selected by Vivian Barone
Showing posts with label Cartoons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cartoons. Show all posts
Some Calvin jokes
For better reading I've put subtitles below the first two strips.
Subtitles:
Calvin: MOM! HEY MOM!
Mom: Calvin, stop yelling across the house! If you want to talk to me, walk over to the living room, where I am!
Calvin: I stepped in Dog Shit, where’s the hose?
Subtitles:
Test: When did the Pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock?
Calvin: 1620
Calvin writes on the test: As you can see, I've memorized this utterly useless fact long enouhg to pass a test question. I now intend to forget it forever. You've tought me nothing except how to cynically manipulate the system. Congratulations.
Calvin: They say the satisfaction of teaching makes up for the lousy pay.
Vocabulary:
Pilgrim: A pilgrim (from the Latin peregrinus) is a traveller (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. However, that name was applied to early settlers of the Plymouth Colony in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States. The colony, established in 1620, becomes the United States of America.
tought: past tense of the verb “to teach”.
lousy (adj) /ˈlaʊzi/ : bad, or unpleasant
I’m a lousy singer.
lousy weather
by Vivian Barone
The Plum tree
On this short poetic film, a pair of Plum Flower deers is separated by a violent act of man. The dead deer becomes the Plum tree and the blood tears of the surviving deer become the flowers. The Plum Flower deer is one of the best known precious animals of China. In ancient times, it was regarded as "a divine creature".
by Yoho Hang Yue and Queenie
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| Plum flower deer or Sika deer |
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| Red Plum tree covered with snow (China) |
The Plum tree blossoms in hard winter conditions, for example, under snow and much
before any other flowers appear.
That’s why, the Plum flower is a symbol of:
before any other flowers appear.
That’s why, the Plum flower is a symbol of:
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| Yellow Plum tree (China) |
- winter
- the coming of spring
- beauty
- pureness
- ability to withstand adversity
- resilience and perseverance in face of adversity
The colors of the flowers can be pink/red, white, and yellow. The pink/red variety is used often for the Chinese New Year in late January and early February.
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| Plum tree blossom (China) |
VOCABULARY:
TO BLOSSOM /ˈblɑsəm/ (verb) : if a tree blossoms, it produces flowers.
BLOSSOM (noun): 1. the flower or flowers of a plant.
BLOSSOM (noun): 1. the flower or flowers of a plant.
2. the period of flowering.
TO BLOOM /blum/ (verb):if a tree or plant blooms, it produces flowers that have opened.
in (full) bloom: if a tree or plant is in bloom, it is covered with flowers
The Plum tree is in full bloom.
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Cherry tree (Japan) |
Some differences:
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| Plum fruit |
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Sakuranbo (Cherry) Most flowering Japanese cherry trees do not produce edible fruits. Instead, the edible cherry fruit was introduced to Japan from the West in the beginning of the Meiji Period (1868-1912). |
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Cherry Blossoms have 5 round circle petals that generally have a split at the end. It blooms from late March for 2 weeks. |
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Plum Blossoms have 5 oval shaped petals. It blooms from late February to late March. |
Now talking about the deers, on the film the deers are white, it’s poetic. But they represent the Sika Deers, they’re brown with lots of white dots on their bodies. The dots are like plum flowers that are shining in the sunshine. That's why, the deer is also called “plum flower deer” in Chinese. In winter, its hair turns dark brown and the white dots are not so evident. So the color of the deer’s body looks like that of withered twitch-grass, which serves as a perfect camouflage. 
The film; in a very beautiful and poetic way; calls attention at the Chinese tradition and art.
REFERENCES:
by Vivian Barone
Another student's post
Organic Produce
What is organic produce?
It’s produce cultivated without herbicides and pesticides. Although they take more time to ripe (to get fully developed or matured and ready to be eaten or used), they are better to your health.
Note that the spelling of the verb "to produce" and the noun "produce" is the same, but the pronunciation is different.
TO PRODUCE (verb) /prəˈdus/ to make or grow something, especially in large quantities and in order to be sold
PRODUCE (noun) /ˈproʊˌdus/ fruit, vegetables, and other things that farmers grow.
Why should I buy organic produce?
Because many scientists believe that chemicals (like herbicides and pesticides) can cause cancer. Organic produce doesn’t use chemicals, what’s more, they don’t pollute the environment.
Why organic produce is good for health?
Because it respects you and your environment. When you eat some organic produce, like a fruit or vegetable, not only your body feels better and clean but your mind too, because you are helping the environment. The chemicals won’t pollute rivers and kill animals like fish or birds. When you disagree (with the current eating habits) and don’t buy regular produce you start a change in your life!
Why organic produce are more expensive?
They're more expensive because:
They're more expensive because:
- You can’t grow as much produce as other farmers;
- The farmers who plant this kind of produce are, usually, smaller farmers;
- The produce has to arrive at the store very soon after it’s picked.
Vocabulary:
to squash (verb): to damage something by pressing or crushing it and making it lose its normal shape.
If only I buy organic produce will it change the world?
