in the saddle again

Whoopi-ty-aye-oh
Rockin’ to and fro
Back in the saddle again
Whoopi-ty-aye-yay
I go my way
Back in the saddle again

I’m back in the saddle again
Out where a friend is a friend
Where the longhorn cattle feed
On the lowly gypsum weed
Back in the saddle again

Ridin’ the range once more
Totin’ my old .44
Where you sleep out every night
And the only law is right
Back in the saddle again

Avanzado 1 24.01.11

This is the song we listened to in class:

HW:
Text Book: Exercise 3A pg. 137
Reading pg. 40
Handout 3A passive
Reading handout: “Sackcloth, Ashes…and the Gym”
Handout: Absurd laws in the USA

spelunking

 

 

US: the sport or practice of exploring or studying caves —called also caving.

Her hobbies include hiking, biking, and spelunking.

They love to go spelunking.

The bear can do anything you imagine

The God of Small Things

The God of Small Things (1997) is a novel by Indian author Arundhati Roy. It is a story about the childhood experiences of twin siblings Rahel and Estha. All members in their large, diverse, unique, and typical family play a role in shaping the world of the twins, for better and for worse. Each family member’s life is affected by politics, history, and culture clash, and while each person takes a different path through it all, each of their choices influences the family at large. The essential story is one of love but one in which the players become victims of gender,  caste and race divides, but, in the words of Roy, “even though you know that what happened was tragic, the fact that it happened was wonderful.” Roy uses non-linear narrative and a unique language. The humor in the way the point of view of the children is presented gives you a relief from the tragic story.

“To say that it all began when Sophie Mol came to Ayemenem is only one way of looking at it. Equally it could be argued that it actually began thousands of years ago long before the Marxists came, before the British took Malabar, before the Dutch Ascendancy, before da Gama arrived, before the ‘s conquest of Calicut. It could be argued that it began long before Christianity arrived in a boat and seeped into Kerala like tea from a tea bag. But it really began in the days when the Love Laws were made. The laws that lay down who should be loved, and how. And how much.”

Listen, watch and read about this book in the excellent Invitation to World Literature site.

This is a Nerina Pallot‘s song of the same title:

God of all things, God of small things, God of power and might,
Did you really make the world in seven days and seven nights?
‘Cause I don’t know if you exist or if I even care,
But when I lay me down to sleep I’d like somebody there. 

‘Cause it’s hard to make sense of this all, and it gets harder with each passing day.
I believe in little things, and things I cannot see;
In science and the saints and all that stuff like gravity,
Not that sentimental fairytale to keep us in our place.
‘Cause I have seen you here when no-one else is looking –
A calm and silent bliss, a calm and silent bliss.

All your people do these days is argue, fuss and fight,
Then they fuss some more and wipe the blood and say, “At least we know we’re right”.
How foolishly, how foolishly your good things come undone,
How silently, how silently, and now we all are done.

And it’s hard to make sense of it all, and it gets harder with each passing day.
But I believe in little things, and things I cannot see;
In science and the saints and all that stuff like gravity,
Not some sentimental fairytale to keep us in our place.
‘Cause I have seen you here when no-one else is watching –
A strange and silent bliss, a strange and silent bliss.

God of all things, God of small things, God of loss and hope,
God of people struggling, of people who can’t cope,
Do you keep your blessings for the rich, the pious and their guns?
Or if you’re half the man, I hope you root for everyone,
You root for everyone.

New Year’s Resolutions

New Year’s is a time for fresh starts, new beginnings. Tradition dictates that every 365 days, you should try to kick bad habits and start your life anew. This is a time to look disdainfully at the person you have been, and look longingly into the idealistic future at the person you will become.

So,  sit down with a paper and a pen, and reflect: what New Year’s Resolutions will you make for yourself this January 1st?

These are some New Year’s resolutions that are popular year after year according to the usa.gov site:

• Drink Less Alcohol
• Get a Better Education
• Get a Better Job
• Get Fit
• Lose Weight
• Manage Debt
• Manage Stress
• Quit Smoking Now
• Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
• Save Money
• Take a Trip
• Volunteer to Help Others

If you need more ideas you can visit this resolutions generator.