First of all, it’ll change your health, your body, so will change your life, changing yours, you also can change the lives of the ones near you! It’s a beginning. Somehow, it also changes the environment. You won’t kill, indirectly, some animals and you’ll be proud of yourself! It doesn’t change the world, but make your part and question up more the things, sometimes (almost every time) what you think, in reality,it isn’t!
by Wagner de Barros
Barone English's student ( level 2)
MODERN LIFE
Times have changed a lot! I really like the technology era we live at. I can't imagine my life without computer, internet, washing machine, refrigerator, etc... And I think so do you. But new changes bring new habits and if we don't manage them appropriately we can have bad consequences. I’ve posted some cartoons that provoke critical thought about the technology influence on people’s lives. In order to make the discussion easier I have divided the internet influences in 18 categories. Here they are:
1. Good manners
2. Cyberbullying
3. Social Relationships
4. Overweight
5. Sleep Deprivation
6. Teenagers Social Ineptitude
7. Feeling of Inaptitude
8. Elderly Adaptation to Technology
9. Less Family Time
10. Children
11. Marriage
12. Impersonal Customer Service
13. Internet Addiction
14. Time Wasting
15. Bad Scores
16. Education
17. Plagiarism
18. Self Knowledge
I know that is too much for seeing at once. So, you can read them (not exactly read because most of them are cartoons) during the week. As you see them, think about one pro and one con of technology, especially internet, or how you feel about it. Later post a comment, please. Your colleagues will be happy to see it. Don’t worry if you make some language mistakes. This is a community of English learners. Even natives misspell words when they write on the internet. However, it’s better to write your comment on a Word document first. Some followers have complained that when they submit their comments they disappear, the coments of course, hehehe! As we’re going to see, technology is not always reliable, so it is better to prevent it. Here we go.
GOOD MANNERS
Imagine how disturbing would it be living in a place that every moment people announced on speakers what they're doing or thinking. It would be like that:
That is what people do on Facebook and Twitter. Is there any problem telling about your actions and thoughts to others? No, there isn't. However, the boundary between what is appropriate and inappropriate it isn't clear, and some cross the line. Watch the video below and decide by yourself what would be the limit.
That is another consequence of modern life; people have lost the parameters for what is called good manners, etiquette or politness. See how easy is to lose the notion of good manners.
So, mind your manners on the internet.
CYBERBULLYING
When it is done on the internet, it just looks like a play, but unhappily it's not. The effect is the same as it were on the real life. How would you feel in a situation like the one below?
Unhappily the consequences of playing with cyberbullying are so serious that North American people created a word for naming one of these consequences: bullycide.
VOCABULARY
The term Bullycide is a * portmanteau word first used by Neil Marr and Tim Field in their book Bullycide: Death at Playtime. It refers to suicide attributable to the victim having been bullied. The term has come to prominence during the highly publicized teenage suicides in the USA
In response to 2010 deaths an online event, Spirit Day, was created for 20 October 2010 in which participants wore purple items to signify opposition to bullying of LGBT people.
Legal analysts criticize the term because it links a cause with an effect under someone else's control.
Bullycide has also been defined as the killing of the bully by the victim.
Research shows those who are bullied have a higher probability of considering or performing suicide than those who are not.
* portmanteau /pɔrtˈmæntɔu/ (noun) a new word formed by joining two others and combining their meanings ("`motel' is a portmanteau word made by combining `motor' and `hotel'")
Bullycide: Death at Playtime
by Neil Marr & Tim Field
Available in paperback or ebook download from
BeWriteBooks
SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
VOCABULARY
What is a twitter bot?
It is a contraction of robot, which is apt, as they work automatically or by scheduling or programming. They are very easy to create, and usually collect website links, RSS feeds or Twitter posts and then feed them to Twitter. This term is also used on computing for naming a computer program that works automatically, especially one that can find information for you on the Internet.The most common auto feeders are Twitterfeed, SocialOomph, Ping.fm, Google, Twittelator or via an API. There are many others. Luckily Twitter has made the origin of a Tweet very clear on the ‘Home’ screen of a user’s Twitter page.
OVERWEIGHT
SLEEP DEPRIVATION
TEENAGERS
SOCIAL INEPTITUDE
SOCIAL INEPTITUDE
INEPTITUDE (noun) the quality or state of being inept.
Ineptitude is related to the adjective inept that means:
1. not suitable to the time, place, or occasion : inappropriate often to an absurd degree.
2. lacking in fitness or aptitude : unfit, e.g: inept at sports
e.g.: Ineptitude is frequent on internet, for example, racism, cyberbullying, pornography, etc.
3. lacking sense or reason : foolish
So on this cartoon the word used is ineptitude because some teenagers fail into the ability of fitting appropriately to social relationships.
FEELING OF INAPTITUDE
VOCABULARY
Although the words inaptitude and ineptitude can sometimes be used interchangeably they have different meanings.
INAPTITUDE (noun) lack of aptitude; lack of talent or ability.
☺don’t confuse aptitude with attitude, they’re different words.
Inaptitude comes from the word aptitude, that means: natural ability that makes it easy for you to do something well. E.g.:
One of the greatest problems in our country is the Government’s inaptitude to improve the education system.
So on this cartoon the word inaptitude is used instead of ineptitude because the man doesn't have the necessary ability to use computers.
ELDERLY ADAPTATION TO TECHNOLOGY
LESS FAMILY TIME
CHILDREN
MARRIAGE
IMPERSONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE
INTERNET ADDICTION
TIME WASTING
BAD SCORES
EDUCATION
PLAGIARISM
SELF KNOWLEDGE
EVEN THE ANIMALS CAN FEEL SOME
TECHNOLOGY CHANGES!!!
TECHNOLOGY CHANGES!!!
I've just listed some cons, because they're not so obvious as the pros. Internet has a lot of advantages. Post a comment about at least one pro and one con or how you feel about it. We eager to hear from you.
By Vivian Barone
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